"You guys did pretty well, but you definitely need more coordination. Individually, Sasuke, Hinata, and even you, Noriaki, are far stronger than any fresh genin has any right to be," I tell them, deciding to wrap up the exercise with some advice.
"Honestly, you might even be as strong as a rookie chunin, but you still need to learn how to work in teams, how to utilize each other's skill sets, and how not to get in each other's way during a fight." I explain that they lost primarily because they were unable to properly divide my attention.
"So I have a little homework for you, and that goes for all of your classmates, too," I say, assuming a thinking pose. "Team up with different people and practice fighting together, layering and following up on each other's attacks." I tell them calmly. This approach should make Hinata more comfortable around others while helping the team function as a unit.
"After you graduate, you will be sorted into teams of three. However, you will still work with others, so learn to collaborate; it might just save your lives." I give them my last piece of advice for today.
"Now, for the promised jutsu," I say with a grin, tossing out a few scrolls into the crowd. "Those who chose to battle against overwhelming odds deserve a jutsu, wouldn't you think?" I pose a rhetorical question.
"First off, Kiba, you need your body to be durable and hit hard, so you're getting Earth Release: Stone Fist Jutsu," I tell him. Luckily, Hana knew he was aligned with Earth, and I could give him a good, low-ranking jutsu.
"Hey, that's actually pretty cool!" Kiba replies, tucking the scroll away. Hopefully, he will take the time to learn it.
"Next, Noriaki. You fight using chakra constructs, but you lack the mobility to reposition quickly and catch up to an opponent. So I'm giving you a jutsu of my own creation, Hirenkyaku." I say, tossing a small scroll at him.
"This is the first part of the jutsu. Once you master it, I'll give you the second part." I tell him.
The scroll I gave him lacks information on aerial mobility; I want to see him learn first and see if he figures it out on his own.
"Got it. Thanks, Anbu-bro," he says, sounding much less guarded than the last time I gave him a scroll.
"Now, Shino. You rely mostly on your bugs, and the problem you face is getting spotted by opponents before you can drain their chakra. So I'm giving you Earth Release: Hiding in Rock Jutsu," I explain, handing him a scroll containing one of my all-time favorite jutsu.
The ability to melt into the earth below and sneak up on anyone who isn't a sensory type is perfect for an ambush fighter like Shino.
"I see. Thank you," Shino replies flatly, his tone neutral, just as I expected. He doesn't speak much, nor does he show much emotion.
"For Sasuke, I asked Izumi to tell me about your nature affinity, and you are primarily aligned with lightning. So here's one of my personal lightning jutsu," I say, handing him a scroll with instructions for Byakurai. It's too soon to teach him Shiden or even ask Kakashi to teach him Chidori, so Byakurai will do just fine.
"You know big sister?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. It seems he didn't connect her younger teammate with me at all.
"We were teammates as genin together with Kiba's sister. We still go on missions together sometimes," I explain casually. There's no reason to deny something he can easily ask Izumi about.
"Last but not least, Hinata..." I trail off, tossing her a slightly larger scroll. "I believe you'll enjoy its contents. It's something I feel you are uniquely attuned to." I grin at the slightly blushing girl.
I gave her full instructions for Kirin. She had already helped me create it, and with her ability to transform and blast lightning around, there is no better user for that jutsu than her. It will also jumpstart her training in manipulating nature chakra.
Hopefully, Ino didn't notice anything, or we will have that matchmaking gremlin on our asses in no time.
The entire exercise ended a few minutes later, and the last of the students who suffered from my Haki were back to normal; some even looked slightly more motivated. The one who seemed most fired up, though, was Sasuke.
He didn't like the fact that someone only a year his senior was so much stronger. I expect Izumi to be busy with his training in the near future. With morale so high, I have no doubt he'll become just as strong, if not stronger, than in the original timeline.
---
It was time for me to go to Kiri. I was standing in Hiruzen's office at the end of March; the old Kage didn't look pleased about sending me anywhere; his expression was one of resignation. It seemed the Fire Daimyo had put his foot down and ordered an intervention in the Land of Water.
"Are you really sure you want to go, Ryuuzaki-kun?" he asked, and I simply nodded. I had decided to help the rebels long ago.
"Very well... Your official mission is to serve as the military advisor for Mei Terumi's rebel forces," he said, sounding as though those words caused him physical pain. "Your unofficial mission, as per the Daimyo's request, is to ensure that Yagura is dead by the end of the year, by any means necessary. Naturally, both missions are S-Rank and highly classified." He sighed, puffing out enough smoke to cloud the entire office, and handed me an official mission scroll.
