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

If Madara Uchiha had used the Rinnegan, he could have restored its full power in a short time. But Nagato Uzumaki's Rinnegan had been transplanted.

As Jue sank into the ground, White Zetsu grinned at Aogetsu Hyuga. "You're an interesting one. See you next time."

Once Jue burrowed underground, he vanished completely without leaving even a trace of his presence!

He moved fast!

"One after another, you're all so quick to run. When it comes to escaping, I have to give the Akatsuki credit." Aogetsu Hyuga put away the wallet and gazed into the distance with his Tenseigan. Jue had left no trace of his presence, but Aogetsu could sense his Chakra. In moments, Jue had already traveled beyond the Land of Waves.

"Lightning strike." Aogetsu Hyuga raised a finger. High-voltage blue current sparked at its tip, then shot into the sky like a thrown Kunai.

Boom! The white clouds turned black. Blue currents rolled through them, their glow faintly lighting the sky. Then lightning coiled downward like a serpent, racing toward Jue as he moved through the earth in the distance.

Buzz! The lightning struck the ground, scorching a vast area. The distant terrain became a blackened wasteland.

"Missed, huh?" Aogetsu Hyuga shrugged. He had only been testing some of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities.

He could use his own current to draw down natural lightning. Frankly, its power was terrifying. Every strike came close to the force of Lightning Release: Kirin.

When he gained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power, he had also inherited Enel's level of mastery. To make the fruit stronger, he would have to keep studying and developing it himself.

Maybe he could try a railgun!

Once the idea occurred to him, Aogetsu Hyuga decided to give it a shot.

"A railgun? Let's see." Aogetsu Hyuga took out a Coin and aimed at a small rocky hill nearby. Blue current surged over his body and enveloped the iron Coin.

Then he flicked it.

Buzz! Wrapped in blue current, the Coin shot out with a fierce sonic boom and slammed into the rocky hill at several times the speed of sound.

Boom! The lightning-wreathed Coin punched straight through the hill. The hole it left glowed dark red, with broad patches of bright gold inside it—the marks of intense heat.

"Not bad." Aogetsu Hyuga rubbed his chin and studied the pierced hill, then smiled in satisfaction. "Once you know how a railgun works, using this power isn't hard at all."

The railgun's only flaw for now was that the iron Coin lasted such a short time. At most, it could travel a few dozen meters.

To increase its range, he needed an iron object that could withstand the heat. In other words, something bigger.

Something like...

Aogetsu Hyuga glanced at the Kubikiribōchō.

The Kubikiribōchō was made of iron, and after absorbing blood, it could rapidly repair damage to its blade!

It was practically the perfect tool for a railgun!

"If my students are working so hard on their training, I should put in some effort tonight too." Aogetsu Hyuga took out the black wallet. He was off to find some older women and put in that effort.

After all, someone had been kind enough to give him the money. He ought to enjoy spending it at least once.

He had to spend it where it counted!

Two days later...

Early morning.

White mist stretched into the distance, and the sunlight was warm.

Inside the tent.

After washing up, Aogetsu Hyuga stood before a mirror and admired the handsome face reflected in it. He stroked his chin and smiled with satisfaction. "Mm. Still handsome today."

He had worked hard these past two days.

He had worked hard to spend every bit of the money he got from Obito.

Which meant he was bored now.

"Teacher Cangyue!" Naruto Uzumaki ran excitedly into the tent, his hands tucked behind his back as he grinned at Cangyue.

"Could you quit grinning and tell me what you want? Seeing a man's face first thing in the morning—what rotten luck." Aogetsu Hyuga yawned and gave Naruto Uzumaki a flat glance.

Naruto Uzumaki's clothes were smeared with dirt, and he looked filthy. He had barely rested over the past two days, training hard to make the Rasengan with his Shadow Clones.

He wanted a place in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Then he would show off the Rasengan in front of Sasuke, defeat that A-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure, and earn Sakura Haruno's starry-eyed admiration!

That was what drove Naruto Uzumaki!

Naruto Uzumaki put on a mysterious look and wagged a finger. "Heh, Teacher Cangyue, you're in for a shock."

Aogetsu Hyuga said, "Really? I can't wait."

He did not even have to think to know what the Nine-Tails brat wanted to show off.

