In Training Ground Nineteen, Yogi crouched in front of his students, who were sprawled flat on the ground.
"You did very well for your first time working together," he said. "You almost managed to catch me off guard."
Shinra stared up at the sky and thought, 'Well, he is a jōnin after all. The speed he showed at the end—incapacitating all of us and then flickering straight to my clone—was insane.'
"So, sensei," Hyori asked, "when are we going to start doing missions?"
She, too, had experienced her sensei's strength firsthand. In her mind, his image shifted—from a weird sensei to a strong weird sensei.
Shinra perked up slightly. He was running low on funds and wanted to buy a better set of weights.
"If it were up to me, I wouldn't send you on missions for a few weeks," Yogi said. "I'd rather focus on improving your skills first. Unfortunately, Lord Hokage would nag me to death if I did that. So—one mission a week, five days of training, and one free day."
He went on to explain their training routine. Early mornings would be dedicated to sensory techniques. Afternoons would be spent sparring—first one-on-one, then all three against him. The remaining time would be theirs to focus on whatever they wished: kenjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, or even genjutsu.
Hearing his sensei confidently list so many disciplines, Shinra asked, "Are you proficient in fuinjutsu?"
Yogi's eyebrows twitched. "No," he answered, "but I know someone who can teach you, if you're interested."
Shinra's eyes lit up. "What about medical ninjutsu?"
Back at the Academy, fuinjutsu had barely been more than a concept. There hadn't even been a beginner scroll for it, unlike sensory techniques.
Yogi studied him for a moment. "What's got you so interested in these niche fields? Even if you want to learn them, you should focus on one thing at a time."
Truthfully, Yogi did know someone who could teach medical ninjutsu. But he didn't want Shinra spreading himself too thin and ending up mediocre across the board.
Shinra nodded. "Then I'll focus on fuinjutsu first."
"Anyone else interested in niche specialties?" Yogi asked.
Inumaki and Hyori both shook their heads.
Yogi looked back at Shinra. "I'll need to ask him first. This will count as external training—you'll work on it after our regular sessions."
Shinra smiled. "Thank you, sensei."
"Good. Now, to celebrate our first day together, I'm treating you to barbecue. How about it?"
He waited for excited reactions.
All he got were nods.
"You kids are way too introverted," Yogi sighed. "Back in my day, we'd lose our minds if our sensei treated us to food."
He continued rambling about the past as they walked, only stopping once they reached Yakiniku Q.
Listening to him talk nonstop, Shinra thought, 'I've never seen someone speak this much without actually saying anything meaningful.'
After lunch, the team split up and headed home to rest. Shinra, however, made a detour to buy some kunai. He had a feeling the coming weeks would put even more strain on his already tight finances.
'I really need chakra-metal weapons,' he thought. 'But for that, I'll need even more money.' He sighed, 'Even in this world money is still the root of all evil.'
The next morning, Yogi started training them early. He observed each of them closely. Since all three already knew how to sense chakra signatures, he decided to teach them how to hide their own.
"If you can sense others' chakra," Yogi explained, "then enemy sensors can sense yours as well. Hiding your chakra is simple—you suppress it by lowering your output."
"However, whenever you use a jutsu, that flare can be detected unless it's low rank. For example, during our spar yesterday, Inumaki suppressed his chakra and hid underground. I couldn't sense him until he surfaced."
"For infiltration missions, though, suppression isn't always ideal. Instead, you mask your chakra to make it seem weak—similar to a civilian's."
He taught them the techniques required to achieve both effects. Once the sensory lesson ended, they moved on to sparring.
Each of them took turns fighting Yogi individually, followed by a team battle to improve coordination.
Shinra went first.
'Out of the three, his skill set is the most versatile,' Yogi thought. 'I still don't know where he learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Pulling off a C-rank jutsu afterward means his chakra reserves are at least decent.'
This time, Shinra didn't rely on tricks. He fought purely with taijutsu.
Less than a minute later, he was on the ground.
'As expected,' Shinra thought. 'I still have a long way to go. But this is good—now I finally have someone strong to train with every day.'
As he recovered, Shinra observed the other spars closely, analyzing his teammates' styles.
'Inumaki's taijutsu used to be top three in the class,' he noted. 'But he hasn't improved much there. Instead, he's clearly focused on ninjutsu.'
Inumaki's spar was nothing like Shinra's. He relied heavily on Earth Release—specifically Earth Spikes. Judging by how frequently he used it, the jutsu was likely low rank.
Hyori's match mirrored Shinra's: a pure taijutsu exchange. She fared no better and was taken down just as quickly.
Yogi analyzed them carefully.
'They're all solid,' he concluded, 'but each has glaring weaknesses.'
'Shinra still wears weighted gear even during spars. While it increases impact, it slows him down—unlike yesterday, when his speed was exceptional.'
'Inumaki fights best at mid-range. His Earth Release is strong, but it loses effectiveness once the opponent is aware of it. He's well-rounded, but without a specialty, he risks becoming mediocre.'
'Hyori is the most difficult case. Her fundamentals are excellent, but her physical strength is lacking. Gentle Fist prioritizes precision over power… perhaps it's time she broadened her approach. I'll let her decide next session,'Yogi thought.
"Five-minute break," he said aloud. "Then we will discuss your choice of where you want to focus, and then we will do the team spar."
Shinra sat down, breathing steadily. 'Next should be specialization,' he thought. He had already made his decision
Kenjutsu.
'Taijutsu is good, but kenjutsu is deadlier—far more practical in real combat.'
"Time's up. Gather around," Yogi said precisely five minutes later. "Have you decided what you want to focus on?"
He turned to Shinra first. "You?"
"Kenjutsu."
Shinra had no experience with swords. Even if he picked one up, he wouldn't know where to begin. Having a jōnin build his foundation was the smartest choice.
Yogi nodded, neither approving nor rejecting. A shinobi's path was their own.
"Inumaki?"
"…I want your opinion, sensei."
"You should focus on ninjutsu," Yogi replied. "Your Earth Release is solid. You already have good mid-range offense and stealth options. Add a long-range technique and a defensive jutsu, and your survivability will skyrocket."
Inumaki considered it, then nodded.
"Hyori?" Yogi asked.
"I'd like your opinion as well, sensei." A jōnin's advice was worth listening to, if she truly wanted to grow stronger.
"I think you should learn other taijutsu styles."
Her face tightened. "…Why?"
Like many Hyūga, she took pride in Gentle Fist—the art that earned her clan the title of the Leaf's strongest.
"Because it's made you physically weaker," Yogi said bluntly. "I'm not telling you to abandon it. But learning another style will help you long-term. Alternatively, you can train your body like Shinra."
He gestured toward Shinra's arms.
Hyori glanced at him, then looked away. She had noticed the weights earlier through her Byakugan. He hadn't worn them yesterday—or during graduation.
After a long pause, she clenched her fists. Remembering her goal, she swallowed her pride.
"…I'll do it."
Yogi smiled.
'All three of them have the potential to become jōnin,' he thought. 'What matters now is whether their drive holds steady.'