"As expected, Sensing Techniques are ineffective."
Amane finished her hand signs and retracted her hands, feeling troubled; in her perception, the entire air was saturated with Chakra everywhere.
The conversation between her Shadow Clone and Mei Terumī involuntarily replayed in her mind.
"You want me to separate from them?"
"That's right. You don't need to go far, just a dozen steps apart will do. As for the rest, you're free to improvise."
This 'free to improvise' was truly thought-provoking. If she really just laid down and did nothing here, Amane felt her evaluation would likely decrease.
(A Great Clam? I studied this intel before coming to the Land of Water, so I know about it. Combining that with fragments from the original work regarding the Fourth Great Ninja War, even if ordinary Sensing Techniques are useless, I have a way to solve this.)
And that was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
By splitting into over five hundred clones and performing a fan-shaped search centered on herself, she could definitely find that Great Clam, no matter where it was hidden.
After all, the Great Clam's Genjutsu is, to put it simply, a mirage. It doesn't create illusory objects like traditional Genjutsu, which is why Gaara was able to use the 'tactile' method of sand to locate it.
Unfortunately, her Chakra cheat-code usage was currently restricted by the 'test' parameters.
Then there were the Adamantine Sealing Chains. This method was actually a variation of the one above. Having several Shadow Clones form a circle and then linking them with Adamantine Sealing Chains to sweep through the area—as long as they touched the Great Clam, it would be unable to take any action.
But even if Mei Terumī might not recognize the Uzumaki Clan's secret techniques, could she actually use them?
Aside from those, Amane didn't have many options. This setup was clearly targeted at her. It wasn't just the issue of not being able to expose her Chakra, but also the environmental issue here.
The reason ordinary Sensing Techniques didn't work wasn't because sensing was impossible, but because every single tree here contained some Chakra, and then the Great Clam's interference mixed it all together completely, making it impossible to distinguish anything.
(Quick, think! With my brilliant brain, you're someone recognized by even the pot hokage and the future Mizukage!)
A Shadow Clone carpet search was unusable. Sweeping with Shadow Clones linked by Adamantine Sealing Chains was unusable. Wood Release was useless and unusable. She only knew a few Water Release techniques, zero Lightning Release, and while she knew some Wind Release, it unfortunately couldn't be used. She didn't know a single Earth Release technique either, and Sensing Techniques were ineffective... I give up!
When everything you're good at has been banned, how are you supposed to play?
(I can only place my hopes on Ringo Yuriko and Ye.)
Thinking of her two teammates, Amane felt that if Ringo Yuriko had explosive luck, it might be possible. As for Ye... (Come to think of it, the Ninjutsu she specializes in has never been shown.)
She was insta-killed when fighting Ringo Yuriko, and she hadn't used any Ninjutsu along the way. But Mei Terumī had indeed given this assessment equally to the three of them; it couldn't be solely because she had a Bloodline Limit.
Amane took a few deep breaths to calm her mind, feeling like she was starting to overthink things. After all, looking strictly at her stats, Ye was definitely qualified.
(Even if I can't break the deadlock, there are still things I can do.)
She took an exploding tag from her backpack, wrapped it around a stone, and threw it into the air.
The Great Clam's Genjutsu had no effect on sound. As long as she created a loud noise above, even if the fire from the explosion was distorted to another location, the sound could guide the other two to meet up.
But Amane's plan fell through. A water ball flew over and turned the exploding tag wrapped around the stone into a dud.
"I clearly said you passed, can't you just take a rest?"
Mei Terumī looked at Amane with a helpless expression and continued, "This is the edge of the base. Your actions might confuse the comrades guarding the vicinity, thereby giving the enemy an opportunity."
In reality, it wouldn't. Mei Terumī had certainly notified the surrounding people in advance. She just needed to say this intentionally now because Amane's actions were indeed the correct move; she wouldn't have stopped either of the other two if they had done it.
Unfortunately, even after this much time since the assessment began, the other two under her surveillance were completely clueless. Ye hadn't taken any countermeasures at all, and Ringo Yuriko hadn't even thought about meeting up with her teammates.
