The sound of cooking from the kitchen drifted into Hikaru's room, pulling him from sleep. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. Something nagged at the back of his mind—a feeling that he'd forgotten something important.
He replayed yesterday's events: the team test, finally working together, Hideaki-sensei's approval, the celebration at Ichiraku... Then it hit him. His hand dropped to his side as the realization struck—he'd completely forgotten to mention being under surveillance by someone to Hideaki-sensei.
His shoulders sagged as he remembered how excited he'd been after passing the test. In all that relief, this crucial detail had slipped away completely.
Hikaru rubbed his palm against his thigh as he stood, glancing at the clock. First day of official genin training—Hideaki-sensei had made it clear yesterday that punctuality wasn't optional.
After finishing breakfast, Hikaru made his way to Training Ground Eight. The practice posts and combat areas had become familiar after yesterday's team assessment.
The wooden log still bore fresh weapon marks from their test against Hideaki-sense. It was just a standard training area without memorial stones or deadly forests, but it had become meaningful to them—the place where Team 8 had finally proven they could work together.
He arrived to find Nobue already there, kneeling beneath a large oak tree in meditation. The Hyuga boy's pale eyes were closed, his breathing steady and controlled. Even in stillness, he projected the confidence typical of his clan.
"Good morning, Nobue-kun," Hikaru called out, not wanting to interrupt but feeling obligated to acknowledge his teammate.
Nobue's eyes opened slowly, fixing on Hikaru with his usual measuring gaze. "You're early."
"I try to be on time," Hikaru replied, settling his equipment bag near the tree. "Have you been here long?"
"Long enough." Nobue's pale eyes returned to their closed position as he resumed his meditation stance, clearly considering the conversation finished.
Before Hikaru could respond, the sound of approaching voices announced Hana's arrival. She jogged into the training ground with the three Haimaru brothers running alongside her, all four looking energetic despite the early hour.
"Morning, everyone!" Hana called out cheerfully, bouncing slightly on her feet as she stopped near her teammates. "Beautiful day for training, isn't it?"
The Haimaru brothers barked their agreement while sniffing curiously at both Hikaru and Nobue. Inuzuka clan partners were known for their intelligence—some even claimed the nin-ken could understand human speech as well as any person.
"Indeed," Nobue replied, standing up from his meditation position. "Though weather matters less than our dedication to improvement."
"Right," Hana said, rolling her eyes slightly at Nobue's serious tone while scratching behind one of her nin-ken's ears. "Well, I'm ready for whatever Hideaki-sensei has planned. How about you, Hikaru?"
"As ready as I can be," Hikaru answered honestly, though his shoulders slumped slightly as he compared himself to his teammates.
At exactly eight o'clock, Hideaki walked into the training ground with his usual cheerful smile. He carried a small bag of training equipment and looked ready to begin their first official day as Team 8.
"Good morning, Team 8!" he announced cheerfully. "Look at that—everyone's here and on time. Not bad!"
"Before we begin," Hideaki continued, his expression becoming more serious, "I want to make sure you understand what we're trying to accomplish here. Right now, you've got your forehead protectors and the title of genin, but honestly? You're not really ready for what comes with that rank."
Hikaru's hands tightened on his equipment bag at the blunt assessment, His shoulders slumped a little as the words sank in.
"Over the next few months, we'll work on building the skills, coordination, and mindset you need to function as a real team," Hideaki explained, pacing slowly in front of them. "We might take on some small missions during this time, but only when I'm confident you can handle them properly."
The missions we will get are probably some D-rank missions, Hikaru thought.
D-rank missions were the bottom tier of the village's assignment system—typically involving tasks like finding lost pets, weeding gardens, or painting fences. They paid poorly but allowed new genin to gain experience with mission protocols without facing actual danger.
"What kind of training will we be doing, Hideaki-sensei?" Hana asked, one of the Haimaru brothers sitting attentively beside her.
"Physical conditioning, teamwork exercises, individual skill development, and practical scenarios," Hideaki replied, counting off on his fingers. "Each of you has different strengths and weaknesses, so part of our job is figuring out how to maximize your effectiveness as a unit."
Nobue straightened slightly, his competitive nature engaging with the mention of optimization and effectiveness.
"The most important thing to remember," Hideaki added, his tone becoming more serious as he stopped pacing, "is that shinobi who can't work together don't just fail missions—they get each other killed. Everything we do will be about building trust, communication, and coordination between you three."
All three genin went quiet, Hikaru swallowing hard while Hana's usual cheerfulness dimmed.
"Now then," Hideaki said, his cheerful demeanor returning as he clapped his hands together, "let's start with a basic exercise. I want each of you to run ten kilometers around the village perimeter while I observe what you can do."
Ten kilometers. Hikaru's face paled at the distance. The morning runs with Ryōta had been maybe four kilometers at most.
