Uchiha Yashiro

The disturbance in the Forest of Death was quickly noticed by the ninjas stationed nearby.

To prevent the commotion from being the work of enemies such as spies, the Konoha Military Police Force responded swiftly.

Before long, a young Uchiha Jonin led a squad into the Forest of Death and followed the source of the snakes to Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru Jonin, what is going on here?"

"Uchiha Yashiro of the Konoha Military Police Force? It's nothing. Just a little trial for my newly accepted student."

Orochimaru stood atop the brown serpent's head with one hand behind his back as he spoke to Uchiha Yashiro. He seemed to be in a good mood, a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

"A newly accepted student?"

Twenty-five-year-old Uchiha Yashiro glanced at Utsuki Ruri beside Orochimaru, then at Sarutobi Enju, who was still lying atop one of the Two-headed Snake's heads.

He did not recognize Utsuki Ruri, but as the Hokage's son, Sarutobi Enju's identity was known to Uchiha Yashiro, a deputy captain of a Konoha Military Police Force division with no small amount of standing. He also knew that Enju was a Genin who had only graduated this year.

"A Genin who graduated this year? Does this really require making such a huge fuss?"

Uchiha Yashiro looked at Orochimaru and asked.

"If I don't raise the difficulty, it won't have much training effect on him. After all, this student of mine is also a newly emerged genius of your Uchiha Clan."

Orochimaru said with a smile.

A genius of the Uchiha Clan?

That sounded fairly normal... right?

Uchiha Yashiro eyed the surging mass of snakes suspiciously. Then a formula appeared in his mind.

Uchiha = the strongest.

An Uchiha genius = the strongest genius.

Using such outrageous methods against the strongest genius did seem reasonable... my ass!

Even if he was an Uchiha genius, Uchiha Yashiro had never seen one capable of dealing with such a situation as a Genin—especially one who had just graduated.

"Who from the clan graduated this year?"

The Uchiha members of the Konoha Military Police Force following behind Tekka began discussing it as well.

"Anyone personally led by a Jonin must be from the elite class. As I recall, there's only Inaho from Brother Nobuyuki's family, and Gen, the orphaned son of the late Taki. I heard he did quite well at the Ninja Academy."

"It should be Gen. A few days ago, I even heard my boy say that Gen took first place this year. He said he wanted to be first next year too, but I think it'll be difficult. First place in his class has always been occupied by some blond civilian brat. I'll be satisfied if he can stay in the top ten of the elite class."

"To avoid any accidents, may we go and take a look?"

Uchiha Yashiro looked at Orochimaru.

"Of course."

Orochimaru remained as calm and unconcerned as ever.

"Yuto, take the others and inform everyone outside that an exercise is underway here. To avoid danger, tell the other ninjas not to train near this area for the time being. I'll stay and follow along."

Uchiha Yashiro immediately gave the order.

A few minutes later, at the center of the Forest of Death.

Uchiha Gen was surprised to find that he seemingly had nowhere left to run.

Snake swarms filled every direction, leaving him nowhere to hide. At intervals, large serpents blocked the way.

They were not as massive as the Black Scale Serpent he had encountered before, but they were certainly not something he could deal with easily.

"What a pain. But using a lineup like this against a Genin who just graduated—is that reasonable?"

Uchiha Gen stood on a thick tree branch, looking at the snake swarms around him before glancing at the large serpent in the distance, where several figures could vaguely be seen atop its head. His expression was visibly close to falling apart.

I just wanted to see what kind of jutsu that was. Did they really have to go this far?

But with only about ten minutes left, giving up was simply not an option.

He would have to see whether he could hold out.

Before the snake swarm could catch up, Uchiha Gen hurriedly took a Ration Pill from his ninja tool pouch and swallowed it. Then he wrapped the last few strands of Elastic Steel Wire around kunai and threw them in all directions, setting up a web-like formation centered on himself.

The snake swarm surged forward, and Uchiha Gen unleashed his jutsu once again.

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Lines of fire rose from the ground. The instant they touched the dry grass and leaves, towering walls of flame erupted, ruthlessly devouring the long snakes that leaped toward him.

Not every snake feared the heat of flames, but this could at least block off a considerable number of them and ease the pressure.

Amid the rising flames, Uchiha Gen poured the last small bottle of fire oil into his mouth. With a flick of both hands, two kunai with cold glimmers at their ends appeared in his grip.

Next, he would have to rely on his taijutsu and skill with ninja tools to contend with these snakes.

His jutsu had to be saved for the stronger large serpents.

Although only ten minutes remained, Uchiha Gen was only twelve years old. His body had not yet fully developed. While his solid physical foundation and Uchiha Clan bloodline gave him far more Chakra than an ordinary civilian ninja, he neither possessed Hashirama Senju's Sage Body nor was he a Jinchuriki with a Tailed Beast sealed inside him. He could not bombard them nonstop like a cannon.

The closer it got to the end, the calmer he needed to be. His Chakra had to be allocated even more carefully!

Blades flashed, and snake blood splattered.

Uchiha Gen's nimble figure continuously leaped and darted among the massive trees engulfed in flames.

Although he had yet to activate his Sharingan, thanks to the effects of Sensory Ninjutsu, Uchiha Gen was able to react in time to every attack coming at him.

Moreover, compared to the Sharingan, Sensory Ninjutsu had one distinct advantage—it could cover blind spots in one's field of vision, especially behind one's back.

When facing sneak attacks, Sensory Ninjutsu proved even more useful.

In the distance.

Uchiha Yashiro's eyes glowed scarlet as his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, taking in Uchiha Gen's every movement.

The Sharingan was not as useful as the Byakugan for long-range observation, but so long as something was within its field of view, it still held an overwhelming advantage over ordinary eyes in scouting and observation.

"Hiss... That snake bite really hurts."

On the Two-headed Snake's back, the awakened Sarutobi Enju sucked in a cold breath, yet his eyes remained fixed on the distant battle.

"It only hurts. They're all superficial wounds, and there's no poison. Once we get back, buy some of the Nara Clan's secret medicine for external injuries and apply it. You'll be fine by tomorrow."

Orochimaru spoke blandly. Watching Uchiha Gen fight in the distance, he seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

Very soon, Uchiha Gen discovered that the giant snakes which had originally lurked at the perimeter, eyeing him hungrily, were now charging at him as well.

He could no longer conserve Chakra!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"