"Rules?"

In response to some questions from the candidates below, Markey nodded and continued:

"That's right, like the first two exams, the third exam is also a knockout format. The difference is that the third exam is not a knockout round in a group, but an individual-to-individual knockout round. ”

"Meaning, even if it's the same group, there's a possibility of hostility, right?"

Shikamaru was the first to react.

"Yes, because it's an individual competition, even if it's in the same group, you can be an opponent. But the only thing is that the third exam does not allow you to kill your opponent. ”

Markey said with a solemn expression.

Markey's words made all the candidates feel awe-inspiring.

It is not allowed to kill the candidate, and the rules are completely different from the rules of the second exam.

Although the second exam is divided into scope and rules, the rule is that the means are not counted, as long as you can pass the exam, then any means will be considered reasonable.

However, the third exam, which was the finale, abandoned such a rule, which puzzled most candidates.

Instead of embarrassing these immature candidates, Markey said: "That's because the third exam is different from the first two exams, it is an open competition of individuals against individuals. In other words, your battles will be watched by audiences other than ninjas. ”

Outside of ninjas, the audience is ordinary people, big businessmen, officials, ninja leaders and other characters from various countries......

The crowd is very mixed, and although ninja battles are often bloody, the death of people in an open tournament will inevitably cause a bad social reaction.

"However, after the real fight, this kind of thing will be difficult to control, right?"

Temari asked dissatisfied.

Her gaze glanced lightly at Iro, who was next to her.

My Airo has never been light or heavy, and if I am not allowed to kill, then it will be difficult for I Airo to grasp the strength.

"When a candidate's life is in danger, there will be an examiner who is a shinobi to stop him."

"So what's the point of a fight like this? Isn't it hard to determine the winner? ”

Kankuro snorted coldly.

Markey glanced at him and said, "Don't worry about this kind of thing, once the examiner has to stop it, it means that the candidate is already a loser." ”

Markey's explanation made the candidates slightly relieved, if so, it was indeed a solution.

If there is a danger to life, the examiner will come up to stop it, and it is easy to disrupt the rhythm of the candidate's battle.

However, if the examiner stops the examiner, it is equivalent to the elimination of the saved party, and the dissatisfaction of the candidates is greatly reduced.

"As for the rest of the rules, after you go to the country of ghosts, there will be special personnel to explain them to you. Therefore, before you arrive in the land of ghosts, you should think about what kind of fighting style you want to adopt before the third exam. After all, you are not allowed to kill your opponents, but that does not mean that you need to be completely restrained. ”

If this joint middle ninja exam is internal digestion, then naturally there is no such rule that you are not allowed to kill your opponent.

Because the scale of the battle between ninjas and ninjas is difficult to grasp, the slightest carelessness can cause life-threatening situations.

But this time it was different, it was an open tournament for spectators other than ninjas, and if it caused deaths, it would undoubtedly promote the bloody and crazy side of ninjas, which was not conducive to the positive image of ninjas.

On the premise of not killing the opponent, using the best possible method to eliminate the opponent is the key to this exam.

The reason why it is so early is that Markey wants the candidates to make these preparations before the official individual knockout round, which can be regarded as a preventive shot in advance, so as not to be tied up and unable to give full play to the strength that the candidates should have.

"Alright, I'm done. Miss Yiji, it's time for you to speak. ”

Seeing that the candidates understood what he was saying, Markey turned around and handed the microphone to Kazuhime.

Kazuhime nodded, took the microphone, and walked to where Markey had been, facing all the candidates.

"Hello, I'm the Shinobi Chiba Kazuhime of the Ghost Country, and the next trip to the Ghost Country will be arranged by me. I have only one request for you, not to fight on the way, I know that you have accumulated a lot of personal grudges during the second exam, but before the individual competition officially begins, please all of you please exercise a little restraint. If you don't obey the command, I'll beat you up and disqualify you from the third exam. ”

Cut, it doesn't look like a big deal, is this guy really a shinobi? Kankuro stared at Ichihime, who was not much older than himself, and was very suspicious of the other party's moisture as a shinobi.

It's just that due to the occasion, Kankuro can only think about it in his heart.

