It had been a strenuous couple hours. That was the collective thought of team seven, as they each held their stance.
Their movements had slowed down considerably from the morning. Earlier, everything had felt so easy, their academy katas perfect, their kunai practice on the mark almost every throw.
Now? At 3PM?
This was nothing like the academy.
If anything, the academy had only been a dip in the pool in comparison to what this was.
Currently, they were all in the academy kata. The perfected version - what Sumaki-sensei had called a perfected version.
Although completely drained from the endurance run, where shuriken had been actively thrown at them to give them that instinctive sixth sense/situational awareness. That was after their shuriken and kunai training where the target was easily several hundred yards out, along with ricochet practice off other surfaces and the projectile already thrown and moving targets.
And now? They'd had their forms corrected more than a dozen times, and had to - in a snail's pace - transition from one form to the next.
"Alright, twenty minute water break." Shoya yelled, arms folded on the porch as he watched them practically fall over from exhaustion.
Naruto - for all his faults, had decent senses. Very physical young man, he lasted the longest in majority of the physical exercises. Shikamaru dropping first usually, Hinata trying and eventually failing to keep pace with Naruto, and Naruto still going another six rounds before he's knees buckled from under him. His accuracy in the kunai training had been okay, not the best nor the worst he'd seen. Though he'd gotten increasingly more creative with his ricochet practice. However, he's reasoning and understanding for why things worked a certain way, along with the fact that he's critical thinking and planning wasn't much to brag about. He couldn't explain or even understand information.
Shikamaru was by the far laziest, putting in just enough effort to pass. However, he's intelligence? Shoya wasn't afraid to admit when somebody was smarter than him. He had the opposite problem of Naruto, he was a thinker, a strategist, no doubt he would make a great advisor or commander one day. It was also his main pitfall. He'd never been wrong in his assumptions, and the day he was, that would be his true test. There was also the problem of him thinking too much and not doing enough, while a shinobi should be able to consider all angles, he over thought every possibility and hesitated in critical moments.
Hinata... She was by far the most complex. Her skills, technique and drive were exceptional for a Genin, and she was by far superior to her teammates. And her intelligence, while not at the level of their resident Nara, wasn't anything to scoff at either. Her major downfall that he'd noticed was her emotional volatility, especially towards her teammates. Her skills were much more refined than her two peers, however - she seemed to be in a one man competition against them. Constantly trying to prove her superiority, in everything she did. Even now, a simple water break was a competition that had to be won in her mind, trying to show she was more composed than the others. Shikamaru beat her in tactics and logic, Naruto beat her in fight IQ and brute strength. So anything that gave them the slightest edge had her teeth grinding.
He couldn't help but think, 'Reminds me almost of you, old man.' A breath of a chuckle escaping him as he looked over his exhausted new team.
'I'm starting to see why the SAA put them together now...' Individually, they lacked something, but as a team, they complimented each other very well, even if they didn't know it. Where one lacked, somebody else picked up.
But now the true challenge was actually making the team a collaborative effort.
'Why did I take that fucking sensei course.' He couldn't help but wonder to himself.
On the opposite end were the Genin which made up majority of the team.
Naruto had found a bucket, which he filled with water and subsequently dunked his head into. It was hot. He's body was practically on fire, pulling his head out, he brushed his hair back with his hands, trying to catch his breath. Whether that was from holding his head underwater or from training was debatable.
"Hey ya' pineapple, dunk ya' head in the water, it's 'bout as refreshin' as a mornin' breeze." He said, sitting in an upright position.
Shikamaru snorted, "Yeah, no thanks fish cake. I'll pass." He said, raising his canteen of water in the air. "I came prepared."
"Well ain' ya' fancy Mr "I'm too good for a water bucket." Naruto laughed, his gaze turning slightly to find Hinata on the far side of the yard, away from them - drinking calmly from her own canteen.
She was just as drenched as them, and was even more exhausted than the both of them.
"Get a load of Mrs "Excellence" over here." Naruto said, jerking his head to the side.
She had began doing stretches. Her pale skin flushed with effort, her hair - which was knotted - was damp from perspiration. Funny enough, she had already fixed her training outfit.
Even exhausted, she didn't want to be associated to their level.
"I can hear you, tomato." Hinata grunted, throwing her hair back and knotting it.
"I don' care." Naruto said, sticking his tongue out at her.
"Alright." A voice cut them off before they could argue any further.
Shoya slowly stepped off his porch, in his hands was a katana. He unsheathed the blade, holding the katana in his left hand in a forward grip while holding the wooden sheath in his right hand in a reverse grip.
"All of you have been complete disappointments, and it's clear that we'll only finish our training deep into the night." He began raising his blade and pointing it towards them. "Fortunately for you, I don't have the time on my side. So I'm going to have to skip all the foreplay and jump straight to it. All of you - come at me."