That was an order I hadn't expected. The trade cutoff was clearly pissing the noble families off more than I had realized.
"Understood, Hokage-sama. I'll make sure to remain undiscovered for as long as possible and will end Yagura personally if needed," I replied, though I wasn't entirely sure I could win that fight.
Fighting Yagura one-on-one would likely result in a stalemate at best. Thankfully, Mei should be strong enough to help me.
---
There was only one thing I needed to do before I left. I made sure to leave more notes on chakra theory and basic medical ninjutsu for Sakura. I even threw in a basic medical ninjutsu, the only one I could actually use.
It was a sort of graduation gift. I wasn't sure how long I would be in Kiri, so it felt right to give it to her now.
That left the gift I had for Hinata. It was a simple, slightly oversized white zip-up jacket with violet highlights, enhanced by dozens of seals, just like my traveling poncho. It was armor and supply storage in one article of clothing, more durable than a chunin vest.
I, of course, told Hinata I was going off on a long mission, feeling slightly guilty that I couldn't give her more information. The only thing I could tell her was that I would be in the Land of Water for some time.
She figured out the purpose of my mission pretty much instantly, though.
Why?" she asked after a moment of silence, clutching the jacket against her chest. "Why are you sent to fight in a civil war in a completely different country?" She was clearly displeased that I would be away and in danger.
"Because I want to help," I responded simply. "Wouldn't you want to help people who are being hunted down just for being born with a bloodline?" I asked, unsure how much she knew about the conflict and its reasons.
She was quiet for a moment, but her expression said it all. She would absolutely want to help too.
"I couldn't care less where they are from. Everyone deserves the same chance to live their life, no matter who their parents are or how powerful their bloodline may be," I said, ruffling her hair playfully, which earned me a weak glare mixed with a blush.
"I'm strong enough to help, so I will. It really is just that simple," I chuckled, dodging her playful swat.
"Next time, you'd better take me with you..." she grumbled quietly, a pout forming on her face.
"Hn, sure. It would be nice to have you watch my back," I said, conceding this point instantly. Hinata could be even more stubborn than me if she wanted to, and I wasn't about to argue with her on that.
She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, clearly contemplating something.
I was slightly taken aback when she quickly pulled me into a hug, hiding her face behind her hair, likely too red to describe.
"Just get back safe..." she muttered, torn between wanting to crush my ribs with a more powerful hug and letting me go. I simply patted her head, trying to calm her down.
"I'll be fine. I still need to see you surpass me, don't I?" I said softly as she let go, still trying to hide her face from me. "Plus, I can send you short messages through our summons, so it's not like I'll be completely gone," I added with a small grin.
"But I have one last exercise for you: Talk. Talk to your classmates; get used to being around people as much as possible... at least around enough people to function well in a team." I said seriously.
"I can't task you to just ignore your anxiety, but I should have probably had you train with Sakura and a few others on some occasions..." I sighed, realizing I had once again overlooked such a simple thing.
I had thought she would slowly get used to crowds due to the academy, but I was clearly wrong.
"I'll try," she said, a look of focus on her face, but I knew that, unlike any kind of jutsu I gave her, this would be truly difficult for her.
"Good... send me reports of your progress via cats every week. I'll try to respond," I told her, turning to leave.
I needed to travel quickly and enter the Land of Water unseen during the night. As much as I would like to, I couldn't stay here much longer.
"She is getting bolder, that girl," I heard Kurama tease through our connection.
"And you're becoming more talkative... not that I mind." I chuckled back at the fox as I continued on my way, refusing to look back.
If I did, I might be tempted to stay until tomorrow.
"I have nothing better to do than sleep, and since I am awake..." The fox shrugged, fully determined to keep teasing me.
I quickly decided to change the topic to avoid further banter.
"I'm heading to Kiri. The Mizukage has been committing genocide for far too long." I told him as I leaped through the trees. "He's the Jinchuriki of the Three Tails, so I'll finally get to meet another Biju." A slight smile formed on my face at the thought of encountering another one of the chakra beasts.
I wasn't sure if Yagura was under genjutsu in this timeline, but there was a small chance I might actually get to talk with Isobu.
Kurama growled at the mention of the Mizukage.
"Isobu is not one for mindless slaughter. That Mizukage... he is just using my brother's power to inflict pain." His voice dripped with venom.
"I'll see what I can do about it. Best case scenario, I can unseal Isobu and set him free into the sea," I said, contemplating the best approach.
If Yagura was controlled, then Isobu likely was too; they would break each other from the genjutsu otherwise. Unsealing might not be the best option if that were the case.
"You have kept your word before... I shall trust you will do so again," Kurama grumbled.
