We left the paralyzed Genin behind us, but the silence hanging over the Konoha Genin was deafening. Every time a branch snapped or a leaf rustled, half of them flinched. The residual pressure from my [Bloodlust] was clearly still weighing on their minds, keeping their shoulders hiked up to their ears and their breathing shallow.
It'd be bad if they went into the next phase completely rattled, I mused internally.
I tweaked my [Presence] to boost and push out the [Personal Magnetism] of my [CHA] stat, dialing back any lingering uncertainties that they were feeling. It was like flipping a switch in the atmosphere. The heavy, suffocating air instantly evaporated, replaced by a warm, soothing wave of serenity.
I watched the physical tension literally melt out of the group. Choji let out a long breath and reached back into his chip bag. Kiba's shoulders dropped, and Akamaru finally peeked his head out from inside his jacket with a curious sniff.
Sakura, walking a few paces to my right, suddenly paused. Her brow furrowed as she looked at me, her green eyes searching my face.
"Wait..." she murmured, rubbing her arms. "I've felt this same feeling from you before in Wave. But what is it? What exactly are you doing?"
"Ah, it's just a little this and that," I replied, casually waving her question off. "It's something that I can do to keep the nerves down so we don't do anything stupid."
"You must use it all the time then," Ino said, stretching her arms above her head.
Kiba and her really know how to get under the skin, huh? I thought, an anger mark nearly popping from my forehead.
But, I was able to keep my face perfectly relaxed. As I looked upon the group, my eyes were able to catch their slight movements. Neji crossed his arms, his pale eyes narrowing suspiciously at my vague answer. Shino simply adjusted his sunglasses, his posture remaining stiff and guarded. Shikamaru, meanwhile, just stared at me for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck like I was a troublesome puzzle he wasn't looking forward to solving. Even Kabuto's polite smile faltered for a fraction of a second, his grip tightening imperceptibly on his kunai pouch before he forced his posture to relax.
I could tell that they didn't buy the simple explanation, but I didn't care. They weren't shaking like leaves anymore, so everything was good.
We continued through the foliage for another ten minutes until the trees finally broke, revealing our destination.
The central tower was massive. Much bigger than I remembered it being from the canon. It loomed over the forest like an impenetrable fortress, constructed from heavy grey stone and reinforced steel. We dropped down into the cleared perimeter in front of a colossal outer wall that connected directly to the main structure.
Built into the stone wall were three enormous entryways. Above each archway hung a pair of carved insignias representing the scrolls: Sun & Moon, Mountain & River, and Storm & Stillness.
Etched into the stone above the doors was a riddle.
Shikamaru stepped forward, hands in his pockets, and scanned the text for all of five seconds before letting out a heavy sigh.
"What a drag," he muttered. "It's just a long-winded way of saying we have to enter through the doorway that matches the symbols of the scrolls we were originally assigned at the start of the exams."
Kabuto adjusted his cracked glasses and offered the group a polite, deeply fake smile. "Well, it seems this is where we part ways. My team was assigned the River scroll, so I need to go find them and head through our designated entrance. Thank you all for the assistance."
"Sure thing, man," I said, offering a casual nod.
As Kabuto turned and walked away toward the perimeter, I mentally reached out to one of my Soldiers. Discreetly attach yourself to his shadow, I commanded.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a flicker in the dirt as a shadow seamlessly slipped into Kabuto's shadow, disappearing completely. Alright, let's see what you and Orochimaru got planned now, four-eyes.
With the teams splitting up to their respective doors, the Konoha rookies began to say their goodbyes. As they headed off, I noted their parting glances. Lee shot me a fiery, respectful thumbs-up, and Hinata offered a flustered but completely awestruck bow. Tenten practically hugged the scroll sealing her new weapons, giving me a massive, appreciative grin. Ino offered a complicated huff, tossing her hair over her shoulder, though the lingering fear in her eyes was mostly gone. Shikamaru just gave a lazy nod, his sharp gaze promising a very tedious interrogation later. On the other hand, Neji glared back at me one last time, and Shino gave a slow, calculated nod before turning away.
"Alright," Sasuke said, stepping up beside me. His Sharingan was deactivated, but his dark eyes were sharp and focused. "Let's get this over with."
Together, Team 7 walked through the heavy wooden doors marked with the Storm & Stillness insignias.
The heavy steel doors slammed shut behind us with a resonant, echoing THUD.
