The Life of a Genin

-3003 words-

[Year 47, Hidden Sand Village]

Souei was grinning as he moved through the streets towards the designated training ground of Team 11. It's been a week since team placements and he couldn't be happier.

He had a good relationship with both his teammates and his sensei is very good at teaching. Just a week of training and he has improved by quite a big margin.

Ishito sensei set up each of them with a daily schedule that they have been adhering to since the team was formed. Everyday is started with warm up exercises followed by group training. That includes team formations, chakra control, taijutsu spars, etc. Anything and everything that they should know about working in a team. The more interesting parts of training happen after that where each student will be paired with Ishito Sensei himself or a clone for some specialized training. Then the day ends with a D-rank mission.

It didn't take long for the Matsuri to reach the training grounds. It was apparent that he arrived last since both his teammates were already here. He wasn't late however since there were still 5 minutes to the planned time. If there's one thing his sensei hates, it is people who are late. He's made that mistake before and the resulting punishment made him sure he wouldn't do it again.

His body gave an involuntary chill remembering it.

It was when the clock struck precisely at 7 A.M that their sensei made his appearance. "Good, you're all here. We can begin."

"What are we gonna do today, sensei?" Rukia asked.

"Same as before. Team training, then straight to individual training before we head to missions. But before that…" Ishito trailed as he took out three slips of paper before giving it to each of them.

Souei could only stare wide eyed as he recognized the papers. His aunt once told him about them after all. Chakra papers that tell a person of their elemental affinity.

Ishito noticed Souei's look and acknowledged it. "Seems like some of you already know what this is. These chakra papers will help you in determining your nature affinities." He said. "Knowing them will be useful in preparation for when you eventually learn some Ninjutsu."

"How do they work?" Rasa asked curiously as he studied the piece of paper in his hand.

In response, Ishito took one paper for himself before applying his chakra into it. The paper immediately lit itself on fire and started to burn. Souei noted how the edges of the paper turned to mud.

"If it's not already obvious, my elemental affinity is fire with a minor earth. Which means for me, learning fire transformation will be much easier than any others." The dual haired man explained before he nodded to the three. "Now stop wasting time and try yours."

The three genin immediately nodded and followed their sensei's request.

Rukia was first. Her chakra paper having been cut to three horizontal splits creating 4 equal pieces of the paper.

"Wind element. A pretty strong one at that. Well done." Ishito praised. "The Hidden Sand is known for our superior wind techniques so you should have a pretty good repertoire of skills once you learn nature transformation."

"Thank you, sensei!" Rukia said, a wide smile on her face.

Souei was next, with his paper burning for a few seconds before crumbling into dirt.

"Well, what do you know? The same affinities as me." Their sensei commented with a raised eyebrow. "Earth and fire. A pretty deadly combination, especially if we take your Thread Release into account."

Souei just grinned, satisfied and eager.

Rasa was the last to have his paper react. His paper was split right down the middle, with one half crumbling into earth and the other soaked with water.

"Huh, now that's something you don't see everyday." Ishito noted with a stoic face.

Souei and Rukia had their jaws drop seeing Rasa's feat. Rasa himself could only blink as he studied the now used chakra paper.

"Three natural elements, very rare indeed."

"What does this mean, sensei?" Rasa questioned.

"Nothing much, just that you have the potential to be a Ninjutsu monster." The older man shrugged. "All of you seem to have something we could work with, but all that's just a reference for later. Now let's get to work. Start on your warmups and then we can begin."

"Yes, Sensei!" The three said in unison as they prepared themselves for the day of training.

— Marionette of Suna —

"Remind me to up your stamina training." Ishito said as he looked at the prone forms of his three students. Souei, Rukia, and Rasa laid on the ground, tired and panting while he stood above them. The three couldn't even stifle a proper response. "In any case, get up. That concludes warmups."

'Only a sadist like you would say a hundred pushups and sit ups along with a ten kilometer run a warmup.' thought the prone form of Souei somewhat bitterly as he tried his best to stand.

"Now then, time for team training, specifically chakra control. Are all of you familiar with the Tree Climbing Exercise?" Ishito asked. For the past week they have focused more on team formations. It's time to differentiate the training for the day.

Seeing all three of them nod, Ishito jerked his head towards the nearby trees in the training field. "Then get to it."

All three Genin immediately followed his instructions, rushing up their individual trees as quickly as they could. Rasa had to visibly concentrate to stick his feet on the trees while Souei and Rukia did it effortlessly.

'As I suspected. Looks like Souei and Rukia are better in control compared to Rasa.'

Ishito nodded seeing their actions. "Keep at it, do a few laps around the trees to get used to moving while doing it."

The three immediately did just that. They circled the tree and even walked it up and down a few times.

