Shinichi leaned back against the tree, his katana resting by his side as he motioned for the three genin to sit in front of him.
Once they were settled, he crossed his arms and studied them for a moment before speaking.
"How's your relationship with each other? Team dynamics are important."
Satoru responded first,"Our team synergy is already solid. I'd say we'll probably work better than most other teams out there."
Chosuke grinned, nodding eagerly. "I'm just happy to be here! I'm looking forward to learning under you, sensei."
Kaito, more reserved, shrugged. "Honestly, I got a better team than I expected. I think we'll be fine."
Shinichi's eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted his gaze to Kaito. "And what about your capabilities as shinobi? I want to know what each of you brings to this team." His eyes lingered on Kaito, the implication clear.
Kaito, noticing the look and remembering the earlier conversation, stepped forward, ready to address the unspoken concern.
"I don't have much to offer right now," he admitted, his tone straightforward. "I've got the basics down, but I'm still working on my jutsu arsenal. No advanced techniques yet."
Shinichi nodded slowly, as if he had anticipated Kaito's answer. "That's fine. I'm not expecting everyone to be fully developed, but I expect effort. We'll work on that." He glanced at Satoru and Chosuke next. "Your turn."
Chosuke grinned before answering, "I'm proficient in chakra-enhancement and its forms. I also use a bo staff and am learning my clan's jutsus."
Shinichi nodded in approval and then turned his gaze to Satoru, motioning for him to speak next.
Satoru straightened up, his voice steady. "I'm also proficient in chakra augmentation and its forms. I use a katana, am currently learning medical ninjutsu and poison techniques, and have pretty good chakra control."
At this, Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "Medical ninjutsu and poison?" His expression shifted, showing more interest than before.
"Chakra control at your level must be precise to balance both. Not many focus on such skills this early."
Satoru gave a small nod. "It's something I started training in recently, but I've made good progress."
Shinichi stayed silent for a moment, clearly processing the information. "Interesting," he muttered, glancing between the three of them.
"A good shinobi team isn't just a group of individuals," he began,"It needs to be balanced—each member must have a role. Attack, defense, and support. If one of you lacks, the whole team is at risk, and in the field, that can mean life or death."
He paused, letting his words sink in. Then, with a quick hand sign, he disappeared in a blur, leaving them in silence.
Kaito blinked, looking between Satoru and Chosuke. "So… what are we supposed to do now?"
Chosuke shrugged, his brows knitted. "Maybe he wants us to figure it out ourselves?"
Satoru nodded slowly, glancing in the direction their sensei had vanished. "I think so. We should probably start by assessing what we're each good at, then figure out how to balance it."
Kaito considered this, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But is that enough? If we're going to be a strong team, we should have a plan to cover our weaknesses, too."
Satoru's eyes brightened at the suggestion. "Right. So, let's figure out our strengths, weaknesses, and some strategies to compensate for them."
They sat discussing for a moment, letting information pass around, before Kaito broke it with a grin.
"Alright, I think we're starting to sound like a real team. Let's take what we've got and work out some drills for it."
For the next hour, they continued to brainstormed and sketched out scenarios, each boy contributing his ideas. Chosuke suggested practicing close-range drills while Kaito recommended defensive formations.
As they worked, Shinichi reappeared silently behind a tree, listening closely, impressed by how seriously they were taking the task.
Finally, with a basic plan in place, Satoru set his stick down. "We'll show this to Sensei, but let's try some of it out ourselves first. If we can make this work in training, then we'll be ready."
Shinichi walked over, finishing off a dango skewer before sitting down with the team, his gaze unreadable as he looked them over.
The three genin quickly took their places across from him, sitting down to face their new sensei with anticipation.
Kaito took a breath and began, sounding steady, "Sensei, we've discussed what you said about balance. Our team setup leans heavily toward attack and support types. I want to focus on training in ninjutsu and sensory techniques to cover those gaps, especially adding some range for support."
Shinichi nodded, taking in Kaito's observations, his eyes shifting to Satoru, who straightened up before speaking.
"I'm thinking along similar lines, sensei," Satoru said confidently. "Our team needs a defensive backbone, so I'd like to expand my ninjutsu skills specifically for defensive purposes. I want us to be prepared for any situation, even if things turn bad."
Chosuke, listening to his teammates, gave a chuckle. "I'm the guy who punches things really hard and makes sure they don't get back up."
He paused, eyeing the dango stick still in Shinichi's hand. "Also, sensei… can I have one of those?"
Shinichi handed over a skewer, his gaze focused as he considered them. "Your roles are well thought out, and your goals make sense," he acknowledged, his voice steady.
"I'll train you—but anything I teach, you'll have to earn."
Shinichi-sensei looked at them briefly, then instructed, "Meet me near the Hokage building tomorrow at 7 a.m. Don't be late."
Without waiting for a response, he flickered away, leaving them with a silent promise of what the next day would bring.
As they watched their sensei disappear, Satoru turned to Kaito, patting his back with a grin. "You made a good impression on him, taking the lead like that."
Kaito blinked, surprised. "Really? How?"
"You showed him that you're willing to improve," Satoru replied. "By pointing out the team's strengths and weaknesses—and mentioning what you want to work on—you removed any doubts about your dedication. It's like saying, 'I'm aware of where I stand and ready to work hard.'"
