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He wasn't overly concerned about the exam; if memory served him correctly, the test for being classified as a genin involved simply creating a clone using the clone technique. All he had to do now was wait.
-
"We are now about to begin the graduation exam. When your name is called, please proceed to the next classroom. The exam will focus on the Clone Jutsu," Iruka announced, standing behind the podium in front of the classroom.
Hiruka, who was seated not far from Naruto, could see that Naruto already looked like he wanted to give up. Hiruka couldn't blame him; failing the same jutsu over and over again, especially when it was the requirement to become a shinobi, would be disheartening for anyone. He understood why Naruto might feel like giving up.
Hiruka was now standing in the center of the empty classroom. In front of him were Iruka and Mizuki, who sat behind a table filled with various documents and headbands. Hiruka focused and created seven clones, transforming each one to resemble a different classmate.
"Impressive! You managed to create seven clones and change the appearance of each one. You pass," Mizuki said, looking for a specific document before stamping it. He then picked up a headband and handed it to Hiruka. "Good job!" Mizuki continued.
Hiruka didn't respond as he left the classroom. He headed to an empty training ground to focus on practicing his Byakugan today. He didn't intend to train all day as usual; he wanted to leave later that night to find Naruto's location. Naruto was set to steal the forbidden scroll under Mizuki's orders. After obtaining the scroll, Naruto would learn the multi-shadow clone jutsu. Hiruka wanted to be there to witness this moment.
The multi-shadow clone jutsu was one of the most effective techniques for both combat and training. Hiruka desired to observe Naruto as he performed the jutsu, hoping to replicate Naruto's chakra pathways and formation to learn it for himself. Mastering this jutsu would allow Hiruka to double his learning rate by using just a single clone. He never understood why Naruto didn't exploit this technique to enhance his studies even further.
It felt like a cheat code. With two of himself, his rate of learning and mastery would obviously increase. Naruto had the ability to create thousands of clones, which made Hiruka envious as he imagined how quickly Naruto could learn a new technique. Unfortunately, Hiruka's chakra reserves were nowhere near that level; he could only manage to create four to five clones at most with his current chakra reserves. Well, that was currently only a theory.
There was only one way to truly know for certain. He needed to learn the jutsu that night or, at the very least, understand how it worked. During his training session today, he focused on improving his Byakugan's ability to see farther and with better clarity. To challenge himself, he placed several small rocks around the training ground, each labeled with different writings. His goal was to identify what each rock said. While this task seemed simple, he knew that sometimes basic exercises were the most effective.
He successfully deduced the messages on most of the rocks, only struggling with those that were beyond the forty-meter mark. His Byakugan could see nearly fifty meters, but anything over the forty-meter range began to lose quality, making it difficult for him to discern the details. He realized he needed to practice with his Byakugan more frequently, especially to improve his quality beyond forty meters. He spent his entire day doing the same practice. His quality began to drop after the forty-two-meter range at the end. It was not a huge improvement, but it was acceptable.
His Byakugan provided an incredible ability to see and notice intricate details, extending to nearly 50 meters. However, most members of the Hyuga clan focused on the broader picture rather than honing their skills to recognize subtle changes in their surroundings. This oversight has led to the deaths of clan members in battle, as they often ignored small environmental cues and became vulnerable to surprise attacks. He would not follow their mistakes. He had to stop training as the sun began to set. He knew this was around the time Naruto would act.
Hiruka began following Naruto just before he broke into the Hokage's office. He found it strange that Naruto, who was never skilled in stealth or infiltration, managed to break into the Hokage's office and steal one of the most important scrolls in the entire village. It didn't make sense to him.
Hiruka stayed near the Hokage building and waited for Naruto to emerge before following him again. He made sure to keep his distance until they reached the woods, where Naruto would eventually open the scroll. Naruto kept running into the woods until he was sure he was alone. He sat down and opened the scroll.
"Let's see, the first jutsu is the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Naruto said to himself, scratching his head as he tried to understand the instructions. Hiruka was perched on a nearby tree branch with his Byakugan activated, allowing him to clearly read the information on the scroll. It didn't take long for Hiruka to grasp the instructions. The technique was not much different from the Clone Jutsu, with only a few minor changes.
The instructions were as follows: Focus chakra at your core, mold your chakra while forming the seal, concentrating on dividing it equally among intended clones, then you had to visualize the number of clones you wanted to create. Lastly, you should release the chakra with the clone seal, pushing the molded chakra outward to form tangible copies. It took him around ten minutes to understand it.
He had to leave soon because Mizuki and Iruka would be arriving shortly, and he didn't want to get caught up in that situation. As he departed, Naruto continued to struggle with understanding the jutsu.
Hiruka made his way to Training Ground 3, which was empty at that time. His chakra reserves had not fully recovered from the earlier training session, but he still wanted to test whether he had grasped the jutsu correctly.
He began to gather the last bit of chakra he had, centering it in his core as he formed the hand sign for the shadow clone technique. He visualized a singular clone and pushed the gathered chakra outwards. Suddenly, he felt a surge; half of his chakra dissipated in a puff of smoke, and a tangible clone stood next to him. He had succeeded.
Approaching his clone, he realized he could interact with it. He instructed the clone to practice the "Heavenly Rotation" technique while he left it alone on the training grounds. He made his way back to the clan compound.
If he didn't return soon, they would have likely sent out a search party to look for him. He arrived just in time, slipping into his room. Today had been long, and he felt exhausted. Using the shadow clone jutsu demanded extremely high chakra reserves. Reflecting on it, he realized he would only be able to create one or two clones before his chakra levels dropped too low for him to train effectively. He began to fall asleep until he felt a sharp pain in his mind.
He had overlooked the main drawback of the shadow clone jutsu: the information relay technique caused a painful headache each time a clone disappeared. Fortunately, it was just one clone, and it didn't last long due to his minimal chakra reserves. The pain wasn't too severe and faded within a few seconds. Hiruka now had the memories of his clone performing the rotation technique repeatedly. If he continued to use clones, it would help develop his muscle memory and refine his chakra control.
-
Hiruka woke up early and was the first student to take his photo for his official shinobi registration. He handed it to Iruka, and it was accepted.
( Sidenote: I know the Hokage was present, but I don't see the logic in the Hokage spending his entire day looking at the photos for the genin registration. I believe he was called in because of Naruto's photo specifically. )
He spent the entire day training, knowing that teams would be officially selected the next day. He went to the training grounds at the main house, which were empty for a change. He practiced his Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms technique, and when he was sure no one was watching, he worked on the Sixty-Four Palms technique on the specialized training dummies. There wasn't much else to his day—he trained and then went to sleep. It was a monotonous routine, to say the least.
Hiruka arrived early at the academy the next morning and took his seat. Today was the day that the teams would be organized. He felt uncertain about which team he would be placed in, as he did not exist in the original Naruto storyline.