Instructor

The next day, Riyue went to the Hokage Office Building to register as a ninja. The photographer stared at the five-year-old boy in front of him, unable to react for a long moment. He thought the child had taken a wrong turn. Only after asking Riyue several times did he finally take his picture.

Riyue grumbled, "Kakashi graduated at five too. Is it really so unbelievable that I graduated at five?"

Actually, there were plenty of children in this world more talented than Riyue. He had made such rapid progress only because he had experience from his previous life. Compared with those exceptionally gifted geniuses, he still fell short.

Just look at Kakashi Hatake: he graduated at five and became a Chunin at six. Itachi Uchiha joined Anbu at eleven. Nagato Uzumaki mastered all five basic nature transformations by ten. Deidara left Iwagakure at nine and joined the Akatsuki at twelve. Obito Uchiha unleashed the Nine-Tails at fifteen and nearly destroyed Konoha all by himself!

After the photograph was taken, Riyue signed his name on his ninja registration form and pressed his thumbprint onto it.

Name: Hyuga Nichigetsu

Ninja Registration Number: 007116

Rank: Genin

Age: 5

After becoming a ninja, Riyue was summoned to a Hyuga Clan gathering. Besides Hyuga Nichigetsu, two others from the Hyuga Clan had graduated and become ninjas this time. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the old head of the Hyuga Clan—the grandfather of Hiashi—offered them a few words of encouragement and urged them all to keep working hard.

Hyuga Nichigetsu's standing in the clan had risen considerably, especially after the Hokage announced that he had become a student of Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin. The other Genin treated him with respect. But Riyue could tell the Branch Family members were genuinely happy for him, while among the Main Family, only the clan head, Hizashi, Hiashi, and a few others offered sincere congratulations. Everyone else paid him no mind, seeing him as nothing more than a lucky little brat. Riyue didn't take it to heart. He had never had much fondness for the Hyuga Main Family.

Riyue also made it clear to the clan head and the other clan members that, as a member of the Hyuga Clan, he would work hard for the family, help it grow stronger and more prosperous, make it Konoha's greatest clan, and ensure that its people could live better lives.

Naturally, when Riyue said that, he meant the Hyuga Branch Family. After all, the Branch Family made up the "majority" of the Hyuga Clan.

Most of the village's Jonin and Chunin were taking part in the Shinobi World War, so Riyue hadn't been assigned an instructor yet. If he went straight to Tsunade, he still wouldn't be a Chunin, and the Third Hokage wouldn't feel comfortable sending him. So the Third Hokage suggested that Riyue train in the village for now. Once the arrangements were made, he could join a supply convoy and head out. Riyue agreed. He and the Third Hokage discussed having him take on a few simple missions by himself first to gain some experience. The Third Hokage also hoped Riyue would become a Chunin as soon as possible.

Riyue immediately turned into a mission maniac. Using Shadow Clones to handle D-rank missions was far too easy: catching cats, pulling weeds, picking up trash, carrying water, chopping firewood... Riyue took every job that came his way. During his time at the Academy, he felt his chakra reserves had grown quite a bit. He could now use the Byakugan for twenty minutes, and had no trouble making seven or eight Shadow Clones with the Shadow Clone Technique.

"Senju blood really is great. Lots of chakra, quick recovery, and more strength and speed than the average person. Besides, doing more missions builds up my record and earns me money. I should buy a few more things for myself before I leave." That was Riyue's thinking.

He did three or four D-rank missions a day. Even the Third Hokage thought Riyue was pushing himself too hard, but Riyue barely noticed. After a little over a month, he had completed more than a hundred D-rank missions—enough to cover the number of D-rank missions most ninjas completed in their entire lives. After the village's cut and various expenses were deducted, Riyue earned between 1,000 and 3,000 ryo per D-rank mission. By the end of the month, he had made quite a bit of money.

That day, Riyue was told to meet his instructor. He sat in an empty classroom, waiting for the other person to arrive.

"Am I the only one here? Who could my instructor be?" Riyue wondered.

Just then, someone opened the door and walked in. He had long, light blue hair and wore a Jonin vest. He was a handsome man.

"Who's this teacher? I actually know him." Riyue smiled faintly.

"Hello. I'm your Jonin instructor. My name is Dan Katō." The man smiled at Riyue.

"Hello, Sensei. I'm Hyuga Nichigetsu." Riyue bowed.

"Good. You'll be under my command from now on. Lord Hokage assigned me to train you for missions. In a few days, I'll take you to the front lines, where Lady Tsunade will teach you ninjutsu." At the mention of Tsunade, Dan's face lit up with a smile. Knowing Riyue would become Tsunade's student made him feel even closer to the boy. Seeing Dan's lovestruck expression at the mere thought of Tsunade, Riyue thought, Heh, so there really is something going on between them.

