Chapter 29: Exercise

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Early chapters: patreon.com/Reborn_noob

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"Haha, this little guy is quite interesting!" In the Senju clan's territory, Mito chuckled as she perused a newly delivered stack of reports. "I hope Nawaki can appreciate our painstaking efforts." The documents detailed Nawaki's training progress.

Mito was deeply satisfied with Nawaki's transformation over the past few months.

She had long worried about his impulsive nature, fearing it would lead to his demise at the hands of unscrupulous individuals. 

But she and Tsunade, both women, had been too soft to effectively address Nawaki's flaws.

She noted Nawaki's newfound calmness, though his talkativeness had diminished. Tsunade, misinterpreting this, suspected Yuta of mistreating her brother and had repeatedly tried to confront him, only to be stopped by Mito.

"Bang!" Tsunade entered, her dejected expression prompting a smile from Mito. "So, are you convinced now? Oh, what a pity! It would have been wonderful if you had married Yuta!"

Tsunade, lost in thought about her past handling of Nawaki, flushed slightly at her grandmother's teasing. Despite her usual carefree attitude, she felt a pang of embarrassment.

Composing herself, Tsunade sat opposite Mito. "Grandma, do you think I've failed as a sister? Nawaki seems so different now."

"Haha, not just you, but this old woman too. We were both negligent. Nawaki has been with us for so long, deeply influenced by us." Mito chuckled softly. "Especially you, Tsunade, as his constant companion. Without realizing it, Nawaki's personality gradually mirrored yours. After all, we are women; we don't inherently know how to mold a capable clan leader."

Mito saw Tsunade's downcast expression and offered a comforting smile.

She also felt a pang of sympathy for her granddaughter. Since Tsunade's adulthood, Mito herself had aged, her energy consumed by suppressing the Nine-Tails, causing her to fade from public life.

Before Tsunade's prime, she had been the Senju clan's pillar. She had not disappointed her kin. 

By twenty, she was already one of Konoha's most skilled medical-nin and possessed formidable combat prowess.

"Grandma! Sister! I'm back!" Nawaki's voice echoed from outside.

Seeing Nawaki, sweaty and tired, Tsunade rushed to check on him.

Nawaki, noticing his sister's concern, felt a warmth spread through him. He had longed for Yuta's attention recently, but Yuta had consistently ignored him.

Assured of his well-being, Tsunade let him bathe. After dinner, Nawaki fell into a deep sleep.

The following day after school, Nawaki trained with Yuta and his three young sons as usual. He could now barely keep pace with Ganta and the others.

His progress was due to his own hard work but also to Yuta's subtle inclusion of him within the bead's influence during training. (TN: Do not worry, this is just a very minor boost.)

Without it, Nawaki wouldn't have achieved such gains in mere months.

"Alright, no basic training today. And Nawaki, come here too."

Yuta's call stopped Nawaki, who was about to move to the side for individual practice.

Nawaki was stunned. He had thought Yuta had given up on him. The talent gap between him and Ganta's group was immense. 

Only the pride of the Senju clan had kept him from quitting.

Seeing Nawaki's hesitation, Yuta smiled. "What? Not coming over?"

Nawaki nodded eagerly. 'Sensei finally acknowledges me. My efforts weren't wasted.'

Yuta, observing Nawaki's excitement, turned to his three sons.

"Today, we'll conduct a simulation exercise," Yuta announced to the four boys. "I'll create several shadow clones as your opponents. This is your chance to demonstrate your strength. Your performance will determine your future training. Now, prepare yourselves."

Nawaki, Ganta, Jiro and Yuto lay in ambush in the woods, their gazes fixed on the path ahead.

The sun hadn't yet dipped below the horizon, but a cool chill permeated the training grounds. Nawaki and his companions remained still amidst the foliage. Despite the discomfort, none dared to make a premature move.

They were ninjas now. They wouldn't be easily defeated in their first engagement. 

Only those who could endure this physical and mental strain, this test of will, would become truly strong.

Suddenly, Yuto, whose hearing was the keenest among the four, detected a faint sound from the path below. He subtly turned his head, his eyes signaling Ganta and Jiro to prepare. 

Nawaki also caught the sound. Ganta, Jiro, and Yuto focused on the path. Four dark figures appeared, walking uphill, gradually growing larger as they ascended.

For this practical combat drill, Yuta had created four shadow clones, a standard team composition of one larger figure and three smaller ones.

The young ninjas watched the approaching enemy intently. The clones moved swiftly, closing the distance. When they were a mere ten meters from Nawaki and his team, the ambush commenced! With a quick hand signal, Nawaki sprang forward, launching the initial attack on the lead clone.

Yuta, deliberately suppressing his shadow clone's sensory abilities, was caught off guard by Nawaki's sudden assault and barely managed to block the initial flurry of attacks.

However, Nawaki, having meticulously planned the ambush, wouldn't relinquish the initiative. A successful ambush meant seizing the advantage, and he pressed his attack with renewed vigor.

Yet, Yuta's shadow clone possessed the base strength of a genin and easily evaded Nawaki's strikes, a swift backhanded kick forcing Nawaki to retreat.

Seeing the ambush compromised, Nawaki drew a kunai and hurled it at Yuta's shadow clone. Simultaneously, another kunai appeared in his hand, and he charged forward.

Though the shadow clone only held genin-level strength, it possessed Yuta's combat experience. 

It dodged the thrown kunai with a lean, using its own kunai to parry Nawaki's rush before delivering a kick that sent Nawaki tumbling backward.

Meanwhile, Ganta and his companions faced the remaining three shadow clones, each also possessing genin-level abilities.

Unlike Nawaki, Ganta didn't engage in cautious maneuvering. He charged head-on. 

While the initial ambush had briefly disoriented the clones, the second direct confrontation resulted in Ganta being knocked back by the shadow clone's counterattack.

Jiro had preemptively summoned two shadow clones of his own. These clones rained kunai and shuriken through the trees, creating a diversion that Jiro exploited to eliminate one opponent with his katana.

Following his successful strike, Jiro decisively disengaged, glancing back at Nawaki and Ganta's struggle. "Don't fight with brute force; move freely! Focus on cooperating!" he called out before rushing towards the last remaining shadow clone.

As for Yuto, he remained concealed in the undergrowth, patiently awaiting an opportunity for a decisive strike. 

This was why Jiro had taken the initiative to engage the final shadow clone, drawing its attention.

After engaging the last enemy, Jiro cast another quick glance at Ganta and Nawaki.

'Those two idiots... oh, really-' Jiro cursed inwardly. 'I just hope their recklessness can buy us a little more time. We'll save them once we've dealt with our targets here!'

This time, the opponent was alert. 

Jiro was forced into a fighting retreat, gradually luring the battle towards the edge of the forest, closer and closer to Yuto's hidden position.