After Yuto completed his test, he arrived at his room in the living quarters. The Genin reserves training facility was more akin to a community college than a traditional training program.
He slapped his face, waking him out of his sleepwalking. he licked his dry lips and instantly pulled out his medical material. He was aware that he simply didn't have the time to implement his chakra control exercises into his schedule, and decided he would practice his chakra application on his dorm walls. His plan involved applying his feet to the wall and observing the effects his chakra would have on the surface. That way, he would be able to confidently walk up and down walls. It would take further practice to apply this to walking up trees.
He cracked his fingers and unrolled his medical scroll, going over the contents. He applied just one of his feet to the wall, slowly grasping the process and getting familiar with the amount a energy needed. Right when he believed he was doing well, his foot was forced back by the output of chakra. He should have known that it wouldn't be that easy.
He was about to continue, but was stopped by the sound of the dorm door creaking open.
"The hell are you doing?" Hikari asked, pushing into the door and carrying a bin of clothes.
"Oh, it's just something I'm working on," Yuto said.
Hikari was still a bit perplexed but shrugged his shoulders anyway, clearly not invested.
"What's up with the bin of clothes?" Yuto asked.
"Oh, you don't know?" he asked.
Yuto frowned, as he always seemed to be uninformed.
Hikari, noticing this, came out with it.
"The facility manual explains what goes into washing your clothes. Most people do it on the weekends, but I chose to get it out of the way now, considering the extra time we have," Hikari explained.
Yuto, of course, wasn't aware of this, as he'd placed all of his time into studying and didn't give the facility manual a second thought.
"I see, I'll look into it," Yuto said with a frown, going back to his previous task.
It wasn't long before Yuto got the hang of it through trial and error. Of course, this didn't mean that he'd be walking on walls, but he at least got the first step completed.
He decided he would attempt applying his other foot, but opted for lying on his back as he had no intentions of slamming into the floor every time he failed. he would leave the pain, sweat, and tears for the idiots; he preferred to think smarter, not harder.
Sooner or later, he realized that reading medical material and practicing the wall walking exercise were doing more hindering than anything. he realized that while what he was doing would help him understand the basis for the technique, it wouldn't help discern the amount of chakra needed to support his body weight. Unable to truly grasp it, it would require him to set the scroll down and focus on the exercise, or else he'd bust his tail on the floor.
He rolled up the scroll with a sigh, ignoring the odd look he was receiving from Hikari, and began grabbing his pillows off his bed. he threw his pillows on the ground, and then walked over to Hikari's bed, and snatched the pillow from under Hikari's head.
Hikari, who was currently reading a book, put his book down with a frown as he wasn't happy with Yuto's actions.
"What's the big deal?" Hikari asked.
"I need your pillows. If you need something to lean against, roll up the cover on my bed," Yuto said, grabbing Hikari's other pillows and throwing them on the floor as well.
"You're making my pillows dirty!" Hikari said, gritting his teeth.
"Oh, now you care about being dirty?" Yuto said, raising an eyebrow.
Hikari huffed and grabbed Yuto's cover off his bed with a forceful tug.
Yuto rolled his eyes. "I'll wash your pillow cases with my clothes today," Yuto said.
Hikari's angry expression relented, and he just sighed.
"All right," he said begrudgingly.
Hikari rolled up Yuto's cover and placed it against his headboard, but just as he was about to climb back into his bed, he heard the sound of Yuto's body slamming against the pillows on the floor.
He burst into laughter at Yuto's form on the floor, gaining a glare from Yuto.
Later on, Yuto stood in a room full of washing machines, a basket full of clothes pressed up against his small frame. This was the facility's laundromat. He walked around the lightly occupied room and found a washing machine. He set his basket down on the ground with a grunt, wiping some sweat from his brow.
He heard a snicker from his side, turning his head and seeing a mop of brown hair and black eyes.
He looked up at the genin with a frown before his face shifted to realization.
"You're the one who got first place in the three-point trail test," Yuto said, slightly surprised.
