Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: The Wonders of a Storage Space

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⏰ Resets Monday!

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8:00 AM the next day.

Heshu and the other two arrived at the small river that ran through Konoha.

"So, who do you think our sensei will be?" Juri leaned against the bridge railing, his interest piqued.

Shisui shook his head. "No idea."

Among this year's graduates, the three of them were easily in the top three. Two were from the prestigious Uchiha clan.

Assigning a sensei wasn't going to be easy.

Heshu looked up, sensing someone's approach. A figure stood before them.

Spotting the unmistakable white eyes of the Hyuga, Heshu raised a brow.

Hizashi Hyuga?

Neji's unfortunate father?

Interesting.

Two Uchiha and a Hyuga.

This was a very interesting arrangement.

"Hello. I am Hizashi Hyuga. Starting today, I will be your jonin sensei."

Hizashi wore the standard green flak jacket. The Caged Bird seal on his forehead was hidden beneath his hitai-ate. He was handsome.

Honestly, in this world, besides the Uchiha, the Hyuga clan also had their fair share of good looks. It's just that the Uchiha, with their flashy giant constructs and sheer arrogance, made people unconsciously overlook the Hyuga, who lacked such dazzling jutsu and generally weren't as showy.

The three bowed. "Sensei."

Though influenced by his father, Juri held a natural animosity towards the Hyuga. But now that one was his sensei, he had to observe the proper etiquette.

"Mhm." Hizashi nodded lightly. "Introduce yourselves."

His tone was flat, his face expressionless. No one could read the emotions in those white eyes.

"I am Uchiha Shisui. I specialize in Fire Release and swordsmanship." Shisui's introduction was so brief it drew a side glance.

Heshu followed immediately. "I am Tsukimi Heshu. I specialize in Ice Release and medical ninjutsu."

Juri, who had prepared a three-minute speech, had to shorten it to fit in. "I am Uchiha Juri. I specialize in Fire Release. I have awakened the Sharingan."

Hizashi showed no dissatisfaction at their brevity. "I've heard you three are all highly talented. I look forward to working with you."

To gauge their true capabilities, Hizashi proposed a test.

The three of them, together, would face Hizashi.

"You have one minute to discuss your strategy," Hizashi said. "I hope you will use your full strength. I need to know your strengths and your weaknesses."

If he didn't want his students dying easily on the battlefield or during missions, he had to understand their combat abilities completely.

"Alright."

The three retreated, putting distance between themselves and Hizashi.

"Sensei Hizashi is a jonin, possesses the Byakugan, and is very strong," Shisui said quickly. "I will try to engage and pressure him first. Juri, hit him with a genjutsu immediately. Heshu, use your ice to bind him. Then…"

Heshu nodded. "Agreed."

Facing an experienced jonin like Hizashi, Shisui's analysis and plan were solid.

Juri nodded as well.

"It seems you are ready." Hizashi noted their silence. "Begin."

Byakugan!

A cold shout. The veins around his eyes bulged violently.

The moment his voice fell, Shisui's figure blurred. He shot forward, fast as a phantom.

Juri's Sharingan spun slowly. The movements of Shisui and Hizashi as they clashed became much clearer.

Cold gathered in Heshu's palm. An ice blade formed and shot out, aimed to distract Hizashi.

Heshu had enough self-awareness. Using an ice blade to actually kill a Hyuga jonin with the Byakugan? Impossible.

But as a distraction? Sure.

Wait.

Heshu's eyes narrowed.

Hizashi was from the branch family. His Byakugan had a blind spot.

Kaiten!

A whirling vortex of wind erupted. It didn't just shatter Heshu's ice blade—it sent Shisui flying.

A bead of sweat rolled down Juri's temple.

His genjutsu struck, slipping into the opening.

But it wouldn't hold Hizashi for long.

"Heshu!" Shisui and Juri both looked to him.

For a split second, Hizashi's vision swam. A familiar figure stood before him. He frowned.

No.

Genjutsu.

He focused, and the phantom before him dissolved.

Suddenly, a chill shot up his spine—from his blind spot. He spun, lurching forward to evade. But from the corner of his eye, a flash of ice-blue. Heshu's figure suddenly loomed large.

Heshu's palm carried a bone-deep cold. It hadn't even touched him, yet Hizashi sensed the unusual power behind it.

