Shiki grabbed his black backpack, which held things like his raincoat.
Truth was, there wasn't much to pack. Aside from a kunai, Shiki didn't have the habit of using other ninja tools.
Still, he tossed in an extra jacket. In Rain Country, where it rained nonstop, there was no blazing sun—just a chilly dampness.
"I hope this time I can find something useful."
Without a word, Shiki pushed open his bedroom door and stepped out. He glanced toward Sena's room and saw her wooden door wide open. Sena Hoshino lay sprawled awkwardly on the bed.
But any guy would've felt his heart skip. That next-door-girl charm stuck with you once seen—cute, unforgettable.
"Guess I'll just leave Sena-chan alone then."
Stepping outside, the blazing sunlight hit him all at once. He frowned slightly and shut the wooden door behind him.
"Hey, Nii-san! Do I look good in this raincoat?" Yuuma Akimoto chirped, spinning around. The snow-white raincoat flared like a skirt.
Shiki had just walked over when he saw Sena smiling sweetly at him, showing off her raincoat.
Except right now was summer in Konoha. Shiki could already see strands of Yuuma's hair damp from sweat peeking from under her hood.
As for his overly eager little sister, Shiki couldn't think of a proper response.
Sometimes, he actually wanted to praise Akimoto Yuuma more. But every time she got praised, she'd go full drama queen the next day.
So Shiki kept his face stern. "Don't do this again. Take off that raincoat right now."
"You're so boring, Nii-san," Yuuma grumbled but slipped off the raincoat anyway.
"Has Hayate-sensei shown up yet?" Shiki asked.
"Hmm."
"Wonder if he went to buy meds again? Worrying about him traveling so far with his condition," Shiki shrugged helplessly.
"But isn't it worse when some red-haired ninja badmouths his own teacher behind his back?"
Shiki suddenly turned around, only to realize Hayate Gekko had been standing behind him the whole time.
Startled, Shiki blinked. "When did you get here, Sensei?"
"Right when you said I went to buy medicine," Hayate replied flatly.
A bit embarrassed, Shiki scratched his head. "So... guess I wasn't totally off, huh?"
"But your attitude was inappropriate."
"Alright, alright. Don't dwell on small stuff. A real man knows how to let things go. I'm sure Yugao wouldn't like this nitpicking either." Shiki waved a hand dismissively, smirking slightly as he shot Hayate a look of quiet mockery.
Hayate Gekko clenched his teeth, glaring. "You talk like you actually *know* Yugao!"
"That's enough, let's get going."
Shiki said this while striding forward purposefully, acting as if he were focused entirely on the mission and hadn't paid attention to anything that had just been said.
"Later this afternoon, we'll have a little match."
Hayate Gekko's calm voice came from behind Shiki.
Just as expected, there was no way around it.
Soon, the group arrived at Konoha's main gate. Several young ninja whom Hayate didn't recognize greeted him.
"Off on a mission outside the village, Hayate?"
"We're kinda worried about your health, you know."
"Hope you don't collapse on the road. Haha."
They were just joking remarks, but actually they showed great concern for Hayate.
After exchanging a few jokes with them, Hayate led Team 9 out of the village.
"I didn't expect Teacher Gekko to be so well-connected socially," Yuuma said curiously. "I thought he was somewhat of a loner."
He set his sword aside and smiled at Yuuma. "Because of my health issues, I haven't taken part in many social gatherings with friends, so I might come off as lonely. Truth is, I've got quite a few good friends."
"But what will you teach us along the way, Teacher?" Yuuma blinked her eyes with curiosity.
Upon hearing this, Seiji looked over at Hayate too. Every ninja takes combat training seriously — especially someone like Seiji who's still searching for his own style.
"Hmm..." Hayate contemplated this, pursing his lips slightly.
Chapter 94: Suitable Training
"There's a lot I'd like to pass on to you all, but this time around, we'll focus mainly on real battlefield training," Hayate said with a smile.
"Real combat?" Yuuma exclaimed with some surprise. She hadn't expected actual battle experience so soon after becoming a genin herself.
Shiki wasn't particularly shocked since the world still remained rather chaotic even until now, making it not too unusual for real combat situations to occur.
Reaching out gently to pat Yuuma's black hair, Hayate smiled. "Don't worry, Yuuma. If something happens, I'll protect you guys."
"But looking at your sickly appearance, Teacher, I really feel concerned."
Shiki was lazily tossing a kunai into the air when he overheard Hayate's words and couldn't help but crack a joke.
"Don't butt in, Shiki!"
"Yes, Sensei." Saying this, Shiki suddenly tossed the kunai high into the air, immediately jumped up forcefully right after it, and grabbed it midair with surprising speed.
That move required serious speed and strength from any ninja pulling it off.
Yet not a single word of admiration followed.
Because to everyone else, this had become nothing more than one of Shiki's habitual games to kill time during long, dull journeys.
Even Yuuma seemed completely bored of watching him by now.
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