The interior of the central tower wasn't the standard administrative lobby I remembered from the canon. It looked more like a gladiatorial antechamber. Massive, vaulted ceilings stretched high overhead, supported by thick, imposing stone pillars. The walls were lined with intricate Fuinjutsu matrices—sealing formulas clearly designed to suppress large-scale jutsu and prevent the Genin from starting brawls in the waiting areas.
Standing in the center of the vast room was a lone Chunin proctor, flipping lazily through a clipboard. He looked up as we approached, a small, approving smirk crossing his face.
"Welcome to the central tower," he greeted, his voice echoing slightly in the large space. "Congratulations on surviving the Forest of Death. Honestly, arriving on the second day without a scratch on you... that's no small feat. Present your scrolls, please."
Sakura stepped forward and handed over the four scrolls we needed to pass.
The proctor inspected them, checking the seals for any signs of tampering before nodding. "Good. These are authentic. You're cleared to proceed."
He handed all four of the scrolls back to Sakura. "Now, choose three of those scrolls to distribute among your team. One for each of you. The fourth will remain with me."
Sakura blinked, looking down at the three scrolls in her hands. "Wait, just three? What about the fourth one? Are we going to need these for something else?"
The proctor's smirk widened into something a bit more predatory. "The Second Phase isn't over just because you made it inside the building, Genin."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he questioned.
"Because of the massive explosion on the first day, a lot of teams formed alliances," the proctor explained, tapping his clipboard. "As a result, way too many 'rats' survived the forest by hiding behind superior numbers. We can't have a bloated roster for the next round. So, we're doing a little culling."
"A culling?" Sakura repeated, swallowing hard.
"Three-on-three team elimination matches," the proctor confirmed. "Right here, right now. The one scroll out of the four that you decide to leave behind will determine which team you face off against. The three individual scrolls you keep will serve as your entry tickets for the next phase... assuming you survive the match, of course."
Sasuke let out a low, arrogant scoff. "Fine by me. The sooner I get to fight, the better."
Sakura looked at the scrolls in her hands, holding them out to us. "Alright, who wants which one?"
Sasuke didn't even hesitate, grabbing a scroll. "Moon."
I reached out and plucked one. "Sun," I said observing the item.
"Then I guess I'll take the [Mountain Scroll]," Sakura said, gripping the parchment tightly.
Sun, Moon, and Mountain, I mused internally, fighting back a smirk. The sun and moon for the reincarnations of Asura and Indra, and the mountain for Sakura's future earth-shattering strength. The irony of things really isn't lost on me.
"Then that means the [River Scroll] will be submitted as our opponent token," I said, looking towards the proctor.
"That's right," he said, cataloging the information on his clipboard. "Now, follow me."
He turned on his heel and led us down a long, dimly lit stone corridor. The air grew cooler the deeper we went, the sounds of our footsteps echoing off the walls. Finally, we stopped in front of a pair of heavy iron double doors.
The proctor pushed them open, revealing a massive, brightly lit indoor arena. Another proctor stood in the center of the ring, waiting patiently. And standing on the opposite side of the arena was another team.
They were wearing dark rebreather masks and standard-issue grey uniforms, with large, menacing umbrellas strapped to their backs. Their headbands bore the symbol of the four vertical lines of Ame.
"Well, well, well," the Ame leader sneered, his voice muffled slightly by his mask as he looked us up and down. "Looks like we drew a bunch of soft Leaf brats. This is going to be almost too easy."
Sasuke cracked his neck, a dark, thrilled grin spreading across his face as his Sharingan flared to life, spinning rapidly in his eyes.
"Naruto. Sakura," he said, his voice dripping with pure battle lust. "Don't interfere. These three are mine."
I just shrugged, perfectly content to let the Uchiha blow off some steam. "Have at it."
I strolled over to the edge of the arena, leaning my back against the cold stone wall and crossing my arms. Sakura looked like she wanted to protest, but one look at the sheer intensity radiating from Sasuke kept her mouth firmly shut. She walked over and stood beside me, watching nervously as the proctor raised his hand.
"Begin!"
The Ame Genin wasted no time. All three of them unslung the massive umbrellas from their backs and launched them into the air.
"Ninja Art: Senbon Rainstorm!" they shouted.
The umbrellas spun wildly, unleashing a literal hail of poisoned needles across the arena.
Sasuke didn't even flinch. His Sharingan tracked every single needle with perfect clarity. With his chakra fully restored, he moved with lethal precision. He sidestepped and weaved through the deadly downpour, calculating the exact trajectory of every projectile.