"Yeah, and you fifth place!" he said.
"Yeah, what do you want?" Yuto said, as he'd been slowly becoming less of an asshole after his talk with Taro.
"Well, your basket was kinda in my way," he said, gesturing to Yuto's basket blocking the aisle.
Yuto turned around, seeing his basket indeed blocking his path.
"So that's what had you giggling like a fangirl?" Yuto said, clearly a bit annoyed.
He had the decency to look a bit sheepish as he was clearly laughing at Yuto's struggling attempt to carry the laundry basket.
"Yeah, sorry about that?" he said, rubbing the back of his head.
"I'm used to it," Yuto said, moving his basket out of his path.
The boy walked past, stopping at the machine next to Yuto's, before speaking.
"By the way, I'm Shiranui Arata," he said, sticking a hand out.
Yuto examined his hand for germs before taking his outstretched hand.
"Yuto Suzuki," Yuto said with a kind smile.
Yuto, going back to loading his clothes into the machine, spoke.
"That last name, you wouldn't happen to be related to Shiranui Genma?" Yuto asked.
Arata didn't seem to be too happy after hearing Yuto's question.
"Yes, he's my older brother," Arata said begrudgingly.
"Hey man, I get it, my grandfather is a respected jonin in the village," Yuto said, pouring some detergent into the machine.
"Yeah, it's not easy being in his shadow," Arata said with a light smile at meeting someone who understood his plight.
Yuto just gave a light nod. While he was recognized for being his grandfather's grandson, he had no difficulty with the plight. In his eyes, he saw his position as an advantage. It played a role in getting the favor of the Uchiha family.
He sighed before speaking, as he knew Arata wouldn't want to hear this. "You should use it to your advantage," Yuto said.
"What?" Arata said, confused.
"The shinobi world isn't nice to anyone. You don't have the privilege of relying on your own accomplishments because, to put it bluntly, you have not accomplished anything," Yuto said before starting the washing machine and grabbing his empty basket.
"It was nice meeting you, Shiranui Arata," Yuto said, walking away.
Of course, Arata wanted to retort, but was left with his thoughts after Yuto's abrupt exit.
The next day, Yuto continued his wall walking training, but hadn't been able to grasp it, despite his fast progress. He pulled his hair into a ponytail before reporting to the indoor grounds. Today was their last day of orientation and their last test. Today was the combat test, and to be honest, he was a little nervous. Talking with Taro allowed him to become more comfortable within his self and allowed him to communicate like a human being rather than putting up a front of indifference. At first, he thought the bags under his eyes were because of his lack of sleep, but it was mostly because of the stress he felt. he was scared, and instead of getting comfortable with the inevitable, he put up a shield and allowed his feelings to build up until they exploded.
This was seen when he fell into a complete mess in the showers. Or even when he spoke to his grandfather after his spar with yugao. If he hadn't bottled up his true feelings behind his mask of indifference, he would have been more mentally capable.
When he soon made it to the indoor grounds, he was bombarded by the loud noises from the crowd of genin. It seemed like they were waiting for this day. While Yuto was prepared, he wasn't as fired up and had no reason to. His goal was to get the highest score, rather than prove how strong he was. he would display his battle IQ and prowess and hope for the best.
He walked up to the nervous reck hikari and sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Where's all your excitement from yesterday?" Yuto asked.
Hikari turned around and looked for who was speaking to him.
Yuto gained a tick on his forehead. "I'm down here," he said begrudgingly.
Hikari looked down, seeing Yuto's pissed expression, letting out a small chuckle.
"Sorry, I didn't see you," he said, still laughing.
While Yuto was upset at not being seen because of his short stature, he was glad he was able to lighten Hikari's mood.
"Where's the instructor?" Yuto asked, confused.
"hell if I know," Hikari said.
Right then, the door was opened.
Taro walked through the crowd of genin, parting so he could get through. He raised an eyebrow, seeing all the genin already in a circle.
"Can someone tell me why you all formed a circle?" Taro asked.
