Two days after the Training Ground No. 42 excursion, Takuma walked into his group's usual training area like he routinely would, but today he had switched his usual back waist pouch with a slightly larger one to accommodate the raincoat and boot covers he had carried to protect his clothes from the smell when they went to shovel shit in a stable.

He wasn't looking forward to that at all.

"Mornin'," he greeted his team after a day's break.

Nenro and Ai reflected his energy. While Taro responded with his usual nod that didn't show if he was feeling his normal self or if he was down at the prospect of the one-week worth of punishment.

"Good morning!" Masaaki greeted back as vigorously as always.

"So loud..." Taro sighed.

Takuma wanted to make a hungover comment but held back, knowing it wasn't the right time. He looked around the field and saw that the entire group had a low feel to them today. As he observed his groupmates, he noticed something strange. For a moment, he couldn't put a finger on it, but then it struck him.

"They had a fight, didn't they."

While everyone knew everyone in the group, most of the time, people usually only hung out with their teammates. But today, Takuma saw that the other teams were broken up— not talking to each other.

"It's obvious that those who didn't win weren't onboard with their teammates 'betraying' them," Taro, sitting with legs crossed down on the ground, muttered his comment as he peered at the group with his head laying on his palm.

As it turned out, neither of the winners were from the same team. Like Kameko and Rei, the other winner was also made up of people from multiple teams. And as Taro said, those who won saw no fault in their view, but those who were left behind didn't see the winner's choices the same way.

"It must've been really awkward in their rooms afterward," Ai said with a slight grimace on her face.

After entering the central tower in the forest, everyone was healed by Shady Guy and then sent to their rooms that they shared with their teams for the night. Team-5 had gone to sleep really quickly after washing up, but it was easy to imagine what had happened in the other rooms.

"To have slept in the same room after all that, that's tough," Nenro said. The rooms were barely large enough for five people to sleep semi-comfortably. "Thank god we didn't have to go through that."

"Preach," said Takuma.

"Instead, we had to listen to his snoring all night long," Taro half-glared at Masaaki, who flushed.

"I can't help it!"

Nenro consoled Masaaki by telling him he was too tired to notice any snoring.

"Gather up!" Yoshio had arrived.

The group did, and they did it with perfection. After more than a month and a half of training and beatings, they had a level of discipline ingrained into their bones that they kept even with the tension that strained the air between the teams.

"I'm severely disappointed by this group's performance in the forest excursion. Even though I had booked the training ground for two days, I was expecting us to leave the forest early on the second morning. But the fact that I had to delay our exit by a few hours because all of you weren't able to make it to the tower in time embarrassed me a ton. I couldn't believe that the genin, who I had trained for so long, were so pathetic. If I'm not coming across properly, I will say it outright— I'm disappointed in you lot."

Takuma, who was standing near the back, saw a few people bowing their heads.

"Despite that, I promised those who completed the challenge the fastest a reward. I'm tempted to withdraw the reward, but as everyone knows, I'm a man of my word. Those who won, step forward," said Yoshio.

Takuma held back a snort.

Ten people stepped forward and naturally made a line. Takuma noticed that the other five had three members from Cho's team. And he knew the rest of Cho's official team hadn't been out of commission— which meant her team would have entered the tower together... but they didn't.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"All of you completed the objective assigned to you as fast as possible. For that, I commend you and reward each one of you with mission points," said Yoshio.

Takuma sighed. It seemed his gambit was a failure. He had made a 'wrong' choice.

"Cherish these mission points earned through the betrayal of your teammates," Yoshio continued.

'What?' Takuma looked at Yoshio, surprise covering his face.

"I'm sorry," the usually taciturn Kameko narrowed her eyes. "The rules didn't say we have to complete the challenge with our teammates. We didn't betray anyone."

Yoshio marched in front of Kameko, and his large muscular frame towered over Kameko as he stared down at her. "Tell me I misheard you not saying sir as you addressed me. Did I mishear, Taketori Kameko?"

