Akihiro was waiting in the center of the training field, surrounded by the soft whisper of the wind and the crunch of leaves beneath his feet. It had been weeks since he had st seen his teammates. The rigorous training in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu had consumed almost all of his time, but the anticipation of seeing them again had him excited. However, something felt off—none of them had arrived yet, which was unusual for a team that was usually so punctual.

  —Could something have happened? —he murmured, furrowing his brow slightly.

  Suddenly, a faint presence at the edge of the forest caught his attention. He quickly turned and saw Miyuki, his sensei, watching him from between the trees.

  —Hello, sensei —Akihiro greeted with a slight bow.

  —Hello, Akihiro. Are you the first to arrive? —Miyuki asked as she scanned the area, seemingly looking for any sign of the others.

  —Seems like it —Akihiro replied, shrugging.

  —Well, we’ll start with some stretches until they arrive then —said Miyuki.

  Akihiro nodded and began to train lightly while Miyuki sat to the side, looking a little bored.

  —How has your training been? Has Kazuo treated you well? —she asked.

  Akihiro couldn’t help but shudder at the memory of the training and quickly responded:

  —No, it’s been a... unique experience... but it has helped me understand a lot about how to use Genjutsu —he said, trying to evade the question.

  Miyuki didn’t say anything and simply gave him a knowing smile. She was already familiar with Kazuo and his training methods, so she knew the kind of mental torture Akihiro must have endured. But she couldn’t help him—this was part of his training, after all.

  A few minutes passed before two figures emerged from the forest. Aiko and Hiroshi came running, panting, and clearly exhausted.

  —Sorry, we’re te! —Hiroshi excimed between gasps, while Aiko nodded, trying to catch his breath.

  —You’re te —Miyuki commented in a neutral tone, revealing neither annoyance nor indifference.

  Aiko and Hiroshi exchanged resigned looks, fully aware of what was coming next.

  —As punishment, you'll have to do an extra round of exercises before starting training— Miyuki added, with a slight enigmatic smile.

  —We're really sorry, sensei!— Aiko said, bowing slightly.

  —We promise we won’t be te again— Hiroshi muttered, still bent over with his hands on his knees.

  —I hope so. Now, get to work— Miyuki ordered, making a gesture to begin the "punishment."

  With no other choice, Aiko and Hiroshi got to work. Akihiro, already warmed up, watched the scene with a mix of amusement and relief for not being in their position.

  —What are you looking at, Akihiro? Want to join the training?— Miyuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Akihiro quickly shook his head and looked down at the ground, trying to hide his expression.

  The punishment sted about half an hour.

  —That’s enough. You can rest now— Miyuki finally said.

  Aiko and Hiroshi colpsed to the ground, exhausted.

  After giving them a few minutes, Miyuki broke the silence.

  —Alright, I have something important to tell you— she announced, her expression light but serious. —During this time, you've trained hard. You've expanded your skills and, overall, you've become much stronger.— She paused, changing her tone to a more somber one. —But... there’s still something crucial for a ninja that you haven’t mastered.— With a calcuted movement, she pulled out a kunai.

  Before anyone could react, Miyuki vanished from her spot. In the blink of an eye, she was behind each of them, pointing her kunai at their throats.

  —A cloning jutsu and an instantaneous movement? That fast?— Akihiro thought, not daring to move.

  —It doesn’t matter how strong you are— Miyuki said coldly. —If you can’t kill, you’ll never be true ninjas.—

  Miyuki’s bodies vanished in an explosion of smoke, revealing that they had all been clones from the start. She reappeared in her original position without losing her composure.

  —A ninja has many essential skills: infiltration, evasion, capture... but above all, the ability to kill is the most important.—

  The students remained silent, processing her words.

  —Tomorrow, we’ll go on a mission, and we’ll keep doing missions until you get used to it. For now, we’ll put the training aside. It’s time for you to act like real ninjas.—

  —When do we leave?— Aiko asked, breaking the silence.

  —Today— Miyuki replied, handing them scrolls with instructions and lists of required equipment. —I’ve already informed your parents, and they all agreed. Your teachers were also notified in advance.—

  —What kind of mission will it be?— Hiroshi asked as he adjusted his gear.

  —Bandit extermination. Time to clean up those little nuisances— Miyuki remarked, with a dark smile.

  A chill ran down Akihiro and the others at seeing that expression. Without saying another word, they quickly prepared and left the vilge.