Chapter 34: Getting pegged by an old man with 2 others (Part 3)

Chapter 34 - Getting pegged by an old man with 2 others (Part 3) In front of the Hokage Tower, Team 1 stood as their jōnin instructor, Utakata, spoke in his usual calm yet firm voice. "First, we'll get your photos taken individual shots as well as a team photo. After that, we'll submit your ninja registration forms to the Hokage." The three genin responded with a unified 'Yes, sensei!' and followed Utakata into the building. They soon reached a small studio set up on a balcony, where an old man sat cleaning his camera. Upon seeing them enter, the photographer gave a welcoming smile. "Ah, the first team of the year! Come, let's start with the little girl." For a brief moment, Ren noticed Yugao's grip tighten around her sword when the old man said little girl. The subtle reaction vanished as quickly as it came, and she stepped forward, standing in front of the camera with her usual composed demeanor. "Alright, smile," the old man instructed. Yugao gave a faint smile, and with a soft click, her photo was taken. Ren went next, flashing a small grin before his photo was snapped. Finally, Hitoshi stepped forward his face completely impassive, hidden behind the high collar of his Aburame clan attire. The photographer didn't even bother asking him to smile, seemingly well aware of the Aburame clan's stoic nature. With their individual photos taken, it was now time for the team photo. Utakata stood behind them, resting his right hand on Ren's shoulder and his left on Hitoshi's, while Yugao stood in the center. With a final click, the photo was taken in one shot. Once the photos were developed, each of them received a copy. Ren glanced at his own, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. Utakata was smiling. It was a barely noticeable, faint smile, but it was there. Ren, who had spent an entire year under Utakata's strict and expressionless teaching, had never seen the man smile not even once. Intrigued, he turned to look at Utakata, but by then, the jōnin's face had returned to its usual poker expression. "Fill out your forms. We need to submit them before the office gets too crowded," Utakata stated, shifting the focus back to the task at hand. The three genin grabbed the necessary forms from the table and filled them out. It was just basic details like their full name, age, clan affiliation (if any), and areas of specialization. Once completed, Team 1 proceeded toward the Hokage's office. Utakata knocked once and waited. "Come in," came the voice from inside. As they entered, Ren immediately spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi seated at his desk, his expression warm and welcoming. Without hesitation, the four of them dropped to one knee and greeted in unison, "Lord Hokage." "Hmm, rise." As they stood, Ren's gaze instinctively drifted around the office. His eyes scanned the walls, where the framed portraits of all four Hokages hung. From the legendary First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to the most recent, the late Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and of course the best, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. His thoughts were interrupted by Hiruzen's soft chuckle. "Ho ho, I suppose I should have expected you to be the first," the Hokage mused, looking directly at Utakata. "Well, I trust you will handle them well." Utakata gave a small nod, offering no further words. Hiruzen's gaze then shifted to the three new genin before him. Ren could feel Yugao and Hitoshi stiffen slightly under the weight of the Third Hokage's watchful eyes. The man was not just the leader of Konoha, but one of the most powerful shinobi alive, carrying the title of "The Second God of Shinobi." When Ren's eyes met Hiruzen's, he simply smiled. A calm, composed expression, free of nervousness. "Alright, kids, hand me your forms." The three genin stepped forward and placed their ninja registration forms on the desk. Hiruzen picked them up and signed them swiftly, stamping each with his official Hokage seal. An ANBU operative flickered into the room, silently taking the documents from the Hokage's desk before vanishing just as quickly. With that, Team 1's official registration was complete. After receiving a light motivational speech from the Third Hokage, Team 1 was officially dismissed. As soon as they exited the Hokage Tower, Utakata turned to them and instructed in his usual calm yet commanding voice, "Training Ground 1. Five minutes." Without waiting for a response, he flickered away. The three genin exchanged brief glances before wordlessly following the order, flickering towards the first training ground at top speed. At Training Ground 1, Utakata was already there, standing motionless, his usual stoic expression in place. The moment all three genin arrived, he began speaking, "As the First Dispatch Squad, your stamina takes precedence. Our missions will require us to reach destinations as quickly as possible, and you all possess excellent stamina for your age. You may continue your individual stamina training as before, but if I notice any decline, all training and missions will be halted until you are back in shape. Understood?" "Yes, Sensei!" they responded in unison. Utakata nodded and got straight to the point. "We won't waste time today. The three of you will fight me together so that you can learn to adjust to each other's combat styles. Today's fight will be straightforward come at me with everything you have. We'll begin when you're ready." The three genin jumped back in sync, exchanging a brief glance before huddling together to strategize. Without hesitation, Ren broke the silence. "As the two of you already know, I'm fast, skilled in taijutsu, and I specialize in wind-style jutsu. What about you two?" His sudden willingness to share his abilities was deliberate as it was meant to encourage the other two to do the same without hesitation. Seeing Ren openly disclose his strengths, Yugao followed suit. "I excel in kenjutsu, and I also know some offensive lightning jutsu. However, I can't cast them instantly." With both sets of eyes now on Hitoshi, the Aburame didn't delay. "I don't have any insects strong enough to pose a threat to a jōnin yet, but if given an opportunity, I can plant poisonous insects on him as a distraction. I also know fire-style jutsu." With all their abilities laid out, the three of them fell into deep thought, each trying to formulate a strategy. After a moment, Yugao spoke up first. "We can use the insects as a feint, make them appear to be our final attack, while secretly preparing the real finishing blow." Hitoshi nodded in