The next morning at eight o'clock, Makoto arrived on time at Training Ground 7 on the outskirts of the village.
This place was located next to a waterfall, surrounded by dense forest.
In the original work, Naruto had learned the Summoning Technique here with Jiraiya.
But although it was called a training ground, in the summer, many girls would come here to play in their swimsuits.
Of course, that wasn't the main point right now.
Makoto didn't learn from Kakashi and deliberately arrive late.
When he arrived, his three students, Megumi, Utaha, and Ran, were already waiting and ready.
To his surprise, there was also someone standing nearby who shouldn't have been there.
Aki Tomoya.
Makoto's gaze swept toward Megumi and Utaha.
Ran had no connection to this guy, so the problem could only lie with these two.
"Well... Makoto-sensei, Aki-kun wanted to observe our training." Utaha said somewhat reluctantly.
Yesterday, when she and Megumi were returning home, they had run into Tomoya.
After hearing that their Jonin Instructor was Makoto, he had thrown a tantrum on the spot and insisted on coming along today to observe.
At this point, Utaha hadn't yet developed the feelings for Tomoya that she had in the original story.
But back in the real world, he already knew she was the author of Love Metronome, and since her book's sales had been very poor recently, he had voluntarily offered to use his Twitter to promote it, inviting her to join a game production circle in return.
He was a collaborator, so she didn't want to make things too awkward.
Moreover, Tomoya had no other abilities, but his skill at being thick-skinned and persistent was absolutely unmatched in the 2D World.
It wasn't surprising that Megumi and Utaha, two young girls inexperienced in the ways of the world, couldn't hold their ground against him.
After hearing this, Makoto couldn't help but laugh: "Do you think being a Ninja and going on missions is some kind of f**king field trip?"
Megumi and Utaha lowered their heads in silence.
Tomoya pressed his lips tightly together, not daring to make a sound.
Ever since he learned that Megumi and Utaha's Jonin Instructor was Makoto, he hadn't been able to stay calm.
The heroine and screenwriter of his circle, spending every day with the person he hated most?
Could he tolerate that?
So what could he do?
Tomoya thought for a long time, and finally decided... to come along and see for himself.
He hadn't even taken the graduation exam. Two years earlier, Iruka had determined that he 'absolutely has no talent for becoming a Ninja' and forced him to withdraw from the Academy.
Makoto raised an eyebrow and looked at Tomoya: "What did you come here for?"
Tomoya had nothing to say, just kept his head down the entire time.
He couldn't exactly say that he thought if he was watching, Makoto wouldn't dare to do anything outrageous... right?
If Makoto knew what he was thinking, he'd be absolutely speechless.
This is what idiots who haven't been beaten down by society are like.
Makoto saw through Tomoya's little thoughts in one glance.
'No talent but wanting to stand out, unwilling to work like crazy like Lee, simply thinking he's the chosen one, waiting for some cheat to fall from the sky?'
'Do you think you're Nika?'
"Alright, this isn't a mission, so I won't pursue it this time."
Makoto waved his hand, "If you do something this stupid again in the future, get the hell back to the Academy and repeat a year."
Only then did Megumi and Utaha lift their heads.
Ran asked at the right time: "Sensei, what are we doing today?"
"Jingle—"
Makoto showed the bell on his belt, "Survival exercise. Your mission is to take this bell from me. As long as one of you grabs it, you all win."
"Until twelve o'clock noon, any method is fine… assassination, traps, as long as you can touch it, you'll become official Genin. Otherwise..."
He paused, pointing at Tomoya, who was still lowering his head, "Go back to the Ninja Academy, or just don't become a Ninja at all, just like him."
Even Ran, who wasn't familiar with Tomoya, felt a little sorry for him after hearing this.
'So harsh...'
But none of the three girls dared to object.
They could all tell that Makoto was in a very bad mood right now.
"Come at me with the intent to kill me. Now… begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, Utaha spoke first: "Megumi, Ran, fall back!"
The three girls simultaneously pushed off the ground with their legs, instantly bursting forth with speed surpassing the world's top athletes, leaping into the forest behind them and disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Makoto couldn't help but smile.
'That's the right decision.'
No matter what, they were just graduated students facing a Jonin. Few idiots would charge head-on like Naruto.
Tomoya watched the direction the three girls had disappeared in and clenched his jaw again.
'So amazing... Why, why couldn't I have power like that?'
Makoto couldn't be bothered to look at Tomoya anymore. He just stood there silently, waiting to see what those three girls could do.
What level could female characters who were helpless in slice-of-life anime reach after four years of Ninja Training?
He was curious.
Time passed minute by minute. Soon it was nearly eleven o'clock, with only a little over an hour left.
Tomoya couldn't stand anymore and plopped down by the stream.
With this kind of perseverance, it would be a miracle if he could become a Ninja.
"Did Senpai... give up?"
He scooped up some stream water to drink, muttering to himself. There was actually a hint of expectation in his voice… if Megumi or Utaha couldn't become Ninjas either, wouldn't that make them just as ordinary as him?
As soon as he finished speaking, a blur suddenly rushed out from the forest!
In Makoto's eyes, this speed was laughably slow, but in front of an ordinary person like Tomoya, it was already lightning-fast.
Ran!
She raised her right leg high, the wind whistling, and swung a side kick!
In terms of one-on-one combat ability, among this year's graduates she was second only to Sasuke… of course, this was under the premise that people like Kiba and Choji didn't use their clan's secret techniques.
"Ran is the vanguard?" Makoto raised an eyebrow and raised his hand to block.
But the moment the side kick landed on the back of his hand, Ran's body suddenly dissipated like a mirage.
Tomoya was so startled he nearly jumped.
Makoto didn't move an inch.
'Clone Technique?'
Ordinary Clone Techniques have no physical substance and can only distract the enemy like this.
Swish, swish, swish—
A large number of kunai came flying from all directions!
This density absolutely couldn't have been thrown by just three people… clearly, they had set up small traps in the surrounding forest beforehand that could launch shuriken.
Makoto remained expressionless, taking a shuriken from his pouch and throwing it.
That shuriken accurately hit one of the incoming kunai, then rebounded continuously like a billiard ball. With a series of 'ping-pong-pang-pang' sounds, it actually knocked down all the kunai that were approaching him!
Tomoya's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
But this wasn't over yet.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three kunai that had fallen to the ground suddenly emitted white smoke and transformed into Megumi, Utaha, and Ran… they had all used the Transformation Technique to turn into kunai just now.
'Naruto's move~' Makoto smiled slightly.
The next second, Megumi and Utaha, one on the left and one on the right, hugged Makoto's arms.
The bodies of the twelve and thirteen-year-old girls were just beginning to take shape, their soft sensations pressing against his arms through their clothing—
Tomoya instantly put on a mask of agony.
"NO!!!"
The two girls didn't have time to pay him any attention at all, shouting in unison: "Go for it, Ran!"
Ran charged forward, reaching her hand toward the bell on Makoto's belt.