Eight Trigrams Air Palm!

Air compressed. A high-speed palm strike, carrying ferocious pressure, shot towards Heshu's chest.

Hizashi expected him to dodge. Instead, Heshu charged straight in, no attempt to block.

Hizashi frowned. This reckless, no-defense style was suicidal.

He pulled his force back slightly. A lesson wouldn't hurt.

The next instant, he stared, shocked, at his own outstretched right hand.

It felt like he'd hit. And yet… it felt like he hadn't even brushed the boy's clothes.

In that moment of shock, ice crawled over his hands, freezing them solid.

Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!

A torrent of flame roared from Juri's mouth, arriving at Hizashi's back in an instant.

Caught between two threats, hands immobilized, surprise flashed in Hizashi's eyes.

CRACK!

Hizashi's eyes tightened. He forced chakra, shattering the ice encasing his hands with another Air Palm.

He leapt back, putting distance between them, his speed incredible.

"As expected of the top group, gathering such talents." Genuine approval flickered in Hizashi's eyes.

His students were this capable. As their sensei, he needed to show some real skill.

Chakra gathered. Terrible power condensed around his fists.

He went for Heshu first.

The strange thing was, despite the fearsome power in Hizashi's fists, his attacks were soft as cotton, fluid as willow catkins.

This must be the Hyuga's Gentle Fist.

A hit would disrupt chakra pathways instantly, crippling an opponent.

Heshu was fast, dodging the onslaught.

Hizashi was, after all, a veteran of real battle.

Heshu predicted his moves entirely through his maxed-out Six Eyes. Hizashi, however, intercepted Heshu's dodges through sheer, brutal combat experience.

Hadō #69: Raikōhō!

A blinding beam of light erupted from Heshu's palm.

The roar of contained thunder accompanied the pillar of energy shooting towards Hizashi.

As Hizashi dodged, Heshu put more distance between them.

Simultaneously, jagged spikes of ice erupted from the ground, racing towards Hizashi's feet.

Overwhelmed, Hizashi jumped onto a tree branch. The ice followed, climbing relentlessly.

Shock crossed his face. How does this kid have so much chakra?

"Sensei," Shisui and Juri appeared beside Heshu. "We win."

Small smiles played on their lips, their eyes shining with a young, triumphant light.

"Not necessarily." Hizashi began to speak, but his Byakugan swept the surrounding branches.

They were covered. Absolutely covered in explosive tags.

His Kaiten was called an absolute defense. But against this density of explosives? It wouldn't hold.

Resignation flashed in Hizashi's eyes. He'd lost. To three fresh genin.

But he felt no shame or anger. The stronger these kids were, the better their chances of surviving the front lines.

He dropped from the branches, landing lightly before them.

A faint, real smile finally broke through his cool expression. "While Juri and Heshu kept me busy, Shisui laid the trap. Heshu led me step by step into it. Juri's intermittent jutsu harassed me, splitting what little attention I had left."

He looked at them, his praise sincere. "You're… impressive."

At their age, Hizashi had been nowhere near this level.

Feeling truly recognized—and by a Hyuga jonin, no less—the last traces of reservation faded from Shisui and Juri.

Hizashi's gaze settled on Heshu. He remembered the strange sensation from earlier. "Heshu, did my attack connect?"

Shisui immediately looked at Heshu, worried. "Are you hurt?"

Juri turned too.

The space of "Infinity" could be infinitely compressed. To an observer, it looked like contact. Even Hizashi himself couldn't tell if he'd hit or missed.

If their sensei had been someone else, Heshu might have kept quiet. But it was Hizashi Hyuga. Heshu had no such concerns.

Hizashi, as a Hyuga, held significant weight on the battlefield. For a village that hadn't yet faced the Nine-Tails attack, the Hyuga clan, like the Uchiha, was a major power viewed with caution by the leadership.

The stronger Heshu appeared, the more scrutiny would fall on Hizashi. After all, Heshu was now Hizashi's student.

Hizashi wouldn't broadcast this. On the other hand, the bond between teacher and student in this world was serious business. Look at the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—unable to kill his student even after human experiments, planting a time bomb for himself. Or Anko, still marked by her connection to Orochimaru.

Teacher and student. Their fates were intertwined.

