SS003

'I'm not sure if I should consider today a great success or a monumental failure...' thought Seikun, relaxing in his apartment with his hand behind his head, staring up at the ceiling from his unmade bed.

Outside of the world created by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, a more confident Hinata had mustered the courage to approach Naruto while they were still in the Academy. As a result, the two began dating a few months prior to their promotion as Genin. Her father opposed it, of course, but as she was far stronger and significantly less timid than her canon counterpart in the anime, she was in a position to leverage stepping down from her status as the Hyuga Clan's future leader as a threat.

Recalling how envious he felt when the news broke, exacerbated by his lack of progress, Seikun couldn't help smiling as the image of Hinata hurt and vexed appeared in his mind. She clearly never anticipated the person she secretly admired to get the entire class to laugh at her expense. Ino brought things to a swift conclusion by slapping the top of Naruto's head and scolding him for making fun of a girl, but the damage had been done. Unless Naruto went out of his way to seek her out and apologize, Hinata's idealized view of him had been irreparably compromised.

Sobering up, Seikun's smile faded as he closed his eyes, thinking, 'Even if this is all a figment of my imagination, it's a hell of a lot more fulfilling than the life I was living outside. The question is how to ensure I don't wake up before it reaches its natural conclusion...'

As he had fled to avoid being foddered in a cataclysmic battle he had no hope of contributing to, Seikun had no idea how the fight against Madara progressed. He presumed Naruto and Sasuke would emerge victorious at some point, so that meant he had a limited time to enjoy his personalized dreamscape. However, as the Infinite Tsukuyomi was similar in name and nature to the Tsukuyomi used by Itachi, seconds outside could translate to hours, days, months, or even years within the dreamscapes created by the Genjutsu.

Though it meant the veritable destruction of the world of Naruto, Seikun couldn't help hoping that the titular protagonist and his edgy rival failed in their efforts to dispel the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Madara was a complete bag of dicks with more than a few screws loose, but allowing everyone to live out their dreams in a world where no one was harmed wasn't exactly the definition of evil. If given the option to choose for themselves, Seikun was certain that a majority of the world's citizenry would willfully submit to the Infinite Tsukuyomi if it meant escaping the never-ending tribulations that came about as a result of living in a feudalistic society with superpowered individuals capable of leveling entire mountain ranges...

Opening his eyes, Seikun raised his right hand to the ceiling and began molding his Chakra. A few seconds later, both his hand and forearm were wrapped in a nebulous veil of vibrant, bluish-white liquid, the manifested form of Chakra.

With far greater reserves and a borderline omnipotent degree of control over his Chakra, Seikun was certain he could become the most powerful being in his dreamscape. But was that what he truly desired? Maybe when he first reincarnated, but after spending a decade training exhaustively to increase his strength? It felt like a slap in the face to give him such power now, false or otherwise...

"No..." muttered Seikun, closing his hand and reabsorbing his Chakra as he affirmed, "Power is used to acquire and protect what one truly desires. My greatest regret is letting Hinata fall into the hands of Naruto, but that is far from my only mistake. This time around, I'll let other people play the nice guy. It sure as shit didn't afford me any favors..."

As his resolve took shape, a rather...greedy image began to coalesce in Seikun's mind. Graduating early would likely be impossible, as the Third Hokage would prohibit it in the wake of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, but if he demonstrated skill far beyond the Academy level, he could potentially be promoted to the level of a Tokubetsu Jonin the moment he became a Genin. The canon teams were effectively fixed due to nepotism, so even if he conspired to be placed on Hinata's team, it was highly unlikely without something happening to Shino or Kiba...

Since killing off people to create opportunities for himself was a line he would rather not cross, Seikun set his sights on the person he resented the most in the outside world, Hyuga Hiashi, aka Hinata's father. Seikun couldn't help feeling that the man's pettiness was the reason he had been relegated to performing menial, often demeaning labor around the village. Thus, even if this weren't the case, Seikun desired revenge or, at the very least, catharsis...

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As the first two years at the Academy were centered around mental and physical conditioning, the first thing Seikun's class did after the morning roll call was head outside to stretch, perform calisthenics, and run around in the empty, fenced-off lot at the Academy's rear. Seikun always felt like this was a way to demonstrate the superiority of the clans early on, as the vast majority of civilian-born prospects had received little training prior to enrolling in the Academy. Most clans began training their members at the age of six, with the Hyuga starting as early as four, so with the exception of himself and Naruto, the other civilians in their class struggled to endure more than twenty minutes of the four-hour training session.

"Alright, everyone, please gather around!" shouted Iruka, beaming as he clapped his hands together. Seikun got the distinct impression the man's smile was meant for him, but he remained stonefaced as he stood at the front of the group, standing tall with only faint traces of sweat.

