Now that Izumi had unlocked her Mangekyo Sharingan, I decided to help her master it and figure out its abilities. This was much more challenging than helping Itachi, as I had no idea what might manifest in her eyes. However, with the little guidance I could provide, she quickly discovered both of her abilities.
Izumi's abilities were quite interesting; they didn't involve an all-powerful illusion or inextinguishable flames but rather a creation ability.
Her eyes granted her Amatsumara, which allowed her to create, modify, and control weapons. The constructs she created reminded me of what I imagined Rinnegan rods would be like. Simply touching her weapons disrupted chakra, and they were quite durable as well.
Her control wasn't limited to mere commands; she had the ability to increase or decrease the mass and size of her creations. If used strategically, her jutsu could prove to be one of the most deadly I've seen, at least by normal ninja standards.
Interestingly, the degradation rate of her eyes also appeared to be far slower than Itachi's. Still, I knew I had to keep an eye out for any spare Mangekyo eyes, but for now, she seemed fine.
With this in mind, I also planned to help Sakura prepare for the Academy entrance exam, which was only a few weeks away. Knowing this, Uncle Inoichi enlisted my help for Ino as well. Shikaku and Choza also pawned off their kids to me. My best guess is that they wanted to see me teach for some reason.
Watching over them didn't seem too tough, especially since I wanted to focus on the absolute basics of throwing techniques and Taijutsu. However, I've been fooled, mislead or possibly, even bamboozled. I understood why they were so eager not to train their kids themselves.
Training them was incredibly frustrating. Any attempts I made to teach them were met with an unprecedented level of uncooperativeness.
Sakura and Ino seemed more interested in chatting than practicing proper throwing techniques, outright refusing to spar.
I had to wake Shikamaru at least five times in the first hour, while Choji, to my relief, actually tried, though he constantly tried to eat whenever he thought I wasn't looking. Honestly, I had no idea where he was getting all of that food from.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was slightly more prepared than I anticipated, even if just barely. At least I managed to teach Sakura a basic Water ninjutsu, a C-rank Water Bullet, and I had Ino join her after giving her an affinity test via a chakra paper. This ensured they'd have something to show during the ninjutsu portion of the entrance exam.
Shikamaru was somehow already able to perform the Shadow Imitation Jutsu, showcasing the intelligence he was known for in the original timeline, but his laziness was even more noticeable in person.
Choji had shown an affinity for both fire and earth, so I opted to start him on earth since I knew little about Fire nature training. I also taught him a basic earth ninjutsu, a Mud Wall. Unlike Shikamaru, he wasn't yet able to perform any clan jutsu, so he needed something to showcase his skill in ninjutsu.
As the first day of training came to a close, an evil idea came to mind. I decided I would implement it the next day. It was time for my own training, and I certainly wasn't planning to take them with me.
The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual. It was time to prepare my evil plan for today's daycare training session.
I took both Yoru and Zangetsu with me, as they would play a large role in all of this... and I needed some reinforcements.
For a moment, I considered enlisting Lee's help instead, but I decided against it; Lee could traumatize them later.
First, I needed to go out and buy a few very important items for the day. I also visited Choza, as knowing some basics about the Akimichi clan jutsu would allow me to teach Choji better. Surprisingly, he provided me with some useful, albeit basic information.
I arrived at the training ground a few minutes before one o'clock, only to find Inoichi already there with four victims of my future training. I could only hope he wouldn't be angry with me for putting his "little princess" through this.
"Alright, everyone, listen up!" I shouted, capturing the attention of my unwilling boot camp participants.
"Since some of you think you're too good for a nice and simple training session, we're doing something a bit different today." I continued, making sure I kept a proper drill sergeant face for the whole time.
"Ino, Sakura!" I called sharply. "You two will be working with Yoru here." I directed as Yoru launched herself from my shoulder, landing gracefully in front of them. I unsealed a small box and pointed to it.
"Use these rubber balls to try and hit Yoru. If either of you manages to do it, I'll let you go home early." I added, knowing they would need motivation, after all, it wasn't like they could hit Yoru anyway.
They responded with a few quick nods as the two of them took Yoru to the side to begin their futile attempts at hitting her.
"Shikamaru!" I called to my next little soldier. "You think you can outsmart any situation, so you'll be working with Zangetsu," I commanded, letting Zangetsu jump down from my other shoulder and land in front of the still bored-looking Nara.
