— Graduating from the academy and receiving your ninja headbands isn't as easy as many people think. A ninja isn't just someone who fights well or masters a specific skill but knows nothing else. A ninja's abilities—even as a genin—must encompass all aspects.
With the same fluidity as his words, Iruka twirled the chalk between his fingers before flinging it straight ahead.
— Ouch! Sensei, why did you do that?
— Naruto, don't fall asleep on your feet—especially while I'm talking.
Ignoring the blond's sullen expression and the frantic way he was scratching the growing bump on his forehead, Iruka resumed his rambling as he fumbled through his pockets for a new piece of chalk.
— It's important that you pay attention to this, or you'll end up believing absurd rumors, like that the three basic techniques are enough to graduate.
Iruka's eyes immediately locked onto the distracted and mortified pink-haired standing in the front row of the group.
Just seeing his pale complexion—as if he were about to suffer heatstroke under a cloudy sky—only served to heighten Iruka's long-standing irritation at the absurd number of rumors and nonsense that the youngest of the Harunos had spread at the beginning of the year.
However, before he could say anything to scold him, Naruto's question forced him to bite his tongue.
— Huh?! Do we need more stuff?!
Worst of all, it wasn't just Uzumaki who looked confused.
After seeing Kiba and a few other civilians share Naruto's surprise, Iruka seemed to feel the same headache that Yashin was suffering from.
— Y-yes. You need to know much more than just the three basic jutsu. You Will be ninjas, not cannon fodder. Sending them on missions when they only know three techniques would be suicide.
Although he didn't want to underestimate his students' intelligence, they were really making it difficult for him.
— The Henge no Jutsu, the Bunshin no Jutsu, and the Kawarimi no Jutsu—while essential to a shinobi's training given their versatility—aren't the only things they need to learn. Jutsu such as the cloak camouflage technique, the Shunshin no Jutsu, and even breaking free from genjutsu are things they absolutely must know before they can be considered ninjas. Even so…!
Iruka's sudden shout caused most of the students, who had been dozing off during his long explanation, to snap back to attention.
— That's not enough.
With the same momentum, he turned toward the blackboard behind him and began scribbling on it.
— A ninja's missions aren't just about fighting. Espionage, counterintelligence, reconnaissance, encryption, information gathering; basic tactics in formations, ambushes, retreats, and much more.
Each word was firmly etched onto the green surface of the blackboard.
— Even subjects like history and geopolitics are important so you don't make mistakes. However…!
Naruto's eyes, wide with information overload, finally closed, unable to process another word.
The same despair could be seen in Akamaru and his owner, along with sixty percent of the rest of the class.
— We're not here to put that into practice today. What you'll be doing today is…
New scribbles were scrawled on the blackboard.
— An escape and tracking exercise.
Instead of the exclamations of amazement he expected, all the enthusiastic teacher received was Yashin's muffled yawn, which was quickly stifled by a light jab to the ribs, courtesy of Sarada.
— …All right. I appreciate your… enthusiasm. But I have even better news. The exercise will last one day and one night. That means you'll have to spend the night deep in the forest behind me.
This time, the commotion was immediate, and although most of the voices were indignant, Iruka felt a slight sense of satisfaction at finally getting a reaction from the stumps he calls students.
— Enough! I'm not asking for your opinion. This is an activity approved by Hokage-sama himself. Besides, in our last few classes we've focused entirely on outdoor survival. You shouldn't have any trouble surviving until tomorrow.
— But, sensei, the Forest of Death is way too dangerous. Everyone knows that.
— There's nothing to worry about. Several Chunin have been deployed to secure the area. It's now 100 percent safe.
— But, Sensei, we can't not go home. Our parents will surely worry.
Immediately, the vast majority of the children spoke up to support that argument.
However, despite the growing commotion he usually enjoyed, Naruto watched the crowd with his lips firmly pressed together before lowering his gaze to his feet.
— Don't worry about that. All of your parents have already been notified and have agreed to your participation.
Without wasting any time, Iruka pulled several pieces of paper from inside his vest.
The title "letter of acceptance" and the signatures at the bottom of the papers were like a bright light in the eyes of the reluctant children.
— But, sensei, what are we girls going to do out in nature? A day and a night is too long for…
— Enough, Ino. I don't want to hear any more complaints.
Instead of calming the crowd, all Iruka managed to do was fuel their commotion.
— Tch. Yashin, Iruka-sensei is picking on me.
Whether it was the flirtatious tone in Yamanaka's voice, the gentle tug on his arm, or the sweet scent tickling his nose, the pink-haired boy showed no reaction whatsoever.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward the clouds in the sky, already anticipating the shouting that would follow.
— Ino-pig, stay away from my brother.
— Shut up, forehead. Mind your own business.
— Of course I'm going to get involved when…
Inevitably, he found himself thinking again of a way to ward off the nuisances surrounding him; however, the memory of the brats' reaction when he tried to scare them off with some bugs still rang in his ears and stung his cheeks.
Perhaps the best thing would be to focus on developing a technique to dull his hearing, or simply learn to talk less and not stick his nose where it didn't belong.
Not far from the lively group, Shino, Chōji, and Shikamaru watched them with a mixture of frivolity and apathy.
— Women are such a nuisance.
— Mm…
— You…! When did you get here?
— I've been here from the start.
— …I see. By the way, I thought you guys were friends. How come you're not helping him now?
— Well, even though it might not seem like it, Sakura is almost even more irrational than her brother. I'd rather not get involved with her. Besides, Yashin isn't the type to appreciate help from others either.
Shino's cautious attitude and tone only added to the confusion in the Nara's mind.
— What about you, Chōji? Uncle Choza said you were learning from him. Shouldn't you at least do something?
