Rengoku led Karin as they slowly walked toward where Sasuke and the others were.
Along the way, Karin felt like she had a little rabbit thumping wildly in her chest. She nervously wondered whether she would face criticism or judgment from everyone.
However, as they gradually approached the crowd, Karin realized she had been overthinking things.
This was purely the clan leader's personal matter, and the clan members usually didn't show much concern or reaction toward such things.
Not only that, when people looked at Karin, what showed in their eyes was more friendliness and respect.
Whenever Karin passed by them, they would all, without exception, greet her politely.
Faced with this kind of treatment, Karin was still a bit unaccustomed to it, but gradually she relaxed, and the tension that had been hanging over her finally settled.
Once her mood stabilized, Karin's mischievous nature quickly surfaced again.
With a grin, she followed closely behind Rengoku and soon arrived in front of Sasuke.
At this moment, Karin wore a teasing smile, her big eyes darting around as she stared straight at Sasuke without blinking.
Being stared at like this, Sasuke felt as if hundreds of ants were crawling all over him. The strange discomfort made him uneasy all over.
To make matters worse, Rengoku had already walked up beside him.
At the same time, Naruto and the others, upon seeing Rengoku arrive, all stepped forward enthusiastically to greet him.
In this situation, Sasuke couldn't just stand there awkwardly, so he forced himself to speak, "Shishou…"
Then, lowering his voice, he softly added, "mistress."
Hearing Sasuke's form of address, Karin froze for a moment, then deliberately widened her eyes and pretended to be extremely surprised as she said loudly, "Oh? Sasuke, what did you just say? I didn't hear a single word."
Rengoku didn't stop them. After all, their group had always been close and used to teasing each other since they were young.
But now, the dispute over how to address her had basically come to an end.
"I…"
Sasuke was at a loss for words. He knew Karin would definitely mess with him.
Since there was no escaping it, Sasuke closed his eyes in resignation and shouted at Karin with a look of giving up, "MISTRESS!"
His voice was loud and clear, making Karin beam with delight.
"Ah, good, good, good. Little Sasuke, keep working hard."
Her oddly phrased encouragement made everyone around burst into laughter.
Naruto laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, "Hahaha! Sasuke, you've got it rough. Before, you were just the junior disciple."
"Now… hahaha!"
Sasuke looked like he had completely given up, "What are you laughing at! Shishou is also your academy principal, which means he's your teacher too. You all have to call her mistress as well!"
Sasuke originally wanted to drag everyone down with him, but Naruto didn't care about titles at all.
He immediately turned to Karin and greeted her, "Hello, mistress!"
The other girls, Shion, Yakumo, and Ying, also squeezed forward, laughing as they called out, "Hello, mistress!"
Karin put her hands on her hips and waved grandly, "From now on, you're all my juniors."
Kimimaro and his two teammates stood off to the side and didn't join the teasing, but from their expressions, it was clear they enjoyed the atmosphere.
"Alright, enough messing around. Call her whatever you all agree on."
"Sasuke, starting today, your special training begins. Are you ready?"
After all that, Sasuke had adjusted himself. The matter was already settled, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Training was what mattered most, "Yes, Shishou, I'm ready."
Rengoku led them forward to an open area.
He beckoned Yakumo over, whispered a couple of words to her, and pointed at Sasuke.
Yakumo was very familiar with this process and nodded repeatedly, "I understand, Lord Rengoku."
"Sasuke, come here."
Sasuke had brought all his equipment today, including weapons and ninja tools, knowing there would be a tough battle.
Rengoku looked him over. Sasuke's eyes were already much more resolute than before.
But in Rengoku's view, it still wasn't enough.
He took out a bottle and shook it at Sasuke, "This is Water of Life."
"As long as you still have a breath left, you won't die."
"So in today's battle, I'll have everyone attack you as if they're trying to kill you. Prepare yourself mentally."
Sasuke's expression tightened. He had long known that the clan possessed this healing holy item called "Water of Life."
But this wasn't something given to just anyone. At least, Sasuke had never had it.
And now, with body cloning and certain special illnesses, this item could also be used.
Its value was obvious.
He hadn't expected it to be used just for his special training.
Sasuke looked both moved and serious, "Shishou, I'm ready."
Rengoku raised one finger, "If you want to become strong, the first hurdle you need to pass is unfairness."
He paused, then continued, "The enemies you face in the future may have all kinds of strange abilities, or you might be surrounded by multiple opponents."
"So, your first opponent is Kimimaro."
"You'll fight two matches. The first match, pure taijutsu."
"The second match, you're both allowed to use all abilities, including bloodline limits."
"Yes, Shishou!"
Sasuke stepped forward, full of fighting spirit.
Rengoku gave Kimimaro a tactical hand signal. Kimimaro nodded slightly, and with a flicker, he was already on the field.
With a sharp clang, Sasuke drew his Kusanagi sword.
"Begin."
At Rengoku's command, Kimimaro shot toward Sasuke like a phantom.
'So fast!'
Sasuke's heart tightened. Without activating his Sharingan, he could barely make out Kimimaro's figure.
The moment Kimimaro burst into speed, Sasuke completely lost sight of him.
Relying on instinct, Sasuke spun and slashed behind him.
But Kimimaro pushed off the ground and instantly shifted to his side.
In the next moment, pain shot through Sasuke's hand, and the Kusanagi sword was already taken by Kimimaro.
Kimimaro drove a punch straight into Sasuke's chest, and Sasuke's vision went black instantly.
He staggered back several steps before dropping onto the ground.
Kimimaro was three years older than him. In terms of height, weight, and chakra, he far surpassed the sixteen-year-old Sasuke.
Sasuke was used to relying on the Sharingan. Without its perception, he couldn't even see his opponent clearly before losing.
"Cough! Cough!", Sasuke clutched his chest and coughed hard a few times before recovering.
Kimimaro stabbed Sasuke's Kusanagi sword into the ground and looked toward Rengoku. Rengoku gave a slight nod, signaling it was enough.
"Sasuke, you've already died once," Rengoku spoke calmly.
Sasuke stood up with a cold expression. He didn't argue, because Rengoku had said it from the start.
This was an unfair battle.
He pulled the Kusanagi sword from the ground and took his stance.
"Let's start the second match, Shishou!"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.