Anbu's Probing

In the 55th year of Konoha Village, Xingye was already 8 years old.

After two years of cultivation, his strength had reached the level of a Chunin, and the growth rate brought about by his Otsutsuki bloodline made him stronger with each passing day.

Under Xingye's impetus, the Uchiha compound began to undergo reforms; the conservatives were marginalized, and the radicals began to take power. Xingye, Fugaku, and Itachi formed a triumvirate, jointly leading the Uchiha clan.

Such changes caught the attention of the Konoha Village high command, especially the Anbu.

The Anbu decided to conduct an "assessment" of Xingye, which was, in reality, a probe into the Uchiha's movements.

The leader of the assessment team was Kakashi.

At this time, Kakashi was already an Anbu captain, possessing formidable strength and a Sharingan. His mission was to evaluate Xingye's true strength and the Uchiha clan's loyalty to Konoha Village.

The location for the assessment was chosen at the edge of the Forest of Death.

Early in the morning, Xingye arrived at the Forest of Death alone, planning to test the power of his Lightning Style.

He had just condensed the prototype of the Lightning Style: Chidori Sharp Spear when he sensed three powerful auras.

His Byakugan activated instantly, locking onto the three enemies with 360-degree vision.

The leader had silver hair covering his left eye and a mask covering the lower half of his face, with a bright red Sharingan in his right eye.

Kakashi.

"Xingye, the Anbu would like to request your cooperation for an assessment," Kakashi said expressionlessly.

Xingye retracted his Byakugan and turned to look at Kakashi.

"An assessment? Or a probe?" Xingye asked calmly.

Kakashi was slightly taken aback, but he did not reveal any emotion.

"What, are you unwilling?"

"No, I just want to know the specific content of the assessment," Xingye said.

"It's very simple," Kakashi said. "We will attack you, and you need to do your best to respond. The goal is to test your combat ability."

Xingye nodded.

"Fine, come on."

Kakashi waved his hand, and the other two Anbu members launched an attack simultaneously.

All three Anbu members were of Jonin caliber, coordinating perfectly, their attacks descending like a rainstorm.

Xingye's Sharingan activated instantly, its three tomoe rotating slowly.

"Lightning Style: Chidori Sharp Spear!"

Xingye condensed Lightning Style chakra in his hand and thrust it forward violently. The lightning pierced the air like a sharp sword, striking directly at one of the Anbu members.

The Anbu member was shocked and hurriedly dodged, but he was still grazed by the lightning, his body momentarily paralyzed.

Seeing this, the other two Anbu members launched ninjutsu attacks simultaneously.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

An earth wall rose from the ground, blocking Xingye's line of sight, while a massive fireball descended from the sky.

Xingye remained unhurried, forming seals with both hands.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

A wall of water rose from the ground, blocking the Great Fireball. Steam billowed, and visibility became blurred.

Just then, Kakashi rushed out from the steam, his Sharingan activated, and he unleashed the Thousand Blade Stream, sending countless chakra blades flying toward Xingye.

Xingye's Sharingan clearly captured the trajectory of every blade, his body moving like a phantom as he easily evaded all the attacks.

Then, he appeared behind Kakashi, his hand-blade pressed against the back of Kakashi's neck.

"Senior Kakashi, I have won this assessment."

Kakashi was stunned.

He had not expected that this 8-year-old child could suppress him and two other Anbu Jonin.

"Your strength..." Kakashi took a deep breath, "exceeds my expectations."

"You flatter me." Xingye withdrew his hand-blade, and his Sharingan faded.

The other two Anbu members also stopped their attacks, looking at Xingye in shock.

"To have such strength at 8 years old..." one of them muttered to himself, "the Uchiha clan has truly produced a monster."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"The assessment is over; your performance was excellent," Kakashi said. "I will report this to the Hokage."

With that, the three of them turned and left.

Xingye watched their retreating figures as the system's notification sound rang out once more.

[Defeat Anbu members to plunder traits]

[Please select the entries to plunder]

Xingye felt a stir in his heart, and the system interface immediately displayed the talents of the three Anbu members:

Kakashi:

[Sharingan Proficiency (Blue)]

[Lightning Release (Blue)]

[Taijutsu Talent (Blue)]

[Stealth (Blue)]

[Anbu Tactics (Blue)]

Anbu Member A:

[Earth Release (Blue)]

[Intelligence Analysis (Green)]

[Assassination Technique (Green)]

Anbu Member B:

[Fire Release (Blue)]

[Taijutsu (Green)]

[Concealment (Green)]

Xingye chose [Sharingan Proficiency (Blue)], [Lightning Release (Blue)], [Taijutsu Talent (Blue)], and [Anbu Tactics (Blue)].

[Plunder successful]

[Obtained talents: Sharingan Proficiency (Blue), Lightning Release (Blue), Taijutsu Talent (Blue), Anbu Tactics (Blue)]

[System notification: Entry grade increased]

[Lightning Release (Blue) → Lightning Release (Purple)]

[Anbu Tactics (Blue) → Anbu Tactics (Purple)]

Xingye felt the new power surging within him and nodded in satisfaction.

It seems my entry library is becoming increasingly rich, he mused to himself. Sharingan Proficiency, Lightning Release, Taijutsu Talent, Anbu Tactics... these are all incredibly useful talents.

He turned around, preparing to return to the Uchiha compound.

But just then, he suddenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation of chakra.

This chakra did not belong to any known ninjutsu, carrying with it an eerie aura.

Xingye activated his Byakugan instantly, scanning his surroundings in 360 degrees.

Finally, his gaze locked onto a direction deep within the Forest of Death.

"There is something there..." Xingye muttered to himself.

He decided to go and investigate.