Life-and-Death Battle

That evening, everyone who had awakened gathered at the training ground. All twenty-three were present.

Ryūma Aburame stood at the front and shouted to the group, "For the next six months, you'll undergo comprehensive special training in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. There will also be combat tests later on..."

"Taijutsu training means ten kilometers every day. If you can't throw kunai accurately, practice on your own. Throw kunai a thousand times every day. Those who need a ninjutsu training ground can apply for one. Those who need sparring partners can find someone nearby. At the end of every month, there will be a life-and-death battle. Losers may continue fighting, but the last-ranked person will be eliminated. Did you hear me?"

"Yes, Chief Instructor!" everyone shouted. They all knew what elimination meant. The corpses in the forest were the fate of those who had been eliminated. They could not leave this place. If they wanted to survive, they could only train desperately.

"Dismissed. If you need anything, find Kabuto or Leopard." Seeing that everyone looked to be in good condition, Ryūma Aburame gave Kabuto Yakushi and Leopard a few instructions before turning and leaving. The selection process was already on track. There was no need for him to keep an eye on these little brats all the time. Coming by once at the end of each month would be enough.

After the chief instructor left, Lin Chuan joined the line to find Kabuto Yakushi and applied for a training ground with water. He wanted to practice Water Release ninjutsu, and training somewhere with water would be faster.

"You can use the Number Three pool training ground." Kabuto Yakushi took out a Number Three tag and handed it to Lin Chuan, his dormmate. It was not just the higher-ups who thought highly of Lin Chuan; he did too.

"Thanks." Lin Chuan took the Number Three tag and headed to the pool training ground to practice Water Release. Then he went to the training ground and sparred against Shadow Clones, destroying them to train for actual combat. With a fight to the death coming in a month, he had no intention of being eliminated. He had to strengthen his combat training.

Terai, who had followed behind Lin Chuan, requested a training ground for Wind Release. He needed to seize every moment to train as well. If the others caught up, he did not want to be eliminated.

As the tense and thrilling elimination process continued, everyone trained day and night. If they slacked off and failed to train, then when they were beaten to death later, they would have no one to blame but themselves for being too weak and not working hard enough.

A month passed quickly. On the day of the life-and-death battles at the end of the month, everyone gathered at the training ground in full gear. A table stood at the front, with a cardboard box placed on it. Leopard stood behind the table and shouted, "Everyone, come up and draw a slip of paper. Enter the room behind me according to the number on your slip. The chief instructor is waiting for you inside..."

"Yes." Everyone stepped forward in numerical order to draw their slips. After glancing at them, each person clenched their slip tightly in their palm to keep others from seeing it. The two people with matching numbers would soon become enemies in a fight to the death.

Lin Chuan silently glanced at his slip. It bore the number seven. He raised his eyes toward the crowd, but everyone had their heads lowered and remained silent. There was no way to tell who held the other number seven. He could only wait until that person entered the room.

After a month of grinding, he felt that his current strength ranked at least in the upper middle among these children. Unfortunately, he knew nothing about the others. There were too many unknowns in battle, so he did not dare let his guard down.

[Life: 3 points]

[Bloodline: Ordinary]

[Talent: Mediocre]

[Strength: Genin]

[Chakra Nature: (Water (Genin: 27%)]

[Throwing: (Kunai Throwing)][Ninjutsu: (Non-Elemental Ninjutsu)(Water Release Ninjutsu)][Taijutsu][Genjutsu][Other Functions]

His personal panel still showed three Life Points, mediocre talent, and Genin-level strength. His Water chakra nature had increased somewhat because of practicing Heavenly Weeping. He felt that he was close to a breakthrough.

His talents had also increased by two points, namely Strength and Seals. It might have something to do with learning the ninjutsu Heavenly Weeping. Strength had risen because he had grown taller and sturdier. His total talent points had reached thirty-two.