'Hmm, looks like it's still a little too easy for them. Might as well spice things up.' He thought with a small rare predatory smirk on his face. After all, He was forced into this job by the Kazekage so might as well have fun doing it.

He fingered a kunai before throwing it to his female student. Rukia yelped as she dodged it by jumping to the side, she barely managed to restick herself to the tree after landing.

"What the hell sensei?!"

Another kunai followed that forced her to duck. More and more kunai then went flying towards his other two students that forced them to hop, jump, and dodge as they tried their best not to slip.

"Consider this extra incentive. The objective today is to keep sticking to the tree and not die."

His sentence was only followed by screams of shock and surprise. He's pretty sure he's heard a cry of 'Demon sensei!' somewhere but he ignored it. He just kept on with his job in throwing deadly projectiles towards his Genin.

10 minutes later, Rasa was the first to drop as he slipped on his tree, not managing to output enough chakra in his exhausted state, and fell back to the ground. Souei followed him next and Rukia survived the longest. What he didn't expect for sure was for them to last that long.

All three once again found themselves laying on the ground in exhaustion as they tried their best to get as much air as they possibly could into their lungs.

Acknowledging their hard work, Ishito allowed them this small reprieve. But he soon cut that break short when it's time to continue their training.

"All right then, break's over. Time for individual training." He announced which forced the three genin to get up once again.

Ishito then quickly did some hand signs before two mud clones appeared beside him. "For today, I will be personally working with Souei while Rasa and Rukia work with the clones."

The three nodded in understanding before the two clones led Rasa and Rukia to someplace else in the training grounds while Ishito and Souei stayed put.

"What will we be working on today, sensei?"

"Let's polish up on what you could do with your Bloodline." Ishito started. "Have you made any progress on the thing we've been working on the past week?"

"Yep! Check this out!" Souei exclaimed. He then jumped up high, but instead of him dropping back to the ground like Ishito believed he would, Souei seemingly stopped himself in midair, his legs bending as if touching some invisible force. The Jonin's keen eyes managed to see thin strings beneath his student's feet, holding him up as a foothold.

"And that's not all!"

Souei then whipped out his hand as he began to swing himself around the field. Strings connecting to trees, tall rocks, and other objects originating from his fingers allowing him to maneuver around in the air. He kept at it before landing directly in front of Ishito.

"So, what do you think?"

"It is indeed impressive. That type of mobility will serve you well in the field. For now, try your best to polish it." Ishito continued. "You will run a course around the training field with your strings. While you do so, Mukade will be chasing you while I try my best to catch you with shuriken and kunai."

Souei looked at him in shock before he shook his head in resignation. "You're a damn sadist, sensei."

"Less complaining and more working." Ishito said before Mukade moved into action.

Souei immediately conjured his strings as they pulled him to the side to dodge the quick attack from the puppet. He continued to summon strings that latched onto nearby environments and tried his best to keep ahead of the 8 foot centipede.

A swooshing sound caught his attention as he looked at his sensei accurately throwing projectile after projectile, forcing him to do a series of twists and flips to prevent getting skewered.

'How in god's name is he able to do that? He should be occupied with controlling Mukade but he's still able to throw kunai so accurately?' thought Souei in slight awe and confusion.

This small distraction was a mistake however, as a well aimed kunai managed to cut through his string and caused him to crash unceremoniously to the ground.

Ishito shook his head at that as Mukade came back to his side. "Don't get easily distracted, Souei. During a fight, it could mean life and death."

"Ugh. Sorry, sensei. Won't happen again." His student apologized. "Let's go again."

Ishito nodded before sending his puppet forwards, initiating the start of the exercise.

— Marionette of Suna —

"So what are we gonna do today sensei?"

Rukia asked in curiosity as they stood in a separate area of the training ground. One of Ishito sensei's clones led her here for individual training and she's curious what they'll do today.

"I was planning to give you a headstart on Ninjutsu." his sensei explained.

Rukia just nodded at that. Honestly, nature transformation is one of her specialties. Specifically, changing her chakra to wind nature. Her family told her how she's supposed to be prodigious in this field and it was apparently true. She already has a few Wind Style ninjutsu under her belt, although basic and not powerful ones. Her only weakness lies in the fact that the amount of chakra she has is relatively low in comparison to kids her age.

Her sensei just raised an eyebrow at her response, or lack thereof. He half expected her to at least show some excitement, considering her personality.

"My family already started me on nature transformation. So this isn't exactly new to me, although there is something I've been working on."

"And what's that?" Ishito sensei asked.

"It's just something I noticed with my sensory ability…"She started slowly. "I kind of feel like there's…more? I'm not sure what the right word is but like sometimes I can feel everything around me but other times it gets limited."

