Chapter12

I greeted the morning in a wonderful mood. Yesterday's team assignments turned out quite well for me. In my team, there are two girls from clans with interesting techniques. Of course, they won't tell me their secrets, but I can try to understand them. Today, we begin active training to fulfill the captain's mission: becoming chunin at the next exam.

The weather today promises to be as good as yesterday. The sky is without a trace of gray. The sun, coloring everything around in warm golden hues, slowly rises above the horizon, heralding a new day. Rare fluffy clouds float somewhere in the azure depths of the sky, ignoring the world below. Their snow-white forms seem so weightless and free, as if they are truly indifferent to all earthly worries. Sometimes, against their backdrop, birds flicker—either in pairs or alone in the air. They are either in a hurry somewhere or simply playing with each other, enjoying the early morning.

Father and mother had to get up early today because of some matters, probably related to an upcoming festive event. As I walked across the creaking wooden floor, a faint aroma of freshly baked bread enveloped me. As far as I remember, there is supposed to be a celebration in the village today, or was it something else? The morning sun's upper rays penetrated the room through the curtains, illuminating the old wooden table in the center of the room. Yes, I don't remember all our holidays, but it seems today's is special.

"Good morning," I greeted, yawning and stretching.

"Good morning, son," father replied. At that time, mother was busy in the kitchen and probably didn't hear me. "Are you ready for today?" he asked.

"Ready," I replied.

"You're already an adult," father began with a thoughtful expression on his face. "At your age, my father was already wondering when I would have a wife. So, Suzuki, when will you finally introduce us to your future partner in life?"

"Why not many wives?" I decided to clarify, hinting at something.

At that moment, mother stopped and slowly turned to me. She had a "kind smile" on her face. But for some reason, I felt as if someone was looking at me very disapprovingly. However, mother was looking not at me, but at father.

"Is this your influence? Did you tell him that? Yes?"

"Huh?" father asked and then calmly shook his head. "No, I didn't tell him anything like that. He decided it on his own."

Father responded a bit too quickly. I wonder if he made similar suggestions to others before he met my mother? It would be interesting to hear that story. But something tells me that now is not the time to figure this out, to avoid causing a quarrel. And I don't want to witness their disagreements.

"Suzuki, dear," mother addressed me. "Why do you need many wives? Isn't one enough? Women are like that... They will constantly demand something, try to take advantage of you. They are unlikely to cook for you... You know, they are not like they were in our time."

"Ahem," father cleared his throat. "Sorry, I choked on something."

"If you want, I can find you a beautiful, sweet, and calm girl," mother continued, glancing sideways at father. "Even if she's not a kunoichi, she knows a lot. She can take care of the children..."

"Thanks, mom," I replied. "But I'm not ready for that yet."

"Think about it, I have an acquaintance, Himari Kinko, her daughter Chiki is simply adorable," mother continued. "Yes, she's two years older than you, but such a beauty. Knows how to cook, keeps the house in order... And her smile is simply delightful."

"Alright, mom," I said, getting up from the chair. I no longer had any desire to participate in this conversation. "I have to go. Training awaits."

"What about breakfast?" she asked, slightly worried.

"I'm not hungry today," I replied, glancing at the clock. "I really need to go. See you in the evening!"

Leaving the house, I quickly jumped onto a tree and immediately dashed towards the training ground. No, I wasn't late, but I had no desire to listen to mother trying to set me up on dates with the daughters of her acquaintances. I haven't thought about the future in terms of relationships with girls yet. Honestly, I don't have much time for romantic dates right now. It would be nice to spend time with a girl, but as long as I'm still a genin, I have other priorities.

Reaching the training ground, I was surprised to find no one there. Neither sensei nor my teammates. They should be arriving soon. While waiting, I started doing simple physical exercises, so that when Captain Kyochi arrived, I could immediately start training.

The captain was the next to arrive. Seeing me, he nodded in satisfaction, indicating that I should continue. As I began doing push-ups, I felt him climb onto my back, saying:

"Let's make your training harder."

I thought that doing push-ups with extra weight was hard, but the captain seemed to weigh not sixty kilograms but much more. My muscles tensed, and I began to sweat. It was hard to lower myself and rise back up.

The first push-up was difficult, and by the second, my whole body started trembling from the effort. A simple warm-up turned into a real workout. I didn't think the captain could be so heavy.

At the moment when the planned training began, Ayamane and Shiko arrived. Both girls looked at me in surprise. The captain just smirked and got off me.

I collapsed to the ground with relief. It wasn't easy.

"Good morning, genin," he greeted us.

"Good morning, captain," we replied. I also greeted him, although it was difficult because I was trying to catch my breath.

"Well, you're late," the captain said, shaking his head disapprovingly. "This is the first and last time I forgive you for this. From now on, know that when I set a meeting time, you should arrive thirty minutes earlier. Understood?"

"Hai, captain," the girls responded. I just nodded, still trying to recover.

