Middle Schooler Training Plan

"Hiss, they dumped a problem child on me, and now they're reluctant to even offer a little compensation or benefits. In the end, the Hokage of the entire village even attacked a Genin out of spite. This village ruled by the Third Hokage Hiruzen is truly too dark," Zhou Duan muttered, clutching his greatly swollen right cheek. "He punched me through the wall and sent me flying over 400 meters. After landing, apart from this punch deliberately left on my face, the rest of my body was completely unharmed. I can't think of anyone who could display such skill except Might Duy. You have to know that the Third Hokage's specialty is ninjutsu. The Third Hokage at the peak of his combat power... his strength is truly terrifying!"

The sun had just peeked over the horizon, and the sound of roosters crowing echoed through Konohagakure in the early morning. Zhou Duan was waiting in a small grove not far from the Konoha Hospital for the other three members of his supply team to rendezvous. As for most of the Genin, they were already on their way to the battlefield. Hatake Shudan had already left overnight last night!

Zhou Duan had once asked Hatake Sakumo why powerful combatants indispensable to the battlefield—Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—weren't on the front lines fighting enemies, but had instead returned to the village. Hatake Sakumo had vaguely told Zhou Duan:

"The Sand Ninja's giant war puppets have strong attack power and great destructive force. They are controlled by a married couple with extremely powerful manipulation abilities, and they are surrounded by countless Sand Ninja, which has been a major headache for Konoha. The reason they returned from the tight front lines this time was to have Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade learn the legendary sealing technique—the Three Nether Flame Array—to isolate the Sand Ninja protecting the war puppets. Then, Hatake Sakumo, who had learned how to freely traverse the Three Nether Flame Array, would act as a sharp blade to directly destroy the puppet controllers!

As for why Orochimaru didn't return, firstly, the front lines couldn't afford to lose Orochimaru, both in terms of his own strength and his battlefield acumen. Secondly...

"Orochimaru is a genius! This ninjutsu would normally require the Hokage himself to teach, but he learned it just by hearing others describe it!"

Hatake Sakumo was filled with pride for the talent in the village:

"Although he's still lacking in both battlefield command and his own combat power, battlefield command experience can be accumulated quickly. And in more than ten years, his strength should surpass mine!"

"Your expression is so ridiculously humble, it's damn near unbelievable!"

Zhou Duan recalled Hatake Sakumo's expression and felt that after spending so much time together, he was finally truly getting to know this elite Jonin of Konoha. He was a man who could unknowingly act cool and yet you couldn't find a single fault with him!

"Captain, Namikaze Minato reporting!"

"Captain, Hyuga Hyakusho reporting!"

Two crisp calls interrupted Zhou Duan's thoughts. Looking at his team members standing before him, Zhou Duan nodded silently. There were no clichéd scenarios of immediate defiance, nor any problem children trying to seize leadership. This made Zhou Duan feel very at ease.

But then again, it made sense. Even though they had just graduated, what they learned at the Konoha Ninja Academy wasn't just about improving their combat power. Obedience and following the captain's orders were the most basic of basics. Questioning a captain's decision without reason or trying to usurp leadership could, in severe cases, lead to the ninja being declared a rogue ninja and executed on the spot. That would be an idiotic move!

However, soon, an individual wearing a blue pendant, whose thought process was unlike anyone else's, appeared before Zhou Duan:

"Hatake Zhou Duan, Namikaze Minato, Hyuga Hyakusho, are you three freshly graduated members ready to welcome me, your powerful new captain?"

The wind blew, and Senju Nawaki, bursting with hot-blooded chuunibyou energy, swayed and appeared before the three of them, looking incredibly punchable. The large characters printed on his white cape, which billowed behind him—"I'm the Best"—instantly blinded everyone present.

"Um!"

Faced with this scene, Hyuga Hyakusho, who looked utterly bewildered, asked the other party doubtfully:

"Nawaki, the notification letter clearly stated that Hatake Zhou Duan is our team captain, and you are just one of the members. Did you misunderstand something in the letter?"

