CH_2.3 (034)

CH_2.3 (034)

Takuma could hear his breathing inside his head as he observed his team in various states of exertion. On the first day, the rookie genins had been apportioned into teams of five each. Any group activity was to be done with the team.

His new team... was interesting, to say the least.

"You... You're a monster, Masaaki," said the girl with the bub cut and a lock of hair braided a violet ribbon just in front of the ear. She was huffing heavily with her hands on her knees as she looked up at Masaaki.

She wasn't wrong. After sprinting for the better part of half an hour, Masaaki looked like he could do it for another hour without breaking a sweat.

Masaaki's laugh was boisterous. "You don't train enough, Ai," he said with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I train enough! You're the deviant one!"

Masaaki laughed more.

"Ai's right, Masaaki. You're just something else," said the guy standing beside Ai with his hands resting on his waist as he caught his breathing.

Takuma could confidently say that he hadn't seen a more handsome eleven year old in both of his lives. Nenro, Masaaki's classmate from the academy, was strikingly good-looking with his blonde hair, blue eyes, and tall stature. Takuma had noticed many interested eyes from girls in the rookies lingering at Nenro, and many had even come to talk to him over—the number would've been higher if Ai hadn't staked her claim in public. Takuma wondered if it was a coincidence or deliberate that Masaaki, Ai, and Nenro were placed together on the team.

That left the last member of his team. Takuma turned to look at the ground behind him, where Taro wheezed on the ground as if there wasn't enough oxygen in the world.

"... I never noticed you have such low stamina," Takuma said to Taro.

Taro stared up at him and looked like he wanted to say something but closed his eyes.

"Takuma, you also seem to be doing well," Nenro's voice made Takuma turn towards the handsome blonde and chuckle.

"... I run a lot," he smiled wryly.

"I'm sorry, should I've not asked?" Nenro asked with a worried look on his face.

"Eh? Ah, no, no, it's nothing," Takuma waved him off— it was more like he was forced to run by Maruboshi during the Leaf/Coin Concentration Practice. He wasn't as sunny as Masaaki, but he had already caught his breath and could go again. "How's the search for the apartment going?" he asked.

Ai perked up as a starry look appeared in her eyes. "We found the perfect place! It's only a couple streets away from the main road. The market and bathhouse are like five minutes away. And you won't believe how nice the apartment is— it's better than my home back in Kiwanishi!" she said in glowing praise.

Takuma's classmate was holding his leg and shaking. His body had shrunk slightly into a fetal position. He said in a croaky voice, "Sir! Yes... sir! H-However, I-I think I broke my foot, s-sir!"

"Nothing serious then," smiled Yoshio. He then yelled, "Medic!"

In the middle of the large field shared by all five groups, the shady guy with dark glasses, who had accompanied Yoshio on the first day, sat on a foldable chair under a beach umbrella. He put down whatever book he was reading and teleported from there to beside Yoshio using Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Jutsu).

He knelt down beside the cowering genin. He pulled the pant sleeve and observed the injury while the genin hissed, groaned, and yelled in pain when he was poked or his leg was was moved. The shady guy weaved hand seals before holding the leg with one hand and placing his other hand over the point of breakage for an iridescent green glow of Iryo-jutsu to appear.

"You see, I was pissed when they forced me to teach you a lot that I decided. I couldn't do anything as they were my orders, but I decided to make it a little fun. So, I proposed a harmless bet to the instructors. All four of us train our groups, and at the end of the basic training, one team for each group will participate in a tournament to decide a winner," said Yoshio.

Takuma narrowed his eyes. The shitty instructor was using them for fun and games. This was definitely some sort of new rookie hazing— pitting them against each other like animals in a fight club and enjoying as they beat each other up.

"Of course, we understand the need for some motivation for you lazy lot," Yoshio continued. "The four teams that participate in the tournament will not be participating as teams; they will participate as individuals, meaning there will be one winner," the chunin instructor raised one finger. "As a reward, the winner will get a C-rank jutsu scroll."

Takuma's eyes widened as he heard gasps around him. The academy three were E-rank jutsu. Rookie genins like them were allowed access to a library of D-rank jutsu. C-rank jutsu was beyond that. Takuma didn't know if genins were allowed access to C-rank jutsu, but from the gasps around him, he could infer that even if they were, he wasn't going to get his hands on one for a long time.

"For my group, that's you guys; there will be a leaderboard that will be updated every week. Every week, the team on the top will be exempted from some punishment everyone else will have to face," Yoshio's face was the perfect expression of evil.

"The team on the top of the leaderboard at the end of the basic training will participate in the final tournament."

Takuma clenched his grip on his other wrist behind his back. He could feel his heartbeat through the pulse on his wrist. A C-rank jutsu. For an orphan like him who wasn't part of a jonin-led three-man cell, or from a shinobi clan, or had close relatives in the shinobi organization, a C-rank jutsu was more precious than gold.

He had to get it.

He was going to get it...

... No matter what it took.

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