Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 124
🕑 Added 2025-01-07 21:03:13 +0000 UTCOn the Uchiha training grounds, Masashi had just finished his morning workout.
He woke up relatively early today.
Last night, after strolling and chatting with two notable figures, he returned to the clan grounds to rest.
Of course, before heading home to sleep, he made sure to escort both Hikari and Haku to their new home. The siblings had adapted remarkably well to Konoha, considering their circumstances.
However, last night, for some reason, Fugaku and Minato seemed to have hit it off, ultimately asking him to run a pre-enrollment class for the two little ones.
Though framed as a request, could he refuse?
Rank had its privileges, after all.
In Konoha, most children enter the Ninja Academy around seven or eight years old. The system was designed this way for a reason— young minds needed time to develop before handling the responsibilities of ninja life.
Children like Itachi, who enroll early and graduate early, are exceptions. And looked how that turned out in another life...
The Uchiha children usually enroll at the standard age, but the clan offers pre-enrollment classes, starting from as young as three to five years old. Each child's potential needed to be carefully assessed and nurtured.
However, jonin were often busy, and it was unrealistic for them to teach daily. When they were on missions, they asked close acquaintances to help with teaching.
The higher their status, the more skilled they could recruit.
At the level of the Hokage, it was essentially delegating entirely.
For instance, Hiruzen once handed his youngest son over to Danzō for tutoring.
Masashi was undoubtedly a skilled ninja. Conveniently, he was also on a month-long break, making him the perfect candidate for the job.
Naturally, Masashi himself found the idea somewhat intriguing.
This time would be different from when he tutored Itachi. He wouldn't slack off—he intended to teach seriously. The stakes were too high for anything less.
He was curious to see the raw talent for ninjutsu in individuals imbued with the chakra of Asura and Indra under normal conditions.
While the original timeline's Sasuke required no elaboration, even Naruto, despite his reputation as the class dunce, eventually proved otherwise through his achievements.
Moreover, teaching two kids wasn't much different from teaching three or four. He decided to include Karin and Haku in the lessons as well. Each child would need a different approach, but they would learn to work together.
Once he resumed his missions, he planned to have Shisui assist with the teaching.
Leaving the training grounds, he first headed to Hikari's place.
When he reached her new home, he found her already waiting at the door, pulling along an excited Haku.
"Hikari, no need to wait for me at the door," Masashi said. "Just wait at home."
Hikari's face turned bright red, though whether it was from the cold morning air or something else was unclear.
Even Haku's cheeks looked flushed.
"No, I truly don't know how to thank you," Hikari said shyly. "When will you be home today? I'll cook for you."
"No need to go to the trouble," Masashi was about to decline but reconsidered. After teaching four little ones all day, cooking would likely be the last thing he wanted to do. "Alright then, but I'll be bringing the other kids over as well."
"Of course!"
Haku was even more excited—his sister had told him last night that they'd be learning ninjutsu today. How cool! I want to become a ninja and protect my sister!
Seeing his eager expression, Masashi chuckled.
He loved watching newbies' enthusiasm before reality crushed their dreams. What a bad guy he was.
"Haku, come on, follow me. Today's your day to shine."
"Yes!" Haku shouted enthusiastically.
Masashi smiled silently, took Haku from Hikari, held his hand, and headed next door.
Sasuke was, of course, next on the list.
When he knocked, the door opened almost immediately.
It was Itachi, holding a sleepy-eyed Sasuke by the hand.
This little cub liked to sleep in—that wouldn't do. Such a bad habit needed to go.
Success came to those who hustled.
"Masashi-nii, what took you so long? We've been up for ages."
Nonsense—like hell you have. Your little brother was definitely dragged out of bed just now.
"You're competing with Hikari now?" Masashi chuckled. "Alright, hand Sasuke over. I'll teach him how to pilot a jaeger."
"What's a jaeger?" Itachi pondered seriously for a moment before grumbling slightly, "Come to think of it, you've never taught me ninjutsu even once, Masashi-nii."
"Hey, Shisui's techniques are more suited to you."
I taught you how to "read." That's what's important.
