You have 10 minutes to get to know each other, your strengths and weaknesses, before we begin.- Jugo said calmly.
He could have forced them to fight right there, an unexpected situation works wonders to demonstrate the flaws that a lack of teamwork can cause.
But... Jugo was too strong, he feared that if he didn't give them time, he wouldn't even be able to enjoy the battle before it was over.
Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Sasuke had a clearly unhappy look on his face, he probably didn't want help, but he preferred to remain silent while clicking his tongue and walking away with Karin and Ranmaru.
Karin looked at Sasuke, clearly unhappy with the way he was behaving in front of Jugo, while Ranmaru simply smiled gently, finding no reason to argue.
Jugo waited calmly while the trio talked in the distance. Karin seemed annoyed with Sasuke, but Jugo paid no attention to their conversation.
When they finally moved, surprisingly, Ranmaru was the first to attack.
His form grew as he went directly through the second-stage transformation and the werewolf transformation.
A werewolf with black fur and red eyes, taller than Jugo, stared at him, growling as it advanced.
Jugo smiled, he thought Ranmaru would use genjutsu from a distance, but that wouldn't work on him, so the decision to let the boy attack head-on wasn't wrong.
Unfortunately, Ranmaru's taijutsu was... well, he behaved like a complete beast, not unlike the previous Jugo corrupted by natural energy.
While Jugo calmly dodged, Karin came from the left, two chains emerging from her back and advancing towards Jugo, attempting to restrain him.
Jugo didn't plan on using anything except taijutsu to deal with them, even slowing his speed to be slightly faster than theirs, so he barely managed to dodge, while sensing Sasuke's chakra from the ceiling, already forming seals and spitting a fireball directly in his direction.
It was a quick and fierce opening, nothing like what he had expected.
But Jugo smiled as he grabbed one of Karin's chains and used it as leverage to pull himself toward her.
As soon as he touched the chain, he felt his chakra become calm, difficult to manipulate, unfortunately for Karin, this level of sealing could not affect her taijutsu.
The girl stumbled forward, feeling Jugo's weight pulling her, barely managed to get her footing on the ground, just in time to see Jugo smiling gently at her.
Her eyes widened and she blushed slightly, just before taking a blow to the stomach. The pain was tremendous and she almost passed out, biting her tongue to wake herself. She held back the urge to vomit and was about to counterattack.
Ranmaru arrived at that moment, his long werewolf claws directly attacking Jugo's back, but Jugo jumped back, placing his hands on the werewolf's back, causing him to lose his balance and delivering a side kick to Sasuke, who was already in the second stage and advancing towards him with a chidori.
The boy was sent flying as Jugo took advantage of the rebound force and struck Ranmaru in the head with a kick, causing the werewolf to fall while groaning in pain.
Karin composed herself and tried to restrain Jugo in the air, but Jugo simply grabbed both chains and pulled forcefully. Karin was pulled towards him and Jugo brought his head close as if to headbutt her. The girl became frightened and closed her eyes, but only felt a gentle touch on her forehead. Opening her eyes, she saw Jugo's neck and felt his lips gently kissing her forehead.
The girl's eyes widened and a silly smile appeared on her face as she fainted from happiness.
Sasuke, who had adjusted himself in mid-air and was approaching, wanted to curse. -"This teammate is just as good as Sakura!"
Jugo chuckled softly as he felt Ranmaru try to stand up. The blow was strong, but for a werewolf with the power of the curse? It was just a stronger shock.
Jugo knew this, so seeing Sasuke approaching with a Chidori in his hand, he grabbed Ranmaru and threw him towards Sasuke's Chidori.
Ranmaru croaked in pain as Sasuke's blow pierced his right chest.
Sasuke's eyes widened, confused by the brutality of the event, but before he could do anything else, he felt the cold kunai pressed against his neck.
Glancing back slightly out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smiling Jugo, who seemed not to care about Ranmaku, the poor boy had already passed out at that point.
-Looks like I won.- Jugo joked.
Sasuke's Chidori faded as he pulled his arm away from Ranmaru with a jet of blood, feeling a chill down his spine, a "teammate" had fallen during the first day of training.
This said a lot about Jugo, he wondered if he would survive until he found Itachi.
But seeing that Ranmaru's unconscious body did not return to human form, but instead the hole in his chest was slowly closing, his eyes widened.
Jugo removed the kunai from Sasuke's neck and went to Ranmaru, placing his hand over the hole. He began sending a large amount of Yang chakra, the wound was healing at an impressive speed now, taking less than a minute for the hole to close completely.
Sasuke approached and looked at Ranmaru's body shrinking back into human form, still unconscious.
-This regeneration?- Sasuke asked, intrigued.
-It's another kind of power, before you ask, no, you can't win it, this ability has a serious side effect that you won't be willing to pay for.- Jugo explained lightly, standing up and going over to Karin.
-What's the effect?- Sasuke asked, unconcerned about any harmful effects of his power.
-I won't go into details, but... you'll forget about your revenge the moment you win that, do you still want it?- Jugo gave her a sideways smile.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, then looked away. He didn't fully trust Jugo and wasn't sure if he was lying, but if it was true, it wasn't worth it.
Jugo applied a bit of icy chakra to Karin, which made the girl jump in fright. Looking at Jugo's serene smile, she blushed deeply and looked away, touching her forehead.
Sasuke scoffed and looked away.
-What happened?- Karin finally asked, seeing Sasuke standing, but Ranmaru lying down with a hole in his shirt still stained with blood.
-You lost.- Jugo said softly, then turned back to Ranmaru and used the same method to wake him. Ranmaru opened his eyes wide, lifting his torso. He looked around, then at his chest and finally at Sasuke, who looked away, slightly bothered by the event.
Jugo didn't mind and sat on the ground, pointing ahead. Karin and Sasuke understood and sat down beside Ranmaru.
-Did you notice your flaws during this training?- He crossed his legs and placed a hand on his chin, looking at them with interest.
Sasuke remained silent, staring at him.
Ranmaru scratched his hair, still a little confused.
Karin seemed thoughtful. -I think my mistake is... a lack of combat experience?
-Yes, but the chains you're using aren't just a very strong sealing device, they're also a target for your enemies to use, although not all of them have the courage to touch them directly like I do.- Jugo said lightly.
Karin nodded slightly, looking a little embarrassed.
Jugo looked at Ranmaru as he spoke. -You have the strongest physique among the three, but your true abilities are your eyes. It's a waste to focus on direct combat, especially when you still don't have control over your forms, but it's understandable given your past.
-Sorry... I really don't know how to fight.- Ranmaru lowered his head, embarrassed.
-It's alright, you'll learn.- Jugo smiled slightly at him before turning to Sasuke.
You are the best in terms of combat and have the best attack, but you are too impulsive. Your Jutsu is good against weaker people and those on the same level, but when you encounter someone faster, it's easy for your power to be used against you.
Sasuke remained silent, staring at him, a little convinced and a little apprehensive, but he didn't argue.
-So, Karin and Ranmaru, let's first work on combat with you two. In addition, we'll focus on your individual powers. Find a way for Karin to attack without relying on the chains, or learn to use them in a way that doesn't restrict you. Ranmaru, you'll learn to use your eyes in combat.- Jugo concluded, already thinking about the next training session.
None of the three refused.