Host: Yoru Ryo
Age: 12
Skills:
Chunin-Level Swordsmanship: Hawk Flash
Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Jutsu, Water Clone Jutsu
Genjutsu: Paralysis Bind
Weapon: Hundred-Forged Tachi
Rank: Chunin (Genin, Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, Elite Jonin, Kage, Super Kage, Six Paths)
"Chojuro, Hozuki Suigetsu, Ringo Ameyuri… all familiar faces!"
Yoru Ryo eyed the trio in the crowd, his heart itching with anticipation.
He wanted to test just how far he stood from these prodigies.
While he sized them up, someone else was watching him.
"Yoru Ryo, enjoy your final moments in the spotlight!" sneered a youth with a scar over his right eye.
"Begin!"
With the proctor's command, over a hundred participants surged into the Mist Forest.
The entire forest was monitored by surveillance, allowing spectators to watch every move.
"Terumi Mei, you'd better pray your brother comes out unscathed!"
Senta Yasu passed by Terumi Mei, his voice dripping with a cold smirk.
"If you dare pull anything underhanded, you'll face my wrath!" Terumi Mei replied coolly, her gaze icy.
Their clash drew curious glances from the crowd.
"Terumi Mei and Senta Yasu at odds? This is getting interesting!"
A man with red thorn-like markings around his mouth, hefting the Decapitating Carving Knife, grinned.
One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Biwa Juzo!
Beside him stood Kurozumi Raiga and Fuguki Suikazan.
"I wonder how many will pass this year," Fuguki Suikazan said, his lips curling into a toothy grin.
Kurozumi Raiga flashed an expectant, "friendly" smile in response.
Mist Forest
The moment Yoru Ryo entered, he faced multiple ambushes.
"Jie jie jie! My luck's insane! Running into a loser like you!"
Yoru Ryo had heard this taunt three times already!
The ninja before him, now pierced through the chest by Yoru Ryo's blade, stared in disbelief.
"Im… impossible…"
His eyes dimmed, still muttering those words as his life faded.
Yoru Ryo, a supposed bottom-tier failure, was this strong?!
"Guess my underdog reputation's working out nicely!" Yoru Ryo rubbed his chin, a smile tugging at his lips.
His first kill had shaken him, no doubt.
But by the third? He was getting used to it.
"Let's see how many more heads I can claim!"
Surviving the forest was enough to pass, but the more kills you racked up, the better your score. A higher score meant a stronger Anbu mentor post-exam.
So, Yoru Ryo figured he'd aim for a top-notch performance.
The Jonin spectators watching via monitors were stunned.
A triple kill right at the start? That was ferocious!
"This is Yoru Ryo? No way! Did Terumi Mei cheat and get a stand-in?"
"A loser like Yoru Ryo with that kind of strength? Chop my head off, and I still wouldn't believe it!"
The crowd buzzed with disbelief, doubting Yoru Ryo's sudden prowess.
"Never thought you'd pull such a stunt, Terumi Mei! Using a substitute is a death penalty offense!" Senta Yasu gloated, as if he'd caught her red-handed.
In his mind, he thought, If I'd known it'd be this easy, I wouldn't have bothered hiring that guy to deal with Yoru Ryo!
As a result, Terumi Mei was detained by Anbu on suspicion of orchestrating a substitute, stripped of autonomy until Yoru Ryo's identity could be verified.
Inside the Forest
"Well, well, my luck's not bad at all! The prey delivered itself right to me!"
"This job's too easy!"
Banhachi Suke smirked at Yoru Ryo, his face alight with glee.
He was the scarred youth tasked by Senta Yasu to "teach Yoru Ryo a lesson."
"Kid, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Blame yourself for crossing someone you shouldn't have. Your life's mine!"
With that, he formed hand seals in a flash. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick white fog enveloped Yoru Ryo, and Banhachi Suke's presence vanished completely.
"In my Hidden Mist Jutsu, I'm the absolute master!"
His voice echoed from all directions within the mist.
Then, like a phantom, he appeared behind Yoru Ryo, kunai in hand, and struck.
Splurch!
Yoru Ryo didn't react in time. The kunai pierced his neck, and he collapsed.
"Mission complete!" Banhachi Suke grinned, dispelling the mist.
Killing Yoru Ryo was no challenge at all.
His strength rivaled a Chunin's, after all.
But his eyes nearly popped out of his skull, as if he'd seen a ghost.
Yoru Ryo stood before him, unharmed, grinning broadly.
"What, surprised to see me?" Yoru Ryo teased.
"Impossible! You were dead!" Banhachi Suke stammered, stumbling back to form seals again.
But Yoru Ryo's face was already inches away.
"How is he so fast?!" Banhachi Suke's mind screamed.
A sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
He looked down in disbelief, seeing a white blade piercing his body.
"You only killed my Water Clone," Yoru Ryo said, pulling out his Tachi as Banhachi Suke's confused expression lingered.
"How… I didn't even see you… form seals!" Banhachi Suke gasped.
"If you saw me forming seals, that'd be pretty pathetic, wouldn't it?" Yoru Ryo replied leisurely, flicking the blood off his blade.
"Who sent you to kill me?" he asked.
But Banhachi Suke stayed silent, lips sealed until his last breath.
Watching this unfold, Senta Yasu exhaled in relief but grew even more convinced Yoru Ryo was a stand-in.
Just a week ago, Yoru Ryo couldn't even pass his shuriken test!
How could he turn into a ferocious tiger, slaying Banhachi Suke so effortlessly?
As Yoru Ryo pressed forward, Hozuki Suigetsu and Ringo Ameyuri were wreaking havoc ahead.
Both surpassed their peers, boasting Chunin-level strength.
Their opponents stood no chance, fleeing in terror.
"You're all too weak! Can't you put up a better fight?" the two taunted in unison.
The others wanted to curse. Not everyone's a freak like you two!
Elsewhere, Chojuro was under siege.
"We always hated you, you smug bastard! Today's our chance to take you down!"
"Go peacefully—the Mist Village doesn't need so many prodigies!"
Even with his skill, Chojuro struggled against nine Genin-level foes.
Wounds littered his body.
Without help, he was doomed.