At the Konoha training grounds, Ryoma, Asuma, and Kurenai were currently waiting for their Jonin Instructor.
Compared to Ryoma's utter boredom, Asuma seemed to have suffered a great blow, taking a long time to recover.
Kurenai was softly comforting Asuma beside him.
Watching these two precocious kids starting the whole romance business at such a tender age, Ryoma felt a wave of contempt in his heart.
Wasting such prime time on dating meant there was definitely no time left to explore the mysteries of the magical world with Snake Uncle like he did!
(Ryoma was absolutely not jealous! Not at all!)
Suddenly, the three of them felt a shadow blotting out the sun and sky descending upon them.
Looking up, they saw a ninja at least 1.9 meters tall, weighing an estimated 200-plus jin, walking up to them.
A wild mane of red hair cascaded freely, and his fierce-looking face wore a simple, honest smile.
The armor on his body bore a large character: "Food."
Seeing the newcomer, Ryoma profoundly realized his own insignificance.
Compared to him, Ryoma and the other two were like three little chicks.
The man revealed a set of bright white teeth, offering a friendly smile to Ryoma and the others, and said:
"You must be Team 6's members: Nara Ryoma, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yūhi Kurenai. I am your Jonin Instructor. My name is Akimichi Chōza. I'm very happy to form a team with all of you."
Hearing the name, Ryoma couldn't help but pause.
Akimichi Chōza? Chōji's father, his uncle's good friend, the representative of the "Butterfly" in this generation's "Ino-Shika-Chō."
They say beneath that bulky exterior lies the Akimichi clan's unique sensitivity and gentleness.
"Tsk tsk tsk, really can't tell by looking. Quite the contrast."
Ryoma quietly mumbled to himself.
Akimichi Chōza looked at the three students before him with their varied expressions and scratched his head.
"Leading students really doesn't seem that simple, huh."
Then, addressing Ryoma and the others, he said: "Since it's our first meeting, let's start by introducing ourselves. Talk about things you like, things you dislike, dreams, and such. Of course, this is also to help the team understand each other, so we can quickly coalesce into a qualified ninja team."
Truly a member of "Ino-Shika-Chō," his words and manner all about teamwork, comrades, and unity.
After all, what they excel at isn't solo combat, but mutual cooperation, effortlessly achieving a 1+1+1>3 effect.
Ryoma couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Akimichi Chōza continued: "Well then, I'll start as the teacher. My name is Akimichi Chōza, from the Akimichi clan. My favorite thing is delicious food. What I dislike... is probably people calling me a fat pig. As for my dream, I hope my family and comrades can all live carefree lives."
Such a peace-and-love introduction.
After listening, Ryoma only felt his own corpse getting a little warm~
"Who's next?"
Kurenai cutely raised her chubby little hand, her sweet voice ringing out.
"I'll go next, Chōza-sensei. My name is Yūhi Kurenai. I like wasabi octopus. The food I dislike is cake. My dream is to become a powerful kunoichi who can stand on my own. I'm relatively skilled in genjutsu."
Chōza nodded with satisfaction.
"A very cute child. Yūhi Shinku's daughter, right? Having a teammate skilled in genjutsu is very advantageous for many missions," Chōza thought to himself.
Seeing his sweetheart finish her introduction, Old Man Asuma quickly stood up and said coolly:
"My name is Sarutobi Asuma. My favorite foods are sausages and cold yam noodles. The food I hate is asparagus. My hobby is playing shogi. As for my dream, it's similar to Kurenai's: to become a powerful ninja and gain the old man's recognition!"
Chōza looked at Asuma before him.
"The Hokage's son, seems to be in a rebellious phase. Hmm, needs proper guidance. This is exactly the age prone to making mistakes."
Thinking this, he looked towards Ryoma sitting on the side.
Ryoma now slowly spoke:
"My name is Nara Ryoma. I am nine years old. I live in Konoha Village, in the Nara clan territory in the southwest. I am not married. I train with Teacher Orochimaru every day until 8 p.m. before I can go home. I do not smoke or drink. I go to bed at 11 p.m., ensuring I get a full eight hours of sleep. Before bed, I always drink a cup of warm milk and do 20 minutes of soft gymnastics. Once in bed, I fall asleep immediately. I sleep soundly until morning, never carrying stress or fatigue into the next day. Teacher says I am very healthy."
Hearing Nara Ryoma's bizarre self-introduction, Akimichi Chōza suddenly felt his previous thoughts were too simplistic.
Nara Ryoma was just too comprehensive!
This seemed like a troublemaker.
Possessor of the Nara clan's kekkei genkai, disciple of one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, grandson-student of the Third Hokage, and nephew of his own good friend Shikaku.
Tsk tsk tsk, quite a list of descriptors.
Causing Chōza's already large head to grow another size.
No wonder he's Orochimaru-sama's disciple. He's just so different.
No wonder you, Ryoma, can get along so well with Snake Uncle.
Kurenai only felt Ryoma seemed to have become somewhat different. "Is it because of training with that lord?"
Kurenai's small head was filled with big doubts.
Asuma simply felt he didn't understand but was impressed.
As expected of Ryoma, Big Bro. His life is so disciplined, no wonder he's always ahead of me.
Oh, no, way ahead.
"Should I go back and try following what he said?" Asuma secretly pondered.
Looking at the three students before him, Akimichi Chōza suddenly felt a bit of pressure.
This was much harder than eliminating enemies.
When the Third Hokage first approached him, wanting him to be this team's Jonin Instructor, Chōza had already done a lot of mental preparation.
To be honest, this team could be called a complete Konoha second-generation class.
If he messed up leading them, the blame would be enormous.
However, under the Third Hokage's repeated encouragement, Chōza finally resolved to teach Ryoma and the other two well, determined not to disappoint the Hokage's expectations.
The reason the Third believed Chōza was a suitable candidate wasn't just because his strength was sufficient, but also because he wanted Ryoma and the others to learn from Chōza his spirit of always thinking of others, being full of compassion, and always putting unity and cooperation first.
These are Konoha's excellent future.
Besides, his own son was among them. Choosing a Jonin Instructor couldn't be careless.
Akimichi Chōza looked at the three, suddenly putting on a stern expression and said:
"Then, let's begin our first mission: The Survival Test!"
With that, he pulled two bells from his pocket.
Looking at these two veteran performers, Ryoma couldn't help but sigh.
Do our Konoha Jonin Instructors really have no other moves?
Chōza explained the rules of the test with a satisfied look; he had secretly learned this from the teacher of the neighboring Team 7, Minato-sensei.
"Have to say, Minato is truly a genius, to think of such a good method!"
Chōza thought he must use this opportunity to make Ryoma and the others understand the meaning of teamwork and comrades.
Unbeknownst to him, a seasoned script-reader, an old veteran, had already grasped his entire purpose~
"Good! Those are the rules. Anyone who fails to snatch a bell before lunch will lose their qualification to become a full-fledged genin! And, of course, their qualification to eat lunch."
"Now then, begin!"
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