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He arrived late to class today, but Iruka-sensei was still not there. He was probably busy chasing down Naruto and making him clean the Hokage Monument. Masagaki sat down in his assigned seat near the front of the classroom and decided to wait for Naruto and Iruka to show up together. Since it might be a while before they arrived, Masagaki began to daydream. It was better than listening to Ino and Sakura argue over their 'precious' Sasuke so early in the morning.
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Naruto and Iruka entered the classroom after quite some time. Naruto wore his iconic large grin, walking in as if moments ago he hadn't just committed a crime. He took his assigned seat while a few classmates glanced in his direction.
Iruka approached the podium at the front of the classroom and began to speak.
"We are about to start the graduation test." Masagaki looked up at Iruka as he continued, "When your name is called, please proceed to the next classroom. The test will be on the clone jutsu." Masagaki glanced back at Naruto, who had a defeated expression on his face.
Masagaki was one of the first students called to the next classroom. The room was empty except for a table and two chairs where his teachers, Iruka and Mizuki, were seated. Mizuki was not present most of the time, typically only showing up for shurikenjutsu classes or practice sparring matches.
The exam wasn't difficult at all. Masagaki created two basic clones of himself. Mizuki glanced at a stack of papers, stamped a few, and then informed Masagaki that he had officially passed the exam. Masagaki stepped forward, took a headband protector from the table, and walked out.
He wasn't sure when Naruto would be called to take the test, but he knew that Naruto would fail. Masagaki planned to keep his distance from Naruto for a while; he didn't want to risk affecting the timeline right now. If he did something right now, Naruto might never pass or might never take Mizuki's offer and learn the multi-shadow clone jutsu.
He went to the nearest empty training ground he could find. Today, it was training ground 11. The moment he stepped onto the training ground, he received a new quest.
**[Shurikenjutsu - Quick Succession]**
**Requirements:** Throw a total of 30 shuriken at a target in 10 seconds. All 30 must hit true.
Note: You have to be at least 20 meters away from the target for it to be counted as an actual hit. The timer will start when the first shuriken hits. You have no limit to your attempts. Good luck.
**Rewards:** A new ability...
He accepted the quest, mainly because he was intrigued by the new ability it promised. Looking inside the pouch where he stored his shuriken, he realized he only had 20. He then opened the scroll tied to his waist. One large seal was noticeable on the paper. Masagaki began to flow his chakra into the paper, and with a small puff of smoke, he produced 10 shuriken, which now rested on the paper.
He placed ten shuriken into his pouch as he walked 20 meters away from a training log. Grabbing the shuriken in batches of three with each hand, his first attempt did not go as planned. He managed to throw only 24 of the required 30 shuriken, and out of those, only 19 hit the target.
On his second attempt, he again threw 24 shuriken, but this time, 20 of them hit the target.
For his third attempt, he activated his Byakugan. He successfully threw 27 of the required 30 shuriken, with 23 of them hitting the target. Despite his efforts, the results remained consistent across all attempts; he could not throw more than 27 shuriken before time expired.
He had to switch targets when the last one broke under the repeated attacks, leaving it in a pile of chunks and splinters. His best attempt so far had been throwing 27 shuriken, all of which hit the target, but that still wasn't good enough. Then he had an idea. He poured even more chakra into his Byakugan, making the bulges around his eyes more pronounced. He concentrated additional chakra into his arms.
This time, he managed to throw all 30 shuriken, though only 28 hit their mark. Some of the shuriken pierced right through the training log, but thankfully, they still counted towards the goal. He continued to try, getting closer each time. He reached a point where he consistently missed only one. The continuous flow of chakra to his Byakugan was beginning to hurt, but he was determined to make a few more attempts.
Once again, he threw all 30 shuriken, but one continued to miss its target, and then again, he missed one.
After moving to another training log—since the previous one had also broken—he prepared for what he knew would be his final attempt before deactivating his Byakugan. He focused even more chakra into his arms and specifically his hands. He threw the shuriken one after the other, successfully launching all 30. This time, all of them hit the target, and each shuriken pierced through the log, with the last one shattering it into pieces.
