The First Lesson

In a world where individual strength determined one's rank, there was no shortage of unconventional powerhouses.

Never mind Konoha's notorious trio of gambling, drinking, and debauchery, who were still growing into their reputations. Even the legendary God of Shinobi had an embarrassing side that shattered people's fantasies...

Seen from that perspective, a downcast, sickly-looking team leader wasn't all that hard to accept.

Besides, judging by the Nara surname and Akimichi Todo and Sarutobi Erina's reactions, the man's background clearly wasn't as simple as it seemed.

So not only did Soji feel no contempt for him, he had regarded this teacher in name only with newfound respect from the moment they met!

And the more he thought about it, the more the boy realized that this Nara clan jōnin was nothing like the considerate, gentle instructors he'd imagined.

Team Five hadn't gone through Konoha's traditional bell test, and their introductions had nothing to do with lofty, unattainable topics like dreams or the ninja way.

Perhaps because they were about to head to a border region where clashes were relatively intense, Nara Motochika seemed much more concerned with their combat ability and the characteristics of their jutsu than with the idle fantasies of little kids.

"You all know this without me having to say it, but the way a four-person training squad fights is fundamentally different from that of a regular squad.

"Well, I know this might be discouraging, but in truth, a training squad's combat potential is limited by the personal ability of its jōnin leader."

Nara Motochika didn't take the three of them to the rooftop to lecture them.

Instead, he generously brought them to a sushi shop in the village. As he idly nudged the inari-zushi around his plate with his chopsticks, he casually gave them a lesson.

"Unfortunately, I'm not the type with strong frontal combat ability, so I can't protect you from the front like an ordinary team leader. To make sure we can work well together on future missions, we should each introduce our abilities before we take action."

Nara Motochika dipped the tip of his chopsticks in a little rice vinegar and casually wrote the words "secret technique" on the table.

"I'll start with myself... Since I'm a member of the Nara Clan, my main way of fighting is naturally to use shadow techniques to restrain and injure my enemies. I'm sure you understand that much."

The three little ones nodded together.

In Konoha, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans might not be as famous as the God of Shinobi, the Byakugan, or the Sharingan, but as one of the most prominent secret-technique clans in the last war, they were known to nearly every Konoha Ninja!

Their signature shadow techniques combined offense and control, and could flexibly exploit the surrounding environment to catch their opponents off guard.

"Next are other common ninjutsu and taijutsu. Those aren't my strong suit. I can teach you the basics of Chakra Nature Transformation, but because of my chakra reserves, I usually avoid using other elemental techniques in actual combat. And because of the nature of shadow techniques, my taijutsu is also fairly limited."

Among the secret techniques mastered by the Nara Clan, Shadow Possession Jutsu worked by forcing the enemy and user to move as one. Most of the other Shadow Secret Techniques also focused more on control than damage.

In combat, the user usually stayed behind the squad and relied on their teammates for protection. Under those circumstances, it wasn't very realistic to split their attention between taijutsu or ninjutsu.

That limitation wasn't a major problem in a regular squad, but in a training squad like Team Five, it was hard to say whether the students could shoulder the responsibility of protecting the rear...

No matter how much potential Akimichi Todo and Sarutobi Erina had, that was for the future. Until they turned their talent into actual combat strength, Team Five would probably be at a disadvantage against enemies led by other jōnin.

—Soji silently ruled himself out as a frontline fighter.

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

Unfortunately, Nara Motochika happened to raise his eyes just then and turn his gaze toward Soji.

"That's about it for me. Now it's your turn. Tell me what each of you is good at."

With the question put to him, Soji had no choice but to answer.

After organizing his thoughts, the boy immediately began to speak with confidence.

"...I wouldn't call it a specialty, but I've been fortunate enough to study under Director Chosokabe and Chief Inoue. I do have some expertise in Medical Ninjutsu."

"Come on! It's way more than 'some' expertise! Teacher Motochika, did you know? Yamada-kun treated the young master of the Uchiha Clan half a year ago, and even a lot of the senior staff at the hospital praised his technique!"

Before Soji could finish his modest reply, Erina chimed in and filled in the details.

Akimichi Todo, who'd been hunched over his food, also nodded enthusiastically, clearly agreeing with what Erina had said.

"That's right, that's right! After my father came back from a mission, Soji treated him at the hospital too. He even praised him for being so talented and skilled at such a young age!"

"Oh, I've heard about that as well. It seems our squad will have an extra measure of safety on future missions."

Nara Motochika rested his chin on his hand. He still looked as if nothing could stir him, but there was a hint of warmth in his gaze as he looked at the boy.

As the focus of everyone's attention, Soji didn't just keep being modest.

He knew the value of restraint, and that too much of it could backfire.

Especially at a moment like this, when teammates were assessing one another's abilities. If he hid too much, they might misunderstand him. His future comrades needed an accurate sense of what he could do, or they might make a mistake at a crucial moment.

"Not at all. You're giving me too much credit. I'm just doing my best to fulfill my duties. Medical Ninjutsu is vast and profound, and what I'm good at is only a very limited part of Trauma Healing Jutsu. If I run into biological toxins or organic disorders, there's very little I can do to help."

"So you're confident about treating ordinary injuries, then?" Nara Motochika spelled out the implication for him.

This time, Soji didn't answer aloud. He placed both hands on his knees, leaned forward slightly, and let his body language express his absolute confidence.

Seeing that, the older man didn't ask anything further. Instead, he turned his attention to the little fatty, who was still wolfing down food.

"Next is you, Todo. Made any progress lately?"

"Uh, well..."

The Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka families had been close for generations. Judging from their tone, Akimichi Todo and Teacher Motochika already knew each other.

So the two of them spoke with a familiarity that made their exchange seem even more casual than Motochika's conversation with Soji.

"Don't tell me you've been slacking off in your training. If you have, I'll go back and tell Torifu!"

"Huh? Please don't, Teacher Motochika. This has nothing to do with Uncle..." At the mention of Akimichi Torifu, Todo seemed to remember something terrifying, and his expression immediately darkened.

"So? You really have been slacking off?"

"Of course not!"

The little fatty swallowed his vinegar rice and slapped his chest with a serious expression. "I've mastered the basic applications of Multi-Size Jutsu, and I've even gotten started with Partial Multi-Size Technique. I'm just not very good at using it in a pinch yet..."

"So you can't use Partial Multi-Size Technique in actual combat yet?" Nara Motochika routinely hit the nail on the head, making Todo shudder.

"W-Who says that? If I only use one hand..."

"One hand, huh..." Nara Motochika sighed and closed his eyes, still resting his chin on one hand.

"Don't underestimate me, Teacher! My father even gave me the Three-Colored Secret Medicine!"

"Is that so? He's already letting you use the secret medicine at such a young age..."

Motochika paused, his previously relaxed expression tightening for a brief moment.

He narrowed his eyes and thought for a while... Then he glanced discreetly at Soji before shaking his head and speaking again.

"No, I misunderstood. Your father probably entrusted you with the secret medicine early precisely because you're so young. On a real battlefield, you can never have too many trump cards."

Nara Motochika's words left all three young students silent.

They'd all caught the emphasis in their teacher's words and, without a word, grew tense!

—War was already right on their doorstep!