With the Hyuga clan's strict and almost oppressive family rules, Suzune barely had time to socialize, let alone gossip about anything.
If you look throughout the history of the ninja world, you'll notice that the Hyuga clan has always acted like frogs in a well, seeing only a tiny part of the world.
"You three, grab your tools and get to work. Before nightfall, I want this entire field dug up. Don't forget to clear the rocks and weeds—if you don't, the mission won't be considered complete," Takuya instructed as he handed tools to the three students after finishing his discussion with the client.
"Dig the field?"
Ryoji stared in disbelief at the dirt-covered hoe in front of him.
Suzune seemed equally confused.
Both of them were children of clan elders, completely unaccustomed to manual labor. Even if you gave them a hoe, it wasn't certain they'd know how to use it properly.
Meanwhile, Aida Sui, being from a civilian family, quickly grabbed a hoe, spat on his hands, and got to work.
Gross…
Suzune wrinkled her nose in disgust at Aida's actions.
Ryoji, on the other hand, felt stuck. How was he supposed to do this? He had never worked in a field before!
"Pick up the tool and get to work. Now," Takuya's deep voice growled in their ears.
"I don't know how!" Ryoji protested, forcing the words out despite his frustration.
This is ridiculous!
"And you?" Takuya turned to Suzune.
After a brief hesitation, Suzune picked up the hoe and stepped into the muddy field.
Squelch.
The moment she stepped down, her feet sank into the muck.
I can do this. Believe in yourself.
She encouraged herself mentally and mimicked Aida's movements, though she definitely skipped the part where he spit on his hands.
Gritting her teeth, Suzune forced herself to keep digging, ignoring the discomfort of the mud squishing between her toes.
Before Takuya could even turn around, Ryoji reluctantly followed suit, jumping into the field.
Takuya had half-expected Ryoji to put up a bigger fight, but despite his protests, his actions spoke louder than words.
Of course, the result of two people with no experience in manual labor working in a muddy field was an absolute mess. Dirt flew everywhere.
Takuya couldn't stand it anymore.
"You can't just swing the hoe with all your strength. You'll waste your energy, and if you use too much force, you'll break the tool. Here, let me show you," Aida Sui, surprisingly, stepped up and began teaching Suzune and Ryoji how to use the hoe properly.
He never thought there'd come a day when he, the civilian kid always looked down upon, would be teaching core members of the great clans how to do something.
"I don't need your help!" Ryoji's face turned red with embarrassment.
Still, despite his words, he quietly adjusted his technique.
Suzune said nothing, but from the redness of her ears, it was clear she was mortified.
They had always looked down on Aida, but now, during an actual mission, it was Aida showing them how things were done. For two members of such prestigious clans, it was incredibly awkward.
This was going to be a long day.
Takuya shook his head and disappeared into the nearby forest, finding a quiet, secluded spot to train his mastery over the Nine-Tails' chakra.
As for his students, they were left to toil away in the muddy field.
Takuya wasn't about to help with a task like that. After all… he didn't know how to farm either.
The orange Nine-Tails chakra covered Takuya's hands. Compared to a Jinchuriki, he had a natural advantage: he could freely use Snowy's chakra whenever he wanted.
As long as he improved his control, mastering the Nine-Tails chakra mode wouldn't be too difficult for him.
That's why he prioritized training Sage Mode first and left the Nine-Tails chakra mode for later.
"Snowy, why does the chakra turn gold after a Jinchuriki masters control over the tailed beast's chakra?"
"Huh?"
Snowy, who had been watching Takuya train, blinked in confusion, tilting her head in bewilderment.
Golden chakra?
Every ninja's chakra aura was unique, and differences in chakra nature could lead to changes in chakra color. Normal chakra was a pale blue, while tailed beast chakra was red.
Once in tailed beast chakra mode, it turned orange.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto's chakra even turned golden.
And it wasn't just blue chakra either.
Orochimaru's chakra, for instance, was purple. Sasuke's chakra, during his future battles with Naruto, also turned purple.
Takuya guessed that chakra turning purple might have something to do with the strength of Yin Release, just as Naruto's golden chakra was likely related to Yang Release.
Snowy, still puzzled, tilted her head further.
"Could it have something to do with Yin-Yang Release?"
"Is golden chakra stronger?" Takuya asked, still deep in thought.
"Not necessarily," he answered his own question.
In the Naruto world, there wasn't a direct correlation between chakra color and strength. Some people just had unusual chakra colors. The most notable example was Uchiha Shisui.
When Shisui's chakra flared up, his entire body glowed green, even his hair. His Susanoo was also green.
Takuya shuddered at the thought.
Thank goodness my Susanoo isn't green, he thought. That would be humiliating.
Opening the Mangekyo and seeing a big green figure pop out... just imagining it made Takuya cringe.
Black is much better, he thought, relieved that his Susanoo had a darker, more intimidating color. He was glad he hadn't chosen a green Susanoo back when he played video games in his past life. That would've been embarrassing.
Pushing those random thoughts aside, Takuya focused again on his training.
Meanwhile, Suzune and Ryoji were struggling in the muddy field.
Having never done farm work in their lives, the experience was proving to be pure torture.
Aida, on the other hand, was handling it with ease.
By the time Takuya returned from his training in the evening, the field still wasn't fully dug up.
"Looks like this 'genius' team isn't as great as they think. Can't even finish digging up a field," Takuya mocked as he surveyed the unfinished work.
Ryoji and Suzune hadn't done much, and Aida was the only one truly putting in the effort. But one person doing the work of three was too much.
All three of them remained silent, gritting their teeth as they continued digging.
Takuya, meanwhile, skewered a rabbit he had caught and started roasting it over a fire.
The smell of roasting meat began to fill the air, and the students' stomachs began to growl.
"Sorry, Captain, but we've been working all day. I'm a bit hungry," Aida said with an awkward smile.
Ryoji wished he could dig a hole and hide in it.
How embarrassing—his stomach growled at the smell of roasted meat.
Suzune kept her head down, clearly embarrassed, as her stomach rumbled as well.
"Smells good, right?" Takuya asked with a grin.
"Yeah!" Aida's eyes lit up. Was the captain going to share the roasted meat with them?
"Good. I was worried the flavor wasn't right," Takuya said, taking a bite of the rabbit. He continued eating with relish, completely ignoring the hungry stares from his students.
Wait, we're not getting any?
Watching as Takuya devoured the entire rabbit, the three of them felt like crying.
They had been working hard all day, and while they had barely had time to drink some water, Takuya was sitting there, enjoying a delicious roast in front of them.
It was too much.