c6: Teenage Sannin
After resting in the room for what seemed like an eternity, Hinata Matsuha felt the ebb and flow of chakra slowly returning to its natural rhythm within his body. His physical strength had recovered to roughly 70%, and now he was simply waiting for his mental reserves to regenerate a recovery process akin to how Naruto Uzumaki's stamina slowly returned after extended Sage Mode use.
The sun had climbed to its zenith twelve o'clock sharp. After finishing a solid meal, Hinata Matsuha made his way to the secluded training ground nestled behind the Hyuga estate, a spot as quiet and undisturbed as the Forest of Death before the Chūnin Exams.
"Now that I've refined a decent amount of chakra, it's time to awaken this power... the Tenseigan," he muttered with a glint of resolve.
The rear mountain area was largely inaccessible, much like the training grounds used by the Uchiha for Fire Release practice. The isolation meant he had little concern about someone accidentally discovering the secret of his Tenseigan an evolution far beyond the Byakugan.
Still, the possibility of surveillance wasn't zero. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, possessed the Telescope Technique, capable of spying from vast distances.though it was unlikely he'd be idly monitoring these unremarkable outskirts, given the numerous threats he had to manage daily in Konoha.
"Universal Pull!" Hinata shouted, invoking a gravitational technique reminiscent of Pain's Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in.
A small object zoomed toward his outstretched hand. He opened it to reveal... a broken fragment of stone.
He had expected something more dramatic, like the explosive results of Pain's destruction of Konoha. Instead, the stone trickled from his palm, and he cast it aside in embarrassment.
Feeling the fluctuations of his chakra, Hinata realized he had expended less than a tenth of his reserves. The technique's cost was surprisingly low far less than the toll it took on Nagato's body after using the Six Paths of Pain. Encouraging, but humbling.
Still, the power of gravitational manipulation a core function of the Tenseigan, just like the Rinnegan was not to be underestimated, even if his current level could only attract small objects.
"It looks like I can't fully harness the Tenseigan's potential yet. Using advanced techniques like Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion would be pointless right now."
He estimated that even if he poured all his chakra into one of those ultimate moves, the results might be lackluster. More prudent would be practicing basic elemental ninjutsu, which provided better returns at this stage.
Running a quick calculation in his mind, Hinata figured he had enough chakra left for a few rounds of Fire Release.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" he called out.
With practiced precision, he released a massive orb of flame, which barreled forward and collided with a thick tree the kind of dense wood you'd see in the Valley of the End. The fireball burst through the trunk effortlessly, toppling the mighty tree in a blast of flame and smoke.
This power exceeded Hinata Matsuha's expectations. Though not yet on the level of Sasuke Uchiha's mastery.who wielded Fire Release as second nature—it was a huge leap forward for someone still acclimating to the Naruto world after three years.
Indeed, witnessing the results firsthand brought a sense of realness to the power he had only read about in scrolls. The visceral impact of ninjutsu was something no amount of theory could substitute.
Satisfied with his performance, Hinata shifted focus toward chakra form and nature transformation.
Form manipulation came quickly no surprise given his Hyuga lineage and access to techniques like the Gentle Fist and Rotation. With the Rasengan as a model for shape transformation, he made rapid progress.
Nature transformation, though often considered esoteric, boiled down to elemental infusion. The Great Fireball Technique he just used was a textbook example of Fire chakra nature. One nature was manageable. But combining two say, Earth and Water for Wood Release, like Hashirama Senju was the threshold few ever crossed.
Hinata, thanks to early system-given advantages, had a talent for nature manipulation that outpaced most Genin. From the moment he entered this world, his growth was influenced by unnatural fortune though not to the scale of Naruto's Nine-Tails or Sasuke's Sharingan.
Next on the training list: chakra control. It wasn't just about knowledge, but intense physical practice like what Kakashi assigned Team 7 during the tree climbing and water walking exercises.
The training area was ideal: tall trees for vertical mobility drills, and a flowing stream perfect for practicing water-walking.
Coming from the Hyuga clan, famed for their precise chakra control via Gentle Fist strikes and Byakugan-aided targeting of tenketsu, Hinata Matsuha naturally possessed a keen sense of precision.
Tree walking was no issue. Water walking took a few attempts, but soon he stood atop the flowing creek like a seasoned Jonin—just as Naruto had to learn during his training with Jiraiya.
"Now, even if a gust blows, I won't budge."
While chakra control was just the foundation, it was one that couldn't be ignored. With that foundation in place, he could finally focus on the next stage: improving his physical stamina and durability.
Even with the benefits of his immortal constitution a system gift that enhanced recovery and potential chakra extraction had to follow biological limits. Trying to draw too much would risk collapse.
Fortunately, he had another edge: the Rokushiki, or Six Styles of the Navy combat techniques from another world, like those used by CP9 in One Piece. They provided a framework for improving strength, speed, and agility.
Sweat soaked his training clothes as he pushed his body to the brink in the secluded back mountain. His routine mirrored Rock Lee's intense regimen under Might Guy's watchful eye.
At this young age, few others trained with the same fire. Many opted for comfort, socializing at the dango shop or reading Icha Icha novels like Kakashi.
But Hinata Matsuha had clarity: the hardship now was for peace later. The grind was an investment in his future.
He couldn't afford to rely solely on gifts from the system or fate. Naruto had the Nine-Tails, Sasuke had the Sharingan and Uchiha blood. Compared to them, his blessings were modest.