Instead of answering, Chōji focused on chewing the potatoes in his mouth thoroughly before opening his mouth again.
— Fine. Since he keeps calling me fat, this is his punishment.
Shikamaru was stunned.
Who was this guy, and what had he done to his naive friend?
Before Nara could voice his doubts, his teacher's voice rose again to cut off the commotion Ino had started.
— Enough! Stop talking and pay attention. Otherwise, don't blame me for whatever happens to you during the activity.
Whether it was because Iruka's words made sense or because of the chalk he was brandishing menacingly, everyone fell silent again.
— Good. Now… if you don't want to fail, what you need to do is put into practice what you learned in last week's classes. Outdoor survival, cooperation, tracking, retreat, and combat tactics. Anything goes. The girls can even put what they've learned in their flower-arranging classes to use. Do you understand? If you don't take this seriously, many of you could end up seriously injured, so don't take this lightly.
No matter how serious Iruka's demeanor was, the deep blush on most of the girls' faces left no room for such a solemn mood.
Yashin's eyes also wandered to take in the oddity of the brats surrounding him, but his interest quickly faded.
Ninja academy, flower arranging classes, for girls only.
There was no mystery about the topics that unique subject might cover.
Clearly uncomfortable, Iruka cleared his throat a couple of times before continuing his explanation.
— Well, now I should explain the rules to you. To begin with…
Instead of focusing on listening to Iruka's endless rant, Yashin moved one of his hands—hidden within the sleeves of his montsuki—to form a seal and manipulate the chakra circulating through his head.
A method to suppress his senses was imperative when surrounded by so many… nuisances.
Even so, essential information still filtered through his eardrums.
A drawing of lots, pairs of two; one partner will act as a tracker and the other as a target. The trackers must obtain a scroll, which the targets must protect until the following day. Extra points if the targets do not engage in combat and if the trackers subdue their enemies.
All wrapped up in a slapdash plot brimming with the Will of Fire, a crucial mission, and ninja spies carrying vital information.
The storytelling might have been garbage, but at least the activity and its objectives made sense.
Interestingly, this was the exact opposite of the original work, where the storytelling was good, but in Kishimoto's logic, a simple Bunshin no Jutsu was enough to graduate.
Yashin was still wondering what he was thinking when Kishimoto said that a test like that was enough for a bunch of brats to go kill themselves fighting other guys who probably graduated with a similar test.
…
Well, it wasn't as if his previous world was any better.
In tough times, it was enough just to be able to hold a gun and pull the trigger.
While the pink-haired was distracting himself with whatever nonsense was going through his head just to ignore his surroundings, Iruka began the drawing.
Since Yashin was sitting in the front row—courtesy of his… persuasive niece—Iruka wasted no time in holding out the box full of slips of paper toward him.
Just as he was about to pick the first slip from the pile, a bad feeling washed over the pink-haired, and the forced smile on the chunin's face in front of him only reinforced that sensation.
Iruka, watching the pink-haired start rummaging through the entire contents of the box before selecting one, could only feel his headache worsening.
Why couldn't the youngest of the Harunos ever behave like a normal person?
As the sensei moved forward to continue the drawing and lamented his luck with the students, Yashin was dealing with his own headache.
— Oh! You got number seven. Looks like you'll have good luck on the next test.
Sarada's words only made the pink-haired's expression grow even gloomier.
However, before he could tune out reality again, his older sister's irritating, stifled laughter also reached his ears.
— Yeah. Try not to run into any bears.
The memories of the many times the pink-haired boy had suffered some misfortune whenever a so-called lucky number was involved made it difficult for Sakura to keep from bursting out laughing.
Even the day he got sick and nearly kicked the bucket was supposedly an auspicious date.
Although confused by the twins' cryptic comment and attitude, Sarada knew that meddling in their affairs never led to anything good.
It was best to ignore it and focus on what really interested her.
— Anyway, even though I won't be with you, don't think I won't find out if you do anything wrong, so behave yourself.
— You… Why have you been so concerned about Yashin lately?
— I already told you last time. I'm keeping an eye on him so he doesn't do anything bad.
— Hmph. I don't buy it. There's something weird about all this.
— How childish. Anyway, instead of worrying about me, you should keep an eye on Ino before she finds the number that matches your brother's and takes it away from you by tomorrow.
Immediately, the sharp gaze of Yamanaka—who had been watching the papers in her classmates' hands—fixed on the Uchiha.
— Sarada… traitor.
— Ino-pig, what are you up to?
— Mind your own business, billboard forehead.
— Hmph. If you dare try to switch your papers, I'll tell Sensei.
— Hmph. I don't plan on switching anything. Instead… I'd rather beat you to put you in your place.
Yamanaka's words and malicious smile made Sakura notice the numbers on both of their uniforms.
Immediately, a smile similar to Ino's appeared on Sakura's face.
— I should be the one saying that. I hope you don't cry when you get crushed by a civilian girl.
— Hmph. You're still at it. You should just give up. I'll be starting my clan's training soon. You don't stand a chance.
— You… I take that back. I hope you cry so everyone knows you're beneath me.
— Try saying that again.
— Why wouldn't I?
Seeing the demeanor of her once-harmonious friends, a sigh escaped Sarada's lips.
But her despondency was soon replaced by irritation toward the pink-haired who had caused all of this.
Yashin, who was still absorbed in his good fortune, barely noticed the resentment behind the black-haired girl's gaze.
With each passing day, those little brats were getting more and more brazen.
Instead, wondering how the silly test he'd been dragged into could possibly go wrong was much more important.
However, his doubts were quickly dispelled as soon as the draw ended and he saw who he'd be paired with—and, even more so, who his rivals would be.
There's definitely no rest for the wicked.