Anbu Squad

After returning to reality, Kyosuke sat quietly on his bed in a daze for a while before checking the specific rewards from this Instance Dungeon.

"One-Handed Seals."

"Sharingan."

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall."

All three were extremely useful to him.

There was no need to mention the Sharingan. No matter how many he got, he would never think it was too much.

However, the Sharingan's next advancement required two scrolls to be used together, so he could only toss this one into the "storage" for now.

Water Formation Wall was an outstanding defensive Ninjutsu. If Kyosuke's mastery of Water Release Chakra had not been so poor, he would have learned it himself long ago.

But now things were different. Once he learned it directly through the scroll, he could save a great deal of practice time.

Though its effects might not compare to Fire or Earth Release Ninjutsu, it was more than enough for Kyosuke at present.

As for the final One-Handed Seals, Kyosuke considered it the most valuable of the three items this time.

There were only two reasons why he considered it so valuable.

First, it would provide the most obvious increase to Kyosuke's immediate combat strength. In other words, this ability best suited his current needs.

Second, although the Sharingan seemed far more valuable, there were still some Instance Dungeons where one could obtain it.

As far as Kyosuke knew, aside from Haku, it seemed that only Shisui had ever used One-Handed Seals.

In other words, its drop rate was actually quite low.

That was why Kyosuke now felt that it was even more valuable than a single Sharingan.

Before long, he had finished learning One-Handed Seals and Water Formation Wall.

Since he was at home, Kyosuke could only test the actual effects of One-Handed Seals.

After testing it, he discovered that the Clone Technique cast through One-Handed Seals differed little in terms of effect and Chakra consumption.

However, both the speed and difficulty of forming the seals were much greater.

At least until the level of One-Handed Seals increased, it might not be able to cast overly complex Ninjutsu.

Still, Kyosuke was already very satisfied. After all, the greatest use of One-Handed Seals was to catch enemies off guard, not to unleash powerful moves.

Therefore, Kyosuke was still quite pleased.

After briefly considering his next course of action, he threw himself onto the bed and fell asleep.

The next day, inside Root's underground training ground.

Kyosuke wore a mask and a black cloak that wrapped his entire body, dressed in the classic style of an Anbu operative.

Following Danzo's instructions, he had come today to meet the members of his squad.

Yet when he arrived at the underground training ground at the agreed-upon time, he discovered that his three teammates were already waiting there.

Sensing his approach, all three of them turned to look at him almost simultaneously.

"Hey, hey, isn't this just a little brat?" one of them said in surprise. He wore fitted leather armor and carried a long sword slung across his waist.

From the information Danzo had given him, Kyosuke knew that this man's codename was Nightshade, a close-combat ninja skilled in swordsmanship.

"Tch." Another teammate made a strange sound, and it was obvious at a glance that she was a female ninja.

Lin was her codename, a ninja skilled in sensing and close combat.

As for the last person, he was Ankoku, the captain of this Anbu squad and a ninja skilled in Water Release.

"His codename is 'Snake.' Starting today, he'll be joining our squad on missions," Ankoku said, pointing at Kyosuke as he introduced him.

"Is it really okay to choose a codename that exposes your identity so openly?" Nightshade asked Kyosuke with a light laugh.

"It's fine. My identity couldn't be hidden to begin with, so why fear exposure?" Kyosuke replied with an equally faint smile.

He was right. Even though his entire body was concealed beneath the cloak, his height and slightly youthful voice made his age unmistakable.

At that age, there were only two people in Konoha who could join Root.

One was Kyosuke, and the other was Kakashi.

If these teammates still could not guess his identity under such circumstances, they might as well leave Root altogether.

So Kyosuke truly did not care whether his codename might expose something.

"Since everyone has gotten acquainted, Nightshade, test his strength," Ankoku ordered calmly.

"Understood." Nightshade answered as he stepped forward, then looked at Kyosuke. "Please go easy on me, Snake."

"Likewise." As Kyosuke replied, he opened his Sharingan and pushed his focus to its limit.

His opponent was a jonin skilled in close combat, so he could not afford even the slightest carelessness.

Otherwise, he could very well be defeated in an instant.

What happened next proved that Kyosuke's instincts had been correct.

The moment his words fell, Nightshade moved in a flash, arriving before him in almost the blink of an eye.

At the same time, a bright flash of blade light suddenly appeared within the dim underground cavern.

In a single move, "Kyosuke" was cleaved in two.

Yet Nightshade showed no sign of joy, because from the feeling of that strike, the person he had cut down should not have been Snake himself.

Sure enough, after a bang, the cleaved Kyosuke turned into a broken Substitution Log.

Kyosuke himself reappeared some distance away.

"Interesting. When did he form the seals? Captain, did you see it?" Lin asked Ankoku beside her, her gaze fixed tightly on Kyosuke.

"I didn't notice either." As Ankoku shook his head, he thought to himself, As expected of a youth favored by Sama Danzo. He really is extraordinary.

"Sigh." Lin suddenly let out a sigh. Knowing her personality, the corner of Ankoku's mouth twitched slightly beneath his mask.

"Although this boy seems fairly capable, Nightshade has never known how to hold back. He probably won't last long before getting cut to death with a single slash," Lin analyzed seriously.

"." Ankoku remained silent, making it clear that he had no desire to respond to her.

Although Lin's words sounded frightening, Ankoku had to admit that her analysis made sense.

Snake's offensive methods were indeed varied, and his seals were extremely well concealed. If he were facing someone his own age, or even an opponent slightly older than himself, they probably would not last long against him.

But Nightshade's strength far surpassed his by a wide margin. To have lasted this long already had honestly exceeded Ankoku's expectations once more.

Still, this trial could end here.

With that thought, Ankoku stepped forward and stopped their spar.

If he waited any longer, he feared Snake might truly be injured by Nightshade.

"For someone your age, you're already very strong. I acknowledge you," Nightshade said with a smile as he sheathed his sword.

"Huff..." Kyosuke lowered his head and panted heavily for a while before replying, "Thank you."

At the same time, Kyosuke thought, The gap in strength is still far too great. With just the Body Flicker Technique and simple slashes, he can already force me into a desperate defense. Without One-Handed Seals, I might have been defeated within a few moves.

In truth, this situation was not beyond Kyosuke's expectations.

Because he understood his current value to Danzo.

Therefore, these three teammates were likely among Root's finest, whether in strength or temperament.

Their purpose was to protect him to the greatest extent possible.

But that's good too. The stronger they are, the harder the missions they undertake will be. Naturally, the Experience Points earned won't be few either.

Kyosuke chuckled inwardly and walked back toward the others.