"Just watch!" Naruto Uzumaki pulled a water balloon from behind his back. Pale blue Chakra emerged from his palm and spun rapidly inside it. With a pop, the balloon burst.

He had now completed the water-balloon training, the Rasengan's second stage!

"Wow, amazing. Want me to praise you?" Aogetsu Hyuga feigned surprise, then calmly looked Naruto Uzumaki over.

Two days.

One day to finish the first stage, two to finish the second.

He had reached the end of the second stage in just two days.

The Nine-Tails brat learned fast.

Using nearly a hundred Shadow Clones could increase his training speed almost a hundredfold. Still, when it came to learning the Rasengan, the kid was a little genius.

Honestly.

That was a bit unexpected.

Training with nearly a hundred Shadow Clones could accelerate learning, but hardly anyone in the entire Ninja World could do it.

It required an enormous supply of Chakra. Without Tailed Beast-level reserves, using Shadow Clones to take that kind of shortcut was out of the question. An ordinary ninja would die trying.

But Naruto Uzumaki had plenty of Chakra.

During training, Naruto Uzumaki had overused his Chakra and erupted with Nine-Tails Chakra several times, but Aogetsu Hyuga had stopped him each time.

His attempt to show off having fallen flat, Naruto Uzumaki bristled like an angry little fox. He pointed at Aogetsu Hyuga and shouted, "You jerk! What kind of reaction is that? We've been training hard every day, while you keep going off to drink with older women! And you spent all the money I'd saved for ages!"

Aogetsu Hyuga lifted his chin and deliberately sounded proud. "Don't put it like that. Spending time with older women takes effort too. A hardworking man is the handsomest kind."

Right or wrong, what mattered was putting in the effort.

"Damn it, Teacher Cangyue, you—" Naruto Uzumaki's eyes burned with anger, but before he could finish—

"Naruto, you've done well." Aogetsu Hyuga rested a hand on Naruto's head and praised him with a smile. "You might even surpass the Fourth Hokage, who developed the Rasengan."

Naruto Uzumaki's anger vanished. He turned his head aside and pursed his lips. "Hmph. I'm the man who's going to become Hokage!"

The corners of Naruto Uzumaki's mouth crept upward. Teacher Cangyue had finally acknowledged him!

Aogetsu Hyuga said, "Really? That's a great dream."

Hooked!

Little brat.

Now that he knew the boy's personality, he had him completely figured out!

Right now, the Nine-Tails brat craved recognition for his hard work. A mix of the whip and the carrot worked best on him.

The kid was still too green.

"In that case, let's start the third stage." Aogetsu Hyuga stepped out of the tent and glanced at Sasuke, who was deep in thought some distance away. Then he looked toward Sakura Haruno, who was concentrating on condensing her Chakra.

Naruto Uzumaki followed Cangyue out, complaining as they walked. "What? There's a third stage? I thought I could use the Rasengan to beat Sasuke already."

"No need to complain. You're getting stronger much faster than Sasuke now." Aogetsu Hyuga deliberately raised his voice so Sasuke and Sakura could hear him.

In the distance, Sasuke Uchiha's ears twitched at those words. He pretended not to hear while listening closely.

Naruto Uzumaki asked eagerly, "Really?"

"Absolutely. Here's a little secret." Aogetsu Hyuga bent down and covered his mouth as though whispering, then spoke loudly into Naruto Uzumaki's ear. "By the time you've fully mastered the Rasengan, Sasuke and Sakura will probably still be stuck where they are. You'll be the strongest member of Team 7."

"When we face the Demon of the Mist in three days, sorry for the trouble, but you'll have to protect those two weak little brats. You can even rub it in Sasuke's face." Aogetsu Hyuga glanced toward Sasuke. He had stopped training altogether and was listening with a dark expression.

Hooked!

The Uchiha brat was easy to handle too.

Once Sasuke learned the Nine-Tails brat had overtaken him, he would want to grow stronger even more. Aogetsu could add fuel to the fire, make Sasuke feel the pressure, and drive him to train harder.

It was a simple trick, but Sasuke was bound to fall for it!

And... the Nine-Tails brat had fallen for it too!

