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At this moment, everyone was looking at the fallen Orochimaru with complex expressions.
Especially those from Konoha who knew him well. Who was Orochimaru? One of the legendary Sannin, it was impossible for them not to know.
Moreover, Minato and Kushina had known Orochimaru for a long time.
In everyone's impression, although Orochimaru was a reliable senior and treated people politely, there was an inexplicable coldness about him.
This coldness was soul-deep. Although he was courteous, it was difficult to get to know him deeply, as if no one could truly enter his heart.
Furthermore, Orochimaru's methods made it hard for people to get close to him. If one had to describe Orochimaru, he was like a cold-blooded snake.
However, such a person still chose emotion over mere survival.
Although Orochimaru tried to hide it, given that they were already in his mental world, it was impossible for his mental fluctuations to escape everyone's notice.
This realization changed everyone's view of Orochimaru. This man, often referred to as the cold prince, ultimately had a soft side in his heart.
After all, he was still a person and not a cold-blooded snake. But, was this the end of the test? Naturally, it was not. The test of human nature could not be this simple.
Whether it was the choice between emotion and life, the struggle between principles and power, or the contest between desires and the human heart, all were within the scope of Asahi's test.
Therefore, each person had to go through more than one illusion. As expected, right after Orochimaru fell, the environment within his mental space changed rapidly.
This time, Orochimaru faced the test of power. However, for him, this was clearly unnecessary. Because his whole life had been in pursuit of the truth.
He had no interest in power. As expected, in this illusion of the Hokage selection without Danzo's dark influence, Orochimaru did not care at all.
Not only did Orochimaru lack any intention to campaign for votes, but he was also completely absorbed in his experiments.
Despite this, Orochimaru still became the Fourth Hokage.
Faced with congratulations from his teammates and the admiration of his disciples, Orochimaru remained the same.
The so-called thrill of wielding power meant less to him than a minor breakthrough in his experiments. Soon, he chose to resign from the position of Hokage.
Because it was simply too time-consuming, and many of his experiments had lost progress.
Subsequently, Orochimaru experienced various illusions. Of course, he was unaware of any of this.
Throughout these different lifetimes, Orochimaru's true nature was fully revealed to everyone. He was neither heartless nor unscrupulous.
The real Orochimaru had both feelings and a sense of duty. He had principles and limits. Although somewhat obsessive, he still met Asahi's requirements.
Orochimaru's performance was just one out of 1200.
Although his performance was outstanding, there were still quite a few others who performed just as well.
Among them, the one who surprised Asahi the most was an ordinary boy with no training.
In all the illusions experienced by this boy, the opening was always a brutal massacre.
This alone showed how uneventful the boy's previous experiences were.
Likewise, it also showed how significant an impact this event had left on the boy's heart.
Yet, this ordinary boy's performance was what satisfied Asahi the most.
The first time, the boy, who was chopping wood outside the village, discovered the bandits massacring the villagers as he approached the village.
Fortunately, the bandits did not notice him. At that moment, he could have run away.
The frenzied bandits would not have noticed a ten-year-old boy escaping outside the village. If he ran, he could survive.
Initially, sensing the boy's fear, Asahi thought he would choose the wise option to escape.
After all, as long as the green hills remain, there is no fear of running out of firewood.
But to Asahi's surprise, despite his immense fear, the boy chose to rush in.
Because he saw the blood of the villagers, he couldn't make the wisest choice.
He knew that entering the fray would mean certain death, but compared to living a cowardly life, he would rather die alongside his family.
Fear was terrifying, but watching loved ones die and living in loneliness was even more so. He died swiftly.
To be honest, it wasn't the wisest choice, but Asahi was very satisfied.
Because only when a person possesses strong emotions and will can their life shine brightly.
In the boy's second illusion, the opening was the same.
However, this time, the boy wasn't killed but was captured and taken back to the bandits' stronghold.
Facing various temptations and threats, the boy never bowed to these scoundrels. Ultimately, he was tortured to death by the bandits.
This time, his death was very painful.
If he had chosen to surrender, he might not have gained great wealth, but at least he wouldn't have suffered such torment.
This time, Asahi saw the boy's unyielding will. In the third illusion, the opening remained the same.
However, this time, the boy neither died nor was taken by the bandits. Instead, he lay dying in a pool of blood.
Fortunately, he was saved by a passing ninja. Moreover, he was lucky enough to be taken back to the village and became a ninja.
The boy was a genius, and in just a few years, he grew into a powerful ninja.
He returned for revenge and, after gathering information, attacked the bandits' stronghold.
He killed many, and all the bandits in the stronghold were slain.But the stronghold wasn't just home to bandits; there were also women and children.
These people, he spared. Ten years later, he was killed by the orphaned children of the bandits seeking revenge.
He understood the principle of eradicating the roots, but he couldn't bring himself to kill those innocent eyes.
So he died, but he did not regret it. At the very least, he lived up to his conscience.
It was a foolish decision, but it was precisely this foolishness that allowed Asahi to see the boy's principles and bottom line.
In the fourth illusion, after being saved, the boy attacked the stronghold again.
This time, there were no women or children in the stronghold. However, after killing everyone, the boy committed suicide.