Ignoring the candidates below who were thinking differently, Kazuhime continued:

"Now I'll give you half an hour to pack your things, and after half an hour, everyone will assemble in front of the main entrance of the central control tower."

After finishing his life, he handed the microphone to Markey, and then left the venue without looking back, which also meant the end of this short meeting.

Markey shook his head helplessly, he still wanted to show his prestige as the chief examiner of the second exam, but after Yiji's death, there was not much time left for him to speak.

"That's it, congratulations on your successful progress in the third exam, disbanded now, and gather at the main entrance in half an hour."

After Markey, the candidates looked at each other, and then they all walked towards the outside of the hall, returned to their lounge, and began to pack their things.

When Asuka and the others walked to the rest area where the country of ghosts was located, they saw Kazuhime standing alone in the center of the corridor, the expression on his face seemed to be a little cold, and seeing Ichikahime in this state, Asuka and the others felt a lot of pressure.

But in the end, they resisted the pressure and walked up to Yiji, waiting for a lecture.

"Let's go in first."

Ichihime saw that behind Asuka and the others, there were candidates from other countries, who were about to pass by, and knew that this place was not suitable for conversation, so he opened the room next to him and walked in first.

Asuka and the other six Shinobu of the Oni Country, who had passed the second exam, also entered the room and closed the door tightly.

I saw Yiji sitting on a chair, holding her chest with her hands, and crossing Erlang's legs, although her face did not show too much dissatisfaction, but the cold aura emanating from her body made people know that she was in a very unhappy mood now.

"Well, why are only six of you passing the test?"

"Maybe it's bad luck."

Thinking of what happened in the second exam, Asuka couldn't help but feel depressed.

The six or seven scrolls that their group won in a row were all exactly the same scrolls of the sky, and it was not until the eighth that they successfully obtained the scrolls of the earth, and as a result, two days had passed since the exam, and there was not much time left for their group to act.

"The three teams that failed were besieged by the Konoha ninjas...... Two of them were also seriously injured and are being resuscitated in the infirmary. The remaining seven people were each injured to varying degrees. ”

Cai replied.

"Konoha?"

"Yes, there are sixteen Konoha groups in the second exam. Some of these groups, apparently with some special missions, don't care about winning or losing. ”

As for what the special mission is, those present don't have to think about it to know.

The contradiction between Konoha and the country of ghosts is not a day or two, and this contradiction is particularly acute in international diplomacy.

"Is it because of the number of people?"

Kazuhime sneered.

Because the country of demons has always taken the elite route, focusing on the quality of ninjas rather than the quantity.

Therefore, after several months of selection, fifteen people were finally determined to participate in the joint Zhongnin examination.

Compared to Konoha's one-time investment of twenty-seven lower ninja groups, the five team members of the Oni Country are indeed at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.

"In addition to that, it seems that the Sand Hidden Ninja is also secretly assisting."

Asuka said more.

On one of them, he was attacked by a team of Konoha Shinobu and Shagakure Shinobi.

Fortunately, the strength of their group was excellent, and they swallowed two groups in one bite, but the rest of the Oni no Kuni group did not have this ability.

Once besieged by two or more groups, even if the strength is good, when outnumbered, it may not be able to have an advantage in the battle.

"No wonder Maki of the Sand Hidden dares to show off in front of me, is this the idea? It turned out that Konoha and Shagakure, before the exam, began to think about wearing a pair of pants. ”

Kazuhime nodded thoughtfully.

Although I know that this is a plan by Konoha and Shagakure, strictly speaking, this cannot be a violation of the exam rules.

The so-called examination is the freedom of movement under the rules.

As long as it does not exceed the limits of the rules themselves, then all actions are allowed by the rules, such as strategic alliances.

"It seems that the alliance between Konoha and Shayin is even closer than imagined, and even the resources of the Zhongnin exam can be shared."

Should the shadows of the two ninja villages reach a deeper strategic cooperation, or is the country of ghosts forcing both sides too hard?

In Kazuhime's opinion, it is likely that it is because of the latter that the alliance between Konoha and Shayin has become more compact.

So much so that he wanted to use this joint ninja exam to hit the reputation of the country of ghosts hard.

None of the candidates in Yanyin and Yunyin made the cut, and the behind-the-scenes confrontation in this exam was more exciting than Yiji imagined.