It took some effort to pry Sasuke away from his overly attached brother, but thankfully, it didn't delay the schedule.
The next stop couldn't be done on foot—he was running out of time.
"Come, Sasuke, grab my hand," Masashi said, watching the young Uchiha's reactions carefully.
"???" Sasuke looked at his empty hand in confusion. Though still sleepy, the boy thought he figured it out. "You're taking me to eat, right? I want dango!"
Masashi glanced at Itachi, who gave an awkward laugh.
"Sasuke's still young," Itachi explained lamely.
"He's not that young," Masashi replied. Turning to Sasuke, he said, "No dango, but I can take you flying. Want to?"
"Yes!" Sasuke perked up, grabbing his hand without hesitation.
Itachi was immediately reminded of his first outing with Masashi.
He quickly tried to say something, but before he could get a word out, the three had disappeared before his eyes.
"Ah…" Itachi sighed.
"What's wrong, Itachi?" Fugaku stepped out of the house. "Hmm? Masashi already took your brother?"
"Yes, Father," Itachi replied, thinking of the strong but quirky tutor, unable to resist complaining. "But are you sure about this? His personality is... peculiar."
"There's no need to worry," Fugaku said firmly. "You and Sasuke have different paths, which is for the best." He added a reminder, "Shisui will come by later. Make sure you're prepared—don't slack off in your training."
"Yes, Father," Itachi said, giving up on further complaints. Resolving himself, he obediently went to prepare.
---
Meanwhile, Masashi had just picked up Naruto and Karin from the Namikaze household. The Flying Thunder God had left both children slightly dizzy but excited.
Naruto and Sasuke hit it off instantly, their energy filling the room.
Their first interaction was a volley of "Naruto!" and "Sasuke!"
They're only three years old and already at it!
Judging by Minato and Kushina's completely unfazed reactions, this must've been a daily occurrence.
Sigh...
Indra, why did you and Asura ever have to fight in the first place? Maybe this time...
Karin, on the other hand, was quiet and well-behaved. To her, Masashi was a kind big brother, so she listened intently.
After greeting Minato and Kushina, Masashi set off with the four children.
Before starting lessons, he decided to take them somewhere special.
---
According to the original Ninja Academy admission standards set by Tobirama: To enter the ninja academy, one must first master the Clone Jutsu and demonstrate a good aptitude for chakra control.
The reason was simple.
During the Warring States Period, the goal was to quickly cultivate combat power. Talented individuals destined to become ninjas needed to have a systematic understanding of their growth path from the start. Among the Three Basic Jutsu, Clone Jutsu was the most commonly used and best reflected a ninja's characteristics.
Every exceptional ninja mastered the Clone Jutsu to an extraordinary degree. Talent was secondary; the key was understanding.
Moreover, once a system was established, it was best not to switch midway. A prime example from the original timeline was Kakashi, who began with a specialized approach but later adopted a hodgepodge of styles.
Similarly, Sasuke and Naruto had shaky foundational training. Naruto, for instance, lacked proper guidance at the beginning. His understanding of ninjutsu was severely underdeveloped. Although the Nine-Tails' chakra interference was a factor, his struggles with the Clone Jutsu at the Academy underscored weak fundamentals.
By the time he had competent teachers, many bad habits were already ingrained.
Sasuke's foundation was solid initially, but after the Uchiha clan's downfall, he had no guidance. Until the Chunin Exams, his progress stagnated. Later, he trained under Kakashi and Orochimaru, two teachers with vastly different systems and philosophies.
Orochimaru was comparatively more consistent, which was why Sasuke's strength soared after defecting—it was a gamble that paid off.
However, neither Sasuke nor Naruto started with a systemic, big-picture understanding. They learned piecemeal, with no clear direction. Without their inherent "plot armor," they would likely have ended up mediocre.
So Masashi believed that his role was to teach the basics. The rest didn't require intervention—both of them had access to abundant resources.
The five figures reappeared in the Valley of the End.
This was the site of the legendary battle between Hashirama and Madara. Their clash had carved out a deep river gorge.
A river now flowed through the valley, with the largest elevation drop forming a waterfall. Full-body stone statues of both of them stood majestically on either side of the waterfall.