"It's my Kekkei Genkai," Heshu explained, extending a hand. "An absolute defense. A zone of relative stasis surrounds me. The closer you get, the slower you become. You can never actually touch me."

He raised Shisui's hand, placing their palms opposite each other. A membrane of space perpetually separated them.

Shisui, initially blushing at the contact, quickly noticed the bizarre sensation. He pushed harder. His palm never met Heshu's.

"This…" His eyes widened, staring at Heshu in disbelief.

Hizashi's expression turned utterly grave. A perfect absolute defense.

Any Kekkei Genkai drained chakra. It might not guarantee complete safety. But this ability… it was defying heaven's law.

"This is your trump card, Heshu. Keep it secret." Hizashi was deadly serious. He looked at Juri and Shisui.

"I won't say a word," Juri vowed immediately. Heshu was his teammate. He'd saved his father's life. Hurting Heshu was unthinkable.

Shisui nodded firmly.

A slight, genuine smile touched Hizashi's lips. These three were already close. He was worrying too much.

"We don't have much time. We'll likely get our first mission this afternoon," Hizashi said. "For now, I'm treating you all to lunch."

"Yes!"

The four headed for a barbecue place. What better way to prepare for leaving the village than a good meal?

[Ding! Affection from target 'Hizashi Hyuga' has reached 60!]

Heshu, focused on his meat, jolted at the system prompt. His gaze flicked to Hizashi, who was diligently grilling for them.

When they'd first met, Hizashi's face was all cold detachment. Now, just one morning later, his affection was at 60. And here he was, taking care of them during the meal.

Heshu looked away before Hizashi could notice.

Hizashi was like his future son, Neji. Cold exterior, warm heart.

[System-assigned skill delivered. Does the host wish to receive it?]

[Yes] [No]

In public? Obviously 'No'. Heshu tapped the negative.

On the blue system screen in his mind, a new frame with a red marker appeared in the left column.

'Pending.'

How user-friendly.

Heshu sighed inwardly.

"Alright. Go home and pack your things." Outside the restaurant, Hizashi instructed them. "We meet at the Hokage Tower at 2 PM."

Heshu nodded, parting ways with Shisui and Juri.

Back home, Takenouchi looked at the hitai-ate tied in Heshu's hair. He smiled but said nothing. His eyes held a flicker of inexplicable sadness.

After chatting with Takenouchi for a bit, Heshu returned to his room to handle the 'Pending' task.

Receive skill.

[Storage Space]

[Skill Description: System-produced. A storage space in a state of complete stasis. Even steaming hot food placed inside will remain unchanged. Note: Initial capacity is 1 cubic meter. Cannot store living beings at this time.]

[System Product. Guaranteed Quality.]

A storage space. This was good. Very good.

Uses flooded his mind immediately.

What's the biggest headache on missions?

—Crappy field rations.

With this, his quality of life just skyrocketed.

What to put in it? Stir-fried prawns. Charred squid. Sushi platters…

Dozens of dishes flashed through Heshu's mind.

He reined in his culinary fantasies, focusing on the note.

"'Initial capacity is 1 cubic meter'… means it can grow later, right?"

"Correct," the system replied.

This was its carefully chosen reward for the host's previous moment of enlightenment.

"Sixty affection points get me an initial skill. The Ice-Ice Fruit and Hadō I can train and master. But how do I 'train' a storage space?" Heshu wondered. "Stuff it more to make it grow?"

Silence.

He expected an answer. Instead, the system's cold electronic voice stated: "The host must explore initial skills independently."

"…"

So his second question wouldn't be answered either.

"'Cannot store living beings at this time'… means it can later. Right?"

Heshu rubbed his chin.

If the space expanded later and could hold living things… He could line the entire space with explosive tags. Invite an enemy in for a little tour.

Brilliant.

"Can I partition the space into smaller compartments?" Heshu asked.

"All effects can be achieved through the host's independent exploration and mastery of the skill."

So, once he mastered the space completely, he could reshape it at will.

Imagine throwing an enemy inside, then instantly partitioning the space into isolated cells…

What would happen to them?

Urk.

Heshu rubbed his arms, suddenly feeling a chill.

He was a pure, kind, handsome… youth. Why was he thinking such violent thoughts?

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