"I have learned about the general matter, although it is excusable, but it also shows that your usual training is still a little slack. Tell the people who failed that when they go back, they all double their training. Also, don't make the slightest mistake in the third exam. ”

Kazuhime stood up from her chair and lowered her arms, her face softening.

Unlike the first two exams, the third exam is a real individual race.

The so-called teamwork ability becomes useless in the third exam.

What will be really useful at that time is the strength of the ninja itself.

"Yes."

Asuka and others responded solemnly.

◎

"Well, then, let's separate here."

Dou said goodbye to the rest of Konoha's shinobi companions, and entered his own lounge with the same group of red bronze armor and sword Misumi.

After entering the lounge, the three of them immediately felt an eerie aura that filled the entire room.

In the center of the room, a figure stood with its back to the trio.

"Orochimaru-sama."

Seeing this familiar figure, Dou knelt down on one knee without hesitation, and the respectful look on his face was undisguised.

After being stunned for a moment, the red bronze armor and Jian Meicheng who were following behind the pocket also knelt down on one knee and called 'Orochimaru-sama' to express their respectful attitude.

Like Dou, Bronze Armor and Ken Misumi are also Orochimaru's spies in Konoha who are tasked with collecting Konoha confidential information.

"You're back, look at the way you guys, you had a great time in the previous exams."

Orochimaru turned around and glanced at Dou with a smile.

Orochimaru-sama smiled, those candidates weren't a bunch of cute kids. Even if it's me, if I deal with the monsters inside, I'm afraid I won't be able to get a favor. ”

Dou smiled slightly, got up from the ground, and said to Orochimaru.

"You are still so modest, Dou, with your strength, even if you are the captain of the sub-team in the dark department, in my opinion, it is more than enough."

Orochimaru did not hesitate to praise Dou.

Dou still smiled slightly, and didn't express an opinion on it, but remembered something, and said intentionally or unintentionally: "Get up, I am in the Demon Desert, and I feel the breath of Lord Orochimaru's haunting." It seems that Orochimaru-sama has finally made that choice. ”

Orochimaru didn't answer, but glanced at the red bronze armor and Jian Micheng.

Akatsumi Armor and Jian Misumi understood, and silently exited the room, leaving the space for Orochimaru and Dou.

Although they are also spy officers, Dou's ability undoubtedly surpasses them too much.

Even the strength is a real upper ninja level, and there is a world of difference between them who only have the strength of the middle ninja level.

Seeing the red bronze armor and Jian Micheng leave the room, Orochimaru suddenly sighed and said to Dou: "Itachi's strength is stronger than mine, and I am not sure of winning when I fight him." When a person doesn't even have a gambling book, the only thing he can bet on is his own life. ”

In Orochimaru's opinion, Itachi is now a person with no way back.

It seems to be isolated, but it also reveals the extremely dangerous nature of the Itachi at the moment.

Such a ferret, once provoked, can do anything crazy and terrible.

Rationality and madness, only in a thought.

"It can be seen that Orochimaru-sama cherishes his life very much."

Dou joked.

"Hehe, the only meaningful thing in this world is to live. If you've experienced the war, you should be able to empathize. No matter how lofty the ideals and how sacred the missions were in the past, at the moment of death, there is nothing left. ”

"Human ...... Is it really possible to live forever? ”

"If you don't do anything, you can't do anything. It's like that stupid guy Jiraiya, who has been chasing meaningless peace prophecies all his life. ”

Orochimaru scoffed.

"Really?"

Dou didn't comment on this, and he didn't know Jilai, who was also a three-ninja, and he didn't know much.

"What about you? Don't you have a heart for eternal life, Dou? ”

Orochimaru looked at Dou.

"I don't think anyone would be unmoved by eternal life, but for me, on the other side of the scale, there is a heavier weight than eternal life. I've always wondered who I am. I'm following you, Lord Orochimaru, just to figure this out. ”

To tell the truth, he didn't hide Orochimaru's thoughts.

"Always living in the past, there is no good end, Pocket."

Orochimaru glanced at his pocket regretfully.

