It had been six months since Akane moved to Takime Alley. At first, despite Kaoru’s best efforts to keep her company and distract her, she couldn’t shake the sadness of leaving her clan’s settlement and her parents’ graves behind.

But as time passed, and as the rest of the Terumi clan finally completed their move, Akane began to heal. She, just like the rest of Terumis, decided not to dwell on the past and instead fully embraced her new life in the valley.

The Takime clan was also undergoing significant changes. What had once been a small, makeshift outpost built solely for survival had transformed into a fully functional, albeit small, village. Shops, restaurants, and even entertainment facilities had sprung up, bringing life and energy to the settlement.

A new academy had been established as well, with children starting their studies at six years old instead of eight. For the first time, the clans had the resources to dedicate shinobi to guiding the younger generation. The larger numbers from the Terumi clan, combined with Takime Alley’s vast and resource-rich territory, gave the leaders the breathing room to focus on long-term goals instead of mere survival.

With its growth and prosperity, the settlement could no longer be called Takime Alley. It needed a name that reflected its identity and potential. The two clan heads decided on Takimura—the Waterfall Village—a name inspired by the magnificent falls that dominated the valley’s landscape.

Like the rest of Takimura’s residents, Kaoru had made significant progress over the past six months. In fact, the changes in his life and power were arguably the most remarkable.

Now nine years old, Kaoru’s chakra reserves had finally surpassed those of most shinobi his age. His current reserves matched what Akane had when she was ten — a milestone he took pride in, considering the Takime clan’s genetical trait of low chakra capacities.

His progress with the Shifting Flow Sword Style was equally noteworthy. Kaoru had successfully completed the new chakra path for his right hand. At first, the chakra consumption was staggering. The initial cell activation drained so much chakra that his regeneration speed dropped to a mere tenth of its normal rate. But over two months, that began to change. The consumption gradually reduced to half, and Kaoru was confident it would soon become negligible. Kaoru was eager to begin creating new chakra paths in his left hand as well, but he decided to wait. He knew it would be wiser to give his body time to adapt fully to the completed path in his right hand.

[Once my chakra regeneration speed gets closer to normal,] he thought, [I’ll start working on the left.]

Kaoru had also advanced with his Suijingan training. He could now freely form and control up to eight tentacles with precision. However, his progress in this area had noticeably slowed. Kaoru was beginning to suspect that tentacle training had reached its limit.

[It’s time to develop a more refined method,] he thought.

The biggest progress, however, came with his mastery of wind release. Kaoru could now perform D-rank techniques effortlessly and had even begun to grasp some C-rank techniques. While his progress was impressive, he couldn’t help but feel it could have been greater if he had more time to dedicate to it.

Between working on the Shifting Flow Sword Style, improving his Suijingan, and training with his new squad to strengthen their teamwork, his schedule was packed.

With the growth in their numbers, Takimura had begun organizing shinobi squads similar to those in other hidden villages. While these squads were yet to take on missions, they were undergoing rigorous teamwork training to prepare for the future.

Kaoru had been assigned the rank of genin, a decision he had protested fiercely.

“If I managed to kill a chunin almost a year ago, I can definitely beat one now!” he argued, convinced he deserved a higher rank.

But Maki had been firm. “Strength isn’t enough, Kaoru. You need to prove your ability to follow orders and grow like any other shinobi,” she told him, her tone leaving no room for argument.

And that day came sooner than Kaoru expected, Takimura finally managed to convince few more villages to accept their protection.

<<<>>>

“Good job, Maki. We desperately need more missions to recover our budget,” said Suiren. “The money we recovered from the rogue shinobi hideouts is nearly gone.”

Maki, who was seated across from her, explained “The Daimyo of the Land of Water is barely doing anything, and Kirigakure is getting worse by the day. I think it’s only a matter of time before we have more commissions than we can handle.”

Suiren raised an eyebrow. “A good problem to have,” she said with a faint smile.

At that moment, Meruem leaned forward. “Maki, have you decided who’s going to be the jōnin team leader for Kaoru’s squad?”

Maki had practically begged the council to let her choose the team leader for her younger brother’s squad.

“I’ve narrowed it down to three candidates,” she began. “First, there’s Akura, but he refused. He said being a council member and the leader of the most promising squad wouldn’t be manageable.”

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“Reasonable,” Suiren murmured.

“Second,” Maki continued, “is Tenma, but he’s already been assigned as the leader of our Oinin squad.”

(** A/N: Oinin translates to Hunter-nin, Kirigakure’s equivalent to Anbu black-ops. **)

“That leaves only one candidate who meets my criteria,” Maki concluded. “Shin.”

Suiren and Meruem exchanged a glance. “Shin?” Suiren asked. “You’re confident he’s the right choice?”

Maki nodded firmly. “He’s got the experience, the skill, and the discipline I want for Kaoru’s team. If I can’t lead them myself, Shin is the only person I trust with this responsibility.”

Meruem folded his hands, he wasn’t entirely pleased with Maki’s choice, but he trusted her judgment—or rather, he trusted Maki’s love for Kaoru. He knew that Maki would only choose the best possible candidate for her brother’s squad.

“If Shin agrees, he’ll have our full support,” Meruem said finally. “But remember, Maki—with Shin as their leader, that team will be given difficult missions.”

Maki smirked, “Don’t worry. I picked Shin for that exact reason. Akane, Mizuki, and Kaoru need challenges—real ones—for their talents to blossom.”

