First Lesson

In the ninja world, where individual violence serves as the standard for ranking, there is no shortage of mavericks and powerhouses.

Setting aside the currently maturing "Sannin" of Konoha, even the legendary God of Shinobi had a disappointing personality that could shatter anyone's illusions...

From this perspective, a dispirited-looking team leader who appeared chronically exhausted wasn't actually all that hard to accept.

Furthermore, considering the Nara surname, along with the reactions of Akimichi Todo and Sarutobi Erina, the background of the man before him was clearly not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Therefore, far from feeling any contempt, Soji had regarded this nominal teacher with special attention from the very moment they met.

And the more he pondered, the more the boy realized that this Jonin from the Nara Clan was indeed vastly different from the considerate and gentle mentors of his imagination.

--Team Five did not undergo the ancestral Konoha bell-snatching test, and the self-introductions of the team members had nothing to do with unreachable dreams or "Ninja Ways."

Perhaps because they were about to be deployed to a border region with a relatively high intensity of conflict, Nara Motonari was clearly more concerned with their practical combat capabilities and ninjutsu specialties than with the daydreams of children.

"You don't need me to tell you that the combat model of a four-man training squad is fundamentally different from a regular squad.

Well, although it's inevitably a blow to your morale, the truth is that the combat capability ceiling of a training squad is determined by the individual ability of the lead Jonin."

Nara Motonari did not take the three of them to the rooftop for a lecture.

Instead, he quite generously brought them to a sushi shop in the village, and while fiddling with the Inari-zushi on his plate with chopsticks, he began to instruct them in a nonchalant manner.

"Unfortunately, I am not the type with strong frontal combat capabilities, so I cannot act as a vanguard to protect my students like a typical team leader. For the sake of sincere cooperation in future missions, let us introduce our own abilities before we officially begin operations."

Nara Motonari dipped the tip of his chopsticks into some rice vinegar and casually wrote the two characters for "Secret Technique" on the tabletop.

"Starting with myself... since I am a member of the Nara Clan, my primary combat method is naturally to use the Shadow Secret Technique to restrict and damage the enemy; this should be easy enough for you to understand."

The three youngsters nodded in unison upon hearing this.

In Konoha, while the fame of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio might not be as deafening as the God of Shinobi, the Byakugan, or the Sharingan, as one of the most prominent secret technique clans from the previous Great War, any Konoha ninja would have heard of them!

Their signature Shadow Secret Technique not only combined output and control but could also flexibly utilize the surrounding environment to achieve unexpected results.

"Next are other general ninjutsu and taijutsu; this is not my strong suit—I can teach you to master basic chakra nature transformation, but due to my total chakra volume, I generally don't prefer to use other elemental releases in actual combat; additionally, because of the nature of the Shadow Secret Technique, my use of taijutsu is also quite limited."

Among the secret techniques mastered by the Nara Clan, the Shadow Possession Jutsu is, in effect, a process of assimilation between enemy and self. Including other shadow-based secret techniques, the vast majority are more focused on control effects than damage output.

The practitioner usually remains at the rear of the squad during combat, protected by other teammates; in such a situation, it is unrealistic to expect them to be distracted by taijutsu or ninjutsu combat.

This limitation is not a major problem in a standard combat squad, but for a training squad like Team Five, it is hard to say whether the students can shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting the backline...

Even if Akimichi Todo and Sarutobi Erina have potential, that is a matter for the future. Before they can convert their talent into actual combat power, Team Five will likely suffer if they face enemies led by other Jonin.

--Soji silently excluded himself from the category of the front line.

After all, he was just a weak, pitiful, and helpless medical ninja; frontal combat really had nothing to do with him.

Unfortunately, Nara Motonari lifted his eyelids at this exact moment and shifted his gaze toward Soji.

"That's about it for my personal situation; now it's your turn. Let's all introduce ourselves—what are your respective specialties?"

