Sato Fan stood in place, watching Kenji Inuzuka and Rin rush toward Kusakabe Takashi.
?!
These two didn’t even discuss it beforehand!
He quickly calculated in his mind.
In this assessment, he had to “perform” just right—not too poorly, to the point of being eliminated on the spot; nor too well, to the point where Kusakabe Takashi would think he had potential worth cultivating.
Little Grey was the first to pounce in front of Kusakabe Takashi.
The grey-brown Ninja dog wasn’t slow, but Kusakabe Takashi just tilted his body slightly, letting it pounce into thin air.
Kenji Inuzuka’s Kunai stabbed in from the side, and Kusakabe Takashi raised his hand to block, surprisingly using only his index finger.
With a “ding,” the Kunai was deflected.
Kenji Inuzuka’s arm went numb, and he stumbled back several steps.
“Not bad strength,” Kusakabe Takashi commented.
At this moment, Rin made her move.
Two shuriken drew arcs, sealing off Kusakabe Takashi’s retreat from left and right.
The timing was captured very accurately—it was the exact moment Kusakabe Takashi had just deflected Kenji Inuzuka and hadn’t yet steadied his center of gravity.
“Beautiful,” Kusakabe Takashi praised, but his body moved as if it had no bones, twisting away from an incredible angle.
The shuriken grazed his clothes and nailed into the wall behind him.
Rin’s expression changed.
She had never had this move dodged by anyone at school before.
“Anything else?” Kusakabe Takashi asked.
Sato Fan took a deep breath.
It was his turn.
He pulled a Kunai from his pouch and ran up with a short jog.
He deliberately slowed his pace, and his center of gravity was unstable, looking like his legs were weak from nervousness.
When he rushed in front of Kusakabe Takashi, he raised the Kunai and stabbed—the angle was off by about fifteen degrees, and the strength was clearly insufficient.
Kusakabe Takashi blocked it casually, and the Kunai almost slipped from his hand.
Sato Fan “fumbled” to catch it and took two steps back.
“Is that it?” Kusakabe Takashi glanced at him.
Sato Fan gritted his teeth and rushed up again.
This time the stab was even more crooked, easily dodged by Kusakabe Takashi, who took the opportunity to slap him on the butt.
“Speed is too slow, strength is insufficient, and reaction is poor,” Kusakabe Takashi shook his head.
“How did you pass the graduation exam?”
“Luck,” Sato Fan said honestly.
Kusakabe Takashi’s gaze lingered on his face for two seconds, then he said nothing more.
The assessment continued.
Kenji Inuzuka and Rin tried to coordinate a few more times, but they couldn’t even touch the corner of Kusakabe Takashi’s clothes.
Kenji Inuzuka’s breathing began to quicken, and sweat beads seeped out on Rin’s forehead.
Sato Fan again “tried hard” twice, each time rushing up, getting dodged, and then being repelled.
The second time, he even deliberately tripped, his knees hitting the ground, looking as pathetic as possible.
Forty minutes passed.
Kenji Inuzuka crouched on the ground panting, and Little Grey was lying at his feet with its tongue hanging out.
Rin’s shuriken were mostly used up, and the stray hair on her forehead was soaked with sweat, sticking to her face.
Sato Fan was perfectly fine—after all, he “fell as soon as he rushed up” every time and didn’t consume any energy.
But he still pretended to pant a few times and fanned himself with his hand.
“Time is almost up,” Kusakabe Takashi looked at his watch.
“Do you think you can grab the bell?”
No one answered.
Kenji Inuzuka lowered his head, and Rin bit her lip.
“Then I’ll change the question,” Kusakabe Takashi leaned back against the wall.
“What do you think is most important for a qualified Ninja?”
“Strength,” Kenji Inuzuka thought without hesitation.
“Speed,” Rin thought for a moment.
Kusakabe Takashi shook his head and looked at Sato Fan.
“How about you?”
Sato Fan was silent for two seconds.
He wanted to say “staying alive”—but obviously that wasn’t the right answer.
“I don’t know.”
Kusakabe Takashi stared at him for a few seconds.
Those eyes, which were always half-closed, suddenly opened a little, his gaze like a dull knife—not sharp, but very heavy.
Then he smiled.
“I’ll give you the answer—it is ‘judgment’.”
He took the bell from his pocket and weighed it in his hand.
“The three of you each have your own problems.
Inuzuka, you are too impulsive.
You attacked with full force as soon as you started, without even figuring out the opponent’s strength.
Being too impulsive and irritable means you don’t know how to conserve energy.
Rin, your sense of coordination is good, but your close-quarters combat is completely lacking.”
He paused and looked at Sato Fan.
“As for you—you are simply not suitable for combat.”
This sentence was heavier than “you are really not good enough.” Kenji Inuzuka and Rin were both stunned.
“Your basic taijutsu is too poor, your reaction speed is too slow, and your strength is insufficient,” Kusakabe Takashi’s tone was very calm, as if stating a fact.
