Survival Exercise

Ever since breaking through while practicing the Gentle Fist atop Hokage Rock, Yuun had made a habit of choosing high places to train. He found that the wind was stronger up high, and practicing the Gentle Fist in the wind gave him the illusion of tearing through it. It made his training feel especially powerful, and when inspiration struck, he could practice for an entire day.

The war with the Cloud Shinobi seemed to have reached a stalemate. For quite some time, there had been neither good news nor bad news from the front lines, while rumors spread everywhere through the streets. Some claimed the Cloud Shinobi had broken through Konoha's defenses and were advancing unopposed, soon to attack Konoha itself. Others said Konoha had wiped out the Cloud Shinobi forces, only for the newly appointed Fourth Raikage to arrive and single-handedly rout Konoha's army, leaving the frontline commander too ashamed to report the news.

Yuun had access to information from both the Ninja Academy and his clan. He did not have overly specific or timely intelligence, but he knew the general situation. The deadlock had indeed been caused by the Fourth Raikage joining the battlefield. However, he could not reverse the Cloud Shinobi's disadvantage alone. Konoha simply had no powerhouse capable of confronting the Raikage for the time being, so it could only assemble a group of Elite Jonin specifically to deal with him. Once those Elite Jonin were pulled away, the pressure on the Cloud Shinobi eased considerably. But they had suffered several major losses against the Hyuga Clan in the earlier fighting, and their forces were stretched thin. Taking the opportunity to counterattack was not much of a possibility.

To Yuun, who was still at the Ninja Academy, the fighting on the front lines felt very distant. At his speed, it would take him at least half a month to travel from Konoha to the battlefield.

Unfortunately, that distance was only Yuun's own opinion. The school's teachers did not see it that way. Once they felt the newly expanded batch of students had acquired a certain foundation, the academy decided to hold a massive training exercise. The former fifth- and sixth-years, now third-years, would undergo practical combat training. The school would invite ninjas freshly returned from the battlefield to serve as instructors, with the goal of making the third-years ready to be deployed as Genin at any time.

For the former third- and fourth-years, now second-years, the school would temporarily request several instructors from above to lead them directly on Genin missions, striving to make them capable of replacing some Genin and carrying out missions for the village whenever needed.

As for Yuun and the other former first- and second-years, the school took pity on their young age. Besides, a batch of students who should have been deemed incompetent had been mixed in among them. They would only undergo a survival simulation. However, to make the training more worthwhile and encourage the more motivated students, the school had also arranged a treasure-hunting competition. Those who placed well would receive prizes.

Because the survival simulation would last for quite some time, and although there would be teachers protecting them, the forest training ground was enormous. With several hundred students scattered throughout it, the school allowed them to prepare a limited amount of ninja tools that complied with school regulations in order to prevent accidents. At the same time, the school would provide every student with tools and ninja equipment necessary for survival.

Compared to the training for the second- and third-years, the first-years' exercise required far more personnel, space, and equipment. But the school had no choice. The second- and third-years had received at least three years of instruction. With a little additional training, they could basically be put to use. The first-years, however, had received at most a little over a year of teaching, and more than half of them had only studied for a few months. If sent out, they would not even qualify as cannon fodder.

With no other option, the school could only strengthen these students' survival abilities. At least it would raise their chances of survival a little. If a few more of them lived, surely a few elites would emerge eventually.

Yuun did not buy any additional ninja tools. The equipment prepared by the school certainly would not be too poor or too scarce, and carrying more would easily hinder his movements. Besides, if he truly needed something, he could just "borrow" it from someone nearby. After all, minor injuries were permitted in this training.

"Yuun, Itachi, the three of us should form a team! Whoever we see, we beat up! The championship will definitely be ours!" Hana Inuzuka ran over excitedly. She was the happiest about this survival exercise. She could fight openly and honestly, and there would even be prizes for winning. If possible, she wished every day could be a survival simulation.

"That's impossible." Itachi suddenly cut in. "Normally, when the teachers divide groups, they consider balancing each group's strength. So Yuun and I can't possibly end up in the same team." After speaking, he gave Yuun a somewhat regretful glance. No matter the circumstances, having a companion with the Byakugan was good news. The year Yuun was born happened to coincide with Konoha's war against Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud. Most of the Hyuga Clan's combat power had gone to war, and Yuun had been the clan's only child born during those one or two years. As a result, Yuun was the only first-year who possessed the Byakugan.

"How could they do that..." Hana Inuzuka's spirits sank somewhat, but she immediately recovered. "Fine, then forget the three of us. I want to be on Yuun's team!"

"That probably won't happen either..."

Before Itachi could finish, Hana Inuzuka shot him a vicious glare. "Why not?! I'm going to be on Yuun's team! Whoever dares steal him from me, I'll beat them up!"

Itachi could only smile bitterly and fall silent. It was not as though he could not beat Hana Inuzuka, but that girl would definitely drag Yuun into the fight. The most infuriating part was that Yuun would always toss out a few snide remarks before joining Hana Inuzuka in ganging up on him.

The same scene played out in every corner of the classroom. Students with their own little circles were joining forces, and all sorts of team names sprang up one after another. Konoha Team and Hokage Team were the most popular, with at least five teams using each name.

When the class bell rang, the noisy classroom quickly fell silent. Ninjas were a group that valued discipline and rules. Ninjas who did not follow rules would be ostracized by other ninjas, especially in wartime.

No matter how thoroughly they had planned and coordinated in private, one sentence from the instructor easily destroyed the results of their entire morning's efforts. "I will now announce the group assignments..."

"Group One: Ise Kotaka, Mutsu Kago, Kii Isuzu. Group Two: Owari Taiga, Yamashiro Ki, Musashi Hiei... Group Thirteen: Kirishima Mizukaze, Itachi Uchiha, Haruna Motoya..." At that point, Itachi gave Yuun a regretful look, only for Hana Inuzuka to glare it back at him. From the movement of her lips, she was clearly mouthing, "Traitor." They were only five-year-old children, after all. Every thought showed plainly on their faces.

"Group Twenty-One: Hana Inuzuka, Gekko Hayate, Hyuga Yuun..." Before the instructor could continue, Hana Inuzuka's cheer interrupted him. He knocked on the desk in dissatisfaction. "No shouting. If you have something to say, wait until the groups have all been assigned..."

Unfortunately, Hana Inuzuka could now think only of joining Yuun to stomp anyone they came across, especially that Itachi. He had actually not ended up with them. She definitely had to stomp him hard, then stomp him again. Of course, if he begged for mercy, she could stomp him two fewer times. Yes, two fewer times.

Once the groups had been assigned, the teacher began handing out equipment. To Yuun's surprise, the school actually offered two choices. Students could choose either a survival set focused on staying alive or a ninja set focused on combat.

After reading the equipment lists for both sets, Yuun chose the survival set without hesitation. Sleeping bag, lighter, collapsible fishing rod, knife, cooking utensils, canteen... The list included practically everything Yuun could think of, and every item was so high-grade that it made him drool. Even the rations were beef jerky, with enough for seven days.