All right

"Thank you for your consideration, Lord Hokage." Hyuga Hiashi bowed slightly, then turned and left.

The office fell silent again, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi alone with his thoughts. He picked up several files from his desk and reviewed each graduate's circumstances once more.

"Toru Kujyo... Hinata Hyuga... Sasuke Uchiha... Naruto Uzumaki..." Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured. "What sort of future will this year's children create?"

Daylight was just beginning to break, and the morning sun spilled into the room through the window lattice. Toru Kujyo opened his eyes, feeling refreshed. His initial grasp of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique the night before had deepened his understanding of his own strength.

With a mere thought, a shadow clone appeared silently in the corner of the room. In its hands was a scroll he had secretly copied the previous night, containing the complete instructions for the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique from the Scroll of Seals. Toru Kujyo took the scroll, and the shadow clone vanished in a wisp of smoke.

He unrolled the scroll and checked the training method once again, a faint smile rising to his lips. With his consummate chakra control and chakra reserves far beyond those of ordinary people, this technique was not particularly difficult for him.

Sitting cross-legged, Toru Kujyo formed hand seals, and the chakra within his body began surging in a specific pattern.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Pop! Pop! Pop!

After a string of soft pops, the cramped room instantly filled with dozens of Toru Kujyos. Every clone was indistinguishable from the original, with lively eyes and a steady presence.

"As expected, it takes a fair amount of chakra, but it's well within what I can handle." The original Toru Kujyo nodded in satisfaction. Less than five minutes had passed between forming the hand seals and successfully performing the technique.

With a thought, he dismissed all the shadow clones at once. Then Toru Kujyo picked up the copied scroll, and a tiny flame sprang to life at his fingertip. The scroll swiftly turned to ashes that scattered on the breeze. The technique was already etched deeply into his mind; he no longer needed a written copy.

With that taken care of, Toru Kujyo changed into a fresh training outfit and prepared to head out to buy some new ninja tools. After all, now that he was a genin, he would have far more opportunities to go on missions, and tools that suited him were essential.

The streets of Konoha were as bustling as ever. Toru Kujyo walked at a leisurely pace, his gaze passing over the signs of the various ninja tool shops.

Suddenly, a familiar figure caught his eye. Dressed in orange, with blond hair and a brand-new Konoha forehead protector prominently tied around his forehead, the boy was excitedly picking out something outside a ninja tool shop.

It was Naruto Uzumaki.

Judging by his smug expression, he had clearly passed Iruka's test the night before and officially become a genin.

Toru Kujyo paused briefly but did not go over to greet him. They had never been kindred spirits, and each had his own path to follow. He simply looked away calmly and continued toward the long-established ninja tool shop he had chosen.

After buying plenty of kunai and shuriken, along with some specially made explosive tags, Toru Kujyo carried his purchases home.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he heard cries of "Heave-ho!" and "Hah!" from his dojo, along with the crisp clack of wooden swords.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he walked over.

Inside the dojo, Hinata was patiently guiding Hanabi through basic taijutsu practice. Six-year-old Hanabi held a horse stance, her little face flushed red as she swung her short wooden sword again and again. Her movements were still immature, but her eyes were exceptionally serious. Hinata offered quiet pointers from beside her, occasionally demonstrating the movements herself.

"Hanabi, put a little more strength into your wrist. That will make your sword faster," Hinata said gently.

"Yes, Sis!" Hanabi answered loudly, bringing her sword down again.

Just then, Hanabi caught sight of Toru Kujyo at the doorway out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes lit up. She stopped her practice, gave a spirited shout, and charged at him with her short wooden sword. "Big Brother Toru, take this!"

Her little figure stirred up a gust as her wooden sword thrust straight toward Toru Kujyo's lower abdomen.

Hinata startled and was about to call out to stop her, but Toru Kujyo neither dodged nor retreated. He merely extended two fingers and caught the tip of Hanabi's wooden sword with perfect precision, just an inch from his abdomen.

Hanabi strained with all her might, her little face turning even redder, but the wooden sword did not budge.

"Not bad strength. Your aim could use some work, though." Toru Kujyo released the sword and smiled as he ruffled Hanabi's hair.

"Hmph! You're picking on me, Big Brother Toru!" Hanabi puffed out her cheeks, unwilling to accept defeat.

"Oh? Shall we try again, then?" Toru Kujyo raised an eyebrow.

"Bring it on!" Hanabi refused to back down.

Watching them, Hinata smiled with a mixture of helplessness and affection.

"How about we spar together?" Toru Kujyo turned to Hinata and invited her.

Hinata paused in surprise, then nodded. "All right." She also wanted to know how large the gap between her and Big Brother Toru had become.

"Yay! Great! Sis and I are going to beat Big Brother Toru together!" Hanabi raised her wooden sword excitedly.

And so an unusual two-on-one sparring match began in the dojo.

Like a tireless little leopard, Hanabi used her agility to harry him from the side, occasionally slipping in a tricky attack or two. Hinata fought steadily, her Gentle Fist stance already showing considerable proficiency. Every strike carried the precision and suppleness unique to the Hyuga style.

Yet even against the sisters' combined efforts, Toru Kujyo remained completely at ease. His steps were light and his movements elusive, allowing him to evade their attacks at just the right moment. Occasionally, he extended a palm or fingertip, and a gentle touch was enough to neutralize a strike Hinata had been certain would land or deflect a surprise attack from Hanabi.

"Hanabi, watch your footing!"

"Hinata, you can concentrate your strength a little more."

Toru Kujyo handled their attacks with ease while still finding time to offer pointers.

At first, the sisters put up a respectable offense, but gradually Hanabi began losing her patience. Seeing Big Brother Toru effortlessly counter her attacks again and again, without her so much as touching the hem of his clothes, she started to get a little cross.

"Yaaah!" Hanabi shouted, simply tossing aside her wooden sword and lunging straight at Toru Kujyo, clinging to him with all four limbs like a little kitten.

Toru Kujyo chuckled and scooped her up in one smooth motion, dodging the palm-heel strike Hinata launched at the opening.

"You're cheating, Big Brother Toru! You can't pick me up!" Hanabi squirmed in Toru Kujyo's arms, pounding his shoulder with her little fists.

"You're the one who broke the rules first," Toru Kujyo said with a laugh, gently setting her back on the floor.

At the sight, Hinata could not help laughing too. The lingering tension of the sparring match instantly melted away.

From then on, their supposedly "intense" exchange turned entirely into playful roughhousing. Hanabi launched surprise attacks every so often, only for Toru Kujyo to catch and tickle her until she was breathless with laughter. Hinata also shed her usual reserve, and with Toru Kujyo deliberately going easy on her, she managed to "hit" him several times, her face glowing with a happy smile.