"Machine," he addressed me. "How are you feeling?"

"Trying to recover," I replied honestly. "Your gear is so heavy..."

"That's not gear," he shook his head and allowed a mocking smile to appear on his face. "Those are weights."

He lifted his pants leg to show a gray "sock" with strange blocks running from bottom to top. Each block had the word "guts" written on it. Then he lifted the other pants leg and showed the same "sock." It seemed that because of these weights, he was so heavy.

"Got it," I said, nodding in response.

"And since we're on the subject," the captain began, "I have some gifts for you."

He pulled out three more pairs of such socks with several empty pockets. Throwing them to us, he waited for our reaction. The girls did not show much reaction yet, not understanding what these weights were. I, knowing how they affect the body, can say that they can be very useful.

Putting them on, I secured them with some Velcro, which seemed to contain something like chakra. Seeing this, the girls followed my example. Then the captain gave each of us two blocks, and they turned out to be unexpectedly heavy.

Only now did Nara and Yamanaka begin to understand what awaited them in the near future. Yes, we will be wearing these weights for our training. And I am sure that when the captain realizes that we have adapted and no longer feel this weight, he will immediately increase it.

As soon as these additional two blocks were inserted into each sock, there was an immediate sensation of extra weight on the legs. The weight wasn't so critical that I couldn't move my legs, but everything became much harder.

"Excellent," the captain grinned contentedly when we all put on these blocks. "From now on, you are forbidden to take them off until I order otherwise."

We nodded in response. The captain allowed a smile to appear on his face.

"Now it's time for a warm-up."

And we started our warm-up with a run. Was it harder with the weights on our legs? Yes, it was. But I see this only as future potential and an opportunity to increase the amount of yang in my body.

When the warm-up ended, it could already be considered a full physical workout because the sensei, as it turned out, doesn't have half-measures, and he doesn't differentiate between a warm-up and a workout.

"What can I say," the sensei said, "you still have a lot of work to do, but trust me: I will make chunin out of you, no matter what it costs you."

For a moment, one could be scared, but then all this fear evaporated because there was an understanding: this is all for our good. If we have to work hard on this path, then why not?

"Now let's start our training," the captain said. "Don't relax. I hope you understand that a strong body is the foundation of any shinobi. After all, without a strong body, strong techniques cannot be created."

Overall, the training was not easy. At the same time, we practiced katas. With the weights, the difference in strength between us leveled out a bit, but not enough to call us equal. I was still stronger than Ayamane and Shiko, so it was easier for me. But it was also clear that they would make more progress in their strength growth than I would because at some point we would equalize.

By the end of these training sessions, the sun was high, and it was a perfect time for lunch. Giving us a chance to rest, the captain decided to give us some cards to study. These cards depicted different hand gestures. Under each gesture was a brief description, for example: "Silence," "Freeze," "Follow me," "Two enemies," "Traps," and many others.

"You must learn these gestures," Captain Kyochi said. "They will be very useful during our missions and in the future. Just so you know, all other gestures are built on the same principles."

We began to study these cards carefully, understanding their importance. We needed to memorize them as soon as possible, so we started doing it right away. The teacher took out a book and relaxed.

"You can meditate," he suggested, momentarily distracted from his book. "Or have lunch."

The girls didn't need to be asked twice and took out several small bento boxes with food they brought from home. I left home so quickly that I forgot my food. Well, I'll meditate. Maybe the sun's rays will be somewhat nourishing.

The smell of delicious food spread in all directions, and the aromas began to mix. The captain stood up, closed his book, and left, saying: "I'll be right back." Both Nara and Yamanaka had very delicious food, the smell of which reached me and reminded me that I didn't have any.

"Grrr," my stomach growled in a low bass, hinting to me that it would be nice to feed it. "Grrra."

Both girls heard this. They stopped eating and stared at me. Closing my eyes so as not to see their expressions, I began to prepare for meditation. Asking to share their lunch I consider below my dignity for now. And the girls themselves are under no obligation to share the food they brought. I'll eat when I get home—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In general, a light fasting is only my mistake, and no one else can bear responsibility for it except me.

Slowly immersing myself in meditation, I continued to ignore my stomach's hints. "You won't get anything now because I don't have any food. We'll endure."

"Finished your lunch?" the captain's voice inquired, pulling me out of meditation. The slight relaxation that came during it was going back somewhere.

"Hai," the girls replied.

"That's great," he nodded, then made several seals, and a clone appeared next to him. Only this clone seemed completely real, not illusory. It even emitted a slight pressure of chakra. I wonder what technique this is.

"Wow," Ayamane was surprised. It seemed she was familiar with this technique.

"So," the captain began, "now it's time for our next training. We will split into two groups. Nara and Yamanaka, you will go with my Shadow Clone. He will train you in movement techniques. I will work with Machine."

"Hai," the girls nodded.

