The training grounds above Kumogakure had been reshaped overnight.
Tall wooden barricades divided the field.
Stone outcroppings created natural choke points.
Artificial alleys twisted between structures.
Raised platforms overlooked everything.
It resembled a controlled battlefield.
Students gathered along the perimeter as instructors distributed colored armbands.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Yellow.
Instructor Takeshi Aran's voice carried across the field.
"Today's trial evaluates leadership."
He gestured outward.
"You will operate in squads."
"Each squad will be assigned a temporary leader."
A ripple of whispers spread.
Because this wasn't about strength anymore.
This was about command.
Raizen's squad assembled near a barricade.
Akari Mizuta.
Daigo Mizuta.
Shun Aoki.
Daigo grinned.
"Well… this looks familiar."
Akari crossed her arms.
"That doesn't make it easy."
Instructor Aran stepped forward.
"This squad's leader is…"
A brief glance downward.
"…Raizen Tenrai."
Daigo clapped once.
"Of course."
Akari gave a small nod.
Shun said nothing—
But his eyes stayed on Raizen.
Evaluating.
Aran pointed toward the center of the field.
A tall wooden tower stood there.
Multiple command flags hung from its sides.
"Capture a flag."
"Engage opposing squads as needed."
"Last squad holding a flag wins."
A pause.
"Begin."
Most squads moved instantly.
Running.
Clashing.
Rushing the objective.
Daigo stepped forward.
"Alright—"
Raizen raised a hand.
"Wait."
They stopped.
Akari looked at him.
"Why?"
Raizen pointed toward the tower.
Two squads were already fighting.
Another closing in.
"Too crowded."
"Let them commit first."
Daigo grinned.
"Yeah… I like that."
Inside his mind, Astra responded.
"Decision logged: delayed engagement. Efficiency rating: high."
Raizen crouched slightly.
His voice calm and clear.
"Akari."
She met his eyes.
"Overwatch."
He pointed toward a high rock platform.
"Control vision."
Akari moved immediately.
No hesitation.
"Daigo."
"Yeah?"
"Frontline pressure."
Daigo cracked his neck.
"Finally."
"Shun."
The quiet boy looked up.
"Disruption."
A pause.
Then a faint smile.
"Understood."
He disappeared.
Inside Raizen's mind, Astra noted:
"Team structure established. Command clarity: optimal."
The field erupted into chaos.
Squads collided.
Kunai rang.
Voices overlapped.
Movement became unpredictable.
Then—
Akari's voice cut through it.
"Two squads—west approach!"
Her arrow struck the ground in front of them.
They hesitated.
Controlled.
"Daigo."
That was all Raizen said.
Daigo charged.
Loud.
Aggressive.
He didn't need to win.
He needed to stall.
And he did.
Akari's tone shifted.
"Raizen."
He looked up.
"Left ridge."
Rei Kisaragi.
Already moving.
Already close.
Too clean.
Too efficient.
Inside Astra:
"Priority threat detected. Objective compromise risk: high."
"Shun."
The boy appeared instantly.
"Yes?"
"Intercept Rei's squad."
Shun's smile widened slightly.
"Perfect."
Gone again.
Near the tower—
Rei's team slowed.
Shun stepped into their path.
Alone.
Rei tilted his head.
"You're not enough."
Shun shrugged.
"I don't need to be."
He vanished.
Then—
Daigo burst in from the opposite side.
"Hey!"
Now pressure formed.
Two angles.
Akari's arrows sealed escape routes.
Rei's team adjusted instantly.
But the flow—
Was broken.
Raizen stepped forward.
Calm.
Unrushed.
Because the battlefield was no longer centered on the tower.
It was controlled.
And control meant opportunity.
No one watched him.
They couldn't.
He climbed the structure.
Halfway.
One motion.
Grab.
Drop.
Silent.
The whistle cut through the field.
"Exercise complete."
Everything stopped.
Raizen's squad regrouped.
Daigo threw his arms up.
"Another win!"
Akari dropped down beside them.
"Execution was clean."
Shun looked at Raizen.
"You controlled everything."
Raizen shrugged.
"Just solved the situation."
Above the field, the instructors watched in silence.
One spoke quietly.
"He never chased the objective."
Another nodded.
"He created the conditions first."
Aran's gaze remained on Raizen.
"Yes."
"That's command."
Later that evening—
Reports were reviewed.
Names repeated.
Raizen Tenrai.
Rei Kisaragi.
Akari Mizuta.
Two others.
Aran closed the file.
"The leadership duel phase begins soon."
A pause.
"The final evaluation."
The academy had moved beyond strength.
Beyond intelligence.
Now—
It would test authority.
Because soon—
There would be no teams.
No support.
No shared victories.
Only one question would remain.
Who is worth following?