"Karin," Seiryu turned to her with a smile. "Looks like the future of the Uzumaki sealing techniques will rest on your shoulders."
"Yes! I'll do my best!" Karin nodded.
"Naruto, in a few days, you, Sasuke, and Neji will come with me to the Land of Earth," Seiryu said.
"The Land of Earth?" Naruto was surprised. "Why are we going there?"
"I'm taking you three to broaden your horizons," Seiryu replied.
"Awesome!" Naruto cheered. He didn't quite understand the reason, but the chance to travel was enough to make him happy, especially since this was a trip abroad.
"Don't get too excited. Before you go, you have to learn this." Seiryu produced a scroll. "I designed this specifically for your fighting style—a wind-style taijutsu precursor technique. Practice this for the next few days."
"Taijutsu?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Is it like Sasuke's Thunder Step technique?"
"Pretty much," Seiryu nodded. "This technique is based on Thunder Step, but modified for you. You'll learn the full version when you're older."
"Why? Sasuke's already learning the full technique," Naruto protested.
"You'll see why when you start training tomorrow," Seiryu said.
…
The next day, after school, Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji arrived together at Training Ground No. 1. Seiryu was already waiting for them.
"Naruto must have told you already. In a few days, you're coming with me to the Land of Earth," Seiryu announced.
Sasuke and Neji nodded, much calmer than Naruto. They knew their teacher wouldn't bring them along without a reason.
"Do you know why I'm taking you three?" Seiryu asked, glancing at them. "Iwagakure invited Konoha to participate in the joint Chūnin Exams. I'll be taking a team of genin to represent our village."
"But I'll be honest with you: our village doesn't have any strong ninja of the right age right now. So, this time, I might lose face at the exam," Seiryu said. "That's why I need you three to help me save our honor."
"I heard the Third Tsuchikage has a few disciples about your age, maybe a year or two older. Do you have the confidence to beat them and show the ninja world that the legacy of Konoha's prodigies lives on?"
"Yes!" Naruto shouted, fired up.
Sasuke and Neji were more composed. "Teacher, are the Tsuchikage's disciples strong?" they asked.
"Very strong," Seiryu nodded. "Their talent is no less than yours, and they're older. You'll have to work hard to beat them."
"I'll handle that guy," Sasuke said coolly. "The honor of the village and the Uchiha is mine to protect."
"Good, good." Seiryu applauded. "For now, you three will train with me."
"Sasuke, go practice Thunder Step. Later, I'll teach you a jutsu I got from Kakashi, which I've simplified for you," Seiryu instructed.
"Yes!" Sasuke ran off, excited for a new technique.
"Neji, how many strikes can you do with your Eight Trigrams?" Seiryu asked.
"Teacher, I can do thirty-two strikes. But my chakra can only manage one full set," Neji replied. "Also, Uncle has been teaching me our clan's secret technique, Rotation. I think I'll master it soon."
"Already at thirty-two strikes?" Seiryu nodded, impressed. Neji really was the Hyūga's top prodigy. Without the Caged Bird Seal, there was no limit to his progress. Thirty-two strikes was already a chūnin-level milestone for the branch family.
And compared to the original timeline, Neji had gotten a head start on learning Rotation, so his future was even brighter.
"Good, focus on mastering Rotation. Your case is different from Naruto and Sasuke's; I'm not familiar enough with your clan's secret techniques to teach you directly. What I can offer is combat strategy and advice. Also, I have to remind you: don't get too hung up on the clan's established moves. Once you've mastered them, try forging your own path."
"My own path?" Neji was puzzled.
"Yes," Seiryu nodded. "I've read about the Hyūga in the Uchiha records. Do you know how your clan fought in the Warring States era?"
Neji shook his head.
"They fought exactly as they do now," Seiryu explained.
Neji was stunned, and Seiryu continued, "As the Uchiha clan head, maybe I shouldn't say this, but as your teacher, I must remind you: the Hyūga, despite their fame, never produced a genius to rival the First Hokage or Madara. The main reason is you're too conservative."
"Neji, you're the most talented of your generation. I believe you can surpass your ancestors. So, learn from everywhere you can and try to forge a new path." Seiryu patted Neji's head. "As your teacher, I'll help clear your doubts and save you time on this journey."
Neji nodded, then replied seriously, "Yes, teacher. I will."
"But first, master your clan's techniques," Seiryu said with a smile. "Now go practice."
"Yes!" Neji nodded and went to train with Sasuke.
"As for you…" Seiryu turned to Naruto, who was already brimming with anticipation. "Finished reading the scroll? Got the basic footwork down?"
"Mm-hmm!" Naruto nodded vigorously.
"Good. I'll personally supervise your training." Seiryu smiled, producing a sealing scroll.
"Bring it on, teacher!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.
Seiryu opened the scroll and poured out a pile of stones, forming a small mound.
"Alright, you may begin escaping now," Seiryu said with a grin.
"Uh… what's this for?" Naruto was startled by the setup.
Seiryu didn't answer. He picked up a stone and flicked it at Naruto using the shuriken technique. With a whistle of air, Naruto immediately turned and ran, but Seiryu had anticipated his direction, and the stone hit him square on the backside.
"Ow! Ow!" Naruto yelped, hopping around. Seiryu's strength was perfectly controlled—the stones hurt but wouldn't injure him.
"Whether you use the footwork you just learned or your own tricks, your job is to dodge as many stones as you can," Seiryu said expressionlessly.
From both the original story and his own experience teaching Naruto, Seiryu realized that conventional methods didn't work on him. The best way was to teach through combat, letting Naruto's body learn by doing.
Seiryu always left an opening with each throw—if Naruto used the proper footwork, he could dodge. Now it was just a matter of when Naruto would catch on.
For now, Naruto could only run and yelp as he was hit, his cries echoing across the training ground.
"Teacher, are you just getting revenge? I only said you can't do genjutsu—ow! Slow down, teacher! I was wrong!"
Seiryu, still expressionless, increased the intensity. Clearly, Naruto's stamina had improved a lot since moving in with Kakashi and eating well every day.
"Stop yelling and get used to the pain. This taijutsu technique will hurt even more once you master it!" Seiryu said.
In this area, wind-style taijutsu was nearly unheard-of. Wind chakra was the hardest to control and its cutting property the most damaging. Only someone like Naruto, with both Uzumaki and Nine-Tails vitality, could hope to master it.