The days of special training were dull but fulfilling.
Training Ground 3 was divided into three areas, each echoing with different sounds.
In the area set aside for Ning Xue, he was focused intently on a massive stone slab.
Kotetsu Hagane stood beside him, offering calm instructions.
"Steady your breathing and feel the chakra flowing through your meridians. Imagine it's no longer water, but a sticky syrup... That's it. Keep your hand seals steady and your output slow..."
Ning Xue formed hand seals, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.
He opened his mouth, and a clear stream of water surged out, splashing against the stone slab. Most of it scattered, and only a small amount in the center seemed to have a little stickiness, clinging weakly to the slab before soon running down.
"Not sticky enough."
Kotetsu Hagane pointed out the problem.
"The key to changing its form is changing its quality, not building up its quantity. Keep going. Feel that sticky, clinging state."
After failing again, Ning Xue didn't get discouraged. He listened to Kotetsu Hagane's instructions and continued trying to change the water's structure, making it more concentrated and viscous.
Then he tried to spit out a strand of sticky liquid, continuously channeling chakra into it in an attempt to produce a stream.
He practiced again and again. At first, he could only spit out ordinary water, but gradually he learned to make a small puddle of goo that could just barely hold a leaf in place. His progress was slow, but every step was solid.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Things looked rather different.
"Faster! Move faster! Sugiyama Tetsu, haven't you eaten? Even an old lady could outrun you!" Izumo Kamizuki's booming voice was like a war drum.
Sugiyama Tetsu had sandbags tied to his feet and a rock strapped to his back.
He ran back and forth along the steep hillside. All the while, that damned Izumo Kamizuki held a cane, and whenever he caught Sugiyama slacking, he'd give him a whack.
By now, sweat poured off him. Every step felt as if his legs were weighed down by a thousand-pound boulder.
But his eyes still burned with determination.
The method was crude, but it worked. He could already feel that his legs were as solid as rock.
He no longer looked at Izumo Kamizuki like a teacher. He looked at him like a demon!
Gritting his teeth, he kept going and swore that one day he'd put his own disciples through the same thing.
"Hyah! Hah!" Sugiyama Tetsu roared to spur himself on, pushing his legs to move faster because that damned cane was coming for him again.
And what about Nakamura Daisuke?
Oh, right. He was training in defense, so he shouldn't have to deal with all that physical and chakra exhaustion, should he?
"Get down there and practice forming hand seals and maintaining Earth Style Wall! You'll have passed the basics when you can raise a wall steadily from inside that mud pit and lift yourself out!"
Izumo Kamizuki folded his arms, showing no mercy.
"Huh?"
Nakamura Daisuke looked at the mud pit, which was even deeper than he was tall, and wondered if he'd be able to climb back out if he fell in.
And could he really use Earth Style Wall in mud?
"Here? You really want me to get in?"
Nakamura Daisuke swallowed nervously and asked in a timid voice.
"Obviously. You'll pass when you can use Earth Style Wall to lift yourself out. I don't want to repeat myself a third time."
Izumo Kamizuki repeated coldly.
"But the mud is... wet!"
Before he could finish speaking, Izumo Kamizuki kicked him into the pit.
"Wet is better. Oh, and tie these around your feet while you're at it."
Izumo Kamizuki tossed two sandbags down after him.
Nakamura Daisuke landed in the pit, rubbed his backside, then resignedly picked up the sandbags and tied them to his feet.
He could tell at once that the mud pit was deeper than it looked.
With no other choice, he immediately tried to use Earth Style Wall to lift himself up.
But as soon as he formed it beneath his feet, it collapsed under its own weight.
He tried forming it over and over, and it collapsed over and over, until finally...
He broke down.
"Ah!!! You can't make me do this!!!!" His roar rang out across the training ground.
But his howling did nothing to earn Izumo Kamizuki's sympathy. He merely urged him on.
"Don't you want to improve your defense? If you can't even form a wall under these conditions, how can you talk about defense?"
Those words felt like another arrow piercing Nakamura Daisuke's heart.
He thought miserably, This is nothing like the life of a ninja I imagined!
And so the days passed.
The three of them also worked D-rank missions into their training.
Ning Xue grew more and more proficient with Water Syrup Capture. Though he still had a way to go before reaching Kotetsu Hagane's level, he could now create a patch of sticky liquid that could trap an ordinary person and stop them from moving.
Sugiyama Tetsu's physique grew visibly stronger, and his steps became steady.
Nakamura Daisuke, meanwhile, had clearly lost a few pounds. There was no helping it: the training had gone from maintaining one wall to maintaining two at once.
It was a full-on strain on both his body and chakra.
By now, he was starting to think he might as well open a cookie shop with his father.
Then one day, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki both received a summons from the Hokage's office.
When they returned, they looked rather serious. They called Team 11 over while the team was training.
"Training is suspended for now."
Kotetsu Hagane got straight to the point.
"Izumo and I have been ordered to serve as examiners for the upcoming Chunin Exams."
"The Chunin Exams?!" Sugiyama Tetsu's eyes lit up at once, his gaze full of fighting spirit.
Nakamura Daisuke perked up his ears too.
Ning Xue's thoughts stirred. The Chunin Exams... wasn't something supposed to happen?
Kotetsu Hagane noticed their different expressions and continued.
"As for you... I won't be recommending you for this exam."
"Why, sensei?" Sugiyama Tetsu blurted out, disappointment written all over his face.
Hearing that answer, Nakamura Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Kotetsu Hagane's gaze swept over them before settling on Ning Xue.
"The reason is simple: you're not ready. The first stage of the Chunin Exams is usually a written test, and that might be a little difficult for you two."
He was referring specifically to Sugiyama Tetsu and Nakamura Daisuke.
"The second stage tests a team's coordination and ability to gather intelligence."
"Let's leave intelligence-gathering aside. As a team, you have absolutely no coordination."
"You might get eliminated as soon as you step onto the field because your lack of coordination gives your opponents an opening."
His words doused Sugiyama Tetsu's enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water, and Nakamura Daisuke shrank back.
"But..." Kotetsu Hagane changed tack.
"This exam is an excellent learning opportunity for you."
"So... all three of you must attend and watch during the exams."
"You won't be able to watch the first two stages, but you must come for the final one-on-one matches."
"Watch the other Genin closely, especially the children of the great clans and the ninjas from other villages. Study their fighting styles carefully. Understand?"
Izumo Kamizuki added, "That's right, boys. Watch and learn. That's how you'll figure out where you're lacking."
"Once you truly start acting like a team, maybe you'll get your turn at the next Chunin Exams."
Sugiyama Tetsu was a little dejected that he couldn't take part himself, but the chance to watch experts fight soon got him excited again.
Nakamura Daisuke, meanwhile, was glad he wouldn't have to take any risks. Sleeping sounded much better.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Before you continue