I wasn't wrong about Ino pestering me for mission details. However, she wasn't really interested in what wasn't classified; it was all about getting that sweet forbidden knowledge, knowing secrets she wasn't supposed to. The gossip material she could gain was immense, and I wanted nothing to do with it.
I found myself unsure of how to handle her. On one hand, I could ask Inoichi to show her a few pieces of information that didn't require the highest level of security clearance.
On the other hand, I believed it was the parents' responsibility to traumatize their own kids, and I'd be damned if I let Inoichi shift that sacred duty onto me.
Fortunately, Ino was quite occupied learning her family's techniques, so she didn't hound me too often. But I knew it was only a matter of time before she would recruit my cute little sister to help her.
That might be mildly annoying, but it wasn't what was on my mind for the last few days.
The clone I sent to Tsuki had brought back some interesting information about one of my favorite black floofballs. The old cat was incredibly happy when my clone visited, and when I asked why, she spilled some interesting details about Zangetsu.
The explanation was brief, and utterly scatter-brained, so I didn't understand much of it. That's why I was at the training ground, listening to the old cat properly explain her reasons for being so smugly happy.
"Can you please get to the point? You're acting way too excited for this to just be about Zangetsu's strength," I prodded, finding her earlier explanations too vague to connect any dots.
"His power is part of it. But the main reason is that after more than a century, our clan has a newly born Bakeneko." She said this as if it explained everything.
"I see..." I mumbled, still confused. "And having a new Bakeneko is important?"
"Hmmm, but of course it is. Imagine a cat the size of a horse with a few special powers mixed in. That is what a fully grown Bakeneko is," she tried to clarify, but she was clearly skipping over important details in her excitement.
"Tsuki... please act as if I have no idea what a Bakeneko is, because I only have a faint idea of what you'Re talking about." I sighed, picking the elderly cat up to my face, giving her a proper playful death stare.
Tsuki calmed down a bit, but that didn't stop her from flailing in my grasp while sputtering about respecting one's elders.
"Oi, brat! Fine, fine! But put me down first. Seriously, no respect for the elderly. Kids these days..." she grumbled as I set her back in my lap.
"Alright, listen well; I won't repeat myself," she finally composed herself enough to explain. "The cat clan was quite large during the Warring States period, and we were successful mainly because we were able to produce a force of nature from time to time." She began her explanation.
"However, due to the ongoing battles between the Uchiha and Senju, most of the Bakeneko on the frontlines eventually fell. Their appearances were more or less random, so our clan's power declined significantly." She continued, sounding very much like a history professor. "My own mother was the last Bakeneko we had until now. That's why Zangetsu's awakening as one is a big deal."
I hummed in acknowledgment, nodding along.
"And what special abilities can I expect from him?" I asked, eager to learn more. I already knew Zangetsu could grow larger and more powerful in proportion to his opponent's strength, but if there was more…
"Advanced fire manipulation and even greater physical power. You already know about his special ability," she elaborated. "Sometimes the offspring of Bakeneko will awaken some kind of unique ability, though that is almost as rare as the Bakeneko themselves," she added with a fond smile.
"I take it that Yoru has one of those abilities. She always hits a weak point perfectly and finds weaknesses no matter what she's facing," I said, recalling moments when she had completely destroyed something that shouldn't have been within her capability.
"I honestly thought it was some kind of senjutsu technique you taught her..." I admitted, not wanting to pretend I knew everything.
"True, true. Yoru and I are the only ones in the clan with such inherited abilities," Tsuki stated, rolling over in my lap to demand I scratch her belly.
"You too?" I asked, slightly surprised, though not completely caught off guard. I knew Tsuki was strong. She had to be strong to be a personal summon during the final stages of the Warring Clans era.
"Heh, I might be a bit rusty, but I'm still the greatest cat alive," she boasted playfully.
Unless we count Nibi as a cat, she wasn't wrong. I honestly wondered how Tsuki would compare to the Toad elders I vaguely remembered from the anime.
"Sure you are. For now, at least," I teased, earning a playful smack across my forearm.
"It's not just raw power that I'm talking about here; it's the ability I manifested. These abilities are unique to each cat and vary widely in both power and usefulness," she explained further.
"Yoru can identify and exploit points of weakness in her opponents themselves, their defenses, and attacks. Zangetsu has the capacity to grow stronger as the fight progresses, eventually surpassing his opponent." She confirmed that my theory about their abilities was largely correct.
"And yet, despite their strengths, they are still unable to land a hit on me, even when they fight together," she revealed, remaining completely calm. She wasn't exaggerating; it was an honest assessment of their sparring match.
