Inner demons locked in

The domain withdrew, the wind stopped, and the air fell still.

The sense of stagnation across the entire examination grounds slowly faded, and the chakra stripped away trickled back into the Genin from each village.

Yet everyone remained frozen in place. No one dared move, speak, or even breathe heavily.

The rule-based suppression that had silently enveloped the grounds and stripped away all power had seared itself into the depths of every young genius's soul.

That had not been domination through speed, strength, or ninjutsu.

It had been an absolute judgment delivered by dimensional authority.

The foundation you spent ten years building, I nullify with a thought.

The Kekkei Genkai Secret Technique you consider heaven-defying, I erase with a glance.

The glory you fight to the death for in this arena, I end with a thought.

Before Lin Chen, the entire Chunin Ninja Exams had, from beginning to end, been nothing but a one-sided view from above.

On the high platform, the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly leaned forward. The pipe in his hand had gone completely cold, and his eyes were filled with profoundly complicated shock.

He had lived through an age of turmoil and witnessed the godlike might of the First, Hashirama, and the world-destroying ferocity of Madara Uchiha. Yet even those two legendary figures had never subdued an arena through such effortless, indifferent, and unostentatious dimensional superiority.

"Inhuman... a truly inhuman realm."

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, a trace of relief and desolation in his voice. "The entire fortune of the Shinobi World has converged on one person."

The Konoha elders, senior ANBU members, and proctor Jōnin on either side all lowered their eyes. None dared agree aloud; only the deepest awe remained in their hearts.

They finally understood completely.

From this day forward, the Shinobi World would have no geniuses, no standouts, no contest for supremacy.

Everyone else would merely be the backdrop to that figure in white.

In a corner of the examination grounds, deep in the shadows.

Orochimaru slowly withdrew his probing gaze. His green snake eyes grew utterly subdued, with not a trace of probing curiosity or fervor left-only pure wariness.

"Rule devouring, domain-wide deprivation, disregarding physique, disregarding chakra, disregarding Kekkei Genkai..."

He lightly licked the corner of his lips, his low, hoarse voice carrying utter composure. "I finally understand why I wasn't even qualified to intervene in the battle at the Rift."

His forbidden techniques, reincarnation techniques, bodily modifications, and Cursed Seal research pursued the limits within the "Shinobi World's system."

But Lin Chen's power had long since transcended that system and risen above its rules.

The pinnacle within the system was worthless before authority from outside it.

"The Konoha Crush... shelve it indefinitely."

Orochimaru gave the order flatly. Everyone from Otogakure behind him shuddered and bowed their heads in acknowledgment.

All their previous arrangements, killing formations, and assassination pawns were put on hold.

Provoking Konoha now would no longer be a risk. It would be suicide.

A thousand miles away, in Amegakure's great hall.

Zetsu's fragmented voice echoed in the darkness. "The preliminary round is over. He overwhelmed the entire arena. Not a single person could move within his domain. Lord Pain, his combat strength has deepened yet again."

Pain sat upright on the high platform, his Rinnegan glimmering faintly. Beneath his cold mask, his presence grew increasingly heavy and still.

"His domain has stabilized. His rules have taken shape."

"Kage Level Intermediate Stage at twelve, with command of Origin authority."

"All members of the Akatsuki are to lie low. All activity involving Konoha is forbidden. No contact, no probing, no maneuvering against them."

"Before he reaches the pinnacle of Kage Level, we are powerless to contend with him."

Those few simple sentences completely set the course for the Akatsuki's future.

The Akatsuki, which had once sought to control the tailed beasts and reshape the world, could now only restrain itself and hold its breath, waiting for a change.

At the center of the arena, the contenders gradually came back to their senses.

Countless Genin collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat, with lingering terror in their eyes.

A moment earlier, they had been fighting desperately for places in the next round. In the blink of an eye, someone had wiped away all their combat power with a thought.

That helplessness sank into their bones, destroying countless geniuses' pride and shattering countless people's confidence.

The Kumogakure geniuses were deathly pale, their former arrogance gone. Those from Kirigakure and Iwagakure lowered their heads in silence, their desire to compete utterly extinguished. Sunagakure's Kankuro and Temari clenched their fists tightly, their gazes immensely complicated.

