Hiro's grip tightened around the hilt of his swordbreaker as he crouched behind a partially scorched tree stump, his heart pounding against his ribs. The smell of burnt silk and smoldering wood filled the air. The once-impenetrable webbing that Yamiha had meticulously id out had been reduced to cinders, the delicate strands curling into nothing as embers floated through the clearing.

  Across from him, standing with unwavering confidence, was his opponent. An Uchiha.

  The man was older than Hiro by at least a decade, with sharp features and an effortless air of superiority. His two-tomoe Sharingan spun zily in his eyes, reflecting the flickering remnants of fire. Behind him, a swarm of crows circled in the air, their dark forms moving like a twisting vortex above the battlefield.

  Hiro knew he was in trouble.

  Yamiha was barely holding her own, constantly weaving webs and repositioning herself, trying to avoid the relentless swarm of attacking crows. She was constantly trying to throw new webs out in the path of the diving birds, but they were either dodging at the st second or incinerating the strands with sharp bursts of chakra-infused energy. Chūta zipped through the air, delivering wind bursts that sent some of the birds scattering, but there were simply too many. They weren’t ordinary crows—they were enhanced by the Uchiha’s chakra, moving with unnatural speed and precision.

  They needed a pn. Fast.

  Hiro dashed forward, his whip snapping through the air as he aimed for the Uchiha’s arm. The man sidestepped effortlessly, twisting just enough to let the attack pass. Before Hiro could recoil the weapon, his opponent formed a quick set of seals.

  “Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!”

  A barrage of small fireballs erupted from the Uchiha’s mouth, arcing through the air in a rapid, unpredictable spread. Hiro barely had time to react. He twisted his body, dodging most of them, but one grazed his shoulder, singing his uniform and sending a sharp sting through his skin. He hissed, forcing himself to keep moving.

  This was bad.

  Yamiha let out a sudden chittering cry as the crows pressed their assault, pecking and cwing at her from all angles. Chūta dove in, using his wind bdes to slice through the flock, but the sheer number of them made it impossible to take them all down at once. Hiro could feel their struggle through his connection with them, the weight of their exhaustion pressing into his mind.

  His opponent smirked, his red eyes gleaming with confidence. “You’re talented, but you’re too predictable.”

  Hiro’s vision blurred for just a second.

  His fingers felt heavy. His breathing slowed.

  No.

  Genjutsu.

  He tried to move, tried to shake it off, but his limbs felt sluggish. The world around him distorted, the trees twisting unnaturally as the Uchiha’s form shifted in and out of focus.

  Hiro grit his teeth, struggling to break free. He knew what this was. He had studied genjutsu under Kaya’s teachings. Disrupt your chakra. Break the illusion. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t grasp control. The two-tomoe Sharingan was too strong for his limited experience.

  Everything faded to bck.

  When Hiro woke, the battlefield was silent.

  He blinked, the Sharingan-induced haze slowly clearing. His body felt heavy, his limbs sluggish, but he wasn’t bound, nor was he in pain. The fight was over.

  And Kakashi was standing over the unconscious Uchiha, his stance casual but his presence undeniable.

  Hiro sat up abruptly, his breath coming fast. His gaze darted toward their fg. It was still standing. Chūta and Yamiha jumped onto his shoulders as they saw him released from the genjutsu, their small but reassuring presence grounding him back in reality.

  Kakashi turned to look at him, expression unreadable. “You held out long enough.”

  Hiro swallowed. “You got the fg?”

  Kakashi simply nodded, dusting off his uniform as he gnced toward Hiro. “I returned just as he put you under.”

  Hiro exhaled, his body slumping slightly in relief. He wasn’t sure if he should be proud or frustrated. He had lost—but his team had won.

  Before he could dwell on it, Shigeto flickered into the clearing, arms crossed as he surveyed the aftermath.

  “Well done.” His gaze moved between them, lingering on the unconscious Uchiha before settling on Hiro. “You fought hard. But there are areas for improvement.”

  Hiro nodded, waiting for his critique.

  “Your summons were at a disadvantage due to the elemental nature of your opponent. Yamiha’s webbing burns easily, and fire is one of the most common chakra affinities. You need to work on contingency pns for that.”

  Hiro absorbed the words, mentally filing them away. He had thought Yamiha’s webbing was strong, but against a fire user, it had been reduced to ash in seconds.

  Shigeto continued. “Your teamwork was good. You sted long enough for Kakashi to complete the objective. But against an opponent of that level, you need to develop counters to genjutsu. If you don’t, next time, you won’t wake up.”

  The words hit hard, but Hiro nodded. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

  Shigeto continued, turning his attention to Kakashi. “I also saw you hesitating before engaging the Uchiha fighting Hiro.” His gaze was sharp but measured. “I know you were looking for an opening, but in a real battle, Hiro might have been killed while you waited. While ensuring mission success is important, sometimes a slight hit to the success rate to guarantee your teammate’s survival should outweigh it.”

  Kakashi remained silent for a moment before nodding. “Understood.”

  Neither Hiro nor Shigeto could tell if Kakashi actually agreed, but the lesson had been delivered nonetheless.

  Shigeto tossed them a new mission scroll. “You two are done for today. Read that when you’re ready.”

  With that, he disappeared just as suddenly as he arrived.

  Kakashi caught the scroll and unrolled it. He scanned the contents before giving Hiro a sidelong gnce. For the first time, there was something almost amused in his expression.

  “Looks like we’re headed to a hot spring resort.”

  Hiro blinked. “…What?”

  Kakashi handed him the scroll. Hiro read over the mission details, his eyes widening slightly.

  The entire Summoner Corps was gathering at the resort for a celebration—a welcoming party for the new recruits. Even those who had been eliminated were invited.

  Hiro sat there for a moment, processing the unexpected turn of events. He had been prepared for another grueling challenge—not… this.

  Kakashi stretched. “Well, at least we’ll get some rest.”

  Hiro exhaled a quiet chuckle, standing up and dusting himself off. Rest. That sounded nice.

  With that, the two of them set off toward their next destination—one that, for once, didn’t involve fighting for their lives.