A relatively long chapter ahead-
You want Shinho-kun to teach you?
Yamanaka Ino looked at Hinata Hyuga, suddenly alert. The normally timid young lady was showing a bit of boldness. Was she becoming a rival? It seemed Hinata was no longer just the delicate heiress she appeared to be.
Ino's instincts kicked in—this was a worthy adversary.
"How about I teach you instead? Shinho-kun can join us too. How does that sound?" Ino smiled brightly. "The flower rice balls are a unique dish from the Yamanaka clan, after all."
"Sure, I can visit your place when I have time," Shinho replied casually, still munching on his rice ball.
Visit my place? Ino's eyes lit up with excitement. Although Hinata would be there too, there would still be plenty of opportunities for some quality time alone with Shinho.
Hinata, seeing Shinho agree, was content as well. As long as she could spend time with him, it didn't matter even if Ino was around.
"...Is that it?" Aburame Shino glanced around, slightly bewildered. He solved the problem just like that? Impressive, big brother.
Shino scribbled down notes, taking mental cues from his brother's easygoing manner. He had no grand ambitions—if he could learn something useful and find a girlfriend in the future, he'd be happy. Anything more, well, he wasn't sure he could handle it.
After finishing his rice ball, Shinho waved off any more offerings. He wasn't like Hinata, who had a bottomless appetite, and he'd already eaten breakfast.
"How about we eat together at lunch?" Ino suggested, her blue eyes sparkling with an almost gem-like shine.
Shinho nodded. There wasn't any need to make special arrangements; ever since school had started, he had been having lunch with Ino, Hinata, Naruto, Shikamaru, and others.
Watching Ino's cheerful demeanor, Shinho suddenly remembered something. The Yamanaka clan's techniques were related to the mind and soul, especially the Mind Transfer Jutsu.
While Orochimaru and Kabuto were strong in such areas, they were far too dangerous to approach at his current level. However, Ino was different—she was safe and had a lot of potential.
In the original story, Ino didn't just master her clan's secret techniques. She also learned the Mystical Palm technique and the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier. In fact, all of Konoha's young "rookie nine" were geniuses compared to ordinary ninjas.
"I heard Mizuki-sensei got arrested. Did you know about that?" Ino rested her chin on her palm and asked Shinho.
"I just heard about it earlier," Shinho replied casually, sensing there was more to the story. "Is there something more?"
"He was arrested because he killed one of his teammates during a mission," Ino said, her lips curling up slightly. "My dad extracted that information from Mizuki's mind."
"That's impressive," Shinho chuckled. "I better be careful around you, or you might find out my true thoughts."
"I'd never use my technique on you, Shinho-kun," Ino declared, her resolve strengthening in an instant.
"I wouldn't either!" Hinata, sensing she'd been left out, hurriedly raised her small hand high, her pale arms waving for attention.
"I know," Shinho glanced at her and smiled.
Hinata lowered her head again, her cheeks flushing.
So cute, Shinho thought.
Ino, momentarily stunned, quickly reined in her thoughts. She couldn't afford to let Hinata's charm distract her.
"Do you know who our new teacher is going to be?" Shinho asked.
"It's Hayate Gekko," Ino replied, tilting her head slightly.
Shinho was surprised—it was another familiar face. His memory of Gekko was his death during Naruto Shippuden and, of course, his girlfriend, Yugao Uzuki. He hadn't realized Gekko had once served as a teacher at the academy.
Just then, Sasuke Uchiha strolled into the classroom, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He glanced at Shinho, and a spark of confidence returned to his eyes.
After training his Lightning Style jutsu the previous night, he had opened up a new path. It was clear now—he was better suited for Lightning Style rather than Fire Style.
Once he learned a few more jutsus, he'd challenge Shinho again. Sasuke firmly believed that if he kept his distance and avoided close combat, not letting Shinho use his super strength, his chances of winning would be much higher.
Before he could contemplate further though, a flash of blonde hair appeared in front of him.
"Good morning, Sasuke!" Naruto Uzumaki cheerfully greeted him, sweat rolling down his brow from running.
Oh right, Sasuke thought. I should take this guy out first.
He gave Naruto a curt nod in acknowledgment. The last time they had fought, they ended in a tie. Sasuke had begrudgingly accepted Naruto's strength.
But still, Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that he could have won. If he'd been using a real kunai instead of a practice one, Naruto would've been dead after those two stabs.
