Kaida and the team kept waiting for another hour. When only ten minutes remained, Kumogakure's team ehe hall and submitted their answer sheet. Darui’s eyes briefly sed the Konoha group before he returo his seat.
'We have to be wary of them. If not for stantly disrupting my chakra and releasing sparks in my hand, we would’ve fallen for their genjutsu. Luckily, we were warned about the Uchiha. Otherwise, we might’ve been eliminated in the first round,' Darui thought. It wasn’t just his chakra trol, but also his awarehat helped him escape the genjutsu.
The genjutsu Kaida and Itachi were using in this round was fairly light. If it were to be cssified as ninjutsu, it would be ranked B. Kaida, who was capable of using A-rasu with his Sharingan, could have made them fall into a deeper illusion had he wanted. And Itachi could easily cast an S-rasu. But sihey didn’t pn on eliminating Kumogakure, they simply let them be and tinued searg for codes.
After Kumogakure, Amegakure's team also returned. Known for their stealth teiques, they had mao find all the codes without any frontations. A highly effit team.
, Sunagakure's team arrived. However, they had to battle both Konoha and a team from a smaller vilge that was desperate for codes due to time straints, so they could only gather nine codes.
Many teams returned before time ran out, including Iwagakure’s team, which mao collect six codes within the hour. However, they weren’t pleased.
Ohe st team submitted their answer sheets, the instructor spoke.
“With this, the first stage is pleted. The winner of this round is Team 3 from Konoha, who mao retrieve all 10 codes within one hour. In sed pce is Team 8 from Kumogakure, colleg 10 codes in two hours and forty minutes.
Third is Team 10 from Amegakure, with the same 10 codes, but in two hours and fifty mihe rest of the teams who passed will be listed on the board. If your name isn’t there, you’re disqualified, either because your code was incorrect or you failed to gather at least three codes.
We’re doing your vilges a favor by not allowing you to bee in. Those who passed, meet in front of Lightning Valley in one hour,” the instructor finished ahe hall.
The teams rushed out to check their names on the list, but the teams from the major vilges already kheir results. While their ranks shifted, all of them had passed.
Deidara walked straight toward Kaida and his group, his eyes burning with anger. Seeing him approach, both Kaida and Itachi activated their Sharingan. The onoisy hall went pletely silent as two pairs of dark red eyes sed every detail in the room. Everyone prese exposed, as if those eyes could see through them.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything… for now. But you better pray we don’t meet in the round. Otherwise, not even your remains will return to Konoha,” Deidara said in a cheerful tone.
“I hope you’ll be able to eain us a little,” Kaida replied as Deidara turo leave. Hearing that, Deidara paused for a moment but left without another word.
“Was it necessary to provoke him that much?” Kabuto asked, this time not using their mental link.
“He thought he could just e and threaten us? No ce,” Kaida said as he stood up, followed by Itachi and Kabuto, who shook his head in disbelief.
---
*Teams that Passed the First Stage:*
- Team 3 – Konoha
- Team 8 – Kumogakure
- Team 10 – Amegakure
- Team 13 – Sunagakure
- Team 11 – Kirigakure
- Team 6 – Iwagakure
- Team 9 – Kusagakure
- Team 15 – Takigakure
- Team 28 – Shimogakure
- Team 22 – Yugakure
These were the teams that passed the first stage of the in Exam out of 30 teams, listed with the same rankings. After cheg their results, the teams either returo their rooms to pack their belongings or made their way toward Lightning Valley using the map.
---
Kaida recalled Jiraiya's warning about Lightning Valley before the exam.
The Lightning Valley is a treacherous, high-altitude region deep within the mountains of the Land of Lightning, far from the bustling streets of Kumogakure. Known for its wild, untamed nature, the valley is stantly shrouded in thuorms, with jagged cliffs, craggy peaks, and narrow paths winding through the mountains.
The air is thick with the smell of ozone, and the sound of thunder echoes through the valley as lightning frequently strikes the rocky ground.
The terrain is varied, with dangerous cliffs, deep ravines, and hidden caves scattered throughout the ndscape. Torrential rain floods the lions, turning the paths into muddy, slippery trails. In some pces, the valley is covered in dense foliage, while in others, the ground is cracked and barren, scorched by the frequent lightning strikes.
Despite the dangers, the valley is home to a variety of wildlife, some highly aggressive due to the stant exposure to the votile weather. Raptors, rge boars, and even chakra-infused wildcats roam the valley, making it even more perilous for shinobi navigating its depths.
"Be careful. Even a in-level ninja fall to the beasts in that valley, especially the wildcats. Aside from being ridiculously fast, they use lightning in their attacks and are profit in ambushing their prey," Jiraiya's warning still echoed in Kaida’s mind.
After traveling tinuously for 45 mihey finally arrived in front of the rge valley. The view from their vantage point was both breathtakingly beautiful and deadly—a vast valley surrounded by barren mountains, shrouded in dark thunderclouds with lightning crag through the sky. The three of them stood there for a minute, just taking it in.
“You’ll have plenty of time to explore the valley during the sed stage. For now, head to that building, or you’ll be disqualified,” the instructor from the first stage appeared beside them and said.
“Yes, sir,” Itachi responded, and the three of them ran toward the location of the sed exam.
A single building stood at the entrance of Lightning Valley, and after some time, the other teams began to arrive one by one.
“I’ll be in charge of the sed stage of the exam. Before we begin, you’ll o sign these papers,” a muscur giant with a rge sword on his back said. His overwhelming presence made it clear that he was ae jonin.