“In those few attacks just now, you didn’t even touch the corner of my clothes.
If this continues, not only will you not be able to help your teammates, but you will also become a burden.”
Sato Fan lowered his head further, his shoulders slumped slightly.
“However—” Kusakabe Takashi changed the subject.
“Your judgment is not bad.
Even though you didn’t hit me just now, the timing you chose for your attacks was correct.
You know when to go up and when not to.”
Sato Fan didn’t speak.
“Unfortunately, having judgment alone is useless,” Kusakabe Takashi sighed.
“On a real battlefield, being one second slow means death.”
He took three forms from his pocket and handed them to each of them.
“In today’s assessment, none of you grabbed the bell.
But my standard is not ‘can you grab the bell’—it is ‘do you have the potential worth me taking on’.”
He looked at Kenji Inuzuka and Rin.
“You two, fail.”
Then he looked at Sato Fan.
“As for you—”
Sato Fan’s heart tightened.
This was the key.
“You also fail,” Kusakabe Takashi said.
“But your direction is different from theirs,” Kusakabe Takashi continued, handing the form to Sato Fan.
“Your characteristics are not suitable for a combat-type Ninja.
Konoha has many departments—combat units, Anbu, medical department, logistics department, administrative department.
Everyone has their own place.
My suggestion is—you can consider the logistics direction.”
Logistics direction.
These four words were exactly what he had dreamed of.
“Logistics?” Sato Fan asked, his voice carrying a hint of just the right amount of confusion.
“Yes,” Kusakabe Takashi nodded.
“Material management, equipment allocation, warehouse management…
these jobs don’t require strong combat power, but they do require a clear head and someone who is meticulous.
Your judgment is good, and your personality is steady; you are very suitable for this.”
He patted Sato Fan on the shoulder.
“Inuzuka, you can directly join your Inuzuka family’s Ninja Dog and Reconnaissance Special Unit.”
“Rin, your Chakra control is good; your physical strength and taijutsu are weak points.
Although both can be made up for, I suggest you enter the hospital and become a Medical Ninja.”
“Of course, this is just my suggestion.
How you proceed depends on you.
But no matter which path you take, basic training cannot stop.
Even if you go into logistics, you still need basic self-preservation skills.”
“I understand,” Sato Fan said.
“Alright, I will report your situation truthfully,” Kusakabe Takashi yawned.
“Come to the Hokage building at eight o’clock tomorrow morning; someone will take you to your assigned positions.
If there are no objections, although you cannot do missions as combat Ninjas, you can still make a contribution to Konoha.”
After he finished speaking, he turned and left.
“Don’t be late.”
The three of them stood in place, looking at each other.
Kenji Inuzuka sighed and put the Kunai back into his Ninja tool pouch: “That’s it?
I thought we would pass and do missions tomorrow…”
Rin didn’t speak, walking over silently to pull out the shuriken nailed to the wall one by one, and put them away.
Sato Fan stood in place, watching Kusakabe Takashi’s retreating back, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
“What are you smiling at?” Kenji Inuzuka looked at him inexplicably.
“Nothing,” Sato Fan put away his smile.
“I just thought of something happy.”
Kenji Inuzuka glanced at him suspiciously and left with Little Grey.
Rin nodded slightly at him as a farewell, then turned and left.
Sato Fan stood alone in the open space, and only after both of them had walked far away did he slowly walk toward the school gate.
In today’s assessment, he perfectly maintained his “mediocre” persona.
He didn’t expose any strength—of course, there wasn’t much to expose—and didn’t attract Kusakabe Takashi’s special attention.
The most critical thing was—Kusakabe Takashi took the initiative to suggest he transfer to logistics.
This wasn’t something he proposed himself; it was the suggestion of the team leader Jonin.
And Kusakabe Takashi is a Special Jonin, so his words should carry some weight in the administrative department.
He couldn’t help but want to smile, but he held it back.
Can’t smile.
It’s not time to smile yet.
He quickened his pace and walked towards home.
Back home, his parents had already prepared dinner.
Mom made his favorite hamburger steak, and Dad rarely opened a bottle of sake.
“Celebrate my son becoming a Ninja!” Sato Michi raised his glass.
“Fan is so amazing…” Sato Umeko’s eyes were red.
Sato Fan looked at his parents’ happy appearance, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.
“Thank you, Mom and Dad.” He picked up his glass and took a sip of juice.
After eating, he returned to his room, preparing to rest to welcome tomorrow’s job placement.
But he knew, this was just the beginning.
Outside the window, the moon slowly rose.
Today is a good day.
Kusakabe Takashi thought he was not suitable for combat and suggested he transfer to logistics.
Kenji Inuzuka and Rin also thought he was too weak.
No one suspected him, no one paid attention to him, and no one had any expectations of him.
He was like a drop of water, falling into the pond that is Konoha, without a sound.
This was exactly what he wanted most.
He muttered to himself, then closed his eyes.
Tomorrow is the first day of his Ninja career.