Naruto: One Eye Tenseigan

The next morning, Iruka-sensei stood at the front of the classroom, his clipboard in hand, a spark of anticipation in his eyes. The usual chatter among the students died down as he cleared his throat.

"Today, we'll be conducting a survival exercise," Iruka began, his voice steady but carrying a weight of importance. "This isn't just about teamwork—it's about adaptability, strategy, and learning how to operate under pressure."

Excitement rippled through the class, and the room buzzed with whispers and hushed speculation. Naruto pumped his fist into the air, grinning from ear to ear. "This is gonna be awesome! Believe it!"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, his expression cool but his eyes sharp. Sakura sat upright, practically bouncing with nervous energy as she glanced between Iruka and Sasuke.

Tomaru, seated quietly near the middle of the room, listened intently, his mind already turning over potential scenarios. He had a habit of staying quiet during moments like this, not because he wasn't interested, but because he was busy thinking.

Beside him, Ino gave him a light nudge with her elbow, breaking his concentration. "You better not drag us down, Tomaru," she teased, her grin playful and self-assured.

Tomaru smirked, his voice dry. "You mean you better keep up with me, Ino."

She scoffed, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "Keep dreaming. You're lucky to have me on your team."

Iruka's voice interrupted their banter. "Teams will be randomized for this exercise to give you a chance to work with different strengths and personalities. Remember, in real missions, you won't always get to choose your partners."

The tension in the room shifted as students exchanged nervous glances. Iruka began reading off the team assignments, his tone brisk and efficient.

"Tomaru, Ino, and Shikamaru—Team Four," Iruka announced.

Tomaru blinked, glancing toward Shikamaru, who was seated lazily in the back of the room. The boy's head was propped up on one hand, his eyes half-lidded with boredom.

"Great," Ino said, clapping her hands together. "We've got the brainy guy and the quiet guy. Guess that makes me the leader."

Shikamaru let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "How troublesome," he muttered, not bothering to lift his head.

Tomaru raised an eyebrow at Ino. "Leader? I thought you were the loud one."

"Loud and effective," Ino shot back, jabbing a finger in his direction. "You'll see."

Shikamaru finally stood up, stretching lazily as he walked over to join them. "Let's just get this over with," he said, his tone disinterested but his sharp gaze flicking briefly toward Tomaru.

Tomaru met his gaze evenly, curious about the boy's calculating demeanor. Though Shikamaru's outward appearance screamed laziness, there was a subtle intensity to him—a sense that he was always thinking several steps ahead.

"Ready, Strategically Aligned?" Ino said, smirking as she adjusted the strap of her bag.

Tomaru sighed but couldn't help the faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Let's see how long it takes for you to call for backup."

Shikamaru watched their exchange with a small, amused smirk before turning toward the door. "This should be interesting."

—-

The training forest behind the Academy was a sprawling, ancient place that had served as a testing ground for generations of shinobi. Towering trees cast long shadows over the moss-covered ground, and narrow paths wound through dense underbrush. The air was thick with the mingling scents of damp earth and pine, while distant bird calls added a layer of life to the otherwise silent expanse.

Iruka led the students to a central clearing where he laid out the rules. "Your objective is to retrieve the marked scroll hidden deep within the forest and bring it back to this clearing. There are multiple scrolls, but only one is real. Be careful of decoys—they're booby-trapped. You'll need to navigate through obstacles, avoid traps, and, if necessary, defend your scroll from other teams."

Naruto raised his hand enthusiastically. "So we get to fight?"

Iruka smiled but shook his head. "This isn't about fighting. It's about thinking. If you charge in recklessly, you'll lose. Use your teammates, your environment, and your training to succeed."

Shikamaru yawned, muttering under his breath, "More like a test to see who gets caught in the traps first."

Ino nudged Tomaru again, leaning in. "That won't be us, right?"

Tomaru glanced at her, his expression neutral. "Not if you follow directions."

"Follow directions? Please. I give directions," she replied with a grin.

Tomaru turned his attention back to Iruka, choosing not to reply.

—

As the teams prepared to head to the forest, Ino leaned closer to Tomaru, her voice low and teasing. "So, what's your big plan, Mr. Quiet and Mysterious? Gonna wow us with your strategy?"

Tomaru smirked, adjusting the strap of his pouch. "No need to wow anyone. I'll just let my actions speak for themselves."

Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why do I feel like I'm babysitting already?"

Ino shot him a glare. "Relax, Shikamaru. Just follow my lead, and we'll be fine."

Tomaru chuckled. "Lead the way, oh fearless leader."

—

The forest loomed ahead, its dense canopy casting dappled shadows on the ground. Birds chirped overhead, their calls mingling with the rustle of leaves. Each team moved toward their designated starting points, their scrolls tucked securely in their pouches.

Team Four reached their spot, and Shikamaru leaned against a tree, yawning. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

Ino pulled out their scroll and read its contents. "We need to retrieve the red flag hidden at the top of the eastern cliff and return it to the drop zone without being caught by the 'enemy' team."

Tomaru nodded thoughtfully. "A simple capture mission. But there's bound to be traps or ambushes along the way."

Ino crossed her arms. "Good thing we've got Shikamaru for strategy, me for charm, and you for… well, whatever it is you do."

