Collecting Scrolls

In the world of Naruto, the Uchiha Clan is like the Saiyans of Dragon Ball—a race born for battle.

As descendants of Indra, the Uchiha are natural combat geniuses. With the aid of the Sharingan, they receive bonuses to taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu alike. Once they awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, it is as if they have triggered a legendary bug!

Skills that function like laws of nature—Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Kamui, and Susanoo—need not even be mentioned. Even the genjutsu enhanced by the current two-tomoe or three-tomoe Sharingan poses a significant threat to Sato Hideaka. During that initial battle against Uchiha Kenichi, if Kurenai hadn't dispelled the genjutsu he was trapped in, he surely would have been taken out in a single blow.

Based on his fight with Uchiha Kenichi three days ago, Sato Hideaka summarized his current flaws: his resistance to genjutsu is too poor, his chakra reserves are insufficient, and his taijutsu is hampered by his age, preventing him from exerting the power he should possess.

While the other two shortcomings might put Sato Hideaka at a disadvantage during a duel, only genjutsu could cause him to be instantly killed by an opponent before he could even react.

This weakness in genjutsu resistance occupied Sato Hideaka's thoughts for a long time, until he finally conceived of a method to counter, or even reverse, such attacks. This approach might not be very effective against ordinary genjutsu, but it would have an additive effect against the ocular genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan.

"Returning the opponent's move to them" is a top-tier martial art from the Jin Yong wuxia novels of the Murong family. In the Naruto world, there is also a ninja capable of this: Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage and jinchuriki of the Three-Tails. Through the nature transformation of his Water Release chakra, he uses the Water Release: Water Mirror Technique to create a clone identical to the enemy, capable of using the same ninjutsu as the opponent with equal power.

During his battle against Naruto Uzumaki and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki Killer B, Yagura once used the Water Mirror Technique to block their simultaneous attacks!

If he could create a mirror-like ninjutsu through the nature transformation of Crystal Release chakra, he could reflect the Sharingan genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan, and with the enhancement of the Sharingan's ocular power, the genjutsu effect would be even further amplified.

However, to fully develop this ninjutsu, he would need to understand the properties of genjutsu, ocular techniques, and Crystal Release, as well as construct the framework for the jutsu and test it to ensure success. Clearly, Sato Hideaka, currently in the Forest of Death, lacks the time and energy for this. He plans to resolve this issue only after the Forest of Death test is complete.

After plucking six or seven fruits from a large tree, Sato Hideaka leaped through the branches several times until he reached the hollow of a massive tree, then jumped down to the ground.

Yuhi Kurenai and Hyuga Ningxiang emerged from the tree hollow. Seeing the fruit in Sato Hideaka's hands, their eyes lit up. Because they had been eating dry rations for two days to avoid the danger of lighting a fire and attracting opponents during the Forest of Death exam, they were eager for a change of pace.

"Ah, fruit! Thank you, Hideaka." The two girls happily accepted the fruit from Sato Hideaka, thanked him excitedly, wiped them on their clothes, and began to eat.

Sato Hideaka took a bite as well, saying indistinctly, "We have now obtained three scrolls: two 'Yang' scrolls and one 'Yin' scroll. That means we only need one more 'Yang' scroll and two more 'Yin' scrolls to complete the collection!"

Yuhi Kurenai nodded and said, "I didn't expect collecting scrolls to be this easy, but it's all thanks to you, Hideaka. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have collected three scrolls so quickly!"

"Haha, not at all... This is the credit of our team as a whole. Ningxiang is responsible for reconnaissance and protection, and Kurenai, you assist from the sidelines with genjutsu. Otherwise, I'm afraid it wouldn't be them falling into our traps, but me falling into theirs...!"

Sato Hideaka spoke the truth. For a ninja, true combat is not like a samurai's one-on-one duel; traps, ambushes, and sneak attacks are all fair game as long as one achieves victory. Thus, even a Jonin could be easily killed by a group of well-prepared Chunin.

This also reflects the importance of a sensory-type ninja in combat; a sensory-type ninja is like the eyes of a team!

"Ningxiang, are there any teams nearby? We need to speed up our progress. It takes about five days to get from the outside of the Forest of Death to the Tower of Death, and three days have already passed. If we get the six scrolls sooner, our chances of qualifying will be much higher!"

After finishing the fruit handed to her by Sato Hideaka, Hyuga Ningxiang nodded. She quickly formed six hand seals at her chest, then suddenly opened her eyes. Veins bulged at her temples as she began to survey the surrounding environment.

"Hmm, hmm... There is a three-person team about a kilometer away at the eleven o'clock position. They seem to have two scrolls in their possession."

