[Uchiha Izusa]

Words, lightly spoken

---

A lone instructor stood in one of Konoha's many training grounds, hands resting atop one another within the sleeves of his haori. Waiting, it seemed, for one of his students to meet him for further training. "Hm..." A hummed thought.

Counting today, this lesson would mark the third one-on-one instruction with the aspiring shinobi in question. He tried never to play favorites, but hers was an unusual case. If ever there was a 'fast-track' to getting through the academy, Hyūga Hinoe was certainly on it. But not through any bias of his own. Her skills spoke for themselves.

So far they'd worked on both refining her chakra control and fought hand-to-hand, and each time she seemed to take his lessons to heart. A good sign, but there was always more work to be done. Today would be something different.

Normally he might have a file in hand to read up on the student beforehand, but hers was a case he had been invested in for some time now. Izusa knew of her strengths, weaknesses, and potential for adaption. Of course there still remained the question of her personal dreams and motivations... but those, he saved for the official examination.

It was the best time to ask, he found, and also one final opportunity for the youth of Konohagakure to reconsider their choice of work.  "Hey, Hinoe-chan." The instructor would greet the student upon seeing her, signature smile on his lips. Only for a moment though, as he promptly remembered how she left their last lesson and cast a concerned glance at her hand. "Uh... how's your hand feeling?" His eyes closed, a hint of nervousness creeping into his face.

False apprehension, like most of his outward displays tended to be... but there was some genuine concern there too. Most shinobi got much worse than a sprain at some point or another in their careers. But unlike some, he didn't like to make a habit of injuring those far less capable than himself. It was crass, and moreover, unconducive to learning.

---

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Hinoe had to admit she found herself hurrying when she had gotten the summons from Uchiha Izusa. Okay, not hurrying per se, but her steps were quicker than she normally would have moved when going for a lesson. "Of course, it's because I really want to be done with all these Academy lessons and graduate to become a Genin," she tried to convince herself. And yet, there was something else, something she was not sure she wanted to consider. It was probably irrelevant and useless overthinking on her part.

Or was it? Izusa had seemed to pay more attention to her. He was certainly her favorite teacher. "Because he's not at all bad-looking... no! It's only because he's the one who's been teaching me most things!" the Hyuuga forcefully attempted to persuade herself. "But why does he care?" she wondered, as she walked down the halls of the Shinobi Academy. It probably was because he had seen her data file, and had taken pity on her situation. Hinoe didn't like that. To an extent, she was proud. She preferred to earn things by her own merit, not because she was pitied.

The Chuunin called out a greeting to her as she spotted him. "Hey, Izusa-sensei," she replied, smiling somewhat more brightly than was her normal habit, before her expression quickly, almost dramatically, returned to her usual deadpan expression. "Idiot! You're swooning at the guy that beat you up last time. See? He even remembers what he did." Or... she was just trying to coerce herself into showing less emotion around Izusa. For someone who liked to feel in control of her emotions, it was uncomfortable to admit that the young Chuunin could possibly be having a specific effect on her.

"My hand? It's fine," the Hyuuga replied, feigning ignorance. "Why do you ask?"

Uchiha Izusa

[Uchiha Izusa]

Maybe a breath of shrewd sound

---

Before long the student arrived, and he was quite pleased to see a change in her expression. "A smile?" He'd certainly seen hers before, but those were rare moments and usually fleeti— "Oh... it's gone." As quickly as it had come.

It wasn't as if he had any place to comment on others' emotions, as the ones he chose to show were more often than not forged. Mere pantomimes to put others at ease, learned through years of practice and meticulously employed in every interaction. But he wished for better for his students, hoped that they might find some joy in this world...

Since this profession of theirs was so often a miserable thing. "Good!" The instructor said, his timid, mummer's smile still holding. Hinoe asked the cause of his concern and Izusa pondered for a moment. "Well, I ask because I care..."

How could he not? She, along with the rest of the students at the academy were his responsibility. Beyond that, for as insincere as his outward demeanor often was, he did genuinely worry for her. The same way he worried for Uzumaki Ataru or Nara Shun. Wherever their paths led after— they began here, with him. "...and wanted to make sure I didn't leave any lasting damage." Apparently, his own control wasn't as perfected as he sometimes liked to think.

