Chapter 5: The Academy's first assignment. Pressure testing
A few more days passed. The Academy got into a rhythm. Studying, training, and routine tasks are just like in any other educational institution. Only here there was its own game, its own system, its own cruel truth. Reiji was getting used to it, but he still felt that something was wrong. He couldn't figure out how to act in this world, in a world where strength always came first.
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The first task.
—Reiji, are you ready?" Hanami asked, approaching him in the hallway of the Academy. There was something wary in her voice, as if she felt something too.
Reiji looked at her. He knew that this task would not be so easy. The tasks of the Academy, as a rule, hide much more than it might seem at first glance. Especially if you are not from rich and influential families. Those who got into such missions usually did not return.
"What kind of assignment?" "What is it?" he asked softly.
Hanami hitched her bag on her shoulders and looked at him with a slight worry in her eyes.
— We're going to the forest. For lost students. We have to bring them home. As for their condition... no one specified. So be careful.
Reiji nodded. He felt his heart skip a beat. He was ready for anything, but something inside told him that this assignment was hiding something more. Required synchronization: 25%
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In the forest.
Konoha village was surrounded by dense forests full of dangers. Anyone who ventured there without proper training and preparation inevitably got into trouble. But they weren't alone today. There were several other groups of students with them, but Reiji felt that it was his group that might encounter something dangerous.
"Don't forget to keep an eye on each other,— Uchiha Daisuke said, walking ahead. — This is not an easy task. There can always be dangers lurking in the forest. Keep your eyes open at all times.
Suddenly, a scream rang out in front of them. One of the students fell to the ground, his face contorted with pain, and his hands clenched in cramps.
— It's not just an injury! Someone shouted. "He's poisoned!"
Reiji instantly focused, listening to his senses. His chakra, still unstable, made him feel uncomfortable. He took out several traumatic powders from his bag and began composing an antiseptic mixture. But something was wrong.
"This is not an accident," flashed through his mind. He knew that someone from the group had staged this attack.
"This assignment was specially prepared,— Reiji said softly. His eyes narrowed as he felt a slight pressure in the air. "We don't need to rescue lost children. We have to experience something more.
Hanami came closer, looking at him carefully.
"Do you know something?" She asked, but Reiji remained silent.
At that moment, a sharp surge of chakra was felt in the air. And before anyone could say anything, a man in a black mask ran out from behind the trees, hiding his face.
He instantly aimed the kunai straight at Hanami, but Reiji managed to get between them.
"This is not your battle,— he said calmly, activating his body. The lightning armor pulsed slightly, but his body was still too weak for full control.
The template system has been activated.
Template: The Third Raikage
Sync: 26.7%
Ability activated: Lightning Armor.
Reiji, feeling his muscles begin to harden, grabbed the kunai with lightning speed, intercepting it on the fly.
"You made a mistake," he said softly, and picking up the kunai, he threw it harmlessly to the side. The lightning sparkling in his hands caused the attacker to be momentarily confused. He retreated, but there was a threat in his eyes.
"Who are you?" Reiji asked through gritted teeth.
The man just grinned and quickly disappeared into the dark forest, leaving behind only a smell of tar and smoke.
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After the incident.
Later, on his way back to the village, Reiji sat in the shade of a tree, thinking intently. The task turned out to be a trap designed to test how they would react under pressure. But what kind of test was it? Who was behind this attack?
Syncing the template: 30.4%
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The future was full of dangers.