I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

“Guy, leave me behind! Run!”

Yamashiro Aoba spotted the signal flare in the distance and immediately sent out his crows to scout. In no time…

He found the enemy.

A six-man squad!

“How many?”

“Six!”

“Damn…” Might Guy cursed internally.

Just great…

It was just the two of them against a full squad. How were they supposed to deal with this?

If they ran together… neither of them would make it out.

Gritting his teeth, Guy said, “I’ll use my secret technique to carry you out of here!”

“No need. Listen to me—I’m not as strong as they are, and this is only the first shrink. The second shrink is what really matters. Get inside the safe zone and hide. Wait for the second shrink.”

“If we make it into the top five, our team can still advance to the third round,” Aoba said urgently.

Without Obito slowing their team down with his recklessness, Might Guy was finally capable of having a proper conversation.

He felt a strange sense of relief.

But still…

Being down a man and facing off against Shisui and Kurenai’s combined squad meant they had no chance of winning.

“They’re here… Damn it! Aoba, I will get us to the third round!”

Guy could sense them approaching—

Kurenai. Shisui.

And also Ebisu, Raido Namiashi, and others.

There was no way they could win!

Unless he opened the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates technique.

But…

His father had made it clear—The Eight Gates must only be opened to protect others. Using it for something like a competition? His dad would probably beat him to a pulp when he got home.

“It’s Guy! Surround him and cut him off!”

Shisui spotted Might Guy and instantly activated the Body Flicker Technique to pursue.

As a disciple of Kyoichi, he knew exactly how strong the Might family was.

This was a formidable enemy!

If they could take down Might Guy now with their six-man advantage, it would make things much easier when the Jōnin came in for the second sweep.

Ebisu, however, wasn’t thrilled about the idea.

But…

Now that he was in Kurenai’s squad, he couldn’t openly let Guy go. So, reluctantly, he turned his attention to Yamashiro Aoba.

Raido Namiashi found himself in the same awkward situation.

So…

Only Shisui’s team moved in to surround Might Guy.

However…

Just as Shisui moved in front of Guy, Guy suddenly exploded in speed.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind roared past.

Shisui was mid-hand seal, just about to cast a Genjutsu—only to see that Guy was already far away.

Too fast!

That speed…

“Was this the secret technique sensei mentioned?”

Shisui pondered.

There was no way they could catch up.

Reluctantly, he gave up the chase and returned to finish off Yamashiro Aoba.

However…

Thanks to Obito and Guy’s reckless charge in the first round, their squad hadn’t been able to loot any resources.

Eliminating Yamashiro Aoba gave them nothing but a single elimination point.

Even Ebisu felt embarrassed.

He had a good guess as to what had happened—Normally, when their teacher wasn’t around, he and Genma could hold Guy in check. But in this new team? There was no one capable of doing that.

---

“Aoba performed well, but he’s still too weak.”

Hiruzen sighed.

Aoba had the right mindset.

He knew what to do, how to execute a strategy, and how to adapt.

But unfortunately…

His strength simply wasn’t enough to qualify as a Chūnin.

As for Might Guy…

Hiruzen only remembered one thing about him—he was fast. Nothing else really stood out.

“Lord Third, Yamashiro Aoba and his team only graduated less than six months ago. The fact that they’ve reached this level is thanks to Kyoichi’s special training. If this were previous years, they wouldn’t have come this far at all,” Hakumo of Shirakumo Clan spoke up.

With Kyoichi’s training methods, Konoha’s lower-ranked ninja could close the gap quickly.

Unfortunately…

Such training couldn’t be applied to the entire Genin population.

There were too many of them!

Moreover, many Genin had already passed their optimal learning period. Teaching them at this point wouldn’t be as effective.

As for some level of training, Kurenai had already started implementing it.

At the same time…

All the Jōnin had their eyes on one particular six-man squad.

They had strategy…

They were decisive, ruthless, and acted with extreme efficiency.

Shisui’s team was moving in a diagonal line across the battlefield.

This positioning was designed specifically to seek out and eliminate enemy teams.