As long as she was okay, that was all that mattered in the end. Izusa removed a hand from his sleeve, placing a fist near his mouth to clear his throat. "In any case— our lesson today's going to be about ninjutsu." He began. After returning his hand to rest atop the other, he paused for a moment to consider his approach. They could just jump in...

Though where chakra was concerned, understanding involved the theoretical and the practical. "Tell me..." Izusa continued, tilting his head just slightly as he spoke. "What is chakra, Hinoe-chan?" A basic, but essential question.

---

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Izusa's response to Hinoe's question elicited a slight raise of her eyebrows. "He cares?" she contemplated silently. Did that mean she was on his mind? "Probably, just the same way all his bazillion numbered other students are on his mind," came another thought, dismissing the hope that perhaps Izusa might have taken some notice of her. "Stop being an idiot, Hinoe. You find him cute. Fair. But that's all there is to it. He'll be a distraction, if you don't concentrate on the lessons he's trying to teach you and keep fantasizing about foolish things."

And yet, was it wrong to have such distractions? "No! Following such irrelevant lines of thought is counterproductive." Izusa's statement about not leaving any lasting damage was met with a dainty scoff. "I'm not that delicate, Izusa-sensei," she replied with a slightly offhanded tone in her voice. "After all, if you must know, I have defeated a Chuunin in combat before, although to be fair, he was not nearly as skilled as you." A compliment. Would that please him? Also, while indeed Hinoe had come out on top in her last encounter with Himoto, despite the other Hyuuga outranking her, there was absolutely very little skill involved in that battle, if it could be called a battle. A lot of 'underhand' tactics, though. But ninja were supposed to embrace underhanded tactics, so she was on the right path.

Seemed today's lesson would be ninjutsu. Despite being part of a clan famed for its potent taijutsu, Hinoe felt she preferred ninjutsu. It was more versatile, in her opinion, than taijutsu, and more fun. "Chakra is the energy derived from the combination of one's physical and spiritual energies," she replied, giving the conventional textbook answer. But Hinoe was anything but conventional. "It's used for a plethora of shinobi-related things, and its manipulation is almost always necessary to have, if one wants to be a shinobi. Nevertheless, relying too much on it could be a crutch."

Uchiha Izusa

[Uchiha Izusa]

Withered our orchids

---

Watching with keen dark eyes, he took note of the girl's body language. A raise of the eyebrows, what looked to be contemplation, a scoff. Izusa could only renew his smile at her insistence that she wasn't delicate. "Indeed."

The instructor replied with a small laugh. "Of that, I'm certain." It may have sounded like a joke, but it was meant as praise. Not many in Hinoe's situation could or would have the necessary will to return to the academy. It was Hyūga clan business in the end, and as such he wasn't privy to many of the incident's details, only that she'd been injured...

...but that she was still here was proof enough of her resolve. Mention of her besting a chūnin was followed by a compliment of his own skill, to which he bowed his head slightly. "That's quite the feat, Hinoe-chan. And I thank you, but..." A pause, his posture straightening out a bit. "Skill isn't everything, and I still have much to learn, myself."

It was the truth. A shinobi's progress was never truly over, at least as he saw it. Theirs was a world full of children stronger than himself and elderly ninja far weaker. Besides that... "The measure of a person involves much more than simple raw power." He thought, mind turning to some of his own clansmen. If only they saw things the same way, but alas, it turns out that even dōjutsu can't do much for someone's foresight. As the girl pondered his question he waited patiently. And once she answered he gave an approving nod. "Well said." Spot on, as far as he was concerned.

Understanding the substance was one thing, using it another. "Both the physical and spiritual working in tandem to create what we know as 'chakra." Izusa's eyes drifted off to the side for a moment as he pondered on the best way to begin. He settled on relating to their past lessons. "In our first lesson— even though it may not've seemed like it, we worked a bit on refining your grasp over the spiritual half of your chakra." There was a pause, then he drew one hand from his sleeve to rub his chin in thought. "The uh... 'spiritual' can be a bit vague, I'll admit... but believe me, that's what we did." Study, meditation, experience— all of these things contributed to one half of the whole. The instructor cleared his throat, then continued. "And in our last, we trained your physical energy." Sparring was great for that.

