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There were countless targets here, making it convenient for shuriken practice. Since it was in the woods, there were also rivers nearby, allowing for Water Style and Fire Style training.
When Sasuke practiced the Fireball Jutsu with Itachi, it was also by the river here.
"I'd like to see who has such poor judgment that they dare trouble our Team 7!"
Akira arrived angrily.
A few ninjas around his age had surrounded Nohara Rin and the others. If Kakashi hadn't been there, they might have already attacked.
"What's going on?"
Akira stepped forward.
"Teacher Akira, when I arrived, they were already surrounded."
Akira turned to look at Nohara Rin, but she avoided his gaze and didn't respond.
"Eh… Looks like this little girl is mad at me."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's the teacher's fault. There was an emergency at home, so I couldn't make it to the appointment on time. You have to trust me!"
Akira said this solemnly, but Rin still ignored him.
"Rin! One must learn to be independent. The teacher didn't show up on time because I wanted to teach you this lesson. Only by learning self-reliance can you become truly strong!"
Akira declared with a straight face.
"Self-reliance?"
Nohara Rin reacted, looking at Akira suspiciously. Could that really be his intention?
Seeing her hesitation, Akira struck while the iron was hot.
"That's right! Now that you have a heart for self-improvement, the teacher can teach you the next step. Rin, you didn't disappoint me. Even though I wasn't here, you still persisted in training!"
"I'm very pleased!"
"So that's it! Sensei was testing me! I didn't see through it at all, and I almost blamed him. I'm so foolish!"
Rin suddenly felt guilty. She looked at Akira, her eyes full of regret.
"Rin! As long as you understand!"
Goddamn self-reliance!
Akira's face was as thick as ever. He looked at Rin seriously, passionately speaking about their teacher-student bond without a single trace of humor, as if everything he said was true.
"Hey! Are you done with your chitchat? Do you really think we don't exist?"
The group of Chunin finally spoke up.
As soon as this guy Akira arrived, he started whispering with the girl, and though they didn't know what he was saying, they still felt like they were being force-fed dog food!
"You must be the teacher of this team, right? We're the newly promoted Chunin. With the war approaching, we need to train. But this little girl is hogging our training targets, seriously interfering with our practice!"
"So, you attacked my student?"
Akira's face darkened.
Nohara Rin was unharmed, but Akira noticed some burn marks on Kakashi's wrist.
That was definitely from a Fire Style jutsu!
"What are you saying? Sounds like you're asking us to step aside?"
"Let me tell you, pre-war training is essential! You're just a bunch of weaklings—you're not qualified to occupy such valuable training resources. If you don't move, we won't be polite!"
"Weaklings?"
Akira's expression turned cold.
"Hah! If you can't even throw a shuriken properly, what else are you but weaklings?" The Chunin laughed.
Akira immediately noticed Nohara Rin's eyes turning red.
He understood instantly.
They must be talking about Rin. He didn't believe for a second that Kakashi couldn't throw a shuriken properly. His anger flared.
They could insult him all they wanted, but they couldn't insult Rin!
Akira wasn't the type to blindly protect his students, but he was the type to protect his little sisters. And he already felt guilty about today.
If it weren't for his nonsense, Rin wouldn't have been bullied like this.
"If you think my student can't throw a shuriken,
Then let's have a shuriken competition!"
"A shuriken competition? With who? You?"
"With her!"
Akira suddenly grabbed Nohara Rin's arm and raised it.
"Ah, Sensei, what are you saying?! My shuriken skills are terrible!" Rin exclaimed.
"It's fine. If I say you can do it, then you can do it. Don't you believe in me?"
"N-No! Of course, I believe in you, Sensei."
Rin hurriedly reassured him, but the Chunin laughed.
They had already seen Rin's level. She could barely hit the target after throwing over twenty shurikens!
"Sensei, you must be joking. If it were you competing, I'd believe it. But if you're sending her? Hahaha! You must be an idiot!"
"Hmph, are you even that skilled yourself?" Akira sneered.
"Of course, we'll compete! But just competing is boring. How about we make a bet?"
"A bet? What do you want to bet?" Akira asked coldly.
"I just finished a mission and have 10,000 ryō on me. Since you're a teacher, you can bet however much you want—but don't go backing out later!"
"Fine! I'll match your 10,000 ryō!" Akira agreed boldly.
He had just completed a mission and had some extra cash, but Rin was immediately unhappy.
"Sensei! I really can't do it!" She frantically signaled to Akira.
Losing the match was one thing, but 10,000 ryō was way too much! You'd have to complete several B-rank missions to earn that back!
"It's fine. You'll be fine. Just trust me." Akira reassured her.
Since he dared to have Rin compete, he naturally had a plan.
He wouldn't joke around with half his fortune on the line!
Akira was secretly pleased—he already had a foolproof strategy.
"Alright! Since you agreed, let's start!"
One of the Chunin stepped up to a target.
"We'll start here!"
Standing 100 meters away, he flung a shuriken.
Thud!
"Four rings!"
The shuriken landed just outside the bullseye, only one step away from the center!
"Not bad! Hitting the fourth ring from 100 meters is already impressive!" The Chunin smirked.
"Alright, next."
Akira gestured to Rin.
This match required ten consecutive throws, with the highest total score winning.
Shuriken throwing consumed a lot of focus, so endurance was key.
"Don't worry. Just do exactly as I say, and you'll surpass him in no time." Akira whispered to Rin.
At this point, Rin's palms were sweaty from nerves.