The morning mist hung low over Training Ground Three, curling between the tall posts where countless shuriken had scarred the wood. The faint smell of dirt and leaves mixed with sweat already hanging in the air. This was no playground today. This was a forge.
We'd barely recovered from the ambush, yet here we were, gathered again on the same ground where generations of shinobi had sharpened their fangs.
Obito grumbled as he tightened his forehead protector. "I don't get it. We almost died out there, and now we're back here training like nothing happened?"
Kakashi, already kneeling by a log, methodically laying out kunai, didn't even glance at him. "We didn't almost die. You almost died. There's a difference."
Obito's face flushed red. "You—!"
"Stop it," Rin snapped, her voice unusually sharp. She knelt on the grass, scrolls unrolled around her, carefully practicing chakra-infused seals. Her hands glowed faintly with green healing chakra. "Both of you nearly got yourselves killed, and arguing isn't going to change that."
I stood a little apart, leaning on one of the posts. My body still ached from the ambush, but it wasn't pain that weighed me down. It was the weight of the Hokage's words.
Root.
Even now, the name sat in the back of my mind like a poison. And the system had responded, updating that hidden quest. Which meant this wasn't just politics. For me, it was inevitable.
Kakashi's Obsession
Kakashi rose silently, spinning a kunai in his hand. Without warning, he launched into a brutal routine—rapid shuriken throws, fluid flips, precise strikes against the wooden posts. Every motion screamed perfection, efficiency, control.
His breathing was sharp, controlled. His expression, flat.
"Your form is stiff," I muttered as he passed.
He shot me a glance, his single visible eye narrowing. "Better stiff than sloppy. You wouldn't last a minute if you fought seriously."
I smirked. "Maybe not. But I'd know exactly how you'd try to kill me."
He didn't answer, but the flicker of irritation told me I'd struck a nerve.
Obito's Frustration
Meanwhile, Obito was slogging through taijutsu drills, sweat dripping into his eyes. He stumbled, tripped, got up again. Each mistake only fueled his determination.
"Damn it!" he cursed, landing flat on his back after another failed roll.
"Get up," Kakashi said coldly, not even turning to look.
Obito did. Again. And again. His knuckles split open, blood dripping into the dirt.
I watched quietly. For all his whining, Obito had fire. A fire that burned brighter each time he failed.
Rin's Resolve
Rin wiped sweat from her brow, her hands glowing as she tested new diagnostic jutsu. I caught her murmuring under her breath: "If I can just stabilize faster, maybe… maybe I won't have to watch anyone bleed out again."
Her chakra control was remarkable, precise and gentle. She wasn't just healing; she was preparing for battle. She wanted to be ready—not just to clean up after, but to keep us alive in the fight.
The System Awakens
As I observed them, the system pulsed.
[Training Analysis Detected.]
[New Function Unlocked: Analysis Module]
[Real-Time Combat Assessment Active.]
Suddenly, numbers and projections flickered across my vision. Kakashi's movements plotted in trajectories, Obito's punches broken down in frames, Rin's chakra flow mapped with efficiency ratings.
I inhaled sharply. So this is it. Not just raw power—insight.
The Test
"Kakashi," I called out.
He stopped mid-motion, kunai poised. "What?"
"Fight Obito."
"What?!" Obito yelped.
Kakashi tilted his head, eye narrowing. "He'd lose in seconds."
"Maybe," I said, smirking. "But I'll tell him exactly how to beat you."
Kakashi's lips curled in the faintest hint of a smirk. "Try me."
Obito looked horrified. "Wait, WHAT?!"
"Trust me," I said quietly.
And so it began. Kakashi blurred forward, kunai flashing. Obito raised his arms clumsily—then at the last second, I barked, "Left! Drop and roll!"
Obito obeyed without hesitation, Kakashi's kunai slicing air where his throat had been.
"Spin! Kick low!"
Obito stumbled through the motion, but his foot actually clipped Kakashi's shin, making him falter.
For the first time, Kakashi's eye widened slightly.
I grinned. The Analysis Module was feeding me everything—angles, openings, probabilities. It was like seeing the fight in slow motion.
"Duck! Counter with your right!"
Obito swung wildly—and Kakashi barely dodged, his cheek grazed.
Silence followed. Rin gasped. Obito froze, staring at the scratch on Kakashi's face.
Kakashi's kunai lowered, his breathing just a shade heavier.
"…Impressive," he muttered, glaring at me instead of Obito.
I shrugged. "I told you. I don't need to outfight you. I just need to outthink you."
Kakashi clicked his tongue, annoyed—but I caught the flicker of respect in his eye.
Quiet After the Storm
Training resumed after that, heavier, more focused. Obito kept drilling, Rin refined her seals, Kakashi sharpened his precision. But the mood had shifted.
For the first time, they didn't just see me as another Genin. They saw me as… necessary.
And as the sun dipped low, casting long shadows over the training ground, I felt Sarutobi's warning echo in my head.
Not all enemies wear other headbands. Some walk among us.
Root. The system. The Hokage's mask.
The world was moving, pieces shifting on a board too large for anyone else to see. But I could see. And with this new power, I would always see.
Author's Note
That wraps up Chapter 15 – The Grind of Growth!
Highlights of this chapter:
Kakashi's obsession with precision.
Obito's raw determination through failure.
Rin's focus on becoming a stronger battlefield medic.
Our MC unlocking the Analysis Module—his first real step as the team's tactical core.
First spar where MC's brain turns Obito into a temporary match for Kakashi 👀
Next time: The shadows will creep closer. Root isn't going to stay just a whisper for long…