Xiyue Hong led the Eighth Team out of the school building. Instead of heading to the training ground, they left the school and arrived at an outdoor training field.
Such training fields were common in Konoha.
Upon reaching a tree stump, Xiyue Hong turned to face the three members of the Eighth Team and smiled. "Before any of you are promoted to Chūnin team leaders, I will be the one to lead you on missions for the foreseeable future."
"Now, let's start by introducing ourselves. Get to know each other."
"I'll go first."
With one hand on her hip, Xiyue Hong continued with a smile. "My name is Xiyue Hong. You can call me Teacher Hong. My specialty is genjutsu, and I'm proficient in various types of genjutsu. As for my likes, I enjoy many things, such as wasabi octopus, sake, and vodka. My dream is to become a female ninja like Tsunade-sama."
"Now it's your turn."
Xiyue Hong's gaze swept over the faces of the three, and her eyes finally settled on Izayoi.
Seeing this, Izayoi spoke slowly. "I'm Izayoi, no family name. My specialty is ninjutsu, especially Fire Style and Wind Style. I also have some skill in medical ninjutsu and sensory techniques. I enjoy training and fighting with others, and there's a lot I dislike. My dream is to become an outstanding ninja."
Xiyue Hong nodded in approval, having made her preliminary judgment about Izayoi's strength and personality.
She then turned her attention to the next member, Hinata.
"I'm Hinata Hyūga. My specialties are sensory techniques and my family's Gentle Fist. I like training with Izayoi-kun and my younger sister, and I also enjoy eating red bean paste and cinnamon rolls. I dislike shrimp and crab, and my dream is to become an excellent ninja," Hinata said softly.
After listening to Hinata's introduction, Xiyue Hong once again studied Izayoi, her eyes moving between the two until Hinata's face flushed slightly, unable to hide her shyness. A playful smile appeared on Xiyue Hong's face as she nodded knowingly. "I see."
Finally, Xiyue Hong's gaze landed on the mysterious figure of Shino Aburame.
Shino spoke calmly, "I'm Shino Aburame. My specialty is also sensory techniques and my family's secret techniques. I usually like to search for insects in the forest. My favorite food is vegetable salad and winter melon, and I dislike strong-tasting food. My dream is to find new species of insects."
"Very good. Now we all have a better understanding of each other."
Xiyue Hong smiled with satisfaction. "But before we start our mission, I need to test your abilities. Tomorrow at 9 AM, we'll meet right here for a survival exercise."
"By the way, the theme of this survival exercise is a capture-the-flag game, and your opponent… is me."
Xiyue Hong pointed to herself and then waved her hand, laughing. "See you tomorrow, and remember, don't be late."
After saying this, Xiyue Hong didn't give the three of them a chance to respond or ask questions, vanishing into the distance like a fleeting shadow.
Izayoi, Hinata, and Shino looked at each other.
"Izayoi, what do you think?" Shino asked, wanting to gauge Izayoi's thoughts.
Although Shino had always been overshadowed by Izayoi and Hinata, he didn't think his other abilities were inferior to theirs, apart from his academic performance.
The sixth year was the time for the unregulated duels, held once a month as part of the monthly exams.
Until graduation, Shino had never been matched against Izayoi or Hinata.
No one else in their class was worthy of him using his family's secret techniques.
So, Shino had kept his strength hidden all along.
He had noticed the clues left by Xiyue Hong.
If Izayoi hadn't noticed, then it meant his mind wasn't as sharp as Shino's.
Considering the relationship between Hinata and Izayoi, Shino was prepared to give up his chance to lead the team. However, if Izayoi made a bad decision, he wouldn't hesitate to offer his own counter-opinion.
Izayoi, however, had no knowledge of Shino's thoughts.
After hearing Shino's words, Izayoi slowly spoke up, giving his analysis. "We don't need to wait until tomorrow to know the result. As freshly graduated genin, we are no match for a jōnin."
"Even if tomorrow's survival exercise is a capture-the-flag game, if the jōnin doesn't want to lose, we won't even stand a chance. After all, you've all noticed that during school survival exercises, those jōnin teachers were usually lenient. As long as we didn't perform terribly, we wouldn't be eliminated."
"So, for tomorrow's survival exercise, if our performance satisfies Teacher Hong, she will likely show mercy and let us successfully capture the flag."
"Then… how do we make her satisfied?" Shino asked, intrigued.
Izayoi leaned against the tree stump Xiyue Hong had just stood by and continued, "Teacher Hong mentioned she's testing our abilities, not our raw strength. A ninja's battle is a battle of information. During our self-introductions, Teacher Hong revealed some intel to us—she specializes in various types of genjutsu."
"Now, it's still early in the morning, and we can start the survival exercise immediately, but she gave us a whole day to prepare, making it clear that she's giving us time to devise a strategy and set traps."
"As long as our tactics and teamwork are up to par, Teacher Hong will likely hold back, allowing us to capture the flag."
Seeing Izayoi speak so confidently, Hinata's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Shino, though still wearing his usual calm expression, had already mentally acknowledged Izayoi's leadership, accepting his strategies without question.
"Then, Izayoi, what's our strategy?" Shino asked, no longer probing but genuinely seeking to follow Izayoi's lead.
"To develop a strategy, we need to understand each other a bit better," Izayoi said, waving for Hinata and Shino to come closer. "Let's compare notes and talk about each of our strongest techniques and their effects."
At his signal, Hinata and Shino immediately moved closer, and the three began quietly discussing their abilities.
Not far off, Xiyue Hong stood atop a large tree, watching the trio with a pleased smile. She was even more satisfied with Izayoi and his team.
The clues she had left were, in fact, intentional—meant to test the team's observation skills and see how quickly they would catch on.
To her surprise, Izayoi and his team were exceptional.
The moment she left, they immediately deduced that the survival exercise and the timing were designed to test their abilities and teamwork.
"Truly impressive. With such a combination, they have a real chance of winning. I'll make sure they pay the price for underestimating me," Xiyue Hong thought back to the bet before class, where both Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma had underestimated her, and silently vowed.
Then, like a mirage, her body twisted and disappeared.