Someone had marked out a boundary on the open patch at the west end of the Training Ground, pressing three pebbles into the turf.
The pebbles were evenly spaced, and the grass stubble on either side of the boundary leaned in opposite directions.
The pebbles' points faced inward. Whoever had placed them had been meticulous.
One glance was enough to tell that this patch belonged to someone today.
Kiyoshi sat on the stone ledge outside the boundary and spread the sheet of paper he had brought that morning across his knees.
The sun had warmed the ledge. The corners of the paper curled up, and he weighed them down with two small stones.
There were seven lines on the paper. Six led somewhere.
The break in the seventh faced southeast. The box added beyond that break was still empty.
He did not trace the box. First, he counted the steps from the boundary to the platform's base.
The box on the paper was empty. He left it alone for now.
In the middle of the grounds, Choji practiced dodging by himself.
He threw a kunai, turned sideways after its shadow, then went back to pick it up.
The kunai was small, and he did not throw it fast.
One round of throwing, one round of dodging.
A fan-shaped trail of marks remained in the dirt.
Someone sat in the shade of a tree, hands behind his head, a straw hat covering half his face.
After retrieving another round of throws, Choji straightened and tipped his chin toward the shade.
"Shikamaru, keep an eye on my patch. Don't let anyone step on it."
The person in the shade lifted his chin without getting up.
On the path outside the grounds, Neji walked past, paused outside the white line, then continued on.