More and more people arrived—
and more and more people fell.
This was not a battle with overwhelming noise or spectacle, yet the scene itself was utterly magnificent.
By this point, Yuya was drenched in sweat. His stamina and chakra were being continuously consumed.
Yet the permanently activated True Eight Gates within his body granted him a recovery ability that bordered on the absurd.
Especially now—his blood surged like a raging river, and the First Gate, centered around his heart, continuously released fresh waves of power.
Yuya's fighting spirit not only failed to wane—it grew stronger.
The longer he fought, the braver he became, as though an unstoppable aura was slowly taking shape.
Exhilarating.
If it were any other shinobi of the same age—
even Might Guy or Might Duy—
none of them could possibly possess Yuya's level of stamina and endurance.
The True Eight Gates' advantage in prolonged combat was being displayed in its entirety.
That terrifying physical capacity left everyone stunned.
At this stage, Yuya was no longer merely responding to attacks.
He began to actively sweep through every ANBU candidate who arrived.
Everyone was dragged into this battle.
Some tried to sneak around, hoping to grab a scroll and dash into the tower—
But they never got the chance.
More and more people collapsed to the ground.
And among them…
There was no Yuya.
It was an overwhelmingly shocking scene.
At this moment, no one could speak.
Not only the ANBU candidates facing Yuya directly—
Even the full-fledged ANBU inside the tower wore expressions of disbelief.
Yuya, by himself, had blocked everyone.
Among all the ANBU candidates—
Not a single one could defeat him.
Even when several joined forces, they still couldn't win.
And from beginning to end—
Not even the corner of Yuya's clothes had been damaged.
Aside from sweat overflowing from his brow and soaking his body—proof of stamina consumption—
There wasn't a single other injury.
He was nothing short of a humanoid monster.
"This guy…"
"Terrifying…"
Most of the defeated ANBU candidates were injured.
Yet when they looked at Yuya, there was no anger.
No resentment.
Only fear—
And reverence.
This was a world where the strong were supreme.
True power commanded awe—
just like Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama.
By now, Yuya unknowingly carried a faint presence about him.
Calling it presence wasn't quite accurate—
It was merely the embryonic form of aura.
This aura was completely different from Orochimaru's sinister malice
and unlike Uchiha Itachi's cold detachment.
It was closer to—
Uchiha Madara.
A presence that looked down upon everything.
By the end, the remaining few ANBU candidates didn't even dare meet Yuya's eyes.
An inexplicable pressure weighed on them, cold sweat forming on their brows.
In the end—
They simply handed over their scrolls.
That was the final outcome.
A silent conclusion—
Yet one that shook everyone to the core.
Thus, Yuya alone swept the first training phase, crushing every single participant.
Sixty scrolls had been distributed in total.
Fifty-four were recovered—
All piled at Yuya's feet.
Inside the tower, the ANBU fell into complete silence.
Even the ANBU squad captain couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.
It wasn't just Yuya's achievements—
But that fleeting aura that had appeared at the very end.
The squad captain himself was a powerful shinobi.
He possessed his own presence.
Which was why he could sense the nascent aura forming around Yuya.
Aura was something that could only be accumulated through countless battles—
Rolling along the edge of life and death time and time again.
And usually, only absolute powerhouses could possess it.
Yet he had seen a trace of it—
On Yuya.
Faint, but undeniably real.
How utterly unbelievable.
The sun slowly set.
Inside the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was reviewing documents.
Standing beside him was ANBU Captain Hatake Sakumo.
The paperwork concerned ANBU resource allocations.
At that moment, a masked ANBU shinobi appeared in the office.
ANBU never used normal entrances—
They moved swiftly using Body Flicker Techniques.
Efficiency and speed were their creed.
"Hokage-sama. Captain."
"The first ANBU candidate training session has concluded."
The ANBU shinobi dropped to one knee and saluted both men.
Hiruzen and Sakumo looked up simultaneously.
"Mm. Casualties?" Hiruzen asked.
"Zero fatalities. Eleven severely injured. Thirty-four lightly injured."
Hearing the numbers, the two exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.
It sounded frightening—nearly everyone was injured.
But in reality, previous training sessions often resulted in far more severe injuries.
This time, the outcome was relatively mild.
That was precisely why such training sessions were held periodically—
Not consecutively.
"And the results?" Sakumo asked calmly.
"Anyone particularly outstanding?"
Hiruzen's eyes flickered slightly.
"I wonder how Yuya performed. He probably didn't do too badly."
"Even if his results were poor, it wouldn't matter. He's still young—he can remain among the ANBU candidates."
At those words, the kneeling ANBU shinobi's expression turned strange beneath his mask.
Something unusual flickered in his eyes.
"Um… Hokage-sama. Captain…"
"I was just about to report the results."
"Only one person passed."
"Everyone else scored zero."
Those words instantly stunned both men.
"What did you say?"
They spoke in near unison, disbelief written across their faces.
"ANBU candidate Yuya guarded the area outside the tower alone."
"He defeated all other candidates and seized every scroll."
"All others scored zero."
"Yuya's final score: five hundred and forty points."
Even though he had already calmed himself on the way here—
The ANBU shinobi's voice still trembled slightly as he delivered the report.
The shock had yet to fully fade.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi—
Even as Hokage, he couldn't maintain his composure.
"This… how is that possible?!"
Hatake Sakumo fared slightly better—
But even his expression changed repeatedly, shock evident in his eyes.
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