A few stray needles flew far wide of Sasuke, hurtling directly toward the sidelines where Sakura and I were standing.
Sakura gasped, reaching for her kunai, but she wasn't fast enough.
I didn't bother to take my eyes off Sasuke's advance. I just shifted my weight slightly, raising one hand, and lazily caught the two poisoned senbon between my index and middle fingers right before they hit Sakura's face.
I dropped the needles onto the stone floor with a clatter and let out an exaggerated yawn.
The Ame Genin's eyes widened in pure horror at how easily I had dismissed their lethal attack. Their momentary lapse in focus was all Sasuke needed.
He closed the distance in a flash, his hands a blur of seals.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Jutsu!"
Sasuke unleashed a volley of small, intensely hot fireballs, hiding shuriken within the flames. The barrage slammed into two of the Ame ninja, shattering their umbrellas and sending them crashing into the arena walls, completely out of the fight.
"You little brat!" the Ame leader roared, pulling a kunai and lunging at Sasuke in a desperate, blind rage.
Sasuke merely smirked. He ducked under the wild swing, his Sharingan already predicting the movement. He planted his foot into the leader's knee with a sickening crack, forcing the older Genin to buckle forward.
Without missing a beat, Sasuke spun, driving a brutal elbow directly into the man's jaw, followed instantly by a sweeping roundhouse kick to his temple. The sheer concussive force sent the Ame leader spiraling across the stone floor. He skidded to a halt near the edge of the ring and didn't get back up.
The entire fight had lasted less than a minute.
The proctor blinked, clearly taken aback by the sheer dominance, before raising his hand. "The Ame Genin are incapacitated. Team 7 is the winner. You may proceed to the quarters provided to wait out the remaining three days."
Sasuke stood up, deactivating his Sharingan. He let out a long, satisfied exhale, rolling his shoulders as he walked back over to us. He looked refreshed, the tension that had been eating at him since the forest completely gone.
"Way to go, Sasuke!" Sakura cheered, clapping her hands.
"Yea, not bad at all," I agreed, pushing myself off the wall.
The proctor handed us the keys to our assigned room within the upgraded tower. We were escorted to the upper levels, arriving at a spacious, fully furnished dorm room with actual beds and a private washroom. After sleeping on dirt and giant roots for two days, it felt like a five-star hotel.
Sakura immediately claimed a bed and collapsed, out like a light. Sasuke took the corner bed, pulling a sharpening stone out of his pouch to do some maintenance on his kunai, completely in his element.
I took the bed by the window, sitting down on the edge of the mattress and letting out a quiet sigh of relief. The second phase was officially over. Now we just had to wait.
Before I could get too comfortable, a familiar blue screen popped into my vision.
[QUEST REWARD ACQUIRED: Key for the Venom of the White Orochi]
Ah, right, I thought. Perfect timing. It almost slipped my mind. Now I have access to both items and can get that Elixir completed during the month break.
I was about to close the interface, but another prompt suddenly flickered before the screen completely shifted into a deep, flashing, warning red.
[WARNING: MASSIVE CHAKRA ENTITY DETECTED]
[STAT THRESHOLD SUFFICIENT: INT & CON]
[THE PRISONER WITHIN THE SEAL REQUESTS AN AUDIENCE.]
Oh, shit! I gasped internally. He's trying to meet me?! Why now, though?!
[MEET HIM NOW?]: Y/N
I stared at the red prompt. I had known this day was coming since the moment I woke up in this world. My stats had finally grown high enough to handle the sheer, corrosive pressure of his chakra without my mind completely shattering.
Yes, I selected.
The real world instantly dissolved. The comfortable dorm room, the sound of Sasuke sharpening his kunai, the sunlight filtering through the window—all of it vanished, replaced by a suffocating darkness.
When my vision cleared, I was standing in ankle-deep, murky water. The air was thick, heavy, and reeked of iron and ancient malice. The sound of water dripping echoed loudly in the cavernous, dimly lit space.
I looked up.
Towering over me were massive, rusted iron gates, held shut by a single piece of paper with the kanji for "Seal" written on it.
From the pitch-black shadows behind the bars, two colossal, blood-red eyes slowly snapped open, glowing with absolute, concentrated hatred.
A low, rumbling growl vibrated through the water, shaking me to my very core before a deep, demonic voice echoed through the chamber.
"So... the brat finally decides to visit..."
.
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We back! Thanks for waiting, and the continuous support. See y'all for the next chapter.