Although ninja tool throwing techniques are taught in the Ninja Academy and considered fundamental skills, for most freshly graduated ninja, these techniques are not yet practical for combat.
Only geniuses like Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha could wield ninja tools effectively in real battles as early as six or seven years old.
Moments ago, Kihon Tōichi had thrown kunai and shuriken with full force—an attack that most ninja below the rank of chunin would struggle to defend against.
Yet Yoruha not only blocked the attack but also reacted swiftly and tracked the flight paths of the kunai and shuriken with precision.
This demonstrated that Yoruha's physical strength and coordination were exceptional, but even more remarkable were his heightened sensory perception and sharp vision.
At the very least, Kihon Tōichi himself could not have performed at such a level when he was Yoruha's age.
Yoruha, however, had no idea what was going through Kihon Tōichi's mind. He was simply dissatisfied with him.
Still, it was just dissatisfaction—Yoruha had no intention of doing anything about it. Given his current strength, there wasn't much he could do anyway.
Kihon Tōichi approached the trio and announced, "Today, I'll take you to receive your first mission."
The previously frightened Tanako and Yamada Jumoku lit up with excitement upon hearing this. They completely forgot how scared they had been moments ago.
"Really? Sensei, can we already start taking missions?" they asked eagerly.
Kihon Tōichi nodded expressionlessly. "Of course. However, for now, you're limited to missions ranked C-level and below. During the missions, I'll also continue training you."
"You'd better prepare yourselves," he added, his tone suddenly turning icy. "My training is very rigorous."
He glanced at Yoruha, a faint smirk on his lips. "But I suspect you're looking forward to it."
Yoruha frowned. "Sensei Tōichi, the three of us are just freshly graduated students from the Academy. Tests like the one earlier seem unnecessary, don't they?"
Kihon Tōichi patted Yoruha on the shoulder. "You're still holding a grudge, huh? Maybe for the other two, the days ahead will be tough. But for you, it's likely to be a good thing."
Yoruha understood what Kihon Tōichi meant. In truth, he was looking forward to learning whatever jutsu Tōichi could teach him.
But he also felt the rigorous training might not be fair to Yamada Jumoku and Tanako.
Both of them were of average talent. If Kihon Tōichi pushed them too hard, they would undoubtedly struggle.
Seeing Yoruha remain silent, Kihon Tōichi chuckled. "Let's go to the Hokage's office to pick up a mission."
Yamada Jumoku and Tanako, too excited about their first mission, didn't notice the exchange between Kihon Tōichi and Yoruha.
As the four of them left, a figure stood perched on a tree in the training grounds.
It was Kakashi, who should have been leading Team 7 to pick up their mission. He held a book in his hand, but his focus had long since shifted from its pages.
He had observed the entirety of Kihon Tōichi's test of Yoruha.
Yoruha's performance had surprised even him.
Even after the group had left, Kakashi muttered to himself, "He doesn't just have a vast amount of chakra. His physical reflexes far surpass those of a regular ninja, and his vision is already comparable to mine without the Sharingan."
The precision with which Yoruha countered Kihon Tōichi's kunai and shuriken left a lasting impression on Kakashi.
Kakashi thought to himself that even an average chunin might not have been able to react to that attack.
Even if they knew it was coming, they wouldn't have been able to keep up, detect the trajectory of the ninja tools, or block them.
Such reflexes and visual acuity were beyond what an ordinary ninja could possess.
Kakashi even suspected that Yoruha's vision at that moment was on par with his own while using the Sharingan.
"I wonder if this guy could learn my Chidori."
Recalling Yoruha's sharp vision and agile movements, Kakashi admitted Yoruha was an excellent match for his Chidori technique.
But the Chidori was an A-rank jutsu.
Not only did Yoruha have no direct connection to Kakashi or wasn't his student, but even if Kakashi were willing to teach him, he might not dare to.
A-Rank jutsu aren't just powerful and destructive; more importantly, they pose significant risks to the user if used incorrectly.
This was one reason why Kakashi decided to teach Sasuke—it wasn't just because Sasuke was his student but also because Sasuke had the Sharingan.
Even with the Sharingan, it took Kakashi a full month of intense training to master Chidori.
As he watched Yoruha's retreating figure, Kakashi murmured, "If you truly mean no harm to the village, you could be someone worth nurturing."
"If guided well, you might even become the next Fourth Hokage."
At this moment, Kakashi's vigilance toward Yoruha diminished significantly.
What changed his perspective was seeing Yoruha's genuine anger when Kihon Tōichi's actions endangered his teammates.
That anger was real, and it showed Kakashi that Yoruha cherished his teammates—a trait Kakashi valued and trusted.
Yoruha reminded Kakashi of his younger self.
No, in many ways, Yoruha handled things better than he had back then.
After all, there was a long period in Kakashi's past when he had been lost in despair.
"I'm honestly a little envious of Tōichi," Kakashi muttered with a sigh. "What luck, stumbling upon such a promising talent."
In Kakashi's eyes, as long as Yoruha didn't fall along the way, his future achievements would be no less impressive than Kakashi's own.
Thinking of his own three problematic students, Kakashi felt a headache coming on.
Sasuke and Naruto certainly had great potential.
Sasuke was a Uchiha and had already awakened his Sharingan.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki and inherited the Uzumaki clan's bloodline.
But neither of them was easy to teach.
In fact, the Third Hokage had assigned them to Kakashi partly to use Sasuke's Sharingan as a way to monitor and control Naruto.
However, both Sasuke and Naruto had eccentric personalities.
By comparison, Kakashi felt Yoruha might be easier to guide.
At least Yoruha seemed far more mature in his thinking.
Shaking his head, Kakashi disappeared from the training grounds.
Soon, Yoruha and his team arrived at the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage didn't notice anything particularly special about Yoruha.
Neither Asuma, Kakashi, nor Kihon Tōichi had mentioned anything about Yoruha to him.
After leaving the Hokage's office, the group encountered Team 7, who were also there to accept a mission.
Upon seeing Yoruha, Naruto cheerfully waved and called out, "Hey, Yoruha! What mission did you guys get?"
Naruto dashed over, grinning as he asked.
"Just a D-rank mission," Yoruha replied casually.
After all, it was their first mission.
It was impossible to start with something too difficult.
Naruto, unaware of this, laughed and said, "A D-rank mission? We're definitely getting a C-rank mission this time!"
Yoruha simply responded, "Well, good luck then."
Meanwhile, Kakashi's gaze remained fixed on Yoruha.
Yoruha's demeanor and composure left a strong impression on him.
In Kakashi's mind, Yoruha was the ideal student he wished he could have.
Their personalities seemed to align well.
Standing next to Kakashi, Sasuke glanced at Yoruha with a hint of puzzlement.
He didn't have much impression of Yoruha and didn't even recall that they had been in the same class.
The same was true for Sakura.
However, seeing Yoruha, Sakura couldn't help but be a little taken aback.
On the surface, she remained calm, but internally she thought, He's just as handsome as Sasuke. Who is he? He seems pretty familiar with Naruto. How could someone like that possibly get along so well with Naruto?
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