บท 10: "Test" And Talk
"Eager to have some action, huh?"
"I just don't like waiting till tomorrow for what I can do today"
Kurenai could only smile helplessly while looking at me. She could understand what I meant. I had been ready for a long time, so postponing it longer was needless. Unfortunately, there were no one man missions for just graduated Genin.
"Even if you are ready, Ryota-kun, I have to test Hinata-chan and Shino-kun"
"Ok! That's not bad either, it gives us more time to get to know each other better so we can work better as a team"
I could see Kurenai already treated me as if I was almost her equal. I had demonstrated time and again that I wasn't rash, could make decision quickly enough and had the skill needed, so she just had to guide me, rather than teach me. In her eyes, it probably was like having two instructors in the same team.
Up to some point, she would be right in thinking that way. After all, I could teach them things she couldn't and be a moral support, or I could play the role of the harsh reality while she played the role of moral support.
"Ok, I want you all at Training Ground 8 in the next hour! We'll talk more there"
"Hai!" x3
*
We had arrived at Training Ground 8, but Kurenai was nowwhere to be seen. I of course knew were she was, since I had smelt her from a few hundred meters away and I could feel her above us. Still I kept quiet about it. This wasn't my test, so I just made light conversation with Hinata and Shino, mainly about our families.
Once we reached that topic, I had to take a step back and give some more points to Hinata. It wasn't until she talked about her family that I remembered how she was treated by them, which made me actually want to trash Neji later on and have a talk with Hiashi about what Family is. Perhaps I would get the chance someday.
"The hour is up, please come down, sensei"
Shino and Hinata looked at me with utter shock written in their faces. Well, at least in Hinata's, Shino just felt it. That feeling increased even more when they saw Kurenai drop from a tree a few meters away from us. She had a slightly disappointed look in her face and released a sigh as soon as her feet touched the ground.
"Tell me, Ryota-kun, what did they do wrong?"
"They weren't alert and didn't doubt for a single second why you weren't here already. And in case they had said doubt, they didn't voice it."
"Something else?"
To make it a bit more entertaining, I made a thinking pose while stroking my chin and then lifted a finger with a face of "bingo".
"They didn't check their surroundings through their own methods as soon as we arrived. Shino has insects that can detect chakra signatures while Hinata has her Byakugan"
"Good. Ok it's decided, Ryota, you'll be functioning as leader and assistant instructor under me"
I was happy with that. It meant my voice had more weight over Shino and Hinata, so I could more or less help them without them doubting my words too much. Though I somewhat doubted that would've happened even without Kurenai's words of support.
"Ok then, let's begin patching them up to shape straight away. Don't wanna lose time"
*
To say that they were put under a hellish training wasn't an overstatement, because they were. Kurenai had them doing drill after drill and, when they weren't doing that, they were trying to find me. Apparently, I was better at disappearing than Kurenai was, just because that was the nature of my style. But she was miles ahead of me in Genjutsu, which was her actual weapon.
The sun was already setting when I waved goodbye to my new teammates. I was sitting on a tree stump while drinking from a bottle of water. Kurenai was silently looking at the disappearing backs of Shino and Hinata.
"Ryota... yo know what kind of team we are truthfully, right?"
"Search and destroy"
"Yeah... do you think they can face it?"
This was something I had been thinking about ever since I was assigned to this team. Could they face the reality of being a Ninja? Could they "pull the trigger"? The answer was, obviously, no. Shino could do it with ease, but he was more rational and logical. He understood what had to be done and, even if reluctantly, he would do it. Hinata...
"The sooner Hinata learns what being a Ninja means, the sooner she will either grow or give up"
"You'll say nothing about Shino?"
"I am sure I can leave my back to him and it will be safe"
Kurenai and I spent a while talking about how we would train those two while doing missions. Hinata had been left in Kurenai's care training-wise, since her father had lost faith in her as successor of the Hyuga Clan. It only made me mad in a way, but I couldn't really get mad, since I would've done the same in his position. Though I wouldn't have treated my daughter coldly.
"Say Ryota-kun... how confident are you in your skill?"
"I am sure I won't lose to any Chunin and I might be able to escape from a Jonin"
Kurenai looked at me in bewilderment at first, but then her gaze became one of scrutiny and moved up and down, studying me.
"Actually, you might be right. Unless I can get you in a Genjutsu that you can't escape or avoid, I wouldn't be able to kill you. Perhaps only Kakashi and Guy from the regular Jonin can kill you"
"I'll take that as a compliment. Please don't think I'm conceited. I know my limits"
"Hm. What is your dream, Ryota-kun? I forgot to ask all of you about yourselves because of your eagerness"
I didn't really have to think much about this, so I just looked at her, gave her a bright smile and answered as straightforwardly as I could.
"I want to protect this village and all of the people that live in it. I wasn't to protect the smiles of the people I love. I know that death is bound to happen in this world we live in but... I want as little people as possible to die. Of course, talking about those I care about and people from Konoha... enemies don't get mercy from me"
Leaving a contemplating Kurenai on the Training Ground, I left towards the Inuzuka compound while waving goodbye. I really wanted to sleep.
*
Back at the compound, while taking a bath, I thought of everything that had happened in the last few years. The thing I felt the most proud of wasn't the fact that I had grown a lot stronger, but the fact that I was able to meet a lot of awesome people and, at the same time, enjoy my time with them.
'Status'
[Name: Ryota Inuzuka Age: 12 Level: 21
STR: 212/220
AGI: 217/220
CHA: ?/220
Ninjutsu: <Basic Ninjutsu: Body Flicker(New)>
<Water Beast Ninja Arts: Silent Hunting - Nameless Prey>(New)]
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From now on I will only write the (New) Jutsu's he learns, while the full list will remain on the auxiliary chapters. By the way, a few chapters are coming up with a few things that I need to add to continue with my thought out plot.
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