Restraint

Hinata blinked her beautiful white eyes and nodded gently. "Okay. Whatever you say, Kujyo." Training at Kujyo's house? The thought made her heart skip a beat for no reason, and the blush on her cheeks seemed to deepen.

Time flew, and before long, April 1 arrived.

That day marked the official start of the Ninja Academy's new school year. The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering patches of light and shadow across the ground. The academy gates were busier than usual, with students gathering in small groups before the noticeboard, craning their necks to check their new class assignments and the overall rankings from the previous school year.

"Look, look! The overall results are out!"

"Who's in first place? Sasuke Uchiha again?"

"Doesn't look like it! Let me see... Whoa! First place, Toru Kujyo!"

The cry was like a stone cast into a still lake, instantly sending ripples through the crowd.

"Toru Kujyo? The one who thrashed Naruto in that taijutsu test a while back?"

"That's him! I heard he got full marks in the afternoon survival exercise, too! He's way too good!"

"Oh my gosh, Sasuke isn't first?" A wave of chatter erupted through the crowd, filled with disbelief and admiration.

Carrying a simple bag, Toru Kujyo walked through the crowd at an unhurried pace, paying no attention to the conversations around him. He had already learned his results through the system panel, so they came as no surprise.

He arrived at his newly assigned classroom. The moment he stepped inside, the noisy room quieted somewhat, and many pairs of eyes turned toward him at once, filled with curiosity, awe, and even a trace of barely perceptible envy.

"Kujyo, you're here!" A boy who had exchanged a few words with Toru before immediately came over, an excited smile on his face. "Did you see? The results on the noticeboard! You're the top student in our year!"

"Yeah, yeah! That's amazing! You even beat Sasuke Uchiha!" another girl chimed in, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Toru.

"Top student?" Toru nodded with feigned calm, as though it were a trivial matter.

"And another thing," the boy from before added, lowering his voice with a hint of gossip, "Hinata Hyuga came second! Sasuke Uchiha only placed third this time!"

This news caused another small stir. It was certainly surprising that the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter had taken second place, but what everyone found even more fascinating was that Sasuke Uchiha, the genius who had dominated the rankings for so long, had been pushed down to third.

At that, a smile tugged at Toru's lips. His gaze swept across the classroom, and he soon found that familiar figure.

Hinata sat quietly by the window, the morning light falling softly across her slightly bashful profile. She seemed to have heard her classmates' discussions, too, and was tapping her cheek with a finger in embarrassment.

Toru walked over.

"Congratulations, Hinata." He sat in the empty seat beside her, his voice gentle.

Hinata whipped her head around. When she saw Toru, her cheeks instantly turned bright red, and her white eyes shone with delighted surprise. "K-Kujyo! Congratulations to you, too, on becoming the top student!"

Her voice held a barely contained excitement, completely unlike her usual shyness. This time, she was not only happy for Toru but proud of her own results as well. Second in her year-for someone who had always lived under the weight of her family's expectations and her own self-doubt, it was an enormous affirmation.

"We've both improved," Toru said with a smile.

Hinata nodded emphatically, her eyes glistening. She stole a glance at Toru, her heart full of gratitude and joy. Kujyo had become the top student, and she had achieved better results than ever before. She believed that with results like these, her father... would surely approve of her more, and of her friendship with Kujyo as well, wouldn't he? At the very least, he would no longer think she was simply wasting time with someone who had "nothing to do with her," as he had before.

The thought filled Hinata's heart with warmth, giving her more hope and courage than ever for her future training and life.

The Konoha Ninja Academy seemed especially peaceful as the new term began. Sunlight streamed through the classroom windows onto the desks while the teacher stood at the front, explaining basic ninjutsu theory at length.

Yet a closer look would have revealed something odd about Toru Kujyo, who sat by the window in the back row-his gaze was far too intent, as though he were watching an entertaining play rather than listening to a dry lecture.

In fact, the Toru Kujyo sitting in the classroom at that moment was merely a shadow clone.

The real Toru Kujyo was sweating profusely in his yard at home.

"Second-year classes are just too boring." Toru wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the blue chakra sphere spinning in his hand. "Rather than waste time listening to theories I already know inside out, I might as well make the most of it and get stronger."

Here, the Shadow Clone Technique proved its usefulness to the fullest. His clone maintained his daily routine at school in his place, while his real body could devote itself entirely to training. This ability to handle two tasks at once was precisely what gave him the confidence to arrange things this way.

The Rasengan in his hand gleamed in the sunlight. After a week of strenuous practice, he had completely mastered this A-rank ninjutsu. But Toru was not satisfied.

The Rasengan is powerful, but it's too conspicuous. Using it is bound to raise suspicions, Toru thought. I need to develop a new ninjutsu that preserves the Rasengan's power without letting anyone recognize how it works.

A ninjutsu he had been envisioning for a long time surfaced in his mind-the Super Hurricane Chain Sphere.

It was a ninjutsu based on the Rasengan, but with an entirely different form and method of use. Unlike the Rasengan, which required close contact, the Super Hurricane Chain Sphere could be thrown to attack. It could also split into six smaller energy spheres that detonated in a chain.

The principle is actually quite simple, Toru thought as he began experimenting. First, enlarge the Rasengan, then inject six smaller Rasengan cores into it, creating a structure with one main core and six secondary cores.

His hands began forming hand seals, but he soon stopped.

"No, if I'm developing a new technique, I should make full use of the Otsutsuki bloodline's talent for seal-less techniques." Toru shook his head, extended his right hand, and began gathering chakra directly.

Blue chakra gathered in his palm, spinning rapidly into the Rasengan's basic form. Next came the crucial step-expansion.

Controlling his chakra, Toru tried to double the Rasengan's size. Yet the moment he began expanding it, the entire Rasengan started trembling violently, as though it might spiral out of control and explode at any moment.