Kaito mulled it over, a faint smile crossing his face. "Guess I impressed him without even meaning to," he chuckled, feeling a new confidence as the realization sank in.
---
The next day, Satoru, Kaito, and Chosuke waited near the Hokage building, keeping their eyes out for Shinichi-sensei.
He finally appeared, casually chewing on a piece of gum from a small packet in his hand. He nodded to them, gesturing toward the mission office with his thumb. "Head in, get to the mission office," he said between chews.
The team followed his instructions, filing into the mission office, where Shinichi-sensei approached the clerk. "D-rank mission for Team Shinichi," he requested smoothly, returning to the group with a document detailing the mission.
Chosuke leaned over, curious, and asked, "Is there any fighting involved?"
Shinichi-sensei glanced down at the document, then raised an eyebrow. "Lawn mowing and landscaping."
Satoru's face broke into a grin, barely able to contain himself as he blurted, "Ohhhh how long I've been waitin' for this!" The words tumbled out in an excited, barely coherent mess, his tone unusually enthusiastic.
Kaito frowned, utterly baffled. "Uh...what did you just say?"
Satoru waved him off, his eyes still gleaming with anticipation as they walked over to the house where they'd be working.
When the homeowner opened the door and saw Satoru, his face lit up with recognition. "Ah, Satoru! Good to see you again! Come in!"
Chosuke's eyes darted between the homeowner and Satoru. "Wait—why does he know you?"
Kaito smirked knowingly. "Because Satoru is practically famous in these residential areas. He's the reason why D-rank missions here have gotten tougher to get."
The team got to work mowing the lawn, dragging their tools across the yard in quiet boredom.
The job was monotonous, and the kids quickly grew tired of it. Noticing this, the owner of the house walked over and asked,
"Hey, Satoru, think you could use some ninjutsu? My kids love watching that kind of stuff."
Satoru looked over at Shinichi-sensei for permission, catching sight of the owner's children, who were watching with wide, expectant eyes.
Shinichi-sensei gave a slight nod, and Satoru smirked. "Alright then," he muttered, unsheathing Fumikage.
As he poured his chakra into the sword, a dark aura enveloped the blade, turning it pitch black. The kids gasped in awe as they watched the blade absorb every hint of light around it.
With a practiced stance, Satoru swung the sword, cutting down an impressive sweep of grass in one motion. He continued swinging, adding some exaggerated poses to entertain the kids, who cheered and clapped.
Kaito and Chosuke couldn't take their eyes off the display either, mesmerized by the sight of the black blade slicing through the grass effortlessly.
In no time, the lawn was perfectly cut. The team waved goodbye to the family, satisfied with their work. As they walked away, Chosuke couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "Satoru, what's up with that sword? It's like nothing I've ever seen."
Satoru grinned, holding up Fumikage. "This is Fumikage. When I pour chakra into it, it absorbs all the light, turning the blade completely black," he explained, proudly showing it off.
Kaito glanced at the sword with newfound interest. "Where did you even get something like that?"
Satoru chuckled, spinning Fumikage back into its sheath. "It was a gift."
Shinichi-sensei looked back at them, his usual expression calm yet faintly amused.
"Alright, enough chatter. There are more missions to get through."
The team continued their week of missions, completing two or three D-rank tasks every day.
Meanwhile, Satoru kept up his medical training with Mitsuki-sensei, and today was no exception.
In Mitsuki's living room, Satoru was carefully healing a small cut on her hand. She had nodded off with a book in her lap, apparently exhausted from earlier — she had mentioned she'd accidentally cut herself while cooking.
Satoru set a timer before starting, determined to track his progress. In exactly two minutes, the wound was completely healed.
He smiled, quietly celebrating his improvement.
He stood to head to the kitchen for a drink, only to be startled as Mitsuki suddenly sprang up, lightly kicking him in the side.
Instinctively, Satoru's hand went to his kunai pouch, but he stopped short, realizing it was just Mitsuki, who was now grinning at him.
"Two minutes — that's your personal best," she said, beaming. Before he could react, she gave him a tight hug.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and she stepped back, her usual calm composure quickly returning.
"Well done, Satoru," she said with a proud smile before heading to answer the door.
Mitsuki opened the door to find Shinichi standing there, wearing sunglasses and looking unexpectedly handsome. She raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.
"Excuse me, are you Satoru's mother? I'm looking for him," Shinichi asked casually.
Mitsuki chuckled, amused. "Why would you think I'm his mother?"
Just then, Satoru appeared behind her, his eyes widening as he caught the conversation. Before he could intervene, Shinichi continued, "Well, he listed you as his emergency contact."
Satoru's face flushed, and he moved to stop the conversation, but Mitsuki gasped, her face lighting up.
"Aww! That's what you think of me? That's so cute!" She wrapped Satoru in another tight, enthusiastic hug, squeezing him as he struggled to breathe.
"S-Shinichi-sensei… a little help?" Satoru pleaded, barely able to move. But Shinichi just took out a snack, munching contentedly as he watched Satoru's plight, clearly in no hurry to help.
Finally released from Mitsuki's embrace, Satoru quickly grabbed his shinobi supplies, muttering a rushed goodbye.
As he headed out, Mitsuki leaned out the door, waving at Shinichi with a mischievous grin. "Bye, handsome! Come back sometime," she called, giggling as she closed the door.