Naruto - Azure Awakening

"The first mission of our team is going to be bandit extermination," Shin began. "This is a long-term mission. We'll be clearing out bandits in the north of the valley, and it'll take about two months to complete.

"However, before we depart, we'll be training your teamwork. I need to see for myself how strong you all are, and we'll come up with strategies that you'll memorize. In real fights, those strategies could save your lives." Shin finished his explanation with a big, tired yawn.

"Sensei, how long will we be training before we leave?" Akane asked eagerly. Her eyes sparkled with excitement—unlike Kaoru, she hadn't experienced real combat yet, and unlike Mizuki, she hadn't come close to death. This would be her first true mission, and it showed in her enthusiasm.

"At least two weeks," Shin replied and then added as he scratched the back of his head "Maybe more, depending on your skills."

Mizuki frowned slightly. "Doesn't that mean the bandits will keep harassing civilians while we're training?" she asked, her voice was neutral, as usual, but it carried the hint of concern.

Shin had expected the question. Without missing a beat, he replied, "Even though most of the bandits in the camp are just ordinary humans and only a few might know how to use chakra, I have no idea how strong you three are. Let's say we go now, and I overestimate your abilities. What happens when I let you fight an opponent stronger than you? Would your death be better than waiting a few weeks?"

His words were blunt, delivered without a hint of sugarcoating.

The three genin exchanged glances but said nothing, nodding in silence. They still had second thoughts but did not want to argue, on the other hand this was more than enough for Shin, he did not require his students' approval.

"Alright then," said Shin as he turned toward the training grounds. "Let's head into the training ground. We'll start with a spar."

He opened the door to the training ground, gesturing for his students to follow. As they entered, the thick mist and faint sound of the waterfall created an almost surreal backdrop.

"The three of you will fight each other at the same time. Anything is allowed except lethal attacks," Shin instructed, emphasizing the last part as his gaze locked on Kaoru for a moment.

"Did you hear that, Kaoru?" Akane chuckled, her tone playful as Shin walked toward the edge of the training ground to observe.

Kaoru sighed, "I'm much better at controlling my strength now. Why does everyone still assume I'll injure someone?"

"It's not like those rumors came out of nowhere," Mizuki added, her tone was still neutral, however, the subtle smirk on her face betrayed her teasing.

Kaoru grinned, brushing off the comment. "Fine, then. Since you two are clearly weaker than me, I'll take both of you on at once," he said with mock bravado. Before they could respond, he made a quick hand sign.

"Water Release: Water Clone Jutsu."

A second Kaoru materialized beside him, identical in every way, and both Kaorus charged forward.

Mizuki immediately countered, forming her own hand seal. A fiery orb of concentrated heat appeared in her palm.

"Scorch Release," Akane muttered, recognizing the signature technique. Without hesitation, she charged at the nearest Kaoru. But as she closed the distance, the clone vanished in a puff of mist, reappearing behind Mizuki with incredible speed.

Kaoru's clone was already weaving another set of seals.

"Water Release: Raging Tide!"

A torrent of water surged from his hand, roaring toward Mizuki. She hurled her fiery orb at the oncoming wave, but the flames were quickly consumed by the overwhelming tide. The water surged forward relentlessly, and before Mizuki could flicker away, a water tentacle shot out from the ground, coiling tightly around her leg.

Her eyes widened as she tried to move, but the grip was too strong. The tide shifted, forming a sphere of water around her. Mizuki braced herself for impact, expecting to be submerged, but the water didn't engulf her completely. Instead, it solidified into a dark blue, high-density sphere, leaving space for her head to breathe inside of it.

The clone flickered away, leaving Mizuki trapped.

Akane was stunned by the sight. She'd sparred with Kaoru countless times over the past few months, but she'd never seen him use a water prison, let alone that water tentacle strategy.

[He's improved, again,] Akane realized, snapping back to focus.

