Outskirts of the Village, Land of Fire
Far away from the peaceful morning of Konoha, deep inside a damp and dark cave, four figures gathered.
They were completely covered in dark, ragged robes, their faces hidden in the shadows.
They were talking in hushed, sinister whispers.
"Are you sure about the intel?" a raspy voice asked.
"Yes. The Nine-Tails is still securely sealed within the First Hokage's wife, Mito Uzumaki."
A taller figure scoffed in the darkness.
"Hmm... That old hag is actually still alive? I thought her life force would have dried up by now."
"Yes, she clings to life. But she is incredibly weak. I believe it will not be long before the next Jinchūriki is elected and brought to the village."
The leader of the cloaked group stepped forward, a pair of cold eyes gleaming in the dark.
"When that extraction and transfer happens, the seal will be at its absolute weakest."
"When that happens, we will launch our grand plan."
The cloaked figures chuckled darkly, the sound echoing off the cold stone walls.
"Once the great war breaks out later, Konoha will be completely defenseless from the inside."
-
After concluding his morning training session, Kaito walked straight back to the Ninja Academy.
Mirei clung tightly to his arm as always.
"I hope we will be put together on the same team."
Mirei looked up at him with hopeful eyes.
Kaito didn't say anything to comfort her.
He was currently focused on practicing his Chakra control even further.
With the power of the Six Eyes, his chakra control was already at its absolute limit.
He had undoubtedly surpassed many prominent Hokage in terms of pure efficiency.
'Did Gojo Satoru invent the Limitless Technique?' Kaito thought to himself as he walked.
He didn't know the exact history of the Jujutsu world, but Kaito desperately wanted to have Infinity.
If he had Infinity, his defense would be impenetrable.
No physical or Ninjutsu attack would ever be able to reach his body.
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red and Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue were also undoubtedly very powerful Jutsu.
If translated into this world, they could easily rival the Rinnegan's ultimate gravity ability, Chibaku Tensei.
After walking for a while, the two of them found themselves standing before a wide wooden board.
There was a large white paper pinned there, with all the Genin names and team assignments written inside.
"Kaito! Look!" Mirei pointed excitedly at the board.
"We are on the exact same team!"
"Right..."
Kaito muttered as he read the name of the third member.
'Hiashi Hyuga?'
When Kaito thought about the strict future Hyuga Clan Head, he immediately turned around.
He saw a young boy with long dark hair and pale, pupil-less eyes standing right behind them.
"I believe you two are Kaito Uchiha and Mirei Uchiha. I am Hiashi Hyuga. We will be on the same team."
His voice was completely flat, formal, and devoid of emotion.
"Aah... Right! Nice to meet you, Hiashi. Do you think we should head to the classroom first?"
Kaito asked with a friendly, welcoming smile.
Hiashi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I prefer to be addressed by my Clan name. And yes, we should head to the classroom immediately."
Seeing his incredibly straightforward and stiff nature, Kaito simply stood there awkwardly.
Mirei quietly whispered in Kaito's ear, "What's with him? He is so boring."
"He is just strict," Kaito whispered back.
When they finally sat down inside the designated classroom, Kaito tried to make casual talk with Hiashi.
However, the Hyuga prodigy didn't seem interested in making friends here.
He just sat with his arms crossed, staring straight ahead at the chalkboard.
'This guy...' Kaito thought helplessly.
He was going to be a tough teammate to work with.
However, Hiashi suddenly turned his head and looked directly at Kaito.
He said, "Kaito Uchiha, I am highly interested in your eyes."
"I originally thought it was a mutated Byakugan. Now that I take a closer look, it certainly isn't."
Hiashi stared deeply into Kaito's bright blue irises, analyzing him.
"Is that an unknown Dōjutsu?" Hiashi asked seriously.
Kaito stared at Mirei first, making sure she didn't blurt anything out.
Then, he turned back and said smoothly, "No, it is not. My eyes are just naturally blue like this."
"I see..."
Hiashi nodded slowly and didn't ask any further questions.
He simply turned his head back to the front.
'That's it?!' Kaito was dumbfounded.
He had fully expected Hiashi to use his Byakugan to forcefully inspect his chakra flow.
As Kaito was wondering about Hiashi's bizarrely strict personality, the classroom door finally slid open.
Their Jōnin Teacher had finally arrived.
"Let me see... Kaito Uchiha, Mirei Uchiha, and Hiashi Hyuga!" he shouted while looking at a clipboard.
"Please come with me!"
When Kaito saw him, he was completely speechless.
'Dan Katō?'
The man had long pale blue hair and a very gentle, confident smile on his face.
He was Tsunade's tragic future lover!
Dan smiled warmly as he began to lead the trio outside into the fresh air.
They walked into an open, grassy training field somewhere far away from the Ninja Academy.
Dan Katō turned around and asked, "Today, we will conduct the Bell Test. Have any of you heard about it?"
"Yes," Hiashi answered immediately without missing a beat.
"It is a practical test involving two silver bells. Each Genin must try to snatch one from their Jōnin Teacher."
"Correct. Oh right! I haven't even introduced myself properly."
Dan placed a hand on his chest and smiled brightly.
"My name is Dan Katō. You may call me Dan Teacher, okay?"
"Understood, Dan Teacher!" Mirei replied enthusiastically.
"Good, now shall we begin?"
Dan Katō stood calmly in the middle of the open training field.
The gentle morning breeze blew his pale blue hair as he looked at the three Genin standing before him.
He reached into his flak jacket pocket and slowly pulled out two small, shiny silver bells.
They jingled lightly in the quiet air.
Dan Katō explained, "The rules of this exercise are very simple."
"You have until noon to take these two bells from me. You can use any weapons or Jutsu you want. Come at me with the intent to kill."
Mirei swallowed hard, looking at the two small bells.
"But Dan Teacher, there are only two bells. There are three of us," she pointed out nervously.
Dan Katō smiled, but his eyes were completely serious.
"Exactly. That means at least one of you will definitely fail."
He pointed toward a thick wooden stump at the edge of the field.
"Whoever fails to snatch a bell before noon will be tied to that wooden stump. They will receive no lunch, and they will be sent straight back to the Academy!"