Not only for testing one's self and the physical exercise, but for honing that essential part of one's chakra. Izusa placed his hand back in his sleeve, then turned to Hinoe. "Hand seals help us to summon and mold chakra." He said, nodding to the girl. "Let's see yours. All twelve, please." Having a firm grasp on these would make the next part easier, and it was good to return to the fundamentals occasionally. So while she did, he would wait, watch, and smile.

---

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Hinoe felt she had overstated her feat of defeating Himoto, but being dramatic was fun. Although, to be fair, she had not lied; she had indeed defeated him, even though he bore the rank of Chuunin, although the means by which she did so were rather... underhand. Still, few ninja who were really in the business could say in all sincerity that they had not used less than straightforward means to overcome obstacles. Presently, she knew Himoto outranked and outskilled her. When they had been kids, they were more evenly matched. The first time she had defeated him, it had been fury that had given her the prevailing edge, and the years in the hospital that followed. Sadly, Himoto, like his mother, never knew when enough was enough, and had proceeded to mock her incessantly after her return to the Academy. She had defeated him a second time, and he had stopped hounding her to jeer. Didn't mean he was less rude when they crossed paths.

Although Izusa had stated that the spiritual side of chakra was a bit vague, Hinoe felt he had been able to pass across the lesson he had been trying to teach her in her last lesson. Now, the exercise to perform was handseals. On the one hand, Hinoe wanted to complain; she already knew them, so why was she being asked to show stuff as basic as this? But she decided not to, and chose to comply. Izusa was the teacher; if he said he wanted to see handseals, then she would show him handseals.

"I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji, Uma, Mi, Tatsu, U, Tora, Ushi, Ne," the Hyuuga reeled off, as she performed the handseals. While she executed them satisfactorily, it was clear that she still had some getting used to to do concerning the hand movements. "There are more, but these are the conventional twelve."

Uchiha Izusa

[Uchiha Izusa]

Or perhaps, but a wind, blown

---

The instructor said little as he watched, his eyes sharpening on the girl's hand movements. One by one Hinoe performed the twelve basic seals, quite well in fact, with only a few minor delays in formation. "Well done."

Izusa acknowledged with a nod. "As you already know, these seals are essential in performing ninjutsu." He began, thinking back to their very first lesson in control. "I recommend practicing them until you can sign each one with your eyes closed. Repetition, as always, is key." To be able to do this could mean the difference between life or death.

Hopefully, the girl wouldn't have to worry about that for some time yet. "Some ninja choose to focus on their seal speed once they begin training in earnest. Others even teach themselves to perform them one-handed." Both were valid options, and it was important to start thinking about these things early on. That way Hinoe could better plan out her own progression down the road. "Speaking of..." Izusa thought, looking to the side. "...I should probably work on one of those myself." Teaching, along with his other work, seemed to take up most of his free time these days....

But that was no excuse! He had examples to set for his students, after all. "Anyhow..." A trailed word as he brought his gaze back around to Hinoe. "Since I've already seen your Henge, this time, I want you perform the Bunshin no Jutsu." The instructor requested of the girl, still smiling as he stood to observe. He wanted to see how far her chakra control had come since their first lesson while also watching for any hiccups in her hand seals. Hinoe would need a certain degree of mastery over both if she hoped to graduate. "Whenever you're ready." Izusa said with a nod.

---

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Izusa seemed impressed enough with Hinoe's handseals, even if the Hyuuga felt there was a lot of progress she could still make regarding the execution. Of course, she was probably being hard on herself; for an Academy student, she was probably proficient, which was why Izusa had commended her effort. She was not a Chuunin, and as such was not required to judge herself as though she was one. Still, it was best to keep her eyes on the prize; at her age, she was supposed to be at least a Chuunin. With that motivation, hopefully she would remain untiring until she got there. And afterwards, it would be on to higher ranks. For now, though, she would aim for the Chuunin rank.

