In the world of shinobi, the most decisive factor in battle is always intelligence. The one who holds the advantage in information controls the battlefield.
Throughout history, countless powerful shinobi have suffered defeat due to flawed or outdated intelligence. Likewise, many formidable figures have met their downfall once their weaknesses were exposed and exploited by their enemies.
A prime example from history is Hidan of the Akatsuki. Until his secret—his ritualistic jutsu tied to Jashinism—was uncovered, he was nearly invincible. He effortlessly slaughtered members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, overwhelmed Sarutobi Asuma, and even held his own against the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Nii Yugito. However, once his method of immortality was understood, Nara Shikamaru was able to develop a counter-strategy that resulted in Hidan's entrapment, sealing his fate.
The same principle applied to Ryosuke's current assessment—intelligence dictated survival and victory.
Despite his initial win, Ryosuke's team remained at a disadvantage. The opposing team's overall strength was still superior. Ryosuke had secured the first victory, but that was merely one battle in a war.
In theory, his team could employ the strategic principle known as "Tian Ji's Horse Racing"—matching their weakest member against a stronger opponent to strategically manipulate the order of battles. The logic was simple: his weakest fights their strongest, his mid-tier fights their weakest, and his strongest fights their mid-tier, ensuring a statistical advantage.
However, real combat was not as simple as a game of numbers. Opponents were not labeled with power levels above their heads, and "aura" was not an absolute metric of strength. There were countless ways to mask one's power or deceive an enemy's perception.
The critical question remained: how would Ryosuke determine the true strength of his opponents?
A single miscalculation in matching fighters could result in a crushing defeat.
This was why many of the observing Jōnin doubted Ryosuke's chances. Unlike the Mist Shinobi, who had records and rankings for their own forces, Ryosuke lacked access to structured intelligence on his foes.
How could Mizuki Ryosuke obtain such vital information?
The tournament had one key rule: the losing team had to announce their next fighter before the opposing team selected theirs.
This rule alone created a tactical opening—a chance to analyze and strategize based on the opponent's selection.
This was precisely why winning the first battle was crucial. Teams generally fought to secure the initial victory, ensuring they could manipulate matchups going forward. Losing the first battle meant revealing a participant first, handing the opposing team a strategic edge.
Ryosuke's opponents were all ninja cats. Except for Cat Nosuke, the other three had an aura that was generally stronger than Ryosuke's teammates.
This resulted in a clear power hierarchy among them—three distinct tiers: strong, medium, and weak.
On the surface, this structure presented Ryosuke with an opportunity to apply Tian Ji's Horse Racing.
However, the real challenge was determining whether the perceived ranking of his opponents was accurate.
Could the weakest-seeming ninja cat actually be hiding its strength?
The opponent soon revealed their next fighter: a small, slender, three-colored ninja cat. Based on its chakra aura, it appeared to be the weakest of the three remaining members.
But was it truly the weakest?
This was a crucial question. The opponent specialized in Yin Release (陰遁, Inton) techniques—manipulations of the mind and spirit. If any shinobi could deceive perception, it would be them.
Sending Terumi Mei against this "weak" ninja cat seemed like the obvious choice—her power was calibrated to counter an opponent of moderate strength, following the Tian Ji's Horse Racing strategy. But if this cat was stronger than it appeared, then Ryosuke would have miscalculated the matchup entirely.
Deception was a natural ability of those who specialized in Yin Release.
Ryosuke's eyes gleamed with understanding.
Aura could be faked.
But there was something that could not be.
He needed to verify something.
A massive wave of spiritual energy suddenly surged from Mizuki Ryosuke, spreading across the battlefield, targeting the two ninja cats who specialized in Yin Release.
This was the purest form of Yin Release Chakra—spiritual power itself.
To illustrate the effect, Ryosuke thought of it like this: If spiritual energy were gasoline, then the body that contained it was the barrel. Genjutsu and other Yin-based secret techniques were the flames that ignited the fuel, creating an attack.
Right now, Ryosuke wasn't igniting anything—he was simply flooding the battlefield with raw, unrefined spiritual energy.
It wasn't an attack. It wasn't an illusion.
But for those with high sensitivity to Yin Release, this overwhelming force would naturally trigger a reaction.
Ryosuke was effectively using sheer spiritual density to scan his opponents. The stronger an individual's spiritual fortitude, the less they would be affected by the surge of energy. But those with weak spiritual control would inevitably falter, even if just for a fraction of a second.
Only someone with an extreme Yin-based ability—like Ryosuke himself—could execute such a test with this level of precision.
The results were immediate.
The ninja cat on the ring—who was supposed to be the weakest—only blinked in surprise, briefly glancing around in alertness, as though momentarily puzzled by the energy wave.
However, the ninja cat standing outside the ring—the one whose aura had seemed moderate—froze completely for three full seconds before snapping out of it.
Ryosuke's eyes narrowed.
This was all the confirmation he needed.
The one who had seemed weak was actually the true danger.
A smirk formed on his lips.
"So that's how it is…"
With that, he had all the intelligence he needed.
Now, it was only a matter of playing the game correctly.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 100+ CHAPTERS
Patreon.com/Kora_1