Two years after the end of the Second Shinobi War, all the hidden villages were quietly licking their wounds and intensifying their efforts to train their next generation of shinobi.
The end of the war had brought a resurgence in missions of all kinds, and as one of the war's victors, the Hidden Leaf Village absorbed a significant portion of these new assignments.
Now, every shinobi in the village was eager to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu just to take on more tasks.
The village had finally shaken off the fear and tension of war, and its commercial activities were flourishing again.
However, the high proportion of war orphans at the Ninja Academy was a stark reminder of the long-lasting effects of the conflict, and the lingering grudges it left behind.
Mahito vaguely remembered that the time between the Second and Third Shinobi Wars wasn't long, and that the Third War would bring even greater devastation.
He knew he had to take advantage of the relative peace in the shinobi world and gain some ability to protect himself as quickly as possible.
Recently, his father, Inuzuka Yama, had visited the Nara clan to negotiate a collaboration regarding Mahito's new dog food formula and the provision of certain medicinal ingredients.
The deal was struck quickly, and a few days later, Mahito received funds and materials from the family.
This was a long-term business venture. Though the clan took the lion's share, Mahito could still earn a steady income from the venture based on his contributions.
At last, his long-devised plans—which he had rewritten numerous times—were beginning to take shape.
Mahito used part of these funds to purchase some basic equipment and converted an unused room into a rudimentary laboratory.
..............
Nighttime~
"Is he still in that laboratory of his?" Nara Yuno asked her husband worriedly, her eyes fixed on the backyard.
"He's been at it for quite a while," Nara Shikaji responded in his usual lazy tone, a look of helplessness on his face.
"And so?"
Sensing the danger in his wife's gaze, Nara Shikaji quickly got up and yawned as he headed toward Mahito's lab in the backyard.
Despite his outward indifference, Shikaji had always harbored a lingering concern about Mahito's so-called research.
As one of the key strategists in the Hokage's inner circle, Shikaji had handled many sensitive matters for the Third Hokage, including top-secret files on experiments involving humans and other living beings.
While he didn't know every detail, he had pieced together enough information to grasp the general picture.
Though he pretended not to care, he kept a wary eye on Mahito, fearing that his son might venture into the darker realms of experimentation.
It baffled him that the normally lazy and trouble-avoiding Nara clan had produced such an anomaly—someone who actively sought out work.
"Done with your research for today?" Shikaji asked as Mahito approached him, carrying a flowerpot.
"Yeah, I'm finished," Mahito nodded.
"Mind telling me what you're working on?"
Mahito, walking alongside his father toward the main house, replied casually, "Just preparing for tomorrow's combat assessment."
Shikaji nodded, deciding not to press further. As long as Mahito wasn't dabbling in dangerous human experimentation, he would chalk it up to a strange hobby.
............
At the Ninja Academy Training Ground~
Yoka Juren, the Chunin teacher of Mahito's class, stood before the gathered students, reading off the matchups for the final combat test of their assessment.
The first two parts of the exam had been kunai and shuriken throwing, followed by ninjutsu demonstrations.
The divide between the clan children and the civilian students was immediately apparent in these categories.
Clan shinobi, having been trained since childhood, performed much better than those who could only rely on what they had learned at the academy.
Even clan members on the outskirts of their families could access superior training.
For example, Uchiha Obito, who wore goggles, had successfully performed the Great Fireball Jutsu, something not taught at the academy.
For civilian shinobi, the best way to learn such advanced techniques was either to become a genin, earn merits, and exchange them for training, or, if they were lucky, be taught by a particularly kind-hearted jōnin mentor upon graduation.
After the first two assessments came the one-on-one combat matches.
For many of the students, this was the most nerve-wracking part, as it offered a chance to catch the eye of higher-level shinobi.
Those who excelled might even be taken under the wing of a skilled ninja.
Such opportunities weren't just rumors—second Hokage Tobirama Senju had once taken a young Sarutobi Hiruzen under his wing, and later, Sarutobi himself had mentored the legendary Sannin.
Even those unfamiliar with these stories were filled with adrenaline, eager to prove themselves in front of their teachers and classmates.
For example, a certain Uchiha boy, his eyes gleaming with determination, was already eyeing a silver-haired student.
"Kakashi! Let's settle this once and for all!"
Uchiha Obito leaped forward into the battle area, pointing directly at Kakashi Hatake. His loud challenge drowned out the other voices on the training field.
"You idiot," muttered Kakashi, rolling his eyes behind his mask.
"Get back here!"
Juren's roar immediately deflated Obito's enthusiasm, and he reluctantly trudged back to his original spot, casting a resentful glance at Kakashi, who had remained utterly unfazed by the challenge.
"The first match: Nara Mahito versus Aburame Aoji," Juren announced after clearing his throat, now focused on the matchups.
"A battle between the Nara and Aburame clans, huh?" Several Chunin observers glanced toward the arena with interest.
The Nara clan, known for shadow manipulation, and the Aburame clan, for controlling insects, were two of Konoha's famed secret-arts families.
Although this wasn't a fight between two upper-level shinobi, it was still intriguing enough to catch their attention.
Mahito and Aoji stood in the center of the arena, making the necessary hand signs to begin the match. As soon as their instructor withdrew, the battle commenced.
From under Aoji's long sleeves, a swarm of black insects poured out, silently splitting into two groups that darted through the air like black arrows, hurtling toward Mahito.