Kapitel 180: 179-Strategy

"I told you about him!" Fujioka was practically beaming with pride, boasting to his colleagues. "Renjiro is talented. I knew this whole thing wouldn't be a challenge for him."

Fujioka had placed a bet with some of his colleagues, who were also evaluating the candidates. They each had their own favourites in the competition, but Fujioka had confidently backed Renjiro. Now, he was reaping the rewards of his faith.

One of his colleagues, a burly man named Takeshi, begrudgingly reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Ryo, handing it over to Fujioka.

"Yeah, yeah, he just got lucky this time," Takeshi grumbled. "But there's no way he's getting through the next stage. Mark my words."

Another colleague, a woman named Nao, nodded in agreement as she handed over her payment. "He's good, but he hasn't faced the real challenges yet. The next stage will weed out the rest."

Fujioka chuckled, pocketing the money. "We'll see about that. You all said the same this morning."

'We don't even know what will happen in the next stage. We only know what they would be tested. Or do they know? If they do, I can take advantage of this opportunity since I am sure Renjiro will succeed.' Fujioka wondered.

"But if you still believe so we could make another bet." Fujioka smiled as he proposed.

As Renjiro made his way out of the combat area, he noticed someone approaching him. He sighed inwardly, mildly irritated.

'Huh, who is this?' he thought.

"Renjiro, it has been a long time," said the young woman who had walked up to him. She was as tall as Renjiro's shoulder and had her black hair tied up neatly.

Renjiro looked at her, puzzled. 'Why is she talking as if I know her?'

He furrowed his brow and asked, "Um... Who are you?" He tried his best to sound polite, but his tone came off more brusque than intended.

The lady looked slightly annoyed. "What? You don't remember me?" she asked.

Seeing the confused look on Renjiro's face, she continued, "I am Uchiha Amari."

That did not ring any bells for Renjiro and it only made his confusion deepen.

'Am I supposed to know her? Was there someone called Amari from the Uchiha clan in the story? I don't think so,' he thought.

As the silence stretched, Amari's annoyance grew. "We fought during the Chunin Exams in the Forest of Death, remember?" she huffed.

Realization dawned on Renjiro, but before he could respond, Amari stormed off, muttering under her breath.

'Why did she walk up to me and then storm off? People sure are strange nowadays,' Renjiro mused as he watched her leave.

After the initial round was over and the remaining competitors had regrouped, Iwata called for the twenty aspirants who were moving on to the next stage.

He handed each of them a scroll. Those who had been eliminated were allowed to leave, but many chose to stay and watch the rest of the contest unfold, eager to see how their friends and rivals would fare.

Renjiro noticed Amari among the twenty shinobi proceeding to the next stage. 'Oh, that crazy girl also managed to survive her round,' he thought with a touch of amusement.

He received his scroll and unfurled it, expecting some sort of message or instruction. Instead, he found it blank.

'Are they supposed to do something?' he wondered, turning it over in his hands.

Iwata, standing tall before the remaining competitors, addressed them. "The scrolls in your hand will be useful in the next part."

Renjiro looked around, seeing similar expressions of curiosity and confusion on the faces of the others. The tension in the air was palpable as Iwata continued.

"You will have to get as many scrolls from each other; however, you also must not remain with the same scroll you were handed in the beginning."

Murmurs of confusion and speculation spread through the group. One shinobi, a tall young man with spiky hair, raised his hand and asked, "How are we supposed to do that?"

Iwata smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. "That is for you to decide. You have an hour to complete the task."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the aspirants to figure it out on their own.

The group of aspirants erupted into hushed conversations, trying to piece together the meaning of Iwata's cryptic instructions. Renjiro, however, remained silent, standing still and observing.

'There's got to be more to this,' he thought, trying to decipher the underlying purpose of the test.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out. One shinobi, a muscular young man decided to take matters into his own hands. He lunged at another competitor, a smaller shinobi with quick reflexes. The smaller shinobi dodged just in time, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Hey! What are you doing?" the smaller shinobi shouted, but the larger one didn't respond. He was determined to get that scroll.

