The year came to an end quite quickly from their point of view. They learned more about Fuinjutsu1seal arts/technique, enhanced their mastery of Taijutsu, learn Kenjutsu with more precision, did a lot of survival exercise and learned a lot about Genjutsu, from how to detect them to how to cast them. Iruka decided, as an end of the year exam, to do a survival one.
The rules were straightforward : They had three days in a determined area before having to reach a precise point in a restricted time frame, otherwise they failed. They also had to stay undetected by the others, if they were to be detected then they would lose points, to help prove assertions they had cameras as to take pictures if they found the others. Obviously tracking the others to take pictures would expose you so it wasn't the point of the exercise. Failing to respect the time frame would make one repeat the year.
They went to a nearby wood and Iruka showed them a zone about sixty kilometer on the larger side. They had to stay in the zone until the last day. Of course there was some Shinobis to make sure no one was in mortal danger. If an emergency would present itself, they had to activate the beacon they made through Fuinjutsu.
"Good, now we'll make the teams, find two partners and we will begin afterward. Remember, you have to reach the point without getting detected, there is enough food to forage for the two first days."
Yahiro watched the other grouping up, the hands in his pockets. He would team up with the remaining ones, even if that meant teaming up with people he had no data of. This however did not happen, as the major clans stayed together and the same with the minor ones. Ino, Shikamaru and Choji already formed the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura enjoyed their affinity and teamed up. Irina joined with Hinata and Shino, which was surprising as the shyness of the two girls and the lack of presence of the boy. He smiled when someone patted his shoulder and he turned to see Akita and Kiba.
"We team up ?" (Akita)
"Looks like it."
"Your father is one of the overseer ?" (Akita)
"Yes."
"Iruka-sensei, will there be traps on the way ?" (Akita)
"At some place, yes, but how do you know that Akita-kun ?" (Iruka)
"Anori-sensei is one of the overseer, of course there would be traps !" (Akita)
Yahiro smiled, amused, while keeping his hands in his pockets. Then they got closer to the trees with the bare necessities for a day, when they reached the edge of the woods, they all flickered without caring for the others. Akita and Kiba looked at Yahiro.
"What do we do ? Sixty kilometers is easily done by walking in less than two days. This margin of time is weird." (Kiba)
"There shouldn't be any hidden objective, well other than avoiding the others and the traps..." (Akita)
He stopped and the others began listening, Akamaru sniffed before growling discreetly and Kiba frowned. Yahiro turned to the road where Iruka still was and saw a man riding a horse getting closer to him. He observed them as they were speaking.
"What are they saying Akamaru ?" (Kiba)
"No need to ask your loyal friend, he is asking why a shinobi is blocking the path instead of being in his worthless village. Iruka-sensei answered that he is here to train aspirants and the other, probably a Noble, responded that it was useless to train kid that can only spy and severely lack martial might. That this is a waste of time and that Iruka-sensei should move aside and let him go through."
"You have sharp ears." (Kiba)
"I'm going to kill him." (Akita)
"As are all my senses. Better idea though Akita, do you remember the map ? There is a lake north from here, sure we risk exposing ourselves but that can be a nice lesson for this fool."
"What are you suggesting exactly ?" (Akita)
"Showing him that spying is not our only ability."
He smiled and they waited in ambush further, as the Noble ignored Iruka and entered the woods. Akamaru barked lightly and Yahiro began composing. Water, Dog, Rat, Dragon, Dog, Dragon, Rat. A Genjutsu that would make him believe that he was stunned by a branch. He felled from his horse, asleep, and they removed his clothes while keeping the files he was transporting, they then bound him to a rock in the middle of the lake, Yahiro did it as he already mastered the water walking Chakra application. When he walked back to the shore while dusting his hands, and when he did the three of them fist bumped. They heard him call for help claiming he was assaulted and that got a giggle out of them while Akamaru barked joyously.
They easily avoided the other teams thanks to Akamaru, but the traps were another story entirely as Kiba could not detect them all. They were almost at the meeting point after three days while avoiding the zones pointed by Yahiro as trapped. When they got in front of a mass of threads linked to trees, everything barely visible. Akita would have triggered a trap if not for Kiba grabbing him in time.
"Do we have to go through or can we avoid it ?" (Akita)
"Or we trigger everything." (Kiba)
"There is a distinct possibility that it goes around the meeting point with way to rearm everything remotely in case we do trigger them."
"Typical Anteiryoku, and an insane application of the zone of influence right in front of us." (Akita)
Yahiro observed the thread, before moving a little and continuing the observation, he also climbed a tree while making sure he did not trigger anything to make sure of what he thought he had seen. Noting the position of the threads. He then climbed down and went to Akita and Kiba.
"This is sneaky. There are threads hidden in the shadow of the threads and there are some that aren't visible to the naked eye. It's going to be a real challenge to go through. Now I found the trap to trigger as to allow the passage, the issue is that we risk getting detected if we do which is not the point..."
They shared a look and nodded before going through the web while avoiding the threads. Kiba almost stuck himself and Yahiro had to guide him out of his predicament. The web lasted for fifty meters and they finally reached the meeting point where Anori was waiting for them with a watch, the other came soon after. Two group came late by merely ten and twenty seconds and ended up having to repeat the year. Irina's team and his were the only ones to not get detected, some students avoided detection but others in their groups were seen. This year, thus, came to an end.