Masashi led the four children via Flying Thunder God to the forested edge near Madara's statue.
From this vantage point, they could see the river below and clearly view the two enormous statues.
The four kids collapsed to the ground, their initial excitement replaced by exhaustion. The Flying Thunder God was a bit too stimulating for their age.
After a brief rest, they regained their senses and immediately noticed the towering statues and the waterfall cascading between them.
"Wow!" the children exclaimed in awe. "They're huge!"
Sasuke's gaze fixated on Madara's statue, while Naruto was drawn to Hashirama's. Both found these monuments deeply captivating.
"Starting today, you'll all call me teacher," Masashi's voice snapped their attention back to him.
"Sasuke, Naruto, at the request of your parents, I'll spend the next month teaching you how to feel chakra and use ninjutsu. Karin and Haku will join as well. Especially you, Haku—you're the oldest, so you'll need to work extra hard."
Haku nodded vigorously.
"Yay! I'm going to learn ninjutsu!" Naruto shouted in excitement.
He always thought it was amazing how his mom's hair would float when she got angry. Maybe he could learn to make his own hair do that too.
Sasuke, who often watched his brother and other clan members performing ninja feats, was equally eager, though he tried to maintain a more dignified appearance.
Karin, on the other hand, had no clear concept of what ninjutsu entailed. Her memories of ninjas were mostly terrifying, but Masashi was an exception, so she listened intently.
"Before we dive in, since you don't have a clear idea of what ninjutsu is, I'll start by demonstrating techniques from your respective clans. Since Sasuke and I are both Uchiha, let's begin with an Uchiha jutsu."
Turning his back to the children, Masashi formed the seals for the Great Fireball Jutsu.
For him, using it now was almost instantaneous.
The morning sky was still dim, so to the children, the world was suddenly bathed in fiery red.
A huge fireball lit up everything as it plunged into the river below. The valley walls turned blood-red, and when the fireball smashed into the water, it ripped away dirt and rocks, sending steam and debris shooting up everywhere.
Sasuke's face lit up with excitement, his eyes reflecting the dying embers.
He loved playing ninja games and thought this was the coolest thing ever. His older brother would never use a fireball like this at home—not because he couldn't, but because their parents would tan his hide.
Naruto was equally thrilled, though a bit envious. After all, Masashi had said this was an Uchiha jutsu. His feet shuffled impatiently, waiting for what would come next.
"The second one is from Naruto and Karin's clan, the Uzumaki clan."
Naruto perked up immediately, and Karin couldn't help but feel a flicker of anticipation.
Suddenly, hundreds of chakra chains burst forth from Masashi, rising into the sky and forming a massive net that descended toward the ground.
"Wow!" Though it didn't have the same destructive visual impact as the fireball, the children instinctively closed their eyes, feeling as if the chains might crush them.
Just before the chains touched down, Masashi stopped the technique. The chains dissolved into nothingness.
"It might not seem as flashy, but these chains can attack physical targets," he explained, releasing a smaller number of chains from his hand this time.
The chains shot into a nearby forest, tearing through trees and leaving a path of destruction. The kids stared, slack-jawed, as broken branches and debris rained down.
Naruto, after a moment of silence, felt elated. His clan's jutsu was just as amazing as the Uchiha's!
His chest puffed out with pride.
"Finally, we have the Yuki clan's Ice Release."
Stopping the chakra chains, Masashi clapped his hands together. Massive ice arms burst from the forest, their crystalline structure reflecting light to create a dazzling display of colors.
Haku's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"That's about it," Masashi said, looking at the children. "Do you want to learn?"
All four nodded furiously. Even Karin, who'd held back the most, couldn't hide how excited she was now.
"I can show you how, if you want. But..." Masashi smiled mischievously. "These are ninjutsu only obedient children can master. So, who's the most obedient?"
"Me! I'm the most obedient!" Naruto shouted, raising his hand eagerly, practically jumping up and down.
Sasuke gave Naruto a disdainful look.
He raised both hands.
"No! Me! I'm way more obedient than Naruto!"