Her sensei hummed in thought at that. "Have there been specific variables when these things happen? Like a certain place that affected it or did your chakra feel different in any way?"

"Yeah, actually now that I think about it." She replied. "Every time it gets extra windy in the village, my senses sort of expand. It's like I can see shapes of buildings and feel the people walking around me. The range extended too."

"I see. Then it looks like your sensory technique isn't as simple as you initially realize. You told me during our first session that you had a 'connection' with the wind. Isn't that right?"

Rukia just nodded, not knowing where this was going.

"Then it seems to me that this connection of yours is what allows you to perceive your surroundings. Your sensory technique derives from the wind itself." Ishito explained.

Rukia had wide eyes as she listened to her sensei's words. It certainly made sense at least.

"I've never heard of shinobi using their elements to sense the world around them, so I believe you're a unique case." Mud clone Ishito trailed off. "Wanna test that theory?"

Rukia grinned as she bobbed her head up and down.

"Alright, Try sensing now. What do you feel?"

Rukia closed her eyes as she sensed the world around her. She could feel her sensei a few feet away, small obscure shapes to her right that could only be an outcropping of rocks, and a cluster of trees to the side.

Clone Ishito then used a small Wind Style technique that created a small breeze in the area.

Immediately, she could tell the difference. At first, things were wobbly, which she assumed was due to the wind being encased in Ishito sensei's chakra. After focusing a little bit more, the previously obscure shapes became much clearer and outlines of the world started to form in her mind's eye.

She then woke up with a gasp as she visibly sweat from the small strain.

"It worked! Sensei, you were right! It was the wind!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Her sensei just nodded without a change in expression. "Good, and with your elemental affinity being wind itself, this will definitely grow to be a powerful skill for you. Let's keep practicing."

"Yes sir!"

— Marionette of Suna —

Rasa had his arms crossed as he and Ishito Sensei's clone stood facing each other in a separate area of the training ground.

"What're we doing this time?" The auburn haired genin asked with a raised eyebrow. For the first few days of training, his sensei had asked him to focus more on his magnet release. Since the Gold Dust gives him major versatility to play support and ranged roles within the team. More recently however, they've been focusing on covering his obvious weaknesses in close range combat, with Ishito Sensei helping him find a suitable fighting style and helping him integrate with it through daily spars.

"Same thing as yesterday. You're still a little lacking in your taijutsu compared to your teammates, and although you mostly fulfill the long range support role in the team formations, we still have to keep you up to par." Ishito commented.

The genin just nodded as if expecting it. Rasa then went into the taijutsu stance his sensei had given him, a style that focuses on defense with emphasis on countering attacks with heavier punches and staying your ground.

Clone Ishito stood unmoving for a second as he studied his student's stance and posture before rushing towards him.

Rasa managed to block the first strike by parrying it to the side and countered with a right kick that his sensei blocked with his forearm. Rasa immediately spun and dropped down to give a sweeping kick with the same leg. His sensei just lifted his front leg and extended it, catching Rasa right at the face.

He flew a few meters before righting himself in the air. 'Tch!' Rasa scowled as he wiped the blood on the edge of his mouth, before rushing back towards his sensei.

A swift bout of taijutsu then commenced between Student and Teacher. Fists were thrown and parried aided with jumps and dodges that both fighters threw against each other. Rasa himself was trying his best to at least land a hit, but his teacher was proving his experience by foiling every attempt Rasa made. The fact that this is also just a clone is both quite a blow to his pride and a testament to just how skilled Ishito Sensei really is.

It didn't take long for him to make a mistake mid swing and found himself slammed to the sands below with his face looking up into the sky.

"Congratulations, you lasted much longer that time."

Rasa's groan was the only response he gave to his teacher. 'This is gonna be a long day.'

—————————————————————————————————————————

Hey folks!

A pure training chapter where we discover a few potential paths each genin could take for the future. Rasa was an established Kage back in canon times, but the fact that we know very little about his capabilities gives me much more wiggle room in regards to his character.

Next chapter, we're heading straight to the C-Ranks.

I know it seems slow right now, but I wanna properly establish the characters and Sunagakure properly so they actually have depth to them. We rarely get to see actions and concepts from the different villages in canon and I wanna explore more towards the culture in the Hidden Sand before we get to the good stuff.

Don't worry though, the fun things are coming soon.

For advanced chapters, Head on to my pat_reon page! Depending on the tier, you could get between 4 or 10 chapters ahead along with a few other benefits.

P_atr_eon.com.com/TeemVizzle

(Remove the spaces)

Anyways, that's all for today.

Cheers!

Trivia: Aside from Konoha, which other Hidden Village would you rather be born in?