Chapter 103: Day One... Done

"Alright! Just a few more, then we're done for today! Come on, you can do it!"

Walking up and down the rows, I took in the appearances of the sweat drenched children, making note of who needed to improve their stamina.

Which, sadly, included all the girls beside Ami and Fumi; those two were still at it, with the little Anbu wannabe still smirking as she jabbed and kicked at the air.

As for the boys, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba Inuzuka, Neji Hyuga, and surprisingly, Choji Akimichi were still doing pretty damn good; the Akimichi was slowing down, but his stamina was near boundless; although he was sweating, his movements were still fluid and clean, whereas everyone else was slowly creating mistakes in each jab, kick, or movement of their feet.

However, I was proud of all of them; they managed to get through hellish day one, and I would ease up on the training from here on out, getting deeper into technique rather than brute force and endless stamina.

They were good things to have, but just because you could hit hard or hit a lot, if you couldn't land those hits it didn't matter.

Iruka-Sensei was nodding as he looked over the students, before his head snapped towards the Academy.

Hearing the bell ring, all the students dropped to the ground, panting.

"Alright, really, good job today; this was a test on its own, and everyone passed with flying colors. From here on out, we focus on refining your techniques instead, before eventually setting you up with spars. Once you have an understanding of fighting with just your body, then, and only then, will I permit training with weapons. However... that's all for today! You're free to go!"

Everyone staggered up, and as they stumbled towards the Academy building, I grinned as I moved forwards, plucking Naruto and Sasuke from the group.

"Not you two~! You both have something you need to do before you can leave!"

Naruto groaned and slumped in my grasp, surrendering to me, while Sasuke glared at me, only to shiver as I grinned at him.

Dragging them over to the clearing, I tossed them unceremoniously onto the dirt, watching as the two glared at one another before getting onto their hands and knees, plucking the weeds from the ground.

They seemed to be too exhausted from the class to do anything to one another, so we wrapped up rather swiftly.

Standing before me, with arms coated in dirt, I crouched in front of them and said "Listen, I don't care if you dislike one another, but if you start fighting randomly during class again, I will continue to punish you. And they will only get worse. So, behave. I hate many people, but you won't see me going around hitting them because I dislike them a lot. If the whole source of your dislike for one another is strenght based, then train your asses off, because in a month or so, you will be sparing with one another. Alright?"

They glanced at one another, a spark in their eyes at that last bit.

""Yes Kokoro-Sensei!""

Nodding, I got up and gestured towards the Academy, saying "Then scram. Go get washed up, and rest. See you both tomorrow."

Watching the boys scurry away as best they could, I chuckled before following behind them, making my way into Kurenai's room.

My raven haired wife was scribbling down notes, sitting at her desk, which had a previous use this morning...

Hearing me enter, she smiled at me before finishing her writing, getting up a moment later.

Walking over to me, she slid her arm around my waist and asked "So, how was the first day? Did you like the girls?"

Leaning into her embrace, I nodded, saying "Yeah, I did. Each of them was unique, and seemed like fun kids to teach. I also... I also found myself in a few of them, so..."

Kurenai paused, her lips pursed as she stared at me.

"You were seeing what your children might end up being, weren't you? I did that in my first year, wondering which of the kids I taught might end up being like my own child, whenever I gave birth to them..."

I took a deep breath, my hand going down to my stomach.

"Kurenai... I think-"

~~~

Anko PoV

Sitting at the kitchen table, I stared at Cameia across from me, the tall woman draining her bowl of soup in a matter of seconds.

"How the hells did you manage to not only block that Nukenin's blade, but also use their body AS A shield moments later? There wasn't even a half second between those two events!"

I was flabbergasted by this woman Kokoro had picked up; she was incredible, scarily so sometimes.

We had taken a B Ranked Mission, and since Lord Third knew that Cameia was so strong, he signed off on it without hesitation.

It had been a simple hunt of Nukenin from Takigakure, and we had tracked them down quite easily.

However, these were no Genin; they were Special Jonin Level, and if I had been on my own, I would have died.

They set multiple traps, and while I had avoided most, I had accidentally activated one; Cameia had saved me, blocked the Taki Shinobi's blade as it swung for my neck, and then used that Shinobi to block a barrage of wind bullets, shredding the poor mans back.

Then she had tossed the now dead Shinobi towards the other one, surprising her, before disappearing and reappearing behind the woman, her hand piercing her chest and ripping out her heart.

Cameia had been efficient and quiet, which frightened me, but...

Damn was I glad she was on our side.

Adding 144,000 Ryo to the Mitarashi Account, I was prepared for a day or two of rest before delving back into missions, wanting to get rid of this debt before slowing down and truly relaxing.

However, as I glanced outside I sighed again, my eyes falling on the few dilapidated extra houses as well as the Greenhouse, which I knew Kokoro wanted to get patched up soon.

Then there was the costs of maintaining all this...

Leaning into my chair, I watched as Cameia finished her bowl of soup, before Makoto refilled her bowl, a small smile on her face.

Letting out another sigh, I leaned on the table, my mind going numb from all this thinking.

If it wasn't because Kokoro seemed to really like this place, I would have never decided to claim this giant pile of unending payments...

However, the happiness in her eyes as we had toured the property made each Ryo worth it, and I knew that we would need the space for the future.

Staring out the window, I watched as the sun started to set, signifying the return of my wife.

Closing my eyes, I drifted off to sleep, knowing that she would take a while to get home; she always had something else she needed to do...