Ninja Academy Life

Six months later.

"Form the Seal of Opposition."

It was time for the Ninja Academy's taijutsu training class, and Hyuga Ao had already clearly pulled ahead of everyone else.

Shurikenjutsu was average, taijutsu was perfect, theory was perfect—especially in sparring. In this elite class, only Namikaze Minato could exchange a few moves with her.

So now the taijutsu instructor wouldn't let Hyuga Ao fight anyone else, only Minato. After all, letting her fight the others was just too unfair.

Hyuga Ao smiled at Namikaze Minato, raising one hand vertically before her chest and placing the other behind her back, striking Rock Lee's pose. She beckoned. "Same rules. One hand. You attack first."

Minato stepped forward and threw a straight punch in the Wing Chun style, pressing the attack with a flurry of rapid strikes. Hyuga Ao casually caught his fists with one hand, occasionally lifting a leg to block his kicks.

She observed his offense, admiration clear in her eyes.

She had to admit, teaching Minato Wing Chun back then had been the right call. Minato was naturally built for speed, favoring quick assaults. Later in life, he'd use Flying Thunder God to appear right in someone's face, take them out in one hit, and vanish.

Wing Chun was fast, with tight defense, agile footwork, and a balance of offense and defense that emphasized blending hardness with softness while conserving stamina. Once inch power was mastered, it allowed attacks and blocks with minimal distance and time.

This was what it meant to witness a genius, a child of fate.

Minato picked up everything about Wing Chun instantly—taught once, understood. The concepts and techniques fit him perfectly, especially Little Idea, the foundational form every Wing Chun student must learn.

If Little Idea is crooked, a lifetime stays crooked. That "straightness" wasn't just about the fist form; it was about the martial artist's character, thoughts, and conduct.

And Minato's nature was inherently straight from birth, so his training bore double the results with half the effort.

Little Idea was also a slow form, training focus, concentration, and clearing distractions. Minato was a ninja who fought with his mind, especially in high-speed combat where thinking speed was crucial.

After practicing Little Idea, his thinking in battle became faster and purer, free of stray thoughts, and his reactions visibly quickened.

That scared Hyuga Ao into stopping his lessons immediately, afraid he'd go too deep and turn his fighting style into a martial artist's rather than a ninja's.

She only let him think more, absorb the principles, spirit, and power techniques—learning to supplement himself, not to become a carbon copy of Wing Chun.

Now all she could do was offer pointers and spar occasionally.

The biggest boost Wing Chun gave Minato was the inch power's delivery method and philosophy: using the shortest time and smallest motion to throw the fastest punch. This sharply elevated his combat ability.

"Slap, slap, slap." Hyuga Ao caught three consecutive punches, fist meeting palm in crisp sounds.

She looked at Minato, slightly winded from throwing those three inch-power strikes, and said:

"Minato, let's call it here for today."

Minato gazed at Hyuga Ao, not a single bead of sweat on her forehead, and gave a faint wry smile.

"Still can't break through even one of Ao'er's hands, huh."

He felt cheated. A year ago, Hyuga Ao had sworn he'd become Hokage someday, but now he couldn't even beat her with one hand tied behind her back. How was he supposed to be Hokage?

Still, Minato was Minato. He quickly adjusted his mindset and turned to watch Kushina's sparring match.

Kushina's opponent was a chubby kid from the Akimichi clan—the same one who'd been forced to give up his seat for her before.

Their fight was a perfect match. One had thick skin and fat to absorb hits; the other had sturdy bones and naturally high vitality. An occasional punch or kick was nothing.

After a long, grueling battle, Kushina won thanks to faster recovery and better endurance.

Seeing her flushed, excited little face, it was clear she'd had a blast.

That was the class ecosystem. At the top of the food chain sat Hyuga Ao, undisputed first. Namikaze Minato was the eternal Second Son. Below him were Kushina and the kids from taijutsu clans.

Among them, Kushina held a solid third place thanks to her Uzumaki constitution.

Hyuga Ao crossed her arms, observing the upperclassmen. One spiky-haired kid caught her attention.

With both Hokage from the Senju clan recently dead, the Third Hokage in his prime, and the Sannin at their peak, the First Hokage's grandson, Nawaki, was the most eye-catching figure among the next generation.

Kushina sidled up and asked, "Ao'er, what are you looking at?"

Hyuga Ao pointed at Senju Nawaki.

Kushina followed her gaze. "Isn't that Nawaki-nii? What about him?"

"I'm seeing how much of the Senju's talent he inherited." Hyuga Ao smiled mysteriously, then turned back to Kushina.

"How can you tell talent just by looking?" Kushina muttered, glancing at Hyuga Ao's enigmatic smile before shifting her eyes back to Nawaki.

She paused, sensing something off. She studied the area around Hyuga Ao's eyes closely and blurted out:

"Is that..."

Hyuga Ao took Kushina's little hand and guided it to her own eye sockets. "Feel it. If you touch carefully, you can sense it. This is the result of my latest training."

Kushina was astonished. Normally, when a Hyuga awakened the Byakugan, bulging veins appeared around the eyes, making even the gentlest person look fierce and terrifying.

But Hyuga Ao had clearly activated her Byakugan, yet the veins that should have stood out were completely flat, only faintly pulsing when touched.

Kushina asked, confused, "How is this possible? Your eyes... why?"

Although Kushina said it out loud, Hyuga Ao knew what she really wanted to ask. She squeezed Kushina's soft little hand and responded:

"This is my latest training result. I can keep my Byakugan in a minimal activation state to allow for covert observation at certain times."

That wasn't entirely true. After yesterday's unlocking, combined with Ao's precise control, she could actually keep her Byakugan at full power without any outward sign—essentially forcing the energy-transporting meridians to stay suppressed. But she couldn't say that to Kushina.

"Wow!" Kushina exclaimed in amazement. "Ao'er, you're amazing!"

"You bet!" Ao puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips in a playful show-off pose.

With Ao's deliberate antics, the girls' conversation drifted to other topics.

Before leaving, Ao took a long look at Nawaki and silently pondered:

Nawaki's death—do I need to do something about it? Or rather, what do I want to gain from it?

The next day.

At the outskirts of the Forest of Death.

The usual training spot for Ao and Minato.

"Half the day here, half the day skipping—where do you two think you are, college students?" Ao complained inwardly as she looked at Namikaze Minato, who was scratching his head with a sheepish grin, and Kushina, who was skipping class for the first time.

"Minato, weren't you the one saying you were tired? It hasn't even been that long, and you're already using Shadow Clones to cover class. And you even dragged Kushina out with you—what's your deal?"

"Haha, I figured the stuff at the Ninja Academy isn't really useful for me anymore. My Shadow Clone can handle half a day of theory class, and I'll go back in person for the other half of practical training."

Ao shook her head and sighed. Damn, even Namikaze Minato's gone rogue—half out, half in.

She then turned to Kushina and said helplessly:

"Kushina, what about you? Why'd you follow Minato out here?"

Kushina blushed and explained quietly:

"I don't really want to sit through theory class either. A Shadow Clone can handle that just fine! Besides, I really want to catch up to you two!"

She lifted her head, her gaze firm and earnest.

Ao could only sigh again. No wonder he's Naruto's mom—they're exactly the same.

Still, Ao wondered inwardly why the Third Hokage had let Kushina sneak out like this. Maybe that was just the difference in treatment between when Mito was alive and now.

Sigh, I'll have to hold back from now on. The Third can observe this place with his Crystal Ball anytime, Ao thought.

But looking at Minato and Kushina, who were watching her, she smiled slightly. After all, time spent with friends was always a joy, wasn't it?