"But this way, the possibility of us meeting up is almost zero. Do Ye and Ringo Yuriko have special Ninjutsu? And where did Miss Tooyama go?"
This was Amane's probe.
A so-called assessment must have a passing standard. If the ultimate goal was to break the illusion, it would be impossible for them under normal circumstances with this level of difficulty. But what if the test was specifically about meeting up?
In the original work, Kakashi's assessment goal was teamwork. So Amane was now closely watching Mei Terumī's expression and what she would say next.
"Hmm~ You really are a good child, Big Sister likes you very much~"
After several days, Mei Terumī gave Amane another smiling headpat.
Feeling the pressure, Amane was truly worried that she would rub off her hair dye, even though it was a Root special.
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to arrange for those two to meet up. As for that Miss Tooyama, I've already arranged for someone to escort her back. In a while, the three of you can go directly to collect the bounty."
This solved one of her lingering concerns. Amane was planning to buy a rubber ball today. Incidentally, just last night, the first stage of the water balloon training had finished very smoothly—and with one hand, at that.
This result didn't surprise Amane. Back in Root, in order to master Sealing Jutsu, she had done plenty of training in various Chakra Shape Transformations.
"What about me? Do I just stay here until it's over?"
Amane asked.
"I originally planned for that, but you seem completely unable to sit still. In that case, come with me and watch the performance of your other two little partners."
After speaking, Mei Terumī's hands quickly began to form signs, and then she tapped Amane's forehead. The thick fog before her eyes dissipated to the level it was when they first entered the forest. At the same time, she could see Ye about a hundred meters away, looking around warily.
Where was Ringo Yuriko?
Now that her sensing was no longer being interfered with, Amane hurriedly activated her Sensing Technique.
Good grief! She was over 500 meters away, and her Chakra was constantly in a state of intermittent consumption. It seemed she intended to bull-head her way through to the end.
(I thought Ringo Yuriko's nature was probably similar to mine, but looking at it this way, the difference in how we handle things is quite significant.)
However, just as Amane thought this, the two solutions she had first thought of popped into her mind... Well, it wasn't like there was a choice; if she had Ninjutsu like Gaara's, why would she use a clumsy method?
Moreover, Ringo Yuriko clearly lacked common sense. Without a reference point, human movement unconsciously forms a circle, which is why people get lost in deep mountains and old forests until they die, unable to get out.
"What are you thinking about, Little Amane?"
Mei Terumī's curiosity was piqued as she watched Amane suddenly activate her sensing, then give a slight nod with a mix of self-deprecation and certainty on her face.
Amane didn't hide anything and gave her critique of Ringo Yuriko's approach.
"I see, that is indeed true. So, if Little Amane were to meet up with Ringo Yuriko, what idea would you have?"
Amane closed her eyes, deduced for a moment, and then said: "The main issue is the fixed point. I have ninja wire in my backpack, about 100 meters in length, which is probably not enough, but perhaps it can be solved by tying it to tree branches."
(Or I could use Sealing Jutsu to place a mark on Ringo Yuriko; that would solve the fixed point problem. Then there's the Kagura Minds Eye I haven't learned yet; since I don't know it, everything is unknown.)
After going around in circles, she was back to her specialties again, but isn't it natural to prioritize directions you're good at when encountering problems?
"Hmm, that's a feasible method."
(With their current means, this is already an above-average strategy.)
It was indeed feasible, it's just that the consumption for one of them would be quite large, and that person happened to be a primary attacker.
"Then what about meeting up with Ye?"
Mei Terumī continued to ask.
"I don't know. We've known each other for too short a time."
They had only known each other for two days—Talk no Jutsu yesterday, executing the mission today. Amane's understanding of Ice Release was still stuck on Haku's level; however, even using Haku's Ninjutsu to understand Ye, Amane couldn't imagine how she would find the Great Clam.
"I see, you've indeed only known each other for a short two days. So, just watch her performance closely next. Although you don't say it, in reality, none of you think much of this Ice Release Ninja, do you? In the current situation, Ye is the one who can truly threaten the Great Clam."
After Mei Terumī spoke with conviction, she made a few hand gestures. Immediately, a Ninja wearing a mask and dressed entirely in black approached Ye and engaged her in combat.