"So what can you do? I'll gladly summon you if I get into too much trouble," I asked her, grinning from ear to ear, excited and curious at the same time.
Tsuki looked up at me, displaying a cat's version of a smug smirk.
"Hmm, but you're already affected by it, can't you tell?" she purred, completely satisfied with herself.
However, I felt nothing. No buildup of chakra in the air, no telltale sign of any jutsu being used.
I focused harder, extending my sensory abilities outward. Her body, chakra, and every sound she made were exactly where I expected them to be, lying in my lap, enjoying a scratch. But when I concentrated on her spirit, I noticed it perched directly on my shoulder, nuzzling my face.
I flared my chakra to dispel the illusion, but my first attempt failed. I couldn't feel any disturbance within my chakra, making it much harder to break free than it would normally be.
It took me several minutes to successfully shake off her illusion, the world around me shattering like a glass pane.
"That's one very nasty genjutsu you have, Tsuki..." I said, bewildered by how difficult the damn thing was to dispel.
If I couldn't sense her spirit, I would most likely never even notice I was in a genjutsu.
Tsuki narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion, seemingly as surprised by my escape as I was by her ability. She looked at me like I was a ghost, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
"What even was that? Even your chakra was still-" I started, then stopped when I noticed my hand still hovering in the air where I had been petting Tsuki just a moment ago.
"It all felt so real... too real. If you hadn't told me, I would never have noticed anything suspicious," I added quickly, waiting for her explanation.
"And still, you're only the second one to break out," she said, jumping back down into my lap. "You'll grow into a monster, Ryuu," she declared, not hiding any doubt in her voice.
"To be fair, I wouldn't have been able to focus nearly as much on breaking out if we were in a fight," I admitted casually.
Trying to dispel such jutsu during a fight would be nearly impossible for me. Despite all the chakra control I had practiced, not being able to sense how it moves in my own body was downright crippling.
It felt like trying to move a hand that had gone completely numb. I was unsure if I could even do it again, especially if she could make sensing my own chakra even harder.
"My ability is to control the senses of others. Every single one, including the sense of their own chakra," she explained, not easing my worries about escaping if she did it again.
"The only reason I was able to realize it was a genjutsu is that I can sense more than just chakra, Tsuki. I don't think anyone could dispel this. Not unless they have enough power to completely dissolve your chakra infused into their system," I said, still astonished by the level of power this seemingly ordinary cat possessed.
"And that's exactly how it was broken before... That man was beyond anything I've faced before, or ever since," she admitted with a frown marring her face.
Only two people came to mind who might've had enough raw power to manage this. And no matter which one it was she faced, surviving a hostile encounter with one of Konoha's founders was a miracle in itself.
"You've been holding back on us," I stated, not angry in the slightest.
"Oh, it's nice when you young ones think you stand a chance," Tsuki giggled mischievously. But I had my answers, even the ones I didn't realize I needed.
It seemed the cat clan still had a powerhouse, and with the rising stars among them, they might become a force to be reckoned with again in near future.
In the few days following my talk with Tsuki, I focused on intense training. The fight against Mangetsu revealed my lack of pure physical power, and while much of that was due to my young age, I was determined to obsessively train my chakra enhancement and Haki to compensate for this disadvantage.
My resolution was clear: next time, I would be able to cut an island in half without relying on a specific circumstance or a special weapon.
I was currently engaged in my usual light training, while observing my unusual training companions.
I was right to suspect that Ino would rope Sakura into trying to figure out some juicy classified mission info, so I decided to use their curiosity against them by making a bet. If they could master the jutsu I had prepared for each of them, I would let them experience a mindwalk into one of my missions.
I wasn't too unfair; all they had to do was study a water jutsu, specifically the Hozuki clan's Water Gun. As both were aligned with water nature, they should be able to learn it, especially since I had compiled extensive notes on that jutsu.
It was potentially one of the most useful offensive combat techniques. It didn't require hand seals for even an intermediate user, and it was a small projectile that could travel deceptively fast, making it hard to notice in the heat of the battle
The main challenge they faced was their insufficient control over the water element itself. They didn't need the Hydrification jutsu to use the Water Gun; they could draw moisture from their sweat or from the air around them.
For such a small jutsu, extracting moisture from the air was feasible even for people who weren't Tobirama or Kisame. However, even with my detailed notes, it would likely take them significant time, primarily due to their attitudes towards intense training.
It was a win-win for me: I would have peace until they figured out a complicated jutsu, and I'd feel less worried about them once they graduated. My last few remaining brain cells must have worked overtime to come up with such a brilliant idea.
