"Gulp!"
Watching Shio being taken down in the center of the field, Yao, who was watching from under the shade of a tree, subconsciously swallowed, her eyes filled with disbelief.
In her estimation, given Shio and Suzuki's strength, even if they couldn't win, they should have been able to last three minutes.
She had been counting the seconds in her mind just now, and when the smoke cleared, she subconsciously stopped timing.
Two minutes and ten seconds; even if there was a slight error, it wouldn't be too significant. Although it looked intense, everything was completed in a flash.
Shisui had no intention of letting the two of them engage in a prolonged battle and directly secured victory with an absolute advantage.
"You worked hard, Shisui."
Ren walked closer, patted Shisui's shoulder, then turned to look at the dejected Suzuki not far away, and said with a smile.
"Suzuki, how do you feel? Do you want to go again?"
As Ren spoke, he also raised his hand to point to the side.
"Hmm?"
Suzuki subconsciously looked up, and the next moment, his gaze met Ryufeng's cold eyes. His expression immediately changed, and he quickly turned his head to face Ren, shaking his head frantically.
Are you kidding? He couldn't even defeat the one his age, let alone this one who looked difficult to deal with.
Looking at Shio, who stood silently in place, Ren took two steps forward, put an arm around his shoulder, and smiled.
"How do you feel?"
Shio pursed his lips, then said in a deep voice.
"He is very strong!"
During the battle just now, Shio could feel that the opponent's swordsmanship was not inferior to his own, and even slightly superior. In terms of speed, he was completely overwhelmed, and with the help of the Bloodline Limit Sharingan, he had no power to retaliate whatsoever.
Thinking of this, Shio couldn't help but feel a bit unwilling. His family also had the inherited Bloodline Limit, the Transparent Release, but there was still no sign of its awakening even now.
"Calm down."
Ren saw through his thoughts at a glance and comforted him.
"Failure is temporary. You are still young, and there will be plenty of opportunities to catch up and surpass in the future."
As Ren spoke, he pulled out a storage scroll from his person and unsealed it. As white smoke burst forth and then dissipated, a scroll and two books appeared.
"Take these."
"Yes!"
Watching Ren hand over the items, Shio quickly reached out to take them. Seeing the name written on the book in his hand, his face immediately showed a look of surprise.
"This is, the work of Swordsman Master Nakayama Hyobei?"
Nakayama Hyobei, born during the Sengoku period, was a renowned swordsman master who lived in seclusion in the Land of Grass. He once earned his fame by instantly killing a Jonin from the Grass Ninja Village with a single move and passed away from illness at home five years ago.
"Uh, I think so."
Ren scratched his head, saying with some hesitation.
As for this so-called Swordsman Master, Ren had only heard of his name and didn't know how strong his swordsmanship was, but if he was collected by Hiruzen Sarutobi, he certainly wasn't a fake.
Although he might not even be able to block one of his Tailed Beast Balls…
"Suzuki, Yao!"
As Ren spoke, he took out two storage scrolls from his person and tossed them over.
Seeing the items in Shio's hand, the two immediately understood. After catching their respective scrolls, they formed hand signs to open them.
The next moment, a cheer came from Yao's side first.
"Long live Captain! It's an A-rank Genjutsu and Master Kimi's insights!"
And Suzuki, who had been a bit dejected on the side, was stunned when he saw the items in his hand, and then his face showed a look of ecstasy.
"Are you satisfied, Suzuki?"
Ren walked closer, looking at the excited Suzuki, and chuckled.
"Satisfied, satisfied, very satisfied, Captain!"
Hearing his Captain speak, Suzuki quickly responded, then began to grin foolishly at the scroll in his arms.
One Water Release Ninjutsu, one Lightning Release Ninjutsu. Although both are B-rank, they can be combined. Once mastered, their power will definitely not be inferior to any A-rank Ninjutsu, and may even be superior.
"Don't you want my Ninja Swords anymore?"
Ren put away the Ninja Swords he had placed outside earlier, tossing a Kunai in his hand, and looked at the other party with a teasing expression.
"Cough, cough, no, no, Captain, please keep them."
Through the battle just now, Suzuki had clearly recognized his shortcomings. Although at his age, being able to defeat a Chunin was already considered exceptionally talented, he still couldn't last two rounds in front of stronger peers.
"If you understand, then train hard. Don't let down Captain's merits."
"Yes!"
The three of them looked up simultaneously and replied in unison.
"Very good."
Looking at the three in front of him, Ren's face showed a look of relief.
Seeing them like this, it was worth all the trouble he went through for half a day.
Bringing Shisui and Ryufeng was mainly to give them a good beating, to prevent them from becoming arrogant and conceited because of their excellence.
Having great power but lacking the corresponding mindset to control it would only make them slaves to power, causing people to fear and shun them.
Ren certainly didn't want his diligently trained team members to be ruined by a mindset problem in the end.
"Let's set a small goal for you first."
Ren stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then continued.
"I remember there's a Chunin Exams in half a month. Go participate."
"Don't worry, Captain!"
After getting the scroll, Suzuki's confidence instantly returned.
"We guarantee to take down all opponents and win first place!"
"Good, you said it."
Ren leaned his head close to Suzuki's ear and whispered.
"If you don't get first place, you'll go to the Forest of Death for special training for a week."
"No problem! If we don't get first place, we can even live there for a month!"
Suzuki didn't hesitate at all, patting his chest to guarantee it, and even multiplied the punishment several times over.
"…"
Now it was Ren's turn to be speechless. Even Ryufeng, who had been expressionless not far away, twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Captain, don't worry, I…"
Suzuki continued to speak, but halfway through, he received a heavy punch to the back of his head. His standing perspective immediately flipped, and when he opened his eyes again, he was already lying on the ground.
"Suzuki, you scoundrel!"
Yao, abandoning her usual cheerful demeanor, now bent down, grabbed Suzuki from the ground, and began to shake him frantically.
"Why do we have to live in the Forest of Death for a month? If you want to go, don't drag me and Shio along!"
"But, I… and Shio often… train in the… forest…"
Suzuki was shaken dizzy, speaking in broken sentences for a long time before finishing a single sentence.
"I don't like it."
And Shio, who heard this from not far away, immediately darkened his face. Seeing Yao's death glare directed his way, he quickly clarified.
It was true that he liked to train, but he didn't like wilderness survival! Plus, in this current situation, if he said yes, he'd probably end up lying there too.
Looking at the three bickering, Ren lowered the ice bed and couldn't help but sigh.
"Youth is truly wonderful."