Chapter 126: Beauty Saves Beauty

Chapter 126: Beauty Saves Beauty

Why did Kabuto choose to fake his death at this moment? Ino had no idea.

At this moment, Kabuto was completely defenseless, lying as still as a corpse.

She could easily slit his throat with a kunai, but she felt it was unnecessary and didn't want to bear the consequences of such an action. This path was frequently patrolled by ninjas, and if they saw Ino killing a fellow villager, what would they think?

If she told them that this guy was the "Dream Fulfillment Master" who would later bring disaster to the ninja world, no one would believe her.

Kabuto had chosen the timing and location perfectly.

Ino sighed inwardly. Comrade Boss, since you want to put on a show, let's keep playing along! 

Following the village's protocol, she called for help loudly, summoning the patrolling ninjas.

She recounted in detail what Kabuto had said before his "death," and handed over the "body" to the village for processing. Ino didn't forget Kabuto's final request and specifically mentioned that he wanted to be buried by the sea.

Kabuto was just a Genin in Konoha, but he was still a ninja of the village.

The medical team quickly issued an autopsy report, concluding that Kabuto's body was in terrible condition, riddled with illnesses and injuries sustained during missions. Today, after being heavily struck by Dosu, all his ailments had flared up, leading to his untimely death.

Several Genin who had interacted with him during the exam earlier that day rushed to Konoha Hospital. Seeing the "Brother Pot" they had spoken to just hours ago now lying lifeless, Naruto cried his eyes out. He didn't blame Dosu, but his gaze toward the Sound ninja was far from friendly.

Dosu, who at 14 looked like he was 54, was utterly confused. Was I really that strong? Did I really kill a grown man with just one move? 

Sakura, Hinata, and other kind-hearted kids were equally shocked. It was just too sudden this big brother had died way too quickly.

Kabuto's two teammates wanted to continue participating in the Chunin Exams, and the Third Hokage granted special permission for them to find a temporary replacement.

The director of the hospital, knowing that Kabuto and Ino had been close, comforted her for a good five minutes, spouting platitudes about the unpredictability of life and death.

Ino had sparred with Hinata at 8 p.m., encountered Kabuto at 9 p.m., underwent questioning at 10 p.m., and by midnight, "Brother Pot" was buried.

Her knowledge of advanced medical ninjutsu was limited, so she had no idea when "Brother Pot" would rise from his coffin. She didn't have time to wait around either. You do you, old man.

Early the next morning, Ino arrived at Training Ground 44, also known as the "Forest of Death."

A total of 78 Genin had passed the first exam, forming 26 teams. Each team would randomly receive a scroll either a "Heaven" scroll or an "Earth" scroll. The goal was to collect both scrolls and reach the central tower within five days to pass the exam.

As per the usual rules, they signed consent forms, and then each team went behind a curtain to receive their scroll.

Ino discreetly observed the participants, remembering that Orochimaru was likely hiding among them.

She didn't dare use her sensory abilities openly and instead scrutinized the competitors with a critical eye. However, she couldn't spot anything unusual.

Though 78 Genin didn't sound like a lot, they were spread out over a wide area, making the crowd seem much larger.

Adding to the chaos were Konohamaru and his team, who were writing a school report for the ninja academy. The three kids chatted nonsense with Naruto, further muddying the scene.

Shikamaru, annoyed by the hassle, quickly signed the consent form with his team. They entered the curtain and received their team's scroll an "Earth" scroll.

Their scroll was entrusted to the thick-skinned Choji for safekeeping. Then, following a Chunin overseeing the exam, they headed to Entrance 27.

Thirty minutes later, all 26 teams entered the exam grounds simultaneously from different entrances.

The Ino-Shika-Cho team dashed through the Forest of Death at high speed.

"The exam is pretty straightforward. How boring. Let's just find the Heaven scroll and head to the central tower to rest," Shikamaru said.

Having experienced many battles, Shikamaru now had great confidence in their team. He didn't think any ordinary Genin could stand in their way.

Right now, he just wanted to finish the exam quickly and find a place to nap.

Ino shared a similar sentiment. She remembered that after the second exam, they would go straight into the preliminaries, leaving no time for rest.

They weaved through the forest, heading swiftly toward the central tower.

Using Ino's sensory abilities, they located two teams along the way. Unfortunately, after defeating them, they only found more "Earth" scrolls. The "Heaven" scroll they needed remained elusive.

The third team, the fourth team, the fifth team all were crushed by Ino's powerful ninjutsu. The third and fifth teams were Konoha Genin who, relying on their seniority, looked down on Ino and her teammates as "kids." The result? They were sent running with their tails between their legs.

"Ugh, this is so unlucky! Another Earth scroll?" Ino groaned, her face darkening. Five teams, and they had gotten five Earth scrolls in a row. Their luck was abysmal!

It was like looting corpses in a game. The three of them took turns, but their collective bad luck seemed to feed off each other. One unlucky streak dragged the others down.

At first, Shikamaru tried to calculate the probabilities, but now he gave up. This wasn't a math problem anymore.

The three of them stood there fuming, while nearby lay three unconscious Konoha Genin sprawled out in a starfish pattern. Their skills were so weak it was almost pitiful.

Ino weakly sensed the surroundings. "There's a chakra reaction to the northwest. Should we check it out?"

Shikamaru gritted his teeth and stashed the Earth scroll they had taken from the fifth team. They had worked hard to get it, so why return it? Eliminating one team was one less competitor.

With this one, they now had six Earth scrolls.

"Let's go take a look."

"P-Please don't come any closer... I'm really strong! I'm really, really strong!" Karin from the Grass Village trembled, her limbs weak. After being separated from her teammates, she had the terrible luck of encountering a massive bear. The size difference was like a mountain facing an ant. Gripping her kunai, she hoped the weapon would give her enough courage.

The bear let out an earth-shaking roar, and Karin's courage evaporated instantly. Her body went limp, and all she could think of was running running far away!

In her panic, Karin tripped over a tree root and fell hard to the ground, her glasses flying off.

The bear raised its massive paw, ready to strike her down. But just then, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air from the side.

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"

A thin, silver stream of water shot across dozens of meters, slicing cleanly through the bear's neck.

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