The following day, Team 2 assembled at the fourth training ground, a secluded area not far from the familiar third training grounds. Kazuya and Miyu arrived first, their expressions a mix of anticipation and curiosity. Arashi followed shortly after, his demeanor calm and collected. Finally, Itachi joined them, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Good morning!" Itachi greeted his team.
"Good morning, Itachi-sensei!" they responded in unison.
Itachi approached a nearby tree and placed an alarm clock on a protruding branch. "There, set for noon."
The group exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued.
Itachi then produced two bells from his pocket, enticing them before his students. "Here are two bells," he explained. "Your task is to take these bells from me before the time's up. You won't get lunch if you can't get a bell by noon. Not only will I tie you to that post over there, but I'll also eat right in front of you."
"That's why you told us not to eat?" Kazuya questioned, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Itachi nodded, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "Of course." He continued, "You have to get one bell. That's it. There are only two, so one of you will get tied down."
"Oh, and..." Itachi's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "The person who fails to take a bell... will fail!"
"What? That's nonsense!" Kazuya exclaimed, his disbelief evident.
"Not nonsense. Those are just the rules," Itachi stated firmly, clenching his fists. "Use whatever weapons and jutsu you have at your disposal. You won't succeed unless you fully intend to kill me." With that, he walked to the center of the training ground, his posture radiating confidence.
Miyu scoffed. "Get real, sensei. You're not all that. We've gotten far more powerful, and now we even have Arashi."
"Miyu, don't underestimate him," Arashi warned, his voice serious. "He's an expert in genjutsu, taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, and ninjutsu. Itachi-sensei is also precise and can quickly formulate plans to counter anyone."
"Ready?" Itachi asked, his gaze sweeping over his team.
They all nodded in unison. "Let's get this started."
Whoosh! In an instant, everyone scattered, seeking cover amidst the trees and foliage.
'A ninja must know how to hide himself and completely erase his presence,' Itachi thought, observing their movements. 'I've taught Arashi to conceal himself completely and easily sense someone's presence. Time to see what he has learned.'
From his hiding spot, Arashi spotted Miyu not too far from him. He signaled her to initiate a frontal attack, and she nodded in agreement. 'I have a plan,' he thought, a strategic glint in his eyes.
Miyu, responding to Arashi's signal, launched her attack. "Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"
A powerful stream of water erupted from her mouth, hurtling towards Itachi. With a graceful leap, Itachi evaded the attack, landing nimbly on the water's surface.
Arashi seized the moment, bursting from the bushes and hurling a volley of shuriken. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The shuriken multiplied mid-air, a swarm of deadly projectiles converging on Itachi.
Itachi swiftly formed a hand seal. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A blast of flames incinerated the incoming shuriken, reducing them to harmless ash.
Fwoosh! Capitalizing on the distraction, Arashi swapped places with one of the falling shuriken, his hand reaching for a bell.
Poof!
The Itachi he reached for vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing a mere shadow clone.
"A shadow clone?" Arashi realized, his heart sinking. He quickly retreated, jumping back onto solid ground.
'I've exposed myself, but I've also exposed Miyu. She's an obvious target now.'
Thud… Arashi's head snapped up, his eyes widening in alarm. Miyu lay unconscious on the ground, Itachi standing over her.
"Are you looking for something?" Itachi inquired calmly, the bells jingling softly in his hand.
"Release the transformation and quit the cheap tricks," Arashi demanded, his voice laced with frustration.
"Transformation? What are you talking about?" Itachi feigned ignorance.
In a swift motion, Arashi struck Miyu with a kunai. Poof! Her body dispersed into smoke, revealing another shadow clone.
"Hn. You got me," Itachi acknowledged, "If you don't get these bells, I'll have to send you back, too," Itachi warned, his tone turning serious. "Don't think I'll play favorites with you."
"Whatever," Arashi responded, unsheathing his tanto, determination burning in his eyes.
"I've trained you, and so has Kakashi," Itachi continued, his Sharingan activating. "I know what you're capable of, which is why..." His voice dropped, "...I won't hold back."
"Neither will I," Arashi declared, channeling chakra into his tanto.
"Uchiha Style: Halo Dance!"
Boom!!
With incredible speed, Arashi flickered around the training ground, unleashing waves of fire towards Itachi.
Itachi countered with a series of hand seals. "Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!" A massive sphere of water materialized, blocking the onslaught of flames.
Whoosh! Suddenly, a thick mist descended upon the battlefield, obscuring everything in its path.
