Chapter 47
"So, any thoughts on strategy?" I asked, my face showing genuine interest.
"All of us rush her at once and beat her down!" Kiba, in his usual "straightforward and aggressive" style, proposed enthusiastically.
"Strangely enough… No, not even that! This is outright wild, but for the first time, I actually agree with you, Inuzuka," Sasuke said, supporting Kiba's idea.
My eyebrow twitched.
"Explain."
"Why bother?" Inuzuka looked at me, honestly confused.
I slammed my forehead into the desk with full force—only to hear the exact same impact sound from Sasuke's side. Kiba, one of these days, you're going to drive me to sin... yep, gluttony.
"Ugh…" I glanced at the noticeable dent in the desk. The "Ram Status" is terrifying. My forehead's indestructible! I wondered, Which is stronger—my fists or my head?
"We should probably move to another desk," Sasuke suggested after following my gaze.
A reasonable thought. Even Kiba, impressed, acknowledged it, and we relocated almost instantly.
"Back to the plan… explain your reasoning," I sighed, directing my words more toward Sasuke than Inuzuka.
"It's our best chance. A drawn-out fight is doomed to fail. Splitting up means immediate defeat—a genjutsu master won't miss that opportunity. Outsmarting her with tactics? Not even funny."
"Fair point," I admitted, recalling Kurenai's stats. All of us together might actually do something. At least, if we looked at pure stats without taking skills into account. I had a sneaking suspicion that without an upgraded Observation skill, I couldn't see all of her abilities. After all, a jōnin's strength isn't a joke.
Yūhi Kurenai
HP: 3,315
Chakra: 7,991
Chakra Control: 619
Level: 46
EXP: 2,392 / 46,000
Class: Genjutsu Master (Unlucky)
Stats:
Strength: 418
Agility: 704
Speed: 377
Endurance: 352
Intelligence: 294
Wisdom: 312
Luck: 45
Her stats weren't overwhelming, but the Wisdom stat spoke volumes. The Luck stat, though, was hilarious. If I could bet on just that, I'd win blindfolded. The fact that her HP was lower than her Endurance hinted at some kind of debuff, though I couldn't see what it was.
The Chakra, Agility, and Speed stats put us at a disadvantage. And this was just her stats as a Genjutsu Master—if she trained her Taijutsu more, I wouldn't want to spar with her. On the bright side, her chakra pool wasn't that huge—around the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin, or a strong Chūnin. Then again, as a Genjutsu Master, she didn't need a massive chakra pool or overwhelming physical power. She was strong even without them.
Now, let's compare her stats with my teammates' raw numbers.
Kiba Inuzuka
HP: 2,080
Chakra: 3,101
Chakra Control: 322
Level: 18
EXP: 221 / 18,000
Class: Scout/Genin
Stats:
Strength: 131
Agility: 159
Speed: 293
Endurance: 198
Intelligence: 45
Luck: 56
Ignoring skills, since I can't see all of Kurenai's anyway, his Endurance vs. HP mismatch made sense—Inuzuka have a passive +100 HP bonus due to their beastly nature, along with a small speed boost. They're slightly tougher than normal people, but just slightly.
His mother, being an Alpha, had way better bonuses, but for a Genin, Kiba was strong—clan perks, after all. For comparison, some clanless Genin barely had one stat above 100 after graduating from the Academy.
Looking at his Speed, I felt a twinge of envy. Intelligence and Luck, though? Eh, he manages. I accept him as he is.
---
And now for the "Sharp-Eyed Brat". Though, to be fair, he's not that bad… habit's just stuck.
Sasuke Uchiha
HP: 2,620
Chakra: 5,892
Chakra Control: 490
Level: 22
EXP: 1,282 / 22,000
Class: Rogue/Genin
Stats:
Strength: 374
Agility: 312
Speed: 141
Endurance: 131
Intelligence: 94
Luck: 85
Charisma: 186
His class was hilariously accurate. He really felt like a D&D-style Rogue—or a Thief, if built for damage.
His Endurance was low due to the Uchiha Clan's natural downside—they tire quickly and have a hard time training stamina. However, thanks to Indra's status, his HP was doubled.
His Strength got free points just for existing—clan bonus + Indra's reincarnation. Unfair!
His Speed bonuses were laughable—+5 from each status, barely worth mentioning. Agility came from his clan only, meaning Indra either sucked at dodging or didn't care.
His Intelligence and Luck were fully his own, with no external boosts.
And then there was Chakra—+2,000 from Indra, +100 to Control from the same source. Meanwhile, I started with a negative modifier. Pain.
His Charisma was also frustrating. Why? Well, I already had my own social problems, but I could still charm people with speechcraft—which Sasuke sorely lacked.
Looking at these numbers, our plan might actually work. Together, we outmatched Kurenai's Strength and Endurance combined. And Luck—even Kiba's was higher than hers.
"A sudden transition into close combat might actually succeed. But this strategy is too easy to predict, meaning she'll likely expect it and have a counter ready. No, scratch that—she will expect it. After that, it all comes down to luck and team coordination."
"Pfft."
That was my reaction to "team coordination."
"I agree," Sasuke said. "At best, we have a 5% chance of success—and that's me being optimistic. Any other approach gives us less than 1%."
…How?!? Do the Uchiha really have their own language of "hmphs" and "pffs"? I barely reacted, yet he practically read my mind and gave a full explanation. If he starts communicating like this too, I'm out.
"Fine, let's go with that. We won't come up with anything better," I sighed. "I suggest we check out the training ground, scout the terrain, and practice team coordination a bit."
"I agree," Sasuke nodded. +5 Reputation with Sasuke.
"And I was hoping for a day off…" Kiba groaned but still accepted the necessity.