Escape From Konoha Chapter 466

  Chapter 466 Pharmacist (1)

  Stopping in front of the huge building standing on top of the sand dunes, people who saw this kind of building for the first time began to look at this huge building that was incompatible with the desert environment.

  From the outside, it looks like an extremely huge cube 'box'.

  But in terms of scale, it is much more magnificent than the fortress buildings in the Demon Desert.

  The outer wall is cast from an opaque stone material, painted in a snow-white color as a whole, and the stones are perfectly connected with each other, and there is no so-called interval gap. The height of the wall is impossible for even a ninja to jump up at once. In the eyes of Konoha's examinees, the white high wall in front of them is not much higher than the height of their Konoha Village wall.

  This white building, despite the wind and sand blowing in the desert, does not move a bit, standing tall.

  After Yiji got in touch with the person in charge inside, in front of the main entrance of the white building, a tall white stone door began to move upward smoothly, opening a spacious entrance passage.

  Everyone walked into the entrance passage, only to be surprised to find that the entrance passage is about seven or eight meters long, and this length is almost equal to the thickness of the wall.

  A wall of this thickness, even if it is bombarded with powerful ninjutsu, it will be difficult to break through from the front for a while.

   Walking out of the passageway, a group of ninjas from the ghost country came up to greet them.

  The leader is a nearly 30-year-old Oni no Kuni Jōnin who is one of the people in charge here.

   Behind him followed twenty ninjas in heavy armor.

  The whole body is covered with thick silver-white armor, and every part is tightly stitched, perfectly connected together, without any excess or waste.

   Wearing silver-white metal helmets like gas masks, their facial expressions cannot be seen.

  These ninjas from the Nation of Ghosts, who are wearing heavy armor, have nothing in their hands, only a heavy gun capable of long-range attacks is placed behind their backs. Standing there neatly, they give people a sense of coldness and oppression.

   In addition, the atmosphere inside the building is also very serious.

   Above the tall steeple, there are not only scouting ninjas, but also a large number of searchlights, patrolling and inspecting the territory back and forth, not letting go of any corner.

  Under such careful and rigorous monitoring, even if a fly flies in, it can be known immediately, let alone a living person.

  After handing over the task to the person in charge here, Yiji turned around and said: "Next, please follow my footsteps and don't just walk around here. This is a military area. If there is any accident, I will not be responsible."

   Explained the rules here in advance, Yiji didn't care whether these people heard clearly, and walked forward directly.

  The people behind quickly caught up and did not fall behind.

   Soon, led by Yiji, they came to the dormitory area of ​​the military region.

  Early before arriving, Yiji had already communicated with the person in charge of the military region and negotiated in advance, so entering the dormitory area, the accommodation problem of the 30 candidates was easily resolved.

   "The rest of the time, you are free to allocate, as long as you arrive at the north gate at five o'clock tomorrow morning to gather. In addition, dinner will be delivered to your dormitory on time at seven o'clock. Of course, the most important thing is that, your activities can only be in the dormitory area, beyond this area, I will not be responsible for any problems."

  Ichihime reminded the candidates again, and then left here with the Jonin from the Kingdom of Ghosts, leaving the remaining time for the candidates to allocate themselves.

   "What, it's like going to jail."

   Naruto muttered in dissatisfaction.

   "Hey, Naruto, are you planning to do something tonight?"

  Shikamaru was shocked when he heard Naruto's words.

  With Naruto's fearless character, if he is not restrained, problems will really arise.

  If this is Konoha, it's fine, no matter what, there will be someone above Naruto.

   But this is the territory of the kingdom of ghosts, so you must not follow the rules of Konoha.

   "Because the more untouchable something is, the more valuable it is to explore."

  Naruto put his hands behind his head, with an indifferent attitude.

  Shikamaru broke out in a cold sweat.

   "Don't mess around, those people in armor are very difficult to mess with at first glance. You don't want to be disqualified from the third exam, do you?"

   Seeing that Naruto still ignored him, Shikamaru had no choice but to remind Naruto of his eligibility for the third exam.

   Sure enough, upon hearing these words, Naruto reluctantly dismissed his desire to explore here.

   "Then, let's disband here. In the third exam, let's compete again."

  Asuka spoke, and left the team with the ninjas from the Kingdom of Ghosts.

   "We are going to rest too."

  Tos Anvil of Yinyin Village glanced at the direction the Oni Country team was leaving, then glanced at Sasuke inadvertently, and turned away with two teammates.

  After the team from Yinyin Village left, the ninjas from Wuyin Village and Sandyin Village also left here, and they didn't have much idea of ​​communicating with each other.