"Earth Style: Mud Waves!" Arashi slammed his hand onto the ground, causing the earth to ripple and surge in undulating waves towards Itachi.
"Tch!" Itachi, finding it hard to maintain his footing on the shifting terrain, leaped into the air.
Whoosh! Arashi seized the opportunity, blurring forward in a swift Body Flicker, his hand reaching for the bells.
"Too slow," Itachi remarked, effortlessly catching Arashi's wrist and sending him flying backward with a gentle shove.
"Water Style: Hand of Waves!" Emerging from the mist, Miyu unleashed a torrent of water towards the airborne Itachi.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Itachi countered, shooting multiple small fireballs that forced Miyu to act evasive.
'Now's my chance!' Kazuya seized the opening, his giant shuriken spinning at a dizzying speed. "Lightning Flash!" He infused the shuriken with lightning chakra and hurled it towards Itachi.
'Hn. They're all working together!' Itachi realized, a flicker of approval in his eyes.
As the electrified shuriken closed in, Itachi raised a kunai to block it. Bzz… The lightning-charged weapon slowly cut through Itachi's kunai, the friction creating a shower of sparks. Itachi gritted his teeth, struggling to hold his ground.
Caw! In a startling transformation, Itachi vanished, replaced by a flock of crows scattered in all directions.
'When did he get the chance to make a clone?' Arashi wondered, his mind racing.
"The water! Use lightning release!" he shouted to Kazuya.
Kazuya reacted instantly, forming the necessary hand seals. "Lightning Style: Emotion Wave!"
Buzz!! A loud, crackling sound echoed through the clearing as he electrified the water, creating a deadly trap.
Whoosh! As Itachi reappeared in front of Kazuya, Arashi swiftly swapped places with him, forming a single-hand seal.
Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. 'What? This is a new... Jutsu...' He glanced down at his legs, realizing he was rooted to the spot.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete," Arashi announced, a triumphant grin spreading across his face.
"It's safe now," he said to his teammates. "Come get the bells." He raised his hands, and Itachi, under the influence of the jutsu, mimicked his movements, the bells dangling invitingly.
Kazuya and Miyu cautiously approached Itachi. "Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes, and certainly don't respond to anything he does," Arashi warned. "Just get the bells."
"Right!" they agreed, their movements quick and decisive.
Miyu and Kazuya each snatched a bell.
However, as they did so, the shadows that had enveloped Itachi lingered momentarily, creeping towards his neck like grasping tendrils. Itachi's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "It's over. I've lost, Arashi."
Those words fell short, Arashi's grip tightening, his eyes locked onto Itachi almost like a trance.
A sharp voice cut through the air before the shadows could tighten further. "Arashi! Focus!"
Arashi blinked, startled back to reality. The shadows instantly retreated, and Itachi breathed a sigh of relief.
Kazuya stood nearby, his Sharingan deactivated, a complex expression on his face. "Don't get cocky, kid," he warned, his tone a mixture of concern and annoyance. "Control your damn jutsu."
Arashi's eyes widened. He slowly released the pressure from his jutsu. "Sorry, " he quietly said.
"Hmph," Itachi finally spoke, breaking the tense silence. "Congratulations. This team is the first to pass this test."
Miyu's face lit up with joy, and she impulsively hugged both of her teammates. "We did it!" she exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement.
"Get off!" Kazuya grumbled, pushing her away, though she continued to cling to Arashi.
"However," Itachi's voice cut through their celebration, "Arashi has to return to the academy. He didn't get a bell."
"But Sensei, that's not fair!" Miyu protested, her smile fading. "How come he has to go back? Can't we do something about it? I mean, you saw him out there; we need him!"
"Just shut up, Miyu!" Kazuya snapped, turning away and clenching his fist, inadvertently crushing the bell in his grasp. "We don't need him. We're fine on our own, and he'll just get in the way."
Miyu frowned, her gaze shifting to Arashi. "Besides," Kazuya continued, his voice cold, "we shouldn't waste time trying to save him when we could be training instead."
'Hmph, he's still blinded by his ambition,' Itachi thought, observing Kazuya's callous behavior.
"Arashi," Itachi called out, his voice firm. Arashi looked up, noticing the rope in Itachi's hand.
"Right," Arashi acknowledged, a hint of resignation in his eyes.
Itachi tied Arashi to the log and then distributed bento boxes to Kazuya and Miyu. "Enjoy your lunch," he said, his tone neutral. "I'm going for a walk. You still have a few more hours to decide what to do with Arashi, but whatever you do, don't even think about giving him some food. If any of you feed him, you'll immediately fail."
