Inside the Ninja Academy classroom, the noise was deafening.
Today was the day Genin teams were assigned.
Fresh graduates clustered together, excitedly discussing their futures and dreaming of making names for themselves in the ninja world.
Heh… clear-eyed and naïve graduates.
Ruichi felt nothing at all—if anything, he found it a little funny.
Famous in the ninja world?
When Pain comes knocking, carrying his "rice," aside from the protagonist squad, doesn't everyone else fall like wheat before the scythe?
He'd already experienced the fate of an overachiever firsthand in his previous life—his ashes had been proof enough.
If not for Teuchi's insistence, Ruichi wouldn't even have bothered attending the Ninja Academy. There was simply no need; everything taught there was stuff he already knew before enrolling.
Of course, he still had to become a ninja.
Don't underestimate the profession. Compared to ordinary civilians—who were shaped and discarded at will by lords and daimyō—ninjas existed on an entirely different social level.
And this was Konoha, a ninja village. Whether or not a family had a ninja made a world of difference.
"Next, we'll announce the team assignments…"
A young Iruka Umino stood at the podium, holding the roster as he read aloud.
Ruichi couldn't have cared less.
For a civilian-born ninja like him, his teammates were destined to be civilians as well.
There would be a survival exercise later. Anyone who failed would simply be sent back to the Academy for a few more months.
As for who actually passed?
Those slots had long been reserved for teams made up of clan heirs.
He and his fellow civilians were just there to fill out the numbers.
Konoha's resources had always flowed toward the major clans.
…
That afternoon, the classroom door slid open.
"Jianye, Hui, Ruichi—you three, come with me."
A figure leaned casually against the doorframe.
A mesh bodysuit traced out breathtaking curves, a khaki trench coat draped loosely over it. A cynical, teasing smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Several boys in the room instantly turned red.
Only Ruichi calmly swept his gaze over her collarbone and neck, expression unchanged.
Anko Mitarashi?
Shouldn't she be leading a clan team? Why is she in charge of a civilian squad?
---
The next day, at the training ground.
Ruichi stood waiting with his two teammates for their tardy jōnin instructor.
"Hey, Ruichi… aren't you nervous?" Jianye—the flat-topped boy—finally spoke up, unable to sit still.
"What's there to be nervous about?" Ruichi leaned lazily against a tree. "We're just going through the motions."
"Going through the motions?!" Hui, the ponytailed girl, stared at him wide-eyed.
"This is the survival exercise! It decides whether we become Genin!"
Ruichi glanced at her, too lazy to explain.
Trying to explain Konoha's unspoken rules to kids who hadn't been crushed by reality yet was like playing music to a cow.
The truth was simple: the teams that would pass had already been decided.
Civilian teams like theirs were just placeholders.
Fail this time, pass next time—it didn't matter. Everyone would pass eventually. The only difference was a few extra months at the Academy.
This even reminds me of my old job, he thought dryly. Batch onboarding and batch elimination.
"Yo, brats. You ready?"
A figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
Anko stood with her hands on her hips, the two small bells at her waist jingling crisply.
"The rules are simple. Before noon, whoever takes these bells from me passes."
"Anyone who doesn't—back to the Ninja Academy."
As she finished speaking, a sharp gleam flashed in her eyes.
The pressure of a jōnin burst outward, blanketing the entire field.
Jianye and Hui visibly trembled.
"Then—begin!"
The moment Anko spoke, Jianye and Hui vanished into the forest.
The remaining Ruichi wandered leisurely into the shade of a tree.
Anko raised an eyebrow.
"Kid, you're not hiding?"
"Hiding from what?" Ruichi asked innocently.
"Didn't you say it's fine as long as I take them before noon? It's still early. I'll nap first."
With that, he adjusted his posture, folded his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes.
Giving up.jpg.
"…?"
In all her years as a ninja, Anko had never seen anything like this.
"Hmph. Interesting brat," she muttered.
"I hope you're still this relaxed later."
She decided to deal with the other two first—then come back and properly "entertain" this white-haired kid who didn't know his place.
…
Once she was gone, Ruichi quietly released the hand seals he'd been holding.
