"I don't believe it!"
Hoshigaki Kisame's expression turned grim.
All of them real?
Where did this kid get so much chakra!
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
He formed hand seals, and in an instant, the surrounding area was filled with mist.
Hidden Mist Technique!
But.
This time, the purpose of the Hidden Mist Technique wasn't to conceal their movements but to determine through its effect—
Which ones were real!
However.
In the next moment, all three clones dissipated.
"Where are they?"
"They're gone, all clones. Not sure if they were shadow clones or regular clones."
Kisame canceled the Hidden Mist Technique, his face dark.
Being given a warning without being able to retaliate left him utterly frustrated.
What made it worse was—
After the delay, they could no longer sense the enemy's direction. They could only confirm that the three had moved diagonally upward, seemingly heading toward Entrance No. 2.
"Should we chase?"
Terumi Mei looked at her two teammates.
The team was temporarily formed to create the strongest squad in the village.
She was the youngest and didn't want to compete for leadership, but if she had to express her opinion...
Don't chase!
Kyohiko's three clones were hard to distinguish, and this move was clearly just a small warning. They didn't want to engage further.
If they really chased and fought, it was hard to say who would win.
Hozuki Mangetsu pondered for a moment and suggested, "We'll meet them eventually when we get to the top to retrieve the scrolls."
Takigakure's exam site was a dormant volcano, with eight entrances around the mountain, each with about three or four teams.
With the abilities of the Konoha team, unless something unusual happened, they would definitely make it to the summit.
Kisame was unwilling to let it go.
"Let's try one more time. If we can't catch up, we'll head up."
...
"Still chasing?"
After a while, Kyohiko heard movement behind them.
He frowned slightly.
"Should we ambush them?"
"What about the Kusagakure team?"
Kyohiko looked at Kurenai.
In their team, Kyohiko's hearing was more about distinguishing subtle sounds rather than having a greater range, so they relied more on Kurenai's long-range sensing and scouting abilities.
"Wait a moment."
Kurenai stopped on a tree, maintaining a hand seal to enhance her sensing abilities to the maximum.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes.
"They're still below."
"Then let's fight. If we don't fight, they won't give up."
Kyohiko's expression turned cold.
He wasn't afraid of Kisame and the others, but he didn't want to waste time on these troublesome opponents.
Since they were persistent—
Then fight!
Kyohiko glanced at Kurenai and Might Gai, knowing that his teammates must have questions but hadn't asked.
"Earlier, I overheard those three Kusagakure ninjas talking about a red-haired woman with special abilities. Based on the Second Hokage's books, I suspect she might be from the Uzumaki clan, like Kushina-senpai."
The Second Hokage's notes were omnipotent.
After all, Gai and Kurenai hadn't read them and lacked sufficient understanding of the Second Hokage. Even Tsunade couldn't be sure if there were similar records in his extensive writings.
The two of them were convinced.
They understood Kyohiko's intentions.
"You want to capture them and interrogate them for information about that woman?"
"Yes, the Uzumaki clan was once our ally in Konoha, but they were targeted and wiped out by other villages. I think it's necessary to bring them back."
Kyohiko's tone was firm.
Kurenai nodded, "Then let's deal with the pursuers first. What's the plan?"
"From my earlier test..."
Kyohiko shared the information he had gathered and discussed the strategy.
Then, he said, "Gai, do you remember the guy who called you a beast earlier?"
"Huh?"
Gai thought for a long time before honestly saying, "I can't remember his face."
"..."
Kurenai's mouth twitched.
Over the past month or two, she thought she had gained a deeper understanding of Gai, but at this moment, she realized she still didn't know enough.
Turns out, aside from his sudden emotional outbursts and tears, he also had a problem with facial recognition.
"Can you at least tell if it's a man or a woman?"
Kyohiko asked.
Gai nodded, grinning and flashing his teeth, "No problem! I'll make her understand the power of Konoha's Blue Beast!"
"Good, then the main target is the girl. Try to hold off the others as much as possible."
