Naruto : The Bloodied Spider

The Academy training grounds were unusually tense that morning. The instructors stood in a line, arms crossed, surveying the gathered students with unreadable expressions. It was rare for them to all be present at once, which meant today was something different.

Renkai stood near the edge of the group, arms crossed, listening.

Takeda Genji, their primary instructor, took a step forward. His sharp eyes scanned over the students before he spoke.

"As I mentioned yesterday, today will be a real challenge. This is a practical test designed to simulate an actual mission scenario."

Some students exchanged glances. Others straightened up, anticipation clear on their faces.

Genji continued, his tone steady and firm. "You will be split into three-man teams. Your goal is simple—retrieve a scroll hidden somewhere within the training grounds and return it here."

A murmur spread through the students. A retrieval exercise? That sounded straightforward.

But Genji smirked slightly, his eyes gleaming. "Of course, there's a catch."

He turned, gesturing toward the other instructors standing behind him.

"We will be the enemy."

Silence.

Then, the tension in the air thickened.

Renkai's fingers twitched slightly. This wasn't just a simple grab-and-run. If the instructors were involved, it meant they'd be facing off against seasoned shinobi.

Genji continued. "The scroll is located somewhere deep in the training fields. Your team must retrieve it and return without getting captured. If you lose all three members, you fail. If you take too long, you fail."

This was a perfect opportunity. A test against actual shinobi.

Genji clapped his hands once. "Alright. The teams have already been assigned. When I call your name, step forward."

Renkai listened as teams were formed, waiting for his turn.

"…Sarutobi Shigeru."

Shigeru stepped forward.

"…Kurogane Rika."

Rika grinned and walked up, shooting a glance at Renkai.

"…And Renkai."

Well, of course.

Renkai exhaled slowly. This was the exact setup he expected. A balanced team—Shigeru for close combat, Rika for speed and unpredictability, and himself for tactics and ranged control.

They stood together, facing Genji as he finished calling the other teams.

"Alright," Genji said, glancing between them all. "You have five minutes to prepare. After that, the exercise begins."

As soon as they were allowed to move, Renkai gathered his teammates away from the crowd.

"We need a strategy," he said simply.

Shigeru nodded, arms crossed. "Yeah. The instructors aren't going to go easy on us."

Rika stretched, rolling her shoulders. "So what's the plan, genius?"

Renkai glanced toward the forested training grounds. The scroll could be anywhere, which meant searching blindly was a bad move.

"They didn't tell us where the scroll is," he said, "but we know something more important."

Shigeru frowned. "Which is?"

"Their objective," Renkai replied. "They don't just want to test our ability to retrieve an item. They want to test how we handle threats. Which means—"

"They're going to come after us," Rika finished, eyes glinting with understanding.

Renkai nodded. "Exactly. The real test isn't about finding the scroll. It's about how well we can work together while being hunted."

Shigeru's expression hardened. "So what do we do?"

"We assume we're already being watched," Renkai said. "And we use that to our advantage."

He crouched and started drawing a rough map into the dirt with his finger.

"The way I see it, there are three priorities. First, we need to figure out where the instructors are positioned. Second, we need to misdirect them. And third, we need a way to retrieve the scroll while minimizing conflict."

Rika tapped her chin. "So we need a distraction."

Renkai smirked. "And I have just the thing."

Before the exercise officially began, Renkai extended thin chakra threads from his fingertips, attaching them to Shigeru and Rika. He didn't attach them to control his teammates—that wasn't the point and he wasn't that powerful yet.

Instead, they would act as a silent signaling system.

He informed his teammates about the threads and their purpose.

Through these threads, he could Track their general positioning, Sense if they were in combat and send them a subtle pulse as a signal when it was time to regroup.

He kept the threads as thin as possible—practically undetectable unless someone was specifically looking for them. His teammates wouldn't even feel them.

However, there was a limitation.

Once combat began, he would have to disengage the threads. Keeping them active while fighting would require too much focus, and he couldn't afford distractions in battle.

Timing was crucial. He had to signal them before he engaged the enemy.

Five minutes later, the test officially started.

The teams scattered into the training grounds. Some rushed in without hesitation, eager to track down the scroll. Others moved more cautiously, keeping low and avoiding open areas.

Renkai, Shigeru, and Rika did neither.

Instead, they moved deliberately, not toward the scroll, but deeper into the forest—where the instructors were likely hiding.

Renkai's sensory abilities stretched outward, subtle but searching. His range was still limited, but he caught faint flickers of chakra signatures scattered throughout the trees.

"They're already moving," he murmured.

Shigeru tensed. "How many?"

"Three nearby. Possibly more."

Rika grinned. "Perfect."

Renkai wasn't sure if she understood the severity of the situation or if she just enjoyed the chaos.

Either way, they had a plan.

Rika took off first. She was the fastest among them, moving through the trees in an erratic pattern. It was intentional—her movement was designed to attract attention.

Not long after, a figure flickered into view.

One of the instructors.

A masked chūnin, moving silently, tracking them.

Renkai smirked. Good.

As soon as the instructor moved to engage Rika, Shigeru stepped in—deliberately making himself known. His job wasn't to fight but to act as an additional target, keeping the enemy focused.

And that left Renkai.

He slipped away unnoticed.

The real goal wasn't to fight the instructors head-on. It was to lure them into a chase and create an opening.

Renkai moved quickly, using the opportunity to track the stronger chakra signatures.

If he were the instructors, where would he put the scroll?

Then he felt it.

A larger presence.

He sharpened his focus.

Genji.

Their lead instructor.

He was stationed somewhere ahead—waiting. Guarding.

The scroll was near him.

Renkai exhaled. That meant there was no avoiding it. They would have to get past him.

Reaching into his sleeve, his fingers brushed against a prepared storage seal.

Time to see how far he could push his new Lightning techniques.

With a slight twitch of his fingers, he sent a pulse through his chakra threads—silent but deliberate.

It traveled directly to Shigeru and Rika, who had been busy holding off the chūnin.

A single, subtle pulse.

The signal to regroup as soon as possible.