Two and a half years had passed since Mikoto's last big incident. On Mikoto's end not much had changed. Kurama had since forbidden her from doing weird experiments with his chakra. Being unable to perform any large scale techniques, she only continually worked to increase her chakra reserves. Unlike those around her, Mikoto's reserves would not increase with time. She needed to constantly put in work if she wanted to keep pace with those around her. Thankfully, all the hard work paid off and Mikoto's chakra reserves were growing well beyond most children her age, only being matched by children from prominent clans that made use of ninjutsu. In particular, Sasuke Uchiha's chakra level was equivalent to hers.

 

The education of academy students was half over, and Mizuki had an announcement to make.

"Alright, class! Today, we will be conducting a test to judge how far along you are in your journey to become a genin."

 

The class erupted into groans, Naruto's being especially prominent.

 

"Haha! Don't worry, kids. This test is much more interesting than a paper test- and you may even be able to graduate early if you finish with promising results!" Iruka soothed the discord within the class, and immediately brought it to its peak once more.

 

The classroom erupted with the chattering of students, excited to excel and become genin over two whole years early. Naturally, some students were disappointed, knowing they were at the bottom of their class. Despite this, even though some students were downtrodden, the vast majority of the class was excited to discover what kind of test awaited them.

 

"As I'm sure you know," Iruka began speaking again, "your final graduation exam will require you to perform the clone jutsu. This jutsu requires you to have adequate chakra control and a certain amount of chakra. Your current test is more open ended than that. The only requirement is that you perform any ninjutsu. This could be the substitution jutsu that we've been learning, or it could be any ninjutsu you know. If you prove that you can perform a jutsu at, or above, the level of the clone jutsu, you will be allowed to graduate. If you are going to use a jutsu that could cause property damage, let us know so we can set up some simple barrier seals."

 

The class that had once been excited was now distraught at the thought of trying to perform a ninjutsu that was far above what they had been taught. Some students were indifferent to this, mostly the ones from larger clans, but these children were young elites, destined to be shinobi in the future.

 

"Now then," Mizuki called, "we'll start with our three largest troublemakers. Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, and Mikoto Hyuga. Please come to the front of the class."

 

"I'll go first!" Naruto told his two friends, his eyes sparkling and excitement barely contained. Naruto quickly marched up to the front of the class. "I'm going to perform the transformation jutsu and graduate before anyone else!" Saying this, Naruto put his hands together and began channeling his chakra.

 

With a large burst of smoke, an identical copy of the yellow-haired boy appeared right next to the original. It was absolutely perfect, at least until its legs turned to jelly. The clone promptly collapsed under its own false weight, falling to the ground with a loose expression plastered all over its face. Naruto went from looking proud and arrogant to looking crestfallen at his clone's degradation.

 

"No! You were so close to being perfect! Why?" Naruto fell to his knees at the feet of his clone, bemoaning his loss. The reaction got a laugh out of the class and a sigh from Iruka.

 

"Although I don't appreciate your boastful attitude, you were still very close. Excellent work, Naruto. You will definitely be able to graduate in due time." Iruka gave Naruto a pat on the back and looked towards the two that were left. "Who would like to go next?"

 

Hinata looked at Mikoto. Mikoto looked at Hinata. After a few seconds, Mikoto gave Hinata a smile and a nod, prompting Hinata to raise her hand and walk forward. As she approached Naruto's spot, he got up to go sulk near Mikoto.

 

"Good," Iruka gave a quick nod. "Now then, feel free to demonstrate your jutsu."

 

"Sensei," Hinata spoke so softly that Iruka had a hard time hearing her, "my jutsu may be a little dangerous, please set up a barrier."

 

Iruka, though a little surprised, threw a seal tag to the ground and a large barrier was erected around Hinata. She began gathering chakra and the air around her became electrified. She made a simple hand sign and golden lightning began gathering in front of her. It slowly formed itself into a spear-like shape and rested vertically in the air in front of her. The spear was half of her height. Once it was completely formed, Hinata grasped it in her hand and took a throwing stance, aiming at the barrier. Iruka saw what was happening and frantically threw down nine more barrier tags, strengthening its defense. Hinata finished preparing and was ready to throw. However, she stopped and looked at Iruka.

 

"By the way, if you would like to know what this jutsu is called, please listen closely." Her eyes turned forward and she sharpened her mind one final time, making the lightning spear turn almost eerily still. "Gungnir." Hinata threw the spear, and faster than the eyes could see, it crashed into the side of the barrier, filling it with cracks and leaving behind the deafening sound of a thunderclap in its wake.