"Whack!"

The larger shinobi swung a punch, which the smaller shinobi barely managed to block. Renjiro watched the chaos unfold, his mind racing. 'They're going about this all wrong. If everyone starts fighting, we'll waste too much time and energy. There has to be a better way.'

Meanwhile, Daichi, who was watching from the sidelines, turned to Fugaku, who stood beside him. "Why didn't Iwata just tell them the whole point of the test?" he asked, frowning.

Fugaku, his arms crossed and his expression serious, replied, "We are testing their composure and adaptability. If we have to spell out the picture for them, then there is no need for them to become squad leaders."

Minato, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. "The real challenge is for them to understand the objective and find the best way to achieve it. This isn't just about fighting; it's about strategy."

Daichi mulled over their words, his eyes narrowing as he continued to watch the aspirants. "Interesting..."

All this managed to happen because of Fugaku. Daichi was already delegating some of his tasks as the clan head to prepare him for what was to come in the future as so far, the Uchina Clan head had never been disappointed.

Back on the training ground, Renjiro was deep in thought. 'We have to give up our current scroll and get others, but Iwata did not say we have to fight them, right?' His mind raced as he considered the possibilities.

As the first scuffles broke out among the aspirants, Renjiro remained still, observing. One aspirant, a determined-looking young woman, managed to wrestle a scroll from another competitor. The struggle was intense, with grunts of effort and the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground.

"Give it to me!" she shouted, yanking the scroll free. The other aspirant, now scroll-less and visibly frustrated, glared at her but made no move to retaliate immediately.

Renjiro's eyes flicked over to another pair of shinobi who were arguing heatedly. "We need to figure this out together!" one of them insisted, but his partner seemed unconvinced, clutching his scroll protectively.

It was then that an idea sparked in Renjiro's mind. He looked around and spotted Amari, who was fending off another shinobi trying to grab her scroll.

"Hey, Amari!" Renjiro shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. Amari turned to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "Take my scroll and give me yours!"

Amari hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting between Renjiro and the shinobi attacking her. 'What is he planning?' she thought, but she didn't have time to ponder. She ducked under a punch, spun around, and dashed towards Renjiro.

=====

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Kapitel 181: 180-Who Am I To Judge

Renjiro held out his scroll, and Amari quickly handed hers to him. They exchanged scrolls in a swift motion, their hands brushing for a brief second. "Thanks," Renjiro said, giving her a quick nod before stepping back.

Amari looked at the scroll in her hand, then back at Renjiro. "Why did you...?" she began, but Renjiro interrupted.

"I don't think the point is to fight for the scrolls," Renjiro explained quickly.

"Iwata didn't say we had to fight. He said we had to get as many scrolls as possible and not remain with our original ones. So, let's trade and move on."

Amari nodded slowly, understanding dawning in her eyes. 'He might be onto something.' she thought.

As the two moved away from the centre of the chaos, they noticed a few other shinobi who seemed to have caught onto the idea. They were trading scrolls with each other, avoiding unnecessary conflict. The fighting continued for those who hadn't figured it out yet, but a small group of shinobi were now working more strategically.

Amari looked at Renjiro and asked, "Should we trade with other people?"

Renjiro paused, contemplating their next move. 'While we have done the barest of minimums, what did they mean by 'as many scrolls as possible?' What are they trying to test us for?' he wondered. The instructions were deliberately vague, leaving room for interpretation.

Renjiro's eyes scanned the remaining competitors. 'They also said that we are to get as many scrolls as we can in any way possible, so they did not lock out the use of force. There's no way you can convince your competitors to just hand their scrolls to you.' With a sense of clarity, he concluded their best course of action.

"No, we don't have to," Renjiro finally answered Amari, his tone decisive. Amari, clearly surprised, raised an eyebrow. "Why? Didn't they say that—"

"Just trust me on this," Renjiro interrupted.

