Before anyone realized it, the first semester was already nearing its end.
During this semester, first grade only had academic and physical education classes.
Every day consisted of either studying, physical training, or chakra extraction.
All other classes besides Class 1 had some students withdrawn or advised to leave.
Ninjas were that rare.
Not only was the entrance exam difficult, but the graduation assessment was also extremely tough.
Because even if you graduated, that didn't mean you were truly a ninja.
If you failed to gain the acknowledgment of a Jōnin, you'd be sent back to school to repeat the year—the elimination rate was absurdly high.
And this was just to be promoted from a trainee to a Genin.
Above Genin, there were still Chūnin, Special Jōnin, and the all-rounder Jōnin.
But all that had nothing to do with Izayoi and the Nine Rookie Powerhouses.
Aside from the first two weeks, Izayoi hadn't sent his real body to school since.
He wouldn't show up until they began taijutsu sparring.
After all, Izayoi only entered the Ninja Academy because of Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke.
More precisely, he was targeting their red-tier talent tags.
Before graduation, Izayoi had to force out their red tags—at least one or two of them.
Otherwise, once they graduated, it would be far harder to make that happen.
Not because of a difference in power, but because the chances of meeting or interacting would drop drastically.
In the original story, after graduation, the Nine Rookie Powerhouses didn't gather again until the Chūnin Exams.
Graduation happened at the end of March, and the Chūnin Exams started on July 1st—both were important dates every year.
There was a full season between them.
Ding ling ling…
As the bell rang to signal the end of class, another day came to an end.
Even after a full afternoon of P.E., the students were still full of energy.
"Izayoi-kun, want to play ninja games with us?"
"Izayoi, want to walk home together?"
Some students left for home, while others formed small groups and stayed to play.
Izayoi also received many invitations—he was quite the popular figure in the class.
Even though it was only a shadow clone attending school, and his real focus was Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke, Izayoi never treated the others coldly. He always responded with a friendly smile.
Even his refusals were very polite.
Today was no different.
Facing the boys' and girls' invitations, Izayoi's shadow clone pressed his hands together with a sheepish smile and said:
"Sorry, I already made plans with someone else. Next time, I promise!"
"Aww, already taken again? Izayoi-kun's really popular!"
"Then next time, let's all play ninja games together."
Although disappointed, his classmates didn't push him.
After leaving the school grounds, Izayoi's shadow clone slipped into a small alley and dispelled itself.
All the memories and fatigue returned to the real body.
Resting at home after finishing his training and waiting for the fatigue to hit, Izayoi muttered to himself:
"Just a few more days until break starts… It's time to make my move."
---
On July 20th, after the morning classes ended, it was time for lunch.
Some students, whose homes were nearby, chose to go home to eat.
Others brought lunchboxes to school.
Some ate in the classroom, others went outside.
Since it was always a shadow clone attending school, Izayoi usually went "home" to eat.
But today, for once, the real Izayoi came in person—and he even brought a lunchbox.
He sat in the classroom, eating lunch with Hinata.
Over the course of three months, Izayoi and Hinata had become friends.
Though they weren't sharing everything with each other yet, they already knew each other's hobbies and a few little secrets.
For example, Hinata's hobby was flower pressing.
And Hinata also knew that the classmate sitting next to her was actually a shadow clone.
When she first found out, her small mouth opened slightly, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise, completely stunned.
Afterward, the way she looked at Izayoi was filled with even more admiration.
In a school where even the Basic Three Techniques hadn't been taught yet, Izayoi had already mastered the Shadow Clone Technique—a truly unbelievable feat.
While the two were eating lunch together, Izayoi suddenly spoke:
"Hinata, the break starts tomorrow. Do you have any plans?"
"I'll probably just keep training at home," Hinata replied softly.
"Wanna train together?" Izayoi invited.
"R-Really? I can?" Hinata looked at him in surprise, her eyes lighting up.
But before Izayoi could respond, she lowered her head, suddenly discouraged, and shook it:
"No… I can't. Father doesn't allow me to go out freely."
Ever since the kidnapping incident, Hinata couldn't go out alone—she needed a bodyguard with her.
And she wasn't allowed out too often either. Now that she'd entered the Ninja Academy, and especially with a Uchiha in her class, she had to train diligently for the honor of the clan, and couldn't afford to be outshone by the Uchiha.
"Heh… don't worry about all that."
Izayoi grinned and said:
"I'm just asking—do you want to go out and train with me during the break?"
"…Mm."
Hinata lowered her head, speaking in a voice as soft as a mosquito, but she nodded.
"Alright, I'll take care of everything. Tomorrow—"
Izayoi leaned in close to Hinata's ear and whispered his plan.
The warm breath against her ear made Hinata's cheeks and ears flush bright red, and her hand holding the chopsticks began to tremble slightly.
Being this close to Izayoi for the first time, all the resistance she'd built up over the last three months instantly crumbled.
Thankfully, Hinata's personality wasn't quite as extreme as it was in the original story, so she didn't faint from embarrassment.
But still, her mind went completely blank, and she ended up forgetting everything Izayoi just said.
"...Remember, tomorrow you need to take initiative. Otherwise, my plan is definitely going to get exposed," Izayoi reminded her.
"O-Okay…"
Hinata nodded absentmindedly, looking adorably clueless.
Then, she looked up and asked:
"Izayoi-kun, um… what did you just say again?"
Izayoi: "..."
Then—smack!
He flicked her forehead without mercy, and as Hinata looked up with a pitiful expression, he repeated his plan.
Covering her forehead, Hinata's bright eyes sparkled slightly.
---
The next day, the Ninja Academy officially began a 40-day summer break.
Izayoi stepped out of his house and into a small alley.
With a pop, like a balloon bursting, a girl with blonde hair poking out from under a hat came dashing out of the alley, heading straight for the Hyūga compound.
If any of the students from Class 1 had seen her, they'd instantly recognize her as Yamanaka Ino.
"Hi! I'm Yamanaka Ino. I came to pick up Hinata—we made plans yesterday!"
Standing at the entrance to the Hyūga compound, Izayoi—disguised as Ino using the Transformation Technique—flashed a sweet smile at the guards.
The two guards exchanged a look.
"Please wait a moment."
One of them carefully looked Izayoi over, then politely bowed and walked into the compound.
Before long, he returned.
Behind him walked a small girl in a white coat—it was Hinata.
As she ran over, she and the disguised Izayoi exchanged a knowing smile.
The plan had gone off perfectly—Hinata had made it out.