The recommendation given by the Uchiha was responded to with a quiet nod. As Izusa continued the lesson, Hinoe considered that single-handed sealing would be quite a useful skill to have, especially if a ninja supplemented it with a taijutsu or weapon proficiency. One hand would do the seals, while the other would be used to wield a weapon or execute taijutsu strikes. But she didn't think she was anywhere near that level. No point in daydreaming about potentials. It was one step at a time.

The next step was to perform a Bunshin no jutsu. Hopefully, that wouldn't be too difficult. It was a rather basic technique, and Hinoe was not at a disadvantage when it came to molding her chakra. "Remember what Izusa-sensei taught," the Hyuuga reminded herself, as she performed her handseals. Since that lesson, she had been practicing, as evidenced by the fact that she seemed to concentrate well enough to make four clones at a time. However, it was one thing to control how much chakra was used, and another to control how well chakra was used. The last clone looked a bit too wispy. Hinoe gave it a baleful glare, dispelled the single clone, and then quickly turned to face Izusa, to hear his judgment.

Uchiha Izusa

[Uchiha Izusa]

Across the new leaves

---

While he spoke, he watched Hinoe carefully to ensure she was listening. Thankfully, he had nothing to worry about. 

A marked improvement from her daydreaming of their first few lessons. "I wonder..." A trailed thought, his mind turning to thoughts of Nara Shun. Another student of his with similar tendencies. "Is it something to do with me?"

Though Izusa had experience in shinobi matters, and was more skilled than his laidback instructor act might let on, he was clueless in other areas. In his youth, he'd been infatuated with his own sensei, Sarutobi Hinari, but that only lasted until after his Chūnin Exams. Once he was recruited for his true work... many things in life lost their appeal.

Romance, love, joy— these were experiences meant for people, not masked wraiths who haunt and hunt others after dark. "Lovers, stars themselves, must part." He mused on a poem to himself as he thought on the situation... and then, finally, it dawned on him. The blushing, the nerves, the bashfulness of his students... "...oh." He thought. "Oh dear."

Briefly, the instructor's eyes widened in concern. Childhood crushes were a natural thing, but if they ever evolved into problems, he would need to address them. "Maybe my next lesson should be on power dynamics..." He thought to himself, this train of thought coming to a screeching halt as several puffs of smoke erupted nearby. Izusa glanced to the four bunshins, inspecting each one in turn before settling on the last one. A smoky, unsolid-looking duplicate of herself. "Hm..." He hummed, ready to advise but as he turned to Hinoe he could already see her glaring at it.

The Hyūga already knew what was wrong, and dispelled it after realizing. "Close." Izusa said, interlocking his fingers within the sleeves of his haori and raising them so that the fabric fell away, and they could be seen. "Keep in mind— using ninjutsu is about efficiency as much as it is about potency." He said, performing the same Hitsuji → Mi → Tora, hand seals that Hinoe just performed. Another puff of smoke ensued, and when it cleared, three exact copies of himself stood side-by-side. "Additional clones offer no tactical advantage if they aren't all perfect." They said in unison, still smiling. Izusa would allow her a moment to observe and ponder his words, then dismiss the clones.

Sometimes, the solution was as simple as moderation. "One more time, Hinoe-chan." He instructed, placing a hand to his chin as he watched. Her seals were adequate, her control had been practiced, now she just needed to reel back.

---

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Hinoe had to admit that it was true, a poorly-formed clone would be of no value in a fight. Still, there was something of a smartass inside her, which made her reply a little bit quicker than she intended to: "Imperfect things can still be utilized to one's advantage, if one is quick on their feet." But there was no point in butting heads with her teacher. She was here to learn, otherwise, she would have been the one teaching classes. There was a pause, as she reddened slightly. "Apologies, Izusa-sensei. In the end, you are ultimately right."

