Team 11 Strength Test

When Hiruzen Sarutobi first saw Jiogan's test evaluation, he thought Jiogan was a promising civilian prospect and intended to place him on a team with a younger member of the Sarutobi Clan.

Regardless of whether he had selfish motives, judging by how he took Orochimaru and Jiraiya as disciples and supported Minato as the Fourth Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly was the Hokage who valued civilian ninja most throughout history. He also held immense influence among civilian ninja. The title of "strongest Hokage" was nothing more than blind worship from some civilian ninja.

Feiyun's father was Kurama Heiji, one of Konoha's few Genjutsu Masters. Since Kurama Heiji had made the request, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not refuse him, so he went along with it.

At Konoha Training Ground 1, Team 11 gathered for the first time. Though their leader, Kurama Heiji, already knew the three children under his command well, introductions were customary and could not be skipped.

"My name is Kurama Heiji. I am a Konoha Jonin skilled in genjutsu and Shurikenjutsu. From now on, I will lead Team 11 until you all become Chunin, at which point Team 11 will disband," Kurama Heiji said. "Now, introduce yourselves."

"My name is Kurama Feiyun. I am skilled in genjutsu and Shurikenjutsu. My favorite fruit is cherries, and my dream is to become a powerful ninja like my father."

"My name is Inuzuka Yoru. I am skilled in Taijutsu and tracking. My favorite companion is Ranmaru, and I hate cats most of all. I do not have any grand dreams. I only want to be with Ranmaru forever."

Sure enough, Inuzuka Yoru was exactly the same single-minded person he had been at the Ninja Academy.

"My name is Jiogan. I am skilled in Taijutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Trap Setting, and Water Release Ninjutsu. I enjoy training, and my dream is to become a powerful ninja and protect the companions I cherish."

"What?! Jiogan, when did you become skilled in Water Release? How come I've never seen you use it?" Inuzuka Yoru asked, his eyes wide.

Kurama Feiyun also looked at Jiogan curiously. She only knew that Jiogan trained diligently in Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu; she had never actually seen him use Water Release Ninjutsu.

Quite a few people throughout Konoha knew that Jiogan trained in Taijutsu, since he often engaged in insane training in Konoha's streets with Might Duy. But the only person who knew Jiogan could use Water Release was Might Duy.

"There was never a chance to use Water Release in the Academy's sparring classes. Taijutsu alone was enough to handle everything, so there was nothing I could do," Jiogan said helplessly.

"Idiot, Jiogan, I never realized you were such an arrogant bastard! I want to beat you up!" Jiogan's helplessness sounded like mockery to Inuzuka Yoru.

I wanted to use it too, but you guys were all too weak!

This time, Kurama Feiyun stood with Inuzuka Yoru as well. She nodded in strong agreement and glared at Jiogan, as if saying, "You bastard, Jiogan. You even kept it from me. You're dead!"

"Heh heh, heh heh." Sensing that something was wrong, Jiogan immediately gave a foolish laugh in an attempt to muddle through.

Seeing the three of them, Kurama Heiji made up his mind and quickly stepped in. "All right. If you want to understand each other's strengths, you will have the chance tomorrow. Gather at Training Ground 4 at seven tomorrow morning for a combat test. The three of you will form one group and face me, your team leader. Whether you are horses or donkeys, we'll find out then. That's all for today. Dismissed!"

The moment he finished speaking, he vanished with a swish.

The three little ones remained where they were. After three seconds of silence, Inuzuka Yoru and Kurama Feiyun pounced on Jiogan. The three of them—no, three people and one dog—immediately became a tangled mess. "You arrogant Jiogan! Let's see how we deal with you!"

"Mercy! Have mercy!" Jiogan's miserable cries carried far into the distance.

At the Three-color Dango Shop, Jiogan and the other two ate dango as though nothing had happened. Only Jiogan's messy hair showed that something really had happened.

"Feiyun, Heiji-sensei is your father, so you know him well. How should we deal with tomorrow's fight?" Inuzuka Yoru asked.

"Leave it to fate. Father is extremely skilled in genjutsu. Ordinary enemies fall under his genjutsu the instant they see him. And once they are caught in it, even if only for a moment, defeat is their only outcome against Father. So it depends on how much Father goes easy on us. Otherwise, the few of us would not even last a single move," Kurama Feiyun said.

"From today's introductions, Heiji-sensei must have realized that we do not know enough about each other's abilities. So tomorrow, he will definitely make us reveal our true strength. It will both assess us and give us the chance to understand one another," Jiogan said.

"We need to coordinate tomorrow. Yoru and I will be the main attackers, while Feiyun provides support. Feiyun is also a genjutsu-type ninja, so she will be mainly responsible for resisting genjutsu. Yoru and I are both close- to mid-range fighters, so Feiyun should stay in the rear," Jiogan continued.

The three chatted for a while longer. Once they had formed a basic plan for tomorrow's battle, they finally went their separate ways and returned home.

Early the next morning, the three arrived at Training Ground 4 on time. Jiogan figured Heiji-sensei had chosen Training Ground 4 specifically so his Water Release would have the proper conditions to be used. Although Jiogan was not affected by the environment, that was one of his hidden cards. It was better not to reveal it if he could avoid it.

"Yo! You're all quite punctual, little ones. Are you ready? If you are, then let's begin!" Kurama Heiji said as he approached them.

"We're ready!" the three answered in unison.

"Good! I hereby announce that Team 11's first battle begins!" Kurama Heiji declared.

The instant he finished speaking, Inuzuka Yoru and Ranmaru immediately transformed. With a roar of "Fang Over Fang!", Yoru and Ranmaru turned into meteors and charged toward Kurama Heiji.

Boom! A massive crater appeared where Kurama Heiji had been standing!

But Kurama Heiji was nowhere to be seen.

That kid is really impatient. Good thing I'm a Jonin with fast enough reflexes to get out of trouble using the Substitution Technique, Kurama Heiji thought from the nearby woods.

This had actually been the three little ones' strategy: attack immediately and deny Kurama Heiji the chance to use genjutsu directly, avoiding a complete wipeout from the start.

Seeing that the first strike had failed, Inuzuka Yoru launched Fang Over Fang again, tearing wildly through the surrounding woods in an attempt to force Kurama Heiji out. But it had no effect.

"Damn it, where is he hiding?" Inuzuka Yoru was growing impatient.

"Yoru, don't be reckless. Conserve your stamina and Chakra!" Jiogan immediately stopped him.

With that, he swiftly formed hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Wave!"

An enormous volume of Water Stream was drawn from the river and surged toward the woods, immediately knocking down a large stretch of trees. A figure also flashed out from the woods and the water.

The power of this Water Release shocked everyone present. Inuzuka Yoru's mouth hung wide enough to fit ten eggs, while Kurama Feiyun covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief. As for Kurama Heiji, who had been hit by the water, he was soaked through and red-faced.

I was careless! I never expected this kid's Water Release to have such power and range. This is far beyond what a Genin can do. He really knows how to surprise people! Kurama Heiji gritted his teeth.

Seeing Kurama Heiji forced out by Water Wave, Jiogan did not pause to admire everyone's expressions. With a flick of his hand, several Kunai appeared and shot toward Kurama Heiji from exceptionally tricky angles, sealing off his escape routes.