The training ground was silent, the air thick with the promise of a storm. Chunin Mumei stood opposite the trio, his expression unreadable. He had been their instructor for weeks, and today was their final evaluation: a combat trial against him.
The Opening Move
It began not with a shout, but with a glance. Tetsu, the most anxious of the three, met Mumei's eyes from the back. It was a mistake—or so it seemed. A simple Genjutsu: Mirage snapped into place.
The world around Mumei wavered for a fraction of a second, the trees doubling and tripling, the rain turning into a grey curtain. It was a basic illusion, but compared to a month prior, it was very much stronger.
However, Mumei knew it was just a distraction.
That was all the signal "Ryugo" needed.
The boy exploded forward, his movements a blur of controlled aggression. He wieldled a simple sword, his strike targeting the chunin with relentless aggression.
Mumei, quick to dispelling Tetsu's genjutsu with a pulse of chakra, parried with his own short sword, the clang of steel ringing sharp and clear.
"Predictable, Ryugo!", Mumei stated, pushing him back, "Your form is tighter, but your pattern is still linear!"
Meanwhile, Ameruyi circled, her movements unusually patient for the normally impulsive kunoichi. She gathered chakra, her hands flashing through seals—Rat, Snake, Tiger. Mumei's focus was divided, tracking the silent girl while fending off the relentless "Ryugo". Somehow, he had trouble deflecting the assault of steel in front of him.
The Trap is Set
"Now, Ameruyi !", Ryugo yelled, redoubling his attack.
Ameruyi released her jutsu. Lightning Release: White Tiger Bite (C).
But it wasn't the gentle, mist-like spark Mumei expected. From her position, a torrent of chakra rushed out in the form of a massive lion head biting at him. It screamed through the air, not at Mumei directly, but at the ground around him and the trees at his back, cutting off his escape routes and filling the arena with a deafening, shrieking sound.
The scale was immense, a C-rank technique pushed to its absolute limit.
Mumei's eyes widened marginally.
Monstrous growth, he thought, even as he twisted, using Replacement to swap with a log shredded by the chakra rain. He reappeared at Ameruyi's flank, aiming a disabling strike at her shoulder. This was the moment.
Ameruyi didn't try to dodge in time.
Instead, she dropped her weapon and caught Mumei's wrist mid-swing—a move requiring insane precision and timing. At the same instant, Ryugo, who should have been recovering from his assault, was suddenly there, his foot connecting with Mumei's side in a powerful kick. He had been fast.
Mumei grunted, the force knocking the wind from him.
Kenjutsu: Silent Rain Needle Storm (C)
If the lightning release had been sharp and sealed his retreat, the silent rain needle storm was a death sentence. If he tried to block this, he would certainly not come out of it unscathed. This was a signature move of the Takeda clan, a kenjutsu art that surpassed regular jutsu.
The sword strike unleashed a wave of chakra that consumed most of "Ryugo"'s chakra. Half of his reserves, more precisely. And it came out in the form of thousands of chakra needles. Each sharp enough to tear flesh apart, but tiny enough to get through a trained guard.
Mumei disengaged, leaping back to the center of the clearing. But as he retreated, he realised that something was deeply wrong. He had been trapped in a genjutsu. His legs did not answer right away.
"Kai", he shouted, but it was too late.
The blow pinned him to a nearby tree, his shoulder and torso punctured by dozens of needles. He had been quick enough to protect his vitals, but the damage was there. Blood spilled out of his wounds.
"That force...it hurts far more than I expected", he mumbled
The timing, the roles…
"Ameruyi's" chakra-nature suppression had been perfect, but in that last physical clash, Mumei felt it. The chakra signature, the subtle body frame within the disguise… it was off.
He lowered his sword, a slow smile spreading across his face. The fight was over.
"That", he said, breath cooling, "was smart"
The girl posing as Ameruyi straightened up, the transformation technique dissolving in a swirl of leaves and light. Ryugo's serious face was revealed, slick with sweat but calm.
"Indeed, sensei. I'm actually Ryugo," he admitted. Only him could have unleashed such strong ninjutsu.
The girl who had been playing Ryugo similarly shed her disguise, revealing Ameruyi , grinning fiercely, her eyes alight with the thrill of the strategy working.
Mumei nodded slowly, sheathing his blade. He looked at each of them, truly assessing.
"A complete role reversal. You used my own expectations against me. I expected Ameruyi to be the impulsive powerhouse and Ryugo the precise tactician. You switched not just your appearances, but your fighting styles to match the other's reputation. Ameruyi", he said, turning to the real one, "you reined in your nature to execute Ryugo's part with disciplined strikes. And the power of your Needle Rain… it's huge. You've expanded its area and force dramatically. A monstrous growth rate"
He shifted his gaze to Ryugo. "And you. To fool me in thinking you were Ameruyi, then have the control to perform that wrist-catch… excellent adaptation and learning rate. Your fundamentals on close combat are rock solid, far exceeding regular ninjutsu specialist. You're both pushing far beyond where you were"
Finally, he looked at Tetsu, who was breathing heavily, the strain of maintaining supplementary illusions clear on his face. "Tetsu. You're falling behind in raw speed and chakra capacity. It's obvious. But…managing to trap me, a chunin, in a two-layers genjutsu. I must admit I have nothing left to teach you in that field. Even I am incapable of that"
Mumei crossed his arms, his assessment complete, his wounds hurting. The sun broke through the canopy, illuminating the battered training ground. They were bruised, exhausted, but standing together. More importantly, they had defeated him. In combat, and in tactics.
'He is a monster...', he thought inwardly.
The past month had shown many things.
Ameruyi's disdain and unyielding spirit. However, despite her arrogance, she had not taken the mantle of team leader like he had suggested.
Instead, it was Ryugo. Monstrous growth rate, ruthlessness, and more importantly, a tactical mind that made him think of Hitori of the Sky Eyes, the brilliant civilian war hero that allowed Amegakure to strengthen its borders and achieve pyrrhic victories in the first shinobi wars.
As for Tetsu, he was weak, but learning.
But just as Mumei was slowly processing his defeat, Ryugo was smiling.
[Mission completed - Team 11 Captain (C).
Context: Three weeks have passed since you have begun training under Chunin Mumei's command. You have proved yourself worthy, but seize leadership.
Tasks:
Reach 250 Points of Reputation (Acknowledged) with Ameruyi (525 / 250)
Reach 250 Points of Reputation (Acknowledged) with Testu (320 / 250)
Reach 250 Points of Reputation (Acknowledged) with Mumei (260 / 250)
Defeat Mumei in a combat simulation (1 / 1)]
[You have received 500 EXP, Team Captain Title (+20% mission EXP for yourself and your teammates), +50 Reputation points with Ameruyi, Tetsu, and Mumei]