Completing missions was challenging because the girls didn't want to put in the effort or train together. Yes, they did show up at our training ground a few times during the three weeks we spent in isolation, but for the most part, they were preoccupied with their own affairs and clan training. We managed to complete the missions, but nothing beyond that.
I never stopped my personal training. Every day after missions, I would train, using the only technique I knew or trying to improve my skills. However, I soon realized my progress was much slower than I had hoped. I felt like a slow snail while time raced past me like a rabbit escaping an athletic wolf.
To address this, I decided to spend all the money I earned from the missions to hire a chunin trainer to work with me after each mission. This gave me the motivation to finish tasks quickly so I could make it to the training sessions. I hired the trainer for seven evenings, and he diligently worked with me each time, analyzing our sparring sessions and helping me improve in areas where I struggled.
After three weeks, the weights I always wore no longer felt like anything. I had completely adjusted to them and was already considering adding another level of weight. However, when I saw the prices, I was a bit shocked—they were higher than what I paid for the chunin's training.
"Overall," the chunin said during our last hour of training, "not bad at all. You just need to work a bit more on your reaction speed, and you'll be able to take down most genin with ease."
"Thank you," I replied.
After that, he left me. I patted my pockets and sighed, realizing that my savings were nearly depleted. I think there's only enough left for a few portions of instant ramen. Well, that's just how it is.
When I got home, I cleaned up and went to rest. Sensei should be back tomorrow. I wonder how his mission went and what kind of mission it was—I'm curious. I don't know if he'll share any details with us, but it's still intriguing to think about.
As I know, our team is falling behind the others in terms of higher-ranked missions completed. Some teams have already taken on more challenging D-rank missions, and others have even done their first C-rank mission. Meanwhile, we've been stuck on the lower levels, mostly doing E-rank missions, with only the occasional higher-ranked one. It makes sense, though—until our captain returns, no one is going to let simple genin take on more difficult tasks. It's just that simple.
I fell asleep with these thoughts.
The next morning, I returned to the Hokage Administration and waited for the girls. But then, I sensed a familiar presence nearby—if that's the right word. When I turned my head, who did I see? None other than Captain Kiochi, looking surprisingly refreshed. It seemed he hadn't just returned this morning or last night but sometime yesterday.
"Good morning, Captain," I greeted him.
"And good morning to you, Machine," he chuckled.
"How was your mission, Captain?" I asked.
"Not bad, to be honest," he replied. "I expected it to be more dangerous and tense, but thanks to our teamwork, everything went smoothly. How did things go for you, genin?"
"We completed missions and focused on self-improvement," I replied briefly. "I think you'll be able to see how many missions we completed during your absence, Captain."
"Let me guess," he said, "Ten missions? Hmm?"
"Um," I mumbled, looking away.
"Five?" he asked, rolling his eyes slightly.
"No, Captain, we completed missions every day without any breaks," I told him.
"How many missions, then?" he drawled. "Fifteen… Not bad."
He whistled and nodded approvingly, clearly pleased that we had completed so many missions. Maybe he'll reward us… or maybe not. Who knows? The main thing is that the reward isn't just more of these low-level missions. I'm sure Shiko and Ayamane wouldn't like that at all. But honestly, who cares what they like or don't like? Whatever the Captain says, goes.
After a while, the girls arrived, completely surprised by the Captain's return. They knew he'd come back eventually, but they didn't expect it to be today. The Captain greeted them calmly and began asking what they had been doing while he was on his mission.
They honestly told him that they had been training and handling clan matters.
"Well," the Captain concluded, "I'll see what you've achieved very soon. There won't be a mission today. Instead, we'll spend the day evaluating your progress and continuing your development."
"Hai, Sensei," we replied in unison. The girls didn't seem particularly happy, but I didn't care. Though, to be honest, I wouldn't mind getting a few more ryo in my pockets. That would be nice, but if not, so be it.
We headed to the training ground, taking the same paths I had been using on my own. We moved quickly, even for me. I wasn't particularly tired at this pace, but for my teammates, it was unexpected, and they were slightly out of breath.
"Take a seat," he instructed us. "Now, tell me, what have you achieved?"
So, we began recounting our experiences. We went over every mission, and I even showed him the signed forms for each one. The Captain seemed pleased and praised the entire team, which was a nice boost for all of us.
