The Official Ninja Career

The so-called initial establishment of team awareness was simply a standard three-against-one match, forcing the three of them to work together and develop basic coordination.

Genma's trio kept things simple. Namiashi Raidō, the close-combat fighter, took the front. Kurenai used Genjutsu to harass the opponent, while Genma waited for the right moment to use ninjutsu. Whenever Raidō could no longer hold the line, Genma or one of his Shadow Clones would take over for a while.

This sort of team-building exercise did not end until all three of them were completely exhausted.

Though simple and straightforward, it was the best approach for the three of them, who already knew one another and got along fairly well.

After resting for a while, the three began eating lunch.

Since the sparring had taken up the entire morning, Kamise Yushi had gone out and bought lunch for everyone.

Though each serving was different in flavor, every meal contained only one dish. If they wanted a little variety, they could only shamelessly trade food with one another.

Judging by the satisfaction in Yushi's eyes, he had done it on purpose, hoping to quickly strengthen the team's cohesion.

After lunch, Yushi did not rush to take them to accept missions. Instead, he had them sit down on the logs at the training ground again.

"Mm, after this morning's team-building exercise, you seem to be getting along much better. But there are still plenty of problems."

It was difficult for the three of them to notice their own flaws, so when Kamise Yushi said that, they all perked up their ears.

"For example, Raidō. Your attacks are fierce, but you lack refinement. If your technique is not polished enough and your overall strength is lacking—meaning your defense and evasion are insufficient—you may very well be the first one to fall the moment you charge in. You cannot have weaknesses. When attacking, you must account for defense and dodging as well. In future training, you can spar with me more often."

Namiashi Raidō did not react as strongly as he had when Genma criticized him in the past. After all, those had only been minor scuffles, and Genma's strength had not been convincing enough.

Now that a teacher several times stronger than him had pointed out his shortcomings, even stubborn Raidō was dejected, like a wilted bean sprout.

"Oh, got it, Teacher Yushi~"

After hearing Raidō's listless reply, Yushi nodded and quickly turned his attention to the other two, who sat upright and attentive.

"Mm, Genma, having Fire and Earth Affinity means your talent is undeniably excellent. Looking at the ninjutsu of those two affinities, you place great emphasis on balanced development. Earth Release can defend, scout, and escape, while Fire Release serves as your offensive means. The combination still has some shortcomings, but judging from how you use them, you may not necessarily be able to perform well in actual combat. This is a flaw shared by all of you. None of you have practical combat experience. Of course, if you did, I would not need to be your teacher."

"Genma, you do not have any major problems. As it happens, I also have Earth Style. I developed Fire Style in order to become a jonin. Comparatively speaking, I am more proficient with Earth Style. So when you practice Earth Style Nature Transformation in the future, you can come find me."

He had not expected that he would not only avoid a harsh reprimand, but also receive such an opportunity. Seeing Namiashi Raidō's expression, Genma suddenly found it hard to believe.

But facing Yushi's blazing gaze, Shiranui Genma suppressed his doubts and nodded seriously. "Understood, Teacher. I'll work hard."

"Then that leaves the only girl. To be honest, your offense does not suit your temperament at all. The Yuhi Clan does indeed possess a fine Genjutsu inheritance, but it seems to be making things difficult for you."

At that, Yushi rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.

Kurenai was not having an easy time either. Seeing that even her teacher found the matter troublesome, she could not help growing anxious.

"Actually, your Taijutsu is fairly good. Among genin, you could be considered quite capable. If you intend to focus on Genjutsu, then you should not neglect your Taijutsu either. After all, having few offensive methods makes you easy to expose. A ninja whose information has been exposed is far easier to deal with than an unknown one."

Upon hearing Yushi's words, Kurenai looked at Shiranui Genma beside her. Sensing her gaze, Genma looked back at her.

"Why not show Teacher? We've been training for over two years now. Teacher is also a sword-wielding ninja, so there are many ways he could help us~"

Although Kamise Yushi had not drawn his blade during their earlier spar, the three of them had noticed the short sword on his back long ago.

Seeing Kurenai hesitate, Genma directly took out a scroll from his ninja tool pouch and summoned two swords.

Since he had successfully learned the Shadow Clone, Genma now had more time to practice swordsmanship. The two of them had originally shared one sword, but now they each had their own.

Kurenai had often tried to sound out her father, but the answer she received was still that he did not support her learning anything else. That was why she kept her sword with Genma. As a result, she still secretly practiced swordsmanship outside, just as she had before.

As for whether this teacher would tell her father about her situation, after Genma had forcefully taken charge once, she had gradually given up struggling.

Seeing the two of them take out swords, Yushi naturally did not think they meant to give them to him. He asked in confusion, "Could it be that you two... are both skilled in swordsmanship?"

"No, Teacher. I have only practiced swordsmanship for two years, while Genma has practiced for five years. If we are talking about skill, I have only just learned the basics, while Genma has tempered his skills for a long time."

Rather than finding it strange that their personal information was incomplete, Yushi seemed delighted.