   "Let's go back too, I've been tired for several days."

  Shikamaru stretched and headed to his dormitory.

   "Naru... Naruto-kun, goodbye."

   Saying this in a low voice, Hinata also left with the team.

   "Huh? Okay, bye."

   After being stunned for a moment, Naruto also said goodbye to Hinata.

  Sakura was curious about the interaction between Naruto and Hinata, and asked curiously, "Naruto, do you have a good relationship with Hinata?"

  In Sakura's memory, she has never seen a girl who would initiate a conversation with Naruto.

  Even when the seventh class was first established, Sakura was the same, but later changed Naruto to a certain extent.

  As far as Sakura knows, Naruto and Hinata didn't seem to have much communication during the ninja school period.

  He feels that the current interaction between Naruto and Hinata is a bit suspicious.

  Hinata's personality is introverted, and she is extremely shy, so she doesn't feel like a girl who takes the initiative to talk to people.

   "Of course it's good, because we are friends. Why do you ask that, Sakura?"

  Naruto asked in puzzlement.

   "It's nothing, maybe I think too much."

   Sakura shook her head.

   Friends?

  Although this is indeed a reason, even as a girl, I have not established a very good friendship with Hinata. How did Naruto do it?

  So, the mere relationship of friends is still a bit weird to Sakura.

   But what is the specific weirdness, Sakura can't think of any answer for a while.

   "Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, we are leaving too, you should rest earlier."

  At this time, a voice came into the ears of the three Narutos.

  Dou stood in front of the three of them with a smile on his face.

   "You too, Senior Dou. I hope you can pass the Chunin exam this time."

  Sakura glanced at the bag with some sympathy.

   Has failed the Chunin exam for several years in a row, and looks like he is about twenty years old. It can be seen how bad this senior is in ninja talent.

   "Haha, you have a good word, Sakura."

   After finishing speaking, he suddenly coughed a few times, his face pale.

   "Senior Dou, what's wrong with you?"

  Looking at Tou whose face suddenly turned pale, Naruto was surprised.

   "It's nothing. I got a slight injury during the second exam when I was fighting other countries' ninjutsu. I think it will recover soon."

   Doudou smiled wryly, looking very lonely.

  Sakura felt that there was something wrong with his words, and his appearance didn't seem like a minor injury.

  So, looking at Xiangdou's eyes, it was almost pity.

  If she still takes the third exam in this state, Sakura thinks that Dou probably won't be able to join the Chunin this year.

   "Well, Senior Dou, if you don't mind, I can take a look for you..."

  Sakura volunteered, hoping to heal the wound on Dou.

  However, before Sakura could move, Sasuke reached out to stop Sakura.

   "Sasuke?"

   "Sakura, don't help him heal. The third exam begins, and he may be one of the enemies."

   Sasuke said indifferently.

   "Sasuke, what are you doing? Konohsenpai is a Konoha ninja just like us—"

   Naruto couldn't understand Sasuke's behavior, so he yelled loudly.

   Before he could finish his sentence, Sasuke interrupted and said, "Didn't you listen to the information revealed in advance by the chief examiner of the second test? Even members of the same group will become enemies in the third test, let alone people in other groups. So, from now on, until the end of the third test, I, you, and Sakura are all enemies."

  Sasuke's words shocked Naruto and Sakura, but the expressions on their faces still seemed rather conflicted.

  Especially Naruto, even though he knew Sasuke was right, he still couldn't agree.

   "There is only one way to become a Chunin, and that is to defeat all the enemies in front of you. The battle of teamwork has also ended after the second exam. If you and Sakura still have this naive idea, even if you successfully defeat your opponent, you still cannot become a Chunin."

"But…"

  Naruto had something else to say, interjected and said:

   "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun is right. From now on, I am your enemy, and I am no longer your senior. You must keep this in mind. I will deal with my injuries by myself."

   As he spoke, Dodo led Chi Tongkai and Jian Meicheng away, leaving Naruto and the other three still staying in place.

   "Sasuke, are you going too far?"

   After walking away, Naruto said dissatisfied.

   "I'm just speaking according to the rules of the third test. If you still want to become a Chunin, and then have the idea of ​​becoming Hokage, then you can only do this."

   Seeing the dissatisfaction on Naruto's face, Sasuke sighed, looked at the direction where Kabuki and others were leaving, and said some unclear words:

   "In addition, this guy is a bit weird, it's better not to get too close to him."

  The next day at five o'clock in the morning, the sky just dawned.

   On the endless desert, most areas are still in darkness.

  At the exit of the north gate of the military area, all the candidates for the third exam, as well as their instructors, gathered here, and no one was left behind.

