The fourth morning arrived with a sense of grim inevitability. Ren, Akari, and Kenji convened at Training Ground 3 under the pale pre-dawn light, the air thick with the unspoken anticipation of team combat. Yesterday's individual drills had pushed their personal limits; today promised the far more complex challenge of integrating those fragile fundamentals under pressure. Ren completed his internal chakra cycling, bringing his pool (CP: 170/170 - boosted by Control Lv 11) to full, his mind already running simulations of basic formations and potential opponent tactics – specifically, Genma's tactics. Akari practiced quick kunai draws, her movements slightly less hesitant than before. Kenji focused on solidifying his footing, driving his heels slightly into the earth, perhaps instinctively trying to connect with his minor Earth affinity.
Genma appeared with his usual unsettling punctuality, melting out of the morning mist. Today, his neutral expression held a glint of something sharper. "Fundamentals are worthless in isolation," he began without preamble, his voice cutting through the quiet. "A shinobi rarely fights alone, and never fights without purpose. Today, we test cohesion, communication, and the ability to function as a unit, however flawed."
He tossed a small, brightly colored flag onto the ground between them. "Simple objective. This training ground is now hostile territory. That flag is your target objective." He pointed towards a large, ancient oak tree on the far side of the clearing, easily two hundred meters away. "Plant this flag securely on the highest reachable branch of that specific tree."
It sounded deceptively simple. Ren immediately scanned Genma with Observe. Observe: Genma Shiranui. Intent: Act as Active Opposition/Hunter. Objective: Prevent Team 12 from reaching target tree & planting flag via Incapacitation (non-lethal) or Disruption. Assess Teamwork, Communication, Individual Roles, Adaptability under Hunting Pressure. Secondary Objective Focus: Observe Ren's tactical decision-making, coordination attempts, and responses when team members are pressured/eliminated.
"My role," Genma continued, confirming Ren's assessment, "is to stop you. Consider me an enemy combatant employing guerilla tactics. I will hunt you, ambush you, separate you. You succeed by planting the flag. You fail individually if you are 'incapacitated' – marked by one of my senbon with disruptive chakra." He held up a single needle. "You fail as a team if all members are incapacitated or if you fail to plant the flag within…" he paused, glancing towards the rising sun, "...let's say two hours. Ample time for competent Genin. Questions?" He didn't wait. "Good. The moment you pick up that flag, the exercise begins."
Kenji, impulsive and eager to prove himself after his previous struggles, immediately stooped to grab the flag. "Alright! Let's do this!"
"Wait!" Ren hissed, but it was too late. The moment Kenji's fingers closed around the fabric, Genma vanished from sight. The exercise had begun, prematurely, thanks to Kenji's haste.
"Kenji, you idiot! We needed a plan!" Akari whisper-shouted, looking frantically around the seemingly empty clearing and woods.
"Plan?" Kenji retorted defensively, holding the flag aloft. "Plan is get the flag to the tree! Basic charge!"
"Against him?" Ren cut in sharply but kept his voice low. "He'll pick us off one by one if we charge blindly. Formation! Diamond, now! Kenji, you have the objective, you're center/rear. Akari, left flank, check the trees. I'll take right flank and point, scanning ahead. Move towards the tree, steady pace, use cover!" He rapidly signed the 'Move Forward Cautiously' signal.
Reluctantly, Kenji fell into the formation, gripping the flag tightly. Akari, visibly nervous but remembering yesterday's drills, took her position, kunai drawn, eyes scanning the canopy. Ren moved slightly ahead, Observe sweeping the path towards the target oak, Environmental Awareness Lv. 1 trying to pick up subtle disturbances.
[Team Tactics & Formations] Proficiency Increased: +0.5% (Attempted Field Application)]
They moved fifty meters into the woods flanking the clearing, the dense trees offering better cover but worse visibility. Ren signaled a halt behind a thicket. Observe pinged faint, disturbed leaves on a branch high to their left – Akari's side. "Akari, high left, ten meters, check canopy disturbance!" Ren whispered urgently, pointing.
Akari squinted, then gasped as a senbon whizzed past her head, embedding itself in the tree beside her. "There!"
Almost simultaneously, Kenji yelled from the rear. "Behind us!" Ren spun, Observe confirming a faint blur – Genma attacking from two directions? No, a feint. The real threat was still near Akari. "Akari, evasive!" Ren yelled, launching a shuriken towards the initial disturbance point, mostly for suppression.
But Genma was too fast. He dropped from the canopy near Akari, not attacking her directly, but striking the ground near her feet with a chakra-infused senbon. A small puff of smoke erupted – a minor smoke screen designed purely to disorient and separate.
