Chương 31: Test: Run.
Hitomi looked over her group of genins to train. This wasn't her first rodeo, nor did she think it would be her last. However, there was something about this group that made her instincts buzz.
'A Senju, Kurama, and a possible spy from another village.' Hitomi thought, 'Lord Hokage has given me one hell of a responsibility.'
The Senju clan was inactive in Konoha, however, traces of them could still be found here and there. They lived a very recluse and secretive life in the village, opting to hide their identities wherever possible.
Moreover, not a single Senju was a civilian. They were all ninjas, trained by their clan as a powerful trump card of Konoha, similar to Danzo's Root.
The fact that Isao was allowed to reveal his last name had many implications.
'As for that girl...'
A dangerous feeling emanated from her. Given that she was from the Kurama clan and skilled in Genjutsu, it was probably her clan's Kekkei Genkai. This gave Hitomi a bigger headache than the Senju.
Her demonization could destroy the entire village if handled badly.
'I'll have to do another read through the village's history... Hmmm, maybe I should bring the kids along so they know what they're dealing with.'
Hitomi's gaze then fell to the silver-haired boy. An unusual hair color no matter where you went.
'Suddenly appearing at the orphanage, joining the Academy, and doing maddeningly well... Even Lord Hokage is baffled. No spy would be so obvious, but his movements are indeed suspicious.'
Suspicious because no one could make sense of them.
'He never leaves his home and never causes trouble. Moreover, the only time he left his house for a possible espionage-related activity was the night of the Uchiha massacre as he was sensed moving towards the fight between Fugaku and Danzo...'
Hitomi inwardly sighed. The more she thought about her genin squad, the more annoyed she got.
She decided not to think about their backgrounds any longer.
"Alright brats, time for our little test. Remember — this test will decide whether you are sent back to the Academy or stripped of your shinobi status entirely."
"What's the test going to be?" Yumiko asked.
"It's simple. Kuromaru." Hitomi called the name of her hunting hound. The giant dog rose, towering over all four of them at a whopping eight feet tall on all four legs.
"If even one of you gets caught, you all fail. So, your task is to run until midnoon." Hitomi's crazed grin painted a grim expression on all three genin. "Run like your lives depend on it."
—AWOOOOOOOO!
Kuromaru's chilling howl was enough to startle the birds in the trees. A flock of birds had already fled for their lives.
The genin squad was next.
A terrified expression dawned on the genin's faces.
"Disperse!" Yumiko hurriedly yelled, and the three fled in separate directions.
***
When Suguru escaped Kuromaru and Hitomi's line of sight, he took out a small scroll. Placing his hand on a seal, he summoned a couple of kunai. Then, he activated his Kaisugan and scanned his surroundings to get a feel for the general area.
Training Ground 24 was huge — much bigger than the usual training grounds that Suguru was able to make use of.
It was perfect for such a game of pursuit.
'I should've known,' Suguru chuckled in resignation. 'Having such a large hunting hound and an equally large training ground... Why didn't I guess it earlier?'
Looking around with his Kaisugan, Suguru soon realized who was the slowest among them.
'It's me—'
—AWOOOOOO!
Kuromaru's howl once again brought chills down his spine. Suguru hurriedly dove to his left. Kuromaru zoomed past him like a raging bull.
A line of blood appeared on Suguru's arm. He hurriedly fled into the trees, leaping from branch to branch. Kuromaru was hot on his trail.
There didn't seem to be any hope of hiding. Even running was difficult.
'I won't be able to last like this for a few hours... I need to restrain him.' Suguru thought and began weaving hand signs.
'Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu,'
Suguru did his best to invade Kuromaru's chakra network with his own. However, the beast's tumultuous chakra easily dashed all his hopes of restraining him through Genjutsu.
'I can't risk revealing my Demonic Gaze, so I need to try something else—'
'Water Release: Raging Waves!'
A wave of water rushed towards Kuromaru from a short distance away. Isao had come to his aid.
"Run, Suguru!"
Kuromaru lost his moment from dodging the water wave, allowing Suguru to put some distance between them.
Suguru rushed out of the engagement and heaved a heavy breath.
Now, Kuromaru had locked onto Isao. Although the Senju had access to a large amount of chakra, his body would eventually tire. Suguru began thinking.
'We have no choice but to find a way to incapacitate Kuromaru somehow...'
Out of the corner of his eye, Suguru saw Yumiko appear, weaving hand seals. A pulse of chakra emanated from her, rushing towards Kuromaru.
For a moment, Kuromaru paused. However, the ninja dog disrupted his chakra and broke free in an instant. It was such an instinctual action that left Yumiko and Suguru shocked.
Isao barely had a second to breathe.
'Agh, I guess I need to show at least one card!' Suguru cursed.
"Isao, give me water!"
Isao hurriedly weaved hand signs. Suguru did the same.
'Water Release: Raging Waves!'
'Fire Release: Great Fireball!'
An eruption of steam resulted from the mix of chakra, surrounding Kuromaru and masking their scent to give them a moment to escape. However, Suguru did not escape.
"Haaa,"
He pulled out a scroll and summoned several shurikens connected by a web of wires. He focused his mind and flickered into the cloud of steam. Suguru's sudden speed shocked Isao and Yumiko. Then, he threw the shurikens all around Kuromaru, hoping to trap him.
The shurikens curved through the steam with wires trailing after them. A few of the wires caught Kuromaru's paws, while most were avoided as Kuromaru dodged back and forth. Then, with a yank, Kuromaru pulled Suguru towards him.
However, only a tree could be seen on the other side of the wires.
The three Genin had rapidly fled.
—AWOOOOOOO!
Enraged by Suguru's deceit, Kuromaru's chakra flared.
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I made a P@treon! Hehe~
Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou
(No space.)
You can now read up to TWENTY-FIVE (25) chapters on P@treon!
Big thanks to Godphaze, CosmicOwl, HE, Drowz, Calm Dxwn, and Melon for supporting me on P@treon! <3
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