Konoha: Starting with the Tenseigan and Taking Charge of Team 7

"The enemy's in the Lake?" Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno stared at the vast Lake ahead. Was the enemy really in there?

Something about that felt strange.

Sasuke Uchiha snorted. "Idiot. The enemy can't predict our route. How could they just happen to be hiding in the lake?"

"What did you say?" Naruto Uzumaki protested.

"An enemy? I suppose so. Exams are the greatest enemy, after all." Aogetsu Hyuga clapped his hands and smiled. "You've been training hard lately. Time for your final assessment."

Sakura Haruno tilted her head. "An assessment? Walking on water?"

"That's right." Aogetsu Hyuga nodded.

Everyone in Team 7 was puzzled. Why had Aogetsu suddenly decided to test their chakra control?

And in the middle of a mission, no less!

"Hey, are you seri—" Naruto Uzumaki began.

"Less talk. Get on with it." Aogetsu Hyuga grabbed Naruto Uzumaki and hurled him toward the Lake.

"Aaah!" Naruto Uzumaki flew through the air, then crashed into the Lake with an enormous splash.

"You bastard! One day... one day, I'm going to make you pay!" Naruto Uzumaki burst out of the lake and settled onto one knee on the water's surface, looking like a drowned rat.

"Full marks." Aogetsu Hyuga looked pleased.

"Aogetsu, we're still on a mission. Couldn't the assessment wait until we get back—" Sakura Haruno began.

Aogetsu Hyuga grabbed Sakura Haruno and flung her toward the Lake.

"Waaah!" Sakura Haruno sailed a long way through the air. She squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked before crashing into the Lake.

Three seconds later, Sakura Haruno climbed out and stood steadily on the water. The cold made her shiver.

"Brr, it's freezing. Aogetsu is the worst."

"Very good." Aogetsu Hyuga looked pleased.

Sasuke Uchiha stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the drenched Naruto and Sakura. The corner of his mouth twitched. "I'll jump myself."

He found it strange.

Why had Aogetsu suddenly decided to test their chakra control?

Aogetsu was a jonin. If he had called for a chakra-control assessment during a mission, he must have something in mind.

Wait...

Team 7 hadn't encountered a single enemy along the way. Maybe they had been too alert for anyone to strike.

Was Aogetsu using the assessment as a pretext to expose an opening and lure the enemy out?

Heh. So that's what this is about.

Sasuke Uchiha walked to the lakeshore and cast Aogetsu a cool glance over his shoulder. He said nothing, but his look made it clear: I understand everything.

Then Sasuke Uchiha stepped steadily across the lake.

[Team 7 has passed the final assessment, completing this mentor-student mission.]

[Mission reward obtained: the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (without side effects).]

[New mentor-student mission: teach Naruto Uzumaki the Rasengan, Sasuke Uchiha the Chidori, and Sakura Haruno the Strength of a Hundred Power.]

[Reward: the powers of the Gura Gura no Mi from the pirate world (without side effects), eternal youth, and doubled lifespan.]

[Time limit: one year.]

The Enemy Appeared. Could He Crush Them Without Trying?

"So this is the power of lightning. It really is much stronger than Lightning Release." Aogetsu Hyuga raised a finger, and pale-blue electricity sparked at its tip. He could clearly feel that this lightning far surpassed Lightning Release.

And now he could wield it at will!

Excellent!

He could look cool with thunder in his hand!

Aogetsu Hyuga rubbed his chin and studied the status panel.

[Mentor-student mission: teach Naruto Uzumaki the Rasengan, Sasuke Uchiha the Chidori, and Sakura Haruno the Strength of a Hundred Power.]

[Mission reward: the powers of the Gura Gura no Mi (without side effects), eternal youth, and doubled lifespan.]

[Time limit: one year.]

Aogetsu Hyuga considered it.

The powers of the Gura Gura no Mi were impressive. They carried enough destructive force to shake the atmosphere, and with more effort, they could even shake space itself.

Like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, they would make it easy to show off.

The second reward was good too. He could stay his current age forever, and his lifespan would double.

In other words, he could stay handsome forever!

But the problem was the Strength of a Hundred Power.

Teaching Naruto the Rasengan was no problem. He knew it.

Teaching Sasuke the Chidori was no problem either. He knew that too.

But he had never learned the Strength of a Hundred Power. His chakra reserves were enormous, and he could use advanced techniques freely.

He had never needed to store chakra little by little through the Strength of a Hundred Power.

As far as he knew, only Tsunade—that big-breasted lunatic—could use the Strength of a Hundred Power in the entire Shinobi World.

He had once gotten drunk and forced himself on Tsunade. Forget asking her for help; the moment she saw him, she would attack him with everything she had.

What was he supposed to do?

What a hassle.

Tazuna took a drink and said grimly, "I'm the client. With an attitude that careless, can you really escort me home safely?"

He thought Aogetsu was far too casual. He wasn't taking the mission seriously at all.

Testing his students' training during a mission?

Frankly, it was absurd.

Tazuna had lived a long life, and he had never met a ninja as unconcerned with safety as Aogetsu Hyuga!

If an enemy appeared, Aogetsu's careless, laid-back attitude could get him killed in an instant!

