Kechi glanced at the twenty ninja on the field. The corner of her mouth curved upward slightly before she turned to look at the Yugakure leader.
She nodded her head lightly in thanks.
"In half a month, I definitely won't disappoint you!"
The Yugakure leader smiled faintly. "Mind if I observe?"
Kechi shook her head. "Of course not!"
After speaking, Kechi and the Yugakure leader walked toward the training ninja.
Rin and the other two ninja, following behind quickly caught up.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
As a series of clapping sounds rang out, the ninja on the training grounds all turned to look.
"Leader!"
"Leader!"
"Leader!"
"..."
The Yugakure leader nodded slightly, pointing at Kechi beside him as he called out loudly.
"From today onward, you'll follow her orders until half a month from now."
"Understood!" ×N
After giving his instructions, the leader stepped aside and crossed his arms, watching with interest to see how Kechi would train these ninja.
Kechi stood calmly before the ninja, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone.
"Who's the strongest among you?"
One person stepped forward and answered respectfully. "That would be me, ma'am!"
"What's your name?"
"Takigu!" Takigu answered.
Kechi nodded, then tilted her head and gave Rin a look.
Rin immediately stepped forward, coming to stand before Takigu.
Then Kechi continued, "You two spar. Both of you go all out."
After speaking, she retreated to stand beside the leader.
"You have that much confidence in your subordinate?" The leader's face showed a hint of amusement as he asked Kechi.
"Of course not. Rin will definitely lose!" Kechi's smile remained brilliantly cheerful.
"Then why are you so happy?" The leader asked in surprise.
Kechi shook her head in response, smiling without answering.
On the field, Rin and Takigu stood facing each other while the other dozen or so ninja scattered to give them space.
They formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Begin!"
Takigu's eyes sharpened. His right foot slammed against the ground, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow.
A fierce straight punch accompanied by whistling wind drove straight toward Rin's face.
So fast!
Rin's pupils contracted. He moved sideways with all his strength, barely dodging that powerful punch.
But Takigu gave Rin no chance to catch his breath. His left fist immediately swung out.
Bang!
Along with a dull thud, the powerful impact forced Rin to stumble back several steps.
In taijutsu exchanges, Rin was clearly at a disadvantage.
Takigu continued attacking relentlessly, maintaining absolute initiative.
Meanwhile, Rin could only keep dodging and blocking, looking thoroughly overwhelmed.
As time passed, the atmosphere on the field grew increasingly tense.
After a brief probing period, a cold smile curved Takigu's lips.
He'd already figured out his opponent's strength. His hands immediately formed seals.
"Katon: Hono Arare!"
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to grow scorching hot. A flash of fire shot skyward, transforming into a fierce fire serpent that lunged toward Rin with burning heat.
Rin's seal formation speed wasn't slow after seeing that.
"Suiton: Suijinheki!"
A transparent water curtain rose in the blink of an eye.
However, Takigu's fire serpent was incredibly powerful, instantly consuming the water curtain.
Flames rushed toward him. Rin could only roll backward in a pathetic dodge.
Under a continuous barrage of attacks, Rin retreated step by step.
From taijutsu to ninjutsu, he wasn't a match in any aspect.
Finally, with the Seal of Reconciliation, Rin helplessly lowered his hands and admitted defeat.
This result didn't surprise Kechi at all.
What were wandering ninja, really?
Aside from ronin, most wandering ninja had extracted chakra through chance encounters and became ninja that way.
Forget proper training, they didn't even know their own chakra affinities.
Any jutsu they'd accidentally obtained might not even match them.
But Yugakure No Sato?
It was still a legitimate ninja village, however small. They at least had proper ninja training methods, chakra affinity testing, and matching jutsu.
When both were at the same level, there was no way Rin could beat Takigu.
The leader nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Takigu's performance.
Movements are clean, strikes are sharp, and there is decent timing sense.
He'd be worth training in the future.
"Kechi-san, your man lost pretty badly. If this is all you have, those ninja won't respect you!"
Kechi smiled faintly. "Don't rush. The good part is just starting!"
As she spoke, Kechi walked forward slowly, approaching the defeated Rin.
"Are you satisfied with this? You're both chunin, yet you had no ability to fight back."
Rin lowered his head in shame, his eyes full of unwillingness.
He'd originally planned to perform well in front of Kechi, but instead got performed on.
And lost completely.
"Want to become stronger?" Kechi continued asking.
"Yes! I want to become stronger so I can better protect you!" Rin nodded emphatically.
"Then come with me!"
After speaking, Kechi turned and walked toward the nearby forest.
Rin quickly followed.
Sunlight filtered through dense branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows as if paving a mysterious passage for them.
As they went deeper, the forest grew increasingly quiet.
The air filled with the fragrance of earth and fresh scent of grass and trees, making one feel particularly refreshed.
After a while, they arrived at an open clearing.
Tall trees surrounded the grassy area like a natural shelter.
Kechi stopped and looked around, nodding with satisfaction.
"Guard this place. Don't let anyone approach."
Rin immediately straightened up and answered respectfully. "Yes, Kechi-sama."
He quickly took up a suitable position, vigilantly watching for any movement around them.
Then Kechi began preparing the materials needed for the Sequence 9 Assassin potion.
Due to the current limited conditions, she hadn't had time to plant those potion ingredients, and didn't even know if they'd grow.
So she could only buy from the system shop for now.
But some things she could still prepare herself.
Like pure water, basically just high-purity water. For the ninja world with its supernatural powers, this was ridiculously simple.
As materials gradually came together, her points were rapidly consumed.
"Shadow Sunstone powder 5 grams, Deep Sea Shadow essence 4 milliliters, Phantom Spider silk 3 centimeters, Night Blossom petals 3 pieces, high-purity pure water 50 milliliters!"
After preparations were complete, Kechi began mixing according to the potion formula.
As potion materials were added to the pre-prepared container in a specific order, the liquid inside gradually began to churn.
Various colors are blended and intertwined with each other.
Black, blue, silver, and the petals' eerie glow wove together, forming a brilliant yet uncanny vortex.
At this point, Kechi began reciting an ancient, obscure incantation.
As the chant continued, the churning liquid gradually calmed. Its color became deeper and more mysterious.
A shade like the deepest black-purple of the night sky.
It looked somewhat frightening.
But Kechi knew that the Assassin pathway Sequence 9 potion was complete.
---
Do you think this is interesting? I'm still checking the waves...