At that moment, Tenkai was struggling with all his might under the relentless assault from the four joiners. He was pouring every ounce of chakra into his Wood Style, driven by his determination to prove himself to Lord Kazuya.
Boom! Boom!
Wood-style techniques raged across the area, forcing the ANBU to respond with ninjutsu of their own.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Genjutsu: Bringer of Darkness!"
"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!"
A mix of ninjutsu and genjutsu engulfed Tenkai, but his resolve never wavered.
A strategic approach is all well and good, but with only ten Heaven Scrolls available, who in their right mind would pass up a chance to grab one? If you missed out on the scroll, you'd be disqualified. This realization was driving everyone to fight harder, more ruthlessly.
Twenty Minutes Later…
A now-exhausted Tenkai could no longer hold on. Two jonins managed to slip behind him, taking him out with a sharp blow to the neck.
"What a pain..." one of the elite Jonin muttered.
"Agreed," his partner added, just as—
Bang!
A smoke bomb exploded, enveloping the area in thick smoke.
"What?"
"A smoke bomb?!"
"Crap!"
When the smoke cleared, one of the jonin—and Tenkai scrolls—was gone.
"Hyuga Tenyo, you sneaky bastard!!" The remaining ANBU members shouted in fury before rushing after him.
"Damn it! We were just teammates, and you pulled this as soon as you got your hands on the scroll? Seriously? Have some shame!"
[You have collected 500 Chakra points]
[You have collected 500 Chakra points]
[You have collected 300 Combat Experience points]
[You have collected 100 Wood Style Talent points]
[You have collected 100 Wood Style Talent points]
[You have collected 150 Wood Style Talent points]
[Your Wood Style Talent has leveled up to Lv.3 (0/1000)]
[You have collected 30 Genjutsu Talent points]
[You have collected 40 Genjutsu Talent points]
The golden light continued to stream toward Kazuya, a satisfied smile hidden behind his mask.
"Tenkai…" Kazuya mused with a chuckle, "You are something else."
This time, his Wood Style talent jumped from Lv.1 to Lv.3, thanks to Tenkai's sheer determination. An elite worker even when facing overwhelming odds.
Plus, the ANBU were finally beginning to realize that relying solely on brute force and jutsu wouldn't get them far in this competition. Genjutsu was starting to come into play.
In combat between jonins, Genjutsu was a crucial advantage, which explained why the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was so feared on the battlefield.
"Take him to the medical team," Kazuya said calmly.
"Understood, Captain!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke responded, signaling for medics to carry the unconscious Tenkaiaway.
With countless dangerous beasts lurking in the Forest of Death, an unconscious ninja would be little more than an open invitation to predators. Kazuya wasn't about to lose his prized Wood Style talent source to wildlife.
By now, an hour had passed since the start of the training exercise, and the Forest of Death was a chaotic battlefield.
A full-scale brawl was underway as the ANBU fought each other for the chance to prove themselves and join Kazuya's elite unit. Rivalries flared up as colleagues turned into opponents, each ninja going all-out.
Weapons clashed, and a range of techniques filled the forest: shuriken, kunai, ninjutsu, taijutsu, Genjutsu—all fair game. No one was holding back, each desperate to come out on top.
Among them, Uchiha Itachi held a scroll confidently, a self-assured look on his face. "With my three-tomoe Sharingan, your movements are nothing to me," he muttered.
His recent mission to the Hidden Mist had only solidified his resolve. He was determined to earn Kazuya's mentorship.
"Who's this kid?"
"Pretty cocky, isn't he?"
"I think he's from the Uchiha—Sharingan and all."
"Man, that's creepy. One mistake, and we're caught in a Genjutsu."
"Don't worry, he's only one kid, and there are eight of us! Let's get him!"
"Yeah! Take him down!"
"Damn it, I already got roughed up by Shisui. Time to settle the score with his little brother… Eight Gates: Death Gate, open!!"
"Whoa, easy there! That's a bit much, isn't it?"
"No worries, I just wanted to spook him. I don't know Eight Gates."
"Unbelievable…"
Several ANBU stared at Itachi, clearly ticked off by his confidence, and closed in on him.
"Hmph!" Itachi scowled, a hand resting casually behind his back. "An Uchiha will not be dishonored!"
The crowd moved in, and despite his bravado, Itachi soon found himself overwhelmed, lying battered on the ground and calling out, "Shisui, help!"
He barely had a moment to register his surroundings before someone swiped his scroll.
Meanwhile, the battle around the central tower was reaching its peak.
Everyone knew the rules: even if you managed to grab a scroll, you still had to hold your ground in the tower for twenty minutes. If you got knocked out, you were out.
The elite jonin-level ANBU had all gathered around the tower, waiting for their chance. With so many powerful fighters, the weaker ones quickly found themselves cornered.
A wild free-for-all ensued around the central tower.
"Uchiha Style: Dancing Flame Blade!"
"Dual Flash!"
"Binding Technique!"
"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
"Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change!"
The area was ablaze with jutsu and Genjutsu alike. Every ANBU here was at least Jonin level, with several elite Jonin among them, making the tower battles fiercer than anything happening in the forest.
Even Shisui was facing a tough fight, forced to limit himself without being able to use lethal force. But despite the restrictions, Shisui stood out as a bright star amidst the chaos.
One other ANBU was catching everyone's eye—Yūhi Kurenai. Holding her scroll, she was actively seeking out opponents, hoping for a challenging fight.
But, to her disappointment, most ANBU scattered the moment they saw her approach, treating her as though she was cursed.
Fight her?
"Are you going to attack? Then go ahead—just be ready for Lord Kazuya to snap your neck afterward!"
Ninja life isn't all about fighting; it's about knowing when to act, and reading the room!
Kurenai huffed, a hint of excitement twinkling in her crimson eyes. She knew why the other ANBU were dodging her—it was all because of that troublemaker Kazuya!
[You have collected 500 Chakra points]
[You have collected 500 Chakra points]
[You have collected 800 Eye Power points]
[You have collected 1000 Eye Power points]
[You have collected 50 Yin Release Talent points]
[You have collected 50 Yin Release Talent points]
[You have collected 20 Indra Bloodline points]
[You have collected 30 Indra Bloodline points]
[You have collected 80 Genjutsu Talent points]
[Your Genjutsu Talent has leveled up to Lv.5 (0/1000)]
Golden light exploded around him! Just in Chakra alone, he had amassed over 20,000 points.
Instantly, Kazuya's Genjutsu Talent hit Lv.5!
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Kazuya grinned under his mask, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Yes, fight! Hit each other as hard as you can! No one's leaving until my Genjutsu Talent is maxed out!"