Kameko stared up at Yoshio for a moment before gritting out: "...Sir."

Yoshio grinned broadly before he said, "Indeed, there was no role in completing the challenge with your team. But answer me this, did you discuss the challenge with your team before you entered the forest?"

"... I did... sir," said Kameko.

"Did your team plan to complete the challenge together?"

"... They did, sir."

"Did you at that time tell them about the possibility of you going off on your own without them?" When Kameko stayed silent, Yoshio pressed her, "Did you tell them or not, Taketori Kameko?!"

Kameko's face twisted as she spat out the answer, "No, I didn't, sir."

"So you planned to complete the challenge with your team but left that plan to complete it with other people. That sounds like a betrayal to me, Taketori Kameko," said Yoshio as he leaned toward her before pulling away and looking at the other nine people. "All of you betrayed a part of your team for an unknown reward. I hope you understand what this says about yourself. What would it look like to your peers who will be part of the same mission as you in the future. Think about it— you treat others how you want them to treat you."

Taro, who was standing in front of Takuma, leaned back a little and whispered, "Is that what you meant when you said— seeing underneath the underneath?"

"Yeah, something like that," Takuma whispered back. In truth, he was hoping Yoshio would deem them as victors because they completed the challenge as a team and they would get a mission point reward, but he accepted looking at the humiliated ten winners was an incentive.

Yoshio continued, "I'm someone who appreciates loyalty, and in this group, only one team showcased it," he turned towards Team-5, and Takuma felt everyone's eyes on them, and he unconsciously perked up, "which is why this week, I declare Team-5 as number one on the weekly rankings."

Takuma's mind, upon hearing Yoshio's words, did some mental operations, and he came to a simple conclusion. Number one on weekly rankings equaled mission points. They were going to get mission points— he couldn't be happier. His gambit had paid off. It also meant Team-5 had their second win on the weekly rankings.

"We will continue today as usual, but the fifteen who lost the challenge will follow me to the ranch after training to serve their penalty. Now get ready—"

Ai cut off Yoshio and exclaimed, "Huh, but sir, you said that we were loyal, shouldn't we be excluded from the punishment, sir!"

Yoshio, who had turned away, turned back towards them and gazed at Ai, and there was a pause before he said, "Shinobi Rule No. 04: A shinobi must always put the mission first." He looked at everyone as he continued, "This world isn't fair, children. Loyalty in the field is paramount because who else can you trust with your back but your teammates, yet there will be times you'll be asked to put the mission first, even if it means putting the same teammates in danger if it means mission success. We are shinobi. We are men-for-hire. We put our lives at risk for our village and country... and we put our lives at risk for people who're willing to pay an appropriate price."

He looked at Team-5, "You valued your team loyalty higher than the reward. I praise you for that, but at the same time, it is the truth that you lost the challenge. Your life as a shinobi will test you from time to time, and you'll have to make choices whether you like it or not. That is the truth of this life of ours."

"B-But, sir, how can we..."

Yoshio shook his head. "I don't have the answer to that. Only you can answer that for yourself.... I'll suggest this: Form your Nindo and follow those beliefs so you don't regret your choices."

Takuma clenched his hand into a fist. He didn't recall a lot of Naruto's story, but he did remember Hatake Kakashi's belief in putting loyalty before everything else, even rules. It wasn't the belief itself that jumped at Takuma, but the history of how he had arrived at the belief. Kakashi's father (whose name Takuma couldn't remember) had chosen to commit suicide after he put his teammates' safety over a mission— he had been disgraced by his peers, which had driven him to take his life.

Yoshio's words about life not being fair and making difficult choices made Takuma think about that. Two days back, he had made a choice that didn't have life-altering consequences— but the trade he was in would throw choices his way, which would have much more serious consequences.

Life was not fair.

Takuma knew that fact very well.

His existence here in this world was proof of that fact.