Chapter 209 Cloud Village Internal Strife
A night passed, and early the next morning, information about the shrinking safe zone was sent to the wristbands of the examinees still alive in the arena.
At this time, the teams from Konoha and Iwagakure who had agreed to cooperate arrived at the previously agreed location.
"So, if everything goes smoothly, we'll be the ones advancing to the third round of the Chunin Exams, right?" Sasuke asked with a smile after glancing at the group Kurotsuchi had brought.
"That's right, if everything goes smoothly," Kurotsuchi nodded, smiling.
While the group patiently waited for the safe zone to shrink again, the remaining seven Cloud Village teams gathered at the edge of the safe zone within the examination hall.
"According to the current intelligence, the strongest teams from Konoha and Iwagakure have already reached an agreement." Omoi chewed his lollipop, then used the stick to draw a simple map on the ground. "They want to exclude Kumogakure from the third round, so the second safe zone won't be easy for us to enter."
"So, what do you plan to do?" At this moment, the captain of a Kumogakure team composed entirely of white people asked.
"We must cooperate to break through their blockade." Omoi took a deep breath and said.
"We have no objection to cooperation, but who will command the subsequent battle?" the white genin asked.
"Omoi's team is the strongest among us, so of course he should command." At this moment, a dark-skinned Kumogakure genin said.
Upon hearing this, the three white teams among the Kumogakure genin gathered together immediately showed strange expressions, and the white captain who had spoken earlier directly refused: "If that's the case, our team should break out on its own."
"That's right. If you're in command, who knows if you'll sabotage us in battle?" At this moment, the captain of another white squad spoke up.
"What kind of time is this! You're still thinking about this kind of thing? This concerns the honor of our Hidden Cloud Village! Do you want the other ninja villages to laugh at us?" A black man behind Omoi said angrily.
"Hmph, don't try to use this reason to hold us hostage," the white captain said. "You black people only give us the most dangerous missions, then watch us die and reap the rewards. Don't our lives matter?"
"I really don't have that thought. If you think you can, we can follow your command!" Omoi said through gritted teeth.
"Heh, that's easy for you to say. When have you noble black people ever been willing to listen to the orders of us white people?" the white ninja said with a dry laugh.
"Heh, the ninjas of your Hidden Cloud Village are really interesting. Can you still fight amongst yourselves in this situation?" Onoki couldn't help but laugh as he watched the two groups wearing the same headbands arguing loudly on the monitor.
Uchiha Touko watched this scene with great interest. It seemed that White Zetsu's actions in the Land of Lightning over the past two years had far exceeded his expectations. After all, according to his estimation, the conflict between the Black and White factions in Kumogakure would at most remain in a state of conflict without a complete breakdown. However, he didn't expect their genin to tear off their mask so openly in a setting like the Chunin Exams.
"Damn it, these guys, even at a time like this, they're still thinking about these pointless tricks!" A gritted his teeth at this moment.
Ever since that rapper named Chris Light corrupted Killer Bee, the conflict between the Black and White factions in the Land of Lightning had been like a runaway horse. The underground rap scene in the Land of Lightning Capital kept producing content that was incensed by races, and it was impossible to stop it. The White factions also began to gather to fight against this trend, and this evil wind had even reached Kumogakure.
The white ninjas in the village also began to spontaneously band together, even chanting the slogan that they needed a white Raikage. If it weren't for A's current strength still being the undisputed strongest in Kumogakure, they probably would have already started plotting a coup.
But A didn't have a good solution to this situation. This was different from the situation with the Uchiha clan in Konoha. No matter how strong the Uchiha clan was, they couldn't possibly possess half the power of Konoha. But in Kumogakure, white ninjas made up half of all the ninjas. He couldn't just kill them all.
So, over the years, A had to relinquish some power to the representatives of the white ninjas in the village to barely maintain the superficial harmony of Kumogakure. But unexpectedly, in the Chunin Exams, these white genin dared to play this trick again.
The group that Omoi had painstakingly gathered quickly fell apart in discord. After the new safe zone was refreshed, the black and white ninjas of Kumogakure went in two distinct directions. "
...
Although there's some deviation, the latest safe zone is still roughly within our previous estimate." After receiving the new safe zone information, Shikamaru glanced at the map projected on his bracelet and said, "Except for traps numbered 9, 13, 14, and 21, the rest of the traps will work."
"Good, let's go," Sasuke nodded. "Be careful to conserve your energy during the battle. If you encounter opponents that are difficult to handle, letting one or two small teams into the safe zone is fine."
"I'm all ready for a big fight, so it's not good to talk like this now, right, Akamaru?" Kiba Inuzuka said, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
"Woof!" Akamaru, perched on Kiba's head, barked in agreement.
"Then let's have a youthful competition and see who takes down the most enemies!" Rock Lee said energetically.
"That'll definitely be me!" Naruto said, rubbing his fists and smiling.
"Karin, you'll work with the reconnaissance team. Once you spot the enemy, inform us immediately using Ino's secret technique. Shino, Kiba, Sakura, and Lee, the four of you, along with Choji and me, will each guard one of the six key passes," Shikamaru said, assuming command of the battle. "Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji, the three of you will escort our ambush troops to their designated locations, then serve as support, ready to provide assistance at any time."
"Sasuke-sama, what about us?" Three Kirigakure genin, who had been with the group for almost the entire night, timidly raised their hands and asked.
"The three of you will guard the area where trap number 4 is located. If you encounter an opponent you feel you can't handle, I allow you to retreat immediately," Sasuke said, glancing at the three before giving his orders.
"Understood!"
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(End of Chapter)