"They died in the line of duty..."
Yechen's tone was rather flat.
Both of them froze at his words.
Ito Miyuki's smile faded, and she patted Yechen on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. Stick with your big sister Miyuki from now on, and I'll protect you."
"Sorry, Yechen. I shouldn't have asked."
Abe Rō scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's fine. It's all in the past."
The calmer Yechen was, the more awkward they felt. They stopped talking and quietly waited for their team leader to arrive.
About half an hour later, Jonin began arriving in the classroom one after another.
Not all of them were full-fledged Jonin. More than half were Special Jōnin.
Special Jōnin were those whose aptitude and combat strength had yet to reach Jonin level, but whose bursts of power could already match that level.
It was the same principle as the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique Yechen practiced, whose explosive power already approached Chunin level.
Of course, everyone wanted a true Jonin as their teacher. Not only were they stronger, but their knowledge and combat experience also far surpassed those of Special Jōnin.
But there were too many graduates this year, and most had little potential. The village couldn't waste too many resources teaching students with no promise.
Besides, they were at war. Jonin were elite fighting forces wherever they went. While training reserves was important, it still took second place to the pressing situation on the front lines.
"Team 3, come with me."
A Special Jōnin spoke from the podium.
Three students immediately stood and followed the teacher out of the classroom.
The teams left one after another until the classroom was nearly empty, yet Team 7's leader still hadn't appeared.
Ito Miyuki slapped the desk.
"What's going on? How can a teacher be late?"
"Who are you talking about, Miyuki?"
Someone suddenly appeared in the classroom, startling all three of them.
A middle-aged man with a scar on his face had appeared at the podium without them noticing.
Yechen was startled. The man seemed to have been there for some time, yet he hadn't noticed him at all. His strength was definitely at Jonin level.
Nakagawa Ichirō. Combat power: 140. Specialties: Fire, Wind, and Water ninjutsu. He is extremely strict. If he sets his sights on you, you'd better watch out.
"Uncle Ichirō..." Ito Miyuki immediately behaved herself when she saw him, sticking out her tongue as she greeted him.
The way she addressed him made it clear that they already knew each other.
Nakagawa Ichirō swept his gaze over Yechen and Abe Rō, puzzled. A moment ago, he'd faintly sensed someone prying into him.
That look startled Yechen, and he cried out inwardly.
System, what's going on? Can he sense your existence?
Ding-dong! No, host. Even this world's Hokage cannot detect this system's existence. Your mental power is simply too weak, while his ability to sense mental power is very strong. That is why he sensed something.
Yechen breathed a sigh of relief at that, and made a decision: from now on, he would no longer inspect ninja far stronger than himself, lest he expose his ability.
Finding nothing, Nakagawa Ichirō gave it no further thought and turned his attention to the three of them.
"Come with me."
With that, he walked out of the classroom.
Yechen and the other two hurried after him. As they left the school, Nakagawa Ichirō suddenly quickened his pace. His figure flickered a few times before disappearing into the distance.
"Keep up! This is a test!" Ito Miyuki clearly knew something about it. With those words, she darted forward.
Yechen and Abe Rō exchanged a glance, then pushed off and followed closely behind Miyuki.
All three had Genin-level strength, so they couldn't possibly match Nakagawa's speed. But since this was a test, he wouldn't simply leave them behind. Instead, he ran ahead at the limit of their speed.
Running speed depended on one's physique. The stronger the physique, the greater the speed and agility.
With a physique stat of 9, Yechen was faster than an ordinary Genin, and even a little faster than Miyuki. But he didn't want to stand out too much, so he stayed a step behind her.
Half an hour later, they reached Training Ground 7. Normally, getting here from the school took more than an hour.
Running at their limits had cut the journey time in half.
As a result, Miyuki and Abe Rō were exhausted, while Yechen was not.
Abe Rō was especially worn out. Although he was an Earth Release ninja with a strong physique, his combat power was lower than theirs. Keeping up with them the whole way had been no easy feat.
Even so, neither Yechen nor Miyuki intended to help him. If he couldn't endure even this little test, he wouldn't be able to keep pace with them as a teammate in the future. Better to be eliminated now.
"Uchiha Ye Chen, I underestimated you."
Miyuki was slightly out of breath. Seeing that Yechen wasn't flushed or breathing hard, she knew she'd lost to him in stamina.
But she wasn't discouraged. A ninja's combat strength depended on more than stamina; many other factors came into play. She didn't think she was any worse than Yechen.
Yechen didn't respond. Instead, he looked at the figure ahead.
"This is Training Ground 7. Since you managed to keep up, you've passed the test," Nakagawa Ichirō said, letting his gaze linger on Yechen for a moment.
Just as he'd thought, that had been a test. Yechen believed it was only the first, and that more awaited them.
"Uncle Ichirō, that test was too easy. It wasn't challenging at all."
Ito Miyuki spoke with haughty confidence.
"On the battlefield, no matter what kind of ninja you are, physical fitness is crucial. If you can't win, at least you can run. If you can't even outrun your enemy, there's only one fate waiting for you: death."
Nakagawa Ichirō's words carried a chilling killing intent. Miyuki's face instantly paled; she was clearly frightened. After all, she was only a little girl of around ten. How could she withstand killing intent like that?
Thinking of death, Miyuki glanced at Yechen. I wonder how he got through it. It must have hurt terribly.
Yechen noticed the sympathetic looks Miyuki and Abe Rō gave him, but said nothing.
"All right, take a break."
As soon as Nakagawa Ichirō finished speaking, Yechen found a step to sit on and calmed his mind.
Seeing this, Miyuki and Abe Rō followed his example, steadying their breathing and trying to recover their stamina as quickly as possible for the next test.