At first, Ye Zi thought that taking on two extra burdens was a complete waste of time. However, when Guy revealed the Eight Gates Technique, he truly became invested.
Every day, Ye Zi began targeted training for Guy. He soon discovered that Guy's willpower was exceptionally strong, far surpassing his peers. No matter how harsh the training load, he always managed to complete it.
Ye Zi tried increasing the intensity until he himself couldn't handle it any longer, and he saw just how bright Guy's potential was.
What was once seen as a weakness in Guy, his focus on physical techniques, now seemed to be a natural talent rather than a shortcoming.
Ye Zi couldn't predict how far Guy would go with physical techniques, but he could judge that he would certainly have a place among the core members of Konohagakure in the future.
Thus, he began to dedicate himself fully. Initially driven by the prospect of the Eight Gates Technique, it was Guy's own qualities that kept him engaged.
As for Kurenai, Ye Zi regretted spending so much time on her. The three hours a day seemed to be a waste in his eyes. Subconsciously, he didn't place much importance on Kurenai. Over the first six days, he completely outperformed her. By the last day, he had subconsciously begun to give up on her, but unexpectedly... Kurenai surprised him on the final day.
She used her eyes, even a mere glance.
She wasn't a Uchiha, unable to use her eyes alone to make someone fall into a genjutsu unknowingly. However, she used a mere glance as a "spark" to launch a weak genjutsu attack. The key was her hand gestures used to guide Ye Zi into the genjutsu, forming the initial shape of a technique, and successfully making Ye Zi fall under its effect.
Although the genjutsu was skillfully broken, Kurenai was still incredibly excited, even more so than when she graduated from the Ninja Academy.
Seeing that she had developed the rudimentary form of a technique, Ye Zi gave up on sending her back to the Academy.
Originally, the plan was to give Guy and Kurenai a week. However, plans changed. After seeing Guy's rapid progress, he voluntarily extended the training period. But he stopped training with Kurenai himself and instead had Kotoe take over as her sparring partner.
Ye Zi's lack of attention to Kurenai was largely due to his undervaluation of genjutsu. Every day, he focused more on Guy.
Ye Zi himself had no real skills in physical techniques; he relied solely on basic movements. Therefore, he trained Guy in that direction.
In terms of physical technique training, a lot of meat was essential. In this sense, Guy was lucky to have met Ye Zi, as it was unlikely any other leader would spend money every day to support a student, especially one with such poor performance.
Guy wasn't foolish. He noticed Ye Zi's dedication and was deeply moved by the daily meals of meat, although he didn't show it openly. Instead, he became even more enthusiastic about training.
It seemed he didn't want to disappoint Ye Zi...
Days went by. While other teams were completing tasks, Team Nine's task record remained blank. This was unprecedented, and Hiruzen didn't urge them, as he occasionally monitored Team Nine's progress and saw Ye Zi's dedication.
Everything seemed to be progressing well. Hiruzen thought that when Ye Zi started putting effort into Guy's training, he might be beginning to develop a sense of belonging to the village. Little did he know, Ye Zi's dedication was partly due to the Eight Gates Technique and partly because Guy had influenced him.
Sense of belonging?
With his terrible first and second impressions, it was difficult for Ye Zi to feel a sense of belonging to Konoha.
A month later, the training concluded.
Guy had undergone an initial transformation, with Ye Zi helping him accumulate substantial combat experience over the past half-month. On the other hand, Kurenai's training results were also excellent, mainly because Kotoe helped her overcome her most fatal flaw—her immaturity.
It was a clear and sunny day.
Ye Zi led Team Nine to the Hokage's office to take on their first mission.
Hiruzen rested his chin on his hands, his gaze shifting between Guy and Kurenai. Compared to a month ago, both children had shed their immaturity, which was a positive sign for ninjas.
"This will be your team's first mission. Are you sure you want to take on a B-rank mission?" Hiruzen didn't immediately approve Ye Zi's request but instead advised against it. Even though Guy and Kurenai had undergone a month of special training and the team included the Jonin Kotoe, he was still concerned.
Years of experience and his position had made Hiruzen more cautious than before.
"Yes," Ye Zi affirmed his decision.
Hiruzen fell silent. B-rank missions involved ninja combat. Was it really suitable for first-time missioners like Kurenai and Guy? He was somewhat troubled, thinking that Ye Zi was like a younger version of Orochimaru, in both personality and methods...
Ye Zi waited for the Third Hokage's response, and the office fell silent.
For Kotoe, B-rank missions were nothing unusual, given her previous team's experience with them.
Guy was eager and excited, while Kurenai was more rational and appeared slightly worried, due to Ye Zi's initial attitude and Kotoe's reminders.
In the end, Hiruzen had no choice but to agree to Ye Zi's request. From any angle, he had little say when it came to missions, given Ye Zi's influence.
Thus, Team Nine accepted their first mission...
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