Chapter 46: Are You Versailles-ing?

Chapter 46: Are You Flexing?

"My control over spiritual energy is still not strong enough. If it were strong enough, I would be able to manipulate the range and precision of my perception bit by bit, unlike now..."

Just now, Chiba had wanted to try gradually shortening his range while enhancing the variety of perceived information.

Unfortunately.

The moment he added the requirement of "number of people," his range instantly plummeted by a full kilometer, rendering him unable to discern the approximate locations of those three chakra groups anymore.

Silently pressing forward, Chiba had just leaped to the top of a tree when he detected a trace of chakra rapidly closing the distance beneath him.

Then...

Swish!

A figure leaped smoothly from the ground up into the tree.

"What did you discover?"

"Teacher? Oh, a shadow clone. Well, I just tried adjusting my spiritual energy to expand my perception, and I found three chakra groups ahead."

Chiba said in a low voice.

Since they were currently quite a distance away from the main group, speaking in lowered tones ensured they would not be overheard at all.

"..."

Kakashi's expression management for this shadow clone was clearly failing. Even with the mask covering most of his face, the shock revealed in his single exposed eye was far too obvious.

Chiba lowered his voice further: "That's not important. What matters is that I still can't finely manipulate my spiritual energy with precision yet, so if we want to confirm the situation ahead, we need to get closer."

"Understood, I will escort you."

Kakashi's shadow clone said in a low voice.

Although he felt he hadn't taught Chiba much in terms of knowledge or abilities, the boy was, after all, his student. He could not stand idly by and watch him walk into danger, especially since...

The boy was taking this risk for everyone's sake.

"I'm worried that their target might be you, or rather, the jounin in our team. So, Teacher, you should prioritize preserving your strength."

Chiba voiced his thoughts.

Kakashi's shadow clone couldn't help but frown. His true body had naturally considered this possibility, but...

"I will seize the opportunity and act accordingly. I won't do anything reckless," Chiba assured.

"Come back as soon as you confirm the headcount."

After hesitating for a long time, Kakashi's shadow clone ultimately chose to trust him. It slowly dissolved and returned to the main body.

Not far behind, the real Kakashi froze for a moment.

Then, his expression turned peculiar.

Manipulating spiritual energy to expand his sensory range?

This kind of ability had entirely reached the level of a secret jutsu. Because spiritual energy had always been the most concealed form of power, only a handful of clans and shinobi possessed methods to control and train it.

Yet Chiba had figured it out entirely on his own.

What terrifying comprehension!

As for what the brat had said about "not being precise enough" and "unable to finely manipulate it"—those bragging remarks were completely and utterly ignored by Kakashi.

The kid had no idea what he was actually talking about!

If he had managed to develop that level of manipulation technique, the Yamanaka clan would undoubtedly be willing to trade their clan's secret jutsu for it.

"Hoo~"

"Hey, you're not getting tired already, are you?"

Pakkun crouched on his shoulder, sniffing around for scents—he had already run quite a bit and was tired. If the proxy runner was tired too, he felt it was high time to take a proper break.

That would make him very happy.

Unfortunately, Kakashi arched an eyebrow: "Rested enough? Get down and run with the rest."

"Woof woof!"

"Get down."

"Fine."

"..."

"Lord Kakashi, have you determined the direction?"

Kiyota Shin noticed that Kakashi was quietly picking up the pace.

"Our heading is correct; we just need to keep running along this path. Pick up the speed a little; he might not have had time to erase his scent yet."

Kakashi replied.

Kiyota Shin gritted her teeth and followed closely behind.

As expected of the Copy Ninja Kakashi.

Tenten kept running at the rear, occasionally glancing back at Chiba.

She felt that Chiba had been acting a bit strange—quiet to a fault. He hadn't been this silent before. It almost felt as though...

Kazuha?

Huh?

That guy Chiba seemed to have deliberately dropped behind once earlier. While it could have been to better maintain his "persona," there was also a chance he had slipped to the back to swap places with Kazuha.

It was clearly me first...

Still, Kazuha was indeed better suited for a swap. After all, that girl's style was all about concealment, making it less likely for Kiyota Shin to grow suspicious.

Tenten felt a complex mix of emotions, but she quickly pulled herself together.

Now was not the time to dwell on this. Chiba must have discovered something when he swapped identities, and he was likely no longer anywhere near them.

Internal anxiety began to gnaw at her.

Meanwhile, Chiba was already a full kilometer away from Kakashi.

This position was roughly the limit of Kakashi's sensory range. He did not rashly accelerate again, maintaining this distance as he advanced.

"I'm about three kilometers away from the target ahead. A bit further forward, and I'll be able to use a slightly narrower range to probe for more detailed information without having to take any risks."

"I wonder what kind of squad is tailing us from behind."

"Anbu operatives?"

Chiba didn't want to die—at least, not to sheer impulsiveness and recklessness. That would be deeply irresponsible toward himself and his teammates.

After running for a while, he constricted his sensory range.

The numbers instantly became much clearer—

Several auras could be perceived ahead: one person in the center, with the rest scattered around the perimeter, forming a semi-circular encirclement.

The one in the center should be the Yuuichi whom Kiyota Shin had mentioned.

The rest...

Samurai from the Kiyota clan?

And what kind of group was that cluster of chakra further back?

Unfortunately, after narrowing his range, that cluster of chakra had fallen outside of it, making it impossible to perceive clearly. Judging roughly by distance, he would need to push forward by at least another kilometer to detect them.

If he did that, he would be left with a little over a kilometer between himself and Yuuichi, making it far too easy to have his tracks uncovered.

There was no help for it.

He would have to take a detour!

Chiba turned and changed his bearing, trusting that Kakashi would understand his intent.

In fact...

As a veteran Anbu captain of many years, Kakashi grasped the meaning in a split second.

Chiba taking a detour could only mean one thing—

He believed that approaching directly along the original path might expose him to the enemy.

Therefore.

Had he already closed in on one of the three chakra groups?

Chiba accelerated forward.

Before long, Kakashi also spotted Yuuichi. Although Chiba had slipped out of his sensory range, Kakashi was surprisingly unhurried at the moment.

The boy possessed an exceptional grasp of the overall situation and was entirely trustworthy.

If it weren't for his concerns regarding Tenten and Kazuha, Chiba might genuinely have seized this opportunity to pass the exam and become a Chunin right here and now.

However.

In Kakashi's eyes, this very restraint was a major plus.

If the kid had acted recklessly and insisted on taking the Chunin exams right then and there, it wasn't as if Kakashi would have disliked him—he would have understood—but a tiny shred of disappointment would have been inevitable.

Chiba silently detoured, swallowing a military ration pill midway to replenish his stamina.

Then, just as Kakashi overtly stirred up Yuuichi, Chiba located the third chakra group.

There were four individuals in total.

What baffled him was that the auras of these four people were extremely bizarre, belonging to a type that felt...

Both powerful and weak?

It wasn't that they were weak in themselves, but rather that their auras fluctuated violently, giving the uncanny impression that they were incapable of controlling their own power. In short: "powerful yet weak."

Chiba pondered for a long time until a sudden thought struck him—

If he remembered correctly, the Land of Iron and the Land of Artisans were actually quite close to each other.

Traveling from the Land of Earth to the Land of Iron also required passing through the Land of Artisans.

During this era, there was a rather showy group in the Artisan Village called the Four Celestial Symbols Men. Relying entirely on ninja tools, they certainly fit the sensory profile of being "powerful yet weak."