One of the genin spoke. "We're forming the fighting circle!" one of the genin said, confused by the question.
"Unfortunately for you bunch, you have an audience waiting at the outdoor grounds," Taro said indifferently.
The bunch of genin went into an uproar as they weren't aware of this the day before.
Taro raised a hand, bringing the genin to silence. "Are you all idiots? Why would I allow you to use ninjutsu in the indoor grounds? If you look around, you'll notice the floors are concrete, meaning this is a taijutsu training building," Taro said, shaking his head.
The genin looked a little embarrassed by their stupidity.
Taro sighed. "Follow me!" he said, walking towards the doors.
Soon, the genin arrived outside, facing Taro. Behind them was a bunch of chunin and some genin from the actual reserves.
"Just to get this clear, there will be no fighting circle. This isn't an academy brawl; it's a test meant to examine your combat skills," Taro said.
"We'll move to the forest clearings, where most battles happen. It's unrealistic to take away the option of concealing yourself," he explained.
The participants and the spectators went into murmurs.
Later on, some chunin sat on a tree branch, chatting away.
"Wait, is that Yuto?" asked a female voice.
"Were at?" asked another female voice.
"Right there next to the funny-looking one with the goggles," she said.
"Oh, I see him now, but why is he here?" said the other one, her red eyes confused.
"Well, last time I heard about him, he was in the medical training program, because Gemma disbanded the team early," she said.
"If Gemma really disbanded the team, then that explains why he's here," said the woman, now revealed to be Kurenai.
Then the other female's purple hair blew from the force of the wind, now revealed to be anko.
"That kid better not get his ass kicked!" Anko said.
"Remember, Gemma praised his skill," Kurenai said.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, but he's still just a brat after all," Anko said.
"It sounds like you're worried about him?" Kurenai said, teasingly.
Anko scoffed. "As if," she said.
Down in the clearing, Yuto was sitting down, cross-legged, licking a popsicle. He wanted to eat his nervousness away, but had only prepared something cold for possible heat.
He glanced at Hikari next to him, seeing his perplexed face and the popsicle in his hand melting onto his hands.
"Your popsicle is melting," Yuto said to Hikari while facing the instructor.
"What?" Hikari said after being brought out of his thoughts, looking down to see that his popsicle was indeed melting.
He frowned and began licking the melted popsicle liquids from his hands.
"disgusting," Yuto thought.
Yuto looked around, seeing all the chunin and genin casually sitting in trees and talking, until his mouth hung open from what he saw. There was anko and a beautiful red-eyed woman, both wearing the chunin vest.
They noticed him looking, as Anko grinned, seeing his surprised face. Yuto simply gave a nod, receiving one back from the red-eyed woman, to his surprise.
He then faced Taro, hearing his voice.
"Okay, for the rules... There are no rules. Of course, I'll step in if things go too far. Also, the number of participants is uneven, meaning one of you will fight twice," he said. The crowd of genin went into an uproar of murmurs and complaints. The spectators couldnt care less as they were just there to load their pockets from betting and enjoy a good fight.
"Every participant will fight once, except the winner of the first match. Keep in mind that you won't be scored based on whether you win or not. The goal is just to examine your skills. It's possible that you may receive a higher score than a participant who beat you. Of course, the participant who fights twice will have a higher chance of receiving one of the top scores," Taro explained. He ignored the unhappy complaints of the genin and rummaged around for a bit before pulling out two names. He looked at the names before his face became grim, looking forward directly at Yuto.
Yuto was a little startled, knowing he was unlucky enough to get picked first.
Taro read the names. "Yuto Suzuki and Isamu, step forward," he said.
Isamu, a black-haired boy with hooped earrings and purple eyes, stepped forward. He wore a green jacket slightly unzipped, showing his fishnet undershirt along with shinobi combat pants and shinobi sandals. Isamu stepped forward, clearly fired up and itching for a fight. Yuto, however, wasn't as enthusiastic as the former. He knew if he somehow managed to win the match, he'd fight again later on. He thought about just flunking the match, but then he remembered Anko and the beautiful red-eyed women among the spectators, and the contribution points on the line. He wouldn't get his ass kicked infront of such beautiful company. He stood up from his crossed-legged position on the ground and calmly walked towards the clearing. He wasn't ashamed of the difference in height and frame when he faced Isamu.