  In the exit area of ​​the north gate, a railway track is laid on the desert, extending to the sky where the edge cannot be seen.

  A train with 20 carriages has already stopped in front of the platform at the north gate of the military area, ready.

"what is this?"

  Naruto, who had never seen a train before, was shocked and unbelievable by the long steel worm in front of him.

   After all, in Muye Village, he had never seen such a weird thing.

   "This is a train... Well, using the analogy of the country of fire horse-drawn carriage, this is a relatively advanced means of transportation. Whether it is transporting goods or carrying people, its functionality far exceeds that of a horse-drawn carriage."

   Kakashi explained.

   "Transportation? But didn't you see the horses coming to pull it?"

  Naruto hugged his chest, looking puzzled.

   "That's because the energy that drives the train is Chakra, and it doesn't need horses behind to pull it."

"Chakra?"

   Naruto's mind became even more confused.

  He knows that Chakra is an important energy used by ninjas to perform ninjutsu, but why do you need Chakra to drive the train?

   "It's really interesting, this is also a symbol of strong industrial capabilities."

  Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, commenting on the train in front of him.

   While other countries are still using the original horse-drawn carriages, the Kingdom of Ghosts has obviously carried out updates and iterations on the means of transportation, using the country's strong industrial creativity to create a means of transportation that is more convenient than horses.

   This means that once a war breaks out, the Kingdom of Ghosts can mobilize domestic forces more quickly and effectively than other countries to seize various opportunities.

  Thinking of the many ninjas from the Oni Nation in the military zone wearing heavy armor, Sasuke felt as if he had seen a corner of the future.

  Ninja fighting methods are likely to no longer be limited to fighting among ninjutsu, physical jutsu, and illusion. The weapons and equipment equipped may also become a standard for evaluating the strength of ninjas.

   It's just that at present, the ninja's fighting style is still more inclined to the traditional side.

  Under Yi Ji's arrangement, the candidates got on the train in order. There were three single-person compartments in each compartment, and one compartment was assigned to a group.

   The examinees were not dissatisfied with this arrangement. They could take convenient transportation to the country of ghosts, and no one wanted to walk such a long distance on foot.

  After all the candidates were arranged, the train made a humming sound, and the wheels began to roll, heading north.

   "Isn't this too powerful? Mr. Kakashi, when will Konoha build a train?"

  The scenery on both sides of the outside pans backwards, and inside Sasuke's room, the instructor of the seventh class, Jonin, and the members gathered together.

  Naruto saw the scenery outside the car window constantly panning backwards. Even though the speed of the train was getting faster and faster, they in the car could not feel the bumps and were very stable, so they sat on the single bed in the car and made happy voices.

  Obviously he is very satisfied with the train as a means of transportation, and even imagined that it would be nice if Konoha had such a convenient means of transportation.

  In this way, no matter where you go, it seems that you don't have to work hard, and you can also enjoy various scenery during the journey.

   "Well, with the financial resources of the village alone, it is estimated that it is difficult to maintain such a fee."

  Kakashi told the truth.

  Leaving aside the cost of building and laying the rails, the value of the train itself, as well as the annual maintenance costs, are all astronomical figures.

  Most of Konoha's reserve funds are now invested in the military and medical fields, and there is no extra money at all to improve the village's traffic problems.

   But it also involves the distribution of various interests. The Kingdom of Fire does not want to improve domestic transportation, but the nobles have not been able to form a unity in the distribution of interests. It can only be held continuously, shelved, held a meeting, shelved again...the cycle of this process. Moreover, in the eyes of the nobles, improving domestic transportation is not a very necessary thing.

   "What, if I become Hokage in the future, I must build a train in the village so that everyone can enjoy it!"

  Naruto was not very satisfied with Kakashi's answer, so he spoke what was in his heart.

  Looking at the confident Naruto who was imagining the future, Kakashi's eyes were in a trance for a moment, as if he saw a familiar figure that had long since passed away.

  However, Kakashi didn't last long in this trance, and he came back to his senses and said, "Before that, Naruto, you should become a Chunin first. It's not as simple as saying that you want to become Hokage."

  Even if he becomes Hokage, to change this kind of problem, in Kakashi's view, it is as difficult as the sky.

  This kind of "compromise" policy has set the tone since the period of the first Hokage.

   In a sense, Ninja Village also belongs to the 'upper' class.

  A class that wants to break its own existence means many contradictions in itself.

   It runs counter to the inherent tradition, and not everyone can and dares to do it.

   "Speaking of which, Sasuke, how is the curse mark on your body?"

  Kakashi shifted the topic to Sasuke.

