My Techniques are a bit off

One Hour Later, Training Ground Seven

"I'm glad you two arrived on time."

Standing on a boulder, Link positioned himself to appear taller and more imposing. At nine years old, his short stature—barely 120 cm, even with shoes—was becoming a source of silent frustration. Compared to many isekai protagonists who grew abnormally tall within mere years, his growth felt excruciatingly slow.

120 cm!

He cared. He cared a lot.

Ami, eleven years old, stood with a face full of defiance and anger. Despite her ninja training, her age and lack of maturity made it impossible to hide her emotions effectively. However, after the earlier scuffle, she was careful not to openly provoke him again.

Meanwhile, Iris broke the silence. "So, Link, why did you call us out here?"

His initial excitement about becoming a genin had cooled significantly after witnessing the earlier conflict.

Link waited until they were both focused, then calmly began, "Whether or not we become friends doesn't matter. But since we've been assigned to the same team, we are now comrades—partners who'll be working together on missions."

"Trust is essential."

The two fell silent. They understood. They weren't ignorant—between mental conditioning and rigorous lessons at the Academy, they knew what was expected of them.

The moment they graduated, they ceased to be students or children. They were shinobi now.

"I want us to establish clear leadership within the team before our jonin sensei's test tomorrow," Link continued. "Let's settle this with strength. Whoever proves themselves strongest will lead. No objections, right?"

Neither objected. Among ninja, the strongest always had the final say.

"Are you both ready?" A rare smile crept onto Link's face.

"Whoosh!" x2

Ami and Iris charged simultaneously, one from each side. They had trained together, participated in mock battles, and shared a natural understanding of each other's movements.

"My journey as a ninja begins... by beating up children."

With a faint smile, Link channeled chakra into his feet. Shunshin no Jutsu—Body Flicker Technique.

"Bam!" x2

In a flash, he reappeared behind them, pressing a hand on each of their heads and slamming them into the ground.

A tiger takes down two sheep.

There was no need to use his Substitution Jutsu for this.

From a distance, their sensei, Nara Ensui, observed the scene with a faint smile. Having a naturally talented team member with leadership potential was a great relief.

Being a jonin wasn't an idle role; only those without official positions or roles in specialized units like the Anbu could take on the responsibility of training genin. It wasn't a particularly rewarding task, as it wasted time and slowed down their ability to earn money through missions.

The village's only requirement for jonin instructors was that they successfully mentor at least one chunin. Once a student graduated to chunin, the instructor was free from their duties.

To achieve this, jonin instructors often devised strict tests to weed out students with no immediate potential, sending them back to the Academy for further training.

The iconic Bell Test, passed down from the Third Hokage, was a favorite among instructors for its comprehensive evaluation of teamwork and skill. Few teams actually succeeded, as even experienced jonin doubted that three fresh genin could ever outsmart them.

For teams with no chance of producing a chunin within a year, the result was inevitable: a return to the Academy. The high failure rate—nearly two-thirds of all graduates—was no joke.

However, Ensui recognized Link's potential. Regardless of Iris's impulsiveness or Ami's arrogance, Link alone could carry the team's prospects.

Satisfied with what he had seen, Ensui vanished with a Body Flicker.

…

The Next Day, Morning, Training Ground Seven

Good.

When Nara Ensui arrived, he quietly observed his three students.

Link stood at the forefront, calm and composed, with his forehead protector tied around his left arm.

Iris sat on a wooden post to the right, his face marked with bandages and his expression eager.

Ami, sitting on the left, had a bruised and swollen eye. Her face was tense, devoid of expression, but the hostility in her gaze toward Link was gone.

"Good morning," Ensui greeted. His casual tone received three uneven replies.

Wasting no time, he held up a pair of bells. "As is customary, your task is to take these bells from me."

He didn't bother with threats about being sent back to the Academy. The real evaluation had already begun yesterday. With Link's clear potential to become a chunin, Team Five had already passed in his eyes. Today's test was simply to assess their abilities in more detail.

As their superior, responsible for assigning missions and making life-or-death decisions for them, he needed to understand their strengths and weaknesses to provide proper guidance.

"Don't think of me as your instructor. Treat this bell retrieval as a real mission—one where your lives are on the line."

He hooked the bells onto his belt and said, "Now—begin."

"Whoosh!"

Link disappeared instantly, reappearing on a distant rock. Meanwhile, Iris and Ami retreated slightly, positioning themselves to shield him from view.

"Already working on a coordinated formation?"

Ensui didn't immediately move. He was particularly curious about Link's rumored ice-release abilities. Like many jonin who had heard about him, his interest was piqued.

"Show me…"

"The power of Ice Release."

~~~

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