"What did you just say?!"
"You arrogant Konoha brat! Are you trying to die?"
Ren's words struck exactly where it hurt.
Kusagakure was a small village trapped between larger powers, surviving by carefully shifting its alliances whenever the political winds changed. Its shinobi could tolerate many insults, but being called opportunistic fence-sitters to their faces was another matter entirely.
Two of the three Grass shinobi flushed with rage.
The short, heavyset man immediately drew his blade and stepped forward, murder flashing in his eyes.
"Say it again," he growled. "I dare you."
Before the confrontation could erupt, however, a calm voice cut through the tension.
"Wait."
The gloomy young man, who had remained silent until now, raised one hand and blocked his companion's path.
His eyes stayed fixed on Ren.
"Konoha genin, this is not the time for pointless arguments," he said. "According to the exam rules, there should be three hostages somewhere below us. There are two teams here. We can each take what we need and avoid unnecessary conflict."
The heavyset Grass shinobi looked dissatisfied, but he stopped.
Obito immediately snorted.
"So you're scared."
The Grass shinobi's face twitched.
Obito folded his arms and glanced at Ren. "What do you think, Ren?"
Ren did not answer immediately.
His earlier provocation had been deliberate.
He wanted to create an excuse for conflict, then use the battle to extract information about Kusagakure's imprisoned Uzumaki survivors. If the Grass shinobi became angry enough, one of them might reveal something useful.
Unfortunately, the gloomy young man was far more composed than expected.
Starting a fight would still be easy.
The difficult part was forcing them to reveal the right information without making the situation appear staged.
Ren could not simply invent a confession afterward. Konoha possessed the Yamanaka clan, whose techniques could search the memories of captives or even recently deceased shinobi. If Ren's account failed to match the evidence, he would only invite suspicion.
Destroying every body and removing all proof would be even worse.
That would look far too deliberate.
The Grass shinobi's offer, however, opened another path.
Ren's eyes shifted briefly toward the dark tunnel entrance.
"Fine," he said. "We'll cooperate."
The gloomy youth's mouth curved into something that could barely be called a smile.
"A sensible choice."
He looked between the two teams.
"Each side should leave one person outside to guard the entrance. The remaining two will enter the tunnel. Once the hostages are found, we divide them and go our separate ways."
"Reasonable."
Ren turned toward Obito.
"You'll stay here."
Obito blinked.
"What? Why me?"
"Your Sharingan is best suited for guarding the entrance," Ren explained. "If enemies approach from outside, you'll notice them first. If something happens underground, you can immediately support us."
Obito still looked unhappy.
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Or would you prefer leaving Rin alone up here with three Grass shinobi?"
Obito's expression changed instantly.
"I'll stay."
Rin gave him a small, amused smile.
On the Grass side, the tall, thin man and the gloomy youth exchanged a few quiet words. After a brief discussion, they decided that the short, heavyset shinobi would remain outside.
The gloomy youth looked at Ren.
"Who goes down first?"
"You do."
Ren gestured toward the entrance.
"You suggested the cooperation. Show us some sincerity."
The tall Grass shinobi gave him a cold look but did not argue.
He descended first, followed by the gloomy youth. Their glow stick cast pale light across the ancient stone steps before gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Ren waited several seconds.
He listened carefully for the sound of traps, fighting, or hurried footsteps.
Nothing happened.
He gave Obito a brief look.
Stay alert.
Obito nodded almost imperceptibly.
Ren then entered the passage with Rin close behind him.
The underground structure was much deeper than it had appeared from the surface.
The stone staircase continued downward at a steep angle, vanishing into darkness beyond the weak glow of their light. The deeper they went, the colder and damper the air became.
Water seeped through cracks in the walls.
Droplets fell at irregular intervals, striking the steps with soft, hollow sounds that echoed through the passage.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The air smelled of mold, rust, and stagnant water.
Ren placed one hand lightly against the wall as he descended, feeling the old stone beneath his fingers.
This place had been abandoned for years.
Perhaps decades.
A faint concern entered his mind.
If the tunnel collapsed, the tons of earth above them would bury everyone inside. Substitution Jutsu was useful for escaping attacks, but it could not casually teleport someone through several meters of packed soil.
Even his enhanced Summoning Jutsu would be unreliable if he could not form seals or move his arms.
The two Grass shinobi ahead seemed to share the same concern.
The tall man occasionally stopped and formed hand seals, using some kind of sensory technique to investigate the path ahead. Only after confirming there was no immediate danger would he continue.
After descending more than thirty steps, the passage finally leveled out.
A small stone chamber appeared before them.
It was roughly ten square meters in size, with faded murals carved across the walls. Time and moisture had worn away most of the images, leaving only fragmented outlines of figures, weapons, and strange symbols.
Two dark corridors branched away from opposite sides of the chamber.
The tall Grass shinobi examined them.
"One team searches each side?"
"Fine," Ren replied. "But you and I should each leave a clone here."
The man narrowed his eyes.
Ren continued calmly.
"That prevents either side from secretly returning to the surface and ambushing the people guarding the entrance. When one group finds the hostages, they can dispel their clone and use the released memory as a signal."
The gloomy youth studied Ren for a moment.
"Agreed."
Two clones were created and stationed in the central chamber.
After that, the teams separated.
Ren and Rin entered the left-hand tunnel, while the Grass shinobi disappeared into the right.
The darkness swallowed them almost immediately.
For several moments, only the faint glow of Ren's light illuminated the narrow passage ahead.
Rin walked beside him, her kunai held ready.
"Ren," she whispered, "do you trust them?"
"No."
His answer came without hesitation.
Rin glanced at him.
