-two months later
I activate my Susanoo, it's skeletal from swiftly rising above me. I have it do some punches in the air. Its speed seems to somewhat match my own speed without scaling to the size of it, meaning that it is somewhat slow for its size. I'll have to try and train its speed, since anyone actually worth using it on would just be able to dodge it as it is right now.
The next test is strength. I've prepared some training weights to use so I can test it, grouping them up in sets going from half the weight that I can actually lift all the way to twenty times what I can lift. I feel no strain trying to lift any of the ones under five times my maximum. Afterwards it becomes incrementally tiring to lift them with the Susanoo, as if exercising a muscle I wasn't even aware existed. I succeed in lifting all of the sets with somewhat increasing difficulty. By the time that I finish the testing I become convinced that the Susanoo can become incrementally stronger by training its speed and strength, training speed is going to need some thought as to how to actually do it, strength is easier. I proceed to deactivate the Susanoo, the testing having been completed.
After this comes Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi training. Amaterasu creates the black flames five meters in front of me, Kagutsuchi then shapes them into letters, shaping them into words afterwards is slightly more difficult, requiring more concentration. I needed some way to train finer control of the flames, so I'm repeatedly doing whatever comes to mind with them so that I don't end up just getting used to a certain exercise.
After my eyes start to hurt a little I deactivate the Eternal Mangekyou. A quick check of the time reveals that it's almost time to meet up with my genin. I say goodbye to Sakura and Hinata and leave towards the Hokage Tower.
—
By the time that I arrive at the Hokage Tower my genin are already there, waiting for me under the shade of a nearby tree.
I wave at them "So, what D-Rank mission are you guys feeling like doing today? I'm feeling like making you paint fences today."
"None, let's just go train man"
"Whichever pays out the most"
"I don't have any preference"
I shrug "Then Wakemi can go and pick the mission, we'll wait here for you"
Wakemi nods, goes into the Hokage Tower and comes out having picked the classic, catching Tora, to both TenTen and Hidesho's groans of displeasure. Pretty sure they're not going to just let her pick again.
After two hours they finally manage to catch the cat. It's after I hand each of them their share that Wakemi begins to look disappointedly at the small wad of cash that she is holding in her hands.
Tenten and Hidesho are just glad that it's over.
—
It's while I am having them go through physical drills that I finally notice something weird about Hidesho, something that I probably should have noticed way earlier.
"Hidesho, why don't you have a dog? I thought all Inuzuka had a ninja dog."
Hidesho gives me a solemn nod "I wanted a cat. The clan told me we don't breed ninja cats, so I just refused the ninja dog."
I almost stumble from that answer "Did you refuse to get a dog because you like cats?"
He nods "I hate dogs. They smell weird, are constantly dirty and are way too loud. Cat's are clean, quiet and take care of themselves"
I honestly cannot even think of a reply for that, so I just nod and let them continue their pushups. While they're doing that I'm trying to focus on using that sensory jutsu Higori taught me. I close my eyes and try to distinguish their chakra from one another. At my current level of experience with the jutsu all I can sense is that there's some amount of chakra vaguely in their general direction.
—
Before entering the house I check the mailbox as usual. I pull out the stack of letters inside and check where each is from. Bank, I just throw it away. Bank, throw away. Bank, throw away. Rifling through them quickly reveals that all of the letters are from the bank, so I just throw the entire stack in the air. Afterwards I head inside.
When I enter the living room Hinata is sitting on the couch watching TV. She turns towards me "Have you heard what happened?"
I walk over to the fridge "No, you know that I don't keep up with either the news or gossip. What happened?"
"Another murder-suicide has occurred. A woman broke into her neighbours apartment and killed them all. The husband and wife were chopped into tiny pieces and the murderer slit her own throat. Same as the last murder."
That makes me pause, my hand resting on a can of soda "Once is happenstance, second can be a coincidence. Now everyone is going to be waiting for enemy action. The instant it happens again it's going to be as if someone had poked a hornets nest."
She nods. I just grab that soda, open it and down it all at once. Afterwards I hop on the couch with her.
-one month later
I've decided that it's time for the genin to meet Sakura and Hinata. I'd worried for some time about whether they would get along but it looks like I was worried about nothing. We invited them over for some barbeque.
I'm manning the barbeque along with Hidesho. Wakemi is asking Sakura to teach her medical ninjutsu so that she can apparently blackmail people into paying her for healing. Hinata and TenTen are discussing weapons, most of that discussion honestly just goes over my head. What even is austenite?, or even cementite for that matter?.
I decide to ask Hidesho "Do you have any idea what cementite is?"
He thinks for a bit before he gives me an answer "Isn't that just another word for cement?"
I shrug "Probably, don't see what else it could be"
-three months later
Tomorrow is the deadline to apply for the chunin exams. I've decided to consult Hinata and Sakura on whether to send the team. I'm on the fence on either letting them go to this exam or just waiting another six months for the next exam. They're stronger than most of the chunin we faced during the war, but the chunin exams aren't about being above most chunin. They're a dick measuring contest where everyone is twinking and trying to send the equivalent of a level eighty murderblender into the first area of an RPG.
Both Hinata and Sakura are of the opinion that they're not ready just yet.
Sakura shakes her head "They need to be more prepared. Iwa and Kumo both have major grudges with our village. Kumogakure has a bigger grudge against us for our actions during the war, so your students will have a much larger target on their back compared to the other Konoha teams"
Hinata nods, agreeing with Sakura "They are simply not yet ready. The exams will be held in Kirigakure, the next time they will be held in Sunagakure. They will also be safer in Suna compared to Kiri."
I nod "Allright. I'll tell them about it in six months. By that time they should be able to handle themselves against anything the other villages can throw against them."
-one month later.
Another murder has happened, identical to the previous two. A man killed his neighbours, defaced their bodies and then slit his own throat. There's something very stinky afoot, any regular conspiracy would've found themselves caught by the Hyuga's eyes before they even began their first meeting.