Naruto's POV
The instant Naruto opened his eyes, he felt alive.
Cold rain pattered onto his face and clothes, soaking him to the bone, yet the wide grin on his face only grew brighter. All around him stretched a deep, dense rainforest. Towering trees—easily ten meters tall—rose like giants, their leaves drooping under the weight of the rain. Mist curled between trunks like ghostly serpents.
Naruto pushed himself up, wiping water from his face.
"Alright! Let's do this! Dattebayo!"
He didn't waste another second. Naruto darted between the massive roots, splashing through puddles, searching eagerly for his first treasure chest. The Genjutsu realm felt strangely real—the way the mud squelched under his sandals, the taste of the humid air, the faint sound of thunder rolling in the distance.
After a few minutes of sprinting and leaping over fallen logs, Naruto finally spotted it: a treasure chest nestled beneath a huge tree, with the number 20 burned into its wooden surface.
But something else was there.
A snake.
A massive snake.
It was easily tens of meters long, thick as a forest pillar. Purple scales shimmered faintly, giving off an eerie glow. Naruto's jaw fell open.
"Wha—? This thing's like… way above elite jōnin level!"
It didn't make sense. Why would a low-value chest be guarded by something this powerful? Naruto scratched his head but shrugged a moment later. Thinking too long wasn't his specialty.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Hundreds of Narutos flooded the clearing. The clones didn't hesitate—they charged with synchronized Rasengans, their voices echoing through the forest.
But the moment the swirling chakra spheres touched the serpent's body, Naruto blinked.
"What the—? It's not solid!"
The Rasengans passed through the snake as if it were made of fog.
A second later, the serpent dissolved into a swirling purple cloud. The cloud wrapped around the clones, seeping into them like poison. One by one, Naruto's clones yawned, slumped over, and burst into smoke—cancelled instantly.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"A cloud-type beast…?"
How it was alive, he didn't know. But this wasn't the time to figure out the biology of weird purple monsters.
"Fine! Then let's do this!"
He formed seals rapidly.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Five clones appeared beside him, all weaving the same seals. Six powerful blasts of wind erupted at once, merging into a roaring gale that swept across the clearing. The purple cloud shrieked—if mist could shriek—and was blown far into the forest, torn apart by the ferocity of the wind.
Naruto didn't waste a single breath.
He darted forward, snapped open the chest, grabbed the metal badge with the number 20, and sprinted off through the rain like a happy golden blur.
Only seconds later, the purple cloud drifted back into place and re-formed into a snake—only to find the treasure chest gone.
Outside the Genjutsu, cheers erupted from the Konoha stands. Even seasoned shinobi nodded in approval.
"Smart thinking," one muttered. "Sometimes eliminating the threat isn't the mission. Just get what you came for."
---
Gaara's POV
In another part of the illusionary realm, Gaara opened his eyes slowly.
Sand.
Sand stretching endlessly in all directions.
For Gaara, this was comfort—like giving wings to a tiger. A terrain where he was unchallenged and absolute.
Without hesitation, the sand around him stirred at his command. It formed waves, tendrils, and swirling currents, responding to Gaara's faintest thought. The boy scanned the horizon with calm, unblinking eyes.
He soon spotted it: a treasure chest half-buried under a mound of dunes. The number 37 was carved boldly into it.
But something waited before it.
A giant scorpion, roughly Gaara's size. Its tail arched forward, ready to sting.
Gaara didn't even blink.
He simply raised one hand and curled his fingers.
The desert trembled.
Spikes of sand erupted around the scorpion, piercing through its carapace from every direction. The creature twitched once—and went limp. It collapsed into the sand, lifeless.
Gaara stepped forward, dusted off the chest, and lifted the lid.
A metal badge gleamed inside: 37.
Outside the Genjutsu, the Sand spectators burst into cheers. Even the normally reserved shinobi smiled with pride. Gaara's efficiency was frightening, but it was unmistakably theirs.
---
Far from forests and deserts, deep within a frozen mountain range, two figures faced each other amid flurries of snow.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Temari of the Sand.
Cold winds howled between jagged peaks. Snow coated everything—trees, rocks, even their eyelashes.
Temari already had her treasure: a 10-point badge tucked at her waist. Sasuke had none. With Naruto and Gaara progressing, the Uchiha heir felt an unmistakable itch.
He refused to fall behind.
The moment they locked eyes, Sasuke made his intention clear.
"I'm taking that badge. And I'm taking your multiplier."
Temari narrowed her eyes. "…You really don't waste words, do you?"
Their battle began with a howl of wind. Temari unfurled her giant fan, summoning slicing gusts that shredded snow-laden trees like paper.
Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique
Sasuke weaved through the storm effortlessly.
He didn't want a long fight. Not with Naruto gaining a lead, and not with Gaara somewhere out there racking up points with terrifying ease.
He inhaled sharply.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A sphere of blazing fire erupted from his mouth, cutting through the snowstorm with a roar.
Wind Release: Great Wind Protective Wall:
Temari swung her fan and generated a defensive spiral of wind, dispersing the fireball—but only barely.
Summoning: Kamatari
Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance
Sasuke quickly countered it with Lightning release: False darkness.
Sasuke didn't wait for the result.
Lightning crackled around his arm.
"Chidori!"
Temari's eyes widened. "W-wait—you're not actually—"
But Sasuke didn't care.
This was Genjutsu.
There was no real death, no real consequences. Kakashi had taught him that hesitation loses battles.
Sasuke sprinted across the snowy ground, lightning screeching through the cold air. Temari tried to counter with another gust, but Chidori pierced through her illusionary form before she could swing.
Her world went white.
Outside the Genjutsu, Temari gasped awake—heart pounding, hands trembling. Shame crept across her face. She had been the first eliminated. And she feared her father's reaction more than anything.
She couldn't bear to turn and look.
The scoreboard updated. Temari's total dropped to 0. Sasuke's rose to 10×1, his multiplier boosting his score as he took Temari's badge.
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