The First to Claim Victory

"This guy..."

Senju Takeshi, beside him, was panting like a dog as well. He had only managed to secure a spot in the back row with great difficulty.

Yet Senju Jueming had actually taken first place?

How was that possible?!

Senju Jueming taking first place was the same as bringing honor to the Senju Clan. Wouldn't that make the Great Elder ecstatic?

Thinking of how he had threatened him just a week ago, telling him to wait for the Entrance Exam, Senju Takeshi felt his cheeks start twitching.

Jueming, lying on the ground, could not be bothered with what others thought.

As he felt his physical strength gradually increase, his body was recovering as well.

But because he had taken first place in the first round.

He had instantly become the center of attention for all the examinees and examiners.

"I didn't expect you to take first place."

Mito Uzumaki's tone turned somewhat subdued.

She increasingly recalled what the Great Elder had said.

"Couldn't be helped. I worked hard at my training, after all," Jueming replied calmly.

Mito Uzumaki: "..."

The second round of the test took place in an enormous classroom.

It could easily hold two hundred people.

After entering the classroom, everyone took their seats.

The Illusion Technique Barrier within the room took effect.

As darkness suddenly fell before their eyes, the examinees began to panic.

"The first test was a test of 'physical strength.' The second test will assess your 'willpower.'"

Funano Daikoku's voice rang out.

Only then did everyone quiet down.

"This Illusion Technique will plunge your vision into darkness. As it interferes with you, you will also begin to lose your hearing, sense of smell, sense of touch..."

In other words.

The examinees would be unable to see or hear.

They would soon become temporarily "blind and deaf."

In such an environment, it was easy for a person to go mad.

Anyone who could not endure it would be eliminated immediately.

"The timer starts now."

After Funano Daikoku spoke, he fell silent.

For examinees of meager strength, this Illusion Technique Barrier was practically a death sentence, with no possibility of immunity.

Therefore...

They could only rely on their willpower to endure this terrifying darkness second by second, then face the victory... or failure of the examination.

"I can't see anything for now."

Jueming blinked and found nothing but darkness before him.

Then, his hearing began to disappear, and the whispers of all the surrounding students vanished.

His sense of smell was the third to go.

His sense of touch began to grow indistinct as well.

Silence...

Complete silence.

Mito Uzumaki: "Is this an Illusion Technique Barrier adapted from the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique? No... it shouldn't be that advanced. It may only be an improved version of the D-Rank Demonic Illusion Viewing Technique..."

After all.

Illusion Techniques had all sorts of wondrous effects.

Even the mere D-Rank Demonic Illusion Viewing Technique could make people see the thing they feared most, in vivid detail.

Depriving someone of their five senses was merely one of the simplest Illusion Techniques.

In truth, the five senses had not disappeared.

It was only an illusion produced when Chakra interfered with the human brain.

That was Mito Uzumaki's judgment.

She had been very powerful in life.

But after becoming a guide, her strength had become tied to Jueming's.

If Jueming could not see, then she could no longer see or hear what was happening outside either.

"So then, Senju Jueming, what do you intend to do?"

With a thud.

Jueming lay down on a bench in the Exam Classroom.

His eyes stared straight into the void, his pupils dilated.

That was the result of being affected by the Illusion Technique.

[Physical Strength +1]

[Physical Strength +1]...

Seeing the system prompt, Jueming knew he had this in the bag.

That meant he was lying down properly, which was why his physical strength had begun to increase.

Since that was the case, there was nothing to worry about.

Why not take a nap, then?

When Jueming tried to sleep, he found that he could not fall asleep no matter what.

"Has Chakra interfered with my brain?"

The essence of an Illusion Technique.

Was external Chakra interfering with one's brain.

His inability to sleep was clearly part of the examination's design as well.

When they saw Jueming suddenly lie down.

The examiners at the classroom podium were all stunned.

They were unaffected by this Barrier.

Every one of them possessed at least Chunin-level strength, so they could naturally resist this Illusion Technique specifically aimed at examinees.

Thus, the classroom appeared brightly lit to them.

"The Senju Clan has really made a comeback this year."

"Yes, I didn't expect it."

They looked Jueming over and nodded.

"But I have a question. Why does this Senju Jueming keep lying down?"

Someone voiced the question.

It was also the question on every examiner's mind.

In the brightly lit classroom, the examiners chatted while watching Jueming and the others.

Soon, someone could no longer bear it and began screaming within the Illusion Technique.

When his mind neared collapse, he automatically woke up.

"I..."

Staring at the classroom before him, which had regained its light, the examinee looked bewildered.

"Unqualified."

The examiners nodded and announced the first failure.

Time passed.

One examinee after another was eliminated.

After an interval that was both long and short, the examination reached its end.

"Ninety remain. They can be divided into three classes. They are the total number of examinees for this year."

Funano Daikoku swept his gaze around.

