The Temporary Squad Finds Its Rhythm

The earthen wall at Training Ground No. 3 collapsed as soon as it rose.

Takuma crawled out of the billowing dust and spat the dirt from his mouth.

His brand-new training clothes were completely ruined. Mud streaked his body, and flying stones had torn a hole in his right sleeve.

Tetsu expressionlessly lowered his hands from the Hand Seals and stared at the wreckage he had created, silent as a hit-and-run driver who'd almost gotten away with it.

Yakumo stood frozen, paintbrush in hand. The sketchbook in her arms had fallen open to a page where she'd drawn only three strokes of an illusion setup before flying chunks of earth dusted it over.

Several muddy smudges streaked her fair face, but her expression gave nothing away.

The makeshift squad they'd thrown together just yesterday had failed its first joint drill in a thoroughly undignified fashion.

Kurama Yakumo tapped the end of her charcoal pencil against the sketchbook twice, flipped to a fresh page, and began jotting down notes at high speed, muttering to herself, "First joint drill: Earth Flow Wall collapsed, advance by the front line delayed, rear-line illusion preparation interrupted. Causes of failure: one, chakra output wasn't standardized; two, no agreed-upon signal for transitions; three, rear-line position was too close, and the aftereffects of the technique hit our own side."

Takuma leaned over to take a look.

It was a simple formation diagram, with three stick figures labeled "T," "Tetsu," and "Ya." Arrows and dotted lines densely marked the theoretical routes and areas covered by their techniques.

It was crystal clear.

"You've drawn this in so much detail," Takuma said admiringly.

"Observation and record-keeping are the basics of being an illusionist." Yakumo didn't even look up. "If I can't remember my teammates' routes, my illusions will trap you along with the enemy."

"...You did trap me just now."

Yakumo's pencil paused, then she continued writing as if nothing had happened. "I misjudged the range. It won't happen again."

Tetsu silently walked over.

He took a small gray cloth bundle from his robe, crouched, and unwrapped it. Inside were three neatly shaped rice balls, all the same size.

Without a word, he handed one to Takuma, then one to Yakumo. He picked up the last one and began chewing slowly.

"...Thanks." Takuma took a bite. It was filled with pickled plum. The sourness shot straight from the tip of his tongue to the top of his head, crumpling his whole face.

Yakumo sat on a raised tree root and nibbled at hers. She glanced at his expression from the corner of her eye, and the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch.

"Signals." After finishing her last bite, Yakumo wiped her fingers with a handkerchief and reopened her sketchbook. "We need a simple, clear signal system. Three people, three abilities, but our commands have to be a single word."

She flipped back to a page with the chart of the three of them and the Ninjutsu affinities they'd listed when registering.

"Before Tetsu uses Earth Release, he'll call out 'Earth.' Before I cast an illusion, I'll call out 'Illusion.' Whichever one you hear, move out of the corresponding area." Yakumo looked up at Takuma. "'Earth' means stay off the ground and avoid the area where Tetsu is using his technique. 'Illusion' means get out of the illusion's range and move at least five meters sideways."

"That works." Takuma thought it over. "But I have Ninjutsu to use, too. How are you supposed to dodge mine?"

"You don't need to call out a signal. You're on the front line, so we can see your movements." Yakumo said, "When you charge, Tetsu will adjust the direction of his Earth Release to support you, and I'll keep my illusion's range clear of your path. Your job isn't to give a signal; it's to keep your route consistent and not change direction suddenly. If you have to change it, there needs to be a pattern we can follow."

Takuma felt a little embarrassed by that.

Both of their failures that day had been related to his unpredictable charge routes. Tetsu's Earth Release had come up in the wrong place, and Yakumo had misjudged the range of her illusion. In the end, Takuma himself hadn't even figured out how he was supposed to move.

Yakumo hadn't blamed him outright, but her meaning was clear: the front line was the formation's central support. If it wavered, the entire formation would wobble with it.