Then, he asked each of us to analyze what we had learned during these missions. It was clear we had gained a lot. Compared to three weeks ago, we now had a better understanding of how ordinary people live and how they secure their food. Additionally, we became more familiar with the village's bureaucratic system and why it functions the way it does. Of course, there was still more to learn, but those initial steps were already proving valuable.
"Well then," the Captain said as he stood up, prompting us to stand as well. "Let's start training right now. You will attack me together, and I will assess your skills to decide our next steps. Understood?"
"Hai, understood," we replied in unison.
We quickly spread out. Sensei tilted his head slightly, preparing to either attack or defend against us. We widened our positions and began circling him. A quick glance at Shiko and Ayamane confirmed they were ready, nodding in agreement.
I lunged forward, rushing at the Captain and activating my Earth Style technique, encasing myself in protective armor. Sensei took my powerful blow head-on with a solid block. Using the momentum of my strike, he tried to break through my defense, but I easily dodged, landing on the ground and attempting to sweep his legs.
The Captain jumped, nearly landing on me. I rolled aside and quickly threw a kunai in his direction. Sensei leaped away from the shadow that formed beneath him, as if it were trying to bind him. At that moment, I caught his gaze and attempted to cast a genjutsu. But as soon as my chakra entered his flow, he instantly dispelled it.
In the next second, I closed the distance again. Kunai flew past me, launched by one of the girls. I'm not sure who, but it was done incredibly fast. The Captain drew his own kunai and skillfully deflected the ones flying toward him. When I clashed with him, he aimed to leave a deep cut on me, but I managed to dodge just in time, though he did graze my clothes, leaving a long slash.
With a quick hand seal, I summoned two illusory clones that mirrored my movements. The attack didn't surprise Captain Kiochi at all. He simply grabbed my arm, but this gave me a chance to act. Spinning around, I tried to force him to open up to the shadow sent by Nara. Yamanaka was ready to strike but waited for the right moment. And then, that moment arrived.
Shiko used her technique like a battering ram, plunging into the Captain's mind and taking control of his body. Of course, I knew he could easily dodge—he hadn't used a single ninjutsu yet, only taijutsu. In that instant, Ayamane's shadow merged with the Captain's, freezing his body in place. Shiko deactivated her technique, giving me the opportunity to execute the attack myself.
A lunge forward with my knee extended. At that moment, the Captain flared up with chakra, breaking free from Nara's control. I was already flying towards him and couldn't stop. So, it's time to expect pain.
The Captain stopped my attack with one hand and slightly pushed me away, only to hit me with a powerful kick a second later. My defensive technique instantly shattered, spreading pain throughout my body. Rolling over, I mentally distanced myself from the pain, allowing Sensei Kiochi to take the offensive. He dashed towards Shiko, who tried to dodge or do something, but she lacked both speed and agility. Ayamane, seeing that the situation wasn't going well, tried to attack the Captain herself, buying Shiko time to change position and giving me a chance to recover.
"Move aside!" I yelled at Ayamane. I threw the first weight at the Captain. He didn't block it but simply dodged. The weight crashed into a tree, piercing right through it. The second weight followed, flying just centimeters from the Captain's head and smashing into a rock, splitting it.
My body was already moving towards the Captain at high speed. The sensation of relief and the absence of weight was incredibly pleasant. It gave me more speed and agility, as well as more powerful strikes.
Sensei skillfully evaded my attack, not at all concerned that my speed had increased. I activated my Earth Style technique again, creating a protective covering. A sharp move forward, going all out, and I found myself behind the Captain. That should have been enough to get him. But Captain Kiochi accelerated, and I felt his powerful kick hit my side. The Captain disappeared and reappeared behind me.
The technique shattered again, and this time I felt not just strong pain but incredible pain coursing through my entire body. It was extremely painful. Rolling across the ground, I noticed the Captain already flying at me, ready to deliver a finishing blow.
Damn!
"Substitution Jutsu!"
I quickly swapped myself with a large rock, dodging the Captain's blow at the last moment. His fist landed on the rock, shattering it into tiny pieces. If I had taken that hit myself, I definitely wouldn't be feeling very good afterward. Yeah.
Rolling away, I noticed that the Captain had rammed into Ayamane with his shoulder, knocking her down like a freight train. She was instantly knocked out and possibly even injured herself. Captain Kiochi moved towards Shiko. Yamanaka's attempt to increase the distance failed. Sensei closed the gap with one move and delivered a direct blow to her torso. Shiko folded up like a dry tree.
