I composed myself quickly.
"I'm Haruno Ryuuzaki, nice to meet you, Itachi-san." I hoped my nervousness wasn't too noticeable. Itachi wasn't exactly someone I wanted to run into.
"Likewise. Are you preparing for the academy entrance exams?" he asked, observing my movements as I continued throwing.
"That would be correct. I will be entering the academy next year, and I want to be prepared," I confirmed. He looked from me to the target and back again.
"If your other skills are as good as your throwing, you should be able to get in without any problem. Maybe you'll even be recommended for the accelerated program if you keep improving." He said simply, as if talking about weather.
I paused for a moment.
"Accelerated program? I've heard only a few students each decade are recommended. Are you one of them, Itachi-san?" I asked. I didn't wat to show any unusual knowledge.
He was silent for a few seconds, possibly uncomfortable discussing his achievements.
"I am," he finally relented, explaining further, "I was tested out of the academy after a single semester."
I remembered that Itachi was quite young when he became a ninja, but seeing a ten-year-old before me was much more impactful than seeing it animated. This was real, and I would be receiving similar treatment if I wanted to progress quickly.
"That means you are quite strong, right?" I asked again, hoping to prompt him to speak more.
"Not strong enough. You look strong for your age too. To think you got this far without any formal training is quite impressive."
He flipped my compliment back at me. He wasn't wrong, but with my knowledge, I still felt slightly disappointed in myself.
"I'm decent at Taijutsu, I guess. I just started throwing exercises today, and it seems I have some talent with Kunai. Would you mind testing me?" I asked.
Having someone like Itachi help me train would be a great advantage. He looked straight into my eyes, appearing indecisive yet curious.
Suddenly, he vanished. My eyes couldn't track him, but thankfully, my Haki could. I managed to intercept his first strike by grabbing his wrist, pulling him towards me and twisting his arm at the same time.
He attempted to spin around and deliver an elbow to my temple, but my grip wasn't strong enough to hold him when I sidestepped the strike. As my grip slightly loosened, he disappeared again.
Next time I caught his arm, I needed to take him to the ground. I used my chakra to reinforce my body, preparing for another attack. A whooshing sound broke the short silence as I spotted several shuriken flying towards me.
Without wasting any time, I dodged to the left, readying one of my Kunai to deflect any incoming projectiles. Suddenly, some of the shuriken struck each other, redirecting a few my way.
I deflected two and dodged the third, then threw my Kunai in the direction where Itachi was hiding. He jumped away, rushing towards me. My body couldn't keep up with his speed; fortunately, I only needed to catch him, not keep up with him.
I used my left leg to low kick at him, almost hitting his thigh, but he managed to raise his own leg to block. That was all I needed, he couldn't move at full speed anymore. I ducked down and aimed to trip him, flipping him onto his back. He fought back, but I secured his right leg in a lock.
Just as I thought I had him in a secure lock, there was a popping sound, and smoke enveloped the area. Itachi was gone once again.
"I should have never fallen for this," I muttered, frustrated by my loss, just as Itachi reappeared, pressing a Kunai to my neck.
"That was quite a hold you had on my clone. Such a move would likely have dislocated or broken that leg if executed fully," he said, lowering his weapon. "Are you perhaps a sensor? I believed I was hidden well, yet you knew immediately." He said, laying out his observation.
"I guess so. I always know where people are without seeing them, but it's difficult to maintain that focus in a fight." I realized I should have seen through his trick with my Haki.
"What was that clone? I've only heard of the illusory type," I probed for information, eager to learn Shadow Clones, as would undoubtedly become the most useful training tool.
"That was a Shadow Clone, a physical clone that can use any jutsu and techniques," he explained. It was a rather basic explanation, but better than nothing.
"I believe you will undoubtedly be placed in the accelerated program; you did quite well against me. Focus on keeping your senses active during battle, and you'll be fine on the taijutsu front." He concluded his observation.
"Thank you, Itachi-san, but I'm more afraid of ninjutsu. The only technique I know is the Transformation Jutsu. I have no offensive power at all," I said.
"I also know you held back quite a bit; there's no way an Uchiha doesn't know at least some fire jutsu." I grinned at him, like I had just uncovered his greatest secret.
"Using that in a small friendly spar would be overkill. I must show some restraint; I'm a Chuunin, after all," he informed me. I looked up toward the sky, where the sun was slowly starting to set.
"This was fun, Itachi-san. Do you mind if I use this training ground in the future?" I asked, not wanting to lose my secluded training spot. He looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Not at all, Ryuuzaki. I train here from time to time myself, but you are no bother," he said, seemingly unbothered. It was hard to read his expression, but my haki told me he was slightly excited.
"Well, thank you then, Itachi-san, but I have to go home for today. See you next time," I said as I collected my weapons.
"Until next time, Ryuuzaki," he replied as he jumped into the treeline, heading toward the Uchiha district.