"I'll work on my footwork some more." Takuma stood up. "Tetsu, sorry for the trouble. Let's leave the Ninjutsu out for now. Just call 'Earth' so I can practice dodging. Yakumo, keep an eye on me and call out anything I'm doing wrong."

For the next half hour, only two sounds filled the training ground: Tetsu's hoarse, almost inaudible "Earth," and Takuma's footsteps scraping across the sandy ground.

Yakumo took notes nearby, muttering something under her breath. Takuma found out later that she'd been reciting the measurements of his strides: the length of each step, his pace, and the angle of his turns.

Looking at the crooked line she'd drawn, Takuma had to admit her analysis was completely right.

He'd never noticed any of those things about himself, but seeing them on paper made them as obvious as someone walking with one foot turned inward.

"Once you've rested enough, we'll practice as a trio." Yakumo stood, closed her sketchbook, and walked to the center of the training ground. "We'll use the new signals. Tetsu calls 'Earth,' I call 'Illusion,' and Takuma dodges."

Tetsu formed Hand Seals and slapped a palm against the ground. In a hoarse voice, he called, "Earth." The Earth Flow Wall roared upward, two meters high and three meters wide. His chakra output was precise, and the wall's structure was stable, without a single crack.

Takuma moved almost at the same moment, curving around the base of the Earth Flow Wall.

"Illusion."

Yakumo's voice rang out.

Takuma immediately cut sideways, veering to the right as he lowered his body until it was nearly parallel to the ground.

The space behind him was covered by the illusion. A deep red glow rose from the ground, and countless pale, translucent arms reached out of the void.

The edge of the illusion's range was less than a meter from Takuma's left shoulder. The precision sent a chill down his spine.

"Stop."

Takuma straightened and looked back at the area the illusion had covered.

Not a single blade of grass on the ground had been bent. The translucent arms had only been an illusion, but the cold feeling of their grip still lingered around his ankles.

The Kurama Clan's bloodline could make illusions almost tangible. Their realism far surpassed that of ordinary illusions.

If the technique had caught a real enemy, it would have held them long enough for him to close in and land a lethal combo.

"We did it," Takuma said.

"Mm." Yakumo opened her sketchbook, made one final note, then closed it and looked up. "Our success rate is about thirty percent. We still need to practice, but at least we've proved the tactics can work."

Tetsu handed Takuma a water flask.

Takuma gulped down a couple of swallows. Cool water slid down his throat, bringing him back to life.

He looked at Tetsu, then at Yakumo... Tetsu had only offered water to him. Yakumo had taken a bamboo flask from her own bag and was drinking from it in small sips, perfectly capable of looking after herself.

Takuma suddenly understood something: Tetsu wasn't the squad's babysitter. He was Yakumo's bodyguard.

The three rice balls he'd brought, the water flask he'd handed over, his silent cooperation during training—all of it revolved around one thing: protecting Kurama Yakumo.

From the moment Yakumo chose Takuma as a teammate, Tetsu had included him in the area he was responsible for protecting.

"Tomorrow at eight in the morning, same place. Today we confirmed the tactics can work. Tomorrow, we'll make things harder and simulate the unpredictable factors of a real battle. Any suggestions?"

Takuma thought for a moment. "Add obstacles. The training ground was too clear today. In a real fight, we won't get such an ideal route to charge through."

Yakumo made a note. "We can do that. Tetsu can use Earth Release to create uneven terrain. Anything else?"

Takuma thought it over, then added, "The weather, too. If it rains on the day of the exam, Water Release will have an advantage, while illusions and Earth Release will be affected. We should find time to practice together in the rain."

"Good. I'll check the weather forecast." Yakumo flipped to another page and jotted down a few notes. "Also, starting tomorrow, I'm going to test your limits—how long you can last in my illusion before your mind breaks down. We have to know, because if I don't know your limit, I might trap you along with the enemy during a real fight."

Takuma opened his mouth. The words "Could you put that more gently?" went around in his head twice, but in the end, he swallowed them.

"Fine. See you at eight."

Yakumo closed her sketchbook and headed out of the training ground, with Tetsu silently following behind her.