First Place

"This guy..."

Senju Takeshi, beside him, was panting like a dog. He had only barely managed to secure a spot in the back row.

Yet Senju Jueming had actually taken first place?

How was that possible?!

Senju Jueming taking first place meant bringing honor to the Senju Clan. Wouldn't that make the Great Elder overjoyed?

Thinking of how he had threatened Jueming a week ago, telling him to wait for him at the Entrance Exam, Senju Takeshi felt his cheek twitch.

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

He could feel his stamina gradually increasing, which also indirectly restored his body.

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

he had instantly become the focus of every examinee and examiner.

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

Mito Uzumaki's tone became somewhat subdued.

She increasingly recalled what the Great Elder had said.

"Can't be helped. I worked hard at training, after all." Jueming answered calmly.

Mito Uzumaki: "..."

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

It could accommodate two hundred people without any problem.

After entering the classroom, everyone took their seats.

The Illusion Barrier inside began to take effect.

As their vision suddenly went dark, the examinees began to panic.

"The first test examined physical stamina. The second test examines willpower."

Funano Daikoku's voice rang out.

Only then did everyone calm 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, a person could easily go mad.

Anyone unable to endure it would be directly eliminated.

"The timer starts now."

After Funano Daikoku spoke, he fell silent.

For examinees with little strength, this Illusion Barrier was practically a guaranteed kill. There was absolutely no way to resist it.

Therefore...

they could only rely on their willpower to endure this terrifying darkness second by second, then meet either victory... or defeat.

"I can't see anything for now."

Jueming blinked and found nothing but darkness before his eyes.

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

His sense of smell was the third to disappear.

His sense of touch also began to grow indistinct.

Silence...

Utter silence.

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

After all,

Illusion Techniques possessed all kinds of wondrous effects.

The D-Rank Demonic Illusion Viewing Technique alone could make someone see what they feared most, with lifelike realism.

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

In reality, the five senses had not vanished.

It was merely an illusion caused by Chakra interfering with the human brain.

Mito Uzumaki judged.

She had been very powerful in life.

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

If Jueming could not see, she too became unable to see or hear what was happening outside.

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

With a thud,

Jueming lay down on a long bench in the Exam Classroom.

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

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

[Stamina +1]

[Stamina +1]...

Seeing the system prompt, Jueming knew it was settled.

This meant he had properly lain down, which was why his stamina had started increasing.

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

Why not take a nap?

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

"Has Chakra interfered with my brain?"

That was the essence of an Illusion Technique.

It was external Chakra interfering with one's own brain.

Being unable to sleep was clearly part of this examination's design as well.

When they saw Jueming suddenly lie down,

the examiners on the classroom podium were immediately stunned.

They were not affected by this Barrier.

Since each of them possessed at least Chunin-level strength, they could naturally resist this Illusion Technique specifically aimed at the examinees.

Thus, the classroom appeared brightly lit to them.

"The Senju Clan has really turned things around this year."

"Yes, I never expected it."

They examined Jueming and nodded.

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

Someone voiced this question.

It was also the doubt shared by all the examiners.

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

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

When his mind neared collapse, he automatically woke up.

"I..."

Staring at the classroom that 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 a period that felt both long and brief, the examination reached its end.

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

Funano Daikoku swept his gaze around.

"But you should all be 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 like comparing them.

Funano Daikoku proposed it.

The examination needed rankings anyway.

"Agreed."

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

The other examiners nodded in agreement.

Thus, the examinees began leaving one after another. In the end, only five people remained.

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

The first four 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 dossier in his hands.

Though he came from the Senju Clan, he did not seem as formidable as the first four no matter how one looked at it.

"In three days, come see the list being revealed... At that time, the names of the qualified 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.

Thus, the students all left the scene, and the classroom immediately became quiet once more.

Jueming lay there, watching his stamina increase as he calculated the time.

About two and a half hours had passed in reality.

In other words, it was already noon.

"Are they going to continue until the afternoon?"

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

Time passed second by second.

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

He got up and looked around. His childhood friend, Kurenai Yuhi, was still within the Illusion Technique, clearly able to endure longer than he could.

"As expected of 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 little longer?"

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

"I'll wait for Kurenai first." Asuma indicated that picking up girls was more important.

A little while later,

Kurenai Yuhi and Tekka Uchiha woke up.

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

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

Kurenai Yuhi: "Why wasn't the test about breaking Illusion Techniques? I could have broken this Illusion Technique in seconds."

Kurenai Yuhi was still very confident in her talent for Illusion Techniques, but unfortunately, the test had not allowed her to display her true strength.

The two soon departed.

The examiners ate lunch while watching the remaining two continue.

The time went from twelve thirty in the afternoon to one, two, three...

"Haa."

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

I should be first, right?

He thought so, only to see Jueming staring blankly at the ceiling of the classroom examination room.

Kakashi Hatake froze.

"This guy... he actually beat me? I really talked myself up this time..."

Kakashi Hatake scratched his head. His father would definitely tease 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 Hatake 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.

[Stamina +1]

[Stamina +1]...

As the sky began to darken, the examiners discovered that Jueming was still lying there.

"Could he really lie there until tonight?!"

The examiners looked surprised, while Mito Uzumaki had 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 difficulty of the exam.

Still, seeing how well Jueming could lie there and how firm his will was, Mito Uzumaki felt greatly relieved.

This only made her more determined to guide Jueming onto Tobirama Senju's path.

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

To keep Hokage-sama from working overtime.

The results of the entire exam needed to be submitted as soon as possible...

Thus, Jueming, who had not yet lain there long enough, was called to his feet.

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

Funano Daikoku stared at Jueming.

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

"Oh."

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

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

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.

While the examiners stood there in a daze.

Jueming received a system prompt.

[Scrap Achieved...!]

[Grass Release - ninja Skill Tree activated]

[Obtained "Grass Release Bloodline Limit"]

[Grass Release Chakra generated]

[Grass Release technique "Life Grass" can be learned!]