As he spoke, the ANBU Division Leader took out a pale-yellow scroll, gave it a brief shake, then put it away again.
"Many scrolls like this are hidden throughout the Forest of Death. Their locations are well concealed, and you'll need to rely on the various traces you discover to judge where they are and track them down."
"For every scroll you obtain and bring back here to the tower, you will earn ten points.
Two scrolls are worth twenty points, and so on."
"I must remind you—scrolls may be seized from others. While searching for clues, you must also conceal yourselves."
"This is the first phase of the training."
"There is only one rule: deliberate death matches are forbidden. That said, combat inevitably carries risks. If death occurs due to an accident, no responsibility will be pursued."
"This entire training session will be monitored from start to finish."
After calmly explaining the key points of the first phase, the Division Leader's tone grew slightly firmer.
"I hereby announce—the training begins now."
At his words, the ANBU candidates exchanged brief glances, then one after another exited the tower and entered the Forest of Death.
Whoosh—whoosh!
Almost instantly, the group scattered, each candidate vanishing into the trees in a blur as they leapt toward their chosen directions.
"…As expected of ANBU training."
Yuya landed on a treetop, surveying his surroundings before murmuring to himself.
"Just this assessment alone has higher requirements than the Chūnin Exams in the original timeline."
Every full ANBU operative was an elite among elites.
This single training phase already tested nearly every essential aspect of a shinobi—
Information gathering, judgment, combat ability, escape techniques, pursuit skills…
Almost nothing was left out.
Yuya was just about to choose a direction and begin searching for traces that might lead to hidden scrolls—
when a sudden flash of insight struck him.
"No… something's not right."
"Full monitoring… full monitoring…"
"This training isn't actually about testing all-around ability."
"The real purpose is to identify each person's strongest, most distinctive specialty."
Not every shinobi could be well-rounded.
The difficulty of safely finding scrolls and returning them to the tower was absurdly high.
Shinobi skilled at reconnaissance might easily locate many scrolls—
—but they might not be able to protect them.
Those with exceptional mobility or evasion skills might not seize scrolls directly, but could maneuver endlessly through the forest, waiting for opportunities.
As for combat specialists—
they didn't need to search at all.
They could simply take scrolls from others.
The true goal of this training was to observe each candidate's strongest suit, evaluate them comprehensively, and determine whether they were better suited to roles such as scouts, assassins, or frontline combatants.
"So that's why they emphasized 'full monitoring'…"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Yuya's mouth.
Since he understood that—
there was no need for him to search for scrolls at all.
Among the ANBU candidates, there were no jōnin-level shinobi.
Anyone at that level would already be a full ANBU operative—or even a squad leader.
Which meant—
Yuya had no true opponents here.
Soon enough, candidates began finding scrolls within the Forest of Death.
And just as quickly, others noticed them, sparking battles over possession.
Most fought alone.
This training wasn't meant to test teamwork.
Conflicts broke out across the forest.
But due to full surveillance—and the prohibition against intentional killing—
injuries occurred, yet no deaths.
Before long, the first candidate carrying a scroll arrived at the central tower.
At that very moment—
Yuya was standing quietly outside the tower.
He hadn't entered the Forest of Death at all.
Yes.
Since the destination was the tower—
he simply waited here.
There was no need to venture into the forest.
Of course, this carried a risk.
No one knew how strong the first returnee would be.
There was a real chance of being caught off guard.
That was why, although other candidates had considered this approach, none dared to use it.
Except Yuya.
"Move."
The ANBU candidate carrying the scroll snorted coldly when he saw Yuya blocking the path and charged straight at him.
From appearances alone, Yuya looked extremely young.
So he's a kid who didn't dare enter the forest and gave up on this round from the start, the man thought disdainfully.
Even so, he didn't let his guard down.
As he rushed forward, he unleashed a B-rank Wind Release technique, aiming to force Yuya aside.
As long as Yuya dodged—
he could dash straight into the tower.
The plan was sound.
Reality was not.
BOOM—!!
Cracks split the air itself.
The B-rank Wind Release technique was obliterated by a single punch.
"What?! You—!"
The candidate skidded to a halt, staring in shock.
That ability—
even if he hadn't seen it personally, he had heard of it.
Wasn't this the signature power of Yuya, the prodigy who had recently become famous throughout Konoha?
Then there was no doubt.
The youth standing before him was Yuya himself.
What stunned him wasn't Yuya being an ANBU candidate—
but the fact that Yuya had just destroyed a B-rank ninjutsu with one punch.
It was absurd.
No matter how talented Yuya was, there was no way he should have grown this strong in such a short time.
The truth about Yuya killing Uchiha Han had been jointly suppressed by Konoha's high command and the Uchiha clan.
Very few shinobi knew Yuya's real strength.
Even among full ANBU operatives, only a handful were aware—
let alone a mere candidate.
All this man knew was that Yuya had defeated Namikaze Minato at the Ninja Academy, earning first place in combat ranking and becoming a renowned genius.
So when he recognized Yuya—
and witnessed his B-rank technique being shattered so casually—
his mind was left reeling.
Yet the reality stood plainly before him.
"Hand over the scroll."
Yuya looked at him calmly and spoke.
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