Heavy rains continued.

The atmosphere inside the tower was quiet.

There was a light but clear sound of footsteps in the hallway, and when I walked to the door of a room, I knocked on the door three times, and a male voice came from inside the room:

"Is it Xiao Nan? Come on in. ”

With the permission of the people in the house, Xiao Nan twisted the doorknob and opened the door.

Nagato was the only one in the room, the other party seemed to have just finished taking a nap, the hairstyle on his head was slightly scattered, and he was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt and gray trousers, and Xiao's uniform was placed on the hanger next to him casually, and he was not wearing it.

"You seem to be tired lately, Nagato, are you feeling unwell?"

Xiao Nan asked with concern.

As the core of Yuyin, any problem of Nagato, in Xiao Nan's heart, is the first place, even more important than his own life.

"It's okay, it's just that recently because of the repair of the golem and the fact that my cultivation has been a little too much, I have become in need of rest. Next, I'll pay attention to the body. ”

Nagato shook his head, signaling that Xiao Nan didn't have to worry about him.

Cultivating Yin and Yang Dun, he also fused the self of the first generation of Hokage Mu Dun cells, and with only his physical strength, there are few ninjas in the ninja world who can compare with him.

This level of fatigue can be recovered after a rest.

"Don't push yourself."

Xiao Nan nodded, and after saying this, he didn't dwell on the topic, but reported a message to Nagato:

"Itachi and Oni Shark are back."

Nagato paused slightly as he picked up his coat and uniform, turned his head, and asked:

"What about the Four Tails?"

"The operation was successful, and the four-tailed man Zhu Li Lao Zi was successfully brought back by the two of them, and is being imprisoned in the empty room next to 'Payne'."

Xiao Nan replied.

"It seems that that guy from Tuanzang didn't add fuel to this cooperation, but saved a lot of trouble."

Nagato seemed relieved.

This time, the Akatsuki organization captured the four tails, and there was also a credit for the roots of the group.

If there is no clue information provided by the root of the group for the Xiao organization, if you want to capture the four-tailed human Zhuli Lao Zi who was being monitored by Iwain, I am afraid that it is far from enough to dispatch only one team member.

After the disappearance of the five-tailed human pillar force a few years ago, Yanyin Village strengthened the control and management of the only remaining four-tailed human pillar force in the village. Even if Nagato is confident in the strength of Itachi and Oni Shark, it would be too much to underestimate the heritage of these great powers if there are only two people who want to engage in a head-on conflict with the huge ninja village organization of Iwakuin Village.

For decades, the Land of Rain has struggled to survive between the three great powers of fire, earth, and wind, and Nagato is well aware of the military power of these great ninja villages.

Fortunately, the matter of the joint Zhongnin exam involved part of the attention of Yanyin Village, coupled with the secret activity of the roots, providing reliable intelligence clues about the four-tailed human pillar force Lao Zi, as long as Tuan Zang did not cheat in this transaction, Xiao organized to capture the four-tailed human pillar force Lao Zi is a sure thing.

"Danzou is plotting for the position of the fifth Hokage, and he doesn't want to have any trouble at this time, and besides, he's not too young. If you miss this one, you'll never have the chance to become a Hokage again. ”

"Anyway, the four tails are now in hand, so let's tighten the seal, and things will change later."

Nagato put his coat on his body and said to Xiao Nan.

"Your Body ......"

"Don't worry, it's just a tailed beast that seals me, it won't take me much chakra, not to mention, there is the help of the rest of the members. Seal the tailed beast as soon as possible, and I can feel a lot more at ease here. ”

Nagato pointed to his heart.

As long as the tailed beast is not sealed in the container that holds the tailed beast in the outer path golem, there is a risk of being taken away by someone one day.

But once the tailed beast enters the outer path golem, then in the entire ninja world, except for him who has the eye of reincarnation, there is no second person who can let the tailed beast break away from the outer path golem and regain its freedom.

"I see."

"Then let's go and get ready, gather all the members back, and seal the Tailed Beast."