Ren kept his eyes on the tunnel ahead.
"But trust isn't necessary," he continued. "Our priority is finding the hostages and completing the exam. If the Grass shinobi keep their agreement, that's convenient."
"And if they don't?"
A faint smile touched Ren's lips.
"Then they'll learn why Konoha stands at the top of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
Rin's expression softened.
There was no arrogance in Ren's voice.
Only certainty.
She nodded and tightened her grip on the kunai.
The two advanced carefully.
The tunnel curved several times, growing narrower as they moved deeper underground. Moss covered sections of the floor, forcing them to slow down to avoid slipping.
Every shadow looked like a hidden enemy.
Every sound seemed unnaturally loud.
After two or three minutes, a faint light appeared ahead.
Ren immediately raised one hand.
Rin stopped.
They exchanged a glance, then moved forward with greater caution.
The passage opened into a room resembling a prison cell.
It was not large.
A rusted iron-barred door stood half-open, while a dim lantern mounted on the wall cast weak yellow light across the interior.
Three people sat against the far wall.
Their hands and feet were bound.
Tape covered their mouths.
All three wore ordinary civilian clothes and looked like villagers from Konoha.
The moment they saw Ren and Rin, fear appeared on their faces. One of them began struggling against the ropes, while another released muffled sounds from behind the tape.
Ren did not immediately enter.
His gaze swept across the room.
Three living hostages.
The examiners had actually brought real people into the Forest of Death and tied them inside an underground prison.
How much were they paying for this job?
Were these people truly willing to risk being stabbed, burned, poisoned, or accidentally killed by an unstable genin team?
The thought was absurd.
Then Ren noticed the details.
The hostages looked frightened, but the fear did not reach their eyes.
Their breathing remained slow and controlled.
Their muscles were relaxed rather than trembling.
Most importantly, faint chakra circulated through their bodies.
They were shinobi.
That made far more sense.
The "hostages" were probably trained Konoha ninja disguised as civilians. They could protect themselves if the examinees became reckless, while also observing the rescue attempt and evaluating each team's conduct.
It was an efficient arrangement.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
There was another possibility.
In a real hostage-rescue situation, enemies often planted spies among the prisoners. A disguised shinobi could pretend to be a victim, follow the rescue team back to safety, and attack when their guard was lowered.
The examiners might have included such a hidden challenge.
Ren studied each hostage carefully.
The first was a middle-aged man with a bruised cheek.
The second was a young woman whose sleeves were torn.
The third was an elderly man who seemed physically weaker than the others.
All three appeared convincing.
Perhaps too convincing.
"Stay outside," Ren told Rin quietly. "Watch the corridor."
Rin nodded.
Ren stepped through the half-open cell door alone.
The instant his foot touched the floor, he heard a faint mechanical click.
His eyes sharpened.
A hidden mechanism began turning beneath the stone tiles.
"Ren!"
Rin's warning had barely left her lips when the floor panels snapped upward.
A storm of shuriken erupted from concealed openings in the walls and floor.
Dozens of blades tore through the air at once, forming a deadly metallic rain that filled the entire cell.
There was no room to dodge.
No safe corner.
No time to retreat.
The trap had been designed to kill anyone who entered carelessly.
Ren's hand flashed toward the short blade at his waist.
Steel cleared the sheath with a sharp hiss.
For one instant, the dim prison cell was silent.
Then silver light exploded.
Ren's blade moved faster than the eye could follow.
He stepped forward instead of retreating, twisting his body between the incoming projectiles. The short sword became a shimmering barrier, cutting through the storm with precise, controlled movements.
Clang!
Clang! Clang!
Sparks burst through the darkness.
One shuriken was knocked into the ceiling.
Another split cleanly in half.
Three more were redirected into the walls.
Ren turned his wrist and deflected a cluster aimed at his throat, then lowered his stance and swept aside the blades targeting his legs.
The sound became deafening.
Metal struck metal in rapid succession, filling the chamber with a violent rhythm.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Rin watched from the doorway, breath caught in her chest.
The hostages stared at Ren with widened eyes.
The barrage lasted only a few seconds.
To everyone watching, it felt much longer.
The final shuriken spun toward Ren's face.
He tilted his head slightly and flicked his blade upward.
Clang.
The weapon changed direction and buried itself in the ceiling.
Silence returned.
Shuriken covered the floor around Ren, scattered like fallen leaves after a storm.
Not one had touched him.
Ren rotated the short blade once, sending the remaining dust and moisture from its edge, then slid it smoothly back into the sheath.
Click.
Only then did he look toward the three captives.
Their expressions had changed.
The fear they had been pretending to show had been replaced by genuine surprise.
Ren smiled warmly, as though nothing unusual had happened.
"Don't be afraid," he said. "We're Konoha shinobi. We're here to rescue you."
For half a second, none of the hostages moved.
Then the elderly man lowered his gaze, hiding the sharpness that had appeared in his eyes.
Ren noticed.
He noticed everything.
But before he could act, a faint vibration passed through the floor.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Rin looked back toward the tunnel.
"Ren… did you feel that?"
Another tremor followed.
This one was stronger.
Far above them, near the wetland, black water began to churn.
Obito turned toward the marsh just as dozens of enormous bubbles burst across its surface.
The short Grass shinobi beside him frowned.
"What is that?"
The mud rose.
Something massive shifted beneath the water.
Then a pair of enormous yellow eyes opened beneath the surface.
Deep underground, Ren heard a distant roar roll through the stone passages.
His smile vanished.
The hostages' expressions changed as well.
This was not part of the trap.
Something had awakened above them—and the entire underground shelter had just become its cage.
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