Konoha's perimeter wall stretched roughly forty-five kilometers around the entire village, making a ten-kilometer range about a quarter of the total distance. The route would take them past the main gate, several guard towers, and through areas where academy students rarely ventured.
"This will help me understand where you're at physically and how much work we need to do," Hideaki explained. "Take your time—this isn't about speed, it's about endurance and form."
The team set off along the village's outer wall, quickly falling into their natural paces. The massive stone barriers rose thirty meters high, topped with chakra-detection seals and patrolled by sentries whose job was to watch for approaching threats. Guard towers stood at regular intervals, each one equipped with communication scrolls and emergency flares.
Nobue moved at steady speed, his breathing controlled and even. His clan training clearly showed in his effortless pace. Hana jogged easily alongside the Haimaru brothers, chatting with them as they ran. Her conditioning was evident—she had no trouble maintaining the pace since this was about endurance rather than speed. Hikaru managed to keep up for the first few kilometers, but by the fourth kilometer, his breathing became difficult and his pace began to slow down.
The route took them past sections of the village most citizens never saw—storage warehouses, secondary training grounds, and administrative buildings that handled the less glamorous aspects of running a military settlement. Guard towers flew the Leaf symbol, while patrol schedules were posted on bulletin boards that only authorized personnel could read.
By the sixth kilometer, Hikaru was wiping sweat from his forehead constantly. His legs felt heavy, and he had to stop twice to catch his breath near guard stations where chunin sentries watched with sympathetic expressions. When he finally stumbled across the finish line, nearly twenty minutes behind his teammates, Hikaru collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air and clutching his side.
"Nice results," Hideaki observed while his students recovered. "Each of you has clear strengths and areas that need work. Nobue-kun, excellent endurance and form. Hana-chan, solid conditioning—your pack training shows. Hikaru-kun, you need serious stamina work, but I noticed you never stopped moving completely. Showing you never give up, which is good."
Hikaru nodded, his jaw tightening despite knowing Hideaki was right. He was unable to speak while his breathing slowly returned to normal.
After everyone had recovered, Hideaki led them through basic coordination exercises with some basic explanations. He had them practice moving as a unit—formations, communication signals, and positioning patterns used by standard genin teams throughout the village.
The exercises revealed their team's strengths and weaknesses more clearly.
Nobue's Byakugan provided crucial visual intelligence, his pale eyes scanning for threats and opportunities. However, the technique had limited range and drained his chakra quickly during extended use.
Hana's pack coordination created multiple attack angles through the Haimaru brothers. They responded to her subtle hand signals and whistles, tracking enemies by scent with impressive accuracy. Still, their team coordination needed more training to reach full effectiveness.
Hikaru found himself naturally filling gaps in their formation. He used taijutsu to intercept attacks meant for teammates while providing support through wind jutsu and sensor detection when needed.
"Better," Hideaki noted as they worked through increasingly complex scenarios, nodding approvingly. "You're starting to think like a team instead of three individuals."
Standard genin formations included the basic triangle, with one member taking point while the others provided flanking support. More advanced teams used rotating positions, where members switched roles based on terrain or mission requirements. Team 8 was still learning the fundamentals, but their natural abilities showed promise for future development.
"Take an hour for lunch and rest," Hideaki announced as the sun reached its peak. "We'll meet again at one o'clock for individual assessments."
"Individual assessments?" Hana asked, tilting her head curiously while the Haimaru brothers stretched out in the shade, panting heavily.
"That's right," Hideaki replied with a knowing smile. "This morning showed me how you work as a team. This afternoon, I need to understand what each of you can do individually."
Nobue straightened with interest, clearly eager to demonstrate his personal abilities. Hikaru's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. Individual assessments would put him on the spot to demonstrate everything he'd learned.
After Hideaki departed using the Body Flicker Technique, the three teammates made their way to a small food stall near the training district that catered to hungry shinobi. The vendor, used to serving academy students and genin teams, quickly prepared simple but filling meals—rice balls, grilled fish, and tea that would provide energy without weighing them down for afternoon training.
They found a shady spot near the training ground to eat, the brief rest period giving Hikaru time to recover from the morning exercise, though his legs trembled slightly when he shifted positions.
Around them, the sounds of village life continued—distant training exercises from other grounds, the calls of merchants in the market district, and the regular patrol changes at the guard towers. Konoha never truly slept, with different sections maintaining activity around the clock to ensure the village's security and economic functions.
"I wonder what kind of individual assessment he has planned," Hana mused, sharing some of her rice with the Haimaru brothers who wagged their tails gratefully.
"Probably testing our specialized abilities," Nobue replied, unwrapping his own meal. "My Byakugan range and accuracy, your pack coordination, and..." He glanced at Hikaru with mild curiosity. "Whatever abilities you actually possess."
"Right," Hikaru said with a nod. "Makes sense he'd want to see what each of us can do individually."