Naruto: The Outsider CH2.19 (050)

CH_2.19 (050)

Author's Note:

CHAPTER 50!

Yeah, let's fucking go!!!

"I disagree!"

Takuma didn't have the ti to rejoice or even completely take in the announcent. He turned his head toward Kako, who had dared to raise an objection. While it did surprise him that the objection ca, it coming from Kako didn't surprise him one bit.

The group didn't make a single peep. Even Ai, who Takuma was expecting to break into a celebratory dance, stood unmoving. Everyone waited for their instructor... to react.

The hulking Yoshio arrived in front of Kako with silent steps. The difference in stature couldn't be more pronounced as they faced each other. One looking down, the other frowning up.

"Insubordination will cost you among shinobi, Taketori," said Yoshio, his thick voice heavier than usual. Takuma hid a wince— Yoshio's use of the family na was sparse, but everyone knew why and when he chose it, and that's what made it more impactful. Yoshio continued, "This is my group. I'm your instructor. My word is the divine law. You don't get to disagree with my decisions, genin."

The taciturn Kako seemingly found her voice as he talked back at Yoshio. "I'm by far the strongest in this group. I deserve to be in the final tournant. I can understand why Ando and Seno were chosen— but I can't see any rit in Oishi participating in the tournant... sir."

Ando Masaaki and Seno Nenro wrinkled their brows but schooled their expressions for the most part. Oishi Taro, though, pulled a fed-up face with no attempt to hide the emotion he was feeling.

"You speak less, so I didn't notice it. You don't use the word, sir, enough in your vocabulary."

Takuma stood on the opposite end of the grid to Kako, but he could very clearly feel a pressure seeping out of Yoshio that made his already looming fra look more nacing than ever. Takuma felt as if the atmosphere was bearing down on him, compressing his chest and shoulders. It wasn't just him; everyone else in the group looked a varying level of very uncomfortable.

Was it chakra? It had to be chakra, Takuma thought as he glanced at Yoshio from the corner of his eye. He was scared that the feeling would enhance if Yoshio turned his attention to him.

"Did you not understand when I said that the team on the top would represent

in the final tournant? I'm feeling frustrated right now. How can soone not understand words as simple as that?" Yoshio's words drumd in their ears.

"I'm strong—"

"I don't give a rat's ass if you're stronger, genin. It's my choice, and I will make it any way I want to!" said Yoshio, thundering. Takuma held back a flinch even though he was steps away from them.

Yoshio raised his hand and pointed in the distance toward Shady Guy's dical tent. "I can break his bones a hundred different ways, and he would fail to stop

ninety-nine tis if given a chance. I could give him the key to my ho for assassination when I'm at my most vulnerable— and I'll still survive even if he jumped

in my bed while I sleep." Shady Guy, noticing they were looking at him, looked up from his book and gave them a wave. "And yet, because he practices the rare iryojutsu(dical jutsu), he's considered more valuable than

in most situations. Strength is not everything, get that through your head."

Takuma stared at the Shady Guy. Princess Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, the to-be Fifth Hokage, had pushed for any mission team to have an Iryo-nin, a healer, on the squad. The practice was accepted as having an Iryo-nin shot up the team's survival rate to the moon. It was a great enough difference that every single shinobi village adopted the practice. She was lauded for her contribution to the shinobi organization.

And yet, most teams didn't have an Iryo-nin on them. Iryojutsu was a complex field of ninjutsu and required ti and effort from a qualified shinobi to be effective. Most shinobi didn't even have the prerequisite of fine chakra control to step into the field. As such, there just weren't enough Iryo-nin to go around, which made them a sought-after commodity.

It was no wonder Shady Guy could spend a good part of the day idling under a tent doing seemingly nothing important. He could do it because he had the leeway to do so.

Takuma had to give it to Kako for her persistence because she didn't back down. "But it's a combat tournant. I am more valuable," she said.

The pressure bearing down on the group disappeared with Yoshio's sigh. He spoke, "You're very... very lucky that I don't want to get into annoying trouble with your clan," Kako's eyes sharpened. "Let

put this straight. It's a fighting tournant of genin who haven't even completed a single mission, not seen the real threat of a blade thirsty for their life— none of you are real shinobi. To , it's a fun little bet with my co-workers, so," his volu suddenly shot up, "I don't care if you're more valuable! It might be a big thing for you, but for , it's about the sa as cockfighting! Get it straight in your head if you think that you sohow hold so importance in my eyes, because you don't!"

Takuma felt offended. He graduated from the academy, he wore the forehead protector of the Leaf, no one couldn't deny he was a shinobi. Did he express his displeasure? No. He wasn't very very lucky like Kako, and there wasn't anything holding Yoshio from skinning him alive.

