The training started almost immediately, and by sheer luck we were assigned to the famous training ground where the original Team Seven had met. The iconic three wooden poles stuck from the ground, and I could even see the memorial stone.
Our priorities were to get Hana to a solid chunin level and to help Izumi become as strong as possible. However, this was easier said than done.
Hana was primarily a scout and medic, so her combat capabilities were quite limited compared to many other chunin hopefuls. Thankfully, she focused on taijutsu, which she combined effectively with her clan's hijutsu. Unfortunately, she didn't know how to channel nature chakra, and there wasn't enough time to teach her that.
So, I decided on rigorous taijutsu and speed training. If she couldn't hit hard, she had to hit fast and get out of dodge if things got tough.
On the other hand, Izumi only really needed endurance and taijutsu training to become a real powerhouse. Unfortunately, I wasn't well-versed in fire style techniques, but there have to be at least one Uchiha who could help her out.
With a training schedule in place, I put them through the most grueling exercises they might ever face. As I expected, they did not enjoy the endurance training at all. So, I did the only logical thing: I 'motivated' Hana by bringing in Yoru. Hana really wasn't fond of cats, and the fact that a cat was outperforming her dog companions lit a fire under her ass.
After that incident, I don't think I heard her complain again, though she would occasionally mumble something about "weird cat lovers." I can live with that.
Izumi, on the other hand, believed her Mangekyō Sharingan made her strong enough to win any fight. Which wasn't entirely wrong, but I reminded her that overusing it would make her go blind faster.
This made her pause; after all, Itachi didn't need those eyes to become strong, so she decided to follow in his footsteps. And soon enough, she was giving her all just as Hana was.
I also made sure to send a clone to help out Hinata whenever she trained. She pushed herself so hard that it could be dangerous. Other than a few minor hiccups, by the time the academy was about to start, I was confident that both Hana and Izumi were more than ready for the exams. In fact, Izumi could likely handle them solo.
The last thing on my to-do list was to talk to Hinata before the academy began. She was improving much faster than I had expected, perhaps even faster than was reasonable for a seven-year-old.
I didn't need to tell her to keep training; instead, I had to remind her to tone it down on multiple occasions. It's not like I was any better, but I had already enjoyed one childhood; she hadn't.
I still had a few questions for her, and I planned to ask them the next time we met.
I didn't have to wait long; the day before the academy year started, she was already at the training grounds before me.
"Still at it, I see... What did I say about training too much?" I asked with a resigned tone. It seemed like there was no helping her; she was almost as relentless as Lee, just with less yelling.
"O-Oh, I just... can't sleep," she managed to choke out between heavy breaths.
"Nervous about the academy?" I asked, puzzled as to why she would be anxious. She was more than strong enough to handle it.
"Yes. What if I fall behind? What if-"
"You won't," I cut her off. "The only thing you should worry about is making some friends," I said. She was already close to the level expected for graduation; there was no reason for her to worry about her strength.
"Or do you want to graduate early?" I asked, genuinely curious. In the original timeline, there was no pressure on anyone to become a genin before completing the full five years in the academy.
She looked down, mumbling softly,
"You did it. So I thought..." Her words trailed off, quieter with each syllable.
"And I feel like I've made a mistake. I could have been in the village training to my hearts content. Instead, I now have a bounty on my head and responsibilities I never wanted." I looked at her, and her eyes darted back to me.
"You don't have to be like me. You can make friends, have fun, and train safely within the village walls," I continued, hoping to ease her worries.
It seemed a wave of relief washed over her.
"Just do what you feel is best for yourself, and don't let anyone pressure you into bad decisions," I advised, emphasizing that it had to be her own choice to graduate early. Great emphasis on her own decision.
If I ever see the Hyuga clan pressuring her, I would have to have some serious words with Hiashi. Hinata was already traumatized enough; she didn't need to for the world record.
"W-What do you think I should do?" she asked, and for once, I didn't have a straightforward answer.
"That's up to you, but if you want my advice... enjoy life for as long as you can," I replied. It probably didn't help her much, but it was better than nothing.
"Once you graduate, you will go on missions, and let me tell you, you won't like some of those missions. Take your time to figure things out and graduate when you are ready." I concluded my advice, reflecting on how I should have done the same.
I had been too impatient, trying to change things for better, but so far I only ended up causing a war and indirectly bringing about the Uchiha massacre earlier.