  Sasuke subconsciously touched the curse mark on the back of his neck with his hands, and seemed to be in pain again. He frowned and said, "I can initially use the power in it, but if I use too much, it will still cause a great burden to my spirit and body. The curse mark is a good finale card, and there is no way to use it routinely for the time being."

  I don't know why, but since I got this curse mark on my body, my perception of natural energy has become more acute.

  Sasuke suspected that the curse seal left by Dashemaru had a lot to do with natural energy.

   "Since this is the case, then Sasuke, you don't need to use this kind of power. Anyway, you are already very strong now. That Orochimaru must have ulterior motives for leaving the curse mark to you."

  Sakura said dissuadingly.

"I will think about it."

  Sakura's words made sense, but Sasuke didn't intend to do that.

  The curse seal is a double-edged sword. If you don't use it well, you will damage yourself, but if you use it well, it can become a powerful help for you.

   For him who is in desperate need of strength, this is undoubtedly a huge windfall.

  The most important thing is that he has the confidence to control the power of the seal. In this way, there is no so-called risk in the curse seal left by Dashewan.

  No matter what Orochimaru is going to do to him, the ultimate beneficiary will be him.

   "If you really can't control the curse seal, remember to tell me. Orochimaru has been away from Konoha for ten years. No one knows what purpose he is showing up at this time. Be careful."

   Kakashi said to Sasuke.

  Sasuke didn't know if he listened, but just nodded.

   "Okay, then you guys have a good rest, I won't bother you."

   Kakashi got up to bid farewell and walked out of the room.

   "Ten groups, thirty people... This number is a bit too much."

  In the office, having obtained the materials of the thirty candidates who participated in the third exam, Baishi frowned slightly.

  According to his original intention, the number of participants in the third exam should preferably be kept below 20 and above ten.

  Thirty contestants, a bit beyond Shiraishi's expectations.

  He had some doubts. The difficulty of the first and second exams was due to the fact that the layout of Konoha and Sand Hidden was too simple, which led to so many slipping through the net and getting the qualifications for the third exam.

   "There are close to 300 ninjas taking part in the chunin exam, and one tenth of the candidates get the qualification for the final exam. Strictly speaking, it's not too many."

   Ayane who was sitting on the sofa laughed.

   "It's better to cut down the number of people. Thirty people are too many. I think fifteen people is just right."

   Shiraishi said.

   "Why, are you going to conduct the assessment in two batches?"

   Ayane asked.

   "I have this idea. According to the plan, the Open will be held a week later, and businessmen, officials, and ninjas from all over the world will be invited to watch the battle. Before that, let's conduct an internal knockout match, kicking out 15 people, leaving 15 people to participate in the final Open."

   Baishi thought about it and made this decision.

   "You are really merciless, and you have deprived fifteen candidates of their qualifications to participate in the Open Competition at will."

   "No way, the Open Competition was announced at the beginning, and it will only be held for one day. In one day, there are a total of 30 candidates, and there is definitely no way to complete the assessment at one time."

  If the open competition is held for two days, Baishi doesn't mind letting thirty candidates play together. However, inviting high-ranking officials from so many countries, as well as big businessmen from all over the world, to gather in the Kingdom of Ghosts for a day is already very tight in terms of time. If the duration of the Open is changed arbitrarily, it may cause unnecessary controversy at that time.

   "So, what about the venue? Do you want to find a temporary one?"

   Ayane continued to ask.

   "No, just use the official venue of the Open. Not only that, but the rules used in the preliminary knockout round will also be the same as the official Open, so that candidates can get used to the environment and rules of the Open in advance."

   Shiraishi thought for a while and said.

  Different from the free battle under the rules of the second exam, the individual elimination system of the third exam has a bottom line rule—that is, all candidates must abide by the premise that they cannot kill their opponents.

  Because the two exams are aimed at different groups, the rules will be modified to a certain extent.

   "As for the time... The group of candidates will arrive at around three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, and they will be given a night's rest. The time for the preliminaries will be held at nine o'clock in the morning the day after tomorrow."

  Baishi quickly finalized the time for the qualifiers.

   "In that case, I'll take someone to set up the venue first."

  Ayane stood up from the sofa.

   "Then please."

  Shiraishi nodded, and rest assured to leave this matter to Ayane.

  He continued to pick up the materials of 30 candidates, looked at them, and finally locked his eyes on one of the candidates.

   "Yaoshidou... Pharmacist... This surname is really a bit special."

   If I remember correctly, in the intelligence department he established, there is a senior intelligence officer with the surname 'Pharmacist'.

  —Pharmacist Nonaiyu.

  (end of this chapter)

Chapter end