"It'll be fine. Think of it as a trip on the company's dime." Aogetsu Hyuga waved a hand dismissively.

He had no choice.

He would have to find that big-breasted lunatic.

After all, Tsunade was the only person in the entire Shinobi World who could use the Strength of a Hundred Power.

Aogetsu's attitude infuriated Tazuna. He took a drink and snorted. "I just hope we're all still alive when the enemy shows up."

"Achoo!" Sakura Haruno wrung out her pink hair, sneezed from the cold, and called out irritably, "Aogetsu, did we pass?"

An assessment was one thing, but why did he have to throw them?

What kind of teacher did that?

Aogetsu is the worst!

Aogetsu Hyuga gave them a thumbs-up. "Yes. Well done. You passed."

Naruto Uzumaki wrung out his soaked clothes and grumbled, "What the heck? Who gives an exam in the middle of a mission?"

"Exactly," Sakura Haruno said, agreeing with Naruto for once.

Naruto Uzumaki looked at Sasuke, who wasn't drenched, and pouted. "How come Sasuke didn't get thrown?"

"Two idiots." Sasuke Uchiha walked back onto solid ground, his hands in his pockets. He wasn't as naive as Naruto and Sakura. He knew what Aogetsu was planning.

Suddenly—

Splash! Broad ripples spread across the Lake. Three black-clad figures surfaced, sharp ninja weapons in hand, and slashed viciously at Aogetsu Hyuga!

The sudden attack froze Team 7 and Tazuna in place. Sasuke alone wasn't surprised.

Bang! The three attackers struck Aogetsu squarely with their blades. Dust billowed from the ground, filling the area with thick, churning smoke.

"Fool. He actually let his guard down. Now that the stupid jonin's gone, the rest of these weaklings will be easy!" one of the black-clad attackers sneered.

They were certain Aogetsu was dead. Even a jonin was made of flesh and blood.

How could flesh and blood stop a blade?

And from the feel of their strikes, they were certain the person standing there hadn't been one of Aogetsu Hyuga's clones!

"Aogetsu!"

All of Team 7 cried out.

Tazuna went pale and sank to the ground, staring at the dense smoke. "It's... it's over."

Aogetsu had been too careless, Tazuna thought, letting the three attackers catch him off guard.

"If I said I was fine, this would get awkward, wouldn't it? Sorry to ruin the mood." Aogetsu Hyuga kept his hands in his pockets and blew lightly. Wind Release swept away the smoke around him, and he regarded the three Black-Clad Ninja calmly.

He didn't have a scratch on him. Even his clothes were intact!

"H-how is that possible?"

The three Black-Clad Ninja froze. They had felt their weapons strike Aogetsu. So why was he unharmed?

How could a human body withstand ninja weapons?

It was impossible!

"Don't look so shocked. You're making yourselves look pathetic." Aogetsu Hyuga took a hand from his pocket and beckoned, a trace of mockery in his faint smile. "Attack again. Explaining it would be a pain, so I'll make an exception and let you feel it once more."

"Arrogant bastard!" The three attackers sneered. Aogetsu stood completely unguarded and seemed to have no intention of striking first.

They had never met a ninja who let his enemies attack freely.

In that case...

"Pay for your arrogance!" One Black-Clad Ninja leaped forward, weapon raised, and slashed at Aogetsu.

Whoosh! A cold gleam flashed as the attacker swung his sharp sickle at Aogetsu Hyuga's neck.

Aogetsu Hyuga raised one finger and stopped the Black-Clad Ninja's blade.

"How... Is that chakra?" The attacker gripped his sickle and strained with all his might, but he couldn't cut through Aogetsu's finger. Then he noticed a layer of pale-blue chakra covering it.

"See? That's all there is to it." Aogetsu Hyuga flicked his finger. Crack! Fractures spread across the sickle, and its shards fell to the ground.

"Honestly, I'm a little sorry. My strength is beyond anything you can comprehend." Aogetsu Hyuga smiled coolly and looked down at the attacker.

Ah, damn.

He had forgotten to test his elemental form.

He had meant to test the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's ability to turn his body into lightning, but the attack had looked so feeble that he had raised a finger and blocked it instead.

"You... you're a monster!" The Black-Clad Ninja moved to retreat and put some distance between himself and Aogetsu Hyuga.

"Don't go so far. Walking over there would be a pain." Aogetsu Hyuga seized the Black-Clad Ninja by the throat.

"You..." Terror spread across the Black-Clad Ninja's face, but he couldn't finish speaking.

Aogetsu Hyuga tightened his fingers slightly.

Crack! The Black-Clad Ninja's neck broke. He spat scarlet blood, his head lolled to one side, and he died.

"This..." Tazuna stared at the Black-Clad Ninja Aogetsu had casually crushed to death, dumbfounded.

He wasn't the only one. Everyone there was stunned.

Aogetsu Hyuga was that strong?

Sasuke Understood Everything!

The two remaining Black-Clad Ninja exchanged grim looks. Each understood the other's intent. They spun and charged at Tazuna.

If they couldn't kill Aogetsu, they would strike their mission target first. Once the job was done, they would find a way to retreat and collect their hefty reward!