Kurenai Yuhi led Team 8 out of the school building, not toward the training ground on academy, but to a different practice site in the wilderness outside the village. These sorts of training grounds could be found all around Konoha.
Stopping by a wooden post, Kurenai turned to face the three – Izayoi, Hinata, and Shino – and smiled. "Until one of you rises to squad leader as a Chunin, I'll be supervising your missions for quite a while."
"So, let's get to know each other." She placed one hand on her hip and continued, "I'll start, as an example. My name is Kurenai Yuhi—that's Yuhi Kurenai. You can call me 'Kurenai-sensei.' My specialty is genjutsu; I can use lots of different types. My likes include wasabi octopus, shōchū, and vodka. My dream is to become a kunoichi like Lady Tsunade."
"Now it's your turn."
Her gaze swept across all three but finally settled on Izayoi.
Taking the cue, Izayoi spoke up: "I'm Izayoi. No family name. My specialty is ninjutsu—mainly Fire and Wind Release. I also know a bit of medical ninjutsu and sensing. I like training and fighting stronger opponents. I dislike a lot of things, and my goal is to become an outstanding ninja."
Kurenai nodded, forming a rough impression of Izayoi's abilities and personality. Next, she turned to Hinata.
"I'm Hinata Hyuga. I specialize in sensing and my clan's Gentle Fist. I like training with Izayoi-kun and my sister. I also like red bean paste sweets and cinnamon rolls. I don't like shrimp or crabs. And my dream is to become an excellent ninja too." Her soft voice contrasted with her strong words.
After listening, Kurenai gave Izayoi another look. Her eyes flicked between them until Hinata's cheeks flushed pink and she lowered her gaze. Kurenai's smile turned teasing. "Ah, I see."
Finally, she turned to Shino, whose figure was practically hidden under a hooded jacket, goggles covering his eyes, and the band of his forehead protector concealing everything else, leaving only a bit of skin visible.
Shino spoke calmly: "My name is Shino Aburame. Like Hinata, I specialize in sensing and my clan's secret techniques. I like exploring forests for insects. I enjoy salads and winter melon, and I dislike overly strong flavors. My dream is to discover a new insect species."
"Great. Now we have a basic idea of each other's skills." Kurenai gave a satisfied nod. "But before we actually start taking missions, I need to test you. Tomorrow morning at nine, same place as now. We'll do a survival exercise. By the way, it's a capture game—your opponent…is me."
She pointed to herself, waved, and laughed. "See you tomorrow. Don't be late." And just like that, she vanished in a blur, giving the three no chance to respond or ask questions.
Izayoi, Hinata, and Shino exchanged glances.
"Izayoi, what's your take?" asked Shino, probing Izayoi's thoughts. Though Shino had been overshadowed throughout the Academy by Izayoi and Hinata, he didn't believe himself lacking in any real skill. He just never had the chance to show it, since the only monthly free-form fights (from sixth grade onward) never matched him with them. Now he wanted to see how sharp Izayoi's insight was. If Izayoi's reasoning wasn't on point, Shino wouldn't hesitate to speak up.
Izayoi, oblivious to Shino's internal test, calmly answered. "We already know the outcome. None of us fresh Genin can beat a Jonin. Even if it's just a 'capture challenge,' if the Jonin wants to, we wouldn't stand a chance. You've seen how the Chunin instructors hold back in the school's survival exercises: as long as you don't totally flop, they let you pass. Same logic here—if our performance tomorrow satisfies Kurenai-sensei, she'll go easy on us so we can actually succeed."
"So the question is: how do we make her happy?" Leaning back against the post Kurenai had stood by, Izayoi went on, "Kurenai-sensei basically spelled it out for us. She's not testing our raw power, but our skills in action. You know ninja battles revolve around intel. From the intros, we already know her deal: she's a genjutsu specialist. She could've started the survival test right now, yet she gave us a full day, plus the theme and location—clearly so we can plan and set traps. So if our strategy and teamwork look good, she'll likely let us snag the objective in the end."
Hinata looked at him with shining eyes, openly showing her admiration. Shino, who remained hidden in his coat, kept his reaction to himself, but he silently admitted Izayoi surpassed him in tactical thinking. "Not bad… The top student didn't earn that title for no reason," he thought.
He continued out loud, "So then, Izayoi—what's your strategy?"
Unlike before, Shino's question this time signified his acceptance of Izayoi as de facto leader.
"To make a plan, we need to know one another's abilities in detail," Izayoi replied. "Come over here—you too, Hinata. Spill the beans on your best moves."
Hinata and Shino immediately drew near. The three formed a tight circle, lowering their voices as they talked. A short distance away, Kurenai stood perched atop a tall tree. Seeing them already huddled and swapping intel, she smiled, even more pleased.
She'd deliberately left them clues about the exercise, just to test how quickly they'd catch on. Little did she expect them to figure it out the moment she left, instantly grasping that the time and location hints were about strategic prep and teamwork.
"They really are good," Kurenai thought. "Not impossible they'll manage to snag a win. I'll be sure to show them it's not that easy, though…"
Recalling a wager she'd made with Kakashi and Asuma earlier—both of whom doubted her—Kurenai grinned to herself. Then her form wavered like a mirage, vanishing from the tree in an instant.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!