"Oh, what a coincidence. Everyone in our class can use a sword. You should know that sword-wielding ninja are extremely rare in Konohagakure. I'm already getting impatient. In fact, Teacher once had a very bold idea."

As he spoke, Yushi drew his own sword. "Although I have neither Lightning Release nor Wind Style Jutsu, I am deeply obsessed with swordsmanship. I always imagined leaving the village and traveling through every country with nothing but my swordsmanship, crossing blades with sword masters from every village. Of course, an even bolder dream was to have a swordsmanship team of my own."

It was as if some incredible switch had been flipped. Excitement appeared on Yushi's face.

"Just imagine what it will look like in battle. The enemy will all be holding short, tiny Shuriken, while we wield long, gleaming swords. One can imagine that wherever our blades point, nothing will stand against us. On the battlefield, we would surely be an artistic presence. It would be a beauty beyond imagination."

No one could have expected Kamise Yushi, who appeared so rigid and low-key, to be such a wandering romantic. Then again, what young person did not admire cool and ridiculously awesome things?

One look at Namiashi Raidō's expression made that clear. It was as though he had met a kindred spirit, and his eyes burned with passion.

Genma had no way of dealing with his teacher's sudden burst of enthusiasm. After all, not every passionate person was Might Duy.

When Might Duy got fired up, someone could still guide him in the right direction. But when other people got fired up, they might just become stubborn.

Could they suddenly form the Four Swordsmen of Konoha?

Then, whenever they went on missions, they could challenge samurai from every region along the way?

It did not sound too bad. After all, it would give them more opportunities to train. Thinking that, Genma stopped worrying so much.

Meanwhile, Kurenai was left dazed by the sudden bout of adolescent nonsense. Watching Yushi sink into his beautiful memories, she drifted off as well.

Only after Yushi came back to his senses did he realize he had lost his composure. He quickly coughed. "Well... since all three of you have some experience with swordsmanship, we will place swordsmanship first during training. It will also be something you must continue practicing in the long term. As for everything else, I will devise suitable training plans based on your individual circumstances."

"All right, that concludes our team-building. We said we would start taking missions as soon as possible, so follow me now."

With that, Yushi sprang onto the wall and leaped across countless rooftops in a few bounds, taking off at full speed as though he had no concern about leaving his students behind.

The three did not hesitate. The instant Yushi jumped, they followed close behind and soon arrived at the Mission Assignment Office.

Perhaps because the other teams had not planned to carry out missions on their first day, the three of them did not have to spend much effort before receiving the first mission of their ninja careers.

A D-rank mission: help a wealthy lady in the village weed her fields.

The mission looked rather low-end, but the generous reward made the three of them eager to get started.

Before long, they arrived at a house. After explaining their purpose to its owner—the wealthy lady—they were led to the field that needed weeding.

The wealthy lady looked adorned with pearls and jewels, and her long life of luxury had left her skin exceptionally fair. Though her figure was not particularly good, she was plump and still had a certain charm.

Her appearance was fairly pleasant to look at. If she slimmed down, she might even become a great beauty.

Because she had some looks, she showed endless enthusiasm toward a powerful and dignified-looking ninja like Kamise Yushi.

"Oh my~ Lord Ninja, there are some things in my house placed too high for me to reach. Could you help me for just a moment?"

Her soft voice rang out as the wealthy lady stared at Yushi with focus and fervor. Even Yushi, who normally appeared very calm, found it difficult to bear.

"N-no, that would not be appropriate. But my students have accepted the mission you posted. Within the rules, they can help you with some things. How about waiting a little? If it is only weeding, they should finish quickly..."

Before Yushi could finish refusing, the wealthy lady gave him a resentful look, as though he were some heartless man who had abandoned his wife and children.

"No~ The servants have gone home to deal with something. I'm all alone in the house now. If you do not help me, the housework will be so tiring. For the sake of all the commission money I paid, please hurry and help me..."

Yushi remained unmoved, but the wealthy lady moved even closer and finally began pushing him along. He could not let his disciples see such a scene, so like a sheep being chased by a wolf, he was driven away by the wealthy lady.

After briefly observing the field and dividing the work, the three began weeding in earnest. They did not pay much attention to Yushi sneaking away.

But after some time passed, they began to realize something was wrong.

"Say, Genma, Teacher and that fat woman have both left."

"Mm, they really have. Are you trying to slack off?"

"Uh... it should not count as slacking, right? Look, Kurenai has your Shadow Clone helping her over there, so shouldn't you also..."

"Sure. Pay me, and I'll help. You should know that helping you means tiring me out. I have to get something in return."

"I..."

What else could Namiashi Raidō do? As a genin, it would still be a long time before he could learn the Shadow Clone. Besides, given their relationship, Genma truly had no reason to help him for free.

Thinking about how he was often forced to watch the two of them act lovey-dovey in the team, and how he was now being treated like an outsider, countless sour feelings rose in his heart, and all sorts of thoughts began to emerge in his mind.