Naruto: Becoming a master taijutsu using martial arts.

Hey guys, I was planning to update only tomorrow, but my day was so exhausting that I thought I'd cheer myself up by reading your comments. I'm working 8 hours a day teaching and earning just 300 dollars a month, and lately, my happiness has been seeing that you're enjoying the story.

As a gift, here's an image I made of Team Four. As I've mentioned before, I'm not good at drawing, but I gave it my best shot. It was only after finishing the drawing that I realized Natsu should be taller—after all, she's three years older than the boys—but that detail slipped past me. Hopefully, at least, it helps you visualize what the characters should look like.

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What was going on here?

I had just arrived in the graduates' hall and I was surprised. It was my first time in this room, but... there were way more people here than I expected. Other students occupied the benches, chatting excitedly and some of the kids weren't even from my class.

I hadn't realized that other groups had also taken early graduation exams. I thought it would just be me and the rest of my class... but here we were, mixed in with a bunch of strangers.

As I walked toward my seat next to Jimei, I noticed that there were even some older students from different classes. That's when it really hit me—I wasn't prepared for what was coming next.

"Hey, Ken-kun! You finally made it!" Jimei greeted me cheerfully when I sat down next to him.

He seemed completely at ease, almost as if this was just another routine event on his calendar. He curiously observed the other students in the room, but there was also that mischievous look on his face that, if I was being honest, made me a little uneasy at times.

"Did you notice, Ken-kun?" Jimei whispered, tilting his head toward the unfamiliar faces. "There are students from other classes here! This is so cool!"

I nodded, trying to hide my nervousness. I wasn't worried about meeting new people—I was worried about how this mix of students would affect the team assignments. I could end up in a squad with complete strangers and I really didn't like that possibility.

I scanned the room. Some girls were laughing and chatting, while a few boys seemed more focused, maybe even a little nervous like I am. But overall, everyone was too calm, like if this was just a formality. That only made my anxiety rise through the roof.

What if I ended up in a team with people who didn't even know how to hold a kunai properly? Sure, I didn't want to be stuck with Hige or Tokuma because dealing with them would be a nightmare, but at least I knew they were competent.

Then Bekkou-sensei walked in wearing his usual lazy, disinterested expression like he just wanted to get this over with. The payment from the academy must sucks. Among all the academy instructors, Bekkou was, without a doubt, the least enthusiastic about his job.

"Alright, alright..." He drawled. "Congratulations, you passed. But I'm not going to give some big speech. To be honest, I don't want to waste my time with that." He paused, glancing around at us. "You're genin now. But just because you graduated doesn't mean I'll treat you like adults. You're still my students, and you always will be. Now, let's get to the team assignments."

With that, he began announcing the squads one by one. I listened carefully, my nerves on edge. Each new team called only added to my anxiety.

The first team had three genin. I recognized one of them from my class, but the other two were unfamiliar faces. That's when I realized my worst fear could actually happen—I might be placed in a squad with people I didn't know.

Team Two was called next, and it gave me a little relief. It consisted of Inomatsu, Hiyomi, and Daichi—basically an Ino-Shika-Chō formation. I wasn't sure if they were grouped because of their clans, but it didn't reassure me much.

Then, for Team Three, I heard the names Tokuma, Hige, and Natori. And wow, what a relief—for two reasons. Unlike Team Two, their formation wasn't based on clan connections, and most importantly, I wouldn't have to deal with those two idiots.

I actually felt a little bad for Natori and made a quick prayer for his soul in my mind.

"Now, Team Four: Hoshino Kenshin, Kuroda Jimei and... Hyūga Natsu." Bekkou-sensei announced.

What? Hyūga Natsu? I turned to Jimei, but he looked just as confused as I was. I had no idea who this girl was. I was happy to be in the same team as Jimei, but I was a bit concerned about this Hyūga girl. Hopefully, she wouldn't be as arrogant as Tokuma.

I forced a smile and tried to stay calm. There was still more to figure out—I didn't know who our sensei would be, and I didn't know anything about Hyūga Natsu. But at least I had someone familiar on my team.

"Yes! We're on the same team, Ken-kun! We're gonna crush it!" Jimei cheered beside me.

I nodded, waiting as Bekkou-sensei continued announcing the teams. When he finished, the jōnin instructors entered the room. The first sensei to catch my attention was the one assigned to Hiyomi's team. She wasn't wearing the standard jōnin vest and had a mischievous smile on her face.

"Man... Inomatsu is one lucky guy, his sensei is gorgeous!" Jimei whispered beside me.

I could only shake my head, slightly amused by his words. Well... he wasn't wrong. Even though we were still young, I could appreciate a beautiful woman, and that jōnin had some... well... remarkably big qualities.

The man standing beside her, however, was a mess. His clothes were disheveled, his face was flushed, and the sake bottle hanging from his waist made it pretty obvious why.

"Hic... Team... Team Three... with me..." he mumbled, his voice unsteady.

Thank goodness he wasn't my sensei. I saw Tokuma's face turn pale as he realized that was his instructor, but he quickly composed himself and followed him out. Before I could think more on that, another jōnin spoke up.

"Team Four! Follow me."

That was our sensei. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing the standard Konoha shinobi uniform. What stood out most was his appearance—white hair and dark skin, an uncommon sight in the Land of Fire.

He looked like a serious man and after speaking, he immediately started walking. Jimei and I exchanged glances before getting up to follow him.

That's when I noticed a quiet girl moving in the same direction—she had to be Natsu. Her dark green hair was unusual but not unheard of in Konoha. Her pale, pearl-like eyes were the signature of her clan, and she wore a kimono with her forehead protector tied securely around her head.

That likely meant she was from the branch family. Most Hyūga from the main house wore their headbands elsewhere, proud of their unmarked foreheads.

The walk was silent. Our sensei moved at a brisk pace, but Jimei and I were used to that thanks to our training.

Finally, we arrived at a clearing in the northeastern part of Konoha. Our sensei turned to face us.

"Now, you need to take a test!" he said, his gaze sharp.

I frowned. I had expected a test after the academy exam, but I didn't think it would happen this quickly. Well, it was probably going to be a teamwork exercise, so I wasn't too worried.

"Your test is to protect the egg." He tossed three weird eggs to us. "You must keep them intact while crossing the forest."

He gestured toward the thick, misty forest behind him. I had never explored that area, but I had heard eerie stories about it.

Apparently, so had Jimei—he was trembling beside me.

"You have one hour to meet me at the river beyond the Mist Forest. I will only accept those who arrive with their eggs unbroken."

Okay... that worried me. Navigating through that misty forest wouldn't be easy, and I wasn't sure if one hour was enough.

"Aren't we at least going to introduce ourselves first?" Jimei asked.

"I don't care about your names. If you fail, I won't even remember you. Now, begin."

Well, he seemed like a friendly guy. Not.

The test was about to start, and I knew one thing for sure—I needed to pass.