Ten Squad Captains; Samui, You're Beautiful

At the central plaza of the Valley of the End training camp, fifty young ninja from five squads stood in neat formation.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long and dyed every face present a warm orange-red.

Chiyo stood on the high platform. Beside him were Kaguya, Tsunade, Mikoto, representatives from the various ninja villages, and all the Jonin instructors.

His gaze slowly swept over every young yet resolute face below.

"Thirty days."

Chiyo spoke, his voice spreading through the entire area via Chakra.

"For thirty days and nights, I watched the sweat you shed here, the injuries you suffered, and the battles you experienced."

The crowd below was silent, with only the rustle of wind through the leaves.

"Among you, some ranked near the top in the placement matches, some caught up later, and some remained unnoticed throughout.

"But today, I do not intend to announce any rankings, nor do I intend to award any medals."

Chiyo paused, his eyes blazing.

"Because you successfully saw through the trial that had been arranged, you should now understand the importance of a team."

With a wave of his hand, the enormous projection screen behind him lit up and began playing scenes from the special training.

Images flashed by one after another, and many of the young ninja below reddened around the eyes.

"What did you think of when you saw these?"

Chiyo's voice was low and powerful.

"What I saw was not individual strength, but..."

"Trust."

"Understanding."

"Responsibility."

"Over these thirty days, you learned not only stronger ninjutsu, faster speed, and more refined tactics.

"Those were merely tools.

"What you learned was how to entrust your back to your companions in desperate situations.

"How to think of your teammates' safety first amid chaos, and how to seek a shared victory amid