Following the revelation, the team of genin and their sensei moved in silence. The forest, once a battleground, now seemed merely... a forest. Twilight painted the sky in shades of orange and purple, and the walk proceeded at a steady, but tense, pace. Sayuri and Mika, their wounds bandaged, followed with heavy steps.
Reika walked with her head down, the anger over the deception transforming into silent determination. Akihiro moved ahead, his eyes fixed on something only he could see, the burden of leadership weighing on his shoulders. Sato followed close to Nezuko, the mask of the defenseless old man completely gone, revealing the posture of a spy.
The tension was only broken when Nezuko pointed to a calm stream, whose waters reflected the night sky. "Stop here," she commanded. The team stopped, relieved to finally rest. Nezuko turned to them, her expression serious. "We can't continue like this. You were caught by surprise once, and it cost you injuries. It won't happen again."
She knelt on the bank of the stream, the water touching her fingertips. "The puppeteer is cunning. He will use everything he can against us. The next step won't be about strength, but about control. From now on, our training will be about chakra control."
Nezuko stood up, water dripping from her hands. "Today's lesson is simple: water walking. The theory is easy. You must mold the chakra into your feet, releasing a constant amount to create a firm surface you can walk on. But if you use too little, you'll sink. If you use too much, the water will explode and throw you away." She took a step forward, and the water under her foot solidified, allowing her to walk on the surface with the lightness of a feather.
She beckoned to them, a subtle smile on her lips. "Your turns start now. One by one."
Reika stepped forward with the confidence of a bull, her feet planting firmly as if she intended to crush the water itself. Chakra exploded beneath her soles, creating a chaotic wave that enveloped her in a whirlpool of poorly controlled force. The result was inevitable: a brutal slip, a muffled scream, and a 'splash' that echoed like a slap to her dignity.
She emerged from the water with fury in her eyes, her black hair clinging to her face like wet snakes. Her soaked clothing clung to her muscular body, revealing every line sculpted by years of Taijutsu. The fabric emphasized her broad shoulders, defined abdomen, and firm legs that now rose from the mud like pillars of stone.
Reika spat out water, wiping her face with her palm, and looked at her own feet as if they had betrayed her trust.
"This is impossible!" she snarled, her voice heavy with frustration. "Chakra doesn't stay still! It escapes, it slips, it... it sinks me!"
She turned to Sayuri, who was watching her with a restrained smile, and to Mika, who was already openly laughing.
"Go ahead and laugh, Mika? Come and try it yourself, then!" Reika shouted, her fists clenched, but the blush on her face betrayed more than anger...
'It was wounded pride... if I say anything... she'd probably eat me alive.'
Even wet, even frustrated, Reika still looked like a force of nature. The water didn't tame her. It only irritated her.
'She's so... intense... she looked like a street fighter.'
Sayuri emerged from the water with a gasp, her dark strands clinging to her skin like silent snakes. Mud ran down the curves of her uniform, now stuck to her body like a second skin, revealing the silhouette sculpted by years of ninja discipline.
The fabric, once impeccable, now emphasized every line of her posture, from her tense shoulders to the firm contour of her waist.
She stood up with wounded dignity, discreetly coughing, as she wiped away the dirt with precise movements. The bandage on her shoulder was soaked, hanging like a promise of pain. But her eyes, even under the weight of frustration, maintained the sparkle of someone who wouldn't be defeated.
"It's harder than it looks, Sensei," she said, her voice firm, but with a touch of irony. Wounded pride didn't stop her from continuing; it only made her more dangerous.
'Her... her wet appearance...'
Mika approached the bank with hesitant steps, her eyes still marked by the terror of the previous battle. The water's reflection shimmered before her like a distorted mirror, and she didn't like what she saw. She knew she had power. She felt it pulsing beneath her skin like trapped thunder. But control? That was another story.
'Mika has so much potential... does she have Uzumaki blood or something?'
She concentrated the chakra in her feet, her lips tight in concentration. For a brief instant, the energy glowed around her—a vibrant, beautiful blue, too beautiful to be safe. But then, like an unannounced storm, the chakra exploded in all directions.
Mika was thrown backward like a leaf in the wind, her body spinning in the air before falling flat on her back into the mud on the bank with a wet thud.
She lay there, her hair plastered to her face, her uniform clinging to her body like a living painting—revealing delicate curves and taut, trembling muscles from exhaustion. The water flowed over her as if trying to wash away the frustration.
"I can't," she mumbled, her voice choked. "My chakra is... stubborn, so rebellious! It won't obey me."
Mika remained lying down, her eyes turned toward the sky.
Akihiro affectionately calmed her. "You did well, it'll get better soon."
Mika looked at him and smiled foolishly.
Akihiro was the last. He approached the water, his posture straight and his pearly eyes fixed on the moon's reflection. He had watched his companions and what they had done wrong...
'Byakugan is a cheat... I wonder why the Hyuga are so shy...'
He took a step forward, and the water under his foot solidified, allowing him to walk lightly on the surface.
Akihiro walked a few meters and stopped. He didn't look at Nezuko, but at his own reflection in the water. He felt different, calmer.