The room grew quiet for a moment as the council members exchanged subtle glances. Everyone had misjudged Maki’s motivations. They had assumed that, as obsessed as she was with Kaoru, she would push for him to take on the safest, least risky missions possible. But they were wrong.

Maki, on the other hand, understood Kaoru better than anyone. She knew that he wouldn’t stay a genin for long—she was confident he’d reach jonin within three or four years at most.

She also knew her brother too well to think he’d stay out of trouble. Kaoru had a knack for finding danger, and his obsession with training only fueled his determination to experience the shinobi world in its entirety.

[If he’s going to chase trouble anyway,] Maki thought, [he might as well be ready for it.]

Her goal wasn’t just to protect Kaoru but to prepare him for the reality of a shinobi’s life—to make him strong enough to face whatever challenges lay ahead. She glanced at the council members, her smirk widening slightly.

“They’ll be fine,” Maki said confidently. “With Shin leading them, they’ll become stronger than anyone expects.”

The room remained quiet, everyone present could see it: Maki wasn’t sheltering Kaoru—she was sharpening him.

<<<>>>

The team had already gathered at the new training ground, one of the most scenic spots in Takimura. Situated near the waterfall, the area was often shrouded in a dense mist, though it had its perks—rainbows frequently appeared, adding an almost magical touch it.

Kaoru leaned casually against the entrance gate, a small droplet of water floating next to his cheek.

“So… you’re just going to keep that droplet floating there indefinitely?” Akane asked, her curiosity and awe evident as she watched his Suijingan in action.

Kaoru smirked, “Not indefinitely,” he replied. “The point of the exercise is to keep this little guy floating around me all the time. It’s so small that it barely uses any chakra. Unless we leave the village, it’ll stay with me.”

He glanced at Akane and added with a teasing grin, “Wanna name it?”

Akane blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before bursting into laughter. “You’re getting weirder by the day,” she said, shaking her head. “But seriously, do you know who our sensei is? Mei wouldn’t tell me anything before she left on her mission.”

“I heard he’s not from either of the clans. He is an outsider, like me,” Mizuki chimed in. She was one of the orphans rescued by Maki, and her unique Scorch Release had made her a standout during the Terumi vs. Takime tournament.

Kaoru shrugged, glancing at the sky. “We’ll find out soon enough. It’s almost time for him to show up, and I hope he won’t be late.”

[Please don’t be like Kakashi,] Kaoru thought, [Always late and barely trained Naruto. Honestly, other than tree climbing, did he even teach him anything useful?]

Kaoru didn’t like Kakashi very much. He felt Kakashi was overrated as a mentor.

“Whoever he is, he’d better be ready to actually teach us,” Kaoru muttered under his breath.

A man dressed in black shinobi attire, with Takimura’s headband bearing the waterfall symbol tied around his left arm, appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

[He didn’t flicker. That was pure speed,] Kaoru thought, impressed by the man’s entrance. Shin had already made a strong first impression.

“Hello I’m your new team leader. Let’s start with introductions, and then I’ll explain the mission and everything else you need to know.”

His voice was… normal. It wasn’t particularly deep or light, loud or quiet. If someone had to describe it, the most fitting word would simply be normal.

“My name is Arakawa Shin,” he began, standing with a relaxed yet confident posture. “I don’t belong to either the Takime or Terumi clans. I’m the first independent resident of Takimura. My focus is speed, but I’m a pretty balanced shinobi overall. My weapon of choice is a katana, and my primary element is lightning.”

Shin finished speaking with a slightly exhausted expression, as though he’d been speaking for hours and desperately needed time to rest.

[Lightning… the one element we didn’t have covered,] Kaoru thought, his analytical mind already trying to piece things together. [Coincidence? Or did Maki pull some strings?]

Kaoru’s eyes studied Shin closely. The man was slightly taller than average, lean but with a well-trained physique. His black hair was neat, and his dark brown eyes carried a certain sharpness. He had a long face, a straight nose, and while he wasn’t particularly handsome, there was a subtle charm in his presence.

[He’s so… average,] thought Akane, holding a laugh. Still, she stepped forward to introduce herself.

“My name is Terumi Akane,” she began. “I’m eleven years old. My strong suit is taijutsu, though I’m also good at ninjutsu. My main element is fire, and my secondary is earth. I’m weak at defensive jutsu—I prefer offense.”

She spoke like she was reciting a well-memorized text, her words quick and precise.

Next was Mizuki’s turn.

“I’m Kasai Mizuki,” she said, her voice was indifferent. “Im ten years old and I can use Scorch Release. My main element is fire, but I’m skilled with wind too. I prefer maintaining distance in battle and aim to keep a balance between offense and defense.”

Finally, Kaoru stepped forward.

“I’m Takime Kaoru,” he said, his tone steady but with a hint of pride. “I have Suijingan, which allows me to control water.” As a demonstration, the droplet of water hovering beside him spun gracefully around his head before returning to its original position. “I can also use wind release. My focus is speed and stealthy attacks. I prefer maintaining distance too, but I’m working on improving my close combat skills.”

With introductions complete, Shin clapped his hands lightly. “Alright, now that I know a bit about each of you, let’s move on. I’ll start by explaining our mission.”

**

A/N -

Kaoru and his team will be heading out on their first mission soon, but I’m still deciding what the mission should be!

If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to let me know in the comments.

Character Notes:

Kaoru - Conflicted - “Shin seems cool, but so was Kakashi. He better actually teach me something!”

Shin - Tired - “This is time I’ll never get back… Why can’t I ever say no to Maki?”

Akane - Excited - “I’m in the same team as Ru! ^_^”

Mizuki - …- “...”

**