And so, Hinata Matsuha continued training, carving his path not as a passive recipient of power, but as one determined to earn every inch of progress.
When I think about the ending of Naruto, both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had already reached heights that bordered on godhood by the time they were just seventeen. They had fought against Ōtsutsuki-class threats, received chakra from the Sage of Six Paths, and wielded powers like Six Paths Sage Mode and the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Isn't that a bit unfair? It practically feels like cheating, doesn't it?
Hyuga Matsuba couldn't help but feel that even if the system treated him like its own flesh and blood, showering him with gifts, he still might not be able to rival the power of Naruto and Sasuke by the age of seventeen. But becoming a powerful shinobi and carving out a position for himself in the ninja world? That was still within reach.
Then again, maybe their "system" was better than his own. After all, it didn't take them three years to repair or initialize anything. At that thought, Hyuga Matsuba genuinely felt like crying without tears.
"What kind of divine-grade system is that? I want one that comes with a celestial dad too!" Hinata Matsuba muttered bitterly, recalling how Naruto inherited Asura's chakra and Sasuke, Indra's legacy divine blessings that changed their destinies.
After a brief rest, Hyuga Matsuba resumed training. Still, the limitations of age and physical maturity couldn't be ignored. No matter how hard he pushed, his body couldn't improve drastically in such a short period.
Time passed quickly, and before he realized it, a full year had slipped by.
Today, however, Hinata Matsuba decided not to train. He had earned himself a break and headed to the liveliest street in Konoha to indulge in some well-deserved food.
The occasion warranted a reward. After a year of grueling training, he had finally broken through to a level comparable to a jōnin. His chakra reserves had skyrocketed—nearing the levels of high-tier shinobi like Might Guy or Yamato but his chakra purity and internal flow control still hovered around the chūnin level. Nonetheless, the progress was commendable.
Hyuga Matsuba had been practicing mostly in isolation, still uncertain about the formal criteria for power classification in the ninja world. Was it based on raw chakra volume? Chakra purity? Battle efficiency?
If chakra control and purity were the standard, then perhaps he would only rank as a chūnin.
But even that was no small feat. He was only four years old, and he had already surpassed the level Kakashi Hatake had reached at age six when he became a chūnin after demonstrating battlefield excellence during the Third Shinobi World War. This comparison brought a smirk to Hinata Matsuba's face. Yet, he knew better than to let that swell his ego. Kakashi was a prodigy in countless other areas: genjutsu resistance, Sharingan mastery, and tactical prowess that he had yet to match.
As a chūnin-level ninja with an abnormally large chakra pool, a solid constitution, and refined combat ability, Hyuga Matsuba now had the physicality to stand toe-to-toe with a jōnin in combat.
His once-awkward control over the gravitational and repulsive powers of the Tenseigan had now matured. Techniques like Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei had become natural to him. Not only that, but he had also developed auxiliary skills puppet control akin to that of Sasori, and limited memory-reading abilities via ocular contact, similar to the Yamanaka clan's jutsu.
Although he hadn't tested them in real combat, Hyuga Matsuba believed he could defeat most standard jōnin-level opponents without relying on trickery.
Of special note was the elemental ability he had acquired via the Pika Pika no Mi—the Light-Light Fruit. With time, he had begun to grasp rudimentary local elementalization and even deploy low-intensity lasers, though their precision and speed had yet to reach Kizaru's level of instantaneous light-speed attacks.
Still, lasers remained potent: swift, powerful, and nearly impossible to dodge without a precognitive ability or the reflexes of someone like Minato Namikaze.
Reflecting on his development, Hinata Matsuba wandered through the bustling Konoha marketplace, scanning the crowd for interesting targets—or perhaps interesting food. That's when he spotted three familiar figures ahead.
"Why do they look so familiar...? Wait—is that... the Sannin in their youth?"
He blinked twice. Yes, they were clearly younger versions of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—Team Hiruzen from decades ago. Tsunade looked especially youthful, not yet possessing the strength of her Hundred Healings Mark but already displaying that proud Hyuga-influenced forehead and a figure that would later become famous across the Five Great Nations.
"Tsunade… so young? Guess I'll call her 'Cow Chariot' from now on," Hyuga Matsuba muttered under his breath, dismissing her beauty as mere decoration. "She's probably just a pretty face at this stage."
"What are you staring at, brat? Never seen a real kunoichi before?" Tsunade snapped. Though she was still only a teenager here, she had already attained elite jōnin status and didn't take disrespect lightly.
Caught mid-stare especially at her chest—Hinata Matsuba realized his mistake. His eyes had lingered far too long. Tsunade was observant, and her patience was not her strong suit. If not for his youthful appearance, she might have decked him already.
"Can't help but look," Hinata Matsuba replied with a smirk, unwilling to back down.
"You idiot," Jiraiya interjected with a grin, clearly enjoying the tension. "This kid's just disappointed. Not much to look at yet, huh?"
That did it.
A tremor suddenly shook the street as the ground cracked into jagged segments. Tsunade's legendary temper, even at this age, was as fierce as ever. Civilians and bystanders fled the area immediately, sensing that a fight—or an earthquake—was about to erupt.
Jiraiya, suddenly aware of the havoc he'd caused, froze mid-laugh.
Orochimaru, who had been silently observing from the sidelines, widened his eyes as beads of cold sweat formed along his temples. Even he hadn't expected such explosive fury from their teammate.
"You want to repeat that?" Tsunade's eyes locked onto Jiraiya with the intensity of a summoned Katsuyu about to go on a rampage.
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