"You've never seen him before?" Kiba asked with a frown, the crease between his brows forming sharply. "Then how can you be so sure he wasn't one of the exam candidates?"
He glanced toward Shino, whose face was mostly hidden beneath the high collar of his jacket. "There are a lot of ninja in this exam hiding their identities. Just because you don't recognize his face doesn't mean he's not one of them."
"It's not just the face," Shikamaru replied calmly, turning his gaze toward the corpse of Kawasemi Zaiman. He gestured with a nod. "His height, build, even his scalp. Look here."
The others followed his gaze. The skin on the dead shinobi's scalp had a pale, bluish hue—clear evidence of being shaved for quite some time. This wasn't a last-minute disguise.
"Whoever he was, he didn't alter his body type or size. He stood about 175 centimeters tall and probably weighed around 50 kilos. That's not a common combination." Shikamaru furrowed his brow as he explained. "I arrived early on the first day of the exam. I made a point to memorize as many candidates as I could. Someone this distinct wouldn't have slipped past me. There's no way I'd forget a bald guy like him."
"You're sure you didn't miss anyone?" Shino asked quietly.
"I'm sure," Shikamaru said flatly, confidence resonating in his voice.
In his previous life, he'd been a top-tier scholar. And after becoming a shinobi in this world, both his mental and physical capacities had only grown. His memory, in particular, was sharper than ever. More importantly, Shikamaru recognized the jutsu the enemy had used earlier—it was Face Stealer Jutsu, a technique associated with Orochimaru.
That alone confirmed the man had ties to the Hidden Sound Village.
Shino and Kiba exchanged glances. Neither said a word, but the unease on their faces was clear. Kawasemi's strength had already made them suspicious. Now that Shikamaru had connected the dots, it all made sense.
"If he's not a candidate," Shino asked, "then who is he? An infiltrator? A bodyguard?"
Shikamaru answered, "Possibly a chūnin or even a jōnin escort from another village. Someone using the exam as cover to eliminate threats from rival nations—or to assist their own genin. Either way, we need to report this. We're taking the body to the Central Tower. We need to inform the proctors."
"We're not going to keep hunting other squads?" Kiba's tone was disappointed.
Shikamaru looked at him. "We've used up too much chakra. Hinata and Ino are both injured, and we don't know what the next test will be. Saving our strength is more important than chasing after more scrolls."
"I get it…" Kiba grumbled, then hesitated. "But if we've got two extra Heaven Scrolls between our teams, that still only means eight teams could make it to the next round—at best. Not everyone gets lucky on their first try. A lot of teams will get wiped out trying."
He looked like he wanted to argue more, but Shino lightly placed a hand on his shoulder and cut in.
"Kiba… If this guy wasn't alone, then he may have had allies also disguised as exam candidates. If we linger too long in the Forest of Death, they'll notice he hasn't returned. And they might come looking for us."
Kiba fell silent.
"Exactly," Shikamaru nodded. "We don't need to take any more risks. Once we reach the tower, the ANBU can take over. There's no way the village will let a hostile shinobi infiltrate and disrupt the Chūnin Exams without consequences."
Meanwhile…
"Where is he?" Tenten yanked a kunai from the base of a tree and frowned. "Lee should've been here by now. He's never late."
Standing beside her, Neji Hyuga was also frowning.
"You don't think he ran into trouble, do you?" she asked anxiously.
Though she had complete faith in Lee's taijutsu, she was also well aware of how impulsive he could be. If he ran into enemy shinobi alone, there was no telling what might've happened.
"I'll check," Neji said calmly.
He formed a single seal. Chakra surged into his eyes as the veins around his temples bulged. His gaze sharpened, turning pale and penetrating.
Byakugan—Activated.
Neji's vision extended out hundreds of meters, peering through trees and terrain alike.
"...There," he murmured.
Far away—about five hundred meters—he spotted two groups engaged in battle. Near them, he recognized a familiar chakra signature, lying prone on the ground.
"It's Lee."
Tenten's eyes widened. "Is he okay?"
"He's injured. We need to go."
Without waiting, Neji led the way, leaping into the trees. Tenten followed immediately, biting her lip as she muttered, "That idiot… We told him just to scout."
Back at the battleground…
"You little brat!" Zaku cursed, slamming his fist into Sakura's temple.
But she didn't let go.
Sakura had sunk her teeth into Zaku's forearm, and she bit down with all the strength she had left, ignoring the pain.
Wham! Another punch broke her grip. Sakura collapsed backward, face bloodied and bruised, hair tangled and streaked with dirt.
"Stubborn cockroach," Kin sneered from the side, glaring at the battered kunoichi. "How are these Leaf shinobi still breathing?"
She raised her hand, fingers gripping three senbon. With a cold look, she walked toward the unconscious form of Rock Lee, lying just a few meters away.
"I'll start by killing this bushy-browed loser who failed to protect her…" she said, her tone cruel. "Then I'll deal with Sasuke next."
"You Sound bastards…"
A chilling voice echoed through the clearing.
The Sound trio froze.
They whirled around—only to see two figures standing calmly atop the nearby branches.
Neji Hyuga and Tenten.
They hadn't made a sound. If they'd wanted to ambush the Sound team, it might've worked.
"Neji!" Tenten called out, spotting Lee's unconscious body. "He's down!"
Neji's expression darkened. His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene—Lee beaten and bleeding, Sakura nearly unconscious.
"That thick-browed idiot on the ground…" Neji said icily, "...is a member of my team."
He took a step forward. "You dared lay a hand on him?"
"Then you've declared war."
His pale eyes glowed as his Byakugan flared to life. Veins pulsed along his face. The cold fury in his gaze sent a visible chill through the Sound team.
He wasn't bluffing. He was out for blood.
"Wait—those two… They're Lee's teammates?" Sakura's dazed mind processed Neji's words. Recognition sparked.
"That boy… The one with the sharp eyes… He must be the one Kabuto mentioned—Neji Hyuga, last year's top rookie. The one even Konoha compares to Shikamaru."
Relief washed over her.
If it were someone like Shikamaru, she thought, even against three opponents, he wouldn't lose. And Neji had been said to be his equal.
With Tenten beside him, it was now two against three—and suddenly, the odds didn't look so bad.