He had finally completed the quest. Exhausted and running low on chakra, he slouched toward the spot where his shuriken had landed. He spent quite some time searching for all 30 of them, as some had flown into the nearby treeline.
As it began to grow late, his eyes throbbed from the constant use of his Byakugan. He decided to head back to the clan compound before someone was sent out to search for him. On his way back, he noticed several shinobi were active, likely looking for Naruto after he stole the forbidden scroll.
Upon entering the compound and making his way to the centralized living quarters, he finally reached his small room. He collapsed onto his bed, one arm covering his eyes, and lay there for a while until the pain started to subside. It then occurred to him that he hadn't checked his reward. Opening the system interface, he saw it: his new ability.
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the Quest: Shurikenjutsu - Quick Succession.]
[ New ability obtained: Bond Pursuit* ]
[ Bond Pursuit: A chakra-flow technique that allows the user to form a temporary "lock" between a thrown weapon and a designated target. By pouring a focused stream of chakra into a projectile—typically a kunai, shuriken, or senbon—at the moment of release, the weapon becomes attuned to the target's chakra signature, movement, or physical position.
Once released, the weapon subtly corrects its flight path mid-air, curving or adjusting its trajectory to pursue the target. The more chakra, the longer and more aggressive the tracking. The weapon will continue its chase until one of the following occurs: It strikes the target or the infused chakra is depleted. ]
(Sidenote: I don't know if there is an ability like this in Naruto, I tried my best at making throwables better in combat, as most characters will simply dodge them easily.)
Masagaki fell asleep soon after, knowing he had to wake up early the next morning. He needed to head to the Hokage Building's roof for a specific reason: the academy wanted to take official shinobi photos of every student for their documentation. He wasn't sure why they chose the roof of the Hokage's building for this purpose, but he didn't mind. When he arrived, a few other students were already there, waiting for their turn as an elderly man with an antique camera prepared to take the photos.
Masagaki was relieved that he didn't act like Naruto, whose face was covered in strange patterns from his makeup. He opted for a standard photo—no smiling and no cosmetics. After taking the photo, the old man handed it to him and instructed him to return to the academy and report to Iruka.
When Masagaki entered the empty classroom, he found Iruka and the Third Hokage sitting together. He greeted them as he handed over the photo.
The Hokage examined the picture for a few seconds and, without looking up, remarked, "This photo is acceptable. You may leave." Masagaki turned towards the door and exited, thinking that Naruto would likely still be preoccupied with his makeup, which took him three hours to perfect his signature look.
The next day, teams would be assigned. They needed to organize all the academy students into the correct teams and ensure all necessary files and information were in order before presenting them to the Jonin senseis. What concerned Masagaki the most was the discrepancy in the number of students in the class. With each team assigned three genin, there would still be one student left over. He pondered what would happen tomorrow—would someone be left out of a team, or was there a special situation planned?
He didn't dwell on it for long, as training ground 11 was empty that day—one of his favourite places because it was typically undisturbed. He wanted to test out a new ability he had acquired yesterday. "Bond Pursuit" sounded intriguing, and if it worked as he anticipated, it could greatly enhance his combat abilities.
He first activated his Byakugan and then used the basic "Clone Jutsu" to create an afterimage of himself. The clone began to run away from Masagaki. Masagaki took a shuriken from his pouch and infused it with some of his chakra before throwing it toward the clone. He focused on the clone's chakra signature as he launched the shuriken.
It passed right through the clone since it didn't have a physical body, but the shuriken changed its course and continued to target the clone. Now, coming from above, it aimed directly at the clone. Masagaki commanded his clone to jump and avoid the shuriken, and the clone complied just as the shuriken rushed downward. It nearly pierced the ground due to its momentum but halted just in time, adjusting its direction to follow closely behind the clone.
The shuriken continued to pursue its target, skillfully changing directions to avoid obstacles. However, it lasted only about 30 seconds before falling to the ground, having exhausted its reserved chakra.
Masagaki was quite pleased with this new ability. He continued his training, concentrating on enhancing his physical capabilities. He wanted to be as prepared as possible for tomorrow.