Kuroda stood in the training field, his posture relaxed yet commanding, facing Raizen, Yumi, and Kenji as Team Nine. The genin exchanged determined glances, their inexperience palpable, before launching their assault.
Raizen began, his hands flashing through seals for an Ember Shot. A small fireball sputtered from his mouth, hurtling toward Kuroda. The jonin barely shifted, sidestepping with a fluid motion that made the attack look sluggish. The fireball sailed past, scorching the ground harmlessly behind him.
Yumi charged next, her nails glowing faintly with chakra as she activated her Beast Mimicry technique.
She swiped low, aiming for Kuroda's legs, while her ninken, Roku, darted in to snap at his heels. Kuroda's response was effortless, he stepped back, his movements precise, and tapped Roku's snout with the toe of his sandal, sending the pup tumbling with a yelp.
Yumi's claws slashed through empty air as Kuroda twisted aside, leaving her stumbling forward.
Kenji, with his Byakugan activated, rushed in from the right, his palms striking in the Gentle Fist style two, then four. His attacks were earnest but unrefined, telegraphed by his tense shoulders. Kuroda flowed to the left, his body a blur, evading each strike with minimal effort. Kenji pressed harder, his chakra flaring, but Kuroda was already behind him, untouched.
"Too predictable," Kuroda said, his voice steady and calm.
The genin regrouped, their breaths heavy. Raizen tried again, weaving a Clone Jutsu. Two copies flickered into existence beside him, and all three charged, kunai gleaming. Kuroda didn't flinch. With a single, swift motion, he drew his tanto and slashed through one clone, poof, it vanished in smoke—then pivoted, letting the real Raizen's kunai whistle past his shoulder, missing entirely.
Yumi and Kenji attacked together. Yumi lunged, her claws slashing wildly, while Kenji aimed precise strikes at Kuroda's chakra points. Kuroda's hands moved—Ox, Ram—and a Mud Wall rose from the earth, blocking Kenji's palms with a dull thud. Yumi's claws scraped against the dirt barrier, leaving shallow marks, but Kuroda had already stepped aside, letting the wall crumble as he reappeared behind them.
Raizen flung a wired shuriken, hoping to snag Kuroda's vest, but the jonin tilted his head, and the weapon sailed past, embedding in a tree. Kuroda's tanto flashed—not to strike, but to deflect Yumi's next swipe with the flat of the blade, sending her staggering back.
Throughout the exchange, Kuroda remained untouchable. His movements were a masterclass in efficiency—dodging with the slightest shift of his weight, countering with minimal force. He used only basic defensive jutsu, like the Mud Wall and a brief Mist Veil to obscure his position momentarily, proving he didn't need to escalate to overpower them. The genin's attacks, though spirited, were slow, poorly coordinated, and easily anticipated by a jonin of his caliber.
Yumi panted, her arms trembling. "We can't… even touch him…"
Kenji rubbed his shoulder, his Byakugan flickering as his stamina waned. Raizen gritted his teeth, his cheek stinging from an earlier fall, but Kuroda stood pristine with no sweat, no scratches and his vest unmarred.
Kuroda sheathed his tanto, his expression neutral. "Enough," he said, stopping the fight not because of any threat to himself, but because the genin were visibly spent—sweaty, bruised, and frustrated. "You're not ready. Speed, timing, teamwork; you're lacking all of it."
He turned to leave, his footsteps silent on the dirt. "Dawn tomorrow. Be sharper."
As he walked away, Raizen noticed something odd in the dust where Kuroda had stood; a faint streak of ash, forming the letters "Raiz." He blinked, crouching to touch it, but a breeze scattered it into nothing.