"Perhaps. But if I can't understand this question, then eternal life doesn't mean anything to me. As Orochimaru-sama said, I am a person who lives in the past, and the future and the present are too far away, and I never think about things so far away. ”

Dou smiled helplessly.

"You're such a parasite."

Orochimaru commented.

Pocket is silent.

Parasites?

If you think about it, you really are no different from a parasite.

He can't give his life meaning, he can only let others give him personality and life value, so that he has the motivation to live.

Once you lose your 'master', you will also usher in the end of your life as a parasite.

"I'll leave Sasuke's affairs to you and Kakashi to take care of, don't let him have any accidents until I welcome him back. When the time comes, the meaning of your existence will also be realized. ”

Orochimaru patted Doudou's shoulder and said earnestly.

"Yes, I see, Orochimaru-sama. I'll take good care of Sasuke-kun. ”

Dou lowered his head slightly, and the white light reflected on the lenses, making it impossible to see his eyes at the moment.

Does it make sense? Can you really find this kind of thing yourself? Dou's heart is full of unconfidence.

Faced with such a situation, how would Kakashi answer? Dou's mind became very confused.

Soon, Orochimaru's breath disappeared from the room, and Dou knew that Orochimaru had left.

At this time, the red bronze armor and Jian Meicheng walked into the room, and saw that Dou was the only one in the room, so he asked, "Dou, where is Orochimaru-sama?" ”

Dou replied casually: "My lord, he is already gone." ”

"No new directives?"

The red bronze armor and the sword Misumi looked at the pocket expectantly.

They were looking forward to being reused by Orochimaru, and the reverence for Orochimaru in their eyes was crazy and blazing.

Dou ignored the two men's questions and prepared to step aside and pack his things.

"Dou, what do we ask you? What is Orochimaru-sama's order? ”

Seeing that Dou Yi was packing up his things without saying a word, the red copper armor and Jian Meicheng suddenly became dissatisfied.

"Hurry up and pack your things, we're about to go to the land of ghosts."

Take care of yourself.

"You bastard—"

Bang!

Before the red bronze armor could finish speaking, his whole body hit the wall directly, spit out a mouthful of blood, and then knelt down holding his stomach, the muscles of his face twisted together, he barely raised his finger and pointed to his pocket, but he didn't say a word.

"I'm sorry, I'm the captain. If you go against my will, you should know what the fate will be, right? ”

Dou casually spread his palms, looking innocent who didn't do it himself, and laughed in a mocking tone.

"Pocket, you-"

Jian Mei Chengye raised his finger and pointed to his pocket, about to scold.

"What, do you want to use your fingers? I can chop off your fingers for free. ”

A very gentle smile appeared on his face.

Jian Meicheng's body stiffened, and under the threat of Dou, she obediently put her fingers down, but the unwillingness and resentment in her eyes were about to burst out of her eyes.

"You guys are really waste, this level of threat, just retreat. It's not that I look down on you, you guys can't get into the eyes of Orochimaru for the rest of your life. Just honestly perform the duties of cannon fodder, and by the way, give me a good determination of my value proposition. ”

Dou looked helpless and had a headache and shook his head.

The red bronze armor that was helped up by Jian Meicheng was full of disbelief, and his resentful eyes were fixed on the harmless smiling face of humans and animals.

"Sooner or later, Lord Orochimaru will realize our value, and it must be you, the villain, who is beside Lord Orochimaru, who speaks ill of us that will make Lord Orochimaru ignore us all the time. With the existence of a guy like you, Orochimaru-sama will miss out on so many talents! ”

Dou glanced at the red bronze armor speechlessly.

How did this guy tell he had such thoughts?

If Orochimaru was so easy to fool, would he still be one of the three ninjas?

"Whatever you want, if you really want to prove that you are talented, then you can do well in the third exam. At that time, Lord Orochimaru will watch the battle from the audience as Otokure Murakami Shinobi. ”

Dou said.

Copper Armor and Jian Meicheng glanced at each other, both seeing the excitement and joy in each other's eyes.

"However, if you lose, you will wait to be completely marginalized, and you may even be cleaned up as a defective product, and don't blame me for not reminding you when you lose."

Dou added, but the two who were in the excitement completely ignored Dou's advice.

As the best test subjects under Orochimaru's hands, how could they not even be able to defeat Shinobi?