The Captain turned to me and raised an eyebrow in surprise. I stood up, took a deep breath in and out, trying to deal with the pain that was still echoing through my body. It was unpleasant, to be honest.
"Can you still continue?" the Captain asked.
"As long as I'm standing," I replied.
"Good," he nodded. He quickly created two clones that went to check on the girls' condition, while the Captain himself headed towards me. At first, he walked quite slowly but very confidently. It seemed like each of his steps echoed through the ground, and then, thunder!
The Captain leaped towards me at an incredibly high speed. I could barely make out his silhouette. Strike, block, attempt to dodge, and then counterattack. Kiochi-sensei's blows were extremely painful. My defense was barely holding on and was already about to give up, but I… won't let myself fall so easily. I didn't train so much just to fall to the ground and relax. Better for him to knock me out.
With these thoughts, I activated my defensive technique and tried to grab the Captain. A powerful punch landed directly on my jaw. The defense shattered, and the pain spread throughout my body, but I ignored it. I activated the technique again and tried to strike the Captain. He blocked my blow, twisted in an unusual way, and his knee drove into my chest, knocking all the air out of me. For a moment, my consciousness wanted to slip into the comforting darkness, but with some effort of will, I kept it here, in reality, and tried to activate the defensive technique again, but Kiochi was faster.
His blurred figure jumped back a few steps and then moved sharply forward. All of this happened in a mere moment. With one blow, he broke through my defense, which turned out to be very weak. I made a mistake; I shouldn't have tried to take it with a hard block. His fist slammed into my jaw a second time. My consciousness wavered again, trying to flee. Blood filled my mouth, but I didn't give up and fall…
But why am I standing? Why don't I just stop now when it's just a training session? If I fall, I won't die… Sensei will stop this part of the training and give me a chance to recover. So why should I keep standing? After all… Sensei is a jonin, and I'm just a genin, and it's not my place to try to withstand his onslaught… Why continue to endure the pain, blood, and beating…
For a moment, it seemed like a fire ignited inside me from such thoughts. It swept through my entire body and mind like a gray wave, destroying all such thoughts, leaving a crystal-clear understanding. Only by overcoming yourself can you become stronger.
All the missions we completed and all the people who were our clients flashed in my mind. Among them were retired genin who didn't want to push themselves to achieve something greater. Even more, I remembered those who couldn't save enough money for their old age to retire. They die on missions, leaving nothing behind. I don't want that! So what does that mean? I can't let myself fall. Better that Sensei knocks me out than for me to give up.
With these thoughts, it felt like I got a second wind. I grabbed the last kunai and leaped at the Captain. His figure was fixed in my focus. I want to prove to myself that I have a future beyond just being an ordinary genin and then a chunin. No… I want to become a legend, like Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, and the legendary Sage of the Six Paths himself.
Giving it my all, I attacked the Captain again. My blows were faster, more precise, and more agile. My whole body seemed to obey one goal—to prove to myself that I'm not just an ordinary genin. Without any control over my mind, yin and yang blended into a turbulent flow of chakra. Strike after strike. The Captain blocked and deflected them. One seal—and two illusory clones appeared at my sides. We attacked, but of course, Captain Kiochi wasn't fooled by this.
Suddenly jumping forward and almost hitting the ground, I delivered a powerful kick aimed directly at the Captain's tough defense. The force of the blow lifted him slightly off the ground, but I just didn't have enough speed! Damn it! I needed more chakra in my movements, and I started to have enough energy for the necessary action. As soon as the Captain landed, I lunged with my kunai, which slowly grazed the Captain's shoulder, leaving a shallow but bleeding cut. Excellent! More! More speed and more chakra.
A smirk appeared on the Captain's face, and he unleashed a flurry of blows. Holding onto consciousness with an iron will, I didn't let it slip away. I had to endure this. My attempt to dodge failed. Sensei grabbed me and hit me hard.
I was ripped from the ground and then slammed into a tree, but even then, I didn't stop, landing in the cold water. The water immediately tried to enter my body. The current tried to pull me into its depths, but I used all my remaining strength to get out. After gulping down some water, I crawled to the shore, and only now did all that pain crash into my mind, sending me into the depths of unconsciousness.