The words were already out, and Soji could not avoid answering.

Thus, after a brief moment of organization, the boy spoke eloquently.

"...I wouldn't call them specialties, but I have been fortunate enough to receive guidance from Director Chosokabe and Chief Inoue, so I do have some expertise in medical ninjutsu."

"Hey! That's not just 'some' expertise! Do you know, Motonari-sensei? Yamada-kun treated the young master of the Uchiha Clan half a year ago, and even many of the seniors at the hospital couldn't stop praising his techniques!"

Before Soji could finish his humble remarks, Erina cut in halfway to add the details for him.

Akimichi Todo, who had been burying his face in his food, also nodded vigorously with a wide grin, clearly in full agreement with Erina.

"That's right, that's right! My father also received treatment from Soji at the hospital after returning from a mission, and he even praised him for being young and promising with excellent medical skills!"

"Oh, I have heard of this as well. It seems our squad will have an extra layer of security for our lives during future missions."

Nara Motonari rested his chin on his hand; although he still maintained that nonchalant air, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes as he looked at the boy.

As the focus of everyone's discussion, Soji did not remain blindly humble.

The boy understood the principle that one must know when to be flexible and that going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

Especially at this critical moment where teammates were confirming each other's abilities, hiding his skills too much would easily lead to misunderstandings, preventing his future comrades from making an accurate assessment of his capabilities and unnecessarily increasing the risk of misjudgment at a critical juncture.

"You are all too kind with your praise; I am merely doing my best to fulfill my duties—medical ninjutsu is vast and profound, and what I excel at is only a very limited part of Trauma Healing Jutsu. If we encounter biological toxins or organic lesions, the help I can provide will be very limited."

"So, you are very confident in handling ordinary trauma, then?" Nara Motonari helped him voice the subtext.

Soji did not answer this time; he pressed his hands against his knees, leaned forward slightly, and used his body language instead of words to express absolute confidence.

The former did not ask further, instead turning his attention to the little fatty who was busy stuffing his face.

"You're next, Todo. Any progress lately?"

"Ah, this..."

The Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans had been on good terms for generations; judging by the tone, Akimichi Todo and Motonari-sensei must have known each other beforehand.

Therefore, there was naturally more familiarity in their exchange, and it seemed even more casual than his attitude toward Soji.

"Don't tell me you've been slacking off on your training lately? Otherwise, I'll definitely go complain to Akimichi Torifu when I get back!"

"Ah? Don't do that, Motonari-sensei, this has nothing to do with my uncle..." At the mention of Akimichi Torifu's name, Todo's expression darkened, as if he had recalled something truly terrifying.

"So? Did you actually slack off?"

"Of course not!"

The chubby boy swallowed the vinegared rice in his mouth and patted his chest with a serious expression: "I have mastered the basic applications of the Multi-Size Technique, and I've even made progress with the Partial Multi-Size Technique, though I'm still not very proficient with it in a pinch..."

"In other words, the Partial Multi-Size Technique cannot be used in actual combat yet?" Nara Motonari habitually cut straight to the truth, causing Todo to shudder.

"Who... who said that? If I only use one hand..."

"One hand, huh~" Nara Motonari sighed, closing his eyes while keeping one hand propped against his chin.

"Teacher, don't look down on me! My father even gave me the Three-Colored Secret Medicine!"

"Is that so? They're allowing you to use the secret medicine this early..."

Motonari was taken aback, his originally relaxed demeanor tightening briefly.

He narrowed his eyes and pondered to himself for a moment... then, he cast a covert glance at Soji before shaking his head and speaking again.

"No, I misunderstood. It must be precisely because you are all so young that Todo's father entrusted the secret medicine to you early—after all, on a real battlefield, one can never have too many trump cards."

Nara Motonari's lament caused the three young disciples to fall into a collective silence.

They had all keenly captured the core point of their teacher's words, and they grew nervous in unison!

--War was already close at hand!