Xiao Nan nodded, and was about to turn around and leave the room, when he suddenly remembered something, and said to Nagato: "By the way, that guy Orochimaru seems to have gone to the Land of the Wind, do you want to call him back?" ”

"The Land of the Wind?"

Nagato's brow furrowed, then loosened.

"If I'm not mistaken, according to the news released by the great powers, the Land of the Wind is the second test venue for the United Zhongnin Exam."

"Yes, the test will be held in the famous 'Demon Desert' in the Land of Wind, which is said to have once been the seat of an ancient city, and even today, some of the ruins of the ancient city remain. Could it be that Orochimaru was looking for something there? ”

Xiao Nan guessed.

Orochimaru is a ninja who is keen on his own interests and thoroughly carries out this pleasure of exploring the unknown, and the ruins of the Land of Wind, such as the 'Demon Desert', have a long history, and are suitable as a hunting target for Orochimaru.

"You're wrong, Xiao Nan, Mr. Orochimaru is not interested in the ruins in the Demon Desert, that kind of weak defense, it is estimated that he has already finished exploring. The reason why he went there was because there was something in the test taker that he desperately wanted to get. ”

"Something?"

Xiao Nan frowned.

"Mr. Orochimaru seems to have a deep grudge against the fact that he was defeated at the hands of Itachi. Although he has been obsessed with the study of longevity over the years, he has never given up on the study of writing wheels. The idea of revenge on Itachi has become an obsession in his heart. ”

Especially after knowing the connection between the Writing Wheel Eye and the Reincarnation Eye, Nagato knew that Orochimaru had developed a stronger ambition in his heart.

And this ambition will drive Orochimaru to take action.

Therefore, in Nagato's view, Orochimaru has only one purpose for going to the Demon Desert during this special period-

"Uchiha Sasuke! Mr. Orochimaru wants to get Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan, and then get Itachi's Sharingan, fusing two pairs of Sharingan that are related by blood to form a higher-level Sharingan. ”

Nagato explained the purpose of Orochimaru's trip to the Demon Desert.

"Just leave him alone?"

Xiao Nan asked.

Nagato knew Xiao Nan's worries, and at the same time, because of Yahiko's past affairs, he had always been worried about Orochimaru joining Xiao.

If you want to say that in the Xiao organization, who is the most wary of Orochimaru, it is undoubtedly Xiao Nan.

"Let him go, this is a personal matter for Mr. Orochimaru, and I won't interfere. And the stronger he is, the better it is for us. Because I don't think Itachi can defeat Ruri Uchiha. Ruri Uchiha is not only the holder of the Kaleidoscope Writing Wheel Eye, but also proficient in senjutsu. The first Hokage who defeated Madara was also a ninja who could use senjutsu. It was an extremely terrifying and mysterious power, different from the usual arts. ”

Nagato spoke his mind.

"Is that so? However, it would take Uchiha Sasuke to also awaken the Kaleidoscope Sharingan to make this possible. ”

"That depends on Mr. Orochimaru's own means, since he didn't notify this side, it means that he himself doesn't want the Xiao Organization to interfere in it, this is his private matter. It would have been too uninteresting for me to meddle in the past. ”

"Let's hope he doesn't make a big deal then. But he really did, just to go to the Land of Wind at such a critical time. ”

Xiao Nan hated Orochimaru, but he also had to agree that Orochimaru couldn't have any accidents now.

"Because this is the only chance for him to have direct access to Sasuke Uchiha, when the third exam opens and the candidates go to the land of ghosts, he will never have a chance to attack Sasuke Uchiha again."

Unlike the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, where there is a huge gap in national defense capabilities, the defense system of the Land of Oni is very powerful, and when Orochimaru goes there, it is undoubtedly a sheep in the mouth of a tiger, and there is no difference between seeking death.

Bai Jue, who has a strong ability to infiltrate, I don't know how many corpses and bones have been left in the ground of the Ghost Country over the years, and now he can't make a splash at all.

Over time, Nagato completely gave up on spying on the intelligence of the Oni Country.