"Akari! Fall back towards me!" Ren commanded, moving to intercept.
Through the smoke, Akari stumbled back, but Kenji, seeing the commotion and hearing the threat behind them (likely another auditory illusion by Genma), broke formation, charging towards Ren and Akari protectively, leaving the rear exposed.
"Kenji, hold position!" Ren barked, but it was futile.
A flicker of movement from behind Kenji. Genma, having used the smoke screen and Kenji's impulsive move perfectly, reappeared behind him and delivered a swift, precise chop to the back of his neck. It wasn't a senbon mark, but Kenji crumpled instantly, unconscious.
Observe: Kenji Ito. Status: Unconscious (Precise Nerve Cluster Strike - Non-Lethal). Incapacitated.
"Kenji!" Akari cried out.
"Forget him! He's out! Objective first!" Ren grabbed Akari's arm, pulling her deeper into cover as another senbon whizzed past. "We can't retrieve the flag and get to the tree now! Fall back! Regroup!"
Their first attempt had ended in less than five minutes. Abysmal failure. Kenji eliminated, objective lost (the flag lay beside his unconscious form), Akari demoralized.
Genma reappeared casually near Kenji's form, picked up the flag, and vanished again. A moment later, the flag reappeared back at the starting point in the main clearing. "Reset," Genma's voice echoed. "Pathetic cohesion. Predictable reactions. Failure to maintain formation discipline. Try again." Kenji stirred, groaning, pushing himself up, rubbing his neck gingerly (Status: Minor Disorientation, Recovering).
They regrouped, chastened. "Okay," Ren said firmly, kneeling to address them eye-to-eye. "Charging blindly failed. Splitting focus failed. Kenji, you cannot break formation, especially when carrying the objective. Akari, your awareness is good, but hesitation under pressure is dangerous. We need constant communication – whispers, signals. If one of us is targeted, the others provide cover or counterattack based on agreed signals, don't just rush in." He quickly assigned signals for 'covering fire,' 'flanking maneuver,' 'targeted enemy location.'
[New Skill Acquired: [Leadership (Basic)] Lv. 1 (0.0%)]
- Effect: Minor passive increase in teammate compliance/morale during coordinated actions led by user. Effectiveness scales with level and CHA stat.
Interesting side effect.
Their second attempt was marginally better. Ren took the flag this time, reasoning his higher evasion and Observe made him a slightly better carrier, though it also painted a bigger target on him. They moved in a tighter diamond, communication more frequent via hand signals. They progressed further, nearly halfway to the oak tree, successfully identifying and avoiding two subtle pitfall traps Genma had likely set (Trap Setting Lv. 2 helping Ren spot disturbed earth).
Genma attacked again, this time with speed, aiming to separate Ren from the others. He engaged Ren directly in a brief Taijutsu flurry. Ren focused entirely on evasion (Academy Taijutsu Lv. 4, Agility boosted dodges), calling out, "Flank left, Akari! Kenji, suppress right!"
Akari hesitated for only a second before throwing kunai towards Genma's predicted flanking position. Kenji, remembering the previous failure, held his ground but launched a powerful, straightforward punch towards Genma's right side, trying to box him in.
It was still clumsy coordination, but it was coordination. Genma easily evaded both, weaving between Akari's kunai and Kenji's punch, but the coordinated counter-pressure forced him to disengage from Ren momentarily, breaking his direct assault.
[Team Tactics & Formations Proficiency Increased: +1.2% (Successful Coordinated Counter Attempt)]
[Leadership (Basic) Proficiency Increased: +0.8% (Successful Command Execution by Team)]
They pressed their advantage, moving faster now. But Genma adapted. He stopped direct assaults and shifted to pure harassment – senbon from unseen angles forcing them into cover, auditory illusions drawing their attention away, sudden smoke bursts to obscure vision. He herded them, controlled their movement, exploiting their reliance on visual confirmation.
Ren realized Genma was deliberately targeting his coordination efforts. When Ren signaled, Genma would counter that specific flank almost instantly. He was listening, observing Ren's leadership, and actively dismantling it. He needed a way to communicate more securely, or act more independently without shattering the team.
They were within fifty meters of the oak tree, Ren's CP steadily draining from constant Observe scans (CP: 170 -> 90), when Genma employed a new tactic. He appeared briefly in front, launched a volley of senbon, forcing them behind thick trees, then triggered multiple explosive tags he'd planted nearby. The explosions weren't powerful enough to injure seriously, but the noise, smoke, and disorientation were overwhelming (Debuff Applied: [Disorient (Minor)] - Duration 10s).
