Ninja Art Fusion, Early Probe of the Anbu Assessment

Night had completely shrouded the forest, the moonlight filtering through the gaps in the branches to cast mottled silver shadows upon the ground. Su Ye found a secluded cave; its entrance was concealed by vines and rocks, while the interior was dry and spacious—perfect for a temporary training ground. He placed two layers of sensory runes at the entrance: one for early warning and another to distort chakra fluctuations, ensuring that even if high-ranking ninjas approached, they would struggle to detect the presence within.

After setting up the defenses, Su Ye sat cross-legged and took out the "Basic Ninjutsu Library" jade slip rewarded by the system. Upon injecting his chakra, the detailed hand seals and principles for the Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique flooded his mind like a tidal wave. He did not rush to practice the seals; instead, he closed his eyes, his left Rinne Sharingan quietly igniting as he began to analyze the energy flow logic of the three ninjutsu.

"The core of the Substitution Technique is an instantaneous burst of chakra to swap positions with surrounding objects; the Clone Technique splits chakra to simulate a body with simple consciousness; the Transformation Technique uses chakra to alter body shape and aura..." Su Ye muttered to himself. Within the vision of the Rinne Sharingan, the energy trajectories of the three ninjutsu emerged clearly, like three threads of different colors intertwining in the void.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck him: "What if I combine the Clone Technique with Heavenly Hand Power? Use the clone to attract the enemy's attention, then swap positions with the clone via Heavenly Hand Power. It would allow me to dodge attacks while simultaneously flanking the enemy for a surprise strike."

No sooner thought than done, Su Ye mobilized the chakra within him and performed the seals for the Clone Technique in rapid succession: "Clone Technique!" With a low shout, two clones identical to him appeared in the cave. Their chakra fluctuations were almost indistinguishable from his true body—a result of him optimizing the rhythm of the seals with the help of the Rinne Sharingan; the quality of these clones was thirty percent higher than those of a standard Clone Technique.

Su Ye stared at one of the clones and focused his mind to activate Heavenly Hand Power. A flash of light erupted from his left Rinne Sharingan, and his position swapped with the clone instantly. Su Ye, who had been standing on the left side of the cave, appeared in the position of the clone on the right in the blink of an eye, while the clone landed in his previous spot, the transition seamless and without a hint of lag.

"Success!" Su Ye felt a surge of joy and attempted to activate Heavenly Hand Power twice more in quick succession to swap with the other clone. After a few practice rounds, he had mastered the "Clone + Heavenly Hand Power" combo. Not only could he precisely control the timing of the swap, but by adjusting the amount of chakra, he could ensure the clone didn't dissipate immediately upon taking a hit, further confusing the enemy.

Next, he began practicing the Transformation Technique. A standard Transformation Technique only changes one's appearance, making it easy for one's aura to give them away. However, having used the Rinne Sharingan to analyze the chakra fluctuations of Anbu members, Su Ye now attempted to simulate their specific chakra characteristics. He took a deep breath, circulated chakra across his skin, and his body gradually shifted—his height increased by half a foot, he donned black tactical gear, and a cat mask identical to the one worn by the Anbu he had encountered earlier appeared on his face.

"The chakra fluctuation still isn't quite right." Su Ye frowned. The Rinne Sharingan scanned his body, revealing that while the simulated Anbu chakra was roughly similar, there were still discrepancies in the subtle rhythm of its flow. He adjusted the output frequency of his chakra, correcting the trajectory of the fluctuations bit by bit until the Rinne Sharingan indicated a "90% similarity," at which point he ceased his adjustments.

"Now, let's try combining the Substitution Technique with Kamui." Su Ye did not rest, continuing to develop new ninjutsu combinations. He threw a kunai toward the cave wall, and the moment it was about to strike, he activated the Substitution Technique and Kamui—the Substitution Technique swapped him with a stone on the ground, while Kamui simultaneously sucked the stone into the other dimension. The entire process was as fast as lightning, leaving behind only a faint trace of spatial distortion.