With a hand seal, Itachi flickered away, leaving his team to grapple with their decision. Kazuya and Miyu sat down, their backs resting against the logs beside Arashi. Miyu seemed disinterested in her food, barely touching it, while Kazuya ate with gusto. Even Shiromaru's playful nudges couldn't lift her spirits.
"Miyu," Kazuya began, his voice casual, "after this, what kind of missions do you think we'll do? You know, with Itachi-sensei? I doubt we'll go back to doing regular D-ranks. We're already experienced, you know?"
Miyu remained silent, her gaze fixed on Arashi.
"Miyu? What's wrong?" Kazuya asked, turning to look at her.
"You're so selfish, Kazuya-kun!" Miyu burst out, her frustration finally boiling over. "Arashi made sacrifices for us, yet you don't care! He risked everything for us."
"Exactly!" Kazuya retorted, his voice rising. "He sacrificed his years of training so we could continue, but that was his choice! He made that choice knowing he'd go back. You expect me to do the same for him? We've barely known him, and now you want me to risk my entire career for him?"
"Whimper…" Sensing her distress, Shiromaru, Miyu's loyal companion, nestled himself under her sweater, offering silent comfort.
Miyu took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "Kazuya-kun, please..."
"Miyu, I'm fine. You two don't have to fight over me," Arashi interjected, hoping to diffuse the escalating tension.
"But Arashi-kun-" Miyu began, her voice trembling with emotion.
"There, are you happy now? He said it himself," Kazuya interrupted, taking another large bite of his food, his tone dismissive.
Grrrr… Arashi's stomach growled, a visceral response to the sight and smell of the tempting bento boxes.
Miyu's resolve hardened. "What Arashi-kun did for us today… He didn't have to. He could've taken the bells for himself, but he didn't. You're right; we barely know him, but he barely knows us. Yet, he did all that for us. No one does that unless they think of you as a friend. And Arashi-kun is my friend now," she declared, her voice firm with conviction.
She held out her bento box to Arashi. "Here, you can have my food. I'm not even hungry, and I already have what I want, so… Yeah."
"Miyu..." Arashi's voice was soft, touched by her unexpected kindness.
"Tch! You two are so annoying..." Kazuya muttered, his frustration mounting.
He stood up abruptly and walked towards Arashi, chopsticks in hand. "Wha- what are you doing?" Arashi asked, taken aback.
"Open up, loud-mouth," Kazuya said, his tone gruff but his actions surprisingly gentle. "Other than me, Miyu is the last member of Team 2. I told you, I'm the oldest, so I have a responsibility here. If she's failing, then so am I. We'll all fail together."
"Kazuya..." Arashi's eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of hope replacing the tension in his gaze.
Kazuya scratched the back of his head, a rare display of bashfulness. "Now shut up and eat!" he barked, shoving a riceball into Arashi's mouth with his chopsticks.
Miyu giggled, joining in to feed Arashi as well. "Careful, you're going to make him choke," she teased Kazuya gently.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Kazuya retorted, shoving another bite towards Arashi.
"Congratulations." A familiar voice startled them, cutting through their lighthearted banter.
"Wah!" Kazuya and Miyu jumped back in surprise, their eyes wide.
Looking up, they saw Itachi standing atop the post where Arashi was supposed to be tied, a knowing smile on his face. "You all pass," he announced.
"What?" the three Genin exclaimed in unison, their faces a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Itachi's expression softened slightly, a rare smile gracing his lips. That's right," he said, his voice calm and steady. You're the first squad to ever succeed in this exercise." He paused, his gaze sweeping over his team. The others did exactly as I instructed and fell into every trap I laid."
He jumped down from the post, landing gracefully in front of them. "When I became a Jonin," he continued, "I sought advice from a friend, a fellow Anbu captain. He emphasized the importance of independent thinking and seeing through deception. But more importantly, teamwork."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. That's true. But..." his voice hardened, "...those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum."
Kazuya looked away, his expression unreadable.
"If you had faced me individually," Itachi continued, "you would have undoubtedly failed. But you worked together before I had to spell it out for you."
He met each of their gazes in turn. "This applies to everything, not just being a ninja. Through teamwork and perseverance, that's how we grow stronger."
With a subtle hand seal, Arashi released himself from the ropes.
"Now," Itachi said, his voice regaining its usual stoicism, "let's go home."
Arashi watched his teammates walk ahead,' Hmph, I might like this team.' a smirk spreading across his face. He felt a newfound sense of camaraderie, a bond forged in their shared challenge.