Another day for Kei Shibatori, a shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato, was gloomy, monotonous, and dull, hardly different from the previous ones. Since he was assigned a team of genin for training a month and a half ago, it became impossible to take on anything above D-rank missions, with the lion's share of the day being taken up by their execution and team training.
Of course, the pay was decent, and after the reorganization of the shinobi academy by the Senju clan, some capable genin were being produced—those who took their chosen profession seriously. But dealing with inexperienced rookies was not among the favorite activities of the young Tokubetsu Jonin.
Usually, senseis were assigned full-fledged jonin, but due to the war, all the strongest and most experienced were sent to the front lines, leaving those who remained—along with the ANBU—to provide security for the village and its surroundings, occasionally going on patrols in the Land of Fire, a duty usually reserved for lower-ranking shinobi.
Moreover, the orders of the ANBU commander, acting as Hokage, were not to be discussed. So, the two boys and the girl would have to endure until they became chunin or received a direct order from their superiors.
Sighing, Kei took a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it with the flame on his finger, and surveyed the empty training field where his team usually gathered—there were still about five minutes until nine, and none of the kids had shown up yet.
Taking a drag of the fragrant smoke, the Tokubetsu Jonin shook his head. The one huge plus of the situation outweighed all the others—the tortures could be called training, and therefore, no one could complain.
Remembering the expressions on the faces of the trio when they had to run ten kilometers without using chakra and with a huge log on their backs, the shinobi couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
He only regretted not bringing the camera much earlier! Imagining how he would embarrass the already grown-up students with memorable photos from their distant childhood, Kei laughed villainously.
Unfortunately, the genin team chose this moment to appear on the field, earning the honor of witnessing their sadistic teacher in all his glory of devising a sinister plan, causing shivers to run down each of their spines.
"Se-sensei..." After suppressing an involuntary shiver, one of the genin dared to attract the attention of their sensei.
"Ah, my little... cough... students have arrived!" Shibatori replied with exaggerated joy. "Let's do ten laps around the field for warm-up, and then we'll start the mission."
"Yes, sensei!" came the response, and the trio immediately set off to complete the exercise.
"Well done," the teacher nodded approvingly and smiled.
He had trained his team excellently, and they strived to complete any exercise in record time, sparing no effort. Or was it due to a small Raiton jutsu for the not-so-diligent? No, they were just diligent and hardworking. Yes, that's it! The main thing was to have the motivation to demonstrate these qualities!
"Hey, Kei, about the mission?" greeted the Tokubetsu Jonin a familiar retired veteran who handed out missions.
"Yeah, something quick and challenging enough," nodded the shinobi, giving his team a wide smile.
"Scaring the youngsters again," the official shook his head and rummaged through a pile of scrolls, pulling out one and handing it to the teacher. "A request came in yesterday, right up your alley."
"Hmm, a team of taijutsu specialists for sparring matches?" Shibatori raised an eyebrow in surprise as he read the mission. "And from the Nara clan? Has the end of the world come for us?"
"As you can see, no. Such requests have been coming in constantly over the past few months."
"Alright, I'll take a look at this wonder," the shinobi chuckled and tucked the scroll into his vest pocket, commanding, "Follow me!"
The team's passage through the clan's territory went smoothly—they just had to present the mission scroll. But then the oddities began—the employer turned out to be a red-haired boy around eleven or thirteen years old, radiating confidence in every movement, who explained the mission as an opportunity to gain experience in battles with various opponents in taijutsu sparring.
Kei could only shrug, amazed by the eccentricity of the clan child. However, the indifferent attitude disappeared a couple of minutes later when the boy effortlessly defeated a genin three years older than himself in a few moves and a short series of strikes.
This was despite the fact that she was the weakest in the team in taijutsu due to her rather fragile physique. But the result was still unexpected.
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