Taro stood between the two genin, glancing at the seemingly calm Yuto. While he was supposed to be unbiased in these matches but he was silently rooting for Yuto, especially after their heart-to-heart in the indoor grounds.
As usual, he allowed the genin to indulge in some trash talk before the match.
Yuto glanced at Taro, knowing he was giving them time to exchange a few words before the match.
He rolled his eyes. "Drama queen," Yuto thought.
Isamu spoke. "If I wear you, I'd give up here," he said with a grin, cracking his neck.
Yuto tilted his head. "Hum, you're joking, right? Why would I do that?" Yuto said, confused.
Isamu scoffed, crouching down into a battle-ready stance.
"Your mistake!" Isamu said, shrugging his shoulders.
Yuto said nothing, spitting at the ground and unsheathing his tanto.
Taro noticed that both participants were ready and brought his hand down in a chopping motion.
"Begin!" Taro said, jumping back.
Neither genin had moved after the match began, as it seemed like they were both looking to counter strike, as neither knew the skills of their opponent.
Yuto wasn't going to wait all day; his goal was to win, despite the scores not being determined by who won. In his eyes, if he won decisively, he should receive a top score. How did he plan on doing that? he didn't know, but he dashed forward anyway in a burst of speed. Isamu, seeing this, withdrew a kunai and parried Yuto's tanto.
Yuto did not stop there. He dropped down, performing a leg sweep, but Isamu hopped into the air and delivered a descending kick to Yuto's vulnerable form. Yuto didn't fret, blocking the kick with the flat of his blade, but was surprised when he was sent flying back on the ground, tumbling into a few rolls before coming back to his feet.
"What incredible strength. I underestimated the power of the kick and was sent back with my balance still on one leg," Yuto thought.
"Not bad for an upstart," Isamu said arrogantly.
Yuto didn't respond, focusing on coming up with a different form of attack. He barely blocked the kick, and he wasn't able to handle the power behind it. He needed to divert Isamu's attention before attempting to attack if he wanted to enter close range.
Yuto reached into his pouch, sending a flurry of shuriken at Isamu, coming in behind the shuriken, his tanto in hand.
With anko and kurenai. "What is he doing? Why isn't he using that spit jutsu, or whatever he calls it?" Anko said, confused and unhappy by the results of the first clash.
"he's likely saving it for his next match," Kurenai said.
Anko huffed. "he won't have a second match if he doesn't get through the first one," she said.
"he doesn't seem to be concerned. He may have a plan," Kurenai said suggestively.
"For his sake, I hope so," Anko said, tapping her finger on her thigh in anticipation. She dangled her feet from the branch, her face a little bit concerned.
With Yuto. Yuto rushed behind the shuriken, his ninja sandals slapping against the rough terrain. Isamu deflected a few of them but was unlucky enough to be pierced by a few.
Yuto didn't believe for a second that he was taken out by a flurry of shuriken, so he wasn't surprised when he saw Isamu's form being replaced by a poof of smoke, revealing a log.
The second Yuto saw the smoke, he spun around before the log could even be revealed.
"predictable," Yuto thought with a grin.
Yuto's triumphant face fell into pure agony as he felt three consecutive shots to the stomach. He saw Isamu attempting another strike and knew he wasn't anywhere near fast enough to counter. So he opted for trading, lifting his leg for a shot to the groin.
A punch was sent into Yuto's face, sending him flying before he could even lift his leg. he slammed into the ground, bouncing against the terrain and banging the side of his head in the process.
He turned his head and looked up at the fast-approaching Isamu.
"Am I really going to lose, like this?" Yuto thought to himself.
[Be sure to give me your power stones]