Test

A few days later.

The shift in direction had always come so suddenly and hastily. Faced with the Stone ninja's aggressive demands, Konoha, which had been on the verge of compromise, suddenly rejected their ridiculous requests with a hardline stance. Thus, the fuse that would ignite the war was shortened another step, and another foreshadowing was laid.

The Hokage's office.

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, recuperating. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically... When the sudden change of heart among Konoha's higher-ups arrived before him alongside the news that Ye Zi had entered Root, he suddenly thought of many things, and that was why he felt so tired.

His index finger habitually flexed and extended, but merely rested against the desktop. His eyes slowly opened, revealing a cold, sharp edge, and the wrinkles carved into the corners by time stretched out with them. He looked at the silent, empty office without saying a word.

"Things can't always be forced." After a long while, he sighed softly. That night, Orochimaru had given up on killing Ye Zi, and he had not intended to force Ye Zi to stay either. Deep down, he had also hoped Ye Zi would leave Konoha, which was why he had ordered the guards not to stop Ye Zi at the right moment. Yet in the end, Ye Zi still couldn't leave—but neither did Konoha need to hand him over as a concession. Instead, he had joined Root.

Why had he joined Root?

Based on that question, Hiruzen thought of many things, even the possible impact it might have in the future. Yet for now, all he could do was quietly watch and wait for the transformation Ye Zi would undergo after joining Root. Whether it would be good or bad was impossible to know.

In Year 34 of Konoha, Kakashi, Might Guy, and the others of their generation were born one after another.

On this day, Root welcomed a new member who was only twelve years old. This was nothing unusual for Root, which often recruited young members. Those with talent often needed a more advantageous environment for cultivation, and Root, as the Anbu's training department, could provide anyone in Konoha with the best training environment.

The first thing to do after entering Root was to update one's identity records—in other words, to assess one's current level.

Tap, tap...

A series of crisp footsteps rang through the dimly lit passage. This was an indispensable part of the Anbu's training department. Just as the department was named Root, its location was buried beneath Konoha, like roots embedded in Konoha's soil and constantly sending it nourishment.

Ye Zi silently followed the person responsible for guiding and testing him as they walked through the passage, where the light flickered dimly. The torches on the walls emitted faint sizzling sounds, and their yellow flames cast a long shadow across the floor.

After turning a corner, the person in front stopped before an iron door. Ye Zi stopped as well and silently watched him.

The leader turned around and looked at Ye Zi coldly. His tone was equally icy. "There are three main tests. I'll tell you about the second after you complete the first. For now, enter this room. I'll explain the details after you go inside."

As soon as he finished speaking, the iron door slowly opened with an unpleasant creak.

Ye Zi entered the room without a word. A dazzling light descended from above, illuminating the entire room as brightly as day. Countless Shuriken were scattered through the air beside the walls, frozen in place as if time had stopped. Under the light, they gleamed with a piercing chill.

Ye Zi narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied the Shuriken around him, vaguely understanding what the first test was. But there seemed to be far too many of them. In other words, this test carried a certain degree of risk. With the slightest carelessness, one mistake could result in him being buried beneath the Shuriken. No wonder the person in charge of the test hadn't explained all three tests at once. If he failed the first, there would be no need to proceed to the second.

At that moment, a clear voice suddenly rang through the empty room. It was the voice of the person who had brought him there.

"Walk to the middle."

At that, Ye Zi silently walked to the center of the room. The brightest beam of light fell upon the spot where he stood.

The voice continued, "See the Shuriken around you? This is the first test. It mainly tests your reaction and evasion abilities. Once the three-second countdown ends, I'll activate the mechanism. At that time, all the Shuriken around you will shoot toward your position. You may use Kunai, jump, crouch, or lie flat, but you cannot leave the range of the beam or use ninjutsu. If you understand, raise your right hand."

After listening to the explanation, Ye Zi's eyes changed slightly. He lowered his head and glanced at the area illuminated beneath his feet. It was only about one meter in diameter—not small, but considering the number of Shuriken, the entire area would probably be covered with them.

Was this really a test?

His brows furrowed slightly. He did not raise his right hand, instead silently staring at the area covered by the beam. The person in the observation room patiently watched Ye Zi below. After casually switching off the speaker, he turned to the middle-aged man standing quietly beside him and asked, "He hasn't undergone specialized training, yet he's facing a trial of this difficulty in his first test. There's a good chance he'll die, even with a medical ninja standing by."

The middle-aged man was Danzo. Through a gap five fingers wide, he looked down at Ye Zi, who stood silently with his head lowered in the room below. After a moment, he slowly said, "How do you think he survived Jiu Xiao of the Cloud ninja's swift blade? And how did he successfully break through the Stone ninja and Ash ninja's layers of encirclement?"

The man was stunned by the question. Even after more than ten seconds passed, he still could not come up with an answer.

Danzo continued watching the silent Ye Zi and said slowly, "He isn't from the Hyuga clan, nor is he from the Uchiha clan. But I think his eyes are excellent. That's how he survived beneath Jiu Xiao's blade and succeeded in breaking through an almost impossible predicament. Since his eyes are so sharp, this level of testing shouldn't amount to much."

The man still could not find an answer after hearing that. Were his eyes really that good? Even if there was evidence, it seemed difficult to be certain. Then what if this guess was wrong?

When he looked at Ye Zi, a trace of pity inevitably appeared in his eyes. The hidden-weapon launchers in the room had been set to the highest difficulty. Even though he had trained in this room countless times, he could not guarantee that he would emerge unscathed.

More than a hundred Shuriken would be launched at once. With the area restricted, he could only shift left and right during the first few seconds. Once all the Shuriken had been fired, the ground within the area would be covered with them. Thus, after shifting left and right to evade some of the Shuriken, he could only leap into the air, then adjust his body midair to dodge them one by one. Not a single transition between movements could be delayed, and not one mistake could be made. Even the slightest error would be fatal—unless his ability to endure pain was exceptionally strong.

Shifting first and then taking to the air was the standard response. But could Ye Zi, who had never undergone similar training, rely on his so-called excellent eyes to figure that out in an instant?

The man shook his head slightly, the pity in his eyes gradually fading. He held his hand above the switch and patiently waited for Ye Zi to raise his right hand. No matter what, he had reason to patiently wait for Ye Zi to finish observing the room, even if Ye Zi was currently doing nothing more than silently staring at the area covered by the beam.

The little brat Lord Danzo values. I hope you can pass. The man thought silently. Then he saw Ye Zi finally begin studying the directions in which the Shuriken scattered across the space above the walls were aimed. He seemed to look at each direction only once before shifting his gaze away.

"Hm?" Both the man and Danzo noticed this detail and began pondering slightly. Before they could think any further, they saw Ye Zi merely glance around once before he already showed signs of raising his hand.

Seeing this, the corner of Danzo's mouth lifted slightly. It seemed he had noticed another one of Ye Zi's strengths.