However, I caught a hint of hope in his voice. Almost imperceptible, but it was there.
"I'll be counting on your advice. I actually never fought a Jinchuriki who was seriously trying to kill me," I admitted freely.
Back then, Yugito hadn't taken Itachi or me seriously; we would have died within seconds if she had.
"Hmm? Not going to summon me?" he asked, a smirk evident in his tone.
"That would be a bit of overkill, don't you think?" I replied, a smile forming on my face. "I want to win on my own. No power borrowed from anyone else. I just... I want to- need to see where I stand in this world." I say with determined expression. One of the reasons for my journey was to measure my progress.
At my age, Itachi completely folded Yagura with a single Amaterasu, and I needed to see how I compared. I was quite sure I was stronger than Itachi was at thirteen, much stronger, in fact. But his arsenal made raw power irrelevant, whereas mine, relied heavily on it.
"Still wanting to be the strongest? You are far from the strongest I have seen, kid... but you are the strongest of any kid your age I have come across," Kurama huffed, he didn't completely dismissed me as weak, but he correctly pointed out that I had nothing on Hashirama, let alone Hagoromo.
"Thanks... but I don't think comparing me to the actual Sage of Six Paths is fair," I replied with a small laugh.
I was quite sure I would never reach that level, no matter how much I trained. At some point, one needs special eyeballs or Hashirama's bullshit genetics, and I had neither.
"Comparing you to anyone lesser would be pointless," Kurama shrugged. "If you're aiming to be the strongest, I'll compare you to the strongest."
"I guess that makes sense..." I trailed off, focusing on locating the contact mentioned in my mission scroll.
The fishing town contained only one chakra signature large enough to indicate a ninja, which would save me time at least. I quickly approached the signature and found a man in his forties with short blue hair and an eyepatch over his right eye.
"'One-Eyed' Ao," I acknowledged him, handing over my mission scroll. He looked me over, unimpressed by my appearance, but his eyes widened slightly as he read the mission brief from Hiruzen.
"Ryuuzaki, the 'Bloody Blossom,'" he nodded. It seems that Hiruzen felt it was necessary to write both my name and that annoying moniker into the mission brief.
"Lead the way. I'd rather sleep in a camp than on the way into enemy territory," I said with a sigh, deciding not to dwell on it too much.
That old man would either be the death of me or force me out into the open; I wasn't sure which I hated more.
The travel was swift and quiet, which I appreciated. Ao was a ninja who was swift, efficient, and not too talkative, prioritizing focus above all.
We arrived at one of the medium-sized islands in the dead of night, and Ao's stolen Byakugan was undoubtedly scanning the surroundings, just as I was doing with my sensory abilities. The island was shrouded in mist so thick that visibility was nearly zero; I could barely see my own outstretched hand as I walked through it.
After leading me safely through the numerous traps set around the island, I finally stood in the main camp of the rebel forces, feeling unimpressed. The soldiers looked underfed, and morale seemed to be at a breaking point.
"Dear Sage, your ninjas look like they just survived Yagura's temper tantrum..." I murmured as we walked toward the main tent.
"You're not entirely wrong. But those solemn faces reflect weakness. None of them are resolute enough to keep their spirits high," he replied coldly, his tone reminding me a little of Danzo.
I should have expected someone who grew up during the 'Bloody Mist' era of his hidden village to be harsh.
"Being stomped on by a bijuu might do that to people..." I commented absently, finding the somber mood among the present forces predictable after such an event. I wouldn't be very hopeful either after witnessing my fellow ninjas being trampled by a massive turtle.
Ao murmured something about 'the old days' but kept quiet until we reached the tent. Inside, a woman, whom I would otherwise describe as beautiful, was pouring over headcount reports.
She looked completely exhausted; her red hair was a mess, and she looked as if she had an intimate encounter with an angry blender. Suffice it to say, Mei's and Yagura's latest duel had not gone well for her, but she was here and alive.
"Lady Mei, the Konoha reinforcement is here," Ao said, not disguising his biting tone as he introduced me as the lone help they would receive.
I couldn't really blame him, but he could at least show a little gratitude.
"Yo," I said casually, lifting my hand in a two-finger salute.
"I guess that's better than nothing..." Mei replied, clearly unimpressed that her only assistance was someone who hadn't even turned thirteen yet.
I heard Kurama laugh through our link.
"Not even your allies take you seriously, kid. I wonder if that will change after they see you fight..." he trailed off, echoing my thoughts perfectly.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get to it. Can you explain what in all of Samsara happened here that got your forces so down? I need to understand the situation if I'm supposed to be useful," I said before the exhausted woman could complain or before Ao said something insensitive again.
This was going to be a long night.