Binding Path Sixty - Ten Directions Sealing

That afternoon, on the outskirts of the Forest of Death.

Seventy-eight teams that passed the written exam, totaling two hundred and thirty-four Genin, were all assembled here.

The proctor for the second exam was a female ninja.

She wore a black trench coat and a wild, unrestrained grin on her face.

Licking her lips with her tongue, she appeared exceptionally excited.

"Listen up, brats!" Her voice was full of energy. "The second exam will take place at Training Ground 44, also known as the 'Forest of Death'!"

"The terrain here is complex, filled with wild beasts and poisonous insects; it is a true combat zone!"

"The content of the exam: a scroll snatching battle!"

She held up two scrolls, one inscribed with "Heaven" and the other with "Earth."

"Each team will randomly receive one scroll."

"Your mission is to cross the Forest of Death and reach the Central Tower within seventy-two hours."

"The prerequisite is—you must possess both the 'Heaven' and 'Earth' scrolls simultaneously."

"In other words, you need to snatch scrolls from other teams! Any means are permitted! Life or death is irrelevant!"

"Only teams that arrive safely at the tower with both scrolls will pass."

"Now, come up to receive your scrolls, then enter the forest from different entrances!"

"The exam—begins!"

The crowd stirred.

Uchiha Ryūha led Team Seven forward and received a scroll with the character "Earth" written on it.

"Ryūha-kun, we have 'Earth', so we need to snatch 'Heaven'..." Haruno Kazuya gripped the scroll nervously.

"Mm." Uchiha Ryūha nodded, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

Many teams were already sizing each other up, looking for potential prey or allies.

The puppet master team from Sunagakure held a "Heaven" scroll, their expressions appearing quite indifferent.

"Let's go." Uchiha Ryūha turned and headed toward his designated entrance.

Matsumoto Ryūichi saw them to the entrance and bowed solemnly to Uchiha Ryūha: "Ryūha-kun, I'm counting on you!"

Uchiha Ryūha waved his hand and, taking his two teammates with him, stepped into the Forest of Death.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sky, leaving the light dim.

Beneath their feet lay thick soil, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth and a faint metallic tang of blood.

The howling of unknown beasts echoed from afar, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

As soon as they entered the forest, Uchiha Ryūha stopped in his tracks.

"Ryūha-kun?" Fujiwara Itsuki observed the surroundings vigilantly.

Uchiha Ryūha did not answer, instead closing his eyes.

His Reiatsu perception, like liquid mercury spilling across the ground, instantly spread outward from him in all directions!

A radius of five hundred meters!

This range was already comparable to the sensory capabilities of an elite Jonin.

Moreover, his perception was not merely probing for Chakra, but for the more fundamental "Reiatsu" and "life force."

It was more concealed and far more precise!

In an instant, everything in the vicinity was clearly "reflected" in his mind.

Three hundred meters to the front-left, a Konoha team was advancing cautiously; their Chakra fluctuations were steady—likely a team from the Hyuga clan.

Two hundred and fifty meters to the rear-right, two cold, chilling Chakra signatures were lurking in the trees, carrying the distinct aura of Sunagakure—were they puppet masters?

Four hundred meters directly ahead, there were intense combat fluctuations; the Chakra was violent, appearing to be people from Kumogakure in a fight...

And in the southeast direction, about six hundred meters away—

Uchiha Ryūha's perception locked onto a team fleeing in a pathetic state.

There were three Chakra signatures, all following the style of Sunagakure.

One of them was clearly injured, their aura withered.

In their hands, they clutched a "Heaven" scroll.

But what had driven them into such a miserable state was not other ninjas, but...

A massive Saber-toothed Tiger, over five meters in length and nearly two meters tall at the shoulder.

This beast had clearly undergone some form of mutation, as its Chakra reaction was abnormally active.

With terrifying speed and monstrous strength, it was frantically hunting down that Sunagakure team.

"Ryūha-kun, did you find something?" Haruno Kazuya asked in a low voice.

Uchiha Ryūha opened his eyes and adjusted his glasses.

"Six hundred meters to the southeast, there is a Sunagakure squad holding a Heaven Scroll."

Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki's eyes lit up!