Nezuko watched in silence, her eyes narrowed but attentive. Her jaw didn't drop—she was a jōnin, after all—but there was a rare spark in her gaze: recognition.
"Hmph..." she mumbled, crossing her arms. "You didn't just master the chakra... you molded it as if it were part of your blood..." COUGH COUGH
She adjusted her arms, raising her chest.
"Sorry, your sensei doesn't know how to speak fancy. But my dear boy, you have a really high talent for control." She pressed her cleavage...
Akihiro turned to her, a subtle smile on his lips, and quickly looked away... white...
'Focus...'
"I just... thought about how water moves. And how my chakra moves. They aren't different. I just needed to find the balance or something... it was simple... like breathing."
Nezuko smiled faintly.
"So later... we'll discover how much you've improved... in other aspects."
Nezuko shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "Your chakra control is... absurd. It's the level most top ninjas take years to achieve. You have the potential to be a Medical-nin, Akihiro-kun."
She took a step forward, her cleavage right in front of him, observing his movements with clinical eyes.
"You have precision. Calm. Sensitivity. If you wanted to, you could become a Medical-nin. And not just a good one—one of the best."
The mention of "Medical-nin" caught him by surprise. The role was so different from what he had imagined for himself, a combat ninja. But at the same time, it made sense. He wasn't an ordinary ninja; he had the Byakugan, after all.
Akihiro didn't answer. He just continued walking on the water, his figure moving with a grace that surprised everyone. He wasn't a Taijutsu ninja. He wasn't a Genjutsu ninja. Was he a control ninja?
Sensei pressed her breasts further; they looked like they were about to pop out...
"Do you want to play doctor with your beautiful sensei...?" and then laughed softly.
'Kenjutsu, control, and Byakugan... there's still much more to become reasonably strong.'
And at that moment, under the moonlight, with the water as his stage and silence as his witness, Akihiro didn't seem like just a mere genin.
Meanwhile, Mika was furious. She watched Akihiro with burning eyes, bitter envy mixing with her frustration. "How does he do it? He's not that strong... He's not really that fast... How can he be so good at this? Maybe he has some secret..." Mika's voice echoed in the air, and she stood up, her hands trembling.
She wouldn't give up. She wouldn't be left behind. She ran to the bank and tried again, but this time, with a new determination. She didn't explode. She didn't fall. She simply... trembled.
"If it's a secret, Hyuga boy... I'll make you tell me!" she glared intently at him, but her gaze held... pride?
Sayuri approached with a twisted smile, her eyes glittering with contained malice. She watched Mika tremble on the water, unstable chakra dancing around her like a storm about to break.
"Maybe you just need some of his energy..." Sayuri said, her voice low and silky. "Who knows, if you ask nicely, Akihiro might let you suck something."
The silence that followed was cutting. Mika's eyes widened, her face flushing with anger and embarrassment. Reika let out a loud laugh, and even Akihiro looked away, clearly uncomfortable.
Sayuri merely shrugged, like someone who throws poison as naturally as they breathe.
Mika, still with mud in her hair and chakra trembling at her feet, heard Sayuri's provocation and widened her eyes. For a second, she seemed to reflect... and then, with the conviction of someone who thinks they're being brilliant, she blurted out:
"True! I can suck the secrets out of him... suck him dry!"
The silence that followed was absolute.
Sayuri blinked, surprised—and then burst into laughter, covering her mouth as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Reika choked on her own saliva. "Mika, for Kami's sake..."
Akihiro froze. The chakra in his feet wavered, and he almost sank. His face was redder than the Konoha symbol. He inadvertently imagined the scene...
'It wouldn't fit in her small mouth... would it?'
Nezuko, from the height of her serenity, merely raised an eyebrow. "...You have talent. But definitely not for subtlety..."
Mika, confused, looked around. "What? I just meant... like... absorbing the knowledge!"
Sayuri laughed even louder. "Oh, Mika... you're a walking disaster."
She didn't stop. Night turned into day, but she continued. She remembered Akihiro's face, the ease with which he did everything. Envy motivated her, and frustration propelled her. "I won't be left behind," she repeated, again and again. Her arms, her legs, her whole body ached, but she didn't stop. She kept trying, and failing, and trying again.
Sayuri and Reika, who were watching her from outside the clearing, couldn't believe what they were seeing. Mika, the girl who seemed so disoriented, was fighting with a determination that surprised them. Her determination was a reminder to them of what was at stake, what they were fighting for.
All night, Mika fought the water, but she didn't stop. In the end, she managed to stand on the surface. For a few seconds, she stood there, her whole body trembling. And then, she collapsed, exhausted.
Nezuko approached Mika and helped her up. The sensei's expression was one of pride. "You did it. You overcame your fear. You fought your own body, and you won. Perhaps now I'll let you do that thing..."
Mika smiled, the smile faint, but genuine. "I won't be left behind, Sensei."
Nezuko smiled. "I know. Now rest. We have a long journey ahead of us."
The team gathered by the campfire, exhaustion mixing with relief. They knew the mission was dangerous, but they also knew they weren't alone. They were a team, and they would face what was to come, together.
The sun set, and they, the team, prepared for the journey. The path ahead was dangerous, but they were ready to face it. The campfire burned in silence, illuminating the path ahead.