Body and Genjutsu Test

The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was primarily placed on Root members, ensuring they could not reveal any secrets related to Danzo or Root. Once someone attempted to leak information, the Cursed Seal would activate immediately.

The Cursed Seal was applied to the base of the tongue. The mark engraved there connected directly to the brain's nerves, forming an independent chakra cycle that continuously monitored the intent behind speech. When the bearer attempted to speak information related to Danzo or Root, the Cursed Seal would activate at once, interfering with the brain through neural signals and causing paralysis.

The effects of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal mainly manifested in two ways. First was physical paralysis: the bearer would be unable to move their entire body, including speaking or acting. Second was mental coercion: the Cursed Seal would act directly on the brain to prevent any form of information leak.

This Cursed Seal was bound to Danzo's life and would only be automatically released upon his death. Otherwise, it could not be broken through conventional means.

As everyone received the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, they all understood their fate clearly. Kabuto Yakushi and Leopard had already been marked and did not need to receive the seal again.

When everyone gathered at the training ground again, no one noticed that three people were missing. There were more than thirty of them, and they did not know one another, so nobody paid attention to a few missing people.

Seeing everyone equipped and assembled once more on the training ground, Ryūma Aburame continued sternly, "If you want to become an elite ANBU ninja, physical fitness is the most important thing. There is a track here. All of you, start running laps. Without my order, you are not allowed to stop..."

"Yes, Chief Instructor!" Upon hearing the command, everyone began running laps around the training ground. Lin Chuan blended into the crowd without standing out at all. With their armor and equipment on, many people found it easy at first, but after a few laps, they began struggling under the weight.

Lin Chuan had previously jogged while wearing four kilograms of weights and had long since removed them. The additional equipment on him did not feel strenuous. He worked hard to control his breathing rhythm. He did not know where the limit of this endurance test lay, but he had to persist until the end.

And so they ran lap after lap. After more than ten laps, some people could no longer endure and stopped to gasp for breath.

Crack—

Ryūma Aburame lashed out with his whip. Its tip tore through the air with a sonic crack as it struck the person, instantly ripping open the flesh on their back and arms. Even armor could not block the whip's strike.

"I said you are not allowed to stop without my order." Only after seeing the person start running again did Ryūma Aburame put away his whip and leave with the Body Flicker Technique, continuing to push these children's physical limits.

He was not trying to eliminate them. He merely wanted to make an example of them and test the limits of their physical fitness. For a ninja, chakra was essential, and physical strength was tied to the amount of chakra they possessed.

That whip strike jolted everyone awake again, and they continued racing around the training ground. Twenty laps, thirty laps, forty laps, fifty laps... After one hundred laps—ten kilometers—the first child collapsed, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness.

Then more people lost consciousness, their limbs convulsing as foam spilled from their mouths. They fell to the ground one after another. Those who could still move did not dare stop. No one knew what would happen if they fainted, so they could only keep running laps.

The unconscious children were carried away one by one by ANBU members, taken from the running track to another room, where Kabuto Yakushi personally treated them.

Kabuto Yakushi also attached a numbered tag to each child. Starting with the first child to faint, they were ranked in order beginning from Number One, until everyone had collapsed to the ground.

Because the fainted children were taken away, those still holding on had no idea what awaited them. It might have been treatment, but it was even more likely that they had vanished without a trace. No one dared gamble, so they ran desperately, squeezing out the final bit of value from their bodies.

After running continuously for an entire day and night, Torune Aburame finally could not hold on any longer. Fū Yamanaka tried to support him, only to be dragged down with him. In the end, both of them lost consciousness.

Sai and Shin, whom Lin Chuan knew, had fainted long ago. They were orphans from the orphanage and had never received any training. How could they possibly compare with the others?

When Torune Aburame and Fū Yamanaka fainted, Lin Chuan could no longer hold on either and collapsed. Everyone had been using their last shred of willpower to keep their bodies going. Before passing out, he glanced at the training ground and discovered that one person was still persisting. What a freak. Then he completely lost consciousness.

Kabuto Yakushi came over to take Lin Chuan away. Seeing that Lin Chuan had held on until now, he secretly marveled that he truly was one of the children receiving special attention from above. He had actually lasted this long and was no worse than the first two clan ninjas. Kabuto Yakushi then gave Lin Chuan the number Thirty-Three.

As treatment continued, the last person could not hold on much longer either. He fainted on the training ground, was assigned the number Thirty-Four, and lay on a floor mat beside Lin Chuan to receive treatment.

The children who had fainted earlier all woke up after further treatment. In particular, Number One, the first to faint, was also the weakest in terms of stamina. Many children might not understand the meaning of the numbers, but they would certainly understand that the later the number, the stronger the person.

This endurance test ended successfully. No one was eliminated, and no one died. Kabuto Yakushi's medical ninjutsu was highly professional. If someone died in front of Kabuto Yakushi, that would have been a real slap in the face.

After waking up, everyone casually ate something, but their bodies, exhausted from intense exercise, could not keep it down. They ate, then vomited it back up, only to force themselves to swallow it again. Everyone knew the days ahead would not be easy. If they did not eat their fill, they would have no strength to train.

By the time they had eaten, it was already the third day. Most of those ranked later had slept for an entire day. Everyone gathered at the training ground again, with Ryūma Aburame still serving as chief instructor and Kabuto Yakushi and Leopard still serving as his assistants.

"Everyone performed very well. No one fell behind in the endurance test." Seeing all thirty-four standing ramrod straight, Ryūma Aburame nodded in satisfaction. The more qualified tools he cultivated, the greater the reward he would receive. This time, there were even seven or eight fairly promising seedlings among them.

"Do you see the numbers on your bodies? Those numbers will be your code names from now on. I told you that you have no names. Before you obtain a true ANBU code name, your only code names will be numbers..."

"Next is the genjutsu test. You can break genjutsu by disrupting the flow of chakra within your bodies, or by using pain to stimulate your bodies and break it." Before Ryūma Aburame had even finished speaking, he raised his hands and formed seals, shouting in a low voice, "Hell Viewing Technique..."

The core effect of the Hell Viewing Technique was to project the scene a target feared most deep within their heart, causing psychological pressure. This technique had been used many times during the Chunin Ninja Exams and had once inflicted severe mental shock upon Sakura and other members of Team 7.

The moment Ryūma Aburame mentioned the genjutsu test, more than thirty people were collectively caught in genjutsu and saw the greatest fears buried deep within their hearts.