"To become an outstanding ninja…"
Gulp—gulp—gulp—
Inside Konoha Ninja Academy.
Tanaka Shuichi held a textbook and taught the class with full concentration.
But unlike other classes, one very obvious sound accompanied his lecture—
the sound of someone drinking.
Ahem, ahem.
After finishing one portion of the lesson, Tanaka Shuichi carefully glanced at Youyu from the corner of his eye.
When he saw that Youyu was only slightly drunk and showed no signs of going into a drunken frenzy, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
In truth, he had already lost count of how many times he had gone to the school administration requesting to be transferred to another class.
After all, who knew what would happen if Youyu got too drunk one day and went on a rampage?
If he ended up getting cut down, there'd be nowhere to cry about it.
For the first time in his life, Tanaka Shuichi felt that being an Academy teacher was a high-risk profession.
And the danger came from a student!
"All of this afternoon's lessons are now over. Next, we're going to conduct a practical combat test."
Tanaka Shuichi took out the day's lesson schedule and announced it.
"Huh? Another test?"
"Haven't there been a bit too many tests lately?"
"A practical combat test? I think this is the first one."
…
The moment his words fell, the classroom erupted into discussion.
Compared to before, there really had been a suspicious number of tests lately.
In this past month alone, there had already been four written theory tests.
There had also been multiple tests on shuriken and the Three Basic Techniques.
But as for practical combat tests, this really was the first.
They had sparred before, yes—but that was just practice.
A test was different. A test was graded.
And every test result would affect whether they could successfully graduate from the Academy and become true Genin.
"Alright, everyone head to the training field and gather there. And…"
Tanaka Shuichi clapped his hands and raised his voice.
But toward the end, his tone suddenly turned cautious.
"Kurenai, Rin, I'll have to trouble you two to bring Youyu to the field."
Looking at Youyu, who had clearly not been listening at all, Tanaka Shuichi spoke to Kurenai and Rin with careful politeness.
He had no choice. He didn't dare to manage Youyu himself.
But the test still had to be conducted.
Even though in all of his previous tests—whether shuriken, the Three Basic Techniques, or the written exams—Youyu had scored absolute zeros across the board.
Could anyone imagine a little drunkard throwing shuriken? Or taking written tests?
Back when Youyu had taken the shuriken test, the whole class had hidden over a hundred meters away.
Everyone had been terrified that a wobbling Youyu might accidentally kill them with a stray throw.
But Tanaka Shuichi, as the teacher, had no way to hide.
A teacher had to stand close to the target and observe the student's throwing method and speed in order to give guidance.
Shuriken thrown by ordinary students weren't dangerous to a Chunin like him.
But Youyu was different.
The speed and force behind his shuriken throws were both greater than Tanaka Shuichi's own.
If they were being judged purely on killing power, Tanaka Shuichi would definitely have given Youyu top marks.
But the damn shuriken had been flying straight at him!
He hadn't even had time to react before one had shaved off a layer of his hair!
And as for the written exam, there was even less to say.
Youyu couldn't even hold a pen steady. He spent the entire test wrestling with the pen itself.
But when it came to holding a sword?
His grip was absurdly steady.
So Tanaka Shuichi had no choice but to ask Kurenai and Rin, the two girls in class who had the best relationship with Youyu, for help.
"Okay, no problem!"
"Mm! Sensei!"
Kurenai and Rin both nodded, then exchanged competitive glances.
One slipped under his left arm. The other took his right.
"Mm? What is it? You two… coming to drink with me?"
Youyu muttered as he looked at Kurenai and Rin.
"Well, alright, alright. Since it's you two, I'll allow it. I wouldn't let anyone else drink."
As he spoke, he lifted the bottle toward Kurenai's mouth.
"Y-Youyu-kun, you should drink it yourself."
Kurenai dodged in a fluster.
Though she loved the scent of alcohol, the three ninja taboos still had to be respected.
And besides, if she actually drank and her parents smelled it on her when she got home, she'd be done for.
Getting scolded would be the least of it.
Her father would definitely realize that all the missing wine had been stolen by her. If he hid it even more carefully after that, how was she supposed to sneak any more out for Youyu-kun?
"What about you? Want some?"
Youyu didn't force the matter. Even with his hazy mind, he still knew that Kurenai and Rin were the ones who often brought him alcohol.
If anyone else had dared ruin his mood like this, the Shusui at his side would already have been making point-blank contact with them.
"I'm not drinking either, Youyu. Let's hurry and get to the field."
Rin smiled lightly.
…
So Kurenai and Rin supported him, joking and chatting with him all the way toward the training ground.
"B-Bastard!"
Off to one side, both Obito and Asuma stared so hard that their eyes nearly popped out.
Kurenai and Rin were their goddesses!
While the girls were helping Youyu along, the two boys could clearly see that the bastard had taken plenty of opportunities for intimate contact with both of them.
Asuma clenched his fists fiercely, only to let them loosen again a moment later.
He still couldn't overcome his fear of Youyu.
But Obito was different.
Obito's eyes had started turning red, as though he wanted to tear someone apart with his bare hands.
Clenching his fists, he strode toward the field.
....
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