Rock Lee, the ever-optimistija, stood defiantly before the two men, his youthful determination shining through the dust smudging his face. His power of youth, fueled by his unwavering belief in the ninja way, was a stark trast to the bullies' bravado.

  Tenten, ever the pragmatist, stepped forward, her gaze sharp and unwavering. She was ready to defeeam, her quick wit and agile movements a testament to her skill as a ninja. "Why don't you back off?" she demanded, her voice filled with righteous indignation. "We're here to take the exam, not py your stupid games."

  The two men, unfazed by Tenten's challenge, tio mock the group. Their arrogance was a facade, a mask to hide their insecurity. They khat their illusion was weak, a mere test of the ninja's perception and resolve.

  Xero, the votile member of the group, was quick to anger. His fists ched, his knuckles turning white, he yearo unleash his fury upowo men. However, Kuro, the calm and collected strategist, intervened, reizing the illusion for what it was.

  "Don't bother," Kuro said, his voice steady and reassuring. "It's just a genjutsu. We're still on the sed floor."

  Reika, ever the skeptic, raised an eyebrow, her doubt evident. "You're sure?" she asked, her voice tinged with uainty.

  Kuro nodded fidently. "The signs don't match up. It's a simple trick to weed out the unobservant."

  Nearby, Sakura Haruno, kunoichi who is good at perceive genjutsu, had also noticed the insistencies in the illusion. Her eyes met Kuro's, a silent aowledgment of their shared uanding.

  Naruto, the ever-optimistid somewhat oblivious ninja, scratched his head in fusion, oblivious to the deception. Sakura sighed, her patience wearing thin. "That makes one of you," she muttered, her voice ced with exasperation.

  Sasuke Uchiha, the enigmatid stoija, stepped forward, his presenanding attention. His dark eyes, pierg and intense, bore into the two men, their arrogance melting away under his gaze.

  "Enough with the games," Sasuke said, his voice cold and deliberate. "We know it's genjutsu. This is only the sed floor."

  The two men exged a gheir smirks widening. “Oh? So you figured it out, huh?” one of them said mogly.

  The hallway hummed with the faint buzz of tension as the spiky-haired man smirked at Sasuke’s calm decration. His posture was casual, but his eyes held a predatlint.

  “Figuring out the genjutsu doesn’t mean much,” he said, his voice ced with mockery. Without another word, he unched himself forward, his leg whipping around in a powerful kick aimed at Sasuke’s head.

  Sasuke reacted instantly, his Sharingan spinning to life. He pivoted smoothly, meeting the attack with a ter-kick of his own. The force of their strikes sent a sharp gust of air rippling through the hallway, drawing gasps from the gathered shinobi. (In OG Sasuke didn’t used Sharingan)

  But before their blows could ect, a blur of green shot between them. Rock Lee appeared as if from nowhere, effortlessly blog both attacks with a speed that seemed almost inhuman. His arms moved with fluid precision, abs the impact without fling.

  “Please, no unnecessary fighting,” Lee said, his voice calm yet anding. “We’re here for the in Exams, not to settle personal scores.”

  Sasuke narrowed his eyes but stepped back, reizing the remarkable skill in Lee’s intervention. The spiky-haired man, meanwhile, looked less impressed.

  Xero, leaning against the wall, let out an approving whistle. “That guy in the green spandex isn’t half bad.”

  Kuro chuckled, watg the se unfold with a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Yeah, he’s something else. Just wait—you’ll see soon enough.”

  The spiky-haired man scoffed, muttering something under his breath before turning and walking away, his partrailing behind him. The genjutsu shimmered and dissolved pletely, revealing the true hallway leading up to the third floor. The crowd began to disperse, the brief frontation leaving a mix of awe and relief in its wake.

  Reika, arms crossed, let out a slow sigh and shook her head, a small smirk tugging at the er of her lips. “Well, now that the drama’s all ed up, no point in stig around here anymore. Let’s head upstairs,” she said, her voice casual but with a hint of amusement in it.

  Xero, ever the eager one, fshed a grin full of sharp teeth. “Finally! About time. Let’s hope the floor’s a little more iing. I’m not in the mood for more b stuff.” His eyes sparkled with excitement as he imagined what might be waiting for them.

  The trio started climbing the stairs, the low hum of quiet versations eg faintly behind them, but it didn’t really catch their attention. They were too focused on what y ahead. Kuro, however, had his eyes fixed on something a little more specific. His gaze was fixed on Rock Lee, alking a few paces behind Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

  Kuro smirked to himself, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. *This is gonna be fun,* he thought, a tinge of excitement creeping into his mind. The se before him wasn’t new, far from it. He had seen it before—he knew what was i. Lee was about to challenge Sasuke, and things were going to get iing. It was a moment he’d been waiting for, ohat was about to unfold in the most predictable yet thrilling way.

  As his mind wandered down that familiar path, Reika caught sight of the far-off look in his eyes. She raised an eyebrow, not really surprised but definitely curious. Kuro’s moods were uable, and sometimes, he would zo for no reason at all. But she had learned not to ask too many questions when that happened. It was his thing, and she’d never been able to figure out what was going on in his head during those moments of deep thought.

  But before she could ask, they had reached the nding of the third floor. The stairs creaked slightly uheir feet as they paused for a moment, looking around.

  Suddenly, Kuro stopped, a quick, almost imperceptible pause in his movements. He turned around, gng over his shoulder with a smirk that was almost too casual. “You two go ahead. I, uh… o take care of something,” he said, his tone so nont it was almost suspicious.