After all, ninjas were fragile.
"Shinho sure is popular," Naruto remarked as he considered greeting his friend, only to find there was no space left.
"What's the point?" Sasuke muttered under his breath, arms crossed. "Women only distract me from my training."
Had Shinho been there, he might have added a snarky remark about how wealthy women, especially young heiresses, were the exception.
"True," Naruto nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"Definitely," Kiba chimed in, adding his two cents. "Dogs are way more fun than girls."
There's no hope for any of you, Shikamaru thought, shaking his head. Sure, girls could be troublesome, but not that troublesome. Suddenly, he thought about the usual exchange between his parents and shivered.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura Haruno called out as she ran toward him.
But Sasuke quickly sped up, rushing back to his seat before she could reach him.
Before long, the bell rang, signaling the start of class, and Iruka entered the room. His usually cheerful demeanor was somewhat subdued, most likely due to the Mizuki incident.
Iruka had always considered Mizuki his best friend, so the betrayal hit hard. Fortunately, the Third Hokage had quickly intervened and arrested Mizuki before more damage could be done.
"Let's start the class," Iruka said, his gaze lingering briefly on Shinho, a proud smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Having such a talented student in his class was a significant achievement.
Today's lesson focused on trap-making. As Iruka lectured, Shinho's mind wandered, calculating how much money it would take to rescue Karin from Kusagakure.
The mission would likely be classified as an A-rank mission. If he wanted someone from the Akatsuki to handle it, the price would jump even higher to S-rank. One million ryo, maybe?
Shinho rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps he could request Konan to take on the mission. Not only was she highly skilled, but she also wouldn't kill unnecessarily—and she could fly, which would save time.
Deidara could also fly, but he hadn't yet joined the Akatsuki at this point in time. In the original story, Itachi, Kisame, and Sasori recruited him from Iwagakure.
Of course, there was another reason for choosing Konan—Shinho had been a fan of hers in his past life. This mission would be a chance to "meet" her in person, so to speak. Call it fan-funded rescue operations, Shinho mused.
The day flew by, and soon it was time for dismissal.
"I have something to take care of," Shinho told Ino and Hinata before walking out of the classroom.
"Shinho," Neji Hyuga stood waiting at the door, clearly having been there for a while.
"Great timing. I've got a question for you," Shinho said as they walked out of the school together. "If you had to hide someone from the higher-ups in Konoha, could you do it?"
"No," Neji replied, shaking his head. "It's nearly impossible to do something like that in the village without them noticing."
"They're not paying attention yet. As long as we don't alert them, we should be fine," Shinho said, thinking through the plan.
Disguising Karin wouldn't be too hard—her red hair and immense chakra were dead giveaways of her Uzumaki lineage, but with the right techniques, that could be hidden.
And even if things went south, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Shinho had powerful connections, and Neji, because of his late father, was practically untouchable in the Hyuga clan.
"In that case, I could try," Neji said after a moment's thought, then asked curiously, "Who's the person?"
"A new member of 'Heaven's Will," Shinho replied honestly.
"Is this person he sealing jutsu genius you mentioned the other day?" Neji's eyes lit up as he quickly pieced things together.
"Exactly. She's a member of the Uzumaki clan."
"I see," Neji said, understanding why this needed to be kept under wraps. The Uzumaki clan, along with the Land of Whirlpools, had been destroyed long ago. If Konoha's higher-ups discovered an Uzumaki survivor, they'd likely intervene.
This only confirmed what Neji already suspected—Shinho was up to something grand.
"Did you need something from me?" Shinho asked, glancing around as they reached the school gate.
"I... I'm not sure how to approach the main family," Neji sighed, looking lost.
After Shinho's speech the other day, Neji's focus had shifted toward breaking free of the Caged Bird seal. Yet, despite this new goal, his fate was still tied to the main branch of the Hyuga clan.
"You only really interact with two people in the main family—Hiashi and Hinata," Shinho said. "So how do you think they treat you?"
Neji fell silent, thinking it over.
Hinata had always been kind to him, showing him nothing but warmth and goodwill. With her gentle personality, it was unlikely she would do anything malicious.
Hiashi, on the other hand, had used the Caged Bird seal once—when Neji had shown a hint of murderous intent during a sparring session with Hinata.
Aside from that incident, Hiashi had treated Neji reasonably well.