As I walked through the village, my head was filled with more worst-case scenarios than I cared to admit.
"I hope I played the innocent smart kid well enough. Attention from Hiruzen or Danzo is the last thing I need right now, and Itachi is closely connected to both." I reminded myself. I was pretty sure Danzo was already interested in Itachi by this point, likely trying to recruit him into Anbu.
Thankfully, I didn't sense anyone else near that training ground, but today's fight illustrated that my haki was far from well-trained. Having Itachi spar with me from time to time should be really helpful, especially since he is a lot faster than me. Challenge fuels the spirit, and the spirit fuels haki, it's very simple progression.
I also needed to figure out my nature affinity. My Crystal Release should be based on Earth Release, but I wondered if there was more to it. My progress in ninjutsu was slow, painfully slow. So slow that I was beginning to question whether I was making any progress at all.
At least my chakra control had improved; I was now able to walk on water with ease. I would have to try sparring while on water to fully test it, though.
Shadow Clones were my next priority. With an infinite number of sparring partners and the ability to learn more subjects at the same time, even if I could only use two or three, that jutsu was just too useful.
Maybe I could annoy Uncle Inoichi for a chakra paper, but that might raise questions about how I even knew about it. No, it was safer to focus on learning Earth Release and creating as many Crystal-style jutsu as possible.
I would unfortunately have to postpone my Fuinjutsu studies until I reached the academy, but honestly, with some luck, I wouldn't run into any Jinchuuriki until Gaara shows up, and thankfully that is still at least five years away.
I arrived home, entering and leaving my shoes near the door. My mom called out to me as soon as she saw me; it seemed I was just in time for dinner.
"How was your training?" my dad asked, curious about my progress.
"I think I made a friend," I said, deflecting the conversation. The less they knew about my training, the betterfor their mental health.
My interactions with the 'main cast' so far had been interesting, even though I had only met the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Sakura. She and Ino became fast friends, spending a lot of time at the Yamanaka clan's home. Those two five-year-old girls already gossiped like proper Slavic grandmas. It was quite endearing unless I was their gossip topic of the day.
Shikamaru was just as lazy as I expected but surprisingly smart for a kid. We played Shogi against each other whenever we met, trying to remain as invisible as possible, hoping Ino and Sakura had something else to talk about.
Choji was a gentle little bear cub, already showing signs of the Akimichi clan physique. I was actually surprised when he told me he was being trained in his clan's secret jutsu or, at least, that he would begin soon and was preparing his body for it.
They were a fun bunch, but honestly, I had way more fun running around the village with Itachi, training and sparring whenever we ran into each other.
It didn't take long for us to form a training schedule, deciding when and where we would meet and what we would work on. The look on Itachi's face when we went to train our fighting abilities on top of the river was priceless; it was a shame I didn't have a camera. I never imagined Itachi could look so shocked.
It took some time, but I was finally able to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu from him. I traded it for an attempt to teach him my 'sensory ability' for it.
Was it a dumb idea? Maybe, but to my surprise, he managed to use Haki before the first snow fell. Although it wasn't as developed as mine, it was still something. This meant that I could teach Haki to anyone with sufficient will and spiritual power.
The very day he awakened his Haki, we made a pact: we would learn from each other, grow stronger, and keep the full extent of our abilities a secret, even from the village leaders. I had truly made a friend, but deep down I knew that this friendship would bring a lot of pain later.
I dodged as a kunai whizzed past my head, my own kunai ready in my hand, my senses alert across the entire training ground. Itachi was not far away, pelting me with more and more weapons. My goal was to deflect and dodge for as long as possible, using only my Haki to see.
I panted, smoke escaping my mouth in the cold air. The training ground was blanketed in snow, with trees surrounding it.
I moved faster, pushing my body to its limits. Another kunai barely missed me, and another was already on its way. I gripped my kunai tighter and swung it toward the incoming weapon, deflecting it.
"Fuck!" A kunai had been hidden in the shadow of the one I just deflected. I raised my palm, coating it in Haki, and at the last moment, I pushed it outward. A wave of compressed air shot from my palm as the kunai brushed against it, barely grazing my skin before being knocked off course.
I had finally done it; my Armament Haki had become stronger, and I could almost feel it growing. The next step would be to have it flow in a way that causes internal damage when I attack.
Both Itachi and I eventually stopped; he looked mildly winded while I was completely exhausted.
"I think I'm good for today, Itachi," I managed to say between deep breaths.
"Fine by me. Oh, one last thing." He pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket.
"I believe you know what this is for." He continued, extending his hand toward me. I nodded, not trusting my voice just yet, and took the paper.
As I examined it, I saw that even while using Haki, it appeared to be just a normal piece of paper, it felt like one too.
I shrugged and pushed my chakra into it. The paper immediately wrinkled, almost forming a ball, and began to crumble away, the particles crystallizing into beautiful pink shapes resembling snowflakes. It was stunning and utterly perplexing.
