"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Senju Yukika, for killing a fodder-level Genin while in Battle Mode. The progress of the First Inheritance Template has increased by one percent!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Senju Yukika, for killing an unqualified Chunin while in Battle Mode. The Template progress has increased by one percent!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Senju Yukika, for killing a strong-willed Genin while in Battle Mode. Template progress increased by one percent!"
"...…"
The battle raged on.
Ahead, a massive area had already been cleared by Yukika's Cero-like blast, blowing open a wide gap in the enemy's encirclement!
Leading the charge, Yukika spearheaded the advance of the fired-up Senju warriors.
This breach wasn't random—it was the weakest point in the enemy formation, identified by Yukika through his neural scans. Neither Ōnoki nor Chiyo of Sunagakure were stationed here. Which made this the perfect place to strike.
As he extended a finger and fired off a much weaker version of his earlier attack—more of a compressed spiritual bullet—Yukika's ears picked up his favorite sound.
Battle Mode—born for war.
Unlike Training Mode, which only provided feedback and slow progression through simulated combat, Battle Mode advanced his Template not only through evaluations in proper fights, but also by directly eliminating enemies.
This was exactly why Yukika loved activating Battle Mode.
And it was the biggest reason he had wanted to be deployed to the front lines.
He once said:
"Sending me to the battlefield was the biggest mistake Hiruzen Sarutobi ever made."
But it was a mistake Hiruzen couldn't have avoided.
By the time of his graduation, the Third Hokage had already fallen into Yukika's carefully laid plans. Provoking the Raikage, setting traps—all of it had been orchestrated by him.
The shinobi world wasn't short on manpower.
And Yukika didn't feel the slightest guilt or burden about killing enemy ninja. Because not killing them meant they would kill your friends and family.
That's just how this world worked. Everyone clung to their own version of "justice," but that justice was rarely ever truly just.
When Yukika eventually returned to the village after being forged in the fires of war, he would make the so-called higher-ups understand:
This Clan Leader of the Senju was no longer within their control.
"Clan Leader, the Hyuga are over there—trying to break through."
The first to be found was the Hyuga?
That wasn't surprising.
With their Byakugan, they could detect even the slightest change on the battlefield. There was no way they'd miss the opening Yukika had just blasted through.
But the fact that only the Hyuga had made it through revealed something else.
The main Konoha forces had been scattered—possibly even split and isolated.
"Hold the opening. Bring the Hyuga with us and push forward," Yukika said calmly.
He could already sense other Konoha shinobi ahead.
"Didn't expect you'd be the one to save us, Yukika..."
A short while later, the Hyuga ninja approached, and the man at the front genuinely surprised Yukika.
Hyuga Hizashi.
Even he had come to the Land of Rain's battlefield.
But on second thought, Yukika wasn't too surprised.
This was how the Hyuga Branch Family operated—until the Branch was entirely used up, the Main Family stayed safe in the village.
And as a new graduate, Hizashi was clearly positioned to be the next leader of the Branch Family. Coming to the battlefield to gain experience was only natural.
But from the look on his face, things had been rough.
"Leave the rest to us," Yukika said, patting Hizashi lightly on the shoulder, offering a warm smile.
Maybe... it was this kind of quiet reassurance that made him a true leader.