Charging toward the sphere, she planned to punch her way through to free Mizuki. The real Kaoru watched her approach, a sly smile on his face.

[Ane, you're going to regret that,] he thought with amusement.

Akane reached the sphere and struck it with her right hand, enhanced by chakra rotation. The impact sent a jarring pain through her arm, making her grit her teeth.

"What the—?!" she gasped.

The outer layer of the water sphere was far denser than she expected. It was almost solid, and the water underneath absorbed the force of her strike, rendering it ineffective.

From the sidelines, Shin observed quietly, analyzing his students.

[So this is why Maki said Kaoru is stronger than most chunin. He's just on another level.]

His eyes narrowed as he watched Kaoru's modified water prison.

[He didn't just trap Mizuki—he made sure she could breathe, and that outer layer is genius. The high-density water creates a protective shell that absorbs blunt force. Unless Akane uses immense strength or a sharp tool, she's not getting through. And that's not even all… he's preparing something else.]

Akane, still trying to figure out how to free Mizuki, didn't notice Kaoru weaving another set of seals.

"Wind Release: Breakthrough!"

Kaoru inhaled deeply and exhaled a powerful gust of wind directly at Akane. Acting quickly, she formed her own seals.

"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"

A sturdy wall of stone rose in front of her, shielding her from the blast of wind. But as she braced herself, a cold, wet sensation coiled around her waist.

She looked down in shock to see a thick water tentacle gripping her tightly.

"Not again!" she groaned, reaching for a kunai, but before she could act, the tentacle yanked her off her feet.

Kaoru grinned as Akane was dragged toward the water sphere. She tried to struggle free, but the tentacle's grip was unyielding. The sphere seemed to open like a gaping mouth, and in one swift motion, it swallowed her whole.

Inside the sphere, Akane glared at Mizuki, who looked equally frustrated.

"I was going to save you," Akane muttered, her voice dripping with annoyance.

"And I was going to burn him," Mizuki shot back.

Meanwhile, Kaoru stood a few feet away, laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach.

"Ahahaha! Now who can't control their strength, huh, Ane?" Kaoru teased, grinning from ear to ear.

Shin rubbed his temples, letting out a sigh.

[I thought they'd already worked on their teamwork. What the hell have these kids been doing?]

As he watched his new team bicker, Shin couldn't help but wonder how he'd approach training them. Teaching wasn't his strong suit, he preferred action over words, but he'd promised Maki he'd do his best, and he intended to keep that promise.

He straightened, eyeing the three genin. "Kids, I'm extremely disappointed," he said bluntly, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

Akane's excited expression faltered, Mizuki frowned slightly, and Kaoru looked genuinely surprised.

"Girls, you made every mistake you could possibly make," Shin continued. Then his eyes locked onto Kaoru. "And Kaoru, that attitude of yours can get you killed."

Kaoru blinked, caught off guard. He had been expecting praise for his performance, not a lecture.

"Yes, this was just a sparring session," Shin went on. "And yes, you knew there was no real threat, especially since your opponents had no idea how to handle you. But that mindset is already a mistake. You should never underestimate your opponents, no matter how confident you are in your strength."

Kaoru crossed his arms, his irritation bubbling up. "But you told me not to go overboard. I wouldn't hold back like this against actual enemies! Isn't that—"

Shin raised a hand, cutting him off. "I'm not talking about the strength of your attacks. I'm talking about your approach. You were toying with them, and that's not only disrespectful—it's reckless. If you're sparring to guide your friends, then actually help them. If you're fighting to win, take the shortest path to victory. Efficiency matters."

Kaoru fell silent, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Shin turned his attention to Akane. "Now, let's break this down. Akane, you're fast, and your earth element is stronger than I expected. But you never used your primary element—fire.

"Your biggest problem is that you don't plan your next steps. First, you stood back and watched Mizuki get captured, doing nothing to assist her. Then, you charged at the water prison without any clear backup plan if your attack failed.

