45. The Hunt Begins

Smack.

With that thought, Kisame tossed the recorder to Kurenai Yuhi and said to her, "Go to the infirmary and check on your little boyfriend. Give him my regards while you're at it. Whatever grudge existed between me and Asuma, let it end here—do you understand what I mean?"

Kurenai caught the recorder, momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and assured Kisame repeatedly, "Don't worry. I'll convince Asuma not to bother you anymore. Thank you."

Wiping her tears, she swiftly turned and ran out.

Watching Kurenai's retreating figure, Kisame reached into his pocket and pulled out another recorder. This was his backup, just in case. If Asuma refused to listen to Kurenai and insisted on opposing him, Kisame would simply make the recording public—even if it meant mutual destruction.

The rank of Chunin meant little to Kisame; it was something he could take or leave. But the Sarutobi clan and the reputation of the Hokage could not withstand such a blow. Once Asuma understood this, he would probably have no choice but to swallow his pride and accept the fact that Kisame had thrashed him twice for nothing.

Time passed.

At exactly noon, the first exam finally ended, and a total of just over sixty candidates advanced to the next round.

Unfortunately, Kisame's two temporary teammates had been eliminated, which meant that starting from the second exam, he would be fighting alone. This suited him just fine. To Kisame, teammates were usually more of a burden than a help.

Clang.

The lounge door was suddenly pushed open—the chief examiner for the second round had arrived.

She was a striking woman in her early twenties, with flowing red hair cascading down to her waist, exuding an air of optimism and a hint of feisty energy.

Kushina Uzumaki, a survivor of Uzushio Village, now a Jonin of the Hidden Leaf.

She strode in energetically, pointed her thumb at her own face, and announced her role as chief examiner with a bright smile—confident and beautiful.

"The Uzumaki Clan..." Kisame murmured, watching the spirited Kushina on the podium, feeling a touch of emotion. After all, it was possible he carried Uzumaki blood himself; he might even be distantly related to Kushina.

But the Uzumaki Clan was gone, now only a part of history, so there was no use dwelling on it.

Following Kushina's instructions, the examinees left the lounge, heading first to the dining hall for lunch, before proceeding to the second testing ground in the afternoon.

In the dining hall, Kisame chose a quiet seat by the window, enjoying his meal while gazing at the scenery outside.

Other candidates, upon seeing him, paled and detoured around his table, not daring to sit nearby.

The only exception was Might Guy.

After getting his food, Guy's eyes lit up when he spotted Kisame by the window. He said a few words to his two teammates, then trotted over enthusiastically.

"Kisame, are you taking on the second exam alone? I believe in you—even solo, you'll definitely make it through!" Guy grinned, giving Kisame a thumbs-up, his admiration for Kisame's strength plain to see.

"I wish you good luck as well, Guy," Kisame replied with a smile, glancing over at Guy's two teammates sitting not far away.

Genma Shiranui was decent—he would eventually become the bodyguard of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. The other, Ebisu, was the future tutor of Konohamaru. He had a knack for teaching, but his own abilities were average; he didn't become a Chunin until he was seventeen.

A bit of a burden, really.

On paper, Guy's squad ranked in the lower-middle tier among all teams in the second round—advancing would be a challenge.

The two of them chatted as they ate.

"Guy, time to go," his teammates called out, casting wary glances at Kisame, clearly worried that their team had caught the attention of the infamous Kisame Hoshigaki.

"I'll be off then, Kisame," Guy said, picking up his tray.

"Wait," Kisame called him back. He pressed a stack of explosive tags into Guy's hand, speaking in a tone that brooked no refusal. "Take these. They may come in handy in the next exam. No need to refuse—just accept them."

"Then I'll gladly accept. Thank you, Kisame!" Guy scratched the back of his head sheepishly, bowed to Kisame, and happily accepted the gift. His family was poor; items like explosive tags were a luxury.

Kisame watched Guy leave and rejoin his teammates as they exited the dining hall.

He didn't immediately rise to follow the rest of the group, but stayed in his seat and closed his eyes.

The next moment, in his mind's eye, within a field of darkness, he sensed a single point of light moving slowly. It was Might Guy—or, more precisely, the explosive tags on his person. These tags were crafted by Kisame using the ability of the Exploding Sword: Splash, imbued with his special chakra. As long as they were within ten kilometers, he could sense their exact location.

Half an hour later.

More than sixty candidates, led by Kushina Uzumaki and a team of Chunin proctors, arrived at the Hidden Leaf's Training Ground 44—the Forest of Death.

The territory under the jurisdiction of the Hidden Leaf was vast, nearly a thousand square kilometers. Dozens of training grounds had been built within these broad forests.

The Forest of Death was among the most frequently used—located in the northeast corner of the village, close to the city, with a large enough area and complex enough terrain to serve as an ideal arena for the Chunin Exam.

Before the second round could begin, every participant had to sign a consent form, as injuries and deaths were possible.

"You can still back out now," Kushina said, waving the document in her hand, a sly smile on her lips as her bright eyes swept over the assembled candidates.

No one flinched.

All of them had steeled themselves before entering the exam—having come this far, no one was willing to give up.

Once the paperwork was done, Kushina announced the rules:

Each team would be randomly assigned either a Scroll of Heaven or a Scroll of Earth. To pass, a team had to seize the opposing scroll from another team, collect both Heaven and Earth, and reach the central tower in the Forest of Death within the allotted time.

Kisame received a Scroll of Heaven.

He knew that inside the scroll was actually a summoning jutsu formula. If a candidate tried to open either scroll on their own, a Chunin proctor would be summoned and immediately knock them out, disqualifying them on the spot.

More than twenty teams, after receiving their scrolls, quickly divided into two camps, each picking potential prey.

Although Kisame was alone, no one dared target him. Defeating the genius ninja Kakashi was reason enough for the other Genin to be afraid.

Even the elite Genin from the Hidden Cloud wouldn't risk taking on Kisame now—there were easier targets. If they were going to challenge Kisame Hoshigaki, they'd wait for the third round and a one-on-one match.

Kisame's gaze swept over the crowd.

He didn't see Kurenai—most likely she had withdrawn to care for the injured Asuma.

"Any questions?" Kushina clapped her hands. Once she was sure there were none, she had the Chunin proctors lead the teams to separate entrances around the Forest of Death.

Kisame followed a proctor to Entrance Eight.

Half an hour later.

With a creak, the iron gate at the forest's edge swung open, and the second round of the Chunin Exams officially began.

Kisame walked in at a measured pace.

The time had come. It was time to hunt.

But the Scroll of Earth was only a secondary objective for Kisame.

His true target was a person.

Might Guy.