Darkness, like the maw of a great beast, swallowed everyone who stepped onto Mount Fujikasane.
Panic spread through the crowd.
Most of the candidates chose to run.
Like headless chickens, they screamed and sobbed as they rushed deeper into the forest, hoping only to get farther from the entrance, farther still.
As though that would let them escape their fate of death.
Sasuke did not run.
He simply began walking at an unhurried pace.
In the opposite direction from everyone else.
He headed up the mountain, toward the place where the demonic aura was strongest.
In his right eye, two black tomoe slowly revolved.
Within his crimson field of vision, this dark forest, enough to leave ordinary people hopelessly lost, held no more secrets from him.
The outlines of the trees, the earth and stones beneath his feet, even the paths of leaves stirred by the wind-all were clearly visible.
More importantly.
The murky, evil energy belonging to demons, invisible to ordinary people, stood out in his vision like lanterns in the night, with nowhere to hide.
He soon found his first "lantern."
It was a demon shaped like a wild wolf, down on all fours.
It lurked behind a large tree, seemingly waiting for some unlucky candidate to pass so it could launch a surprise attack.
It thought it had hidden itself well.
But in Sasuke's eyes, its pathetic little tricks were as childish as a game.
Sasuke did not even draw his blade.
He merely took three kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch.
Then he flicked his wrist.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three whistles through the air sounded almost simultaneously.
Before the demon could realize what had happened, it felt its limbs pinned to the ground by an immense force.
The three kunai had pierced its wrists and ankles with precision, fixing it firmly in place.
The intense pain made it roar in fury.
But its roar stopped abruptly.
Because a black figure had already appeared silently before it.
It had only enough time to see a pair of cold, blood-red eyes.
The next second, a cold gleam flashed.
Its world spun.
Sasuke withdrew his wakizashi and watched the severed head turn to ash as it flew.
[Ding.] [Kill successful. Gained 120 Revenge Points.]
He pulled out his kunai, wiped them clean with the demon's remaining clothes, and returned them to his Ninja Tool Pouch.
The entire process flowed seamlessly, without a single unnecessary movement.
He was like a skilled craftsman working on an utterly ordinary component.
From deep within the forest, screams began rising one after another.
The other candidates had encountered demons.
Sasuke heard them.
But he paid them no heed.
What did their lives or deaths have to do with him?
He was merely an avenger.
And the demons here were stepping stones on his path to revenge.
They were walking Revenge Points.
Sasuke moved again.
Like a ghost, he passed through the dark forest.
Each pause marked the death of a demon.
The second.
The third.
The fifth.
His hunting efficiency was terrifyingly high.
Most demons had their heads severed before they could even get a clear look at him.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain.
Kiriya Ubuyashiki and Hinaki sat kneeling before an enormous screen.
On the screen were countless live feeds shared through the eyes of messenger crows.
"Northeast: three encountered a demon. Two dead, one severely wounded."
"Western valley: a team of four has been scattered. Contact lost."
"..."
Hinaki read out the cold casualty reports one by one in an emotionless tone.
Kiriya merely listened quietly, his young face showing no expression.
To them, all of this was merely routine, something that played out every year.
Suddenly, the corps member in charge of monitoring let out a sound of surprise.
"Lord Kiriya, Lady Hinaki, please look here."
One feed was switched onto the main screen.
In the image was a black-haired boy wearing a dark blue training outfit.
He was fighting in a way they had never seen before.
There were no bursts of power driven by a Breathing Style.
No dazzling sword techniques.
Only a few unusual throwing weapons and blindingly fast taijutsu.
And those decapitating, one-hit kills, precise to an appalling degree.
Every move was clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation or wasted motion.
"This is... Uesugi Sasuke."
Kiriya recognized him.
The boy who had exuded an unapproachable air even before the selection began.
"His pattern of movement is different from that of every corps member."
A trace of surprise flashed through Hinaki's eyes as well.
"He hasn't saved a single companion in danger, nor has he chosen to run or hide."
"He... seems to be hunting."
"Treating the demons on the mountain as prey."
Watching Sasuke's crimson eyes shine in the darkness on the screen, Kiriya fell silent.
Only after a moment did he speak.
"Classify the intelligence on this person at the highest level."
"Make him a priority for observation."
"Yes."
At that moment, Sasuke had no idea he had already become a priority for observation.
He merely stood at the top of a tree, gazing farther into the deeper, darker reaches of the forest.
The demonic aura there was even stronger.
Which also meant stronger prey and a richer haul of... points.
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