"Were you...always this...energetic...?" asked Naruto, falling in line next to Seikun, huffing and heaving as he hunched over. He and Seikun had been placed in separate orphanages but periodically met one another during festivals, holidays, or when the Hokage wanted to save time by orating to all the orphans simultaneously. Thus, while they couldn't exactly be called friends, they were at least familiar with one another.

"You can talk all you want during lunch," warned Iruka, his expression and tone hardening. This version of Iruka had yet to come to terms with the simple notion that Naruto was ultimately a lonely and innocent child, not the monster responsible for his parents' deaths, so there was a palpable edge to his words when he looked down at the blonde-haired vessel of a living catastrophe.

"Ah...sorry, Mr. Umino..." responded Naruto, exhaling a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head. He was used to people regarding him as a monster, so while Iruka's look evoked a sour feeling in his nose and caused his vibrant blue eyes to moisten, he maintained a goofy smile and laughed it off.

Seeing a glimmer of his past self in Naruto's behavior, Iruka tensed but recovered quickly, adopting a smile as he explained, "Okay, class. Now that you've had a chance to warm up, we'll move on to the next phase of today's morning training."

"Warm up...?" parroted several children, their expressions and tones full of disbelief as they stared at Iruka's smiling face as if it were the visage of a demon.

"That's right," affirmed Iruka, nodding. "We perform the exercises to whip your bodies into shape, but the reason for that is to prepare you for actual combat. There are many times on the battlefield when you'll find yourself exhausted or near your limits. It's by developing the willpower necessary to overcome those instances that you live, survive, and thrive as a Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village..."

Without giving anyone a chance to argue or complain, Iruka had the class split into groups based on gender. Boys and girls would be pitted against one another in their third and fourth years, but until they learned to mold and manipulate their Chakra to reinforce their bodies, it was safer to have them spar separately.

Following a few insignificant matches, Iruka met Seikun's expectations by shouting, "Takanashi Seikun, Inuzuka Kiba! Please step forward and form the Seal of Reconciliation!"

Doing as he was told, Seikun separated from the larger group of students and positioned himself in the middle of a dirt clearing, smiling impassively as he waited for Kiba to join him.

"I hope you're ready to get sent home with your tail between your legs...!" exclaimed Kiba, sporting a toothy grin as he joined Seikun in the clearing and offered the index and middle fingers of his right hand. Once the two finished linking their fingers, they separated a few meters and faced each other, prompting Iruka to call out, "Begin...!"

Sparing no time, Kiba rushed forward as if he wanted to tackle Seikun to the ground. Seikun knew for a fact that was precisely what the dog-like youth intended, but unlike their previous first encounter, he wasn't caught off guard. Instead, he moved his right hand faster than Kiba could charge forward, pressing down on the back of his head and causing him to plant face-first into the ground.

"Try again..." said Seikun, retracting his hand and taking a few steps back as Kiba, enraged, got on all fours and attempted to charge him a second time. His actions gave the impression he was a wild animal, but as he had battled actual beasts, albeit only within Konoha's Training Zones, Seikun felt calm as a cucumber as he met Kiba's charge head-on by linking their fingers together. Then, in a single swift motion, he spread his hands wide and brought his forehead forward, causing his own to bleed but knocking Kiba completely unconscious.

"That's enough...!" shouted Iruka, eyes wide in surprise. His expectations for Seikun were high, but seeing him effortlessly defeat the heir of a major clan was jarring. He and the other teachers were aware that Seikun had spent a disproportionate amount of time training and meditating near the orphanage he grew up in, but the notion of an orphan's unguided training regimen allowing them to dominate the descendent of a well-established clan was as ludicrous as it was impressive...

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Though he only suffered a minor cut on his forehead and a bit of swelling, Seikun was compelled to get patched up and spend the rest of the day in the infirmary. Food was brought to him, preventing him from going hungry, but as the portions were much smaller than what he would have grabbed on his own, he felt ravenous by the time the final bell rang.

"Alright, you two. You're free to go..." said a middle-aged Nurse, a retired but skilled medical Ninja.

"Finally...!" exclaimed Kiba, rising with a start and turning to face Seikun with a broad, excited smile.

"Got something to say...?" asked Seikun, looking bored as he rose to meet Kiba at eye level.

"You bet I do!" confirmed Kiba, his smile somehow broadening as he said, "I thought my only competition here at the Academy would be that duck-tailed brat from the Uchiha Clan, but now I know who my real competition is! Better prepare yourself, Seikun, because I won't stay weaker than you for long...!"

"Just don't forget that we're on the same side..." replied Seikun, earning an approving nod and a smile from the Nurse as he extended his right index and middle fingers to complete the Seal of Reconciliation. It was meant to be done before and after a fight to reinforce the notion they were allies of the same village, helping to foster one another's growth. Kiba wasn't at a point where he could fully comprehend this, but as he understood it was a sign of mutual respect, he happily reciprocated the gesture with a toothy, determined grin...

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