In the chaos, Ren felt a sharp impact on his leg – a senbon carrying the familiar disruptive charge. [Debuff Applied: Chakra Disruption (Minor)]. Almost simultaneously, Akari cried out, marked on her arm. Kenji, shielding himself behind a tree, was momentarily safe but separated.
Ren grit his teeth, fighting the disorienting effect (Gamer's Mind mitigating, but not eliminating). He saw Genma moving through the smoke towards the flag he carried. His CP was low (CP: 170 -> 75 after disruption spike), Akari was marked, Kenji isolated. A direct fight was suicide. Escape and reset? Or… gamble?
He channeled chakra, activating the newly acquired Chakra Pulse (Defensive) Lv. 1. A wave of raw energy erupted outwards. It wouldn't stop Genma, but it might disrupt his chakra-enhanced speed or sensory abilities for a micro-second. Cost: 15 CP. As the pulse fired, Ren yelled, "Kenji! Earth Style! Ground disruption! Now!" He didn't know if Kenji had any aptitude beyond the basic affinity, but it was the only option besides fleeing.
Kenji, startled but reacting, slammed his palms onto the ground, focusing his intent and meager Earth affinity, mimicking the crumbling exercise (Observe: Kenji attempting rudimentary Earth Chakra manipulation - Unskilled). The ground beneath Genma's anticipated path didn't erupt, but it trembled slightly, dirt shifting unnaturally for a fraction of a second.
It was almost nothing. But combined with Ren's pulse momentarily disrupting Genma's flow, it caused the hyper-aware Jonin's stride to falter, just slightly, as he navigated the unsettled earth.
That micro-second of hesitation was all Ren needed. He didn't counterattack. He ran. Pushing his tired legs, ignoring the chakra disruption's lingering effects, he bolted straight for the oak tree, flag clutched tightly. Akari, seeing his move, suppressed her own injury and threw her last shuriken wildly towards Genma to buy Ren another fraction of a second.
Ren reached the tree, leaped, and began scrambling up the thick trunk, using every ounce of his Academy climbing skills. He found the highest stable branch he could reach quickly and jammed the flag securely into a crevice in the bark.
He collapsed onto the branch, breathing raggedly, CP reserves critical (CP: 170 -> 40). Below, Genma simply stood, watching him, the pursuit halted the moment the flag was secured. Akari was nursing her arm, marked. Kenji was panting from his earth-affinity attempt, also marked by a senbon that must have struck while Ren was climbing.
Team Status: Ren (Objective Complete, Minor Debuff), Akari (Incapacitated - Marked), Kenji (Incapacitated - Marked). Objective achieved, but team technically wiped except for the flag bearer.
[Primary Objective Complete: Plant Flag on Target Tree!]
[Secondary Condition: Team Survival - FAILED (2/3 Incapacitated)]
[EXP Rewarded: 300 (Objective Success + High Difficulty + Tactical Adaptation)]
[[Leadership (Basic)] Leveled Up! Lv. 1 -> 2!]
[[Chakra Pulse (Defensive)] Proficiency Increased: +10% (Successful Application under Pressure)]
[[Basic Team Tactics & Formations] Proficiency Increased: +3.5%]
Genma walked calmly to the base of the tree, looking up at Ren. His expression was still unreadable, but his eyes held a dangerous spark. "Objective achieved," he stated, his voice deceptively mild. "Team cohesion… marginally better than catastrophic failure. Individual adaptability… noteworthy in some respects." His gaze lingered on Ren. "Resource management under pressure… needs improvement. Relying on last-ditch, inefficient techniques is a poor habit." He was clearly referring to the Chakra Pulse.
Observe: Genma. Emotional State: Intrigued (+), Analytically Frustrated (Ren's unconventional methods), Mild Approval (Objective met despite odds). Intent: Further analysis of Ren's 'Chakra Pulse'. Design next training phase to specifically pressure team coordination *without* Ren's direct intervention if possible.
"End of session," Genma declared. "Tomorrow… we introduce actual missions. D-Ranks. Don't get any glamorous ideas; it's manual labor disguised as ninja work. But it's necessary. Meet at the Mission Assignment Desk, Hokage Tower, 0700."
Without waiting for acknowledgment, he vanished, leaving Ren perched exhaustedly in the tree, looking down at his two 'incapacitated' but very much conscious teammates, who were now staring up at him with a complex mix of relief, lingering fear, and bewildered respect. They had passed, sort of. But the cost, and the scrutiny, felt heavier than ever.