Rewards

The training ground looked as though a violent storm had swept through it, but the rapid sounds of impact had abruptly ceased.

The swirling dust slowly settled to the ground.

Standing several meters apart, Asami Ri and Might Guy bent over almost simultaneously, bracing their hands on their knees and gasping for breath.

"Hah... hah..."

Scalding air tore through their lungs, every breath carrying a heavy tang of rust.

Asami Ri felt his muscles trembling slightly from excessive blood flow. Sweat gathered into thin streams, dripping from his chin onto the hard, dry earth.

Might Guy looked even more startling. As he released the Gate of Opening, white vapor rose from his skin, his sweat evaporating instantly from his body heat.

A few minutes of high-speed combat had nearly drained both men of their stamina.

Asami Ri felt the pounding in his chest gradually settle. Within his mind, Celestial Pivot kept feeding him data from their fight: skeletal stress levels, neural reaction speed, Chakra consumption...

So this was... the level I had reached?

He silently assessed himself.

Although he had yet to master elemental Ninjutsu, the perception granted by Celestial Pivot and the foundation in taijutsu he had built over this period made one thing clear: he had already crossed the threshold of a chunin. Such precise control over his strength was beyond any ordinary genin.

I already have the strength of a chunin now.

Asami Ri straightened. His limbs were weak and sore, but his gaze had never been clearer.

He wiped the sweat from his face and walked with slightly heavy steps toward Guy, who was kneading his thigh muscles.

"Guy, you could have aimed that last spinning kick three inches lower."

Asami Ri sat on the ground beside Guy, sprawling his legs without caring how he looked. His voice carried genuine admiration. "Especially after you opened the First Gate, there was almost no delay between your movements. If I hadn't predicted your trajectory in advance, I wouldn't have been able to block your attacks at all."

"Oh! That's Ri for you! Has your perception really reached that level?"

Might Guy flashed his gleaming white teeth. Despite his exhaustion, he remained fired up. "That's what I wanted to say too, Ri. Your movements are as precise as a machine! Several times just now, your momentum should have kept you from defending, but you always slipped into my blind spot with the slightest movement... That kind of insight is practically art!"

The two sat shoulder to shoulder on the training ground, freely sharing their insights into taijutsu.

Might Guy vigorously rubbed his aching shoulders, pushed off the ground with both feet, and flipped over on the spot.

The instant his hands touched the ground, he was already in a steady handstand.

"Just as I thought, right after a satisfying fight is the best time to train!"

Guy propelled himself forward with alternating pushes of his arms. Even upside down, his movements remained astonishingly fast.

His white front teeth reflected a flash of sunlight bright enough to dazzle Asami Ri.

"Ri, I'm going to circle Konoha three times on my hands! If I can't do it, I'll add another three hundred push-ups!"

Looking at his energetic friend, Asami Ri waved with a mixture of helplessness and admiration. "Go for it, Guy. I'm sure this will be no problem for you."

"Oh! Is this the trust of a true friend? My hot-blooded passion... there's no stopping it now!"

Moved to tears, Guy let them run backward along his cheeks and into his hair.

With a roar, he raced away on his hands and disappeared beyond the edge of the training ground.

The world fell quiet again.

Asami Ri sat back down at the edge of the field, his eyes nearly closed.

Within his field of vision, Celestial Pivot was replaying the data collected during their fight.

The paths through which Might Guy transmitted force, along with the explosive techniques he used to concentrate most of his strength into a single point, were broken down by Celestial Pivot into concise mechanical models.

Incorporate the explosive power of the Strong Fist into the balance of the Leaf Style...

Asami Ri repeatedly simulated the improved moves in his mind, trying to weave that wild burst of power into his own taijutsu.

Whoosh!

An unfamiliar presence appeared beside Asami Ri without warning.

There was no snap of dry twigs in the grass, no tremor from a foot planting itself on the earth. An Anbu ninja wearing a Dog-Faced Mask stood silently less than three paces away, like a ghost emerging from the shadows.

"Asami Ri. Confirm your identity."

A cold, flat voice came from behind the mask.

Every muscle in Asami Ri's body tensed instantly, a conditioned reflex born of spending so long on the edge of life and death.

He quickly rose, suppressing the urge to draw a kunai, and replied quietly, "I'm Asami Ri."

"Genin Asami Ri, for killing Kirigakure Jonin Raiga Kurosuki." The Anbu ninja reached into his clothing with a swift, economical motion. "Your reward is a Ninjutsu Scroll, 'Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall,' along with a letter of recommendation for the Chunin Ninja Exams signed by the Hokage Building."

An ocher Scroll and a recommendation letter bearing the Hokage's official seal were held out before Asami Ri.

Asami Ri accepted the rewards, keeping his joy in check.

Looking into the emotionless eyeholes of the Anbu's mask, he asked gravely, "Every member of my squad has died... As a lone ninja, how am I supposed to take the Chunin Ninja Exams when entry is by squad?"

"The Hokage Building will handle all arrangements. You need only arrive at the examination site on time. Your team number is seventeen."

The Anbu ninja's tone did not fluctuate.

"If there are no questions, delivery of the assignment is complete."

The words had barely fallen when Asami Ri's vision blurred. Before the faint ripple of Chakra left in the air had dispersed, the Anbu's figure had vanished without a trace, without disturbing even a speck of dust on the ground.

So fast...

Asami Ri stared in the direction where the ninja had disappeared, his fingers involuntarily tightening around the Scroll.

Although his hard training had brought him back into form, such a tangible gap was like a bucket of cold water, snapping him back to reality.

I've improved somewhat, but I'm still a long way from an elite chunin.

Asami Ri lowered his head to examine the ocher Scroll in his hands, brushing his fingertips over its rough edges before looking at the Exam recommendation letter with its bright red seal.

Lightning Release: Lightning Ball, plus this Scroll of Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall...

He silently weighed his options. One for attack, one for defense. My range is still limited, but at least the framework of my Ninjutsu repertoire is taking shape.

At first, Asami Ri was slightly surprised to receive this Earth Release technique, but he soon understood.

His Chakra affinities were lightning, earth, and water.

As a ninja who had graduated in Konoha nearly two years ago, the results of his Chakra affinity test had long since been recorded in the ninja files at the Hokage Building.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been known for his "kindness." Rewarding him with a Ninjutsu best suited to his affinities was both recognition of his achievement and a way to test and cultivate his talent for Ninjutsu.

As for Lightning Release: Lightning Ball, Asami Ri had already thought of an excuse.

He would say it was a Ninjutsu recorded in a Scroll his parents had left behind, which he had happened to discover while paying his respects to them.

It was a little far-fetched, but as long as he demonstrated exceptional talent and did not betray Konoha, the Third Hokage would not look too deeply into it.

He took a deep breath and tucked both rewards into his Ninja Tool Pouch.

Over the past several days, he had forcibly suppressed his urge to begin practicing Lightning Release immediately.

He knew very well that practicing Ninjutsu before his body had fully recovered from his injuries, and without a “legitimate” source for the technique, would invite needless suspicion from the Anbu or Root.

A ninja had to learn patience.

My body is back in peak condition, and I have a legitimate excuse in hand...

Asami Ri raised his head and looked toward the blazing sun on the horizon, nourishing all things.

Every prerequisite had been met.

Next, it's time to show my worth...