 

The entire class was as silent as a graveyard. Nobody spoke, nobody breathed. They all stood in awe of what they had just witnessed. Well, everyone except for two people, that is.

 

"Whoa! That was even more cool than last time! Good job, Hinata!" Naruto shouted, breaking the silence.

 

"It was a very nice performance, you did well Hinata." Mikoto started lightly clapping, prompting the entire class to erupt in applause. Hinata's face blushed and she slowly slunk back towards Mikoto's side, attempting to escape the attention placed on her.

 

Hearing the crowd cheer brought Iruka back to his senses. He looked at the scorched floor that the barrier couldn't protect, then at Hinata.

 

"Well… That was one of the most impressive performances I have seen. That was practically a chunin level jutsu, if it weren't for the slight lack of power. You have certainly passed the test. Would you like to graduate?"

 

Hinata looked at Mikoto, who only smiled at her. She then looked at Naruto then back to Iruka. She shook her head, a smile on her face.

 

"I'll stay here, Iruka-sensei. Thank you for the offer." Hinata gave Iruka a slight bow.

 

"I see. That's perfectly alright, I look forward to seeing you grow during these next two years." Iruka was practically beaming.

 

"Now then, Mikoto, please come up to the front. Will you need barriers as well?" Mikoto only nodded.

 

What are you planning?

 

I'm still thinking. There's so many options, but I have a mighty need to use my own tailed beast chakra. I specifically modified by chakra core to be able to accommodate two kinds of chakra after all. I've been training very hard.

 

Definitely not. That would cause a greater panic than the time I was on a rampage.

 

I know, I know. I just don't know what jutsu to use. I've been able to recreate an insane number of spells that were frequently used in my own universe. Although I'm a little sad Hinata took Gungnir, I should still be able to find something before my time runs up.

 

Mikoto took her spot at the front and just continued thinking. She looked up at Iruka.

 

"Is everything alright, Mikoto?"

"Yes, Sensei. I'm just thinking about what jutsu I want to try. Would you prefer something more flashy or more effective?"

 

Iruka looked troubled.

 

"I would prefer if it's something at or below the level of Hinata's Gungnir," he said while scratching the back of his head, trying to avoid feeling awkward.

 

"Mikoto, if you're stalling for time, please stop. It's a waste for everyone. We all know your talents have been incredibly middling since your enrollment. Even if you're friends with Hinata, it doesn't mean you can just skirt around the rules all the time." Mizuki was glaring at Mikoto, urging her to get on with it. Naruto and Hinata were glaring holes in his back but he pretended to be ignorant of the heavy looks given to him.

 

"Iruka-sensei, please add as many tags as you can afford. All bets are out of the window. Since Mizuki-sensei believes me to be untalented and a rule-skirter, I might as well put one of those into effect."

Iruka was about to try and mediate but the look in Mikoto's eyes told him to follow along. He put down ten barrier tags on top of the ten he had already put down. Even accounting for the abilities of all the other promising students, there shouldn't be any that will make him run out of tags. Mikoto looked at the tags, knocked on the barrier, and nodded.

 

"I'm not one for a show-" Mikoto was interrupted by a snort that was quickly stifled by the sound of a hand hitting someone's skull and a boy's shout, "so I'll tell you the name beforehand. It is called Petit Megaflare. It's a small scale version of a jutsu I designed but cannot use yet."

 

Didn't you say you took this idea from a game you played in your first life?

 

Your point being? It didn't exist before, and I brought it into existence. Besides, I miss being able to use flashy spells. Once you reach a certain level, you can kill people by thinking about it. It's seen as uncouth to use large scale spells for no reason. I'll also have you know, anyone who can't use magic but has played those games has always wished to use this spell. I'm doing them a service by living out their dreams for them!

 

Your universe has strange rules. Also, no you aren't. It's just self-satisfaction.

 

…It kind of does. Also, who cares? You're the only one who knows anyways.

Mikoto closed her eyes and two bright white flames appeared in each hand. She traced her hands in complex geometric patterns, the flames duplicating themselves at measured distances, drawing a circular rune in the air. It was filled with shapes and patterns that nobody could decipher. Once the rune was completed, the fire left her hands and she held her right palm in front of her.

 

So much for not being a showoff.

 

Shut up. It's fun. If you had hands you would do it too.

 

…That's not important.

 

As if! That's the most important part! Either way, the process is important, even if it's all for show. As long as they believe the jutsu requires a ritual, they won't bother me too much.

