Before anyone realized it, the first semester was almost over.
During this semester, the first-year students only had cultural classes and physical education.
Every day was either studying, physical training, or extracting Chakra.
Except for Class 1 of the first year, students from other classes had been advised to drop out.
Ninjas were indeed rare.
Not only was the entrance exam difficult, but the graduation assessment was also extremely challenging.
Graduation wasn't true graduation either; if one couldn't gain the recognition of a Jonin, they would have to return to school for further training. The dropout rate was absurdly high.
And this was just the transition from an Academy Student to a Genin.
Above Genin were Chuunin, Special Jonin, and the all-around Jonin.
However, all of this had nothing to do with Izayoi and The Nine Rookie Ninja.
After the initial two weeks, Izayoi hadn't attended school in person.
He wouldn't come unless there was a Taijutsu Duel.
After all, the reason Izayoi entered the ninja school was for Hinata and Naruto and Sasuke.
To be precise, he had his eyes on their red Talents.
Before graduating from the ninja academy, Izayoi had to extract their red Talents, at least one or two.
Otherwise, after graduation, it would become much more difficult for Izayoi to extract their red Talents.
It wasn't about the difference in strength, but the opportunities to meet and fight would be greatly reduced.
In the original story, after graduation, The Nine Rookie Ninja only met again during the Chunin Exams.
Graduation was at the end of March, and the Chunin Exams were on July 1st, both important dates every year.
There was a whole season in between.
Ding ling ling…
As the bell rang, another day came to an end.
The students who had physical education in the afternoon were still full of energy.
"Izayoi-kun, do you want to play the Ninja Game with us?"
"Izayoi, shall we go home together?"
Some students left school to go home, while others stayed and invited their classmates to form small groups.
Izayoi received many invitations; he was a very popular figure in the class.
Although it was just a Shadow Clone attending school, and his targets were only Hinata and Naruto and Sasuke, Izayoi didn't treat others coldly but instead greeted them with a smile.
Even his refusals were very tactful.
Today was no different.
Facing the invitations from his classmates, Izayoi's Shadow Clone clasped his hands together and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I've already made plans with someone else. Next time, definitely next time!"
"Ah, you've been taken again? Izayoi-kun is so popular."
"Then next time, let's all play the Ninja Game together."
The classmates looked disappointed but didn't press further.
After leaving the school, Izayoi's Shadow Clone disappeared into an alley and automatically dispelled.
The memories and fatigue all returned to his main body.
Having digested the day's memories and finished his training, Izayoi, who was resting at home waiting for the fatigue to set in, murmured, "The vacation is just a few days away. It's time to start taking action."
On July 20th.
After the morning classes, it was lunchtime.
Some students who lived nearby chose to go home for lunch.
Others brought bento to school.
Some ate in the classroom, while others went out to eat.
Izayoi usually went home for lunch since it was his Shadow Clone attending school.
But today, Izayoi surprisingly came in person and even brought a bento.
He was eating lunch with Hinata in the classroom.
Over the past three months, Izayoi and Hinata had become friends.
Although they weren't the type to share everything, they knew each other's hobbies and some small secrets.
For example, Hinata's hobby was flower pressing. And Hinata also knew that her deskmate was actually just a Shadow Clone.
When she first found out, Hinata's small mouth slightly opened, her beautiful eyes widened, and she looked completely surprised.
Then, the way she looked at Izayoi became even more admiring.
In a school where even the Three Body Technique hadn't been taught yet, Izayoi had already mastered the Shadow Clone Technique. It was simply an unbelievable feat.
As they ate their lunch, Izayoi suddenly spoke up, "Hinata, tomorrow is the start of the holiday. How do you plan to spend it?"
"I'll probably just train at home," Hinata replied softly.
"Do you want to train with me?" Izayoi extended the invitation.
"C-can I?"
Hinata looked at Izayoi with surprise.
But before Izayoi could answer, she shook her head dejectedly, "No, it's not possible. Father doesn't allow me to go out freely."
Ever since the kidnapping incident, if Hinata wanted to go out alone, she had to be accompanied by a guard.
Moreover, she couldn't go out frequently because she had already entered the ninja academy, and there was an Uchiha in her class.
For the sake of the clan's honor, she had to train hard and not be overshadowed by the Uchiha Clan.
"Hey… don't worry about that."
Izayoi grinned and said, "I'm just asking you, do you want to go out and have fun during the holiday? Train with me?"
"…Yes."
Hinata lowered her head as she ate, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"Good, I'll help you tomorrow. When the time comes…"
Izayoi leaned close to Hinata's ear and whispered his plan.
The warm breath brushed against her ear, and Hinata's cheeks and ears quickly turned red. Her hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.
This was the first time she had been so close to Izayoi, and all the immunity she had built up over the past three months instantly dropped to zero.
Fortunately, Hinata's personality wasn't as extreme as in the original story, so she didn't faint from embarrassment.
However, with her mind completely blank, she forgot what Izayoi had said.
"…Remember, tomorrow you'll need to take the initiative. Otherwise, my plan will definitely be exposed," Izayoi reminded her.
"Oh, oh…"
Hinata nodded blankly, looking adorably clueless.
Then, she looked up at Izayoi again, "Izayoi-kun, what… what did you just say?"
Izayoi: "…"
With a snap, he mercilessly flicked Hinata's forehead. Under the girl's pitiful expression, he repeated the plan again.
Hinata, holding her forehead, had a slight gleam in her beautiful eyes.
…
The next day, the ninja academy began its forty-day summer vacation.
Izayoi walked out of his house and entered a small alley.
With a pop, like the sound of a balloon bursting, a girl wearing a hat, though her blonde hair was still visible, ran out of the alley and headed straight for the Hyuga Clan.
If any of their classmates were here, they would have recognized this girl as Yamanaka Ino.
"Hello, my name is Yamanaka Ino. I'm here to pick up Hinata to go out and play. We already made plans yesterday."
Arriving at the entrance of the Hyuga Clan, Izayoi, who had transformed into Yamanaka Ino using the Transformation Technique, smiled sweetly at the guards.
The two guards exchanged a glance.
"Please wait a moment," one of them said.
After carefully examining Izayoi, the guard politely bowed and then entered the clan's grounds.
Not long after, he returned.
Following behind him was a young girl wearing a white coat—it was Hinata.
Hinata, who had come running over, exchanged a smile with Izayoi, who was still disguised as Yamanaka Ino.
The plan was going smoothly; the young lady had come out.
(End of Chapter)