Konoha: Who Says the Shinobi World Can't Play Hunter?

Chapter 31: The Unlucky Duo (Part 3)

"How should I put it… I can see that you both have put in a lot of effort, but you're going in the wrong direction. That means most of your hard work has been a waste of time."

Kazama's words instantly crushed their spirits.

The disappointment they felt was akin to looking forward to a stroke of good luck for an entire year, only to be told at the last moment that it had been canceled. Nobuko fought back tears, refusing to let herself cry, while Ichirō gave a bitter smile and placed his broad hand on Nobuko's small shoulder in silent comfort.

"But," Kazama continued, "I like hardworking teammates. If the direction is wrong, it's fine. At worst, we're just starting from the same point—I only just graduated myself. Honestly, when I first heard that you both had already been graduated for a year, I was afraid you'd be way stronger than me, and that I'd be the one dragging you down."

Kazama's words were dramatic, but as soon as he finished speaking, the gloomy atmosphere lifted like a storm passing to reveal a clear sky.

"Wait… Are you saying you'll accept us as your teammates?" Nobuko asked in disbelief. Only she knew how much she had suffered, waiting for this moment. Ichirō was completely stunned. This sudden good news left his brain scrambling to process it.

"Why wouldn't I?" Kazama replied, finding the situation a little strange. Wasn't he the one who had come to form a team with them? Why did it feel like he was the one choosing teammates instead? He wasn't their team leader, nor did he have the right to reject them. In reality, the two of them had been marginalized for so long that they saw themselves as the weak ones. Meanwhile, Kazama had been exuding confidence, creating an unbalanced dynamic between them.

"Awesome!" Nobuko's gloom vanished entirely. She jumped up and down on the spot as if that was the only way to express her excitement.

"Ichirō, let's celebrate with some grilled meat tonight!" Nobuko suggested.

"Uh… but…" At the mention of food, Ichirō's expression immediately darkened. The truth was, they didn't have much money.

"Why don't we go to my place? I have a lot of ingredients there—we can cook something ourselves." Kazama had noticed Ichirō's hesitation. It made sense. Graduating from the Ninja Academy meant becoming a ninja, but for these two, it also meant losing their teammates and instructor. Without a team, they couldn't take on missions, which meant no income. Wanting to eat well without money? That was just a dream. The fact that they hadn't starved yet was a testament to their ability to manage on a tight budget.

At Kazama's treehouse, as he pulled out various ingredients and wild mushrooms to cook a fresh pot of soup, Nobuko and Ichirō had already lost their ability to speak. When Kazama called his summoned beasts to bring back a wild deer from the forest, the two were completely numb with shock.

Was their new teammate really this good at living?

In the end, Nobuko insisted on saving the deer. Eating an entire deer among just the three of them was way too extravagant.

Kazama didn't mind and agreed easily. However, something about the deer bothered him. The Forest of Konoha was vast, and seeing a wild deer occasionally wasn't strange. He had spotted them from afar before, but he had never been able to catch one. The creatures were incredibly alert and hard to approach.

So how had his summoned beasts managed to catch one?

And this deer… it wasn't afraid of people at all, and its coat was unusually clean.

A possibility struck Kazama—had those five little troublemakers gone hunting at the Nara Clan's deer farm?!

He hadn't kept an eye on them all morning, and they'd already caused trouble?

Or maybe the deer had simply wandered out on its own? Who could say for sure?

Either way, it was best to leave it be for now.

The meal was simple but filling—mushroom soup, grilled fish, and a large pot of rice. Nobuko and Ichirō devoured their food ravenously, eating with no regard for etiquette. It wasn't their fault—through conversation, Kazama learned that both of them were orphans.

Thankfully, their parents had been legitimate Konoha villagers, so their backgrounds were clean. Their parents had passed away while they were still in school, leaving them a small inheritance—just enough to get them through the Ninja Academy without being sent to the orphanage.

But in the year since they graduated, without missions to earn money, they had used up all their savings. As registered shinobi, they didn't qualify for orphan benefits, leaving them completely without financial support.

They had been barely scraping by with the little ninja skills they had learned in school, just to keep from starving.

It was rare to see ninja struggling this badly.

"Ichirō is back to full power! Hwooaaaah!" Ichirō cheered, clearly revitalized after eating his fill. He was much more talkative now. Normally, he was quiet—not just because he struggled to express himself, but also because he had been mocked too often.

But here, in the treehouse, there was no one to ridicule him. Kazama and Nobuko wouldn't laugh at him. That was why he felt safe enough to let down his guard.

"Yeah! Tomorrow, we can finally take on missions and start earning commissions!" Nobuko added enthusiastically. Their statements had no direct connection to each other, but they were used to responding like this.

"…That might not be possible," Kazama interrupted, immediately dousing their excitement with cold water. "I've heard that before a team starts taking missions, their instructor conducts an assessment. If the members pass, the team is officially formed. If they fail, they get sent back to the Academy for remedial training. Didn't your instructor do an assessment when you graduated?"

From the way they were talking, it sounded like they had no idea about this.

"Whaaaat?! There's a test?" Nobuko exclaimed in shock. Ichirō shook his head—he hadn't heard of this either.

Maybe it was up to the instructor's discretion? Come to think of it, the assessments given to the original Konoha 12 had all been different. After carefully recalling the original story, Kazama came to that conclusion.

"Wait… is it really true that failing means going back to the Academy?" Nobuko's voice trembled.

They had already wasted a year. If they got sent back, they would have to graduate alongside students three years younger than them.

The mere thought of it sent Nobuko into a panic.

"Ichirō! We absolutely CANNOT fail! That would be the death of us!" She grabbed Ichirō's arm and shook him wildly. Ichirō wobbled from side to side, nodding his agreement—though he still wasn't entirely sure what was happening. He needed time to think through the severity of the situation.

When Ichirō didn't react fast enough, Nobuko turned to Kazama instead.

"Kazama! You don't want to be sent back either, right? Do you have any idea how we can pass the test?"

Kazama looked at her dramatic display of desperation and mentally gave her acting skills a thumbs-up. Very convincing—full of emotion and passion.

"As far as I know, these so-called assessments are actually survival drills. Most likely, the instructor will personally face off against us in battle to evaluate our skills and personalities. The passing criteria depend on the instructor. Some value basic skills, others look for natural talent, and some prioritize teamwork."

"Huh?! It's that complicated? Then what are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to defeat the instructor?"

Kazama rolled his eyes.

Did she really think that three fresh genin could defeat an elite jōnin? Was she overestimating herself, or underestimating Konoha's elite jōnin?

"Forget about defeating the instructor," Kazama scoffed. "Think about the Academy teachers—do you think you could beat them? No, right? Our instructor is an elite jōnin. They could take down ten Academy teachers without breaking a sweat."

"Whoa… So we're doomed, then?"

"Not necessarily," Kazama explained. "If failing meant immediate elimination, no Academy students would ever become ninja. I think the real goal is to test us—to see if we have the potential to grow into competent shinobi. As long as we demonstrate something the instructor finds valuable, even if we lose, we might still pass."

"I see… But that still means we have to fight the instructor. And they're crazy strong. Any jutsu they use could knock us out instantly…"

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