Unlike the two gossip queens, Hinata was still doing great. Well, she wasn't as loud in her suffering.
She focused most of her time on forming her spirit weapon whenever I could guide her. Besides that, she was committed to transforming herself entirely into lightning.
I was a bit concerned about how much time she devoted to it, but I couldn't deny the results. Her control over the jutsu was already on par with my own version of it. My best guess was that she wanted to catch up to me.
As focused as ever, she seemed to be distancing herself from her clan's traditional fighting style. Even in our taijutsu spars, she began asking for more tips on kicks and grappling techniques, which was unusual for her.
She did incorporate a few kicks and grabs into her Gentle Fist before, but she never tried to completely rebuild the style before. She had always seemed attached to the Gentle Fist's primarily striking-focused combat style, so this shift in her training was surprising.
I couldn't let her overthink everything again—that was my job.
"Why?" I asked during a break. "Why such a sudden change?"
She sighed, as if anticipating my question.
"It's just... well..." She stammered, clearly unsure of how to express herself. "I still can't beat Neji-niisan in Gentle Fist." she admitted softly, as if confessing to a crime.
I blinked, then blinked again. A moment of stunned silence stretched between us before Hinata continued,
"I know I could win, but if I fight him with Gentle Fist only..." She didn't finish her sentence; she didn't have to.
At least I had the context now, she was holding herself back during their fights.
This wasn't surprising; even after all our training together, she sometimes pulled her punches when sparring with me.
"Hinata, you do realize he only trains in Gentle Fist, right?" I said, trying to put things into perspective for her.
"Think about it: what would happen if you fought him without holding back on your speed or chakra enhancement?" I asked, feeling confident she was trying to match her speed to Neji's in their spar.
"Well... I—" she stuttered, likely thinking of an excuse.
But perhaps deep down, she sensed that while she might not be as naturally gifted in her family's fighting style as Neji, she could absolutely wipe the floor him if she used more than just Gentle Fist.
"Hinata, I've told you this many times already," I sighed, repeating myself for what felt like the hundredth time. "People have different talents. Neji is a genius when it comes to Gentle Fist, and you might never surpass him in that specific discipline. But do you think he would excel in medical ninjutsu like you do?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
The only person I was certain had more potential than Hinata in medicine was my own little sister.
"What about lightning manipulation? Or the fact that you're forging a spirit weapon? Does anyone in your clan know how to do that better than you?" I added, presenting the more obvious questions.
There might be a Hyuga who could manipulate lightning better than her, but even if there were one, that won't be the case for long.
"All I'm trying to say is that you have different talents than your clansmen. Even your eyes are special; you see things they don't." I added, referring to her ability to tap into the Golden Ratio and the spin itself.
"Honestly, Hinata... I can see you surpassing my power in the not-so-distant future. The potential of the Spin is astronomical, and I'm not sure how to even defend against it." I laughed, patting her on the head and ruffling her hair.
I didn't think I was helping to ease the crush she had on me with a speech like that, but she really needed some positive reinforcement, or she might retreat into her shell and isolate herself again.
It would help if she opened up to Kurenai a bit more, but that would likely take time, especially if Kurenai kept treating her like a scared little girl. While that might have been somewhat true for canon Hinata, this one was simply quiet and shy. Once you got her to open up, you would find a warm, strong, and quite brilliant girl.
It took a while, but she finally stopped treating the ground as the most interesting place on earth.
Her cheeks were still flushed, but they were a far cry from the tomato-red she would often get when I gave her even the slightest compliment.
"Y-You're just saying that... to make me feel better," she muttered, still not meeting my eyes.
"If I just wanted to make you feel better, I would carry you home again," I joked teasingly, laughing at her exaggerated reaction.
"I'm saying it because it's true. Plain and simple," I doubled down. "You'll understand once you have to fight an enemy, Hinata. Just trust me on this. You're strong; be proud." I said to the blushing mess next to me.
Great, I didn't think she was even listening to me after that little joke.
Seriously, what did I do to cause her to react so strongly to the slightest physical contact? On the other hand, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
T-Thanks, Ryuu-kun," she finally managed to stammer out. "But..." she said quietly, almost in a whisper, "Could you still carry me home?"
Her question made me howl with laughter, clutching my stomach as I couldn't stop for a good minute.
"Sure, I can, Hinata," I replied, still cackling even as she climbed onto my back. This girl was getting bolder by the day.
In the end, I had to infiltrate the Hyuga compound again because Hinata had fallen asleep during the transit.
Wait a minute, is she training me to carry her on command? This was clearly being done on purpose by her.
Clever girl...