Kyohiko paused for a moment, then added, "Kurenai, be careful of Mangetsu's ambush. He's very strong, and since none of us have Lightning Release today, dealing with him will be troublesome. If he chases you, you'll have to handle it on your own."
"If he's alone, I can use genjutsu to stall him."
...
A moment later, Mangetsu charged ahead, moving quickly.
With his Water Release, he wasn't afraid of Konoha's ambushes, making him the perfect vanguard.
After tracking for a while, Mei suddenly felt something was off.
"Wait, something's not right!"
The enemy's chakra fluctuations had completely disappeared!
Two possibilities.
Either they were planning an ambush, or they had already moved far away.
Either way, it wasn't a good idea to keep chasing.
However.
As soon as she finished speaking—
Six figures jumped down from the trees, surrounding them, all looking different.
Had Konoha regrouped?
Kisame was startled but quickly formed hand seals, completing the jutsu in an instant.
In the next moment, mist filled the area.
Hidden Mist Technique!
But.
Before the mist could fully spread—
"Ooooh!"
A strange cry sounded from beside his ear.
That beast?
Although not as strong as Kyohiko, such speed was still impressive.
Kisame was startled, not expecting the oddly dressed beast to have such strength. He immediately formed hand seals, predicted Gai's path, and used Body Flicker to dodge to the side, slamming his hand on the ground to release a jutsu.
A water shark leaped up, charging toward Gai's original position.
But the next second, Might Gai rushed past him, heading straight for Mei behind him, and the Water Shark missed entirely.
Kisame was stunned.
This beast...
Wasn't targeting him?
They were, after all, from Kirigakure, and none of them were weak.
With the enemy attacking, their formation quickly adjusted—
Kisame retreated, Mangetsu fell back to regroup, and stopped pursuing.
Mei jumped back, quickly forming hand seals and spitting out thick, sticky liquid.
Gai dodged with a strange cry, then shouted, "Why are you spitting? Disgusting!"
"Sp-spitting?"
Mei's forehead twitched.
This is a kekkei genkai alright!
She was furious.
As the mist cleared, she sensed two figures rapidly approaching.
Kisame confirmed—
Those "clones" were indeed mostly fake. The enemy didn't have enough chakra to create so many shadow clones.
He smirked.
Then...
Water Release: Water Wall!
A high wall of water rose, and Kisame used it to block off the area, while Mangetsu quickly merged into the water wall, firing water bullets to surround Gai.
Take out the beast first!
However, the moment the water wall rose, a terrifying surge of chakra blasted through, tearing a hole in the wall.
Immediately after, two figures "whooshed" in.
Then...
Splash!
Kisame's water clone couldn't hold for even a second, shattering the moment it was struck by a blade.
Gai was locked in a fierce battle with Mei when suddenly, a blade shot through the air.
"Save me!"
Mei was terrified out of her wits.
Konoha had no martial ethics, directly targeting her, a freshly graduated genin!
Mangetsu emerged from the water wall.
But.
Clang!
A loud noise, accompanied by a terrifying surge of chakra, a hand blade and monstrous strength—Mangetsu was caught off guard, his blade knocked out of his hand and sent flying toward Mei.
Mei tried to jump away, but as she leaped—
"Strong Fist Whirlwind!"
A strange cry.
Her shoulder took a kick, sending her back to the ground.
Bam!
Mangetsu's blade hilt struck her stomach, sending her flying through the water wall with a "whoosh," and she crashed into a tree.
At that moment, Mei looked up to see a kunai with an explosive tag flying toward her from above.
Even worse—
The enemy was forming hand seals, completing a jutsu.
In the next instant, trees grew from behind, binding her.
Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!
No!
She had never been so terrified in her life, because she could really die!
Break it, break it!
Mei screamed inwardly, frantically trying to dispel the genjutsu.
Finally...
She succeeded!
She quickly broke the genjutsu and used Body Flicker to escape.
Boom!
An explosion rang out.
But the next second.
"Ha!"
The green-clad beast charged again.
Faced with Gai's kick, Mei rolled awkwardly, her heart filled with frustration—
It was Kisame who insulted your teammate, so why are you targeting me?