Tomaru smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Shikamaru groaned. "Let's just keep it simple. Tomaru, you scout ahead. Ino and I will follow at a distance. Signal us if you see anything."

Ino pouted. "I don't get a cool role?"

"You're backup," Shikamaru said flatly. "Unless you have a better idea?"

Ino grumbled but didn't argue further. Tomaru, hiding a small smile, took the lead, his movements swift and silent as they ventured deeper into the forest.

The sun was hidden beneath the thick canopy of leaves, casting dappled shadows over the forest floor. The training forest behind the Academy was ancient, its history etched into every gnarled root and scarred tree trunk. Tales of students long past lingered like ghosts among the trees—stories of clever victories and humiliating defeats whispered by the wind. Somewhere in this sprawling labyrinth, an authentic scroll lay waiting, buried amidst decoys designed to punish the reckless and reward the cautious.

The soft rustling of leaves above them mingled with the crunch of twigs beneath their sandals, their senses tuned to the slightest sound or movement. The air felt heavier here, damp with the weight of generations of chakra-laden training sessions that seemed to hum faintly in the background. Somewhere, faintly, the squawk of a crow echoed, fading into the dense silence.

Tomaru's sharp eyes darted upward, catching sight of something perched on a high branch. The scroll was unmistakable—its crimson ribbon glinting faintly in the fragmented sunlight. It hung there as if placed deliberately, just out of reach, a tantalizing prize. His gaze, however, didn't linger on the scroll itself but swept across the area surrounding it. The bark of the tree near the scroll was marred with faint black streaks—scorch marks. He noticed the unnatural way the branch bowed ever so slightly, as though under tension.

"It's a trap," Tomaru said, his voice calm and quiet, drawing Ino and Shikamaru's attention.

Shikamaru squatted beside him, inspecting the setup. "Not bad. Looks like they're trying to slow us down."

Ino knelt beside them, her gaze darting between the wires and the surroundings. "Can you disable it?"

Tomaru nodded, pulling out a kunai. With careful precision, he cut the wires without triggering the mechanism. "Done."

Ino smiled, her voice warm. "Nice work, Tomaru."

As they continued, Tomaru noticed Ino walking a little closer to him. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, the unspoken camaraderie between them growing stronger with each step.

"It's a trap," Tomaru said, his voice calm and quiet, drawing Ino and Shikamaru's attention. He pointed to the faint scorch marks. "Probably rigged to explode if someone tries to grab it."

Ino narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she surveyed the setup. "What is this, a survival test or a booby-trap convention? Who even has time to set this up?" Her frustration, though genuine, didn't diminish her focus.

Tomaru crouched to inspect the area more closely. The placement was meticulous—designed to punish overconfidence. He traced a thin, nearly invisible wire running down the branch and into the shadows below, where a buried seal tag was barely visible under a thin layer of dirt. The level of detail impressed him. Whoever designed this wasn't just testing physical skill but mental acuity.

"This isn't random," Tomaru muttered, mostly to himself. "The traps are meant to make you think twice. They want us to waste time analyzing every scroll we come across."

Shikamaru leaned casually against a nearby tree, watching the exchange with his usual detached air. He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes sharp and calculating despite his outward indifference. "Or to see how desperate we get," he added. "Get too cautious, and another team might grab the real scroll while we're busy second-guessing every twig."

Tomaru straightened, brushing dirt off his hands. "That's true, but grabbing a fake scroll could be worse than being too slow. If it's rigged, it won't just slow us down—it'll incapacitate us entirely."

Ino sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "So what's the plan, then? You want us to sit around and philosophize about traps while other teams sprint ahead?"

Tomaru didn't respond right away. Instead, he stepped back, letting his gaze sweep the area one more time. His Tenseigan flickered to life for just a moment, revealing the faint web of chakra threads connecting the decoy to its trigger mechanism. He deactivated it almost immediately, cautious about using the ability for too long.

"It's not about sprinting," Tomaru finally said, his voice steady. "It's about understanding the game." He glanced at Shikamaru. "You said it yourself—this isn't just about who's fastest. It's about thinking."

Shikamaru smirked faintly. "Huh. You're sharper than I thought."

Ignoring the comment, Tomaru turned to Ino. "We keep moving. Avoid obvious traps like this one, but don't get stuck overanalyzing everything. The real scroll is going to be in a spot that forces us to take a calculated risk—just like this—but the traps around it will be more layered, more deliberate. This one is too simple."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Simple? It's a booby-trapped scroll thirty feet up a tree."

Tomaru's lips twitched in the faintest hint of a smile. "Exactly. It's trying too hard to catch our attention. The real scroll won't need to."

Shikamaru chuckled softly. "Interesting theory. Let's see if you're right."

They moved on, leaving the decoy untouched. As they weaved through the dense forest, the ancient trees loomed larger, their roots twisting across the ground like skeletal hands. The air seemed to grow heavier, the shadows darker. Every step felt like venturing deeper into the past, where the very forest itself seemed alive, testing them.

Tomaru's thoughts lingered on the traps. They weren't just designed to test reflexes or strength—they were meant to force the teams to think, to balance caution with decisiveness. It wasn't just a survival test—it was a game of wits.

And Tomaru had every intention of winning.