"Follow me," said the clone. His voice was identical to the sensei's. Well, of course... it's a clone, not something else.

The girls went into the forest, and I was left alone with the captain. A light brown piece of paper appeared in his hand. He handed it to me. I turned it over on all sides but didn't see any text.

"What is this?" I was surprised.

"This paper determines the affinity to one of the shinobi elements," he replied calmly. "I know you have already started training in creating genjutsu, and we will work on that, but first, we need to study standard combat techniques."

"Understood," I nodded. "What should I do?"

"Channel your chakra into this paper, and we will find out everything," the captain shrugged.

I did as he told me. As soon as my chakra touched the paper, it simultaneously crumpled and tore into pieces at the place of crumpling. Each separate part of this paper began to rot, only to ignite and crumble into lumps of wet ash the next moment.

"Hmm," the captain said, rubbing his chin. "How strange. Try again."

He handed me another piece of paper. I infused it with chakra, and the same thing happened. The sensei watched my hand for a while, deeply thinking about something. After that, he nodded in agreement with his thoughts and said:

"Clear. It means you have equal affinity for all five elements."

"Is this good or bad?" I asked.

"It's good when you're already a jonin," he replied. "Then your power is much higher than other jonin without equal affinity for the elements. But in your case, when you are still a genin, you will have to spend five times more time to get all your elements to the same level. But don't worry, I'll make sure you master techniques of all five elements."

For a moment, I imagined myself as a huge mechanism with pipes shooting out techniques of five elements.

"As you probably know, the five elements are Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water. Each of them is stronger than one and weaker than another," Captain Kyochi began to explain. "For example, Fire is stronger than Wind but weaker than Water. However, there are moments when one element can be enhanced by certain methods. When techniques of equal strength are used, they cancel each other out. This is called Sosai or balancing. If techniques of the same element collide and one is stronger than the other, the stronger one absorbs the weaker one and increases its potential."

Much of what the captain just told me, I didn't know. For instance, I didn't know about the absorption of a weaker technique by a stronger one. I wonder how many more interesting moments are unknown to me.

"As you probably remember, I can use Earth, Fire, and Lightning," the captain continued, and I nodded as if saying: "Yes, I remember." "We will start with these, and by the time of the chunin exam, you will know at least two techniques from each of these elements."

"Wow," I said, feeling a shiver run down my spine. I would have to work hard, possibly more than the girls. But overall, I didn't mind. "I'm ready, sensei."

"I'm glad to hear that," he nodded. "Let's start with Earth because it's my strongest element. To start creating techniques, you need to feel this affinity with Earth. It won't be easy, but I think you will master something."

"I will work on it."

"Let me demonstrate a few Earth techniques to you," the captain said, ignoring my last words. He slowly made several seals, giving me the opportunity to remember them, "Earth Style: Mole Hiding Technique!"

The next moment, the captain sank into the ground and disappeared from sight. A small sandy hill appeared where he vanished. A few seconds later, the captain jumped out of the ground right behind me. I didn't have time to react, and he easily pushed me in the back.

Why "easily"? Because the push was very strong and even dangerous. I would have easily crashed into the ground and broken my skull. But… he held me, not letting me fall and hurt myself.

"Amazing," I said when I fully realized what he had done.

"This is the first technique you must learn before the chunin exam," he shrugged. "It's classified as a C-rank technique."

"Do techniques also have ranks?" I was surprised. Nothing about this was mentioned at the Academy, nor was it in any of the books I read.

"Yes," the captain nodded. "The ranking by strength and complexity is as follows: E-rank techniques are the easiest and weakest, followed by D-rank and C-rank techniques. Mastering any element at the level of B-rank techniques is already a solid tokubetsu-jonin or jonin. A-rank is the level of strong jonin. The highest rank is S-rank. The most difficult and the hardest."

"Got it," I nodded. "And academy techniques belong to which rank?"

"E-rank," the captain replied and continued. "But all this ranking is not something like the laws of nature. For example, in the hands of a jonin, a D-rank technique can easily overpower a B-rank technique. In general, all this is very relative."

"Captain, sorry if I'm asking too personal a question," I began, approaching the topic indirectly. "What is the strongest technique in your arsenal?"

"Heh," he smirked and put his finger to his lips. "That's a secret. And revealing your secrets... is not the best decision in any shinobi's life. Remember that."

"Understood," I nodded. "Sorry."

"No problem," the captain waved his hand. "You'll understand this better when you gain some experience. So... I have no reason to be angry with you."

I just lowered my head. The captain folded his hands in front of him and thought about something.

"First of all, you must learn to transform your chakra into the chakra of another element," he said. "Ordinary shinobi, who make up the majority, cannot transform their chakra into two elements simultaneously. For this, you need to have a special gene. But... you can train to transform it very quickly and without delay. How do you think... how can you learn to transform regular chakra into Earth Element chakra?"

"I don't know, captain," I replied. "Maybe by learning to feel what earth is like?"