'You didn't even remember who I am, how do you expect me to trust you?' Amari thought, feeling a pang of annoyance, but she held her tongue. She was aware that voicing her thoughts wouldn't be productive now.

As Daichi watched from the sidelines, a flicker of interest lit his face. 'It seems that they have caught on,' he mused, impressed by Renjiro's ability to see through the test's complexities.

Amari decided to follow Renjiro's plan. They moved deliberately, neither making any significant moves nor attracting unnecessary attention.

Occasionally, a shinobi would target them, hoping to snatch their scrolls. Each time, Renjiro and Amari defended themselves efficiently, their movements coordinated and precise.

Renjiro's strategy seemed to be working. By not aggressively pursuing more scrolls, they avoided the brunt of most of the conflict and conserved their energy.

As the hour drew to a close, they were signalled to stop.

"Time's up!" A proctor declared, his voice cutting through the remnants of the battle noise.

As the chaos of the exercise wound down, Iwata stepped forward, his presence commanding the attention of every shinobi present. His stern expression spoke volumes before he even began to speak.

Iwata's voice rang out, cutting through the murmurs and idle chatter that had settled over the group. "Listen up!" he barked, silencing everyone instantly.

"Not everything can be solved by force. A true leader must know when to compromise and when to be aggressive."

Iwata continued addressing the group, "Those who have multiple scrolls and have successfully traded their original ones will move on to the final stage. The rest of you, thank you for your participation. Your efforts have been noted, and you should take pride in your performance."

He let that sink in for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the assembled shinobi. "The point of this exercise was to test your bearing as a leader. Those of you who always resorted to force did not demonstrate the qualities we look for. Leadership is about more than just fighting. It's about strategy, composure, and the ability to make decisions under pressure."

Several shinobi exchanged glances, processing Iwata's words. Some looked chastened, while others, like Renjiro, seemed to nod in understanding.

Renjiro stood quietly, reflecting on the exercise and Iwata's words. 'So getting as many scrolls as we could was just to trick us?' he wondered.

'But then again, we could get as many as one scroll by negotiating with our competitors.' The chunin concluded.

Iwata continued his tone firm but encouraging. "You must understand that brute strength alone will not see you through every challenge. It is the balance between force and diplomacy, aggression and restraint, that defines a true leader."

'But then they chastised Sakumo for doing what a true leader would do. Oh well, who am I to judge.' Renjiro thought as he felt some movements to his side.

Amari, standing next to him, turned and said, "Thanks, Renjiro. Your strategy really helped us."

Among the twenty who had begun the round, only seven had managed to move to the next round with Renjior and Amari being among them.

Renjiro, still processing everything, looked at her and asked, "I needed your help, so it wasn't a big deal. But why do you seem so familiar?" This innocent question sparked a flash of annoyance in Amari.

'This idiot,' she thought. Without a word, she turned and walked away, leaving Renjiro standing there, puzzled by her reaction.

'What did I do?' Renjiro thought with a confused look on his face.

While all this was happening, Fujioka was beaming with joy. He had just won another round of bets, and his colleagues could barely stand him at this point.

But why would Fujioka care? He was happy, practically glowing with satisfaction. His thoughts wandered to the rewards of his success.

'I can finally get Obito those goggles he has been wanting for a long time. But how does an Uchiha have eye issues? I can't wait until he awakens his Sharingan. I am sure he is going to leave a lasting impact on the village.'

Some of Fujioka's colleagues, grudgingly respectful, congratulated him on Renjiro's performance. "You've done a good job guiding him," one of them said, clapping him on the back.

Fujioka shook his head, modestly deflecting the praise. "Renjiro's talent is all his own. He was this good even before he joined my squad."

The break soon ended, and the seven finalists gathered once more. The anticipation was palpable as they assembled for the final stage. The training ground, now cleared of the earlier chaos, felt charged with a new energy.

Iwata stood before them again, his presence commanding attention. "The final stage is upon us," he announced. "This will be the ultimate test of your skills, your strategy, and your resolve. You have all shown great promise, but only a few will be promoted to the Squad leader rank.."