A/N: GOOD NEWS IVE FIXED MY ISSUE; MY BATTERY WAS FAULTY SO I CHANGED IT.
[ JINICHI WATARU ]
The morning sun bathed the flat, concrete rooftop in a warm, golden glow, though the pleasant weather did absolutely nothing to ease the tension between my teammates. It had only been twenty-four hours since the brutal reality check of the bell test, and my body was still aching from the friction burns and bruises.
I sat near the edge of the roof, idly inspecting the iron dust swirling around my fingertips, while Aoi paced back and forth behind me. She was practically radiating nervous, agitated energy, her green eyes darting around as if she expected another ambush at any second.
"Would you stop playing with that dirt?" Aoi snapped, glaring at my hands.
"It's getting all over my boots. You'd think someone who almost got his head taken off yesterday would be a little more vigilant."
'Ain't no way bruh. The only reason she's doing this is because she's bored.'
I didn't even bother looking up, just letting the dark metallic sand slide smoothly back into the gourd at my hip.
"And you'd think someone who spent the entire test swinging blindly would learn to conserve her energy. Sit down, Aoi. You're exhausting yourself with your own anxiety."
She bristled, her hand twitching toward her kunai pouch, but Kisuke smoothly stepped between us before she could escalate. He offered a polite, placating smile, gently pushing his hands outward.
"Please, let us enjoy the quiet morning. If we exhaust ourselves bickering, we won't have any stamina left for whatever our sensei has planned."
I sighed, leaning back on my hands and looking toward the center of the roof. Our Jonin sensei, Shohei Nara was sprawled out comfortably on his back, snoring softly beneath the shade of a tall, impossibly lanky shadow-summon that stood over him like a living, menacing parasol.
'This is my life now, I thought to myself, a wry, internal monologue running through my head. Transmigrated into a death-world, saddled with a hothead and a polite sociopath, and led by a man who uses advanced shadow manipulation to avoid getting a sunburn.'
As if sensing my judgmental stare, the tall shadow-summon rippled and dissolved back into the ground. The sudden glare of the sunlight hit Shohei's face, causing him to grope blindly at the air before cracking open a single, bloodshot eye.
"You brats are too loud," Shohei grumbled, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position and scratching his stomach. He let out a jaw-cracking yawn and looked at us. "Alright. Since we skipped it yesterday, let's do the standard introductions. Name, likes, dislikes, goals, and your combat skillset."
I stared at him, bewildered.
'Now? We're doing the idyllic Team 7 bonding routine after we already trauma-bonded over explosive tags and attempted murder?'
"I'll go first," Aoi volunteered, stepping forward with her hands on her hips, eager to prove herself.
"My name is Aoi Setsuna. My likes are training, fresh dango, and proving people wrong. My dislikes are people who rely on cheap parlor tricks, laziness, and Jinichi Wataru."
I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. I completely expected myself to be on her list, but hearing it said with such casual venom still stung a little.
"My goal is to become an elite Jonin and prove that a civilian-born kunoichi can stand at the very top of the village," Aoi continued proudly. "As for my skillset, I am a close-range fighter. I excel in aggressive taijutsu, and I'm fairly good with standard academy jutsu. But since my family has no shinobi background, I don't possess any clan Hiden."
Shohei pulled a small, crumpled notepad from his flak jacket, lazily scribbling something down. I strained my ears and caught him muttering to himself, "Civilian background... right. I'll need to requisition some chakra paper to test their nature affinities later. Gotta find them some actual jutsu to learn."
Kisuke stepped up next, bowing his head respectfully. "My name is Kisuke Yoroi. My likes are quiet tea shops, reading, and efficiency. My dislikes are unnecessary conflict and loud noises."
He stood perfectly straight, his polite smile never wavering. "My aspiration is to become a vital asset to Konoha's intelligence and tracking divisions. My skillset involves basic taijutsu, but my true talents lie in poison crafting, trap making, and ninja wire manipulation to restrain targets. I am also highly proficient in shurikenjutsu—acting as a sniper for the squad. Like Aoi, I am of civilian descent and only know the standard academy jutsu."
It was my turn. I pushed myself off the ground, brushing the dust from my dark blue pants.
"I am Jinichi Wataru," I stated, keeping my voice level. "My likes are peace and quiet. My dislikes are people trying to kill me, and unnecessary pain."
"My goal is simple," I continued, staring directly at Shohei. "I want to survive long enough to see old age. As for my skillset, I'm adequate at taijutsu. I possess a Kekkei Genkai—Metal Release—but beyond that, I don't know any actual jutsu aside from the basic academy three."
Shohei stopped writing. He slowly lowered his notepad, his half-lidded eyes widening in genuine confusion. He stared at me for a long, silent moment.
"Hold on. You only know the academy jutsu?"
"That's what I just said, Sensei." I replied, raising an eyebrow behind my mask.
"Then what the hell was that display yesterday?" Shohei demanded, pointing the end of his pencil at me. "The iron sand smokescreen? The condensed spear projectiles? The heavy weapon constructs? You're telling me none of those were structured ninjutsu?"
I shook my head, feeling a bit self-conscious under the sudden, intense scrutiny of all three of my teammates. "No. I didn't use any hand seals or shape manipulation formulas. That was just my natural, raw control over my Kekkei Genkai. I just... visualize the metal doing what I want, and push my chakra into it until it forces itself into reality."
A heavy silence dropped over the rooftop. Shohei just stared at me. Aoi's jaw went slack, and even Kisuke's polite smile completely vanished. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know exactly what the three of them were thinking simultaneously: What monstrous talent.
Shohei finally blinked, clearing his throat and hastily scribbling something else down in his notepad. "Right. Well. Good to know. My turn, I suppose," he sighed, tucking the pad away. "I am Shohei Nara. I like watching clouds and taking naps. I dislike effort, paperwork, and noisy brats. My goal is to retire early. My skillset includes Fuinjutsu, advanced taijutsu, shadow-summoning, and high-level ninjutsu."
He stretched his arms high above his head, letting out a loud groan as his joints popped, before lazily getting to his feet. He looked at the three of us, his tired demeanour slipping right back into place.
"Anyway, since introductions are officially over," Shohei drawled, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his flak jacket, "we should probably start going for some missions. Follow me, Team 13."