Therefore, the advice of the pocket seems to them to be just a superfluous move.

◎

Soon, half an hour of preparation time passed.

When the candidates packed up their things and arrived at the main entrance of the control tower, Kazuhime was already standing here waiting for them to arrive.

After seeing that the ten groups of candidates, a total of thirty people, had all arrived, Yiji just glanced at them, without any greetings, and said directly: "Everyone has arrived, let's go now." ”

ended, Yiji turned her head and left, and her movements did not drag the mud and water.

The candidates did not have the slightest opinion, and followed quickly to not let themselves be left behind.

The speed of a Ji is maintained to the extent that this group of lower ninjas can keep up.,Try to take care of some lower ninjas who are not good at physical strength.。

Among the ninjas who accompanied them, not only the thirty shinobi candidates from various countries who passed the second exam, but also their mentoring shinobi, all arrived and went to the country of ghosts together.

"Get up, Kakashi-sensei, what kind of country is the country of demons?"

The speed of the team is kept at a decent level, not too fast, but not slow either, even if it is not good at speed, it can keep up.

In the process of hurrying, Sakura asked curiously.

They have already seen the scenery of the Land of Winds.

The endless desert, although very desolate, gives people a strange sense of magnificence.

It's an exotic landscape that you can't see in the Land of Fire.

"Oni Country...... Why, the development of civilization in this country is different from that of many countries on the mainland. ”

In response to Sakura's question, Kakashi touched his chin and began to think about how to answer the question.

"How?"

"In the past, the country of ghosts has always been a mysterious country dominated by the belief in shrine maidens, and the humanistic atmosphere of witches is very strong, just like our country of fire and belief in temple culture."

"Temple culture?"

"That is, the Temple of Fire. However, with the establishment of the Ninja Village era, the Temple of Fire has long since declined in this era. Only during the important festivals of one year can the monks of the Fire Temple be seen and invited to the Daimyo's Mansion. ”

The culture of monks and temples in the Land of Fire has long been replaced by ninjas.

The proportion of monks in the spread of culture is also decreasing.

It's like the samurai of the past, and under the impact of the ninja market, it's declining more and more.

That's how Kakashi sees it.

"What about the country of demons?"

"The culture of the shrine maiden in the country of Oni is different, although this country currently has a large number of ninjas, but it has not been affected by the impact of foreign ninja culture, and it has retained a very complete heritage. In many cases, it is possible to see shrine maidens active in the territory under the jurisdiction of the Oni Country, exorcising evil spirits and warding off evil spirits. According to statistics, most of the citizens of the Oni no Kuni are faithful believers in shrine shrines, and it is not an exaggeration to call it the 'state religion'. ”

Sakura doesn't seem to understand.

Shrine girl culture, she is aware.

This kind of culture, there are also some in the Fire Country, but it is not mainstream, it only spreads in a small area, and it does not develop too many believers.

"Not only that, but in recent years, due to the rapid development of the Oni no Kuni, in addition to the shrine maiden, the culture called Ko has also begun to prevail in the country. The current country of ghosts has gradually changed from a country of belief in witches and goddesses to a dual-cultural country that combines witch mystery and science. ”

The compatibility of two completely opposite cultures seems to many people to be incredible.

From the point of keeping up with the times, the country of ghosts has indeed done many things that other countries can't do.

On the contrary, although the ninja power of the oni country is very strong, in terms of cultural transmission, ninjas are not the mainstream.

In the midst of small talk, time is also passing quickly, the temperature of the air begins to drop, and the twilight view of the sunset sinking to the other end of the horizon makes many people immersed in such a beautiful scenery and cannot return to their senses for a long time.

"Lord Examiner, I think let's camp here for the night today, the cold air is coming."

At this time, Temari who often lives in the desert is very experienced in the way.

Kazuhime glanced back at her and said, "I'm not an examiner, I'm just in charge of taking you to the country of ghosts." Also, you don't have to spend the night outside tonight, the destination is ahead. This is already the territory of the Oni Country. ”

Kazuhime turned her head and pointed ahead.

Everyone looked up, and in the vast wind and sand that obstructed their view, a huge white building rose from the ground, standing on the sand dunes in the distance, drawing everyone's attention.

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