They say that once you hold a sharp blade, the urge to kill naturally follows.
That was exactly the stage Amakusa Ryuji and Hyuga Keiko were in right now.
In just a few short months, their strength had more than doubled. And along with that surge in power came an even greater surge in ambition. Even after hearing that the upcoming Chunin Exams would be packed with experts, they still wanted to test themselves against them.
If the enemies were strong, then so were they.
Kaede Kitahara thought about it and found the logic sound.
After all the time he had spent personally training his two teammates, their current strength was already far beyond that of ordinary Chunin. Compared to Genin, most Chunin were only better in that they knew a few more jutsu and had slightly stronger taijutsu and chakra reserves.
His teammates, on the other hand, had received his full guidance. Each of them knew no fewer than ten jutsu. And with someone like Hyuga Keiko, who possessed a dōjutsu bloodline limit, their lineup was more than respectable.
Of course, that was assuming they did not provoke Gaara.
At this point, if they ran into Gaara head-on, their survival chance was exactly zero.
The Gaara of this stage was less a normal person and more a walking mental breakdown. He needed Uzumaki Naruto to beat him down properly, followed by a solid dose of Talk Release, before he could straighten out.
But that information could only be shared once the other villages arrived.
If Kaede said it too early, people would start questioning where his intelligence came from.
"Looks like everyone's been resting pretty well lately."
Suddenly, a relaxed, middle-aged voice drifted over.
Kaede turned toward the sound and saw a smiling middle-aged man wearing a Konoha flak jacket approaching from a distance.
It was none other than their former squad leader, Akai Akimoto.
He was not dressed in Anbu attire today. It was a rare day off, and he had arranged to eat barbecue with his former subordinates to celebrate the completion of their S-rank mission.
Even for a veteran like him, S-rank missions were rare.
In the past, he had only been a seasoned elite Chunin. He had only recently been promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin. The highest missions he could normally access were A-rank. S-rank missions paid well, but they were deadly.
Money was meaningless if you lost your life.
"Sensei Akimoto, it's been a long time since we last met, and even longer since we sparred," Amakusa Ryuji suddenly said. "How about a quick match to work up a sweat before we go eat barbecue?"
At those words, Hyuga Keiko's eyes lit up as well.
Back then, even with all three of them working together, they were no match for Akai Akimoto.
But that was then.
Now, after training under Kaede, their strength had undergone a shocking transformation.
"Oh?" Akimoto raised an eyebrow, immediately seeing through Ryuji's little scheme. He was not angry, though. If anything, he felt a spark of interest.
He genuinely treated these three, who had followed him for three years, like his own students. Seeing their growth only made him happy.
"Of course," Ryuji said confidently. "Sensei, let me show you how much we've improved."
Then he turned to Kaede.
"Kaede, you stay out of it. Otherwise, it won't be fun."
Keiko nodded vigorously in agreement.
Only Akimoto looked at Kaede with a hint of curiosity.
He was not stupid. He understood exactly what Ryuji meant.
It meant that Kaede was stronger than him. If Kaede joined in, the fight would end immediately.
Akimoto smiled faintly.
Such confidence.
Was it arrogance, or had they really improved that much?
"Alright then," Akimoto said with a chuckle. "Let's see what you've got."
Kaede smiled as well and made no move to intervene.
At this point, while his teammates did not know the full extent of his strength, they knew enough. If he stepped in and it turned into a three-on-one again, just like before, there would be no fight left to enjoy.
"Then I'm going in!"
Amakusa Ryuji shouted and charged forward, his body bursting into motion.
In an instant, he was right in front of Akai Akimoto.
"So fast."
Akimoto's heart jumped.
He had expected progress. Ryuji would not have proposed a spar otherwise.
But once they actually clashed, Akimoto realized he had still underestimated him.
In terms of speed alone, Ryuji had completely crossed the Genin threshold and stepped into Chunin territory. He was even approaching elite Chunin level, almost comparable to Akimoto himself when he had first taken charge of this squad.
That kind of growth was astonishing.
An elite Chunin at fifteen or sixteen years old. Setting aside true monsters, that was already genius-tier among ordinary ninja.
How could someone improve this fast?
There was no time to think.
