章 4: Chapter 4: The Prey?
"This exam will be a combat assessment.
"There are sixteen of you. I will have you draw lots to divide into six groups. Those who draw the same number will form a group.
"However, the one who draws number six will form a group alone.
"The combat location will be the small forest behind us. Each group will receive a forehead protector when entering the forest. One hour from now, the groups that return here with three or more forehead protectors will pass the exam.
"Now then, go ahead and draw your lots."
As Oden Yutian finished speaking, a collective gasp echoed through the group.
This format was brutal. At least two-thirds of the participants would be eliminated by the end of the exam.
"Come here and draw your lots," called the other Chunin. The examinees rushed over to take a numbered slip of paper from his hand.
"I'm number one! Whoever else got one, come over here!"
"We're number four. Who's the last one with number four? Hurry and join us!"
As the group bustled about, everyone quickly found their teammates.
Except for Mochizuki Hui, he remained still. He glanced meaningfully at the expressionless Chunin holding the slips of paper, then walked over to take the last one.
Opening it, he wasn't surprised. The number on his slip was "6."
Mochizuki Hui would be in a group of one.
He rolled his eyes. The Chunin distributing the slips was someone he knew, a member of the Senju clan named Senju Seimoku.
Clearly, this lottery had been rigged!
And the reason? Likely at the request of a certain Senju family young lady—to make sure Mochizuki Hui wouldn't graduate.
As the commotion settled, the sixteen participants were divided into six groups. Fifteen of them eyed Mochizuki Hui, standing alone, with a mix of expressions—some calculating, some eager.
Everyone knew Mochizuki Hui's reputation. Out of everyone present, he was considered the weakest.
Well, slightly better than Jiraiya, who had the lowest ranking.
But just barely. Everyone here believed they could easily defeat Mochizuki Hui.
And now, on top of his supposed weakness, he was in a solo group.
According to the rules, to pass the exam, you needed to defeat at least one group to gather enough forehead protectors.
In an ideal situation, that group would have already defeated another, holding at least two forehead protectors in addition to their own.
In reality, most teams would need to defeat two other groups to meet the requirement.
Defeating a full team of three, especially ones with the strongest members like Jiraiya's team, wasn't an easy task.
But stealing a forehead protector from Mochizuki Hui, who was alone? That would be simple.
No, it would be effortless.
From that moment, Mochizuki Hui became the prime target—the perfect prey.
After handing out the forehead protectors to the groups, Oden Yutian announced, "The combat exam begins now."
With that, the five three-man teams darted into the forest to find hiding spots.
Along with them, five shadows silently slipped into the woods as well.
Outside the forest, Mochizuki Hui caught sight of Senju Seimoku, who was smirking at him. He rolled his eyes again before turning and walking into the forest.
He didn't hurry. Instead, he strolled leisurely as though he were enjoying a peaceful walk in the woods, rather than participating in a brutal survival exam.
Watching him disappear into the trees, Oden Yutian turned to Senju Seimoku. "You rigged the lottery, didn't you?"
Senju Seimoku immediately retorted, "What? Of course not! I'd never do that! Stop with the wild accusations!"
Oden Yutian raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter. Inwardly, though, he couldn't help but sigh.
Meanwhile, as Mochizuki Hui entered the forest, he immediately sensed several gazes tracking him.
As expected, many had already considered him prey.
Well, as the supposed "second weakest" participant, and in a solo group, it made sense that everyone would view him as the perfect target.
But who exactly was the prey here? That was yet to be determined.
As he walked deeper into the forest, Mochizuki Hui's eyes narrowed slightly.
He noticed subtle movements in the surrounding trees, and the faint sound of rustling leaves reached his ears. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Couldn't wait, could they?
Impatient fools.
Let the hunt begin, then!
For a brief moment, a flash of light seemed to flicker in Mochizuki Hui's dark eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The sound of shuriken cutting through the air echoed as a barrage of them flew at Mochizuki Hui from three directions.
At the same time, three boys charged out from different angles, kunai in hand.
The three of them formed a triangle around him. They didn't think any traps or elaborate strategies were necessary—they just needed to surround and kill him outright.
After all, in their eyes, Mochizuki Hui was so weak that even one of them alone could easily defeat him. The fact that all three were attacking together seemed like overkill.
Unfortunately for them, they had no idea how powerful Mochizuki Hui truly was.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With lightning speed, Mochizuki Hui threw a few shuriken of his own, deflecting the incoming projectiles from the front.
He didn't bother with the shuriken coming from the other two directions—they weren't going to hit him anyway.
Instead, he rushed forward, his target the boy charging from the front.
The boy, surprised by Mochizuki Hui's precise and powerful deflections, felt a hint of doubt. But quickly dismissed it. Seeing Mochizuki Hui rushing at him, he smirked.
He's dead.
Mochizuki Hui was only six years old, while this boy was eleven. Their physical strength wasn't even in the same league!
For Mochizuki Hui to engage him in close combat was nothing short of foolish.
The two closed in on each other quickly.
Mochizuki Hui swung his fist with an odd angle, forcing the boy's eyes to widen in surprise.
Before he could react, Mochizuki Hui's punch had already slipped past his attempted block and landed squarely on his face.
The boy's eyes went wide with shock as the punch sent him crashing to the ground, unconscious.
One punch—instant defeat.
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