How in the nine hells does lightning help create crystals? Or is my Crystal Release just a mutated form of Earth Release? Could I be pressurizing the Earth beyond its normal capabilities?
My thoughts were interrupted by Itachi's voice.
"At least we know what to focus on now," he mumbled under his breath, clearly done with surprises for the day.
I decided to take a scenic route home; the village looked gorgeous, covered in the first snow of the year. I walked through the streets and chose to stroll through one of the parks. It was beautiful, the trees blanketed in a thin layer of snow, with the grass completely hidden.
"This place might be good for some meditation; it's really peaceful in the winter," I said to myself, spotting a swing near the small playground, a perfect spot to blend in and meditate for a while before heading home. Maybe I could catch my breath after that grueling training Itachi insisted on.
I swung for a bit, calming myself and focusing. Whenever I meditate, my Haki becomes more potent than usual. Right now, I could see the entire park in clear detail and even sense familiar auras across the village. It looked like Sakura was with Ino, and the rest of my family was at home.
As I scanned the area, I noticed more kids my age huddled together, probably making up rules for a game they wanted to play.
A little further away, at the edge of the playground, I spotted a group of four slightly older kids standing around a smaller one.
I didn't need introductions to know who that was; she looked almost exactly like the character on screen, pale, dark hair, and almost pure white eyes. I focused my sight in her direction, searching for someone else, hoping to see a small kid clad in orange. But there was no use.
For the past five years, I had specifically looked for Naruto, but I never found him.
"Marzanna was right: this world is doomed without Naruto…" I trailed off, distracted.
"I may not be Naruto, but at least I can help." I resolved myself. "Sasuke will have to do a lot of heavy lifting though." I concluded, hoping he would be reasonable.
I got up from the swing and headed toward Hinata. The least I could do was help a little, she would be my sister's classmate after all.
"Is there a reason why a group of academy students is ganging up on a little girl?" I asked, continuing to walk closer. The four boys looked up at me, annoyance and anger evident on their faces.
"Mind your own business!" the presumed leader yelled.
"I asked you a question," I replied, stopping a few meters from them.
"Why do you care?" another boy, standing beside the leader asked.
"Just answer my question." My patience was waning. "How stereotypical can these guys get?" I thought to myself.
"She's a Hyuuga," the leader spat out, as if that alone was supposed to explain everything.
"So you guys were beaten by a Hyuuga at the academy, so now you go around bullying younger kids? That's kind of sad, actually," I said, my voice completely void of emotion.
I was exhausted from training and trying to figure out what Crystal Release really was; today was supposed to be bullshit-free from the moment I left the training ground.
"Sounds to me like you just have a skill issue," I continued, completely unconcerned with their rising anger.
"You!" the leader shouted, trying to rush at me.
Just go home!" I commanded, a small ripple of energy forming in the air as I did. The leader tripped over his own feet and fell. His three friends looked terrified, and took a few steps back, then turned and ran off. The leader scrambled to his feet and followed them, not saying a word.
"Was that… This hasn't happened since the Kyuubi attack," I mumbled under my breath.
I turned to little Hinata, who was still sitting on the ground.
"Are you okay?" I asked, extending my hand to her.
"I-I'm fine," she stuttered, what a cute kid.
"You should fight back, you know. Letting them do this will just make them believe it's okay to hurt people," I said, helping her up.
"I'm not strong like you, not like this," she replied quietly, commenting on my effortless victory.
"This was about the strength of my will, not the strength of my fists. Before you do something, you must first believe you can do it. Without belief, there is no attempt, and without trying, there is no success," I explained, trying to motivate her.
Without Naruto here, she has probably the highest potential after Sasuke. It would be a waste for her to remain weak. She seemed to gaze into the distance, clearly deep in thought.
"Just think about it. Nobody becomes strong overnight. It takes dedication; the first step is to be willing to try," I continued, trying to instill some courage in her.
"Then I will do my best… um…" It suddenly dawned on me that I had never introduced myself. I must be really tired to forget something so basic.
"I'm Ryuuzaki. Nice to meet you, little princess," I smiled a little bit as she looked at me, all embarrassed.
"I'm Hyuuga Hinata. Nice to meet you, Ryuuzaki-kun," she replied quietly, managing to contain her stutter.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Am I just taking Naruto's place?" I thought to myself. Suddenly, I sensed a new presence approaching quickly in our direction.
"Looks like your escort is here, Hinata," I said, glancing toward the approaching Hyuuga ninja. As she looked in the same direction, confused, an older Hyuuga blurred into the scene. A bit late, but better late than never.
"Well, I have to get home, Hinata. See you next time," I said, jumping into the trees and taking off at maximum speed. I heard her faintly say "Goodbye" as I made my way home.
"I swear if she starts fainting in my presence I'm sending myself to Marzanna via express delivery." I thought as I traversed the snowy village.