With this kind of side-by-side means, there is no way to shake the internal stability of the Oni Country, and it will only consume its own strength for no reason, and the gains outweigh the losses.

"It seems that so. Then I'll go and set up the sealing site now, but if you feel too reluctant, you can postpone the sealing until tomorrow. ”

After Xiao Nan said this, he left the room without dragging his feet.

After Xiao Nan left, Nagato's mind was no longer with Orochimaru.

For him, the increase in Orochimaru's strength is far less important than the fact that his own strength has become stronger.

Over the years, the companions of the Land of Rain have used countless sacrifices to awaken the truth in his heart, and make him truly realize that diplomacy between countries will always be dominated by the powerful side.

Although he and Orochimaru are collaborators, he will not put his real hope on an outsider who is not his own.

Better do it than wish it done.

Only by becoming stronger can you gain the right to speak in the international arena.

If Orochimaru threatens the safety of the Land of Rain at that time, then, even if he is a collaborator, he will take action mercilessly and completely wipe it out.

Peace in the Land of Rain can only be achieved by force.

Any compromise and concession will only fuel the arrogance of the enemy and expose others to oppression and bullying.

As for the so-called world peace, it is something that needs to be considered after the peace of the rain country and the strengthening of the country.

So in a way, he agrees with a certain man's approach.

Strengthen your own country first, and wait until you have accumulated enough strength before you think about the affairs of other countries.

It's a step-by-step process. There must be no reversals or mistakes.

Therefore, the peace he wants to establish can only be world peace with the Land of Rain as the core of the era. Rather than peace led by the land of fire, the country of earth, the country of thunder, and so on.

On such a matter of the survival of his country, Nagato could no longer allow himself to be naïve.

"Chiba Shiraishi...... Compared to those big countries, you and the Ghost Country are the most terrible enemies on the road to peace in the Land of Rain! ”

The peace of the land of ghosts is not the peace of the country of rain.

In the same way, the era of peace centered on the Land of Rain is not the peace that the Land of Oni wants.

Every sovereignty and every interest must not yield an inch and fight to the end.

◎

Day 2.

The hundreds of candidates who had rested in the desert fortress for the night had already adjusted their condition to the best, and their physical strength and chakra had also returned to their peak state.

When I woke up in the morning, I had a confident look on my face.

It took half an hour to wake up at five o'clock, wash and dress, and have breakfast in the dining room.

At half past five, under the command of the chief shinobi examiner, Markey, he came to the inner gate of the desert fortress.

When the Black Iron Gate of the fortress on the inside opened, all you could see was a tall city wall that could not be seen as far as the eye could see, forming a huge circular sand dune territory in the desert.

This dune territory, the terrain is undulating, and a large amount of weathered sandstone is scattered randomly and irregularly.

In the hazy wind and sand in the distance, you can faintly see the black shadow of the ruins that resemble the town, which are ancient ruins that have been abandoned for a long time.

Demon Desert.

is the name of the area.

The danger of this desert area is so dangerous that even the Shinobi of the Sand Hidden Village will shudder.

It is said that it is difficult for Shinobi to pass through such a dangerous area without injury.

Only the Shinobi can truly cross the past in such a dangerous environment without injury.

When I came to the sandy sand, the sky was bright and gloomy, and the temperature in the air was not high, but a little cold, but the candidates were very energetic, and none of them showed their drowsy posture.

In order to prepare for the second exam this morning, they all rested early last night to recuperate.

Ma Ji and other great powers stood in front of the candidates, and in front of them, a pair of tables and chairs were placed, and on the table were pens and a pile of papers.

Ma Ji walked out of the queue of Shangnin, glanced at the energetic candidates, and then coughed and said in a loud voice: "This is the Demon Desert, and it is also the place where the second exam will be held later. The scope of the desert is bounded by four walls, and if a candidate's range of activities exceeds the city wall, he or she will be disqualified from the examination immediately. ”

Once again, the candidates looked at the tall circular wall that surrounded the desert area, and since they couldn't see the edge, they couldn't estimate the extent of the Demon Desert.