Sohow, he no longer felt the joy of getting to the final tournant. Yoshio didn't care if he was sending the strongest within his group— it was, as the man had put it, a fun bet with his co-workers. For Takuma, however, obtaining a C-rank jutsu was a key mark even in his life.

He felt small.

The difference between soone like him and Yoshio was too great... and Yoshio was only a chunin. Takuma couldn't even imagine what he would look like in the eyes of a jonin. What was he worth in the eyes of the top brass— was he just a dispensable pawn? He didn't think he wanted to know that answer.

The thought alone made his stomach sink.

———

.

"Cheers!"

Celebrating the win did bring Takuma's feeling of joy back.

He took a sip of his honey banana shake and looked around the restaurant. Taro didn't eat out much, so he didn't have a recomndation; the trio was from outside, so they had no idea either. The responsibility fell on Takuma, who was equally as clueless— but he ended up recomnding the sa restaurant that Maruboshi had taken him to. And here they were. He did tell them it was a little on the expensive side, but they didn't seem to mind.

It was his first ti eating out after Maruboshi had taken him out on convocation day and the second ti overall since he had found himself in the world. The first ti around, the celebration had turned from happy to sad real quick when he heard of his assignnt to Genin Corps. Takuma looked at his team, and he had to say... Genin Corps wasn't that bad.

"Yoshio sure dug into Kako," said Masaaki. "I felt bad for her."

"I didn't," Ai said as she flipped through the nu.

Nenro asked, "Did you all feel the pressure coming from Yoshio when he was talking to her?"

Takuma nodded. "It was really heavy. It felt like I had a weighted vest on . So kind of chakra manipulation, for sure," he looked at Taro.

"Why are you looking at ? I don't know," Taro said with a half-confused half-frustrated face. "Why do you guys, you in particular," he pointed at Takuma, "think I know the answer to everything? I don't know!"

Takuma did think Taro would know.

"Maybe he was exerting his chakra outwards," said Nenro with an inquisitive look on his face.

Takuma shook his head. "It has to be more than that. I exert chakra outwards when I walk up a wall, but it doesn't happen then. And if he is exerting his chakra outwards— is he pushing it out of all the tenketsu all at once? Isn't that like really difficult? Also, how does it flow out so evenly," he didn't rember seeing anything like that when he read the manga.

"Order first," Ai pushed the nu into Nenro's face as he tried to reply, "then you can talk all you want." She looked at Takuma and then pointed at the nu on the table.

The food was great. Last ti around, he was stressed about the Genin Corps, so the experience didn't stick.

"How are you feeling about the tournant tomorrow?" Masaaki asked with a broad grin on his face. "I'm feeling excited. Who would we get to fight against? Hey, do you know?" he addressed the last part to Taro.

"Again, why are you asking ? I was with you the entire ti," replied Taro, sighing.

The ninety-seven genins in their batch were divided into four groups. Three groups of twenty-five and one with twenty-two people. The groups trained in the sa zone were allocated to the basic genin training, but they didn't share the sa training field.

Takuma didn't know about the others in his group, but he didn't et the genin from other groups other than soti in passing. If they t eyes, he would nod to them, but other than that, he didn't have much interaction outside his group.

"Twenty people," he said. "Four groups, five people each. If it's single elimination... it'll be four or five rounds, depending on if we get a first-round bye."

"Or we could get eliminated in the first round."

Everyone looked at Taro, who shrugged. Takuma could see Taro tapping out in the first round if the fight got tough. Takuma... didn't want to see that happen. Taro was an easier opponent to fight than most other people. If Taro went far and sohow t him in battle, it would be easier for him to win a fight.

"I won't go easy on anyone if you fight ," Masaaki announced with his arms crossed.

"Neither would I," said Nenro.

"Try ," Ai smiled.

They naturally looked at Takuma, so he thought for a mont before saying, "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get that C-rank jutsu, even if it ans beating all of you and whoever fights

into a bloody pulp."

He had a faint smile on his face, but he was serious in what he said. He had invested too much to convert the chance of obtaining the C-rank jutsu. For the next two days, Team-5 would no longer be a team. Every man for themselves, no holds barred.

"Ah," uttered Ai before looking sullen. When Nenro asked, she answered. "Team-5 is over, isn't it... The teams were only supposed to hold until the end of basic training."

'Ah,' Takuma had forgotten about that for a mont.

For Genin Corps, missions were assigned by the Leaf Genin Resource Command— everything from mission objectives to the teammates was pre-described for them.

Today indeed, was the last day for Team-5.

There was a silence between the group for a mont. For the last two months, they had fought each other, they had laughed with each other, they had eaten together, they had trained together. They had spent a majority portion of the waking day with each other.

It was a short ti, but they had beco a team…

"Doesn't matter. We will still be a team, even if it's not official, and we will still be friends," Nenro raised his glass of water and said, "To Team-5."

" "To Team-5." "

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