You Call This Training?

Moriyue's reckless, life-threatening move stunned everyone present, including Wuk, who stood not far away.

This was not a fight to the death. It was merely a sparring match, yet Moriyue had gone all out like this. Wuk did not dare imagine how insane Moriyue would become if it truly came down to life or death.

The mockery and doubts gradually faded. These genin might still have looked down on Moriyue in their hearts, but at least they no longer showed it in front of him.

"Come on. Weren't you going to keep fighting? Why are you just standing there?"

Moriyue's voice echoed through the dojo, but no one answered him. It was as though they had all become mute.

Above the dojo, Darui held his forehead. He had known Moriyue would not indulge these people, but he had not expected him to confront them head-on. Who knew how much more lifespan he would lose this time?

"I told you this kid has guts. Do you believe me now? Was there really any need for some flashy, pointless test?"

Darui spread his hands helplessly. The woman standing behind him gave a slight nod and coolly assessed him.

"Not bad. He dares to risk his life, but he is still far too weak. Being willing to risk your life is a good thing, but without strength, that is not risking your life. That is throwing it away."

The two stepped out of the shadows. The woman moved like a nimble, crafty wildcat, lightly tapping the wall with her toes and bracing herself against the railing with the side of her fingers before spinning down from above.

Like a dragonfly touching water, she landed without a sound, as though she weighed nothing at all.

"This person is..." Moriyue's pupils narrowed slightly. He recognized her.

Her long, pale beige hair was braided into a plait that reached her waist. Her face was as proud and cold as a cat's. The clothing over her right chest and left leg bore pale blue, fish-scale-like decorations resembling scale armor. Bandages wrapped both her hands and feet, while several loops of prayer beads wound around the bandages on her left hand, giving her an unusual beauty.

"Nice to meet you. I am Yugito Nii. From now on, I will be responsible for guiding your training. You may stop the forbidden jutsu now."

Yugito Nii's tone carried a coldness that kept people at arm's length, but her intentions were good.

Moriyue obediently stopped the forbidden jutsu. Since he had not burned much of his life force, the weakness coursing through his body was not too severe. At the very least, moving around was still not a problem.

"Why are you all standing around here? Why are you not training? Or have you been lazy for so long that you have forgotten the drive to improve that a martial artist should possess?" Seeing that Moriyue was unharmed, Yugito Nii inwardly sighed in relief. She wanted to see what kind of ability this person, whom lazybones Darui had admitted as an exception, possessed, but she did not want Moriyue to suffer serious injuries either.

She was actually cold on the outside and warm on the inside, but most people saw only her icy appearance. Frightened by her iceberg-like aloofness, they did not dare approach her. Because of her personality, although she was also a tailed beast Jinchuriki, her standing in the village was far below that of Killer B, who was likewise a tailed beast Jinchuriki.

The fierce-looking burly men were as obedient as children when faced with the petite Yugito Nii's scolding. They scattered at once to train on their own. Bald-headed Wuk fled the fastest; Moriyue did not even catch a glimpse of his shadow. That fellow had actually escaped using the Body Flicker Technique.

Moriyue glanced sideways at Yugito Nii's cold face. This icy beauty grew a little embarrassed under his gaze and gave a soft cough.

"Come with me. Daring to risk your life is a good thing. In a fight to the death, the one who fears death the least is often the one who survives to the end." At this point, Yugito Nii looked at Moriyue approvingly. In this regard, this fair-skinned young man had already surpassed most ninja. But then her tone shifted.

"However, your strength is still too low. This is reckless bravery, the behavior of a brute. Using a forbidden jutsu in a sparring match may make your comrades wary of you, but the battlefield is different."

"A forbidden jutsu can only unleash strength for a moment. An enemy can simply keep their distance from you, then slowly torture you after its effects fade. Do you think you would still have a chance to survive then?" Yugito Nii spoke harshly, her cold words utterly merciless, but her intentions were good. She did not want to see a tragedy unfold on the battlefield.

"Mm, you are right. I did not think it through. But in the ninja world, strength is everything. If I cannot show my toughness from the start, people will only keep pushing their luck afterward."

"Everyone has their own way of surviving. You are a lofty Jinchuriki, so naturally you would not understand the suffering of insignificant people like us who have no power. I will remember what you said. Thank you."

Moriyue actually agreed with Yugito Nii's words. The Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu was simple and brutal, but he had no other means besides it. He urgently needed to master other abilities. The Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu could only serve as a trump card, not as a standard method for fighting enemies.

Yugito Nii froze. Moriyue's words involuntarily reminded her of her own childhood. Back then, her circumstances had been very similar to those of the "insignificant people" Moriyue spoke of...

Shaking her head, Yugito Nii revealed a bitter smile. She led Moriyue to a separate room filled with all kinds of swords, blades, and weighted training equipment.

"Since Darui entrusted you to me, I have a responsibility to teach you the skills of a ninja."

"I know your identity, but I will not lower my standards because of it. Starting today, I am your acting teacher. You may only take on missions after you have completed the basic training every ninja must undergo with me." Yugito Nii casually picked up an unsharpened katana, weighed it in her hand, then threw it directly at Moriyue.

"So heavy..." Moriyue's body had been strengthened by the forbidden jutsu, yet even so, lifting that katana took some effort.

"And this."

Yugito Nii effortlessly handed four iron rings to Moriyue. Having learned his lesson, he did not reach out to catch them. He sidestepped, and the rings crashed heavily onto the ground. Moriyue clearly saw them leave shallow dents in the floor.

"This is revenge, right? It has to be revenge..." Moriyue stared gloomily at Yugito Nii's innocent-looking face. This woman had to be holding a grudge.

Yugito Nii showed no reaction. She walked over to Moriyue as if nothing had happened, easily picked up the iron rings, each of which weighed at least a hundred jin, and thoughtfully, gently... slipped them onto Moriyue's limbs.

"From now on, you will move around wearing these weights. Once you can move freely, you may begin practicing sword swings." Yugito Nii casually spoke words that sounded downright devilish, leaving Moriyue at a loss for what to say.

"Do all ninja train like this? I may not be well-read, but do not fool me."

"This is a plan I devised specifically for you. The forbidden jutsu you cultivate has already improved your physical condition. I am merely drawing out the potential within your body."

Suspicious, Moriyue found no abnormalities in Yugito Nii's expression. It really did seem as though, just as she said, this was all for his own good.

What he did not notice was that the corner of Yugito Nii's lips had lifted ever so slightly.