"Your mission is to avoid getting scratched. If you come through the hour unscathed, I'll let you sleep for the rest of the training." I concluded. This part was particularly evil, dangling his favorite hobby in front of him, fully aware he would fail.
Shikamaru, still uninspired, casually used his Shadow Imitation Jutsu on Zangetsu.
"Shadow Imitation Jutsu, success. I think I can hold a cat for an hour. Can I go to sleep now?" he asked smugly, but I knew better. Just as the sounds of indignation from Ino and Sakura started reaching us, Zangetsu suddenly started to grow, stopping after a few seconds, until he reached the size of a puma.
Needless to say, Shikamaru couldn't hold him for long. If we had time later this week, I planned to make Shikamaru their commanding officer of sorts; he needed to learn early that people are not just shogi pieces, they have personalities and don't want to get hurt.
As obvious as that sounds, it seemed Shikamaru didn't consider it at all. But that could wait; Zangetsu was already free and chasing after a fleeing genius.
I glanced at Choji, who looked a bit scared.
"Until they're finished, Choji, the two of us will do some light sparring. I have a few taijutsu moves to teach you." I said in a firm tone, but I also knew I needed to dangle a reward in front of him.
"If you do well and manage to stop eating sporadically today, I'll make a big dinner for all of you." This was a bit of a lie; I'd be making dinner for them regardless of his performance, but if it motivated him, why not use it?
Meanwhile, Inoichi looked torn between fear and amazement. "They stand no chance, right?" he whispered to me as he watched Yoru effortlessly dodge everything Ino and Sakura attempted to throw at her.
I simply gave him the most evil smirk I could muster. "Not in the slightest."
The first hour of training concluded with predictable results. Yoru got bored and began taunting the girls by jumping on their heads, which caused Ino and Sakura to start hitting each other on accident. Which resulted on a little war between them, instead of trying to hit the nimble cat.
As amusing as that was, I quickly intervened, reminding them that if they couldn't even hit a kitten, they had absolutely zero chance of hitting a proper enemy.
Shikamaru was brought back by a smug-looking Zangetsu, sporting small scratches all over his body, and his clothes looked like they had just been through a shredder.
Clearly, being smart didn't help him against something much stronger than himself.
Meanwhile, Choji was making good progress with the basic throws and holds I was teaching him using Earth Clones.
The clones would disintegrate into dirt when injured enough, so snapping a clone's arm would cause that entire arm to break apart. This gave Choji a clear idea of how much strength he would need to incapacitate his enemy.
Since I had all of them in one place again, I addressed them once more.
"Alright, now that you three understand just how unprepared you are, can we actually start the training?" The point had been proven, and it was now up to them to decide what to do next.
"Let me just add that both of my friends held themselves back to below Genin level," I noted, pointing out that they had just lost horribly to opponents who were far weaker than what they would need to reach to graduate from the Academy.
I could only hope I wouldn't have to give another demonstration, as I doubted Uncle Inoichi would be pleased if I went too hard on his little girl.
The rest of the day went well; even Shikamaru didn't complain too much. As promised, I treated the group to a small grill-out in the training ground.
Would you believe this world has no concept of a cheeseburger? Quite sad, I know. On the bright side, I now know what I'll do after retiring from ninja service.
The daycare boot camp concluded with, dare I say, good results. Ino and Sakura both managed to grasp the basic water jutsu, even though they were far from mastering it. Shikamaru showed a bit less laziness, at least around me, while Choji was turning into a formidable grappler.
Overall, everyone made good progress, but now the entrance exam was finally here, and I intended to observe it in peace. Unfortunately, the universe decided to fuck with me again.
Apparently, there was a shortage of available Chunin to test the applicants in a timely manner, so Hiruzen volunteered me. I'm starting to feel like this is subtle revenge for my earlier comments about his handling of the massacre.
Honestly, it could have been worse, so I decided to roll with it, hoping I wouldn't have to test Sakura, as that would be a little awkward.
I stood around the Academy grounds with other families, surveying the kids gathered in the courtyard. Was it just me, or were there way more than last year?
"Only three noteworthy ones..." I mused quietly to myself. And I was correct; the only three kids in the crowd with a good chakra supply were Noriaki, Sasuke, and surprisingly, Hinata. While chakra levels aren't the definitive way to measure someone's power, they can be quite accurate for assessing beginners.
It looked like she had been training hard, and it clearly paid off. It's a shame that she probably won't get to use that chakra much as a Hyuga.
