Choosing to withdraw was a calculated move for Saiki.
Despite letting Kisame and Mei escape, Saiki felt no shame. If he had truly wanted them dead, he could have found a way to finish them.
But he had no desire to die for the Leaf. If a mission became too dangerous, he was more than happy to abandon it.
Besides, if he killed Mei Terumi now, the future of the ninja world would lose a lot of its flavor.
And more importantly, the future Mei Terumi was a world-class beauty. Killing off the "waifus" was a bad move for his personal entertainment.
Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also a factor. Saiki had genuinely wanted to test himself against the Mist duo to sharpen his skills.
But the moment he felt the chakra resonance of Hiruzen's Telescope Jutsu, his fighting spirit died.
Knowing Hiruzen's obsession with Wood Style and his willingness to let Danzo dismantle bloodline clans, Saiki didn't doubt for a second that he would be turned into a lab rat if his unique powers were fully exposed. He didn't have the strength to tell the Hokage to fuck off yet.
Without using his Flower-Flower powers, taking down Kisame and Mei without getting hurt would have been difficult and would have revealed too much to the prying eyes in the tower—even if he had already just tossed an S-rank nuke across the forest.
In short, given how the Senju and Uchiha had been "managed" into extinction, and using his own sensory ability to read the rot in a person's soul, Saiki fundamentally disliked Hiruzen Sarutobi.
And in his experience, if you hate someone at first sight, you're never going to get along.
Saiki hadn't walked far before he ran into Shizune's group rushing back. Knowing they had come to help—however stupid the move was—touched him. He didn't scold them, simply leading them straight toward the central tower.
At the tower, Hiruzen watched Saiki vanish from the crystal ball. He was slightly annoyed that the boy hadn't finished the job, but he understood that Saiki was likely low on chakra after that "natural disaster." He couldn't complain much, especially seeing the terrified looks on the other foreign instructors' faces.
Hiruzen shot a glance at Fuguki Suikazan and the other Jonin, remarking casually, "It seems this stage of the exams will be concluding very shortly."
It was a blatant flex. He was essentially telling them the third stage was a formality at this point.
Faced with Hiruzen's arrogance, none of the foreign ninja—not even the representative of the Great Mist Village—dared to speak.
Word had already reached the tower that the Sand's elite squad had been completely annihilated.
There was no point in hiding the news. It would get out eventually, and releasing it now served as a perfect deterrent while fanning the flames of international rivalry.
Konoha's stance was clear: "Look, the Sand sent a Jonin to murder your children, but our Genin slaughtered him and his entire team."
The crystal ball broadcast had confirmed to everyone that Saiki was a monster and the rumors were true.
The purpose of the exams was to negotiate interests and hopefully postpone the war. While the Third War had already technically begun, these tests could still influence which smaller nations decided to join or stay neutral.
Sure enough, the representatives from the Grass and Waterfall villages were visibly reconsidering their alliance with the larger powers.
Seeing their reactions, Hiruzen allowed a small smile to form on his face.
Because Saiki had wiped out the Sand's assassination squad before the "Great Cull" could truly begin, a significant number of squads had actually survived the stage.
On their way to the tower, Saiki's team casually thrashed two more squads who were trying to "gatekeep" the entrance.
Saiki was essentially using a map-hack. Everyone was in his sight. To clear the path, he just moved toward the strongest chakra signatures and removed them.
He had wanted to wait for Obito and Rin, but for some reason, they hadn't arrived yet—even Kisame's team had reached the tower first.
Even Might Guy and his team had made it. After waiting for several hours, Saiki expanded his perception and confirmed that Obito's signature was nowhere near the tower. He turned to Rin. "Rin, Obito and the other guy must have given up. Do you want me to give you a set of scrolls?"
Rin shook her head, her face full of worry. "No, thank you. Do you think Obito and Maeda are okay?"
Saiki thought for a moment. As a future final boss, Obito Uchiha likely had enough plot armor to survive a simple exam.
And Maeda was a capable fighter. As long as they didn't run into Kisame again, they could probably hide until the end.
Actually, it was Kisame's squad that had run into them. Perhaps Saiki's earlier "mercy" had sparked a rare bit of humanity in them, because they had let Maeda's team live—a fact Saiki wouldn't find out until later.
"They're fine," Saiki reassured the worried Rin. "No one could kill them easily. But they probably lost their scrolls to someone else."
Rin remained firm. "Then I won't go in. If my teammates gave up, I'll drop out with them."
"I understand. There's always next time," Saiki comforted her.
He knew the truth, though: anyone who survived this forest was going to be promoted to Chunin anyway, regardless of whether they "passed." The village needed cannon fodder, and they needed it now.
Deciding to head in, Saiki turned to Kurenai. "Kurenai, I assume your teammates are already inside. If they aren't, we can give you a spare set."
Regarding her teammates' betrayal, Kurenai merely gave a silent, somber nod.
With the mission technically a success or a failure depending on how you looked at it, Rin followed Saiki's group to the tower.
At the entrance, Saiki was surprised to see Kurenai's father, Shinku Yuhi, collecting the scrolls alongside Inoichi Yamanaka. Using an Elite Special Jonin for clerical work proved how much importance Hiruzen was placing on this specific event.
"Dad!" Kurenai whispered.
As an instructor, Shinku already knew about the death of his two other students. Seeing his daughter unharmed brought a genuine smile to his face.
But he still had to tell her. "I'm glad you're safe, Kurenai. Your teammates... they didn't make it."
Kurenai went silent. Looking at her father's grim expression, she knew "didn't make it" meant they were dead, not just disqualified.
Even if they had abandoned her, they had been her comrades for a time. She felt a pang of sorrow for them.
Seeing the mood, Saiki stepped forward with the scrolls. "Hello. Here are the scrolls for our team and for Kurenai."
Shinku looked at his daughter, then back at Saiki. A smile returned to his face. He didn't know the specifics, but seeing his daughter arrive under Saiki's wing with a full set of scrolls made it clear who had protected her.
Shinku hadn't been standing there the whole time; he had been watching the monitors and only came out when he saw Saiki's group approaching.
He had seen Saiki's performance this morning. Facing such a monster, even Shinku felt a slight twinge of nerves.
"Congratulations. You have all successfully passed the second stage," Shinku said warmly.
"Thank you," Saiki replied with polite formality.
Taking the scrolls without even checking them, Shinku added, "Follow me. Lord Hokage is waiting to see you."
"Boss! The Hokage wants to see us?! For what?" Genhai asked, his voice cracking with excitement.
"Who knows? We'll find out when we get there," Saiki replied.
Rin hesitated. "Saiki... maybe I shouldn't go."
"Nonsense. Come with us. You've seen the Hokage at school a dozen times, what's one more meeting?" Saiki encouraged her.
"Yeah, Rin! Come on!" Kurenai added. Saiki, Genhai, and Shizune were a squad, and Kurenai wanted her friend there for support.
Walking ahead, Shinku Yuhi couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. He could see the blatant adoration in the eyes of his daughter and the other two girls toward Saiki.
Given how exceptional Saiki was, it was perfectly natural. Shinku didn't know what to say.
He just hoped Kurenai wouldn't end up getting her heart broken.
But looking at the girls, he was confident: his Kurenai was the most beautiful of the bunch. She'd surely be the winner.
In reality, he should have been trying to stop her. Beneath Saiki's innocent exterior was a very mature soul; the boy was definitely going to "root" his daughter along with the other two "cabbages."