"As expected, when the village chief takes action, it brings us wealth we could never have imagined."
Jinshi's eyes narrowed with excitement. The village could finally build bridges and pave roads, every street to be properly laid. Of course, they first needed to plan the next five years of construction. And yes, they would build a library and buy books.
Shigeo was smiling as well. "Alright, the rest is your business. I'm going home to sleep…"
He had gone to bed late last night. Now, all he wanted was a bath and rest.
"Very well, Shigeo-dono, don't forget tomorrow's assessment!"
The next morning, in the western valley of the village, more than thirty ninja stood ready, waiting for Hyūga Shigeo to appear.
From afar, they saw him pushing a cart into view. On top of it, something seemed to be loaded.
"The village chief is here!" someone shouted.
Several ran forward to greet him. When they saw what was in the cart, they shouted in delight.
"Snacks, candy, drinks, beer, dried meat—the chief prepared these for us!"
"Wow! Shigeo-dono is the best!" the thirty-six shouted happily.
Wu Mang, Jinshi, and Akahana exchanged glances, none of them smiling. Their teeth clenched slightly, their bodies trembling at the cellular level. It was fear.
Shigeo reached the group and waved his hand. "These things are for after the assessment. There's a saying: bitterness first, sweetness later is better than sweetness first and bitterness later. So don't rush. Shall we begin?"
"Yes!" the group replied cheerfully.
First came one-on-one duels. Shigeo smiled faintly as he watched.
Then came ninjutsu displays. His smile faded.
Finally, it was the mixed battle. This time, he floated above them, his face expressionless.
Akahana, supervising, glanced at Jinshi and whispered, "It's starting."
"Yes." Jinshi shifted his footing, his eyes fixed on Shigeo.
Boom! A deafening thunderclap. Raiton (Lightning Release) struck from the sky, slamming into the battlefield. As examiners, Wu Mang, Akahana, and Jinshi had already prepared, retreating three hundred meters instantly.
Next came taijutsu. His legs unleashed flurries too fast to see. Hakke no Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms) struck two times each. Fūton (Wind Release) sliced their skin like blades. Katon (Fire Release) surged from all directions, leaving them unable to tell where their enemy stood.
Within half a minute, all thirty-plus lay flat on the ground. Terrified, they stared at the boy hovering above. Some nearly cried.
"Village chief, wasn't this supposed to be an assessment? Why are you attacking us!?"
"Why? Because your performance is pathetic. Against shinobi of the Five Great Villages, you'd be two ranks weaker and still not enough. And yet you boast? Claiming you're adults and don't need ninja school? At your level, you couldn't even defeat academy students of Konoha!"
Shigeo's tone was ice, anger hidden in his low voice. His eyes cut through them like blades.
Wu Mang shuddered. "This is only the beginning," he whispered.
Akahana and Jinshi stepped back further.
And as the group tried to protest, Shigeo moved.
Taijutsu. Ninjutsu. Genjutsu. Fūinjutsu (Sealing Techniques). Close combat. Ranged attacks. Bakuton (Explosion Release) bombardments. Suiton and Doton (Water and Earth Release) waves. Raiton bolts. Hyōton (Ice Release) spikes… Every angle, every strike, inescapable.
"Ahhh! Kami-sama! Over here—no! Doton—argh!"
The battlefield turned into hell. Screams could not describe it. This was no cheerful village chief. This was a Shinigami.
Five minutes. That was all they lasted. And that was only because Shigeo went easy, holding back.
If not for fainting and near-death shock, he would not have stopped.
Akahana and Jinshi rushed to check the wounded.
Shigeo glanced over the wreckage, his lips curling into a cold sneer.
"Treatment today. We continue tomorrow. When you can last thirty minutes against me—without collapsing—you graduate from the ninja school."
With that, he turned back toward the village.
Only when he left did the students dare cry out.
"Is the village chief really this terrifying?" one whimpered to Akahana. She said nothing, binding wounds, but her face confirmed it.
Wu Mang stood nearby, his voice like steel.
"This is nothing. If you can't endure, then leave now. Nanmo Country isn't a vacation resort. If you came here to enjoy life, you'd better quit early."
He too walked away. Yes—Shigeo often joked and laughed casually. But when it came to training, no one was more serious.
The next three months were the same. Mornings were brutal drills. Afternoons were tears in the infirmary, eating snacks while wrapped in bandages. What made it worse—the village chief sometimes visited the hospital himself, smiling warmly, speaking with kind humor.
That gentle smile was harder to endure than his merciless fists.
But these thirty-six were not weaklings like the soldiers and guards who once begged to train. They were true ninja, stronger than genin, with solid foundations. Three months of relentless training did not break them. Instead, it steeled them.
Finally, after three months, with combined effort, they endured more than thirty minutes against Shigeo. Of course, this was without him using Senjutsu (Sage Mode) or bijū power, and at chakra output comparable to an ordinary shinobi. Even so, their progress was immense. All thirty-six reached jōnin-level and formally graduated.
"Shigeo-dono, what do we do next?" they asked, restless after months of confinement, eager to prove themselves.
Wu Mang, Jinshi, and Akahana all turned to Shigeo.
They asked what they should do. But Shigeo himself had no idea. If he did, would he have trained them personally every single day?
(End of Chapter)
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