Chapter 53: Warning

"Sasuke, I'll be honest with you—I entered this exam to prove my strength. The strongest Genin in Konoha is likely one of my own teammates. The reason I signed up was to earn a chance to challenge him head-on."

Kabuto spoke with an intentionally helpless tone, but his words hit Sasuke like a blow.

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, his face full of frustration. He couldn't stop thinking about what Rock Lee had said before he left—the look in his eyes, the serious tone of his voice.

Hyūga Neji… he must be the one that bowl-cut guy called the "strongest Genin in Konoha."

Sasuke's breathing grew heavy as the thought took root in his mind. Even someone as strong as him admitted that this exam was only a chance to challenge Neji. But what about me? Forget about that thirteen-year-old who's already a squad captain in the ANBU—people don't even think I can compete with Shikamaru or Neji.

Sakura, standing beside him, sensed something was wrong. Her expression grew concerned as she asked, "Sasuke, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Sasuke responded, but his voice came out hoarse. Even he was surprised by how raw it sounded.

Sakura hesitated, glancing at his emotionless face. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but she couldn't even calm her own nerves about the upcoming exam.

Kabuto, meanwhile, continued his warning: "Forget about powerful rookies like Hyūga Neji and Nara Shikamaru for a moment. Besides Otogakure, which is a newly formed minor village and the only one I haven't gathered intel on, the rest—including the Genin from Konoha, Sunagakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure—are all extremely skilled. This exam is packed with elite-level competition. You need to be very careful."

"'Minor village,' huh?"

Hidden within the crowd of examinees were three shinobi wearing forehead protectors marked with a musical note symbol. As soon as they heard Kabuto's words, they smirked in unison—particularly at the way he had casually dismissed Otogakure, his tone clearly scornful.

"That's a pretty annoying thing to say…"

A hunched figure in a cloak, his face tightly wrapped in bandages, narrowed his eyes. It was Dosu Kinuta, and he was watching Kabuto from a distance. We're the only three from Otogakure who entered this exam. That means we're an easy target for the larger villages to gang up on. If we show any sign of weakness, we'll be crushed.

"Dosu, Kin,"

Zaku Abumi suddenly spoke with a cold smirk. "Let's go give him a little lesson. Since he thinks we're second-rate nobodies, let's help him fill in the blanks on his intel."

"Not a bad idea."

Dosu nodded after a moment's thought. "Let's make it brutal while we're at it."

Zaku and Kin both smiled coldly at that. Their eyes locked on Kabuto and the nearby Genin of Teams 7 and 8, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Though they were still technically Genin, Dosu, Zaku, and Kin had plenty of combat experience and real battlefield training. They understood that Kabuto was surrounded by six Konoha Genin—and likely had at least two allies lurking nearby. If they didn't incapacitate him instantly, they could quickly find themselves outnumbered and overwhelmed.

Just then, seemingly without warning, Naruto suddenly shouted something loudly in front of the entire crowd of examinees.

Startled by the outburst, the three Genin from Team 8 instinctively stepped away from him, not wanting to be caught up in his attention-grabbing antics.

Sakura scolded Naruto, fuming. Kabuto, too, looked over at him helplessly.

In the blink of an eye, the Konoha Genin had spread out—lowering their guard.

Now's our chance!

Zaku burst forward, with Dosu and Kin right behind him. The three of them moved fast, agile and precise, weaving through the dense crowd of examinees without touching anyone, drawing no resistance.

Whoosh!

Zaku leapt off a table, springing into the air, instantly drawing attention. Midair, his arms swung out, releasing a volley of kunai aimed directly at Kabuto—who had just turned to face him warily.

Too flashy, Sasuke scoffed as he watched.

Sure enough, Kabuto lightly leapt backward and dodged all the kunai with ease.

But that was just the opening.

Dosu, half a beat behind Zaku, suddenly lunged forward. Using the distraction, he moved in just as Kabuto landed—his momentum spent, no time to re-center himself.

Dosu charged in, forming a hand seal with his right hand while his left—hidden beneath his sleeve—swung forward with force. The sleeve billowed as he moved, revealing a strange, armored gauntlet wrapped around his forearm.

Kabuto's eyes widened as Dosu closed in. For a moment, he seemed caught off guard. But Dosu's speed wasn't overwhelming, and Kabuto managed to tilt his body back just enough to narrowly avoid the blow.

"Slow as hell," muttered Kiba with a scornful snort—though it was unclear whether he meant Dosu or Kabuto.

Sakura's heart leapt as she saw Dosu and Zaku suddenly launch their ambush on Kabuto. Only after Kabuto successfully evaded did she let out a breath of relief.

But just as she began to relax, there was a sudden crack—Kabuto's round-lensed glasses shattered.

Sound... that's how they're attacking!

Kabuto took off his broken glasses with a cold smile forming in his heart.

It just grazed the tip of his nose, Sasuke thought as he saw the damage. But before he could react further, Kabuto's body suddenly stiffened.

He doubled over and began to vomit violently.

What the hell!? Sasuke was shocked.

Seeing Kabuto trembling and clutching at his ears in agony, the three sound ninja didn't pursue further.

Their coordinated ambush had worked. Zaku drew attention, Dosu struck, and Kin stood by to intercept any reinforcements. Their tactics revealed not only combat proficiency, but a deadly level of experience.

"Well, look at that," Zaku scoffed, crossing his arms as he watched Kabuto retch and stagger. "So much for the old guy who's been taking the exam for four years."

He sneered. "You should write it down on one of your cards: The three ninja from Otogakure will definitely make Chūnin this time!"

"These Sound Village punks are way too arrogant!"

At the front entrance, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji had been watching the entire commotion unfold. Ino, especially annoyed by Zaku's words and the fact they were mocking Konoha ninja, couldn't hold back her irritation.

"That Leaf ninja dodged their attack, right? Then how did he still get hurt?"

Chōji frowned, narrowing his eyes at Dosu's left arm, now hidden once more beneath his wide sleeve.

"I saw something on his arm—looked like a device or some kind of mechanism."

"It's a short-range weapon," Shikamaru muttered thoughtfully. "Otherwise, his teammate wouldn't have needed to draw attention for him. He had to get in close to land the hit."

"His attack wasn't fast, either. It needed a clear wind-up and release. As long as you avoid getting caught in that range, you should be okay."

Still, Shikamaru's gaze darkened as he added, "But they've definitely got killing intent."

His eyes drifted across the room to Kiba, who looked furious, clearly itching for a fight.

"Second round of the exam…" Shikamaru said under his breath, "Shino and Kiba are definitely going to team up with us."