Asuka looked at Cai, Aya opened his eyes and shook his head at Asuka, even his white eyes could not fully see the specific scope of the Demon Desert. Moreover, the range observed by the white eye is likely to be only a small part of the Demon Desert.

The Land of the Wind is vast and sparsely populated, and even though a piece of land was ceded to the Land of Oni a few years ago, the land that is now preserved is also among the top among the great powers.

As a special area used by Sand Hidden Village to test the ability of Shinobi, the scope of the field will not be smaller than the famous Forest of Death in Konoha Village. In terms of its size, it is probably even larger than the Death Forest of Konoha.

And the Death Forest has a radius of ten kilometers and a diameter of twenty kilometers, if the Demon Desert exceeds this range, not to mention more than a hundred candidates, no matter how many candidates there are, there will be enough room to play in this desert.

"The rules of the exam are very simple, I have two scrolls here, which are divided into 'heaven' and 'earth'. There are forty-six groups in total, twenty-three of which will be assigned to the Scroll of Heaven and the other twenty-three will be assigned to the Scroll of Earth. What you have to do as candidates is to snatch the scroll of the opposing group, and there is no limit to the means. As long as you have both the Heaven and Earth scrolls, and then arrive at the central control tower of the Demon Desert, you will be considered qualified and get a ticket to the third exam. ”

The rules are simple and easy to understand,

If the first exam is attended by examiners, then the second exam is to completely leave the space for the candidates to play.

Except in exceptional circumstances, the examiners will not interfere with the conduct of the exam.

And the way in which the means are not limited also means that this is a very cruel knockout game, which will be accompanied by death.

As the chief examiner, Markey naturally noticed this.

"Because there is a risk of losing your life, you will have to sign an agreement here that you will bear any unexpected circumstances during the exam, and then we will distribute the scrolls to you. If you don't sign this agreement, you can go back to your village without taking the second exam. ”

Markey glanced at the candidates and saw that none of them questioned his words, and no one expressed reluctance to sign the agreement.

They finally passed the first exam, and even if there was a risk of dying in the second exam, they still had the attitude of giving it a try.

As elites, they are not only burdened with their own destiny, but also with the future of the country and the village.

There can be no retreat here, even in the face of the threat of death.

"May I ask, examiner Shangnin, is there a time limit for the second exam?"

It was Shikamaru who asked him, and he hoped to get more information from it, which was also a topic that many candidates were concerned about.

Markey glanced at him and replied, "There is a time limit, the time for the second exam, a total of seventy-two hours. After this time, even if you get all the scrolls and get to the control tower in the center, you will be considered a failure. ”

"So, what about food and water?"

Shikamaru asked again.

He asked the canteen last night that the candidates were not allowed to get extra food and water from the cafeteria.

So, he had a guess that food and water could not be prepared in advance.

And Markey's words also verified his conjecture, and he said with a cold attitude: "You are already real ninjas, and the cruel world will not always be used to you." Seventy-two hours, all the food and water you settle in the desert yourself. In order to take care of you, there are places in this desert where there is a water source that can quench your thirst. There are also plenty of alien creatures from which you can get meat. But keep in mind that those water sources may contain viruses that ninjas can't resist, and those alien creatures are also powerful, and if you don't deal with them carefully, you will die. ”

Markey's words made many candidates embarrassed.

Not only do you have to deal with the raids of the rest of the candidates, but you also have to deal with desert creatures that might attack you. And those water sources, which may have viruses, need to be treated before they can be drunk.

Not only that, but the high temperature during the day can be even more torturous.

It's a tough battle for survival.

It's terrible.

"Still have questions?"

Markey looked at Shikamaru.

"Nope."

Shikamaru shook his head and stepped back.

"Now, then, let's sign the scroll before I can give it to you."

Markey commanded.

So the candidates began to line up, and began to sign their names on the paperwork on the table in an orderly manner.

After signing, it was already ten minutes later.

Everyone took the agreement and looked at Markey.

Markey continued, "We're going to send you to different starting point locations, where you'll get your group's scrolls. ”

Markey's words made Asuka frown.