As the welcoming ceremony concluded, I took my position as one of the taijutsu instructors, hoping that it would be over soon.
One by one, the kids were sent to me, and as more arrived, I was able to confirm my earlier suspicion. This year had record attendance; the Hokage was likely trying to boost recruitment, resulting in the academy staff being overwhelmed by too many applicants.
I set up my area by drawing a large circle on the ground, about twenty meters in diameter, to give us some space. I could only hope that someone interesting would show up.
Unfortunately, very few of the kids I tested knew how to fight. I couldn't blame them. After all, what kid knows how to fight at seven?
Still, it was rather disappointing. My group seemed to consist of regular kids with nothing particularly special about them, and I could only hope other instructors had better luck.
I went easy on them and had my clone record everything, but so far, none of them appeared to be a good fit for the academy. A few might be able to get into one of the less prestigious academies, but that wouldn't be my choice.
"You're almost done! They'll be sending you the last one in a few minutes!" came the voice of another Chunin. I hummed and nodded, after many hours, I felt almost free of testing kids.
I didn't have to wait long. Just a few minutes after I was notified, a familiar face appeared before me. This whole situation might be worth it after all.
"R-Ryuuzaki-kun?" Her quiet stutter was barely audible.
She still looked exactly like I remembered from the anime, with her short dark blue hair and her eerie off-white eyes just like the rest of her clan.
"Hello, Hinata. Are you ready for your taijutsu exam?" I replied, giving her a small smile and trying to ignore her nervousness. She nodded, her face flushing red.
"Great, I really am taking Naruto's place as her crush, aren't I?" I sighed internally, but now was not the time to think about it.
"Alright then, show me what you've got. Don't hold back," I urged her. With some motivation, she could be great, and I'll be damned of I let her potential go to waste.
She nodded, still slightly red, but there was a look of determination in her eyes. Stepping into a stance reminiscent of the one Neji used during our sparring sessions at the academy, she prepared to attack.
I stepped forward, letting her make the first move. She lunged at me, extending her arm and fingers to strike one of my tenketsu points. Instead of blocking, I dodged to the side; I wanted to test her speed first.
I jumped back, creating some space for myself and giving her a distance to close. She moved again, faster than I had expected, but still nowhere near the speed of a typical Genin.
"She isn't even enhancing herself with chakra," I thought as she attacked once more. It was time for a little improvised lesson.
I coated my palm in chakra, forming an armor of sorts around my skin and easily caught her attack, nullifying her Gentle Fist technique. She tried again with her other hand, but got the same result, my chakra point was well defended. Just as I prepared to counterattack, she jumped back to create some space.
"Good try, but what will you do now that your clan's taijutsu isn't working?" I asked, hoping to prompt her to think of a solution.
She looked somewhat lost, indicating that a small lecture was necessary.
I surged forward, reinforcing my entire body with chakra, and circled the entire marked area in an instant. From her frantic movements, it was clear she was completely unaware of my true location as I continued to run.
"Chakra is useful for more than just poking people," I began explaining while still moving around her.
"If you channel it into your legs, from your feet to your thighs, it will help you run and maneuver much faster." I increased my chakra output, bolting even more quickly.
"You can also direct chakra to your brain and eyes to see clearly at high speeds." Next, I drastically slowed down to match the speed of a fresh Genin.
"And finally," I announced before leaping high above her, "Enhance your arms to hit harder!" I called out just before coming down.
She noticed my voice and managed to dodge to the side, finally able to track my movement after I slowed down.
My fist impacted the concrete, creating a small cloud of dust as the ground cracked beneath me.
"I know you can do this if you focus. Now show me your speed," I said, looking directly into her eyes.
Her Byakugan should allow her to see my still-active enhancement, and her control looked good enough for her to replicate it.
She wore an intense look of concentration on her face, scrunching her nose. After a few brief seconds, she moved again, much faster this time, I couldn't help but smile again. This was starting to get interesting. I matched her speed, ready to see how she would handle someone on her level.
I parried her first strike and countered with my own, aiming for her abdomen. She used her right hand to slap it away, but there was no real power behind her defense; it was clear she still wasn't augmenting her attacks.
She jumped back, realizing her vulnerable position before charging at me again. Another punch came my way, but I dodged, weaving under it and hopping backward to avoid yet another attack.
"Don't overthink it; in a fight, there's no time to analyze every punch," I advised.
"Trust your instincts, your feeling, and rely on your training." She nodded, mostly to herself, as her reluctance was slowly giving way to determination.