Ninjutsu application was a mixture of potency and efficiency. The Hyuuga silently watched the Uchiha and his clone, considering where she had defaulted in the performance of her technique. It seemed that she had been focusing too much on efficiency, in order to control her chakra, that she had forgone potency. The chakra had been used well, but she had misjudged how much she was to use. Hinoe nodded as Izusa asked her to try it again. It was a fine line to tread, and the key to success was avoiding the extremes. Moderation.

Performing the handseals again, Hinoe summoned her clones, all four of them appearing perfectly enough. Improvements were still possible. Perfection was never a thing attained on this earth.

Uchiha Izusa

[Uchiha Izusa]

It needs to be but watered

---

The instructor returned to clasping his hands within the sleeves of his haori as he watched, listening to the student as she responded with a view of her own. "'Can' being the operative word, there." Izusa said with a delayed nod.

Hinoe wasn't exactly wrong, but he had more to say. "Things are different in the field." He continued on, meeting the girl's gaze as he spoke. "Any shinobi worth their salt can spot even minute aberrations." Even in the midst of battle, things like the absence of grime or a missing mole, for instance, could well lead to a wasted clone. Wasted chakra.

Memories of past battles came flowing back, and his gaze then slipped from Hinoe. Outward and down as he pondered those old missions, flashes of steel playing in his mind. "In our world, where one strike can often mean the difference between life or death..." His words trailed as he thought. Hayase Satoji, his old squadmate always strove for perfection... and even that didn't help in the end. "Best to prepare— not improvise, whenever possible."

Hopefully, he wasn't coming off as condescending. "No apologies necessary. It's healthy to question things." At least he thought so... even if both of his jobs so often discouraged it. Izusa returned his sight to Hinoe, and smiled again.

Doing his best to shak off those thoughts of old clashes as he watched her give the jutsu another try. As he expected, the bunshins appeared— three, near identical to herself. "That's more like it." He said with a nod of approval.

Chakra control, taijutsu, ninjutsu... she was almost ready. "I think we can call it here for today." The instructor decided, leaning forward a bit to inspect the clones. No wisps, no signs of intangibility aside from the same lack of shadow that accompanied the clones of the base Bunshin no Jutsu. "Keep up your studies, Hinoe-chan. And..."

Trailed words as he paused for a moment, then closed his eyes. "Expect to hear from me soon." It was just about time for her. Hyūga Hinoe had waited too long to graduate... and now she was on the precipice. Izusa would dismiss the girl with a small wave, deciding to linger at the training grounds for a while yet. "Withering wind..." He thought.

Contemplating the girl's situation as he gazed towards the sky. "Has it been colored by a late blooming flower?"

---

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Hinoe was a bit surprised, but bot at all displeased that Izusa refused to chide her for questioning his statement, although he had explained his reason for stating it. And he was right; proper preparation always beat proper improvisation. True, it said a lot about a shinobi's ability to adapt to situations when they improvised well, but the success rate was always likely to be higher with someone who prepared versus someone who improvised for the same situation, if both people had the same talents and abilities.

The Uchiha's examination of Hinoe's clones resulted in him being satisfied by her effort, and it seemed the lesson for the day was done. Hinoe's shoulders, which she hadn't realized were tensed up until now, drooped slightly as she relaxed, and the clones disappeared in a puff of smoke. Izusa encouraged her to continue studying, and then paused, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the Academy student.

What followed was a simple statement, but its meaning was laden with a lot of potential. Could this mean she was finally ready to graduate? Or would their next meeting be another lesson? Hinoe did not have the confidence to ask, so she simply nodded, returned Izusa's wave, and left the Chuunin on the training field, apparently alone with his thoughts. Still, despite her stoic response, she could not help the smile that slowly spread on her face. Things were finally looking up for her, if Izusa's commendations about her progress were to be believed.

She allowed herself to wonder, what did he think of her, not as a student, but as a person? But then, such questions were perhaps unwise to pursue. There were too many variables than Hinoe was comfortable with, regarding what someone else thought of her. Pushing such thoughts from her mind would be the most effective way of preparing for the time she would hear from Izusa, if her suspicions were correct, and his summons would be to an exam. And she would ensure she passed, come hell or high waters.

Uchiha Izusa

FINISHED