"If you're going to focus on close-range combat, you need to start using a weapon. Taijutsu alone won't carry you against stronger opponents."

Akane nodded slowly, her earlier excitement slowly returning.

Shin's gaze shifted to Mizuki. "Mizuki, you were the biggest disappointment for me… and also the smallest."

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Your initial reaction to Kaoru's attack was fine, but throwing that scorch ball into the water tide was a waste. It was obvious it wouldn't work. All you needed to do was flicker away and increase the distance between you and Kaoru."

Mizuki opened her mouth to protest but stopped when Shin held up a hand.

"That said," Shin added, his tone softening, "I know you have the least combat experience of the three. That's okay—you'll get there with time. Since you were taken out too quickly, I don't have much more to critique."

He ended with a warm smile, one that looked out of character for him. Mizuki blinked, then nodded, a small hint of determination flickering in her eyes.

Finally, Shin turned back to Kaoru, his expression sharpening.

"You, Kaoru. You have very strong fundamentals. Your flickering is excellent—probably better than anyone I've faced, maybe even Maki included. You've done a great job reducing the hand seals needed for your techniques. Using just one seal for Water Clone was impressive.

"I have no idea how you transformed the Water Tide technique into a Water Prison, but it was brilliant. That prison was inspired—high-density water with breathable space was a very smart move.

"You're analytical, capable of planning several steps ahead and calculating multiple scenarios. But…" Shin's eyes narrowed. "You're arrogant. Too confident for your own good. And one day, that will bite you hard. It could even mean a heavy injury or worse."

Shin had more to say, but he felt like he was too tired to talk so he decided to cut it short. Letting out a yawn, he leaned back slightly and addressed the team.

"Kaoru, how much chakra did you use in that fight?" he asked.

"About 20%," Kaoru replied. "More than 10% went into the water prison."

Shin nodded, "Alright, we'll continue sparring. This time, Kaoru, you'll face both Akane and Mizuki. I need to observe your skills and limits under different conditions.

"For this round, you're restricted to body flicker, taijutsu, and basic techniques. No Kekkei Genkai," he ordered, his tone firm.

Turning to the girls, he gave additional instructions. "Mizuki, your priority is to maintain distance and secure your safety. Focus on staying out of Kaoru's range rather than trying to take him out.

"Akane," he said, "you need to think and plan before you act. Reacting without strategy won't cut it."

As Shin finished explaining, he walked back to his observation spot. "Begin," he commanded.

The sparring session commenced, with Kaoru holding back on his usual strengths while Mizuki and Akane adjusted their strategies. Shin observed intently, taking note of every movement, every hesitation, and every decision.

Throughout the day, there were several more sparring sessions, each with Shin imposing different restrictions on Kaoru and offering tailored tips to Akane and Mizuki. Each round forced the genins to adapt, test their limits, and learn from their mistakes.

By evening, the three genin were utterly exhausted. They stood on unsteady legs, drenched in sweat, their chakra reserves completely drained.

"Alright, that's it for today," Shin said, walking toward them as they panted heavily. "I'll analyze your performance tonight and give you three key tips tomorrow. Meet me here at the same time as today."

As he finished speaking, Shin flickered out of sight, leaving only the faint silhouette of his presence, which was slowly swallowed by the mist.

**

A/N - 

I decided it was time to explore just how powerful Kaoru truly is and give him a team to train with and take on missions. For me, one of the best parts of Naruto was seeing Team 7 functioning and developing as a group. I want Azure Awakening to deliver a similar dynamic too.

Character Notes

Kaoru – In Denial - "I'm not arrogant. I just happen to be better than everyone else."

Akane – Excited again - "Shin sensei seems like a good teacher. I hope he will guide me."

Mizuki – Introvert N1 - "I'll say nothing, but just know… I'm judging you."

Shin – Introvert N2 - "Maki said 'just one team,' but here I am, stuck with three walking headaches."

**