"Heh heh heh, it's finally my turn to shine!" Naruto Uzumaki covered his mouth and snickered. He stole a glance at Sasuke, then at Sakura Haruno, already picturing the scene.

That stuck-up Sasuke would get thrashed by the Demon of the Mist, and Sakura would be in terrible danger. Then Naruto would make a dazzling entrance and defeat the Demon of the Mist with the Rasengan!

"Sasuke, you smug jerk, see how strong I am now? Don't worry, Sakura, I'll protect you!" With his hands on his hips, Naruto Uzumaki unwittingly spoke his fantasy aloud, then grinned like a fool.

Aogetsu Hyuga turned his head away and covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. "Pfft. What a riot."

That was exactly the effect he wanted!

He would use Naruto to motivate Sasuke, then Sakura and Sasuke to motivate Naruto. That way, his handy little tools in Team 7 would work harder and complete the Master-Disciple Mission faster.

Perfect.

"One more secret: if you finish your training first, I'll sign you up for the Chunin Ninja Exams. Then you can show off in front of those two brats." Aogetsu Hyuga covered his mouth as though whispering into Naruto's ear. "Don't tell anyone."

Although Aogetsu Hyuga appeared to be whispering, he used Chakra to carry his voice far into the distance.

Naruto Uzumaki nodded like a pecking chick, wearing an expression that said he understood everything. "Mm-hmm. Don't worry, Teacher Cangyue."

"Let's start the third stage—the final stage of the Rasengan." Aogetsu Hyuga took a palm-sized rubber ball from his pocket. Pale blue Chakra emerged from his hand, and the ball's shape warped violently.

Bang! The ball tore apart, and bits of rubber fell to the ground.

"Put together everything you've learned so far. Compress and rotate your Chakra until you burst this ball." Aogetsu Hyuga brushed rubber scraps from his clothes. "This time, try training with two hundred Shadow Clones."

"Two hundred Shadow Clones?" Naruto Uzumaki froze, then cried out in alarm. "Are you kidding? That could kill me!"

Training with almost a hundred Shadow Clones had already pushed him to his absolute limit. Once he released them, all their exhaustion came rushing back to his real body.

Training with two hundred might actually kill him!

Aogetsu Hyuga waved a hand and said casually, "It's fine, it's fine. With me here... you should be fine."

With the Nine-Tails brat's Chakra reserves, training with two hundred Shadow Clones should pose no problem.

Besides, Naruto had the Nine-Tails. Once he used too much Chakra, Nine-Tails Chakra would erupt to cover the cost.

Naruto Uzumaki shouted, "You jerk! You're not even sure!"

"You're too loud, brat. Enough whining. If you do die, I'll bury you in the Land of Waves." Aogetsu Hyuga picked Naruto Uzumaki up and casually hurled him toward a distant patch of grass.

"You jeeerk!" Naruto Uzumaki flew through the air, shouting in reflex, then landed heavily on the ground.

In the distance, Sakura Haruno was concentrating on sensing the flow of Chakra. At Aogetsu Hyuga's words, her brows drew together, and she glared at him resentfully.

Sakura Haruno muttered, "Teacher Cangyue is the worst. He said he'd help me sign up."

Stupid Naruto!

How dare he try to steal her spot? Once she finished her training before him, she would see how he planned to compete with her then!

She desperately wanted to enter the Chunin Ninja Exams and prove to Ino that she could become a ninja capable of standing on her own!

Becoming a self-reliant ninja was the promise she and Ino had made as children.

More importantly, how could she lose to Naruto, the dead last?!

Losing to Sasuke was one thing. Sasuke was a genius, after all.

But losing to Naruto... just thinking about it was humiliating!

"Go to hell, you jerk!" Fury burned in Sakura Haruno's eyes. She clenched her fair-skinned fist and slammed it into the tree before her, venting her anger as though it were Cangyue himself.

Damn Cangyue!

Men's promises were nothing but lies!

Boom! The tree shook violently, and cracks spread across its trunk.

Sakura Haruno did not stop. Still furious, she pounded the tree with one punch after another, cursing Cangyue under her breath all the while.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

"Naruto's training faster than anyone in Team 7? He's already surpassed me?" Sasuke Uchiha's face darkened as he stared coldly at Naruto training with his Shadow Clones in the distance.