The rain on Training Ground Beta-7 was different.
It wasn't the soothing, ambient drumming of the village center. Here, high on a shielded platform jutting from the side of a secondary industrial tower, the rain fell in a controlled echo. It was a place designed for focus, for stripping away distraction.
Team 11 stood in a loose triangle before Mumei, who waited, arms crossed.
"You're on time", Mumei noted, his voice carrying easily over the rain, "That's the first lesson. The second is this: you are a cell. Your lives will depend on each other. You know names and clans. You do not know each other. I remember the academy. Long lessons, classes of hundreds. We begin with proper introductions"
He looked at them, his gaze lingering on each mask and veil.
"You may wonder why a clanless shinobi like me is assigned to lead a Dark Hall team, a unit traditionally reserved for clan heirs and specialists"
The air grew taut. Ameyuri's posture, already rigid, became still. Ryugo could feel the unspoken question hanging between them.
Yes, why?
He could already tell she was racist.
Amegakure's caste system was very strong.
The Amekage had traditionally been descendants of the Amakawa clan. The first and second Amekage were, after all, patriarchs of the Amakawa clans.
Then came the noble clans. Besides the Amakawa clan, the Suzuku, Takeda and Jitoki clans held more weight in the Council of the Rain than all the other clans combined. In other words, they held political power.
However, Amegakure would be too weak without its allies. The rest of the shinobi clans still had a reserved seat in the Council of the Rain. The Kagutsu clan was one of them.
As for civilian shinobi? They were not really openly considered numbers. Not people, but fodder.
But even them had more status than regular citizens, devoid of shinobi skills. This was the state of Amegakure.
This five-layers caste system was unshakable. It had been like that for a decade, and unless Hanzo died and was replaced by someone with strong ideals, it was impossible for things to change within Amegakure. The power was held by the Amekage and the Council of the Rain, which were made of clan leaders themselves, and would have no interest in changing privileges that benefitted them.
'No wonder the Akatsuki managed to rally so many to their cause in the manga...', Ryugo thought
"The answer is merit", Mumei stated, no pride in his voice, just fact, "I served in the First Shinobi War under Commander Hitori's western flank. My squad was tasked with holding the River Crossings against Iwa incursions for seventy-two hours. We held for ninety-six. By the end, I was the only one left standing. Hitori-sama himself noted the action. A promotion to Chunin, and a recommendation for the Dark Hall, followed. In Amegakure, bloodlines open doors. But proven worth—cold, hard results—can carve a path through the wall. Do not forget that"
He let that settle. The message was clear: he was not there by charity or mistake. He had earned his place in blood, same as any noble clan. The strategist Hitori was the epitome of that message. Despite having no bloodline, he had risen to fame in Hanzo's campaign in the first shinobi war, an anomaly that gave hope to civilian shinobi, a war hero. However, even Hitori could not change things.
"Now", he continued, "formal introductions. Beyond the roster. You will state your name, your clan, your primary role, and one strength you believe you bring to this team. Ameyuri. Begin."
The girl in the straw hat didn't hesitate. Her voice was clear, cold, and utterly devoid of inflection, as if reciting a technical manual.
"Ameyuri Takeda. Fifth Heir of the Takeda Clan. Kenjutsu Specialist, trained in the Silent Rain style. My strength is absolute focus. The Sora no Kokoro meditation grants immunity to emotional interference and high resistance to genjutsu. I do not hesitate. I do not falter"
She finished, her veiled face turning slightly towards Tetsu, then Ryugo. The subtext was as sharp as her sword: I am superior. Do not hold me back.
Mumei's expression didn't change. He expected that much "Tetsu, you are next"
The boy in the weeping-smile mask jumped. His voice, when it came, was muffled but earnest.
"I-I'm Tetsu Waraiko. I'm… good with genjutsu. Especially ones that use the environment, like the rain or mist. My… my kekkei genkai… it makes a laughing gas from my tears. It's… it's not very strong for fighting, but it can confuse people or make them drop their guard. I… I want to be useful. My strength is… I pay attention. I notice small things others miss."
It was a vulnerable admission. Ryugo noted it. In a world of brute force, a keen observer was valuable. His genjutsu was pretty decent too. Without strong resistance against it, even jounin could lose their lives if they were too slow to react.
"Ryugo," Mumei said
Ryugo met his sensei's gaze. He spoke calmly, projecting the disciplined ambition that was his character's core.
"Ryugo Kagutsu. Ninjutsu Specialist, with a focus on Raiton. My strength is tactical flexibility. I can assess a battlefield and deploy the appropriate tool or technique for maximum efficiency. I am also proficient in stealth and kenjutsu among other things"
He chose not to mention the Raikōgan. It was sealed, and until he could control it, it was a potential liability, not a strength. His Kenjutsu was only of D-rank, and it was often looked down upon. However, as a ninjutsu specialist, he knew that overlooking close combat was a death sentence.
Mumei gave a slow nod. "Interesting. Mentioning Kenjutsu in front of a Takeda is bold. However, you will quickly learn to share knowledge. As members of the Dark Hall Tower, you will work together, eat together, fight together. You have been paired for a reason. Your skills will become complementary and will benefit the organisation as a whole"
He paused.
"Ameyuri"
"Yes, Sensei?"
"Your assessment of your teammates' performance in the marsh"
His calling was not baseless. He was implicitly asking her as the strongest member of the team besides himself. In his absence, she would be the team leader.
Ameyuri's head tilted.
"Above average", she muttered, "Tetsu's illusion was timely, though its hold was weak. One of them broke free despite never receiving formal shinobi training. Ryugo..."
She stopped for a moment, locking eyes with his.
"Ryugo's jutsu was precise and his follow-up kill was efficient"
Mumei nodded. Ameyuri was arrogant, but even she had noticed Ryugo's efficiency. The Kagutsu clan was lesser known. They were bounty hunters, driven by money. Ryugo was no exception.
"Your opinion on why you were only credited with one kill, while Ryugo secured two?" Mumei pressed, his eyes sharp. He wanted to challenge her.
A slight pause. The rain filled the silence. "I prioritized the immediate threat—the armed bandit. Ryugo prioritized total elimination. Neither strategy was wrong against non-shinobi. My path was cleaner. His was faster."
"And if one had been a hidden shinobi?"
"Then my path would have been safer. Eliminate the known combatant first."
"A valid shinobi doctrine," Mumei conceded. "Ryugo. Your rebuttal?"
Ryugo had already considered this. "In an unknown engagement, speed and chaos are assets. Removing two threats in the time it takes to remove one reduces variables. A hidden shinobi would have been forced to reveal himself sooner, or be left without allies. My method creates more opportunities for Mumei-sensei"
Mumei almost smiled. It was a thin, fleeting thing. "Good, two valid doctrines. One born of dueling tradition, the other of bounty hunting pragmatism. Remember this: you are a team. Your doctrines must merge, not clash. Ameyuri's clean precision creates openings. Ryugo's rapid exploitation capitalizes on them. Tetsu's illusions set the stage for both. This is what we will build."
He clapped his hands once, the sound sharp. "Enough theory. Physical conditioning. One hundred laps of the perimeter. Use the pipes, the walls, the girders. No chakra for propulsion. I want to see your raw speed, agility, and stamina. Go"
The training had begun. As Ryugo launched himself after Ameyuri onto a slick horizontal pipe, his mind was already racing, allocating the morning's gains.