"We'll proceed with our previous combat strategy... By the way, Ningxiang, you must observe the surroundings at all times to prevent us from being ambushed or attacked while we move!"

As soon as Sato Hideaka finished speaking, he leaped onto the branch of a large tree. Moving along the dense canopy, he bounded from tree to tree, sprinting toward that direction. Hyuga Ningxiang and Yuhi Kurenai followed closely behind, the three of them advancing in a triangular formation.

Before long, guided by Hyuga Ningxiang, the three arrived near the enemy team. Their hiding spot was very secluded, shielded by surrounding boulders, large trees, and low shrubs. Two people were lying on the rocks as if asleep, while one person kept watch, looking as though they were resting.

Sato Hideaka signaled to Hyuga Ningxiang, who nodded to acknowledge. She scanned the area with her Byakugan, pointed to several patches of grass that looked completely normal, and used hand signals to indicate that these were locations where they had hidden traps. After confirming the positions of the traps, Sato Hideaka nodded to Yuhi Kurenai.

Just as Yuhi Kurenai was preparing to act, the three people in front of them changed...

One of the sleeping candidates suddenly sat up. The candidate who had been keeping watch saw this and stepped forward. The two seemed to say something, then went over to the other resting candidate, punched the sleeping one unconscious, took a scroll from his body, and snuck away in one direction.

Clearly, this team had already gathered both "Yin" and "Yang" scrolls, but unfortunately, their team was not united. These two were obviously trying to ditch the person they had knocked out to enjoy the fruits of victory alone.

Sato Hideaka didn't believe for a second that the unconscious candidate had no guard up; it was simply that three days of living together had caused him to lower his vigilance, allowing the conspiracy of these two to succeed.

Sato Hideaka felt fortunate that his own team wasn't like this one. Otherwise, while facing the various crises of the forest, having to guard against one's own teammates would be a waste of energy and emotion.

"Move!"

The cold, soft voice came from Sato Hideaka. Six shuriken condensed from Crystal Release chakra had already formed in his hands. His gaze was locked firmly on the two who were about to leave, his body slightly hunched, already adjusted to the optimal posture.

Yuhi Kurenai's jewel-like eyes stared intently at the opponents. Her delicate hands formed several seals at her chest, and she whispered, "Demonic Illusion: Temple of Nirvana Technique!"

The Temple of Nirvana Technique is a genjutsu that causes phantom feathers to fall, inducing a sleep state in the enemy. Yakushi Kabuto once used this move during the Chunin Exams to put a large crowd of people to sleep.

The two candidates who were about to leave suddenly stopped in their tracks. Their bodies swayed as if they were drunk, and their legs went limp, appearing ready to collapse. Suddenly, as if they had discovered something, their expressions sharpened. They formed a seal at their chests and shouted, "Release!"

But in that brief moment, Sato Hideaka had already charged out. His path avoided all the traps the opponents had set. Once he reached a distance where he was certain of his aim, the six shuriken in his hands were fired, tracing six graceful arcs through the air—

Bright red crystals began to form on the two men's bodies, starting from their knees, elbows, and ankles. The crystals completely encased their joints, causing the two candidates, who were struggling to escape, to lose their balance instantly. They fell to the ground like dogs eating mud, letting out terrified screams...

"What on earth happened? How could it be like this..."

"Who is it? Who is ambushing us? If you have the guts, come out and fight us one-on-one!"

The shuriken Sato Hideaka had thrown earlier, while the opponents were being hit by the genjutsu, had perfectly grazed the clothing over their joints. The Crystal Release chakra within them suddenly surged, completely encasing their joints and causing them to lose most of their mobility, leaving them sprawled on the ground...

Regarding their demand for a one-on-one fight, Sato Hideaka curled his lip in utter disdain. Ninjas are beings who use any means necessary to achieve their goals. As for a fair one-on-one fight, why didn't they fight fair and square when they were stealing their teammate's scroll?

Under Hyuga Ningxiang's direction, Sato Hideaka approached the two and used Crystal Release chakra to completely seal their joints. After ensuring there was no chance of failure, he took two scrolls from their chests. Opening them, he saw they were indeed the "Yin" and "Yang" types, confirming his earlier guess!

Just as Sato Hideaka was about to turn back to high-five Yuhi Kurenai and Hyuga Ningxiang in celebration, Hyuga Ningxiang seemed to have discovered something. With an agitated expression, she said, "My clansman is nearby. It seems he has been attacked, and his chakra is being consumed rapidly. I have to go help him..."

With that, she leaped onto a large tree alone and headed toward the eleven o'clock position!