Grind is My Ninja Way

"Hello, my name is Ryosuke!"

"Uchiha Seimei."

Looking at Ryosuke, who had come to the table, Seimei replied concisely.

Then, he looked at the other person.

Mizutani Shizuko felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze, shrinking her neck and saying in a mosquito-like voice, "My name is Mizutani Shizuko."

After exchanging names, the three of them sat together under Ryosuke's initiative.

For the rest of the time, Ryosuke did most of the talking, with Mizutani Shizuko responding occasionally, and Seimei mostly remaining silent.

From their conversation, Seimei learned that Ryosuke's parents were both Chunin and technical personnel. One worked in code deciphering, and the other was a ninja in the Barrier Team.

It's just...

Seimei didn't understand how two such people could give birth to a chatterbox like Ryosuke.

Was it because he was repressed at home?

Just as Seimei was secretly complaining, Ryosuke's voice suddenly interrupted him.

"Seimei, you haven't told us about your parents yet."

"They sacrificed."

Seimei replied calmly.

Hearing this, Ryosuke was slightly taken aback, scratching his head awkwardly, "Um... I'm sorry, Seimei, I didn't know..."

"It's okay, it's all in the past."

Seimei replied calmly again.

Despite this, Ryosuke still felt embarrassed and closed his mouth.

Mizutani Shizuko seemed to want to say something, but after mustering up her courage several times, she ultimately didn't speak.

Seeing this, Seimei didn't take the initiative to ask.

It was probably just some words of comfort. The original owner might have needed them, but he didn't.

...

Time passed by.

About half an hour later.

Over a dozen Jonin came to the classroom.

Well...

Not all of them were true Jonin; most of them were Special Jonin.

Special Jonin were ninjas who hadn't reached the Jonin level in overall strength but possessed unique talents in certain areas.

These people were called Jonin in name but were actually ninjas somewhere between Chunin and Jonin.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Most of the students in their class had limited potential, and it wasn't worth wasting too much of a Jonin's energy on them.

It was currently wartime, and Jonin, as the pillars of the village, were needed everywhere. Although cultivating the next generation was also important, it wasn't as important as the situation on the front lines.

"Team Eleven, stand up."

A Special Jonin on the podium said.

Immediately, the three students named Nakajima Sōta, Hanako, and Hiryo stood up.

After confirming there were no issues, the Special Jonin led them away.

Then Team Twelve, Team Thirteen...

Soon, it was the turn of Seimei's Team Seventeen.

"Uchiha Seimei? Mizutani Shizuko? Ryosuke?"

A middle-aged ninja with a scar on his face, standing on the podium, looked at the three of them and said.

"It's us, sensei!"

The middle-aged ninja flipped through the files in his hand, nodded, and said, "Alright, follow me."

With that, he left the classroom.

Seimei and the others immediately followed.

About ten minutes later, the group arrived at Training Ground Ten.

This place was remote. Usually, it would take half an hour to get here from the village center, but now it only took half the time.

Therefore, except for Seimei, Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko were exhausted.

Especially Mizutani Shizuko. She was a girl with relatively weak physical strength, so running here in such a short time was quite a feat.

Even so, Seimei didn't offer to help her because he wasn't sure if this was a test from the Jonin in front.

Based on his observations, Mizutani Shizuko could most likely persevere, so he let nature take its course.

"Alright, we're here."

Arriving at the center of the training ground, the middle-aged Jonin finally stopped.

Seeing this, Seimei and the others also stopped.

The middle-aged Jonin's gaze swept over the three of them, lingering on Seimei for a moment, and then he said, "You were able to keep up with me, so you've passed the initial test."

"Test?"

Mizutani Shizuko asked, panting heavily.

"That's right, it was a test."

The middle-aged Jonin nodded and said, "On the battlefield, no matter what type of ninja you are, if your physical fitness isn't up to par, you have the highest chance of dying."

Hearing this, Mizutani Shizuko froze, her face gradually turning pale.

She hadn't expected to hear such a serious topic about sacrifice on her first day as a ninja.

Thinking of sacrifice, Mizutani Shizuko secretly glanced at Seimei and thought, "I wonder how Seimei-kun felt when he heard the news of his parents' sacrifice. It must have been very sad!"

Seimei keenly noticed her subtle movement but didn't say anything.

The middle-aged ninja moved on from the topic and continued, "Alright, take a break first."

Hearing this, Ryosuke and Mizutani Shizuko both sat on the ground to catch their breath, while only Seimei stood there motionless.

This level of exercise was nothing to him.

The middle-aged ninja glanced at Seimei but didn't say anything. He just said, "While we're resting, let's get to know each other."

"Okay, sensei, we don't even know your name yet!"

Ryosuke, who hadn't had a chance to speak earlier, immediately said.

Hearing this, the middle-aged ninja nodded and introduced himself, "My name is Furukawa. As you can see, I'm a Jonin, thirty-seven years old this year. I like playing shogi and dislike people who don't follow the rules."

After speaking, he looked at Ryosuke and said, "You go first. Tell us your name, age, likes and dislikes, and your dreams."

"Yes, Furukawa-sensei."

After responding, Ryosuke introduced himself, "My name is Ryosuke, I'm ten years old this year. I like making friends and dislike any food with cilantro. My dream is to become Hokage."

'Hokage? Another one brainwashed by the Will of Fire.'

Seimei sighed inwardly.

Furukawa nodded expressionlessly, then looked at Mizutani Shizuko and said, "What about you?"

Mizutani Shizuko had rested for a while and was no longer out of breath.

She said, "My name is Mizutani Shizuko. I'll be ten years old after the new year. I like flower arrangement, and I dislike... uh..."

Mizutani Shizuko thought for a moment and shook her head, "I don't seem to have anything I particularly dislike. As for my dream..."

She looked around at the four people present and mustered up her courage to say, "My dream is to become a medical ninja like Lady Tsunade."

'Tsunade?'

Seimei glanced at Mizutani Shizuko and thought, "Tsunade's reputation is truly great. No wonder she could become the Fifth Hokage even after being away from the village for so long."

As he was thinking, Furukawa turned his gaze to him and said, "It's your turn, Seimei."

"Mm."

Seimei nodded and said, "My name is Uchiha Seimei, ten years old. I like training and dislike trouble. My dream..."

Speaking of this, Seimei suddenly stopped.

He realized that he had never really thought about the distant future, let alone any dreams.

When he first transmigrated, he was worried about his identity as an outsider being exposed, so he trained desperately.

After fully absorbing the original owner's experience and memories, he was worried about surviving the Ninja War, so he continued to train diligently.

The furthest he had thought was how to overcome the clan extermination. He had never considered the future.

"Seimei-kun?"

Seeing that Seimei suddenly stopped talking, Mizutani Shizuko poked his arm and called softly, "What's wrong?"

(End of Chapter)