Clearly, planning wasn't my strong suit, so maybe it was time to stop planning and just live.
"Thank you," she said, her voice almost a whisper, yet it carried a great amount of relief. It seemed a crisis had been averted, at least for now.
Maybe I could aim to become a Jonin in case Hinata graduated early ot keep an eye on her, but I suspected Hiruzen wouldn't let me take a team until I was at least a few years older than the graduates.
Whatever the future held, though, wasn't really important at that moment.
September came quickly, and with it, the academy started. Sakura was a bit sour about it for a few days, but that cleared up pretty fast.
Apparently, she hadn't expected the teachers to hold her to the same standards they had for me. While her talent for chakra control was comparable to mine, she needed to start training seriously to make the most of it.
The same applied to Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji; they were all talented, but they each trained at very different paces.
At least Sakura wasn't obsessing over Sasuke... yet. Honestly, I felt a little envious of the carefree lives they could lead. In just two weeks, I would have to go to Takigakure, while they could run around and do whatever they wanted.
I really had pushed too hard, too fast. Well, no use crying over spilled ramen; I did have regrets, but there were also good memories that balanced them out.
I had given Hana and Izumi last week off, allowing them to rest and train on their own with their respective clans. Izumi actually found someone who let her copy a solid arsenal of fire jutsu, and I had her copy the only genjutsu I possess.
I must admit, genjutsu isn't my specialty and never will be. I might add a few to my arsenal in the future, but I would most likely never be a proper master of the art.
I stood at the gate, once again dressed in my full combat gear. A black facemask covered my face, and my chunin vest was barely visible under the open front of my poncho.
I didn't expect us to get into serious trouble outside of the exams, but almost every mission I had participated in had gone wrong in some way.
I decided to leave my cat companions at home, even though my paranoia dictated that I take no chances. It just didn't feel right to have them fight for me; they were too young for a serious mission like this.
Hana arrived with her dog companions, wearing her standard gray top underneath a beige jersey with fur around her shoulders. Honestly, it resembled the outfit I remembered Kiba wearing in the anime.
Izumi had swapped her usual navy blue shirt for a black one and changed her shorts for more spacious cargo pants. I could sense multiple chakra constructs in almost all of her pockets. She had clearly stocked up to avoid using her creation ability too much.
I squinted my eyes at her, and she responded with a victorious smirk. Her telekinetic ability blinded her just enough that she could use it quite often; it was the creation that took a major toll on her sight.
The question was how long those constructs would last for her, but I decided to ignore it. It was her sight at risk, not mine, and who was I to forbid her from doing something?
Itachi, on the other hand, might have a few choice words for her neglect of self-care. Hopefully, he would send a message soon; it had been more than three months since he left.
We left through the gate and jumped across the thick branches in silence. Last-minute advice could come once I figured out who the mysterious solo participant was. I also wanted to find Taki's jinchuriki, mostly to talk with the seven-tails. I had a promise to fulfill, after all.
The three-day trip was quiet and filled with tension. None of us had ever competed in a Chunin exam before, so we were all going in blind.
I had some frame of reference from the anime, but that wasn't really dependable. Each village conducted its tests differently, so I was just as uncertain as my teammates.
We arrived at the base of a large mountain, which wasn't particularly high; instead, it seemed to form a large flat surface less than a kilometer above us. The sides were steep with a smooth texture, and defnitely unscalable without chakra or special equipment.
As we approached a waterfall cascading from high up the mountain, we paused for a moment. Shortly after, a Taki ninja emerged from behind the waterfall, took our paperwork, and led us inside.
After walking through the darkness for a few minutes, we entered the village proper through another waterfall. The bright light assaulted my eyes as we emerged.
The mountain above was now gone, replaced by a sky partially covered by the sprawling branches of a truly gigantic tree around which the village was built. It looked as if a massive crater had been created in the middle of the flat-topped mountain long ago.
The place had a pleasant vibe, even though the chakra flowing through the tree appeared... strange. It resembled a mix of nature chakra and something else, almost like biju chakra but not quite the same. It wasn't as refined; it was even wilder than Kurama's chakra, yet still quite powerful.
"Go explore if you want. Just try to avoid trouble," I said, giving my team directions to our hotel.