He originally wanted to let Cai use his eyes to reconnoiter the distribution of scrolls, after all, if he didn't prepare in advance, it might be the same scroll that was so strong that it would be a waste of time.

And Markey did this, apparently so that none of the teams knew what the reels of the rest of the groups were.

In this way, it will attract more fierce battles among the candidates.

Unlike the first exam, the second exam is dramatically more difficult. In contrast, the first exam is just a game of playing house, not even a warm-up.

But even if it makes sense, in this exam, Markey has set the biggest rules, and they are also the rules that every candidate must follow.

Once violated, there is a risk of elimination.

With the agreement in hand, the forty-six teams were all scattered, and each group headed to a different starting point under the leadership of a sand hidden shinobi.

About an hour later, Asuka and the trio's group followed the sand to a tall wall.

There was also a sand hidden shinobi waiting, and the other party was holding a scroll with the word 'heaven' clearly exposed on the scroll.

Next to it, there is a radio for communication.

Bulky and bulky, this type of radio is old-fashioned, but it is sufficient for long-distance communication.

On the radio, a colorful pattern in the style of an aster flower is also imprinted.

Asuka, as the captain, received the scroll of 'Heaven' from the hand of this sand hidden ninja.

According to the rules of the exam, the next three days are to get a scroll of 'earth', and then take the two scrolls of heaven and earth, and go to the control tower in the center to clear the customs.

"Excuse me, can we start the exam now?"

Asuka asked.

The sand shinobu who had been waiting here in the first place looked at the watch on his wrist and shook his head.

"It's 6:50 a.m., and there are still ten minutes left before the exam starts. The exam then lasts until seven o'clock in the morning of the fourth day. ”

"May I ask, how far is this from the control tower in the center?"

Asuka asked again.

Sha Yin Zhongnin glanced at Asuka, especially when he saw the forehead guard on the other party's forehead, he felt very dazzling.

But considering that this is a joint Zhongnin exam, it is not a good time to resolve personal grievances, and it is too rude, which will make people feel that the size of Shayin Village is small, so he had to answer lukewarmly:

"From here to the control tower in the center, there is a distance of about fifteen kilometers."

Fifteen kilometers? Asuka frowned tightly.

It may seem small, but considering that the chakra of Aya and Kaoru is not an infinite supply, it is impossible for the white eye and perception ninjutsu to be turned on all the time, because in order to deal with possible crises, it is necessary to save chakra as much as possible. Therefore, the timing of the use of perceiving ninjutsu and white eyes must be strictly controlled to avoid insufficient supply of chakra during battle.

Minutes and seconds passed, and soon ten minutes passed, and by seven o'clock the sun was already out, and the air began to convey a stuffy smell.

"It's exam time, and the three of you can go."

Shinobu said to the three of them.

Without hesitation, the moment the words of the sand were just fell, the figures of the three birds immediately disappeared from the place.

When he reappeared, he was already running quickly on the sand, galloping forward.

"Water will be the most important strategic material during the exam. Cai, open your eyes, look for the area where the water source appears, and we will go there to wait for the rabbit! ”

The purpose of Asuka is clear.

Since it is not possible to prepare water and food in advance, it is difficult for candidates to obtain enough water and food to ensure that their bodies are in the best condition during the test.

Water, in particular, is a higher priority than food.

Then, just wait for the prey to come to the door automatically in a place with plenty of water in advance.

Therefore, at the moment when the exam began, the three of Asuka turned on their speed to the maximum extent, found the water source area as quickly as possible, prepared traps in advance, and waited for the prey to be caught.

"What about the rest of the group? Want to get in touch? ”

Xiang Rin asked.

"Not for now. Now is not the time to think about them, everything will wait until we get the scrolls of the earth we need. ”

Although helping his colleagues in the military, in the eyes of Asuka, is a matter of course. However, the time of this competition is not long, it is not short, and helping the rest of the teams to clear the customs is a problem that should be considered only when their own group has cleared the customs.

Now that I am a little overwhelmed, it is the highest priority to make sure that my group clears the level first.