Hyūga Hizashi glanced down at his waist. The bell was still there—hanging quietly, unmoved.
But something felt… off.
He reached down and removed it from his belt.
Too light…
A flicker of chakra pricked his senses.
"Don't tell me—!"
Poof!
With a puff of smoke, the bell in his hand vanished, replaced by a crouched figure—Shigure's shadow clone.
"What?!"
Kōchō and Kusuo stared in disbelief, eyes wide. The genjutsu? No—this was pure strategy.
From a safe distance, the real Uchiha Shigure stepped forward, voice calm but confident.
"Teacher Hizashi… Do you remember when my shadow clone touched your waist—right before I launched the Fireball Jutsu?"
Hizashi narrowed his eyes. "I do."
"That was the key moment," Shigure said. "You struck one clone and saw it vanish in smoke. The second was struck and burst in smoke as well."
"But…" Shigure continued, "what you didn't realize… is that the second one didn't disappear."
Hizashi blinked.
Shigure held up two fingers. "Instead of dispersing, it used Henge no Jutsu—the Transformation Technique—mid-smoke. It changed into the bell."
"You mean… you disguised a shadow clone as my bell?" Hizashi was stunned. For a moment, he had doubted his own Byakugan. He had clearly seen both clones vanish—but had been fooled by misdirection and a well-timed jutsu.
"That's right. And the real me? I was already out of sight, preparing my jutsu while you focused on the fake bells and the Fireball."
Just then, the speaking Shigure—still standing near the team—smiled.
"Actually… I'm also a clone."
Poof.
He vanished too.
The real Shigure stood casually at the edge of the clearing, the real bell in his hand.
"Unbelievable…" Kusuo muttered, clearly impressed.
Kōchō's mouth hung slightly open. "He… transformed into a bell…"
Hizashi stared at the boy in front of him, then closed his eyes briefly in thought. "Incredible deception, perfect chakra control, and no hesitation. Even I didn't sense the substitution."
"Sandaime-sama was right to assign me to this team…"
Without a word, Shigure tossed the bell to Kusuo.
"Here."
Kusuo caught it awkwardly. "What? Why?"
"Give the other to Kōchō," Shigure said. "We're a team. If we don't support each other, there's no point in any of this."
"I don't care about a title like 'genin.' I care about having teammates who trust each other."
Kusuo hesitated, eyes shadowed by thought. "…You're right."
He handed the second bell to Kōchō.
But just as the bells changed hands—
Swish!
In a blur, Hizashi moved, catching both bells out of the air before they could fully exchange hands.
Then… he smiled.
"Congratulations."
The three genin froze.
Hizashi's serious tone softened, and for the first time that day, he looked not like a jōnin tester, but a teacher.
"You all passed."
Their eyes widened.
"Your strength was impressive—but more importantly, you showed trust. You cooperated. You rejected betrayal, even when pressured. That," he said, placing a hand on each of their heads, "is what makes a true shinobi."
"You are now officially members of Team 7 under my leadership."
For a moment, silence.
Then all three looked at one another—smiling, laughing softly, tension melting away. A bond had formed.
Shigure exhaled deeply, satisfied. The whole test had gone mostly as expected—though Hizashi's Kaiten had nearly knocked the soul out of him. Even transformed into a bell, he definitely felt the chakra shockwave.
But the strategy had worked.
More importantly… they were a team now.
Later that night…
Shigure lay on his futon, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
He wasn't just happy—he was buzzing.
Not only had he passed, but he had secretly achieved something even more exciting:
He had copied Hizashi-sensei's Gentle Fist technique—at least in part.
His unique eyes, somewhere between Byakugan and Sharingan, had captured everything in slow motion.
"The Gentle Fist... Konoha's strongest taijutsu style."
Shigure's eyes gleamed as he watched his chakra circulate in a mirror.
"A style that targets the chakra network directly—attacking the tenketsu instead of the body. It's perfect. It completely compensates for my close-combat weaknesses."
He tightened his fists and struck a slow, deliberate stance.
"And unless a Hyūga elder is carefully observing, they won't even realize I'm using Gentle Fist techniques. Not without the Byakugan."
He smirked.
"Hakke Kūshō—Eight Trigrams Air Palm. A long-range chakra burst… now that gives me a way to attack from mid-range using taijutsu. An ideal counterbalance."
He mimicked the chakra flow, striking forward.
"And Kaiten—Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation… a technique even most Hyūga can't use. A chakra-repulsion defense so powerful it can deflect almost anything. Absolute defense, as they say."
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"Based on my analysis, it relies on releasing chakra in all directions through the tenketsu at once. The greater the chakra output, the larger the range and stronger the spin."
He took a deep breath, then grinned.
"And I copied it… I actually copied it!"
Only a shinobi with both the three-tomoe Sharingan and the Byakugan could perceive and replicate such a technique.
"I can't do the full Sixty-Four Palms yet... but that'll come in time."
No one was home that evening. It was the perfect time to train.
Shigure moved like a blur through the courtyard, practicing combinations of Gentle Fist strikes and experimental spins for Kaiten. With his Byaringan—a hybrid dojutsu of Sharingan and Byakugan—he could clearly see his chakra flow, the tenketsu points, and subtle circulations in his body.
Each strike was measured. Controlled. Efficient.
Most shinobi couldn't even attempt Hyūga taijutsu without the Byakugan, but Shigure's unique dojutsu gave him perfect insight.
He trained until the stars filled the sky. Finally, just as he was about to lie down and rest—
He felt it.
A flicker of intent.
He opened his Byaringan again, and the world lit up with chakra signatures.
Three individuals.
Creeping through the shadows toward his house.
"Tch... They're trying to hide it. But that killing intent…"
Shigure focused.
"Those chakra flows… all Uchiha."
He frowned.
"What are they doing here at this hour? And with that kind of murderous aura?"
He didn't wait to ask questions. In a silent instant, he weaved hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Three clones appeared with a soft puff. The original Shigure transformed himself and quietly vanished into a hidden spot near the roof.
"Always prepare. That's survival."
He watched through the shadows as one of the figures kicked open the door.
"Spread out. He has to be here," one whispered.
Then the leader stepped inside.
The moonlight hit his face just enough for Shigure to see the smug curve of his mouth.
"Uchiha Ei," Shigure whispered, his expression turning cold.
His fingers clenched reflexively.
The intruders stalked the room like wolves.
"So it was you…" Shigure's eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.
"You really came to kill me."