He learned a few days later that the original bandits had already been wiped out by a passing ninja.
Those now living in the stronghold were innocent people who had fled there to escape the chaos of war.
After learning about the situation, the boy's heart was in extreme torment.
Although his intention was not to cause harm, the fact remained that he had indeed killed an entire village of civilians.
To the boy, this act was no different from the bandits who had slaughtered his own hometown. Therefore, he committed suicide.
In reality, he didn't have to kill himself, as no one knew he was responsible. However, he chose suicide, which seemed to be the most unwise decision.
Indeed, his death was like a pebble dropped into the sea, not causing the slightest ripple.
This time, he made another foolish choice, but his sense of responsibility made Asahi regard him highly.
Time and again, through each cycle of illusions, the boy always made a foolish decision.
Such decisions often led to severe consequences.
However, it was precisely because of the boy's foolishness that Asahi saw the most brilliant side of human nature in him.
It could be said that among the 1200 people, the boy's performance was the best in Asahi's eyes.
Watching one illusion after another, Yahiko and the other second-generation disciples of the Ogami Clan showed thoughtful expressions.
They were speculating about who might gain Asahi's approval and join the Ogami Clan.
After all, passing this final test was up to Asahi's decision. However, they had observed everyone's performance, so they had their own guesses.
As Asahi watched the thoughtful group, he asked, "So, are there any among these people whom you fancy and want to take under your wing?"
Hearing this, everyone nodded. Asahi then smiled and asked who they had in mind to see if they could pass the test.
Naturally, they answered one by one. Those they had their eyes on performed well in the illusions.
Although they might not be the best, they were certainly in the top fifty. This, however, was not what surprised Asahi.
After all, Yahiko and his group had sharp eyes and naturally made excellent choices.
What surprised Asahi was that none of the dozen people they had selected included the boy he had his eye on.
Asahi had hoped that his disciples would mentor the boy he had taken a liking to.
Yet, none of them saw the potential in him. After some thought, Asahi understood why.
Although he saw many shining qualities in the boy, from an outsider's perspective, the boy was not suitable to become a ninja.
He lacked calmness and didn't understand the need to make difficult choices.
As a ninja, these are crucial traits. In the eyes of Yahiko and the others, the boy was praiseworthy but not fit to be a ninja.
His personality could end up being more of a hindrance than a help. However, Asahi was not just a traditional ninja.
The ninja rules that had been passed down for countless years had their value but also limited the brilliance of human nature.
When Yahiko and the others observed the candidates, they subconsciously adhered to the ninja selection criteria.
Perhaps Yahiko and his peers did not realize that they themselves had already deviated from the standard ninja path.
Asahi simply shook his head at this realization and did not bother to explain.
He had his own plans for the boy. Finally, after several more illusions, Asahi ended his technique.
With a confused murmur, everyone gradually regained consciousness.
As they looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, the illusions they had just experienced quickly flashed through their minds.
They shook their heads, and the confusion in their eyes was replaced by deep astonishment.
Such realistic illusions were beyond anything they had ever heard of. Especially the more powerful ninjas, they were even more shocked.
They understood what genjutsu was and had encountered powerful ones before.
While they might not have been able to break the strongest illusions, they could usually detect some inconsistencies over time.
But what about just now? They had no idea how many illusions they had gone through, yet there wasn't a single flaw.
The recent memories replayed in their minds repeatedly, but no matter how they analyzed them, they couldn't find any discrepancies.
It was as if these events had truly happened. Yet, they were well aware that it was all false.
Asahi had sealed these memories in their minds using a third-person perspective.
Seeing the complex expressions on their faces, Asahi chuckled lightly and then announced the results of the test.
Out of the 1,200 participants, Asahi only accepted 87 into the Ogami Clan.
Among them, one person had been given special treatment. Initially, the plan was to recruit 100 people, but only 86 passed Asahi's test.
The remaining one who got in through the back door was the myth of the Hidden Rain Village, Hanzo of the Salamander.
To be honest, Hanzo's acceptance into the Ogami Clan was quite surprising.
During one of the illusions, he had succumbed to the desire for power. Normally, Asahi would never have allowed him to join the Ogami Clan.
However, Hanzo had shown great insight from the first time he met Asahi over a decade ago, providing him with the highest level of hospitality.
Over the years, Hanzo had also offered significant help to Asahi and the trio of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Technically, the Ogami Clan owed Hanzo a favor and as the saying goes, debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay.
After all these years, Asahi had never found an opportunity to repay Hanzo. So now, he made an exception and let Hanzo join the Ogami Clan.
This could be seen as repaying Hanzo for his previous assistance.
Of course, this was also because Hanzo's performance in other aspects was quite decent.
While not outstanding, it was commendable. Therefore, his flaw of desiring power could be tolerated.
Otherwise, even if Hanzo had saved one of his disciples' lives, Asahi would not have made an exception for him.
As Asahi announced the results, the entire square immediately showed a stark contrast in emotions.
Those who passed the test were overjoyed, while those who didn't felt as if they had lost their parents—utterly devastated.
If they had been eliminated in the first round, they might have felt better since they wouldn't have seen much.
But now, being eliminated at the final step, their disappointment was overwhelming.
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