Next Morning — Training Ground 40, Hidden Leaf Village
In the same small grove where Naruto once trained his Rasengan, Akio stood with his hands behind his back, balancing effortlessly on a thin branch barely thicker than a twig, hovering about three meters above the ground.
Ten minutes passed.
"Sai, you finished yet?"
A pale boy with black hair and dark eyes nodded calmly and turned the scroll toward him.
Akio hopped down with a light, almost weightless motion and examined the portrait closely.
"…Not bad. You've captured about half my good looks."
He paused, then frowned. "Think you could add some color? Black-and-white doesn't really do me justice."
Sai smiled politely. "I specialize in ink-style painting, sir."
Akio blinked. He didn't know much about art was ink painting really just black and white?
"…Then next time, try some colored ink."
Sai paused, then nodded as if enlightened. "Thank you for the guidance."
Akio gave a small cough. "Right. No need to thank me. I'm your instructor now, guiding your training is part of the job."
This was Akio's third day leading Team 11. Aside from Toneri, he'd already gotten a decent read on the other two.
Sai was the weakest in raw strength, but by far the easiest to work with. Without Danzo's influence, he was kind, well-mannered, and always wore a gentle smile. He naturally held the team together.
Toneri, on the other hand, was the strongest. His personality wasn't bad, just a bit distant unless it involved someone he cared about. Probably that Otsutsuki pride showing through.
Akio had barely trained him since bringing him down from the moon, yet at only thirteen, Toneri already had the strength of a Special Jonin roughly comparable to Naruto when using Nine-Tails chakra.
Unfortunately, Naruto's version only lasted about three seconds.
That gap still mattered.
Then there was Uchiha Hoshino.
Akio's instincts had been right; she was interesting.
Up close, it was obvious she was a girl. Once you knew that, her sharp features came across as more striking than boyish. Not traditionally cute, but definitely eye-catching.
Personality-wise, she was quiet, a bit shy, and didn't speak much. Easy to overlook.
But that was misleading.
She was absolutely relentless when it came to training.
Not in the over-the-top way of someone like Rock Lee, no dramatic shouting or exaggerated effort. Instead, she used every spare second. Every moment. Every tiny opportunity.
During their first meeting, Akio noticed something odd; she was sitting on the steps… but not quite. There was the tiniest gap between her and the surface.
At first, he thought she was intimidated by him.
He even told her to relax and sit properly.
Two seconds later, she lifted herself again.
That's when it clicked.
She wasn't nervous.
She was training, constantly engaging her muscles, even while "resting."
For a moment, Akio had wondered if it was something medical… but no. This girl had simply turned daily life into a training routine.
And it worked.
Even without Sasuke's talent or Naruto's advantages, her dedication had pushed her close to their level. Fourth in her class was well-earned.
Akio rolled up Sai's portrait and tucked it into his sleeve, then turned toward the sound of rapid impacts nearby.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Toneri and Hoshino were sparring in taijutsu.
Toneri used a variation of the Gentle Fist, similar to the Hyuga clan, but refined in its own way. His pale blue eyes could pinpoint chakra points with precision, making close combat his strongest area.
Under Akio's direction, he'd been "feeding" Hoshino techniques over the past two days.
After all, sparring wasn't just about winning, it was about improving together.
Sai's training was different. For him, practice meant drawing. The more accurate and lifelike his art, the stronger his techniques became when infused with chakra.
As for D-rank missions?
They could wait.
Akio only had three months with this team. He wasn't going to waste that time on chores like planting trees or weeding fields.
The rhythm of blows suddenly intensified then stopped.
Akio turned just in time to see Hoshino collapse to the ground, unable to move.
Toneri had struck her chakra points.
Toneri exhaled and looked toward Akio, waiting for feedback.
Akio's expression darkened.
"How many times do I have to remind you? What do you do after sparring?"
Toneri froze, then hurried over to release Hoshino's pressure points, helping her up. The two formed a reconciliation hand sign.
Only then did Akio nod.
"You're teammates. This is friendly sparring, not a real fight. No hard feelings."
He paused.
"Yeah, the hand sign is kind of old-school… but it matters."
"I understand, sir," Toneri replied.
Akio glanced at Hoshino.
She was already back at it, standing on her toes, channeling chakra into her feet, working on balance and lower-leg strength.
"…This kid."
Akio shook his head.
Once she entered training mode, it was like the rest of the world didn't exist.
There was only one reliable way to snap her out of it.
"It's getting late. Time to eat."
Hoshino immediately dropped back to the ground and stared straight at him.
Her eyes were intense.
Training burned a lot of energy and she was absolutely a foodie.
Akio smirked. "Looks like it's about noon. My treat"
SCREEEE!
A sharp cry cut through the sky.
Akio looked up instinctively and flicked his hand. A blade of wind shot upward.
Feathers scattered.
A hawk tumbled from the sky.
He scratched his head. "Huh. Been a while since I've done that. Still got it."
He caught the falling bird midair.
"Lunch… roasted hawk, maybe? Never tried it before. Think it tastes good?"
"…Sir, I think that's a village messenger hawk," Sai said carefully.
Akio froze.
He looked down.
Sure enough, a scroll was tied to its leg now half-cut by his wind blade.
"…From the Sand Village? Something about coordinating the Chunin Exams?"
He hesitated.
"…Eating this might be a bit much."
With a sigh, he activated medical ninjutsu. The hawk quickly recovered.
"The scroll's already damaged. Who knows what it said. And Obito's not exactly a genius, no need to make things harder for him."
Akio raised an eyebrow, then swapped the scroll for Sai's portrait of himself.
"Here. Much better."
He tied it to the hawk's leg and released it.
"Off you go."