"This way, even if the enemy sees through the Substitution Technique, Kamui can completely hide the traces of the substitute, making it impossible for them to determine my true location." Su Ye nodded in satisfaction. With nearly half his chakra consumed, he took out a chakra recovery potion, drank it, and began to consolidate the combinations he had just developed.

Just as Su Ye was immersed in his training, the sensory runes outside the cave suddenly transmitted a faint vibration—the chakra fluctuations this time were more concealed than those of the previous Anbu members, carrying a probing quality as if they were deliberately observing the surrounding environment.

"Anbu again? And there's more than one." Su Ye instantly suppressed his aura and activated both the Clone Technique and the Transformation Technique—two clones remained in the cave to continue training, creating the illusion that he was still there, while his true body transformed into a small squirrel and slipped silently out through a crack in the cave, his left Rinne Sharingan remaining active as he vigilantly observed his surroundings.

Under the moonlight, three figures dressed in black tactical gear and wearing different masks were moving slowly around the cave. The leader was an Anbu wearing a fox mask; his chakra fluctuations were the strongest, and he held a ninja sword in his hand. The other two, wearing wolf and eagle masks respectively, held kunai and stared vigilantly toward the cave.

"The fox mask's chakra level is at least peak Chunin, and the wolf and eagle masks should be elite Genin." Su Ye judged, keeping to the cover of the trees as he quietly followed behind the trio, wanting to learn their objective.

"Captain, I sense chakra fluctuations inside, but they are very blurry, as if they're being interfered with by something." The eagle-masked Anbu whispered. He performed a seal, and a thin thread of chakra extended toward the cave, only to be instantly distorted upon touching the sensory runes, unable to penetrate inside.

The fox-masked Anbu frowned, his voice low: "To be able to distort chakra perception, it seems the person inside is no simple matter. The 'mysterious ninja who uses space-time ninjutsu' reported by the cat mask earlier might be in there. This is a preliminary probe before the assessment; don't alert the enemy, just observe for a while."

"Assessment?" A thought stirred in Su Ye's mind. "Could it be that the Anbu assessment has already begun screening candidates in advance?"

Just then, the fox-masked Anbu suddenly raised his hand, signaling the others to stop. He looked toward the direction where Su Ye was hiding, a flicker of vigilance in his eyes: "Who's there? Come out!" His ninja sword partially unsheathed, emitting a sharp, lethal aura.

Su Ye felt a chill, knowing he had been discovered. He did not panic; instead, under the cover of his transformation, he deliberately let out a squirrel's squeak while injecting a trace of chakra into the ground to create the tracks of a small squirrel scurrying away.

The fox-masked Anbu stared at the tree where Su Ye was hiding, his chakra slowly spreading out, but he only sensed the aura of an ordinary squirrel. He frowned and said to the other two: "Perhaps I was just being paranoid. Continue observing. If the person inside hasn't left by dawn, report to headquarters and request further investigation."

The three returned to the vicinity of the cave, maintaining a certain distance while vigilantly watching for movement inside. Su Ye, under the cover of his transformation, circled to the side and rear of the trio, his left Rinne Sharingan fixed tightly on the fox-masked Anbu—he discovered that within the opponent's chakra, there was a faint trace of an aura similar to the Uchiha clan grounds, as if they had participated in the operation on the night of the massacre.

"It seems the Anbu's probe into me isn't just for the assessment, but also to confirm whether I am related to the Uchiha massacre." Su Ye understood, quietly retreating back to the vicinity of the cave, dispelling his transformation and clone techniques, and returning inside. He did not continue training, but instead began to contemplate a strategy for the Anbu assessment—since they had already begun probing him, he had to demonstrate sufficient strength during the assessment while keeping the true power of the Rinne Sharingan hidden to avoid attracting excessive attention from the Konoha high command.

Under the moonlight, the Anbu outside the cave continued their vigilant observation, while inside, Su Ye was silently planning his next move. He knew that the true test of the Anbu assessment had already begun, and he had to proceed with caution at every step to stand out in this trial and gain the opportunity to uncover the truth behind the night of the massacre.