Only Gaara kept his hollow eyes fixed on the boy in white, the tailed beast's savagery within him utterly silenced.

He had spent his life killing, being reviled, and revering strength. Only today did he learn that true power could subdue all things without even unleashing slaughter.

Within Team 7, the atmosphere was the most chilling of all.

Naruto stood rooted to the spot. His Rasengan vanished without a trace, and the excitement, passion, and longing on his face gradually faded into a bewildered helplessness.

He had always believed that as long as he trained desperately, kept improving, and surpassed himself, he could catch up with his companions.

But now, at last, he vaguely understood.

Some gaps could not be bridged through effort.

Sakura exhaled softly, finally letting go of the last trace of resentment in her heart.

She accepted the gap, accepted being ordinary, and accepted that she was merely a speck of dust in this grand game of chess.

But Sasuke was different.

He stood quietly in place. The Cursed Seal that had just run wild had been forcibly suppressed back into his body, and dark chakra trembled deep within his chakra pathways, no longer even daring to stir.

He lowered his head and looked at his palm.

In that instant just now, he had clearly touched the threshold of "power."

The rampaging Cursed Seal, the empowerment of darkness, ruthless slaughter, abandoning his limits-he had thought he finally possessed the means to escape mediocrity.

But Lin Chen had brought down his domain with a thought, crushing everything he relied upon.

The dark power he regarded as his lifeline was, in the other boy's eyes, nothing more than an ant's struggle.

The shortcut he had staked everything to obtain was beneath mention before the rules of all heavens.

"Still not enough..."

Sasuke's Adam's apple bobbed as he murmured, his voice dry, hoarse, and almost broken.

The last trace of warmth in his eyes, the last trace of hesitation, the last trace of attachment to his bonds vanished completely.

His earlier descent into darkness had been a passive surrender amid despair.

His descent now was a deliberate choice made with a clear mind.

He no longer wanted half-baked darkness or a timid descent.

He wanted the ultimate taboo, the most complete fall, the most unassailable darkness.

Orochimaru was not enough. The Cursed Seal was not enough. Everything he had now was far, far from enough.

He would abandon Konoha, his companions, warmth, and every bond.

Only by severing everything completely could he pursue his path to its utmost.

Kakashi stood nearby, watching the utterly lifeless darkness in Sasuke's eyes, and a sudden chill gripped his heart.

He saw it with perfect clarity.

This child was beyond saving.

He had not been swallowed by darkness. He had willingly embraced the abyss and locked his inner demons firmly in place.

From this moment on, there would be no Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha.

Only a fallen asura who sought power single-mindedly, by any means necessary.

In the arena, the proctor composed himself and loudly announced the preliminary results.

Because Lin Chen had subdued the arena with a thought, no one retained the strength to fight again. Therefore-everyone passed and advanced to the next round.

It was unprecedented, never seen before and never to be repeated.

The preliminary round, which in previous years had involved brutal fighting and eliminated more than half the contestants, had become the gentlest round in which everyone passed, all because of one person's absolute suppression.

Yet no one rejoiced.

Everyone knew they had not fought to earn their qualification. That person had casually bestowed it upon them.

"Three days of rest, followed by the second round-the Forest of Death trial!"

As the proctor's voice fell, the crowd slowly dispersed.

The geniuses from every side lowered their heads and subdued their presence, leaving in silence. Their former arrogance had been worn away entirely, with not a trace of competitiveness remaining.

Lin Chen shifted lightly, his white clothes brushing against the wind, and turned silently to leave.

He had no need to compete, prove himself, or strive for a ranking.

Simply by being in the examination grounds, he was their highest rule.

But the instant he turned, a dark, obsessive gaze, filled with deathly resolve, fastened on his back.

Sasuke raised his eyes, his scarlet Sharingan fixing on that far-surpassing figure's back, and made the coldest vow in his heart.

I can't catch up with you.

Then I'll forge a path you've never walked.

Lin Chen... wait for me.

I'll reach the summit through darkness and attain godhood through taboo.

One day, I'll tear apart this damned dimensional gap with my own hands and stand on equal footing with you!

His inner demons were locked firmly in place, his obsession no longer yielding in the slightest.