This time, I decided to go on the offensive. I rushed forward, and she mirrored my actions, attempting to regain the momentum.
However, this time, I chose not to play fair. I pushed chakra into my fingers, mimicking her use of the Gentle Fist technique. When she attempted to block my attack, I injected chakra into her, piercing her muscle with it, enough to make it hurt, but not enough to actually hurt her.
She yelped and jumped away, and I paused.
"Channel chakra into your arms and around them; it becomes both your shield and your weapon," I instructed, wanting to push her further.
"B-but... what if I hurt you?" she asked, still apprehensive about taking things seriously.
"I'd rather be hurt in training than killed on a mission," I replied. "By holding back, you also hold your sparring partner back." While I wasn't entirely correct, it was still a valid point.
If she pulled her punches, a less experienced sparring partner might not grasp the inherent dangers of close combat specialist.
"Go all out. Don't worry; I can take it," I encouraged her, hoping she would listen.
It seemed she did, as the reluctance on her face completely faded away. I took my stance, waiting for her next attack.
Her first strike came quickly, faster than before, but I dodged, redirecting her punch with my right hand. I went with the momentum and tried to kick at her legs, but she raised her right leg to block and countered with an impressive flip.
She kicked her raised leg upward as she leaped and backflipped, but I was prepared and dodged backward.
"If she wants to jump around..." I thought, a smirk forming on my face.
I shifted to the offensive, quickly closing the gap between us. She raised her arm to block, but just before we made contact, I increased my speed, repositioning myself to her left.
I released a punch, yet she barely reacted in time, moving her upper body backward and stepping back to barely lift her arms to cover my attack. She quickly finished the parry, forcefully moving my arm away.
This time, she was definitely enhancing her power; the surprising strength of her push sent me into a spin. I swiftly spun around her, ending up back-to-back with her. I hooked my foot around hers and pulled toward me. She noticed just in time, if only barely, and went with her instincts.
She kicked backward and executed a quick roll on the ground, ending up on one knee.
I picked up my speed again, circling the designated test area. I leaped up, giving her only a moment to rise and counter my flying kick.
She seemed to channel even more chakra and jumped to the side, avoiding my kick. Thankfully, she didn't stop there and attacked just as I was still barely in the air.
I let her strike me, curious about her power, and at this point, she had certainly deserved to land a hit. I covered my stomach with haki and chakra to soften the impact, but I was still taken aback by the sheer force of her strike.
Her palm landed squarely in my solar plexus, producing a loud sound, and I was sent flying, landing far outside of the circle shortly afterward.
"Huh, looks like you got me there," I said with a huge grin to the stunned Hinata.
She probably didn't expect to launch me well over ten meters through the air with a single palm strike.
"Well, you definitely pass. Looks like I have some competition in beating the instructors already." I laughed out loud.
When I first came here, I thought that it would take a long time for someone to beat the instructor, but here I was, only a year later, defeated by a little Hyuga princess.
Granted, I let her hit me, but still, she was quite impressive when she put her mind to it.
"A-Are you... alright?" she asked slowly, looking a little scared.
"I'm fine, not a scratch. But that was one strong palm strike," I replied, trying to lift her spirits, which seemed to work.
"Honestly, this girl... If that attack hit a Genin, maybe even a Chunin, it would definitely break a few ribs." I thought silently.
"I, uhm, I think I got stronger today than I have in the last few months," she said, surprised at her own performance.
"Keep up your hard work, and you'll surpass me in no time. You just have to believe in yourself a little more." I smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.
She really had great potential, but she thrived on positive reinforcement, which her clan clearly didn't provide during their training.
"If you need help with training, just find me and ask," I told her, making her face light up red again.
"I'm kind of lacking a training partner anyway," I mused internally.
Gathering her courage, she spoke again, quieter than before.
"I-I think I will, thank you, Ryuuzaki-kun." Her face resembled a hot piece of metal in color; I hoped she wouldn't faint, the cracked concrete would be troublesome to explain already. I really didn't want to add a kid that fainted to it.
"Once again, good job. Now head home; I have to submit the results," I said, hoping my clone was writing everything down properly.
"G-Goodbye, Ryuuzaki-kun!" she yelled as she was leaving. I was so surprised she managed to be so loud that I just waved at her as she departed.
"Now I have to befriend her before her crush on me becomes a real problem..." I thought, shaking my head. It was time for paperwork... joy.