Though Ye Chuan was trapped in an illusion, his five senses thrown into disarray.
His Observation Haki remained like a beacon in the darkness, clearly sensing the undisguised hostility.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Chuan abruptly ducked. Rather than retreating, he advanced, sweeping Wado Ichimonji upward in a reverse slash!
Swish!
The first slash forced Kurenai Yuhi back from her surprise attack!
Immediately afterward, he twisted at the waist and swept out a second slash, the blade flashing coldly!
"What?!"
Kurenai Yuhi was once again startled by Ye Chuan's reaction speed.
Was this guy really unaffected by genjutsu?!
Forcing herself to twist away from the second slash, Kurenai Yuhi grew irritated too. Unconsciously putting more force into her strike, she thrust her palm toward Ye Chuan's chest!
Thump!
Her palm struck its target squarely.
But the solid impact she had expected never came. The Ye Chuan she had struck turned into a cloud of white smoke and vanished without a trace.
A Shadow Clone?! When did he...?!
Alarm bells rang in Kurenai Yuhi's mind!
The next instant, she felt a chill against her neck!
The cold back of a blade had silently come to rest against her smooth nape.
And the one holding it, the real Ye Chuan, had appeared behind her at some unknown point, his eyes still closed and his face expressionless.
"?!"
Kurenai Yuhi froze completely, her mind going blank for an instant.
She had not even seen when Ye Chuan had used a Shadow Clone, much less when he had circled behind her!
Then she felt a lightness at her waist.
Ye Chuan had calmly removed the two bells that represented passing the test.
Only then did Ye Chuan slowly open his eyes and sheath Wado Ichimonji.
He opened his palm, showing the two bells to the dumbstruck Kurenai Yuhi.
"..."
Kurenai Yuhi stared blankly at the bells in Ye Chuan's hand, still feeling the lingering chill against her neck. Several seconds passed before she recovered.
As she looked at the boy's impassive face, her gaze grew extremely complicated.
Surprise, disbelief, and a trace of... defeat?
She... had actually let a newly graduated Genin take the bells from her like this?
Though she had indeed held back, in that final moment, she had even genuinely lost her temper...
"You..."
Kurenai Yuhi took a deep breath to compose herself, then looked at Ye Chuan and said:
"You're very good. You nearly forced me to get serious just now."
Now she was certain that this child named Ye Chuan had definitely hidden his strength at the Ninja Academy!
That perception, that combat instinct, and that composure were simply not things a twelve-year-old boy should possess!
Perhaps... the strongest of this year's graduates was not the much-celebrated Sasuke Uchiha, but this orphan before her who had always gone unnoticed!
Meanwhile, Hinata and Kiba Inuzuka, who had witnessed that final scene, both wore shocked expressions.
Hinata gazed at Ye Chuan's back, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Kiba Inuzuka's mouth hung open as he looked from Ye Chuan to Kurenai Yuhi. Though he still wanted to say something defiant, he could not hide the hint of respect in his eyes.
Even Akamaru beside him whimpered and tucked his tail between his legs.
"All right, all right, the test is over! Congratulations..."
Looking at her three students, each distinctive in their own way, Kurenai Yuhi suddenly burst out laughing. Her stern Jonin demeanor vanished instantly.
She walked up to Ye Chuan, reached out, and vigorously ruffled his smooth black hair, saying with a bright smile:
"Nice work, handsome! You've been hiding quite a lot! Make sure you listen to your teacher from now on!"
Ye Chuan: "..."
Somewhat helplessly, he let Kurenai Yuhi muss his hair, feeling that this beautiful Jonin's personality seemed a little... flighty?
"To celebrate the official formation of Team 8, and to reward you for passing the test!" With a wave of her hand, Kurenai Yuhi enthusiastically announced, "It's my treat today! We're going out for barbecue!"
After Team 8 was officially formed, they began their lives as Genin.
At first, like the other rookie Genin teams, they took on nothing but trivial D-rank missions.
However, Team 8's composition did have unique advantages in certain areas, making them astonishingly efficient at search missions.
In particular, finding lost pets such as cats and dogs practically became Team 8's specialty. Their completion speed and success rate far exceeded those of the other Genin teams from their graduating class, even leaving a deep impression on the mission assignment office.
That day, Kurenai Yuhi once again brought her three somewhat bored subordinates to the mission assignment office to pick up a new mission.
Perhaps impressed by Team 8's recent efficiency and consistency, the Chunin responsible for assigning missions sought approval and made an exception, giving them a slightly higher-ranked mission.
"A C-rank mission?"
Kurenai Yuhi took the mission scroll, somewhat surprised.
Genin teams usually had to carry out D-rank missions for a long time before they began taking C-rank missions.
"Yes, Lord Hokage gave special approval," the Chunin explained.
"The client is a bridge builder from the Land of Waves named Tazuna. The mission is to escort him safely back to the Land of Waves."
"An escort mission? Only C-rank?" Kurenai Yuhi asked to confirm.
A simple escort mission could indeed be classified as C-rank if the risk was low.
"Yes. The client guarantees there will be no ninja threats along the way, though you might encounter ordinary bandits or thugs."
The Land of Waves... Tazuna... bridge building...
When those key words reached his ears, Ye Chuan's heart gave a sudden jolt!
Wasn't this the first real main-story mission Kakashi's Team 7 received in the original story?
Why had it been assigned to our Team 8?
Ye Chuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
His arrival had ultimately triggered a butterfly effect. Even such an important early plot event had changed.
Was it because Team 7 wasn't ready yet? Or did the higher-ups think Team 8's sensory and enemy-detection abilities were better suited to escort missions?
He had no way of knowing, but this was undoubtedly a sign.
The plot had already begun to stray from the course he knew.
Still... this seemed more interesting.
After accepting the mission, Team 8 soon met up with their client, Tazuna.
He was a middle-aged man wearing a towel on his head and carrying a toolbox on his back, reeking of alcohol.
The party of five people and one dog set off for the Land of Waves.
The atmosphere along the way was somewhat subdued.
Tazuna seemed weighed down with worries, occasionally stealing glances at the young ninja escorting him.
Kurenai Yuhi, on the other hand, appeared quite professional. She assigned Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru to scout ahead and had Hinata activate her Byakugan, keeping constant watch on their surroundings.
After traveling some distance, the group reached a somewhat quiet woodland path.
Several unnatural puddles lay on the road, even though it had not rained in recent days.
Walking at the front, Kiba Inuzuka seemed to notice something. He sniffed hard and was just about to call out a warning.
But Ye Chuan, whose eyes had remained closed all along, suddenly opened them, his sharp gaze instantly locking onto one of the puddles!
"Here they come!"
Almost at the very moment he spoke!
Splash! Splash!
Two puddles suddenly burst apart, and two figures shot out like phantoms. Their cold, sharp gauntlet claws had a clear target as they lunged straight at Hinata Hyuga, who looked the most vulnerable in the group!
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