In the silent Room 202, Haruki sat calmly in a chair against the back wall. His half-closed eyes watched the clock on the wall as he waited for the genin teams participating in that year's Chūnin Exams to arrive.
'I wonder how many teams will make it through this time. It'd be nice if at least a third of them cleared the first phase…' he thought, resting his chin on his hand with a serene expression.
He let out a soft sigh, remembering the contents of the exam he had helped design.
'This test is more complex than the previous ones... I don't have high hopes.'
Suddenly, a slight chill ran down his spine. His usually unshakable expression changed for an instant. His eyes widened in surprise, but it was quickly replaced by a restrained, almost mischievous smile.
'Someone found the room… and it hasn't even been ten minutes.'
He adjusted his posture in the chair, now more alert, the smile still playing on his lips.
'I expected the first team to take at least thirty minutes to locate the room. Looks like we've got a truly promising team in this year's exam.'
Haruki crossed his arms and relaxed again.
'Well… let's see how long they take to overcome the next obstacles.'
Dazen and the other members of his team moved cautiously through the corridors of the building. The genjutsu was still active, slightly distorting their perception of space and making progress more difficult. However, with Hideki having already detected the real location of the room, it shouldn't take them long to get there.
Then, suddenly, all three stopped at the same time, their eyes fixed on a previously empty spot in the hallway.
Dazen spoke: "You'd better show yourselves," he said in a calm but threatening tone. "If not, we'll be forced to attack."
At that moment, the air in front of them seemed to shimmer slightly. Then, two boys and a girl—appearing to be around 13 or 14 years old—materialized, canceling the camouflage that had concealed them.
One of the boys stepped forward with a carefree smile on his lips. His eyes gleamed with a mix of curiosity and calculation.
"No need to be so aggressive," he said in a casual tone. "We were just watching your group. And from the looks of it, you know where you're going… have you found the room, by any chance?"
Ayume crossed her arms, a cold expression on her face.
"And what if we have?" she retorted, sarcasm in her voice.
The boy kept smiling, as if unfazed by her response.
"Then I ask you to share the information," he replied with false cordiality. "After all, we're from the same village. We could work together during the first phase of the Chūnin Exam. If we join forces, we increase both our teams' chances of passing."
This time, Dazen was the one to speak, looking directly at the boy with a forced smile.
"Cooperate?" he said. "And how exactly would your team help ours? Assuming we already have the information to complete this phase... why would we need you?"
The boy's smile remained, but his eyes turned slightly colder.
"Having more allies is never a bad thing, is it?" he answered lightly, with a subtle edge of menace. "And this is just the first phase. If you help us now… we could return the favor in the next ones. It'd be a fair trade."
Before he could continue, Ayume cut him off sharply. Her voice was as sharp as the icy glare she gave him.
"We don't need help to complete the Chūnin Exam. We're good enough to get through on our own. You'd only slow us down… you'd be a burden."
Riku's smile remained, but his teammate, who had been silent until then, burst out in anger. His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched tightly.
"You damn brat… you think the Chūnin Exam is that easy?" he growled, stepping forward.
"Enough talk! Let's take them down, Riku! Once we beat them, we'll force them to give us the info!"
Immediately, Dazen, Ayume, and Hideki moved, assuming defensive stances and preparing for battle. The tension in the air intensified, like gunpowder waiting to ignite.
Riku raised an arm, stopping his teammate's advance.
"Calm down, Naoya," he said firmly. His eyes scanned Dazen's team with a calculating gaze. "If they're so determined to turn us down, there's nothing we can do…"
He then tilted his head slightly, as if pondering something.
"But... it could be a problem if, in the next phases of the exam, you not only have to focus on completing the tasks but also on defending yourselves from another team, don't you think?"
The veiled threat lingered in the air like an invisible blade.
It was Hideki who responded, his eyes narrowed and his tone calm.
"Are you threatening us?"
Riku let out a short, sarcastic laugh and shrugged, as if it was all just casual conversation.
"Threatening? No," he said, still with the cynical smile on his lips. "Just pointing out something... interesting. Keeping this kind of information to yourselves might lead to resentment. And resentment, in a test like this, tends to have some pretty unpleasant consequences."
For a few seconds, the hallway fell into complete silence. It was Dazen who broke it, letting out a dry, icy laugh.
"Well… I guess we'll just have to take the risk, then," he said, staring straight at Riku and his team. "Now, are you going to let us pass without trouble… or are you planning to attack?"
He and his team hadn't let their guard down for a moment. The three remained motionless, waiting for the slightest sign of aggression.
Riku observed their stance and finally let the smile fall from his face. His expression became serious, almost resigned.
"…There's nothing we can do. Like I said, we have no hostile intentions toward your group."
Dazen let out a sarcastic chuckle in response, then gave a slight nod to Ayume and Hideki. The three began to move again, carefully, always keeping their eyes on Riku's team. Soon after, they disappeared down the corridor, once again concealed by the genjutsu of the exam.
Naoya watched them vanish with a neutral expression and asked: "We're just letting them go that easily, Riku?"
Riku let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"We had no choice this time," he said, crossing his arms. "Not against a team that well-prepared. They didn't lower their guard for a second. Especially that black-haired boy… he kept his eyes on me the entire time, watching for the slightest movement."
His voice sounded more impressed than disappointed.
"I looked for an opening to cast a genjutsu," he continued, "but he would've noticed right away. His vigilance was flawless."
Naoya and the girl nodded. They had felt it too — that team was far from ordinary. Their coldness, caution, and coordination were far beyond average genin.
Riku let out another laugh, lighter this time.
"As examiners," he said, "our job is to create obstacles for these genin. To test their naivety, impulsiveness, and lack of experience… help them avoid those mistakes in the future. But those three are already past that. They gave us no opening. No reason to push them further."
The girl in the group gave a small smile and added:
"I agree. I wonder who trained that team… whoever it was, they did an excellent job."