By the time the sweep was over, only eleven teams remained—

Most of them were heavily weakened.

For example, Shiranui Genma and Might Guy.

Both of them were now lone survivors, hiding in the forest.

The problem was, there were far too many sensory-type ninja around…

---

“Leaf Hurricane!”

“My youth burns bright!”

“Leaf Great Whirlwind!”

“Ugh…” A series of shouts and battle cries.

Might Guy landed two solid kicks, injuring two opponents, then took off running again.

Asuma watched his retreating figure, his eye twitching.

They had thought they were about to score an easy elimination—only to have the “lone wolf” turn around and beat them up instead. And they couldn’t even catch him.

What a headache.

“Asuma…”

“We need to regroup with Shisui and secure our advancement.”

Asuma didn’t hesitate anymore.

Shiranui Genma and Hagane Kotetsu were already injured. If they kept moving separately, they’d be finished.

But then…

Just as he made that decision, he ran into two other elite squads—

Nara Enji’s squad and the squad led by Hyūga Hibiki.

Both teams stared each other down.

Asuma could feel that things were about to go south.

“Asuma’s team has already regrouped. If we don’t take them out now, they’ll be a huge problem later. I suggest we temporarily work together and eliminate Asuma first.”

At times like this, the Byakugan was an invaluable tool!

Asuma knew this wasn’t good.

But…

Run?

His beliefs wouldn’t let him abandon his teammates.

His squad wasn’t down yet. He wanted to cover Genma and Kotetsu’s retreat.

The result was obvious.

“Asuma’s done for.”

Kyoichi shook his head.

Asuma’s squad simply lacked awareness.

After clearing out an area, the battlefield was always going to shrink.

By this stage, everyone knew the rules.

Anywhere a fight broke out, others would swarm in to “mediate.”

A lone wolf like Might Guy wasn’t worth provoking.

He had nothing to lose and no teammates to protect.

And yet, Asuma and his team still went after him.

They didn’t even get a kill out of it, just a whole lot of trouble.

That said…

Asuma had performed impressively. With two kunai and the Vacuum Blade technique, he had managed to take down two of Hyūga Homon’s teammates. But in the end, he was still alone.

And…

Even after breaking through, when he saw his teammates getting pinned down, he chose to turn back instead of escaping—trying to use Fire Release to cover their retreat.

Unfortunately…

Hyūga Hibiki, though a branch family member, wasn’t to be underestimated. He found the perfect opening to land a direct Gentle Fist strike, shutting down Asuma’s chakra.

His teammates fell one after another.

At that moment, escape was no longer an option.

Similar situations were happening all over the battlefield.

But only Shisui and Kurenai’s squad, which had regrouped early, were able to sweep through teams like a storm—

Even if they sustained injuries, Mystical Palm Technique could heal them.

“Kurenai knows medical ninjutsu?”

Hiruzen was stunned.

Medical ninjutsu was incredibly difficult to master—even harder than genjutsu!

Hiruzen had never expected Kurenai to take this path.

“A genjutsu specialist naturally has excellent chakra control. As long as they grasp the theoretical knowledge, they make great candidates for medical ninjutsu training.”

Kyoichi explained.

Meanwhile, Asuma’s actions had left everyone with mixed feelings.

Reckless.

Yet…

His determination to protect his teammates was moving.

Who wouldn’t want a comrade willing to guard their back in battle?@@novelbin@@

On the other hand…

Almost the instant Asuma’s fight broke out, Kurenai’s team immediately adjusted their course and rushed toward the battle, ignoring all other opponents along the way.

This level of coordination…

It was clear how strict and meticulous Kyoichi’s team training had been.

“Kyoichi-sensei just gave us a lesson in strategy.”

“If they aren’t split up, no other team in this exam can beat them.”

“Incredible!”

Even the Jōnin watching couldn’t help but be impressed.

This wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight.

In such a chaotic, multi-enemy battlefield, no single squad could stand against Kyoichi’s students—

Not even other elite teams like Might Guy’s or Hyūga Hibiki’s.

Their overall strength was just too overwhelming!