The water pressure was suffocating.
Dan Katō struggled to weave hand seals underwater.
Mirei closed her eyes, rapidly running out of breath.
Hiashi desperately tried to use his Gentle Fist to break the water flow, but the density was too high.
At this moment, a cold mechanical voice sounded in Kaito's mind.
[Ding! Summoning Mission...]
[Mission Option A: Capture all bandits without using Ninjutsu.
Reward: Gojo Satoru's Infinity]
[Mission Option B: Kill all intruders.
Reward: Ryomen Sukuna's Cleave]
[Mission Option C: Save your team and run away!
Reward: Mangekyou Sharingan (Obito)]
Looking at the translucent blue screen, Kaito made his choice instantly.
He definitely wanted Infinity.
Combined with his Six Eyes, he could negate most attacks thrown at him.
It was the perfect defense.
However, he needed to capture them without using Ninjutsu.
That meant relying purely on Taijutsu.
This was the perfect opportunity to test his new Black Flash.
Kaito channeled his physical strength, opening the First Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
His physical power surged violently.
He threw a heavy punch at the dense water prison surrounding him.
At the exact moment of impact, within a millionth of a second, his chakra flared.
A spark of black and red lightning erupted from his fist.
Black Flash!
Boom!
The water prison exploded into countless droplets, raining down on the forest floor.
The hooded ninja maintaining the Jutsu coughed up blood and flew backward.
"What?!" Dan Katō gasped, falling to the mud and coughing up water.
Mirei and Hiashi also fell, panting heavily.
The fat merchant, Takamura, took a terrified step back.
"Impossible! How did a Genin break a C-rank Jutsu with his bare hands?" a hooded intruder yelled.
Kaito didn't bother to answer. He dashed forward, leaving a deep crater in the ground.
His speed was completely different from before.
He appeared right in front of the second hooded ninja.
His fist struck the man's chest.
Black Flash!
A sickening crunch echoed as the ninja's ribs fractured, sending him crashing into a tree.
The third ninja panicked and threw a barrage of poisoned shuriken.
Kaito easily dodged them with the perception of his Six Eyes.
He lunged forward, delivering a devastating spinning kick.
Black Flash!
He didn't stop there. He chained his attacks smoothly, entering a state of complete focus.
He struck the remaining conscious enemies, rapidly bouncing between targets.
Black Flash! Black Flash! Black Flash!
Dark sparks violently illuminated the gloomy forest.
He landed over eight consecutive strikes in a matter of seconds.
He had easily surpassed Gojo Satoru's record!
The intruders lay groaning on the ground, incapacitated but alive.
Even Takamura was knocked out cold.
Kaito had fulfilled the mission requirements perfectly.
[Ding! Mission Successfully Completed!]
[Distributing 'Gojo Satoru's Infinity' Reward...]
Kaito felt an invisible, passive barrier wrap around his entire body.
Space itself was now under his command.
He noticed the falling rain was stopping exactly a millimeter above his skin and clothes.
Dan Katō stood up, looking at Kaito with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Kaito... What was that technique? The black lightning..."
"Just a Taijutsu trick I practiced," Kaito replied casually.
Hiashi stared at Kaito's back, his pride taking another heavy hit.
Mirei ran over and hugged Kaito's arm. "You saved us!"
Dan Katō walked over to the groaning hooded ninjas.
He pulled back their hoods, revealing unmarked headbands.
"They hid their origins. We need to interrogate them," Dan Katō said sternly.
The leader spat blood on the ground. "Konoha dogs... We will never talk."
Kaito stepped forward. "Let me try."
With his Six Eyes, Kaito could see the intricate flow of chakra deep inside their brains.
He reached out and placed his hand firmly on the leader's forehead.
He didn't need hand seals or visual eye contact like a regular Sharingan user.
He manipulated the enemy's chakra pathways, forcing a Genjutsu directly onto his nervous system.
The leader's eyes instantly glazed over, losing all focus.
Dan Katō was shocked. "Casting a Genjutsu without hand seals?"
Kaito ignored the question and asked the captive, "Who sent you?"
The mesmerized leader spoke in a dull, monotone voice. "Iwagakure."
"What is your goal?"
"To disrupt Konoha. The Nine-Tails is going to be transferred to a new Jinchūriki soon."
Dan Katō's expression turned grim. This was S-class village intelligence.
Only the highest-ranking officials knew Mito Uzumaki was failing.
Kaito looked at the unconscious Takamura.
He asked the leader, "Why did you target us? We are just newly graduated Genin."
The leader replied, "We were looking for prominent features. White hair, red hair... Takamura's mission was to lure an Uzumaki out of the village."
"They mistakenly thought your white hair meant you were a special bloodline connected to the Uzumaki or Senju."
"Our goal was to kill or capture the target to delay Konoha's future Jinchūriki plans."
Dan Katō clenched his fists tightly.
"They wanted to eliminate anyone who could become the next vessel."
Mirei shivered. "They thought Kaito was the target because of his hair?"
"Yes. They wanted to ruin Konoha's future," Dan Katō said.
Kaito deactivated the Genjutsu, letting the leader pass out completely.
He now had Infinity, Black Flash, and the Six Eyes.
Even if all of Iwagakure came for him right now, he wouldn't be afraid.
"Let's tie them up and head back to the village immediately," Dan Katō ordered.
"The Hokage needs to hear about this right away. The mission is canceled."
Kaito nodded, feeling the passive Infinity separating him from the cold wind.
-
Three months have passed in an instant.
Kaito had successfully hidden the fact that there was a passive barrier surrounding him most of the time.
Right now, he was taking the Chūnin Exam.
Because Hiruzen had to oversee the increasing border skirmishes with Iwagakure and Sunagakure ninjas, the Academy rushed the process.
Many talented young Genin were also encouraged to take this exam early to bolster the village's ranks.
"Do you think we passed the Written Test, Kaito?" Mirei asked nervously.
Kaito looked out the classroom window, where many failed Genin walked out of the building in shame.
He said, "The key point of the Written Test is to force us to cheat. If you manage to cheat without getting caught and get the answers for the nine questions, you pass."
"It didn't even matter if you answered them correctly. They deliberately made it impossible just to see our resolve on the final question. That's all."
Mirei blinked, confused.
She asked, "Then why would we even take the test? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of a Written Test?"
Kaito smiled and leaned against the wall.
He replied, "Hmm... I'm not entirely sure either. Maybe they wanted to test our critical information-gathering skills. Just like how you used your visual prowess before."