agreement, but Ren quickly added to the plan. "Alright, you two create a distraction. Hitoshi, you time your attack while Yugao executes a direct strike. That should provide me with the perfect opening for the final attack. But Yugao, make sure to drop your sword somewhere after your strike." At the last part, Yugao narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn't like the idea of being unarmed, but she still nodded. Both Yugao and Hitoshi had no objections to Ren leading the final attack. Given that he was the strongest among them, it made logical sense. More importantly, his plan was sound. Once their strategy was finalized Yugao turned towards Utakata, her voice steady. "Sensei, we're ready." The moment Yugao called out that they were ready, Utakata gave a small nod. "Begin." Like a ghost, he flickered forward, appearing right in their midst before they could even move. His fist lashed out at Yugao first, forcing her to duck, before he smoothly shifted his attack to Ren. Ren barely raised his forearm in time, blocking the punch but sliding back from the force. Hitoshi tried to counter with a kick, but Utakata caught his leg mid-air and flung him backward. Ren and Yugao immediately dashed forward to engage in close combat. Their strikes were fast and precise, but Utakata blocked or dodged with fluid ease. He deflected Yugao's palm strike, sidestepped Ren's kick, and forced them back with a low sweeping leg kick. Yugao gritted her teeth and unsheathed her sword in one fluid motion. Ren flexed his fingers revealing the sharp retractable claws from the gloves . The real fight had begun. Ren lunged first, slashing at Utakata with quick, unpredictable movements while Yugao flanked his side, her sword a blur of silver. Utakata parried both effortlessly, moving like flowing water. Hitoshi took the opportunity to weave hand seals, sending small waves of insects toward their sensei, but Utakata barely even acknowledged them. The moment the bugs got close, a gust of wind from Ren's Great Breakthrough meant for Utakata sent them scattering. Utakata took a step back as a fireball from Hitoshi burned through the air, but he dodged it with a flicker, appearing behind the Aburame in an instant. Before he could strike, Ren intercepted, his claws slicing forward. The sharp clank of metal against metal echoed as Utakata blocked with a kunai and pushed him back again. Lightning crackled in the air as Yugao launched a Lightning Slash from the side. Ren followed up with a C Rank Wind Blast, the combined attack forcing Utakata to flicker away. They had finally made him move. They kept up the pressure. Ren's wind jutsu and taijutsu kept Utakata occupied, Yugao's sword was relentless, and Hitoshi threw fireballs whenever he saw an opening. Yet, no matter how much they attacked, they couldn't break through Utakata's defenses. He was calm, composed, and barely looked like he was trying. Then, everything changed. In a single instant, Utakata's fist buried into Ren's stomach. The impact was brutal. Ren felt his breath leave his lungs as he was sent flying backward, crashing into the dirt. His vision blurred for a moment. Utakata flickered. Before Hitoshi could react, their sensei appeared in front of him, attacking mercilessly. Hitoshi barely managed to block the first strike, but the second and third sent him staggering back. Yugao rushed in, her blade sparking with lightning. "Now!" she shouted. Utakata spun, blocking her sword with a kunai just as insects swarmed his face. It was the perfect opening, but instead of panicking, he simply pushed Yugao's sword out of her grip and saw Yugao adjust the position slightly so it drops behind him. Then, in a move too fast for them to process, he ducked at an inhuman speed, letting the insects sail over him. His fists shot forward one aimed at Yugao, the other at Hitoshi. Before his punches could connect, a sharp whoosh of air made him pause. Ren was behind him. Holding Yugao's discarded sword. The blade was glowing with wind chakra, its edge humming with sharpness that could slice through steel. A direct hit would be lethal. Utakata still struck Yugao and Hitoshi, sending them flying backward, but even as he did, he bent his neck in an unnatural angle and spat a high-pressure stream of water directly at Ren's hand. Ren's arm jerked back, his posture breaking, but at that moment, his left-hand claws extended with blades of wind. They struck Utakata squarely and then smoke. Utakata's body vanished. Ren blinked. A shadow clone. His arms fell to his sides, and he collapsed onto his back, staring at the sky. The real Utakata dropped down from a nearby tree, his expression calm as he looked at his three exhausted students. "You three did extremely well for your first fight together," he said, his voice carrying a rare note of approval. "Even if it was just a clone, its strength wasn't low." Without another word, he flickered beside them and picked them up one by one, placing them with their backs against the tree. Once they were seated, he continued, "The idea of a triple-layered attack was well executed. First, the lightning sword strike, then the insect swarm, and finally, the wind sword to cover up the claw attack. I have to say, I'm impressed." Utakata paused when he noticed Yugao and Hitoshi both staring at Ren, who was rubbing his head absentmindedly. "What?" Utakata asked, raising an eyebrow. Yugao was the one who spoke up. "It's just that... the wind sword was supposed to be the final attack. We wouldn't have been able to dispel your clone, but Ren suddenly followed up with that claw strike. It was unexpected." Utakata turned his gaze to Ren, who shrugged before explaining, "My last attack was supposed to be the wind sword, but I saw the perfect moment. As soon as I thought about attacking, my body just moved on its own." For a moment, Utakata simply stared at him, his eyes studying Ren in silence. Then, he gave a small nod. "Well, it doesn't matter. The three of you did well, but we still need to make sure your attacks don't interfere with each other." He straightened up and dusted off his vest. "Alright, you're dismissed for today. Gather here tomorrow at 8 AM." With that, he flickered away, leaving the three genin alone. A brief silence settled between them before Yugao suddenly spoke. "How about we go eat something?" "Sure," Ren agreed without hesitation. Hitoshi gave a small nod, and the three of them walked off together. {A/N:- This was the first time I have written multiple characters fighting at once so the fight may not have been that good and maybe Ren got too focused in the fight which I hoped to avoid. Anyway tell me what you think.}