I wanted to do some exploring of my own, preferably alone. I made my way toward the village center, heading straight for the giant tree. I could sense a faint trace of biju chakra near its base, and I had a message to deliver.
As I got closer, I noticed fewer people around. It seemed there was a lake directly beneath the tree, with only one bridge leading to the other side. It must be difficult to get permission to cross over.
Rumors said that Takigakure occasionally produced something called "Hero Water." I was unsure of what it was, and honestly, I didn't care much. However, I remembered that their jinchuriki was supposed to be quite young, around my age, in fact.
The distance kept between them and the rest of the population suggested that they either guarded the tree or were not well-liked. Knowing the typical attitude of hidden villages, it might very well be both, unless there was another difference in this timeline.
I focused on sensing my surroundings, but the chaotic chakra radiating from the tree made it hard to detect people accurately. It was no wonder this village had never been successfully invaded; chakra sensing was nearly useless here, and the mountain provided good defense against anything weaker than a rampaging jinchuriki.
The only crossing was guarded, and I didn't want trouble, so I opted for stealth. I sealed away my mission gear and removed my face mask, revealing my face and casual clothing hidden beneath my poncho and Chunin vest.
Next, I used the Transformation Jutsu to change my hair color. Pink was very noticeable and uncommon; with brown hair, I would blend in better as just another kid.
I figured that getting into the lake would attract too much attention, so I decided on an aerial approach. I found a secluded spot and used Hirenkyaku to blitz upward, aiming for one of the lowest branches of the giant tree.
It took just a few seconds to reach it due to my increased proficiency. I could now use it continuously for many jumps, for a short period, of course. It was still draining and exhausting, but for a task like this, it was more than enough.
"I wonder if I'm faster than Shisui was," I murmured to myself after finally landing on the thick branch, looking down at the village. I was not delusional enough to compare myself to someone like Minato or Ay, not for a long time.
I maintained my disguise; it wouldn't do any good if the jinchuriki saw my real face. If I could actually find them, that is. The tree radiated chakra very strongly up close, and it severely affected my sensing abilities.
Even my Observation Haki was compromised, likely because I was trying to use chakra sensing simultaneously. I sighed and attempted to use Haki alone. However, without chakra sensing, I would need to hope there was only one person near the trunk of the tree since I wouldn't be able to sense the biju within them.
The good news was that I could see only one person. The bad news was that I would need to enter the tree to reach them. I wasn't looking forward to this, but a promise is a promise. Hopefully, the jinchuriki really was inside the tree.
I decided on a slow and careful approach, sneaking through the thick branches and ensuring that nobody below could see me. At least the tree was shielding me from Taki's chakra sensors, if they even had any.
When I finally reached the trunk of the tree, I looked down. There was a small island in the middle of the lake, and the tree was rooted in it. Directly below me, on the inside of the tree, I sensed the only person nearby. I could only guess that there was some sort of hollowed-out doorway.
Fortunately, even after extending my senses to their limits, I concluded there really was only one person on the island, and with some luck, it would remain that way for as long as I was here.
I slid down the tree trunk, careful to blend in as much as possible. It didn't take long to reach the ground, and I landed safely on my feet on one of the exposed roots. Now it was time to find the entrance.
I kept close to the tree, hoping nobody was watching, and moved around until I finally found it. Just a few meters in front of me was a large section of the tree that had been hollowed out. It was at least five meters tall and no less than two meters wide. It looked more like a small gate than a door.
Inside, I could sense a single presence with Haki. A small child, maybe my age or even younger, seemed to be living alone inside the tree. I had no idea if living next to this strange chakra had any side effects, but if it did, they would likely manifest in this kid.
I shrugged and slowly moved inside. It looked like a nest of some kind, perhaps an ant's nest if ants made nests by hollowing out trees.
I attempted to sense chakra again, but my senses remained scrambled, although I could feel many things moving around, as if digging inside the tree. Their chakra resembled that of the sage cats I had back home.
Maybe the tree was home to a summoning clan, or perhaps it was inhabited by an insect mutated by the strange chakra of this place; it was hard to tell.
I looked up and saw a small, balcony-like ledge on which a little girl sat. She had tanned skin and mint-green hair, and she wore a simple white dress. Before I could utter a word, she jumped down and began speaking rapidly.
"Why are you in Fu's home? Are you here to be Fu's friend?" This conversation might not be as straight-forward as I had hoped.