[Talent: [Ninjutsu: 5+] [Body: 4+] [Genjutsu: 3+] [Wisdom: 4+] [Strength: 4+] [Speed: 4+] [Spirit: 3+] [Seals: 5+] Total: 32]

Now, only Genjutsu and Chakra remained at three talent points. Genjutsu would probably be difficult to improve. Sasuke had awakened the Sharingan during the Chunin Ninja Exams, yet his Genjutsu was still only three points, not even as high as Sakura's.

Once his Spirit reached four points, he would have the chakra reserves of a Chunin. Sasuke's Spirit had been four points during the Chunin Ninja Exams, as had Temari's. Neji and Haku had also been at four points, which fit the chakra reserves of a Chunin very well.

Among the Special Jonin, Gekko Hayate and Ebisu also had four points. Even Kurenai Yuhi, a Jonin, had four points in Spirit. It seemed that four points of chakra talent were enough to become a Jonin.

His kunai throwing was still about the same. It had only gained two or three hundred points of proficiency. Where did he have the time to mess around with kunai throwing? He had put all his energy into other training, so it had not changed much.

[Throwing]

[Kunai Fixed-Target Throwing (Limit Break: 42400/100000)]

[Kunai Moving-Target Throwing (Limit Break: 32440/100000)]

[Shuriken Manipulation Technique: (Beginner: 10/100)]

He had spent this period grinding the non-elemental ninjutsu Body Flicker Technique and Shadow Clone like crazy. He used Shadow Clones to speed up his training, and he had to use them every day.

[Ninjutsu]

[Non-Elemental Ninjutsu]

[E-rank Ninjutsu: Transformation Technique (Genin: 1014/2000)]

[E-rank Ninjutsu: Clone Technique (Genin: 1013/2000)]

[E-rank Ninjutsu: Substitution Technique (Genin: 1017/2000)]

[D-rank Ninjutsu: Body Flicker Technique (Genin: 1742/2000)]

[B-rank Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone (Usable: 88/100)]

With Soldier Pills replenishing his chakra, he could use Shadow Clone twice a day. Seeing everyone else grinding, he could only go all out and grind like mad. Shadow Clone was also close to breaking through to the next level.

The Body Flicker Technique had been the main focus of his grinding this month. He could now use it ten times a day. After all his frantic grinding, it was not far from breaking through to Chunin level.

His Water Release ninjutsu had changed much less. This month, he had been using Shadow Clones to grind the Body Flicker Technique. Where would he find the chakra to train Water Release? He could only gamble on Genin-level Water Clone and Water Shock Wave. Against Genin, he should not need B-rank ninjutsu.

Next month, he would strive to raise the Body Flicker Technique to Chunin level. Otherwise, it always felt as though something was missing. Shadow Clone could also reach Genin level next month. He refused to believe anyone could grind harder than him.

As Numbers One, Two, Three, and the others entered one after another to fight, no one returned after their battles ended. They had probably been taken to other rooms.

When his number was about to be called, he closed the Grind Panel and took a deep breath. When Leopard's mouth formed the number seven, he slowly stood and walked toward the room behind Leopard.

At the same time, the unfamiliar person who had drawn Number Seven also stood and entered the room behind Leopard. Inside, the two saw Ryūma Aburame sitting in the empty room, along with unwashed bloodstains and chunks of flesh on the ground. It seemed that the previous twelve had all fought vicious battles.

Lin Chuan also saw that his opponent was Number Seven. Number Thirty-Three versus Number Seven. The moment he saw his opponent, he felt that this match was in the bag. The gap between Number Seven and Number Thirty-Three was not something that could be erased in a mere month.

"Start when you're ready." Ryūma Aburame held a record board in his hand as he urged the two standing in the room.

"Yes, Chief Instructor." Number Seven answered, pulled out a kunai, and threw it at Lin Chuan, testing him with the opening move.

Lin Chuan likewise drew two kunai and swiftly flung them out, knocking aside the incoming kunai. The four kunai collided, producing crisp clanging sounds. Then he saw Number Seven raise his hands to form seals.

Those seals are Fire Release? Lin Chuan recognized the sequence at once as Fireball Jutsu. He had seen the Uchiha use this Fire Release before. Immediately, he raised his hands and formed seals even faster, shouting, "Water Release: Water Shock Wave..."