Sasori was badly wounded. It took Qianyu a full day to stabilize his injuries.
According to the system's judgment, this counted as a successful rescue. After all, the kid was a freak among freaks.
[Ding! Rescue successful. Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the skill [Red Secret Technique: Living Puppet Blood Refinement]!]
"Living Puppet Blood Refinement?" Qianyu muttered to himself. "Creepy name."
He tapped the skill description. The reward for saving Sasori probably wouldn't be trash.
[Red Secret Technique: Living Puppet Blood Refinement]: A secret art that uses chakra as fire and the human body as a puppet for blood refinement, enhancing flesh vitality and bone and tendon strength.
"Treating the body like a puppet to be forged… Can choose to refine all flesh and blood into one location, maintaining a hundredfold vitality…"
After a moment of reading, Qianyu smacked his own forehead in excitement. "Holy shit! This is Sasori's regeneration core! Good stuff!"
Qianyu had no intention of forging his entire body into a puppet.
But a secret technique this potent, used to temper his physique? It would definitely help him better excavate the potential of his Senju bloodline. Until he could—well, you know—open the gates!
"Not bad. Wasn't a wasted effort after all." Qianyu nodded, satisfied.
Only three days remained until the exam's end. He was still missing scrolls from the Sand and Cloud villages.
At that thought, Qianyu reached straight into Sasori's clothes. His fingers closed around something hard.
"Hey! Qianyu! What are you doing?" Sasori jolted, then clutched his clothes, his voice icy. "I still need to continue the exam!"
"The exam? In your condition? Run into anyone else and you're dead meat. Hand it over!"
Qianyu yanked it free—the scroll from Sasori's grasp—and shoved it into his own shirt in one swift motion.
"You're something else." Sasori ground his teeth. "No one has ever dared to steal from me. Not once. I'll remember you, Qianyu."
"I'll remember you too, little bro." Qianyu grinned at the furious boy. "Hope you survive this exam. Let's part ways here."
Sasori watched Qianyu turn to leave and hissed at his back, "Hey! You'd better stay alive too! Or I'll turn your corpse into a puppet!"
…
His cards were already on the table. Qianyu decided to hell with it. He took to the skies, searching for Kosuke.
He wasn't boasting. With his abilities now known, few remaining examinees could threaten him. Not even Rasa or Minato.
"Hmm. My capabilities have probably been reported to the Hokage's office by now," Qianyu mused, remaining vigilant. Strength was one thing, but arrogance? That got you killed.
"I wonder how the higher-ups will handle me… Need to pick a side. Become the Third's man. Avoid attracting attention from… certain dark forces."
Decision made: after the exam, he'd pick one of the Sannin to apprentice under.
What Qianyu didn't know was that, at that very moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also pondering how to bring him into the fold.
"Huh? Them?"
Qianyu's flight stuttered. He'd been searching for Kosuke, but instead, he spotted Minato's team below.
"Qianyu?"
The four on the ground noticed the figure in the sky. Surprise flashed across their faces. Not many in Konoha could ride the winds like that.
Whoosh!
After a brief hesitation, Qianyu folded his wings and landed in front of Minato's group.
Both sides held their distance.
"Spiral staircase, rhinoceros beetle, ruined street?" Qianyu challenged.
"Fig tower, hydrangea, secret emperor," Minato confirmed.
The pre-arranged code phrases for identifying Konoha allies were exchanged flawlessly.
"It really is you, Qianyu." Minato smiled, stepping forward with natural ease. "Weren't you just leaving? Back so soon?"
"Nice try, but no." Qianyu rubbed his nose. "We only met once, at the exam's start. Haven't seen you the past two days."
Minato glanced back at Inoichi, who gave a slight, confirming nod. Only then did Minato lower the kunai he'd been hiding.
"Is something wrong, Qianyu?" Minato asked. "And where's Kosuke?"
"Got separated. Was looking for him when I spotted you. Wanted to ask… do you have any scrolls you don't need? We could trade."
That was it. A simpler path. He had no mission to hunt other villages' ninja. If he could collect the scrolls without more fighting, why not?
"Oh?" Minato's team exchanged glances.
Soon, Shikaku Nara—the acknowledged strategist—stepped forward with a smile. "We can do that. It would save us all time."
"Strangely, we've encountered very few Mist ninja," he added. "If you have a Mist scroll, we could trade for it."
"Yeah," Chōza chimed in. "We have extra Rock and Cloud scrolls. If you need one, we can trade one-for-one."
A flicker of joy crossed Qianyu's face. "Deal. I happen to have a spare Mist scroll."
Jūzō Biwa really came in clutch, he thought. He must have wiped out a ton of Mist ninja, making their scrolls this rare.
"Which scroll do you want?"
"The Cloud scroll."
Scrolls were drawn and tossed simultaneously. A quick check, a mutual nod. Deal done.
…
"Perfect! The last scroll, and it practically fell into my lap!"
After parting ways with Minato's team, Qianyu set off with a spring in his step. It wasn't long before he found Kosuke—or rather, Kosuke, having sensed him, chose to reveal himself.
"Kosuke! You alright? I've got all five scrolls. Should we head for the exit?"
"Ah, but… the mission Lord Third gave me…" Kosuke's face fell.
"I see…" Qianyu thought for a moment, then an idea struck. "How about this? Not many Konoha examinees are left. Why not just… burn all your extra scrolls? Fewer people pass. Mission accomplished."
Kosuke stared, dumbfounded. "Is… is that allowed? Examinees can't destroy scrolls, can they…"
"Ah, but you see," Qianyu waved a hand, grinning. "Didn't Lord Orochimaru say before we entered? 'Any means necessary.' Anything goes."
Swayed by Qianyu's logic, Kosuke destroyed his surplus scrolls. Together, they headed for the designated exit point. The rest of the journey was uneventful.
"Sss… Congratulations on passing, Qianyu-kun." At the finish line, Orochimaru accepted the scrolls with a serpentine smile. "I personally look forward to your… performance in the next stage."
The third exam—the final, public tournament with one-on-one elimination matches—was the main event. Dignitaries from every nation would attend.
But that was a month away. Right now, Qianyu just wanted a bath. And to sleep for a week.
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