Hoshiyomi and the others pushed through the forest, but no strong ninja beasts crossed their path—perhaps the presence of Torifu and Homura discouraged any challengers.
As expected, Shinku was the last to arrive, trembling from exhaustion after completing the required push‑ups. His hands shook uncontrollably.
Seething, he turned to Homura and Torifu.
"It's not fair," he complained. "I'm a genjutsu specialist—I should get a break in physical punishment!"
Homura raised an eyebrow and, without missing a beat, commanded, "Do a hundred frog jumps."
When Shinku protested, Homura leveled a stare at him. "Two hundred."
Shinku swallowed hard and dropped to the ground, preparing to begin. He looked over his shoulder at the others, but no one stepped forward to intervene. Knowing his physical limitations, helping him now would only hurt him later in the day.
Torifu finally spoke: "We're not trying to make you suffer. We want to help. A ninja can have strengths—but glaring weaknesses can kill on the battlefield."
He paused, letting his point sink in, then continued:
"Shinku, in wartime, genjutsu alone won't save you if your chakra control or stamina fails. And you five—what happens if he collapses and you can't protect him?
This Chūnin Exam is an extension of war—you'll face opponents far stronger than usual. If one of you falls behind, the whole team could collapse."
That sobering reminder landed hard. Even Shinku went silent, then bowed to Homura and Torifu before dropping into the frog-jump punishment without another word.
Torifu offered a small, approving smile as he watched him.
"It's good you understand. You'll face enemies stronger than regular Chūnin. Every weakness must be raised to at least that level.
Hoshiyomi, Sakumo—you two are the same. Your swordsmanship is impressive, but you need ninjutsu for emergencies. Each of you should master at least one offensive and one defensive jutsu."
To reinforce that, Homura produced four scrolls:
"These are the jutsu we picked based on your current skill gaps. Learn at least two before resuming sword training."
Hoshiyomi and Sakumo opened the scrolls to reveal Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder, Fire Release: Flame Bullet, Wind Release: Gale Palm, and Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall. They exchanged glances and began practicing. Meanwhile, Tsunade and Jiraiya focused on ninjutsu, and Orochimaru joined Shinku for taijutsu drills.
By noon, Homura called them inside the central tower and wheeled in a cart loaded with a surprisingly lavish lunch. Rice, meat, vegetables, soup—a balanced feast prepared with help from Leaf Hospital.
They devoured the food without hesitation. Homura scowled and grumbled, "No respect at all…"
Afternoon training followed a tight schedule. Exercises ramped up until just before exhaustion, then a voice would call, "Rest ten minutes—then resume." It kept them at the perfect edge of effort—pushed hard, but not to the brink.
At 6 p.m., Homura cleared his throat.
"Training ends. Black Session begins now. You're dismissed—find food and shelter in the forest. Be back by 7 a.m. tomorrow, or face 5,000 meters per minute late."
Torifu waved and added, "Dinner's on you."
The six slipped into the woods, and Homura and Torifu exchanged satisfied glances. They activated chakra to scale the tower and watched the team prepare for the night.
Huddled together, the group searched the forest floor for hidden scrolls. By habit, they naturally formed a small defensive circle with Hoshiyomi at the center.
"Trees are everywhere," Jiraiya murmured, scratching his head. "How are we supposed to find scrolls?"
Tsunade, still thinking about river baths, suggested, "Maybe we should spread out to cover more ground."
Orochimaru shook his head. "That's too risky. We don't know how strong the forest's beasts are. If one of us gets ambushed… Let's stay together until we're sure we can handle them. Then we can split up."
Hoshiyomi smiled at them and said, "Let's not overthink it. First goal: find one scroll and get dinner. We can make bigger plans after that."
They pressed deeper into the forest, determined and ready for whatever came next.
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