Kazeo's gaze flicked upward, and without a shred of hesitation, his brain muttered:
'Damn. That's one sexy woman right there.'
But when he noticed the fearful and nervous look on his benchmate's face, he leaned over and asked, "Kenichi, what happened?"
Hyuga Kenichi, one of the class's notorious pranksters, was always laughing or causing some kind of trouble. But this was the first time Kazeo had ever seen fear on his face.
Kenichi leaned closer and whispered, "She's a Jōnin from the Torture and Interrogation (TI) department. She's been assigned to teach the academy students who applied to join the TI branch. Don't get fooled by her appearance, she's terrifying."
He continued to explain more, but Kazeo's thoughts drifted elsewhere.
'So she's from the TI department. No wonder he's scared. He's just a kid and maybe she's already shown her darker side to them. Nonetheless… she is beautiful.'
The Jōnin had jade-like white skin, phoenix-shaped eyes with ruby-red pupils, and a breathtaking, S-shaped figure. She wore fishnet stockings, bandages wrapped tightly over her upper body assets, and a standard Jōnin vest above it all.
Kazeo shook his head as he mentally sighed. 'Sigh… I've read too many Chinese novels in my past life. My sense of describing appearances has clearly eroded. I didn't realize that habit had follow me into this life too.'
He was still shaking his head when the woman finally spoke. Her voice, cold enough to freeze lava silenced the entire room. No one dared to move.
"Good morning, kids. I'm Yuhi Akari, your mental conditioning instructor from the TI department. This class will prepare you for what to do if you're ever captured by enemy ninjas. It will be held once every week. Some of you already know me—this introduction is for those who don't."
About 80% of the students of elite class came from clans and had enrolled in the TI program. Most clan members were heavily recommended to join the department. This was to ensure that if they were ever captured by enemies, they wouldn't divulge any sensitive clan details. It had become a cultural norm for clan members and if any of them tried to evade it, they would basically become an outcast and untrustable figure in the clan, who would be left out from most classified knowledge.
Kazeo knew all clan kids have joined this department but he didn't know the reason so his thoughts were completely different, 'Yuhi... and those red eyes. Is she Kurenai's sister?...
Kenichi wasn't lying, her voice is cold, not quite like those Root members I encountered, but still colder than the average shinobi. Must be the TI training. No wonder this department has the lowest members, mental and physical torture probably changes even your tone, huh!'
Akari began explaining basic concepts of torture and survival. She tried simplifying things for the newcomers, but her cold tone made it harder for them to grasp.
After about 45 minutes, she realized her soft approach wasn't working.
'Fuck it, It's my first time to teach inside a academy class so I tried to act nice but it's clearly not helping these kids.'
With a blank expression, she pointed at a girl in the middle row. "You."
It was Hina. She looked around nervously before stammering, "Y-Yes!"
"What's the first rule of the TI department?" Akari asked.
Hina steadied her nerves, understanding this wasn't the time to appear weak. She answered firmly, "The first rule of the TI department is: No one can resist 100% torture, Head!"
"Good," Akari nodded, then faced the rest of the class. "I'll say this once. Etch it into your mind and body—no one can survive 100% torture. I've seen shinobi resist for 3 days, only to scream everything on the fourth. Remember, your body will break, your mind will collapse. It's only a matter of time.."
The room collectively gulped. They knew the rule but hearing it in that tone hit differently.
Continuing, she said, "There are three ways to handle yourself if you ever find yourself in that position.
- First: Suicide. Yes, suicide. I know some of you may think this is absurd, and this is the worst possible option. But let me tell you, this option is heaven compared to what you will be going through if you get captured. Especially girls. So be ready to take your pill or bite your tongue at the earliest chance you get. "
The girls had an uncomfortable look upon hearing it, but the Instructor didn't care about their reaction and continued with her explanation.
"- Second: Resist. Yes, resist. You may be thinking that the first rule says you cannot ever fully resist the torture. However, with this option, you can buy time—for yourself, for your teammates, or for whatever purpose you have. So buy as much time as you can, to make sure that any information you have becomes useless by the time you tell them, or try to tell half-truths to mislead them, attempt to escape, or lead them into an ambush.
In a straightforward way, do everything so that their goal is not achieved, and die valiantly performing your duty to the village or to whoever your life is worth sacrificing for."
Everyone had goosebumps hearing her say those words, motivating them to sacrifice themselves, in her chilling tone. But nobody had the guts to question her, so they could only sit in their positions as she continued with her words.
"- Lastly: Give up. This might sound unorthodox, and treasonous but remember this: if you can't commit suicide and can't bear the pain, give in."
Everyone had a shocked expression, as she was essentially discussing what could be considered treason. Before they could respond, she continued.
"But remember this, every bit of information you give in to your enemy, increases the chance it may be used to harm your family, lover, friends and ultimately your village."
"So remember, whatever path you choose, think it over thousands of times in your mind and consider the possible results before deciding," she emphasised.
The room was dead silent.
Teaching students to surrender under torture and reveal village secrets was, by all means, a crime worthy of treason. Yet, she said it anyway, not because she believed in betrayal, but because it was a psychological trick, a method approved even by the higher-ups. That's why, immediately after telling them to give in, she followed it with a chilling reminder: "If you were to divulge any information out of fear of torture, the ones who will suffer first will be your own family and people."
This line of reasoning implanted a powerful mental cue in the minds of young ninjas. It seeded guilt for every word they might betray. That guilt, over time, would pressure them into giving false information to mislead enemies, or to stay silent altogether, even under the most brutal conditions—if they were truly loyal. It also planted a dangerous illusion: that even if they broke under torture, the village wouldn't see them as traitors.
If someone from Earth had seen this, they would likely say, "Isn't this... wrong?"