"Great! Let's go snatch it..." Fujiwara Itsuki said excitedly.

"But they are being hunted by a mutated giant Saber-toothed Tiger and are barely holding on," Uchiha Ryūha added.

The two were stunned.

"Hunted by a beast?" Haruno Kazuya swallowed hard. "Then... shouldn't we wait until they both exhaust each other before moving in? That would be the safest way!"

Fujiwara Itsuki nodded as well. "That's right, Ryūha-kun. Let them fight the tiger to the death, and we can reap the rewards!"

Uchiha Ryūha glanced at them and shook his head slightly.

"No need."

He turned around and began walking toward the southeast, his voice calm and indifferent:

"I want to see if I can tame that tiger."

Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki exchanged a look; though confused, they followed without a moment's hesitation.

The three moved rapidly through the dense jungle.

Uchiha Ryūha's Reiatsu perception acted like a precision radar, allowing them to avoid all hidden danger zones and potential encounters with other squads in advance.

Their route selection was nothing short of perfect.

A few minutes later, they neared the area.

Through the thick brush, they could hear a massive roar coming from ahead.

The sound of trees snapping echoed loudly, accompanied by the angry, panicked shouts of the Sunagakure ninja.

Uchiha Ryūha parted the bushes and saw the scene before them.

In a devastated clearing, three Sunagakure Genin stood back-to-back, all of them wounded.

One of them had a blood-drenched arm and could barely hold his kunai.

Before them, a Saber-toothed Tiger the size of a small hill bared its fangs.

Drool dripped from its maw, and its amber eyes were filled with brutality and bloodlust.

On the ground lay another Sunagakure ninja, his chest torn open, already lifeless.

"Xinyuan Yi! Kato Yo! I can't hold on much longer!" the wounded Sunagakure ninja rasped.

"Shut up! Wait until I find an opening!" a sinister-looking Sunagakure ninja growled.

It was Kato Yo.

He was the captain of this squad, and in terms of strength, he was already comparable to an average Chunin.

Coming from a prestigious clan within Sunagakure, it was only natural for him to have a few followers.

The four men and the tiger remained in a stalemate.

The Saber-toothed Tiger clearly grew impatient and let out a deafening roar.

Pushing off with its hind legs, its massive body lunged forward with a foul stench, aiming straight for the most severely wounded Sunagakure ninja!

"It's over!" the ninja closed his eyes in despair.

Xinyuan Yi and Kato Yo tried to intervene, but they were far too slow.

Just at this critical moment—

A figure appeared like a ghost, without warning, directly in the path of the tiger's pounce, standing before the Sunagakure ninja.

Black hair, glasses, dark clan attire.

Uchiha Ryūha.

He looked at the giant beast lunging toward him, its blood-stained maw inches away, his eyes calm and without a ripple.

He simply raised his right hand, fingers spread, and aimed at the Saber-toothed Tiger.

He whispered:

"Too slow."

"Binding Spell #60—"

"Ten Directions Sealing."

Hum—!!!

An invisible force erupted from the center of Uchiha Ryūha's palm!

In the next instant, the Saber-toothed Tiger's pounce, its violent Chakra, and even the air within a several-meter radius were all frozen solid!

A translucent, light-blue cubic barrier, roughly five meters on each side, completely encased the Saber-toothed Tiger.

Mysterious runes flowed across the walls of the barrier, radiating a powerful sealing force.

Inside the barrier, the Saber-toothed Tiger remained in a pouncing posture, suspended in mid-air, unable to even move its eyes.

The Chakra boiling within its body was forcibly suppressed and solidified, as if time itself had stopped at this very moment.

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

Kato Yo, along with the Sunagakure ninja who had survived the ordeal.

All of them stared with wide eyes, looking at this inconceivable sight in disbelief.

No hand seals!

No signs of violent Chakra fluctuations!

Just by raising a hand and speaking a single sentence, he had completely sealed this terrifying behemoth?!

What... what kind of Ninjutsu is this?!

Liuyu lowered his hand, turned around, and looked at the shaken trio from Sunagakure, adjusting his glasses.

"I'll be taking your 'Heaven Scroll'."

His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable tone.

"In exchange, I saved your lives."

"It's only fair, isn't it?"