"Hyuga Hyakusho, notifications are dead, but people are alive!"

Nawaki looked at Hyuga Hyakusho with a look of disappointment:

"As a ninja, if you don't strive for progress and remain stagnant, how can you achieve the position of Hokage in the near future? How can you lead the village to prosperity? Haven't you heard the saying, 'A ninja who doesn't want to be Hokage isn't a good captain'?"

"So, you're saying..."

Minato, who had been silent until now, asked with a twitching mouth:

"Even after knowing the contents of the notification letter, you still want to challenge for the captain's position? What makes you think you can?"

"Of course, it's based on my powerful combat strength! You all saw it yesterday, didn't you?"

"It's precisely because we saw your 'combat' yesterday that we're asking where your mysterious confidence comes from!"

Before Zhou Duan could speak, Hyuga Hyakusho couldn't help himself:

"If you talked about other merits, I wouldn't say anything. Was that even combat? No preparation before battle, no stopping the enemy's advance, and even the casting time was astonishingly long. What's there to be proud of in such an idiotic fight? I originally thought the team was secure with Zhou Duan and Minato, but then you showed up. I'm really worried about the team's safety now!"

"Alright, Hyakusho!"

Zhou Duan patted Hyuga Hyakusho's shoulder and looked at Nawaki, who was still defiant, with a sigh:

"For someone like this, just talking won't achieve anything. We're running out of time. Nawaki, since you want to fight, let's do it now. I'll let you attack first!"

"Heh heh, Zhou Duan, you're so considerate of the bigger picture, truly a genius of the village. Don't worry, I'll definitely promote you well in the future!"

With that, Nawaki's expression immediately turned serious:

"Zhou Duan, although your strength is still trash, as a sign of my recognition of you, I will use the powerful A-rank ninjutsu I've recently learned—Earth Style: Earth Flow River Attack! Pay attention, unseal,寅 seal,坤 seal..."

Accompanied by Nawaki's miserable howl, Zhou Duan kicked him to the ground. Zhou Duan held a wooden staff taller than himself in his left hand and stepped on Nawaki's chest with his right foot, speaking in a cold voice:

"Do you surrender?"

"Bastard..."

Nawaki looked unconvinced:

"You sneak attacked during the fight! I don't accept this kind of combat!"

"You actually stood there casting ninjutsu during a fight and naively thought combat doesn't involve sneak attacks? I've truly never seen such an idiotic person!"

"Slap!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Duan hit Nawaki across the face with the staff:

"Call me 'Brother'!"

"You're three years younger than me, kid, you're dreaming!"

"Slap!"—"Call me 'Captain'!"

"Give up!"

"Slap!" -- "Call me brother!"

"I won't surrender!"

"Slap!" -- "Do you surrender or not?"

"Heh heh!"

Nawaki's head had already been beaten into a dog's head, yet he still hadn't surrendered:

"Ninjas don't even fear death, you think this little pain will make me surrender?"

"Nawaki, I respect you as a man, but you're forcing my hand. Don't blame me!"

Zhou Duan looked at Nawaki with pity, then pulled a bottle of purple potion from his pocket and poured it into Nawaki's struggling mouth:

"Nawaki, seeing your defiant look, you must have forgotten that I'm the most formidable genius pharmacist in Konoha, right?"

"Bastard, what did you give me?"

Nawaki instinctively sensed something was wrong, but Zhou Duan's bizarre concoctions made him completely unaware of the potion's effects. However, Nawaki soon demonstrated with his own actions what this black-hearted bastard Zhou Duan had forced down his throat!

After drinking the potion, it was as if he had swallowed a raging flame, igniting all of Nawaki's reason. Nawaki had never felt such boundless excitement before. This feeling went deep into his bones, filling him with the desire to conquer everything before him!

Swift as the wind, fierce as fire, moving like thunder!