This was not, as far as Sasuke knew, supposed to be a punishment. At least that was what Obito had said, but what was said by the mouth and what was meant by the words were not always the same things, and in the past few weeks they very rarely had been. Except in captivity, his captors' intensity, not earnestness but something of the same ilk. Purer.
But this was not punishment, and he didn't intend to treat the genin as if they were. He and Masa had been bordering on overdue to spend time together as it was, and with Shisui slated to be gone so often right before their exams, it would have been a bad lookout to leave them to their own devices so close to the exams.
With that in mind, he'd carefully inquired after their records -- he'd at least been able to compare their most recent reports against what he knew of Masa and what he knew of Ami from their brief mission together -- and then run them through their paces last week. Nothing had been terribly wrong, which was a relief, but with Ami's size looking unlikely to change any time soon, Sasuke had applied to Gai over the weekend for tips.
They had been exactly as appalling as expected, which was likely exactly what was needed. Sasuke took a leaf out of Kakashi's playbook on their first day of training, arriving early at the meeting spot only to conceal himself in a tree above the grounds to wait. He watched her arrive (punctual), considered her stance (good even in rest, but definitely a genin), and then let some of his own chakra flare briefly, testing her to see if she'd notice something was off.
no subject
But this was not punishment, and he didn't intend to treat the genin as if they were. He and Masa had been bordering on overdue to spend time together as it was, and with Shisui slated to be gone so often right before their exams, it would have been a bad lookout to leave them to their own devices so close to the exams.
With that in mind, he'd carefully inquired after their records -- he'd at least been able to compare their most recent reports against what he knew of Masa and what he knew of Ami from their brief mission together -- and then run them through their paces last week. Nothing had been terribly wrong, which was a relief, but with Ami's size looking unlikely to change any time soon, Sasuke had applied to Gai over the weekend for tips.
They had been exactly as appalling as expected, which was likely exactly what was needed. Sasuke took a leaf out of Kakashi's playbook on their first day of training, arriving early at the meeting spot only to conceal himself in a tree above the grounds to wait. He watched her arrive (punctual), considered her stance (good even in rest, but definitely a genin), and then let some of his own chakra flare briefly, testing her to see if she'd notice something was off.