Chapter 7: The Combat Assessment
Soon, it was Kael's group's turn.
Kael walked into the small, open circle formed by the students and checked the ninja tool pouch strapped to his leg, counting the wooden shuriken and kunai inside. When he heard his instructor shout "Ready!", he looked up and formed the Seal of Opposition with Rei, who stood across from him.
The third-year instructor, Inoshita Rino, saw they were both ready and gave a slight nod. Then, he bellowed.
"Begin!"
The moment his voice fell, Rei quickly drew several shuriken from her pouch and launched them at Kael. Her speed was impressive; she already had the focused style of a shinobi, earning appreciative nods from the two clipboard-holding ninja on the sidelines, who began jotting down notes.
As the shuriken flew toward him, Kael's expression remained unfazed. An attack of this level was no threat to him. He reached into his tool pouch, and in a flash, a pale yellow wooden kunai was in his hand.
Without moving his feet, he expertly maneuvered the kunai, deflecting every incoming shuriken. Immediately after, he crouched low and lunged toward Rei.
Rei was taken aback. She quickly drew her own wooden kunai and raised her arm to block Kael's incoming strike, which was aimed at her face. But before she could react, she found Kael's knee had stopped just inches from her chest.
Her face paled slightly, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "You promised you'd be gentle! I performed so badly, now..."
Before she could finish, Kael leaned in close to her ear and whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Something is very wrong with this assessment. Standing out too much might not be a good thing..."
His warm breath tickled her ear, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. The pout on her lips vanished as his words sank in. A moment later, a flicker of gratitude appeared in her eyes.
"Kael-kun, but then you..." she started to say, meaning that by making her look bad, he was making himself stand out.
"It's fine. I'm better at staying alive than you are," Kael reassured her with a gentle smile.
"Winner, Kael Cross!" Inoshita Rino announced, then turned to the quiet girl in his class. "Don't be discouraged, Rei. We're all ordinary people; geniuses are rare. The fact that you were accepted into the Ninja Academy proves you have a talent for chakra. Isn't that right?"
Inoshita felt a great deal of pity for the lonely child. Rei was always well-behaved and studied hard. He didn't want her to be too discouraged and quickly offered words of comfort.
"Thank you, Rino-sensei. I'm fine!" Rei said with a grateful smile. She then turned to look at Kael, who seemed far more mature than the other students. Her feelings were a mix of confusion and admiration.
What is he thinking? He's an orphan, just like me, so why is he so clever and calm, and... so talented?
The entire assessment was over in just over an hour. The students, who had been expecting some kind of grand announcement, were anticlimactically sent back to their classrooms by their instructors.
Back in the third-year classroom.
Looking at the innocent, young faces before him, a flicker of pity crossed Inoshita Rino's eyes. He took a deep breath and forced a gentle smile.
"I want you all to study quietly. No messing around! Kael, you're in charge. If anyone causes trouble, let me know after class."
He looked toward Kael in the back row.
"Yeah..." Kael nodded reluctantly. A proud young man from the 21st century, transmigrated to the Shinobi World, now acting as the class monitor for a bunch of ten-year-olds. It felt like a bad joke. If other transmigrators heard about this, they'd die of secondhand embarrassment. This was also part of the reason he wasn't very popular; whenever something happened, the other students just assumed he, the class monitor, had snitched to the teacher.
About half an hour later, Inoshita Rino returned to the classroom, his face grim. His gaze swept over the students, and his heart sank even further.
"I'm going to read out some names. When I call your name, please come with me," he said, his voice heavy. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"Kael Cross... Murakami Rin..."
"Rei!"
When he called the last name, Kael's expression changed slightly. He turned to look at Rei, his brow furrowed.
"It's okay, Kael-kun. You'll be there too, right?" Rei said, trying to comfort him when she saw his worried look. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how they might sound and her cheeks flushed. She quickly turned her head, sneaking a glance at Kael's reaction. Seeing that he didn't seem to have noticed, she relaxed, but for some reason, she also felt a faint twinge of disappointment.
"The school has a very dangerous mission for you. For you... it is very, very dangerous," Inoshita Rino said gravely to the dozen or so children standing before him.
"So, Rino-sensei, does that mean we're going to face real shinobi?" a boy asked, his face alight with excitement.
Kael shot him a sideways glance and shook his head internally.
"Murakami Rin!" Inoshita Rino snapped, glaring at the boy. "You have no idea what you're up against. These are the followers of Jashin, and they are far more terrifying than ordinary shinobi. I'm sure you've heard the name, and you should know what it means in the Land of Hot Water!"
At the mention of Jashin, Murakami Rin's excited expression turned deathly pale, and he began to gulp nervously. Beside him, Kael also drew a sharp breath, his face growing serious.
"Sigh..."
Seeing the students' terrified faces, Inoshita let out a heavy sigh and then, to their astonishment, bowed deeply to them.
"I'm sorry! We adults have failed you! We're making you children bear a responsibility that should never have been yours!"
Even Kael was deeply moved. A feeling he had never experienced before welled up inside him. It was as if, in that moment, he had truly become a part of this world, all because he could feel the genuine kindness in his teacher's heart. Only someone who truly cared for his students, whose conscience was wracked with guilt, would apologize to them like this.
A sincere smile touched Kael's lips. He stepped forward and gently helped the still-bowing Inoshita to his feet.
"Sensei, you don't have to blame yourself so much," he said softly. "Isn't it our destiny as shinobi to face slaughter and evil?"
Inoshita stared at him, stunned, as if he were truly seeing this remarkable boy for the first time.
"Thank you, Kael-kun. That makes me feel much better."
"So, Sensei, will you be joining us on this mission?" Kael asked, changing the subject. He was never good at handling heartfelt displays of emotion.
"Yes. You students will operate as a squad, and I will be your squad leader."