He wasn't worried about Anko at all.
Not just because of his strength—but because this test was nothing more than a formality. Even if he turned in a blank answer sheet, no one would care.
The training ground grew utterly silent.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering mottled shadows. A light breeze brushed his cheeks, carrying the scent of grass. Somewhere nearby, water trickled, birds chirping crisply.
"Ah… peace."
Ruichi slowed his breathing, emptying his thoughts.
His awareness merged with the earth beneath him, the tree at his back, and the surrounding air.
His body seemed to breathe on its own.
Natural Energy flowed in.
At first, he'd worried about the risks. Later, he realized he'd been overthinking it.
He didn't know why, and he was too lazy to investigate further.
All he knew was that as long as he didn't actively interfere, the Natural Energy drawn into his body posed no danger—only nourishment.
Distant sounds of combat briefly echoed, then fell silent.
Clearly, his two "promising" teammates had already been eliminated.
Soon, a powerful chakra signature rushed toward him.
"Sleeping pretty soundly, huh, brat."
Anko stood over him, hands on her hips, looking down at Ruichi sprawled on the ground. The sheer presence of her figure was dizzying.
She'd taken care of the other two in just a few moves and tied them to a tree.
She'd expected this one to be troublesome.
But instead—
He hadn't even moved.
"Oh~ Teacher Anko~" Ruichi yawned as he sat up.
"Why don't you just tie me up too? Let's just… go through the motions."
Anko's fist clenched.
She stepped forward, fully intending to beat this infuriating brat into a pig's head—
Suddenly, a piercing, bone-deep pain exploded at the back of her neck.
"Ugh!"
Anko's face went deathly pale. She dropped to one knee, her left hand clutching her neck.
On her smooth skin, three black tomoe pulsed, radiating ominous violet-black chakra.
The Curse Mark of Heaven was rampaging.
A trick?
Ruichi's first thought was disbelief.
But he rejected it immediately.
The Curse Mark…
I drew in too much Natural Energy. The concentration spiked and triggered it.
He could clearly sense it now.
The chakra within the Curse Mark shared similarities with Natural Energy—raw vitality—but it was wild, violent, and uncontrollable.
That violent energy now tore through Anko's body, ravaging her meridians and nerves.
"Tch… what a pain."
Ruichi frowned.
He'd just wanted to go through the motions and go back to lying flat. How did things turn into this?
By protocol, he should notify Konoha's medical team immediately.
But judging by Anko's condition, she wouldn't last long enough to wait.
That meant carrying her directly to the hospital.
Save her?
If he did, endless trouble would follow.
Don't save her?
He was at least half responsible.
"…Ha."
Ruichi sighed and walked over.
In his previous life, he'd been too responsible and worked himself to death.
In this life, he wanted to lie flat—but some things were etched into his bones.
"Teacher Anko… can you hear me? I'll take you to the hospital."
Anko bit down hard, consciousness already fading, unable to respond.
No choice.
Ruichi didn't hesitate. He slipped one arm behind her back, the other beneath her knees—
A standard princess carry.
And then—
Something unexpected happened.
The moment their bodies touched, the violent Natural Energy raging inside Anko surged into Ruichi like a broken dam.
Heat flooded through him from the point of contact.
"This is—"
His body reacted faster than his thoughts.
A gentle, familiar energy flowed out from within him, meeting that violent power head-on—not in opposition, but in guidance.
It wrapped around the chaos, smoothing and combing it into order.
The entire process lasted only an instant.
The heat vanished, as though it had never existed.
Anko's tightly twisted expression relaxed.
A faint blush bloomed across her pale cheeks.
Her trembling stopped. Her body softened completely in Ruichi's arms, boneless and warm.
Worse still—
Unconsciously, she pressed closer, rubbing her head against his chest like a kitten seeking comfort.
Soft warmth filled his arms.
Even through layers of fabric, the overwhelming pressure and shape were impossible to ignore.
"Tch… Is this how you test a man's discipline?"
Ruichi felt his composure wavering.
Just as he was debating whether to put her down or keep holding her—
The woman in his arms fluttered her lashes.
Slowly, Anko opened her eyes.