"忍忍忍,忍忍忍忍..."
Accompanied by a hypnotic BGM, flashes of colourful light occasionally burst from the rooftop of the school building.
In the middle of the rooftop, several young boys held ninja swords, striking various exaggerated poses. They constantly transformed and undone their transformations, competing to see whose transformation moves were the coolest.
It didn't look too different from the kids in Natsuhiko's past life who played with toy weapons.
Except that the weapons they held weren't toys—they were sharp ninja swords, and their transformations were actually fundamental…
The playful Kushina had also joined in, acting as the judge, earnestly commenting on their transformation moves.
Meanwhile, the little girls, Rin and Kurenai, crowded around Natsuhiko, eagerly asking about various movie-making details.
"Teacher, teacher, what's the story of the movie we're going to shoot?"
"Uh... actually, there are a few draft scripts, but I haven't made a decision yet."
"Will the movie be shown in the village cinema?"
"Of course, if the response is good, it might even become an annual activity for our research group, and it could even bring in some income for the school..."
"But teacher..."
"—Hold on for a second."
Natsuhiko had been casually answering the girls' questions while enjoying watching the boys' awkward dance moves.
But as he regained his senses, he realised that, under Kurenai and Rin's constant questioning, he seemed to be making the whole movie project sound grander than it should be.
Worried he might not be able to follow through later, he quickly waved his hand to interrupt them.
"These things can't be decided all at once. Let's start discussing them seriously next semester."
He brushed them off, then quickly changed the subject, pointing at the boys not far away:
"Look how much fun they're having. How about Kurenai and Rin? You two give it a try, too?"
As he spoke, he pulled out two ninja swords and handed them to the girls.
"Uh..."
Rin and Kurenai both instinctively stepped back two paces when they saw the ninja swords, then exchanged helpless glances.
They pestered the teacher with questions not only because they were genuinely interested in the movie but also to avoid the teacher bringing up this topic.
Clearly, they hadn't succeeded.
Sigh.
Why does Natsuhiko-Sensei always try to make everyone wear these strange skintight suits?
They had only recently mastered the entire radio callisthenics routine without having to imitate Guy's movements. They had finally escaped the tight, uncomfortable suits they hated.
They had even decided to consider that embarrassing experience as part of their "black history," pretending it never happened.
But only a few days later, Natsuhiko-Sensei was at it again, enthusiastically promoting a new set of skintight outfits…
Even though the new ones looked much more high-end, they were still skintight suits!
For their aesthetics, the girls had no choice but to politely decline the teacher's offer.
Kurenai forced a smile and said, "Natsuhiko-Sensei, we're already satisfied just knowing about the movie project, so we'll kindly pass on your offer."
Rin nodded in agreement like a little chick pecking at rice.
"Are you sure?" Natsuhiko then flashed a strange smile.
"That's really unfortunate."
"Because I've mentioned before that since you're the first students to learn the radio callisthenics, next semester you'll be responsible for teaching the moves to others, spreading this exercise routine…"
"And if you wear these battle suits, it'll be easier for the other students to distinguish you..."
The two little girls stood in shock as if struck by lightning, looking at each other in dismay.
They suddenly remembered that the teacher had indeed said something like that before, but they had long since forgotten all about it.
Does this mean... their connection to these skintight suits isn't over yet!?
And this time, they'd have to wear them in front of a crowd?
What kind of weird punishment game is this?
Before they could think further, Natsuhiko-Sensei was already pulling back the ninja swords, saying thoughtfully:
"It seems like you preferred the previous training outfits..."
"No, no!"
The two girls cried out in dismay, rushing forward to snatch the ninja swords from Natsuhiko-Sensei's hands, holding them protectively as if afraid he'd take them back.
Compared to the horribly ugly skintight suits they once wore, these new battle suits suddenly seemed much more acceptable.
As the two girls, feeling their aesthetics slowly being twisted by Natsuhiko-Sensei, comforted themselves internally:
At least, at least these suits come with helmets so no one can see our embarrassed faces...
Watching the two girls, who looked defeated and were carrying their ninja swords towards the boys, Natsuhiko couldn't help but smile mischievously.
Forgive me, Rin, Kurenai.
Without you two girls, the Shuriken Squad would be incomplete.
And for Natsuhiko, who pursued the perfect cosplay, that was simply unacceptable.
Then, stroking his chin, he watched as Rin and Kurenai, guided by their enthusiastic partners, completed their transformations.
At last, the Shuriken Squad had six members.
They were:
Red Ninja: Sarutobi Asuma.
Blue Ninja: Uchiha Obito.
Yellow Ninja: Ebisu.
Pink Ninja: Kurenai Yuhi.
White Ninja: Rin Nohara.
Green Ninja: Might Guy...
Now, all that remained was for the Star Ninja to take his place.
As this thought crossed his mind, Natsuhiko's gaze fell on Kakashi, who stood nearby.
Clearly, he already had someone in mind...
Unaware that he had been targeted, Kakashi continued watching his classmates play their transformation game with unblinking attention.
He didn't understand what was going on, but he was utterly captivated.
After all, he hadn't expected the battle suits Natsuhiko-Sensei had promised them to look like this.
While they didn't seem like battle suits, Kakashi noted that they were form-fitting, flexible, and didn't restrict movement. Judging by how Asuma had tried slashing his with a ninja sword, leaving only a white mark, they seemed to offer solid defence—perfect for battle.
But still, these suits were incredibly flashy!
With their hypnotic background music, exaggerated transformation effects, and elaborate designs, they were utterly inappropriate as ninja battle gear!
What frustrated Kakashi the most was how slow the transformations were.
It felt like the enemy could kill them ten times over before they finished transforming.
Unless their enemies were too stupid to attack during the transformation sequence, Kakashi couldn't imagine these "battle suits" being of any practical use.
So, in the end, Kakashi concluded that these outfits, like the GekiNin cards, were just toys designed to make learning more fun for the students.
As a young ninja who could already hold his own in battle, he looked down on these childish outfits.
—Though rationally, he thought this, his eyes still couldn't help but glance at his classmates playing their transformation game, unable to look away...
After all, despite already being a young ninja, he was still not quite six years old...
Just then, footsteps approached, and Kakashi quickly shifted his gaze, pretending not to notice and looked toward the sound.
He saw Natsuhiko-Sensei walking over with a smile, saying:
"Kakashi, since we have some time now, let's arrange your tutoring plan. I want to make sure you catch up with everyone over the summer."
(End of Chapter)
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