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Did he have the right to refuse?
Ximen Zhen thought he probably did. But even if he refused, chances were high that he'd just be detained, and his treatment would only get worse.
When the Chūnin Exams begin and the Konoha Crush Plan is activated, his lack of chakra would most likely mean a tragic end for him.
Forget it. He might as well accept.
[You placed the Konoha forehead protector on your arm and officially became a Konoha shinobi. Hiruzen Sarutobi informed you that you may choose any one of the newly formed teams led by a jōnin this year.]
Only among this year's newly appointed team leaders…? That meant he couldn't join Guy's team?
Although Ximen Zhen felt a bit regretful, he didn't push the matter.
After all, he could meet Tenten anytime. There was no need to specifically join Guy's team for that.
That left the remaining options: Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10.
Ximen Zhen immediately ruled out Team 10, led by Asuma, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. Although he wouldn't be excluded if he joined them, he also wouldn't be able to cooperate effectively with the other three members.
Next, he eliminated Team 7, the protagonist group. The reason was simple: this simulation was meant to produce offspring with Tenten, and he didn't want to cause another world-ending timeline incident.
That left only Team 8, led by Kurenai Yuhi.
In terms of narrative presence, Team 8 had always been the least prominent.
A genjutsu jōnin without a Sharingan, Kurenai Yuhi; Kiba Inuzuka, who could only work with ninken but had no access to summoning beasts or tailed beasts; Shino Aburame, who practically had a passive invisibility trait; and finally, Hinata Hyuga, theoretically a genius but whose talents were never fully realized.
By joining Team 8, Ximen Zhen would also gain more experience fighting genjutsu users. Currently, he had no particular talent for genjutsu, and it would be troublesome in the future when dealing with the maniacal Uchiha.
Moreover, this would also allow him to continue his experiment with Hinata—he wanted to see whether the experiment would yield any actual results.
With that thought, Ximen Zhen used his final guidance token.
Now with seven simulation attempts at his disposal, he felt more relaxed when using guidance.
[You chose to join Kurenai Yuhi's team. The Hokage approved your choice and promptly informed Kurenai of your decision. Aware of your existence, Kurenai told you upon meeting that she had prepared a trial outside the village for you.]
[You must pass both her and Team 8's assessment to qualify for joining. Otherwise, she will send you back to the Hokage. As a jōnin, she has that authority. You gladly agreed and showed up at the appointed time.]
[However, upon arriving at the test site, you found it deserted. Your sharp instincts quickly sensed a trap, and you activated sensory mode. You detected a swarm of insects crawling toward you on the ground, and from a tree in the distance, Kiba Inuzuka was preparing to strike.]
[Hinata silently approached from behind, activating her Byakugan and waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Kurenai stood even farther away, seemingly letting the students take the initiative.]
Ximen Zhen smirked. Was this his first time fighting peers?
Well then—let's see how his simulated self would respond.
[Shino's insects launched an attack. After being bitten, you screamed and collapsed, appearing to faint. Kiba jumped down in frustration, declaring you were weak and had no combat skills. But at that moment, Hinata shouted for him to move aside.]
[A hand reached out from the ground and dragged Kiba down, knocking him out—it was you, using Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu. The body that had collapsed was actually a Water Clone.]
[Akamaru leapt at you, but you grabbed him by the scruff and slammed him to the ground, knocking him out. Hinata charged at you from behind with Gentle Fist, while Shino dropped all pretenses and sent his kikaichū swarming toward you.]
[You casually threw Akamaru into the swarm, forcing Shino to redirect them. Quickly forming hand seals, you used Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld, trapping Hinata, who could only attack from the ground.]
[Seeing this, Shino knew he had to go all-out. He used Spindle Technique, transforming his insects into a whirlwind and sending them at you. You didn't want to harm the insects, so you again used Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu.]
[Shino jumped to a tree, thinking he'd escaped. But you shattered the tree from underground with brute force, then appeared in front of him and punched him in the face. He used Insect Clone Substitution, surrounding you with biting insects.]
[But your body crumbled into dirt—it was Earth Release: Earth Substitution. The real you emerged from the ground, grabbed the just-landed Shino, and knocked him out. With that, you easily defeated Team 8, forcing Kurenai to show herself.]
[She offered to fight you herself, but you immediately raised your hands in surrender, pretending to be exhausted and out of chakra. Kurenai was speechless. She knew you hadn't even used your Yin Seal and had barely exerted half your strength.]
[Still, Kurenai was very pleased. You had not only shown your strength and combat intelligence, but also demonstrated respect toward her as your superior. That, more than anything, was what convinced her to accept you into the team.]
[Kurenai officially declared that you passed the assessment. You personally rescued your unconscious teammates and even used Summoning Jutsu to provide spare clothes you had prepared for Hinata and the others. Hinata, blushing, thanked you—still remembering your past training together.]
[When the team saw how well the clothes fit Hinata, they gave you curious looks. Hinata, too embarrassed to explain, fled the scene with a flushed face.]
Seeing this, Ximen Zhen shook his head with satisfaction.
Even using only Earth and Water Release—and without trying to harm his opponents—he had easily defeated Team 8. It showed that his strength had already surpassed an average chūnin.
And this was after having his chakra sealed and being under house arrest for three months without training. If he trained seriously for the next three months, Team 8 wouldn't last a single breath against him.
That meant that in the real world, as long as he resumed regular training, by the time of the Chūnin Exams, he would have the strength of a jōnin—even without using the Yin Seal.
At that point, hardly anyone in Konoha would be able to harm him. Even if Danzo personally stepped in, Ximen Zhen would only need to worry about his Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami.
Ximen Zhen stretched lazily. It was as if the smooth progress in the simulation had spilled into reality, allowing him to savor the joy of growth even in real life.
And under his gaze, the simulation moved into its next phase.
[You waved your hand generously and treated everyone to barbecue. Amid the delicious aroma, Kiba and Shino finally acknowledged your strength. From then on, you became a full-fledged member of Team 8. You began your mission life—but the endless D- and C-rank missions quickly wore down your enthusiasm.]
[Seeing this, Kurenai decided to give you a reward to reignite your motivation. You straightforwardly replied: you wanted to learn genjutsu and how to counter it.]
(End of Chapter)