But was it? Every village longs for soldiers who would die before revealing even a shred of information—who follow orders without question and face death without flinching. And to cultivate such loyalty, they employ countless psychological tools and training methods.
This was just one small trick in an ocean full of harsher realities. On Earth, people lived relatively peaceful lives; most couldn't even imagine the brutal lengths others go to for absolute loyalty, where death is embraced as a duty.
And the students in that classroom?
One day, they'd teach the exact same thing to the next generation.
-----
"Ok, enough lecture for today. We will meet again next week. Ponder on what we discussed today."
She left the class ten seconds ago, but silence still lingered. Even the clan kids, familiar with TI laws, were stunned. As Akari had never explained the First Law that clearly.
Kazeo was equally taken aback. 'Wait… wasn't she talking about treason? No… she's in the academy. She wouldn't say something that wasn't approved from higher ups.'
He thought for some seconds before it clicked to him.
'Ah… so she was manipulating us. It's clear what Kenichi said before was 100% correct, this women is terrifying. If I want to survive, I need to stay far away from these beautiful Kunoichi."
He was still analyzing the layers of manipulation when the Butchering Class teacher walked in, snapping everyone back to reality.
-----
Six months passed, and the academy introduced new classes every month or so.
One such class was the Class of Basic Medical Treatment, which taught everyone the essential knowledge of self-treatment and emergency care. It was a mandatory subject for everyone to pass, to officially consider to be a ninja. Emphasising that a ninja unable to provide even basic self-care for his own injuries was essentially a useless ninja.
Another was Basic Survival in Unknown Terrain—taught twice a week. This class majorly focused on teaching students the basic tactics for survival in various unknown environments, such as forests, snowlands, or deserts. It included training on camouflage, finding water sources, and navigating challenging terrains, providing essential skills for ninjas to operate effectively in any conditions.
There was also a simple but important subject—Swimming. Teachers proficient in Earth and Water chakra worked together to create an actual pool right on the academy's training ground. It wasn't anything luxurious, just a wide, deep basin filled with clean water, big enough for ten students to swim comfortably at once. Here, students were taught swimming for two main reasons: First to improve stamina which was necessary for those who would soon graduate and step into the unpredictable chaos of a shinobi's life.
...Second was to make students comfortable in water environments for future missions—whether for infiltration, escape, or even underwater combat situations. As missions don't ask for comfort. Rivers, lakes, oceans, floods, death could be hiding in any of them. And if a ninja couldn't swim, they were simply dead weight. So, the academy gave them a taste of everything—enough to survive—and left the rest to their future jōnin sensei.
The class was simple but intense. The instructors didn't care whether a student was a clan prodigy or a civilian genius, everyone was treated the same when thrown into the pool. Quite literally.
The water instructor, a middle-aged shinobi named Mizuno, was strict yet strangely encouraging. "If you can't handle the fear of drowning," he'd say with a flat tone, "how will you survive when you're being hunted with kunai at your throat and water up your nose?"
The kids would tremble at his words.
----
Kazeo looked around. Most of his classmates had started adapting. Hina had gotten over her shyness and was performing steadily. Kenichi, surprisingly, was quite the natural swimmer, often teasing others but helping them when needed. Even the clan kids including Ishikawa, who often acted superior, had toned down a bit in these survival-based classes.
Swimming classes became a daily routine, taking place right after the usual taijutsu drills and shuriken practice. It was brutal. Most students could barely stand by the time the classes were over, and the idea of training more at home felt like overkill to most but many still did it. Within two months, most of them had adapted to the grind.
All except Kazeo.
While the rest of the class adjusted, his personal training was only growing harsher. The seal he had placed on himself—designed to restrict his air intake, was now cutting off nineteen percent of his oxygen after seven months. It wasn't just a minor inconvenience; it affected everything. He remained breathless throughout every activity, both inside the academy and outside. Yet, not once had he turned the seal off since the day he activated it.
Naturally, his performance had started slipping. His name had steadily dropped in the physical rankings, and he knew the instructors had taken notice. But he didn't care. What mattered to him wasn't the current scoreboard but the final result.
Meanwhile, over in the TI department's class, things had grown more intense.
What had started as lectures had now become full-blown psychological conditioning. Students were subjected to simulated scenarios meant to test their limits. Some were locked in soundproof rooms for a whole day, left alone in silence to wrestle with their own thoughts. Others were confined in tight spaces with little to no movement, forced to endure discomfort and anxiety in silence. These weren't one-offs—they happened regularly, sometimes multiple times a week.
During one of the sessions, Akari made the academy's stance very clear.
"Even if some of you graduate this year," she announced to the class, her tone firm and unwavering, "you'll still be required to train under the TI Department. One day every month. For the next two years. The same applies to those who stay here."
She gave them all a moment to absorb her words before continuing, "Those of you who make it through all the training with flying colours will earn the privilege of joining the Interrogation Squad. And believe me, it's worth it. It's the second-highest-paying job in the entire village. Right behind the Fuinjutsu masters."
There was a pause in the room after that. Each new lesson chipped away at the fantasy of shinobi life. What once seemed thrilling was starting to feel heavier, more complicated. The excitement of jutsu and missions still lingered in the students, but now it stood beside the quiet truth no one had spoken aloud—being a shinobi wasn't just about power. It was about surviving things most people would never even imagine.
-----
Kazeo sat on the floor of his house, his chest rising and falling with each breath as sweat clung to his skin. The morning workout had left his muscles aching, but his eyes held no trace of fatigue. He wiped the sweat from his brow, lips slightly parted as he caught his breath. Then, with a quiet resolve hardening in his chest, he made up his mind.
'I am going to graduate this year, no matter what it takes.'