It was a reward for her hard work—cooking and helping him with the laundry.
"What is this?" Tenten asked, blinking in confusion.
"Channel your own chakra into this kunai's handle, then throw it and see what happens," Kazuki instructed with a confident smile.
Tenten tilted her head slightly, eyes wide with curiosity. She didn't fully understand, but she trusted her brother. Without hesitation, she followed his instructions.
She refined her chakra, infused it into the kunai, and threw it forward.
Suddenly—
Bang!
A puff of white smoke erupted midair, and when it cleared, an identical copy of Tenten stood before her.
"A Clone Jutsu?!" Tenten gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Her eyes sparkled with disbelief.
How was this possible? Had she just cast the Clone Jutsu? But… she hadn't even learned how to form the necessary hand seals yet!
"This is a special kunai I designed over the past two days," Kazuki explained, patting her on the shoulder. "It produces the same effect as the Clone Jutsu without needing seals."
Tenten's eyes lit up with excitement. She gazed at her brother with admiration.
"Wow! You're amazing, big brother!"
Kazuki chuckled. "Then you should train hard with it. I've actually created three types of ninja tools, but for now, I'll only give you this Clone Kunai. Your chakra control still needs work, so master this first. Once you do, I'll teach you the others."
Early in the morning, after freshening up and having breakfast, Kazuki stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his appearance.
Unlike his usual plain blacksmithing outfit, today he wore a formal robe—wide-sleeved, cross-collared, and secured with a palace sash. His long black hair was tied up, giving him the refined look of a wandering swordsman.
In the mirror, his sharp features—sword-like eyebrows and clear, determined eyes—gave him a heroic presence.
Tenten, meanwhile, wore a pink cheongsam-style dress, modified to allow for better movement during training. Her hair was styled into two rounded buns resembling panda ears, making her look both adorable and energetic.
"Let's go!"
After gathering their things, Kazuki and Tenten headed out together. Today was the start of the Ninja Academy!
At the academy gates, a large crowd had gathered—children and their parents lined up, waiting to be tested by instructors.
The entrance test wasn't difficult, just a basic physical assessment and a chakra aptitude evaluation.
Kazuki glanced around at the other students. Since this wasn't the same class as Naruto's in the original timeline, he didn't recognize anyone immediately. However, he did spot a few notable clan symbols—the fan of the Uchiha, the crest of the Sarutobi, and the markings of the Inuzuka clan.
This was only the beginning.
Kazuki secretly speculated in his heart,
"If nothing else, I should be meeting Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee, two of the Twelve Konoha Genin from the original story."
Soon,
It was time for him and Tenten to take the entrance exam.
For the siblings, this was not a challenge—they both passed swiftly and were assigned to the same class.
As they stepped into the assigned classroom,
They immediately attracted some attention.
"Wow, that guy looks kind of handsome!"
"What's the use of being handsome? He doesn't seem like he comes from a ninja clan. He has no future!"
"That's right! As expected, Neji Hyuga from the Hyuga Clan is the top student this year. Not only is he good-looking, but his strength is also on another level!"
Hearing the murmuring voices,
Tenten turned to Kazuki curiously.
"Brother, who is this Neji they're talking about? Is he stronger than you?"
"Neji Hyuga, a genius from the Hyuga Clan, and the son of the clan head's younger brother," Kazuki explained briefly. Then, he smiled faintly.
"As for strength… I'm not sure yet. But I think I should be stronger than him."
"Hee hee, I think my brother is the strongest!" Tenten grinned brightly.
As they were chatting,
A boy with thick eyebrows and a bowl-cut hairstyle walked up to them hesitantly.
"Uh… can I sit here?"
"Sure," Kazuki nodded.
He quickly recognized the boy in front of him—
The passionate, hard-working ninja of the original story: Rock Lee.
"Ah… um… hello! My name is Rock Lee!" the boy stammered, his face slightly red. "Are you two also from civilian families? Can I… can I be friends with you?"
"Of course," Kazuki said with a smile. "I'm Kazuki."
"And I'm Tenten! His sister!" Tenten introduced herself cheerfully. "My brother's friend is my friend too!"
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Rock Lee's excitement was overwhelming, and his gratitude was written all over his face, leaving Tenten momentarily surprised.
"It's just… being friends, it's not a big deal," she thought.
At that moment—
The once-noisy classroom suddenly fell silent.
It seemed that everyone's eyes had shifted toward Rock Lee.
Mocking voices soon followed:
"Wow, someone actually wants to be friends with that loser Rock Lee?"
"So what if he can use chakra? He actually thinks he can become a real ninja?"
"That's right! And those two are just commoners. They really think they can compete with us? Hah, what a joke!"
Tenten's face darkened.
"You guys are too much!"
She slammed her hands on the desk and shot up from her seat, her eyes burning with anger.
No wonder Rock Lee had been so moved when they agreed to be his friends.
Just because he was from a civilian family, did that mean he deserved to be mocked and looked down upon like this?!
The ones who had been laughing just now were briefly startled by Tenten's sudden outburst.
But then, realizing that she was just a girl from a commoner background with no clan backing, their confidence returned.
"Oh? What, are you angry now? What can you even do?" one of them sneered. "You commoners think you can become real ninjas? How ridiculous!"
Rock Lee clenched his fists and let out a sigh.
"Tenten… forget it. Don't argue with them. They've all been trained in their clans since they were young. We can't beat them…"
At that moment—
Swish!
A shadow flashed before Rock Lee's eyes.
Kazuki?
Lee was stunned.
"Wait, wait, Kazuki!" he thought in panic. "Didn't I just say not to fight them?!"
But in the next second—
Rock Lee's thoughts came to a halt.
Kazuki moved with lightning speed.
Before anyone could react, his fist shot out—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three students were instantly sent flying.
Kazuki stood there, looking down at them with an air of indifference.
"This is all you've got? Pathetic," he said coldly.
Silence.
The entire classroom fell completely silent.
Everyone's eyes were locked on Kazuki,
The once-murmuring students now gulping nervously.