More than ten days later, at a training field, Kaede Kitahara stood in a tight black training suit with a green vest over it, hands flashing through signs.
"Genjutsu, Tree Bind Death!"
His shout rang out. Right in front of him stood his teammate, Hyuga Keiko.
In an instant, trees sprouted out of thin air around her, branches winding tight until they locked her in place.
"Break the genjutsu. Use your Byakugan and fight it."
Kaede Kitahara's voice was firm.
He was clearly using his teammate to practice the B-rank genjutsu he'd just exchanged for with his accumulated merit. Kurenai had once used this technique to try to trap Uchiha Itachi.
Of course, he wasn't just practicing on Hyuga Keiko. He was sharpening her resistance to genjutsu as well.
The Byakugan wasn't as strong as the Sharingan when it came to genjutsu, but it was still a dōjutsu, which meant it naturally provided a certain degree of resistance. It just couldn't auto-nullify low-level illusions the way the Sharingan could.
"Release!"
Hyuga Keiko tried to break the illusion, but nothing changed. The branches stayed clamped around her.
Kaede Kitahara's improvement in genjutsu was unbelievable. She had been his practice partner for days, and because she had a dōjutsu herself, her resistance to genjutsu was far stronger than that of a normal ninja. She was the perfect training partner.
She had watched with her own eyes as Kaede Kitahara mastered the technique in such a short time. Even when she realized she was under a genjutsu, she couldn't break it unless she activated her Byakugan.
Kaede Kitahara's strength was skyrocketing so fast it left her speechless. With the Byakugan's clairvoyant clarity, she could see his chakra increasing at a terrifying rate every single day.
A month ago, his chakra reserves had only been comparable to one of their Hyuga Clan branch house Jonin. But now, his chakra was several times greater than any elite Jonin she had ever seen. The sheer density of it was something she had never encountered in her life.
Even their clan head couldn't compare.
This was cheating.
She thought that every single day. She had no idea Kaede Kitahara had first absorbed the standard Uchiha Clan bloodline and then fused with the initial-level Uzumaki Clan Sage Body. Physically, he was a monster.
Under such overwhelming chakra pressure, even a B-rank genjutsu locked Hyuga Keiko down completely.
"Open!"
Hyuga Keiko finally activated her Byakugan. The veins around her eyes bulged instantly.
But it still didn't work. She couldn't break Kaede Kitahara's Tree Bind Death.
Even with her Byakugan enhancing her dōjutsu strength, she still couldn't dispel it. That alone proved how exceptional Kaede Kitahara's genjutsu had become. And that wasn't even considering the hidden Sharingan inside him, which had far greater eye power than any Hyuga branch member.
"I'm done, I'm done!"
From not far away, Amakusa Ryuji's pained yelp echoed across the field. He was being crushed by one of Kaede Kitahara's shadow clones, which was using nothing but basic Leaf-style taijutsu to batter him breathless.
"No good. Your taijutsu fundamentals are awful."
The shadow clone didn't hold back.
Kaede Kitahara had made it his mission to raise both his teammates' strength. Before this, the two of them were still Genin. Their abilities barely touched the threshold of Chunin. In the ninja world at large, they were nothing more than higher-grade cannon fodder.
Just like how the Demon Brothers were instantly wiped out by Hatake Kakashi at the start of Naruto's story.
Soon, they would be taking the Chunin Exams. The monsters in this exam were far more dangerous than the ones Kaede Kitahara had faced before. So whenever he had time, he trained them relentlessly.
Under his crushing training regimen, both teammates quickly stabilized at Chunin-level and were steadily advancing toward elite Chunin. Kaede Kitahara even taught Amakusa Ryuji Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire, Leaf Gale, and Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu. Ryuji had fire-nature chakra, so the fit was perfect.
For Hyuga Keiko, who came from the Hyuga Clan, he taught her two genjutsu. Other ninjutsu and taijutsu weren't necessary. The Hyuga Clan had their own complete system. Gentle Fist had been refined by their ancestors for generations and didn't need outside supplements.
Unfortunately, she was branch house, which meant she couldn't learn everything. And unlike Neji, she didn't possess freakish talent that let her learn techniques like Rotation just by watching.
But with Kaede Kitahara's intense training, both teammates rapidly gained battle experience. Their chakra grew steadily as well. They had also earned quite a bit of money from missions with Kaede Kitahara, and he forced them to spend every last coin on medicinal herbs used for soaking their bodies and strengthening their foundations.
The Hyuga Clan had such recipes, and while the branch house's version wasn't as good as the main family's, it was still incredible for a civilian like Amakusa Ryuji who normally would never have access to such resources.
Their money vanished quickly, but their power rose just as fast. At this pace, Kaede Kitahara estimated it wouldn't be long before they reached Tokubetsu Jonin level.
By the time the Chunin Exams began a few months later, they would have a real shot at breaking into Tokubetsu Jonin. They wouldn't match a full Jonin, but in specific areas, they would already touch Jonin-level. When that time came, no matter how many monsters showed up in the exams, they would be able to protect themselves.
Kaede Kitahara, however, didn't need medicinal baths. After merging with the initial Uzumaki Clan Sage Body, he still hadn't reached his physical limit. Even if he did nothing all day, his chakra kept rising on its own.
In just a few days, he gained chakra equal to two more elite Jonin. His reserves were now half of a Kage Level powerhouse's.
His strength had soared again. Even against a Kage Level opponent, Kaede Kitahara was confident he could survive. And elite Jonin? They no longer posed a threat.
Even after training at full intensity all day, he could rest overnight and wake up full of energy, ready to go again. That was the terrifying nature of the Uzumaki Clan's Sage Body.
He had even tested his regeneration in private. Ordinary wounds healed ten times faster than before. Little scrapes and cuts sealed up within moments.
And he couldn't help but imagine the possibilities. This was only the initial-level Sage Body. If he reached the intermediate level, or the advanced level…
What kind of body would he have then?