Ryuji's speed did not slow as he pulled a kunai from his pouch with his right hand and slashed toward Akimoto.
Akimoto drew his own kunai to meet the attack.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The training ground echoed with the crisp sound of metal colliding.
"Not bad," Akimoto said in surprise. "Your taijutsu has improved a lot."
He clearly remembered that Ryuji's taijutsu used to be mediocre at best.
Among his students, the one with the strongest taijutsu had always been Hyuga Keiko. As a member of the Hyuga Clan, she had inherited Gentle Fist, a powerful taijutsu style.
Even back when she was only a Genin, Keiko's taijutsu could already contend with ordinary Chunin.
But now, Ryuji had truly surprised him.
"Of course it has," Ryuji said, confidence surging. "I've suffered plenty for it, Sensei."
He really had.
Recently, whenever Kaede had free time, he would drag Ryuji out for special training. After mastering Shadow Clone Technique, Kaede abused his massive chakra reserves to train him relentlessly, often for entire days at a time.
Under Kaede's guidance, both Ryuji and Keiko had grown at an incredible pace.
At the same time, Kaede's own taijutsu training had skyrocketed as well.
In the entire world, the only people who could openly abuse shadow clones for training were Uzumaki Naruto and Kaede Kitahara.
"Fire Release, Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Ryuji leapt back to create distance and unleashed the technique.
Akimoto retreated rapidly, narrowly avoiding the storm of flaming kunai.
Being able to release a jutsu like that in the middle of such an intense exchange meant that Ryuji's mastery of Phoenix Flower Jutsu was already exceptional.
A look of satisfaction crossed Akimoto's face.
Then, suddenly, Keiko's voice sounded right by his ear.
"Sensei, you've entered my range. Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams Palms!"
At some point, Keiko had already closed in.
She unleashed a furious barrage of strikes, like a sudden storm, all aimed directly at Akimoto.
Every blow landed cleanly.
But before she could celebrate, the figure in front of her turned into a log.
Body Replacement Technique.
Akimoto had escaped at the critical moment.
He reappeared behind a tree, shock flickering through his eyes.
The rate of their growth was terrifying.
Especially their taijutsu and their sense of timing in battle. Compared to before, it was like a complete rebirth. Their combat experience was far beyond what Genin of their age should possess.
Working together, they had pushed him, a Tokubetsu Jonin, this far.
If he had faced them three years ago, when he had just taken over the squad, he would have lost already.
Each of them now possessed elite Chunin-level strength.
Fortunately, he had grown as well.
After joining Anbu, he had participated in several real battles. His resources were far better than when he was just a squad leader. His strength was now firmly stabilized at Tokubetsu Jonin level.
Otherwise, today would have been humiliating.
Then he noticed something else.
Kaede's gaze had never left him.
Even after the Body Replacement Technique, Akimoto had not shaken Kaede's focus, as if Kaede had known from the start where he would reappear.
What terrifying perception.
Akimoto had no idea how Kaede managed it, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Keiko had already spotted him.
With her Byakugan active, hiding was impossible.
Guided by Keiko, Ryuji and Keiko charged in together once more.
The three clashed again, exchanging blows back and forth in a lively, fierce fight.
Thankfully, this was a training ground. They did not need to hold back too much.
Watching the battle, Kaede gradually formed a clear assessment.
In terms of strength, Ryuji and Keiko were already on par with elite Chunin.
But Akai Akimoto had clearly improved as well. He was firmly at Tokubetsu Jonin level, which allowed him to withstand their combined assault.
After a long exchange, the three finally disengaged.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Ryuji bent over, gasping for air.
"Sensei, when did you get this strong?"
He had thought that with such massive improvement, and with the two of them fighting together, he could finally enjoy the feeling of beating his teacher.
But they still had not won.
"How could I be your teacher without a few tricks up my sleeve?" Akimoto said smugly.
Yet the shock in his eyes was impossible to hide.
There was no doubt about it.
The improvement of these two was far beyond anything he had expected.
He knew their talent and foundation well. He had led them for three years.
If they could have reached this level so quickly on their own, he would never have been the one assigned to their squad in the first place.
Which meant that the answer to everything pointed to one person.
Kaede Kitahara, their squad leader.