"But surely you are all interested in whether this Senju Jueming is stronger, or whether the others are stronger."

Seeing that Jueming was still lying quietly there, the examiners suddenly felt competitive.

Funano Daikoku made a proposal.

The examination needed to be ranked anyway.

"Agreed."

"I also want to see how the Senju Clan performs this year."

The other examiners nodded in agreement.

The examinees then began leaving one after another. In the end, only five who had endured remained.

Kakashi Hatake, Tekka Uchiha, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Senju Jueming.

The first four all came from prominent families.

They were all second-generation shinobi.

As for Jueming...

"He belongs to the Senju Clan, but his parents' records are completely ordinary..."

Funano Daikoku flipped through the files in his hands.

Though he was born into the Senju Clan, no matter how one looked at it, he was inferior to the first four.

"Come watch the announcement of the list in three days... At that time, the names of the successful examinees will be posted on the notice board at the school gate."

Funano Daikoku and the other examiners let the remaining examinees leave first.

The examination continued for Jueming and the other five.

The students thus left one after another, and the classroom quickly became quiet again.

Lying down, Jueming watched his physical strength increase and calculated the time in his head.

About two and a half hours had passed in reality.

In other words, it was already noon.

"Is this going to continue into the afternoon?"

Jueming thought that lying there until the stars filled the sky would not be a problem. He had to lie down every day anyway.

Time passed second by second.

Asuma Sarutobi woke first. "This Illusion Technique is so boring."

He got up and looked around. His childhood sweetheart, Kurenai Yuhi, was still trapped in the Illusion Technique, clearly enduring longer than he had.

"As expected of Uncle Kurenai's Mother's daughter."

Asuma scratched his head. He did not care much that he had failed to take first place.

Top five was fine too. It was not embarrassing.

"Young Master Asuma, would you like to leave first, or wait a while longer?"

The examiners asked politely. After all, Asuma Sarutobi was the Hokage's son.

"I'll wait for Kurenai first," Asuma said. Chasing girls came first.

A little while later.

Kurenai Yuhi and Tekka Uchiha woke up.

The two glanced at Kakashi and Jueming and immediately understood the situation.

Because of his taciturn nature, Tekka Uchiha said nothing. After listening to the examiners' instructions, he turned and left.

Kurenai Yuhi said, "Why isn't the test about breaking Illusion Techniques? I could break this one in seconds."

Kurenai Yuhi remained confident in her talent for Illusion Techniques, but unfortunately, the test had not let her display her true strength.

The two soon departed.

The examiners ate lunch while watching the remaining two continue.

Time passed from twelve-thirty in the afternoon to one, two, three...

"Hah."

At dusk, Kakashi let out a long breath and stood up.

I'm first, right?

Then he saw Jueming staring blankly and unblinkingly at the ceiling of the Exam Classroom.

Kakashi froze.

"This guy... he actually beat me? I really talked too big this time..."

Kakashi scratched his head. His father would definitely mock him when he got home. After all, he had boasted that he would take first place.

But...

"Someone actually managed to surpass me. Father said the Ninja Academy was full of hidden talents, and it really is true... Come to think of it, I'm a little hungry."

Kakashi asked the examiners about the situation.

"I'll wait a little longer. I'm quite interested in this guy."

He wanted to get acquainted with this future classmate after the examination ended.

[Physical Strength +1]

[Physical Strength +1]...

As the sky was about to grow dark, the examiners discovered that Jueming was still lying there.

"Could he really lie there until tonight?!"

The examiners looked surprised, while Mito Uzumaki remained silent throughout the entire Second Round.

Because the exam needed to be fair.

She could not speak to Jueming and distract him, thereby reducing the exam's difficulty.

But seeing how well Jueming could lie there and how firm his will was, Mito Uzumaki still felt gratified.

It made her even more determined to guide Jueming down Tobirama Senju's path.

"Wake him up. Otherwise, Hokage-sama will have more work to deal with."

To keep Hokage-sama from working overtime.

They needed to submit the results of the entire examination as soon as possible...

Thus, Jueming, who had not yet lain around to his heart's content, was called up.

"Congratulations, Senju Jueming. You took first place in the Second Round."

Funano Daikoku stared at Jueming.

"You brought honor to the Senju Clan," he said with a smile.

"Oh."

Jueming nodded, glanced at him, then looked away again. His expression did not change.

"Examiners, do as you please. I still need to lie down a while longer."

But Jueming did not want to get up right away.

Because he vaguely sensed that if he lay there for a few more minutes, he would break through a certain training bottleneck.

Just as the examiners stood there in a daze.

Jueming received a system notification.

[Scrap Achieved...!]

[Activated the "Grass Release—Ninja" Skill Tree]

[Obtained "Grass Release Bloodline Limit"]

[Generated "Grass Release Chakra"]

[Can learn the Grass Release technique "Life Grass"!]