In fact, Hiashi had even allowed Neji to observe the family's secret techniques, such as the Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, despite thinking Neji wouldn't be able to learn them.
"Treat them like how they treat you," Shinho said simply. "It's that easy."
Neji paused, then smiled.
"Are you sure you're only six years old?" Neji asked, watching as Shinho picked out a rabbit from a nearby stall.
"Of course," Shinho replied, lifting the lively rabbit. "I'll take this one, please," he told the vendor.
"What do you need a rabbit for? dinner?" Neji asked, confused.
"Well, sort of," Shinho said, holding the rabbit up. "Can you use your Gentle Fist to disable it without killing it?"
Neji blinked in disbelief. What kind of weird hobby is this?
"I'm practicing my medical ninjutsu," Shinho explained.
"Oh, I see," Neji said, still skeptical but going along with it. He extended his hand, and with a precise strike, disabled the rabbit without causing fatal damage.
"Thanks," Shinho smiled. "Let me show you our secret base."
Neji's was curiosity. If Shinho had a secret base, it had to be something impressive.
However, when they arrived at the wooden cabin, Neji was more than a little surprised. "This is it? It's so... basic."
Shinho glanced at the high jump bar. Sasuke wasn't there today, which made Shinho think Sasuke had acted on the advice he'd given.
No matter—Sasuke would surely be back soon enough, especially once he mastered some new techniques. That boy could never resist a challenge.
"Feel free to train here," Shinho said, gesturing toward the small yard. "Make yourself at home."
While Neji stayed outside, Shinho took the injured rabbit inside the cabin. The rabbit had woken up but was weak.
Shinho tore off one of the nine leaves from the Nine-Leaf Life Grass and fed it to the rabbit.
Before long, the rabbit was completely healed, hopping around with newfound energy.
"Not bad," Shinho mused, impressed by the quick recovery.
Then another thought crossed his mind: What about testing it on a human subject?
"Neji," Shinho called out, watching as Neji practiced his Gentle Fist. "Want to have a little spar?"
"No thanks," Neji said immediately, sensing the malicious intent behind the offer. He wasn't in the mood to get beaten up today.
"A Shame! really!" Shinho sighed, disappointed. It seemed he'd have to wait for Sasuke to be his test subject. He found himself looking forward to the day Sasuke would come asking for a fight.
"Can you handle spicy food?" Shinho asked out of the blue.
"I can," Neji replied confidently.
Shinho picked up the rabbit, now fully recovered. We're having spicy rabbit stew, tonight! he thought.
Without Hinata around, it would be the perfect meal for just the two of them—though even with only two people, there might still be leftovers.
Half an hour later, Neji entered the cabin, drawn by the delicious smell. His stomach growled as the scent of spices and meat filled the air.
"Spicy rabbit," Shinho announced, handing Neji a pair of chopsticks.
Neji looked at the dish—bright red chillies covering the meat. He stared at it for a long moment, silently regretting his earlier bravado.
When I said I could handle spicy food, I didn't mean this spicy.
Despite his hesitation, Neji picked up a piece of rabbit meat and put it in his mouth. Instantly, his face turned red, the heat hitting him like a punch.
"How is it?" Shinho asked casually.
"It's... fine," Neji replied, his voice strained as he struggled to keep his cool. He quickly shovelled two large spoonfuls of rice into his mouth to counter the burn.
Shinho blinked innocently. He hadn't meant to torture his friend.
By the end of the meal, not much of the stew had been eaten, but Neji had downed several bowls of rice.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Neji sat back, questioning everything. Meanwhile, Shinho remained perfectly composed, seemingly unaffected by the spice.
Shinho couldn't help but think of Hinata. She, too, had an enormous appetite. Perhaps it ran in their family.
"How's your search for someone proficient in soul-related techniques going?" Neji asked after taking a sip of water.
"For now, Ino is our best bet," Shinho said as he cleared the table.
"Do you think she's... capable?" Neji frowned, sceptical.
"You've set your standards too high," Shinho said with a shrug. "Besides, we've got plenty of time."
"I'll keep an eye out," Neji nodded.
Shinho didn't comment further. Finding someone with the right skills wouldn't be easy, but he wasn't in a rush.
"See you tomorrow," Shinho said after finishing the dishes. He waved goodbye to Neji and headed back to the Senju residence.
His real training as a medical ninja would begin now.
join my patreon for 40+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL