Team Rapport

Yamanaka Kizuki let out a long breath of relief when he heard Uchiha Yuan say that.

Yamanaka Kizuki knew very well that there was a huge gap in strength between him and Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana. On top of that, Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana were clearly on very good terms. If the two of them refused to accept him, then once they reached the battlefield, his life might be in danger.

Being accepted by them now truly could not have been better.

"Kizuki, from now on, focus your training on the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques! Yuan and I will handle the fighting. You only need to provide us with support," Hyuga Asana said.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Yamanaka Kizuki felt that Hyuga Asana's tone toward him was much gentler than before, and her gaze was no longer as sharp.

Yamanaka Kizuki was not as nervous now either. He nodded and said, "Asana, Yuan, don't worry. I'll definitely work twice as hard from now on."

"Mm. There's one more thing. Just now, we had you introduce yourself and learned about your situation. As companions, you should also understand a bit about us.

"My name is Hyuga Asana. I'm a Hyuga Branch Family Member. My Chakra attributes are fire and lightning. I'm good at Taijutsu. As for ninjutsu, aside from those basic general-use techniques, I only know one: Fire Style: Great Fireball."

After saying that, Hyuga Asana turned to look at Uchiha Yuan.

Uchiha Yuan smiled and said, "My name is Uchiha Yuan. My Chakra attributes are fire, water, and wind. I'm good at Fire Style and Genjutsu."

"Genjutsu? Yuan, you know Genjutsu too?" Yamanaka Kizuki froze for a moment before asking.

"Isn't it normal for members of the Uchiha Clan to use Genjutsu after awakening the Sharingan?" Uchiha Yuan asked in return.

"Th-that's true."

"All right, that's enough getting to know each other! Next, let's start today's training!" Hyuga Asana said.

"Sure! Kizuki, you don't need to participate in today's training. Get familiar with the rhythm first. Starting tomorrow, you'll be officially joining in," Uchiha Yuan said, turning to Yamanaka Kizuki.

Yamanaka Kizuki had just been about to ask what kind of training he could not join directly. Although his grades were average, there should not be any problem with all kinds of basic training.

In the next second, Yamanaka Kizuki got his answer.

Because he saw Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana start fighting right there on the training ground.

Yamanaka Kizuki watched the entire battle between the two of them.

After the two stopped, Yamanaka Kizuki was completely dumbfounded.

Only one thought remained in his mind now: Were these two really students of the Ninja Academy?

One of Yamanaka Kizuki's clansmen had recently been promoted to Chunin.

Yamanaka Kizuki felt that against either one of them, that clansman of his would have to pay an enormous price to win, and might even have to prepare to go down with them.

And that was indeed the truth. If the current Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana used all their trump cards, ordinary Genin were no match for them at all.

Their strength could absolutely compare to some Chunin who had just been promoted.

"All right, let's stop here for today! It's about time we headed to school. Kizuki, you'll be joining in tomorrow too, so prepare yourself properly! Otherwise, you're going to get beaten up badly tomorrow," Uchiha Yuan said with a half-smile.

Yamanaka Kizuki shuddered when he heard that, then quickly asked, "C-can I not participate?"

"No. We need to build tacit understanding as soon as possible," Hyuga Asana refused outright.

"Asana's right. We're only five days away from graduation. The seniors from the previous class were sent to the battlefield just two days after graduating. I estimate we'll be about the same.

"So if we count it all up, we only have about a week. During this week, we need to build some tacit understanding as quickly as possible. Only then can we ensure that we survive on the battlefield."

Since Uchiha Yuan had put it that way, Yamanaka Kizuki also understood that he had no room to refuse, and could only steel himself and agree.

Over the next few days, Uchiha Yuan and Hyuga Asana gave Yamanaka Kizuki special attention.

Every morning, the two of them took turns sparring with Yamanaka Kizuki.

Uchiha Yuan still held back somewhat when he attacked. No matter what, Yamanaka Kizuki was his friend.

Hyuga Asana had no such scruples. She was absolutely ruthless, beating Yamanaka Kizuki until he cried for his parents.

Fortunately, the crash training did achieve some success. After being beaten for a few days, Yamanaka Kizuki gained a certain understanding of Uchiha Yuan's and Hyuga Asana's attack patterns, and at the same time, he was able to dodge some of their attacks as well.

Yamanaka Kizuki had figured out Uchiha Yuan's and Hyuga Asana's attack patterns, which meant that there was already a foundation for tacit understanding between them.

Unfortunately, time waited for no one. In the blink of an eye, four days passed, and tomorrow would be the day they graduated.

"Yuan, I don't have to come tomorrow, right?" Yamanaka Kizuki asked as he lay sprawled on the ground after being beaten.

"No. Just go straight to school tomorrow," Uchiha Yuan said.

Yamanaka Kizuki's eyes lit up when he heard that. Afraid that Uchiha Yuan would go back on his word, he hurriedly climbed up from the ground and fled Training Ground No. 3 while forcibly enduring the pain.

"He's already very familiar with our attack patterns during this period. Later, when he uses his secret technique to link with us mentally, whether it's formulating tactics or having him cooperate with our attacks, there shouldn't be any problem," Hyuga Asana said as she watched Yamanaka Kizuki's back.

"Just being familiar with our attack patterns still isn't really enough. Unfortunately, we had too little time to mesh. If we had another half a month, our cooperation could be even more perfect. Right now, we only look like a team," Uchiha Yuan said.

"This is already pretty good. It's better than only getting to know each other once we're on the battlefield, right?"

"That's true."

"We're graduating tomorrow," Hyuga Asana suddenly said with a sigh.

"Once you graduate, you won't have to stay by Hyuga Chiwa's side anymore. Are you happy?" Uchiha Yuan asked.

"A little."

"Looks like you really do hate her. You hate her so much that compared with staying by her side, you'd rather go risk your life on the battlefield."

"That's right! I really hate her! I hate her so much that I wish I could leave Konoha right now and get as far away from her as possible."

"If I get the chance, I'll help you kill her," Uchiha Yuan said.

Hyuga Asana's expression turned somewhat complicated when she heard that. She did not agree, but she did not object either.

In Hyuga Asana's memory, before the Caged Bird had been branded onto her, she and Hyuga Chiwa had been playmates who got along fairly well.

After the Caged Bird was branded onto her, Hyuga Chiwa became her "master." This former playmate began ordering her around in a condescending tone, making her do all kinds of things. The sheer gap between then and now had nearly broken Hyuga Asana.

And as she grew older, Hyuga Chiwa gradually came to understand certain things as well, and her attitude toward Hyuga Asana improved a great deal.

What had not changed, however, was that same lofty, superior attitude.