Bonus Chapter 🌟
"Did I go too far?"
Yamato squatted on the cliff and looked down. Seeing Jokichi submerged by the water, only a hand occasionally reached above the surface before being swept away by the current.
The Great Waterfall and the Great Waterfall Jutsu were not the same. It was used to change the environment and create a waterfall-like flow. Compared to the latter, the flow was much gentler and not enough to kill.
However, performing it from a high position caused the water to fall and form a tide. Anyone hit by it would not have a good time, even if they didn't break any bones.
At this time, the water level below dropped bit by bit, revealing the original lawn.
Yamato stood up, preparing to gather Jokichi and the others to announce that the mission would begin tomorrow.
Suddenly, a long blade reached out from behind, resting on his neck.
Yamato raised his hands, glancing back out of the corner of his eye to see the person holding the sword.
Jokichi.
Not only was he uninjured, but there wasn't even a drop of water on him.
"A shadow clone!" Yamato froze, then sighed. "Although I had thought of this possibility before, I didn't expect a ninja student to actually be as cautious as an experienced ninja."
The thick smoke from the previous explosion had blocked both sides' vision.
Since he could take the opportunity to perform a series of surprise attacks, the opponent could naturally take the opportunity to make preparations, whether it was traps or backup plans.
"Since Yamato-sensei predicted this, why didn't you prepare?" Jokichi tilted his head slightly so his eyes could see the other's expression. "Is it a fluke mentality, or did you feel that because I'm just a rookie Genin, there was no need to be so cautious?"
Yamato laughed lightly and said, "No, I have already prepared."
As the words fell, a kunai reached out from behind Jokichi and rested on his neck. The icy sensation made him not dare to move rashly. He glanced back and saw another Yamato.
Jokichi retracted his gaze, looked at the Yamato in front of him, and asked, "Another clone like before?"
"That's right."
Yamato smiled with a bit of pride. "A ninja must see through the enemy's schemes. You told me from the start that a Jonin had given you actual combat training, so I won't treat you as an ordinary student."
Jokichi closed his eyes as if accepting his fate, took a deep breath, and then opened them.
"I was too careless. I didn't realize you were a clone."
"No, the one in front of you is the real body. The one behind you is the clone."
"Using yourself as bait?" Jokichi lowered his head and whispered, then laughed softly. "Teacher and I have the same idea. However, it's not good to relax your guard just because you think the battle is over!"
"What?"
Yamato was startled and quickly jumped to the side.
At the position where he was standing before stood another Jokichi.
However, unlike the previous one, this Jokichi was soaking wet, his clothes and hair clinging to his body.
He was also holding a sword, but it was lowered, seemingly with no intent to attack.
But Yamato was shocked.
Just now, he hadn't noticed someone coming behind him at all. If it weren't for Jokichi's shadow clone's reminder, perhaps...
No, this guy must have been behind him for a while and just intentionally didn't strike.
Yamato connected this to when the first Jokichi smiled and his head movement blocked the view between him and the wooden clone.
He hadn't thought much of it at the time.
Thinking back now, he was actually blocking the clone's vision to prevent him from discovering Jokichi's real body lurking from behind.
In other words, if this were a real battle, he would have already lost.
"Poof!"
the previous Jokichi turned into smoke and disappeared. The soaking wet Jokichi sheathed his sword, tidied his clothes and hair, and smiled leisurely at Yamato. "Yamato-sensei, let's end today's survival exercise here!"
Yamato stared at the youth in front of him, feeling a bit comforted.
He is being considerate of my pride, worried that after defeating me, my dignity as a team captain would be lost, leading to problems in the team.
Not only does he have strong power and combat experience, but he also knows how to conduct himself.
"Alright, the survival exercise ends here. Go find Naruto and Sakura; I have some suggestions for them."
"Mhm!"
...
Afterwards, Jokichi found Naruto in the thick tree canopies in the distance.
That guy was hung upside down from a branch by wooden vines, and it was unclear if Yamato did it intentionally or if it was a coincidence.
When Jokichi rescued Naruto and returned to the open space, Yamato also arrived with Sakura.
As soon as they met, Naruto started shouting, "Damn it, I was careless before! That definitely won't happen again. Let's settle this again!"
Can this guy really not see the gap between him and a Jonin?
Jokichi's mouth twitched, not knowing what to say.
Yamato's eyes also twitched violently.
He already sensed that the team would be very hard to lead, even with the very strong and sensible Jokichi in it.
Sakura rolled her eyes. She seemed to have been enduring Naruto for a long time, and finally exploded, shouting at him, "You idiot! Recognize the gap between both sides!"
Saying that, she couldn't help but deliver a punch.
Then, Naruto held the swelling bump and quieted down.
Yamato laughed awkwardly and coughed twice. After everyone looked over, he said, "Mhm, this survival exercise shows that your problems are significant."
"Sorry, please give us your guidance, teacher." Sakura acted like a good girl, but her inner persona was proudly holding up a fist. "Show a well-behaved and obedient side at this time to leave a better impression in the teacher's eyes."
"First is you, Naruto!" Yamato's face turned stern, and he said strictly, "What exactly did you learn in school? Even if you haven't seen a Jonin fight, you should understand a bit from books!"
"Charging in head-on without thinking, and your attacks are full of redundant movements. Both your theoretical knowledge and training level are severely below standard."
"I... I..."
Naruto wanted to refute but couldn't find a reason.
Because Yamato was absolutely right.
During school, he was either sleeping or skipping during theory classes. During training classes, because he lacked theoretical knowledge, he couldn't understand many of the teacher's professional terms, and some of his taijutsu movements were very unprofessional.
The only thing he gained was physical training.
Naruto lowered his head in silence, but his expression was very unwilling, and his hands were clenched until they made a cracking sound.
Yamato turned his eyes to Sakura.
She had just let out a huge sigh of relief, seemingly thankful that she wasn't the one being scolded.
Yamato couldn't help but frown and scolded, "And you, Sakura!"
"Eh!" Sakura was startled, looking at Yamato weakly.
"You only thought about using Naruto as a stepping stone and then following behind Jokichi to take advantage, hiding yourself as soon as the battle began."
"But... but that's how the books taught it!" Sakura refuted weakly in a low voice.
"Then do the books record that tactics must have a unified opinion?" Yamato said. "Whether it is facing the enemy head-on or hiding to observe the enemy's actions, there is a prerequisite: a unified opinion with teammates. You didn't even greet your teammates beforehand and just hid on your own. What else is there to say?"
Sakura lowered her head in guilt.
Seeing this, Yamato nodded with satisfaction. His stern expression changed, revealing a smile.
"However, although there are various flaws, it is not without merits. I will teach you well in the future."