"...Alright, that's our strategy."
Half an hour later, Izayoi looked at Hinata and Aburame Shino in front of him and smiled. "I'll be counting on you two tomorrow, Hinata, Shino."
"Yes, I'll do my best," Hinata nodded firmly.
"Don't worry."
Aburame Shino also nodded slightly, though his inner thoughts were far from calm. In fact, he was experiencing a wave of turmoil.
Inside his body, which had been transformed into an insect hive, some insects were feeding him information.
Izayoi's Chakra was astonishing.
Among their peers, only Uzumaki Naruto could compare to him.
No wonder he knew so many Ninja Techniques and had even developed powerful ones himself.
This guy, who had no family name, might not have come entirely from a lineage of civilian ninjas.
Perhaps in some era, his ancestors had been extraordinary figures.
Otherwise, his Chakra reserves wouldn't be so overwhelming.
"In that case, let's head back."
Seeing that both Hinata and Aburame Shino agreed with his strategy and accepted his arrangements, Izayoi nodded in satisfaction and prepared to dismiss the group.
"Izayoi, aren't we setting up traps?" Aburame Shino asked after snapping out of his thoughts.
"There's no need for that."
Izayoi shook his head. "Ordinary traps won't work against Jonin. Powerful traps require expensive and highly destructive tools, and even then, they might not be effective against Jonin. Plus, they could end up harming our own people."
"If my analysis is correct, this strategy alone should be enough to get us through the test."
Hinata and Aburame Shino both nodded in understanding, finding Izayoi's reasoning sound.
"Since we're not setting traps, I'll head back first."
With those words, Aburame Shino stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked away.
It wasn't until Kurenai Yuhi introduced herself that she realized the special relationship between Izayoi and Hinata.
As for their classmates, they had known about it for years.
So, of course, Aburame Shino wouldn't tag along and play the role of a third wheel.
Though deep down, his secretly gossipy nature was itching to pry.
But to maintain the dignity (and personality) of the Aburame Clan, Shino refrained from doing so.
Watching Shino leave until his figure disappeared, Izayoi finally took Hinata's small hand and smiled. "Hinata, it feels like it's been a while since we last had a picnic. How about we have grilled fish for lunch today?"
"Yes!"
Hinata's eyes lit up as she recalled the picnics she and Izayoi had after their training sessions years ago. She nodded vigorously.
Since discovering her father's tacit approval and with Hanabi joining in, Izayoi and Hinata hadn't visited the abandoned training grounds in years.
Their training now took place in Izayoi's backyard or the dojo on the first floor of his house.
Meals were either brought from Hinata's home or prepared on the spot at Izayoi's place.
The childhood memories of grilled fish, hunting barbecues, and warm moments together had become cherished memories for Hinata.
Now, with Izayoi bringing up those memories, she truly wanted to relive the feelings from years ago.
So, hand in hand, the two of them headed to the familiar river.
The task of catching fish was left to their Shadow Clones.
As for their real bodies, they stood on the flowing water's surface, engaging in a Taijutsu duel above the river.
The shockwave from the collision of Chakra sent ripples and splashes of water flying into the air.
The roaring sound startled the beasts and birds in the woods on both sides of the river, causing them to flee in panic.
When everything finally calmed down, white smoke rose, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.
Izayoi and Hinata spent the entire noon outdoors, reminiscing about their childhood.
...
The next day, at 8:30 in the morning.
Izayoi and Hinata arrived at the training ground.
Next to a tree stump stood Aburame Shino, who seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.
"Good morning, Shino," Izayoi raised his hand to greet him. "Morning."
Aburame Shino nodded in response.
The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
Having read the original story, Izayoi knew that Shino had a hidden, quirky side.
However, Izayoi still couldn't find a topic to chat with him about.
After all, Shino's presence was so low-key that he had no friends in class, and his interests revolved around searching for insects, leaving no common ground for conversation.
So after exchanging greetings, Izayoi didn't know what else to say.
Moreover, aware of Shino's hidden side and unsure if he had any insects that could eavesdrop, Izayoi didn't whisper anything to Hinata either.
Thus, he leaned against a tree stump, closed his eyes, and rested, waiting for Kurenai Yuhi to arrive.
Hinata, with her hands in her pockets, leaned against the tree stump beside Izayoi.
Time passed minute by minute.
When a 'whoosh' sound reached their ears.
Izayoi opened his eyes, and Kurenai Yuhi was already standing in front of them.
"Teacher Kurenai."
The three of them spoke politely.
"Good morning, sorry to keep you waiting."
Kurenai smiled and nodded, then took out three bells from her person, saying, "Your next task is simple. Within one hour, by any means necessary, even if it means killing me, you must take these three bells from me."
After tying the bells to her waist, Kurenai took out a small alarm clock from her person, setting it to ring automatically in one hour.
Placing the alarm clock on the tree stump, Kurenai turned to face the three of them and said, "Now... let's begin."
As soon as she finished speaking, the figures of Izayoi and the others vanished into thin air.
In Kurenai's ears, only the sound of wind rustling through leaves remained.
Looking around the surrounding woods, Kurenai wore a confident smile.
She didn't use the Body Flicker Technique to take them out one by one.
Instead, she deliberately walked into an open area, waiting for Izayoi and the others to make the first move.
This wasn't arrogance but a matter of perception.
Kurenai had also attended the Ninja Academy and knew what was taught there.
No matter how talented Izayoi and the others were, they were only good at the basics, mastering the low-level Element Release Techniques and Clan Secret Techniques passed down by their families.
The Hyuga Clan and the Aburame Clan were both renowned Ninja Clans in the Shinobi World. What they excelled at and their combat styles were not only understood by their own people but also thoroughly studied by outsiders.
Although Kurenai specialized in Genjutsu, she was still a versatile Jonin who had mastered at least two Nature Transformations.
Not just Izayoi and the others, but even if a few more Genin squads joined forces, they wouldn't stand a chance against her.
That's what Kurenai believed.
But the next second, she was startled into a cold sweat.
"Trigam Palm Wall!"
The girl's shout echoed from afar, growing closer.
Then, a terrifying shockwave, like an invisible wall, rushed towards Kurenai Yuhi at an incredible speed.
Wherever it passed, it stirred up a massive cloud of dust.
Seeing the approaching dust cloud, Kurenai's pupils contracted. There was no time to gather Chakra in her feet to perform the Body Flicker Technique, so she instinctively leaped backward.
The shockwave flew past her, but the dust cloud engulfed her.
Boom, boom, boom…
The shockwave flew into the forest, directly blasting through several large trees that would take multiple people to encircle, demon
strating its immense power.
The scene shifted to the origin point of the shockwave. Under a large tree stood two identical Byakugan girls, standing back-to-back with their hands pressed together.
It was Hinata and her Shadow Clone.
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