"I'll work hard, Sensei!"

"Then let's introduce ourselves. I'll tell you about myself first. I'm twenty-seven, a Jonin, and my dream is to become Hokage."

"Hyuga Nichigetsu, five years old, Genin. My dream is to open a clinic."

"Oh? Do you like studying medicine, like Tsunade?"

"Yes. By the way, Sensei, did you just return from the front lines?"

"Yes, I just got back from the front."

"Can you tell me how the war is going?"

Dan began describing the battlefield. "The various countries began making moves two years ago, shifting their forces to the borders. Then the Shinobi World War officially broke out. Last year, our Konoha forces invaded the Land of Rain and fought a major battle there against Iwagakure and Sunagakure. After several battles, Konoha drove back both armies and won the campaign in the Land of Rain."

"Then the 'Demigod' of the Land of Rain, the leader of the Rain Ninja, suddenly attacked our forces, hoping to drive us out. The Third Hokage's three students—Lord Orochimaru, Lord Jiraiya, and Lady Tsunade—led Konoha's elite and held off the powerful Hanzo. That gave Konoha's main force a chance to wipe out the Rain Ninja's main army, and the Land of Rain surrendered. The three of them earned the title 'Konoha Sannin' because of it."

"But the war is far from over. Iwagakure and Sunagakure aren't willing to accept defeat, and Kumogakure and Kirigakure are also making moves. Sunagakure has already moved its forces to the border, while Kumogakure seems to be hoping to take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Iwagakure. Lady Tsunade is currently stationed with the army, preparing to invade the Land of Wind. Lord Orochimaru and Sakumo Hatake are watching Iwagakure and Kirigakure, while Lord Jiraiya has stayed in the Land of Rain."

Riyue thought to himself, The major fighting in the Land of Rain is basically over, and Konoha is about to attack Sunagakure. Dan Katō hasn't died fighting Sunagakure yet, so Tsunade hasn't developed her fear of blood. But Nawaki should have died a year or two ago. Jiraiya has already met the three of them in the Land of Rain. Nagato and the others must be around six or seven now... The Pervy Sage is probably teaching all three of them. He's supposed to train them for three years.

"You're a Genin, Riyue, so you'll only be doing support work at the front. We won't send you into battle. Combat is the job of Jonin and Chunin," Dan added.

Riyue couldn't help but admire Konoha. Other ninja villages used Genin as cannon fodder, but Konoha took good care to protect them. That gave Genin time to grow, prevented Konoha from running short on talent, and helped prepare a large pool of manpower for the wars that followed.

"By the way, we need to do a test too. Let's head to Training Ground Ten." Dan smiled.

"Huh? Is this going to be a bell test? That's so quintessentially Konoha," Riyue thought as he followed Dan to Training Ground Ten.

The training grounds were mostly alike: a forest and an open clearing, sometimes with a stream or a pond as well. Riyue and Dan had reached the clearing.

"Pass the test by taking the bell. Show me what you can do and attack!" Dan said, shaking the bell in his hand before hanging it from the bottom of his Jonin vest.

"Aren't bell tests supposed to build teamwork? Still, it'll test my strength and give Dan a better idea of what I can do. I might as well see how strong I am too," Riyue thought.

Riyue took an attacking stance and activated his Byakugan. (BGM: Shikkū, by Yasuharu Takanashi)

"Then I won't hold back, Sensei!" Riyue struck first.

Riyue hurled nine shuriken, then rushed forward. The shuriken traced strange arcs through the air, surrounding Dan from the left, right, and behind.

Dan casually spun around and threw three shuriken, knocking away the three coming from behind. Then he drew a kunai, ready to block the six incoming from both sides.

"A Jonin moves so much faster than a Genin!" Riyue marveled. Even with the Byakugan, tracking Dan's muscles was quite difficult.

Just then, the six shuriken suddenly changed direction and swept around Dan from both sides. Through the opening they left, Riyue charged forward and struck at Dan with his palm!

Dan tried to dodge, but shuriken were closing in from both sides. He reacted quickly, calmly grabbing Riyue's wrist with his left hand. As soon as his wrist was caught, Riyue leaped and twisted sideways, kicking at Dan's head. Smack! Dan calmly raised his right hand to block the kick.

Riyue smiled faintly. His right hand, still held by Dan, suddenly shifted from an open palm to two extended fingers, about to jab Dan's wrist. Dan reacted instantly and released him. Riyue's hand continued on toward the bell at Dan's waist.

"Not good. Did he let me grab his hand on purpose?" Dan leaned back, leaving Riyue's hand just short of the bell.

But Riyue's hand only seemed to be reaching for the bell. It suddenly changed direction and shot toward Dan's chest!

"Gentle Fist Art: Five-Finger Heart-Piercing Break!" Riyue's index and middle fingers struck the left and right atria of Dan's heart almost simultaneously. Then his thumb pressed against the sinoatrial node, followed by his ring and little fingers striking the left and right ventricles. Finally, he jabbed the very center of Dan's heart with a sword-hand at blinding speed. The entire attack landed almost at once.

"Ah!" Dan cried out, clutching his chest as he fell backward to the ground. Based on the heart's location and inspired by the Five-Thunder Heart-Piercing Palm, Riyue had devised this technique: each of his five fingers attacked with pinpoint force, destroying the autonomic nerve fibers that controlled the heartbeat, as well as the crucial sinoatrial node. The enemy's heart lost its nervous control, became paralyzed, and stopped beating.

Poof! Dan, sprawled on the ground, turned into a cloud of white smoke.

"Hm? A Shadow Clone!" Riyue froze.

"That move was dangerous, but you let your guard down, Riyue!" The real Dan had appeared behind him.

Riyue didn't turn around. He immediately dashed forward and leaped onto the surface of the pond.

"You can't get away!" Dan followed close behind, quickly catching Riyue and pinning one of his arms behind his back.

With one arm restrained, Riyue only smiled. He pressed his body tightly against Dan and reached out to grab him. "Sensei, you let your guard down!"

"Hm? That was a Shadow Clone too!" Dan was taken aback.

Another Riyue suddenly struck from behind. Dan knocked the Shadow Clone he was holding down with a chop, then turned calmly and formed hand seals at lightning speed.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!" He spewed a ball of fire from his mouth. It skimmed over the pond, raising a veil of steam. It was so fast that Riyue couldn't dodge in time, and the fireball hit him head-on.

Dan had taken down both Riyues who had attacked him from either side.

"You're still too green!" Dan smiled faintly and prepared to put out the flames on Riyue.

Poof! Poof! Both Riyues turned into clouds of smoke and vanished.

"They were both Shadow Clones?" Dan froze.

"Watch out, Sensei!" A third Riyue suddenly appeared behind Dan and jabbed a finger at his back. Dan reacted quickly, leaping several meters to the right, but the Byakugan had already caught the change in his muscles.

"He's jumping to the right? You won't get away! Body Flicker Technique!" Riyue used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared beside Dan in an instant, striking at his abdomen with his palm.

"So fast! The Body Flicker Technique?" Dan managed to block Riyue's palm with both hands while still in midair, but he struggled to do so.

Just as Dan's feet were about to touch the water, a hand shot up from beneath the surface!

"What?!" Dan was caught off guard. Smack! The finger had already struck his lower leg. His foot landed on the water, but instead of standing on its surface like usual, it sank straight in.

"Damn it! I've lost control of the chakra in my foot!" Dan suddenly lost his balance. He tilted to one side and fell into the water.

The bell at his waist fell onto the surface at the same time, and the hand in the water seized the chance to snatch it!

"Sensei, I win!" Riyue swam up from beneath the water, tossed the bell in his hand, and grinned. He deactivated his Byakugan, and another Riyue poofed into a cloud of white smoke and disappeared. Using three Shadow Clones had taken a lot out of him. His breathing was slightly ragged, and he felt he had only a quarter of his chakra left.

Dan climbed out of the water and steadied himself on one leg. He rubbed the leg that had lost control of its chakra.

"You attacked me with nine shuriken, but your real goal was to draw my attention and block my view. While I turned and used three shuriken to knock away the ones behind me, you'd already made three Shadow Clones, and your real body had hidden underwater."

"Then you used your Shadow Clones to lure me into fighting on the water. I took out two of them, but I didn't realize the third was a Shadow Clone too. Your real body stayed underwater the whole time, waiting for a chance to strike a pressure point and make me lose control of my foot's buoyancy. That made me sink into the water, and the bell landed right on the surface. It practically fell into your hand—you only had to grab it. Is that right?" Dan rubbed his head and wiped the water from his hair. As he summed up Riyue's tactics, he realized he had fallen for the boy's trick.

"Yeah. I've been underwater since the fight began. It's easy to hide my presence underwater. After my Shadow Clones lured you onto the water, I just waited for the right moment to strike." Riyue nodded.

Dan marveled inwardly, This kid is no Genin. He's practically at Chunin level. Is he really only five? No wonder the Third Hokage assigned me to train him alone. It's no wonder Tsunade took him as a student. He's quite a catch.

Dan nodded. "Very good, Riyue. You pass!"