 

"As the ruler of flames in the Divine Realm commands the sun to do her bidding, I borrow her authority to vanquish those who stand before me. Goddess of Fire, grant my request and deliver your flame unto my soul, so that I may channel a part of your glory into this world. I command the flames of this world: Gather!"

 

The rune began spinning as it spiraled into Mikoto's palm, forming what gave off the aura of a small star.

 

"Now, go forth-"

"Wait!" Iruka shouted, "Please throw that outside, I can already tell the barrier won't hold up! The training field is right outside the window."

 

Mikoto looked slightly miffed about being interrupted, but waited for him to take down the barrier before heading to the window. She opened it with her free hand and found a training dummy that was far enough away.

 

"Now, go forth and… I'm just not in the mood anymore. Go." She lightly blew on the miniature white star in her hand and it lazily floated towards the training dummy. Upon making contact, the orb emitted a blinding light and exploded, creating a massive crater and swallowing the field in flames. The resulting sound and tremors caused several on-duty shinobi to rush towards the training field.

 

…How much chakra did you say you'd need for the full version of the jutsu?

 

If I were to convert all of your chakra into regular chakra, I would need about a hundred of you.

 

I thought you said you wouldn't destroy the planet!

 

I won't, but if any country offends me I won't hesitate to cause all cartographers to rewrite their maps.

 

"My apologies, Mizuki-sensei, you've got a blank look on your face so I can only assume the jutsu didn't meet your standards. Can you please tell me what I can improve on?" Hearing his name combined with the particularly nasty tone on the word, 'sensei' brought Mizuki back to his senses. He gritted his teeth.

 

"That was exemplary, Mikoto. Would you like to graduate?"

 

Ugh, I can almost taste the venom dripping from those words.

 

You and me both. He wants to kill you right now.

 

Fun.

 

"Nope! You'll be stuck with this middling student for the next two and a half years! I hope you're as excited as I am!" Mikoto denied him the chance to reply and returned to her friends.

 

"Mikoto, that was awesome!" Naruto was jumping up and down and running around Mikoto. "You have to teach me to do that! If I can do that, I'll definitely become Hokage!"

 

"Well, I'll teach it to you when you chakra control gets better. One mistake and you'll blow up, you know?" Naruto shivered upon receiving Mikoto's playful wink.

 

"…I'll work hard."

 

What if he doesn't have a talent for fire jutsu?

 

Doesn't matter. Nature transformations are normally done naturally. Everyone's body is inclined towards certain elements more than others, so they instinctually start channeling it. That's fine, but it's weak. It's much better to actually understand what you're using, rather than relying on your instinct to figure it out for you. Naruto may have lackluster chakra control, but he isn't stupid. I'll drill the understanding of elements into everyone's head over the next two years.

 

How about me?

 

Do you even need it? You can just tell your chakra to become fire and it will. You're a force of nature. You understand the elements instinctually better than any living human. If you want me to teach you, I will, but I don't think it's necessary.

 

I'm hoping it will make me stronger. Besides, if I want to inherit your power I'll need to get on your level, right? This can be the first step towards that.

 

If you put it that way, there's no way I'd ever refuse. Sure, I can start teaching you about the elements tonight.

 

Thanks.

 

The trio walked back to their seats and class continued after a bit of commotion caused by the shinobi who arrived at the field earlier.

 

Sasuke went next and used the fireball jutsu. He was offered the chance to graduate, but declined after looking towards Mikoto's group. About the same happened for all the students who came from large clans, in fact. Around an hour passed and the test finished.

 

"This is a first in academy history, but congratulations! Everyone passed the exam!" The students who had failed to conjure up a working jutsu were confused by Iruka's remarks. "This was a test to see if you were willing to stay with your peers, even when given the opportunity to bypass them. Although personal ability is important as a shinobi, teamwork is just as, if not more important. If anyone had chosen to graduate they would have immediately failed the exam. Well, everyone except Mikoto and Hinata. Their jutsu were so out of the norm that they probably could fit in with any genin team at this point. However! You two shouldn't grow complacent! There are still many more challenges on the road to become a shinobi. Once again, I'm excited to see how this class will grow over the next two years!"

 

The day had ended and the students were sent home. Neji met up with his friends outside the academy and they went on a walk, talking about their day. The four spent a lazy afternoon together and bid Naruto goodbye as the sun began to set. Everyone settled into their beds. While all this happened, the Third Hokage was looking over a report he received from Iruka.

 

"Interesting. I should take the time to meet with them before too long."