My Techniques are a bit off

Time Flows Like Water

The initial buzz surrounding Link's return to the Ninja Academy didn't last long. He remained distant and unapproachable, with no friends or even classmates he could exchange a few extra words with.

Day by day, his physical fitness and chakra reserves improved steadily. While the growth wasn't as rapid as in his first ten months of training, it was still respectable. His hand-seal speed also made significant progress.

Yet, in other ways, he was at a standstill.

The teachings of the Ninja Academy grew increasingly disconnected from his own combat philosophy. As an adult with a firm worldview and logical mindset, he was difficult to influence. Certainly, no amount of history lessons could inspire him to develop a deep love for the village.

At most, he occasionally faked a bit of enthusiasm to keep up appearances.

With his improving physical condition, advancing age, and relentless training, Link's food consumption increased dramatically. To complicate matters, he spent a lot on soldier pills as part of exploring his combat strategies—an expensive investment.

Soon, even the two subsidies he received were no longer enough.

For the better part of six months, he spent nearly every day hunting and fishing in the training grounds outside Konoha to fill his belly.

His frequent forays into the wild, coupled with solitary training, turned him into something of a delinquent at the academy. Skipping classes became the norm. Fortunately, the homeroom teacher—a character so inconsequential they would never appear again—was understanding of Link's unique circumstances and didn't give him trouble for it.

It became evident that he wasn't suited to the Academy's structured environment. A year of refinement was enough.

What he needed now was more jutsu, more money, and higher status.

…

Another year passed without much excitement, bringing him closer to the moment of destiny: Naruto Uzumaki's graduation.

Feeling a touch of anxiety, Link immediately attended the first day of the graduation exam. This time, the test was Clone Jutsu.

And as expected, his peculiar version of Clone Jutsu was not going to cut it in a traditional evaluation.

Instead of trying to force it, he sought out the homeroom teacher and easily obtained a new forehead protector—after all, his previous one had been revoked.

Thankfully, there was no need to retake his photograph; his old one was still on file. After a brief period of team assignments, he met his new teammates.

"Hey, Link! What kind of person do you think our Team Five's sensei will be?"

Iris, a lively boy with a ponytail, asked with excitement. Wearing his fresh forehead protector, he already looked like a clumsy rookie.

(Note: Iris is the same impulsive student who collided with Naruto during the infamous Naruto-Sasuke "first kiss" scene.)

Link glanced around the still-crowded classroom, a trace of unease flashing in his mind. "Hopefully not someone who's always late."

He silently prayed their new sensei wouldn't be Kakashi Hatake. One year's delay had been enough—another would be disastrous.

"Strong ninjas don't show up late," scoffed a girl with her legs propped up on a desk. Her tone was casual but dismissive. "If we get some tardy, useless sensei, then I'll really be out of luck—stuck on a team with you two."

Her name was Ami, another member of the Team Five. (Note: Ami is another background character from the Naruto databooks. She bullied Sakura and repeatedly failed to graduate.)

"Hey! What are you implying?" Iris yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Ami.

Ami shrugged, her eyes drifting to the ceiling, saying nothing more.

Link sighed. An impulsive idiot and a girl with a princess complex.

As long as Kakashi Hatake wasn't their sensei, he could tolerate these two as teammates for a while. After all, demonstrating leadership ability was essential to his goal of advancing to chunin.

But first, they'd need a little "talk" after meeting their sensei.

"Team Five: Link, Iris, Ami."

A jonin with dark green eye shadow and a high ponytail entered the room, calling their names.

…

Ten Minutes Later – Academy Training Grounds

"Let's start with introductions," the jonin said. After a pause, he added, "My name is Nara Ensui. Jonin." (Note: Nara Ensui appears in the Fourth Great Ninja War as a member of the Nara Clan.)

"Link."

"Iris."

"Ami."

"Just your names?" Ensui asked, though his tone suggested he didn't expect more. "Alright then. Following tradition, tomorrow morning at Training Ground Seven, there'll be a small test. Anyone who fails will be sent back to the Academy. Got it?"

"Got it." x3

The jonin glanced at them, his expression one of mild annoyance. "Well then—dismissed."

And just like that, he vanished.

Ami turned to leave, but Link called out, "Wait. I need to have a word with you two, my 'teammates.'"

"What's up?" Iris asked, his curiosity piqued. To him, Link was just a younger teammate in need of guidance.

Ami, however, continued walking as if she hadn't heard him.

"Whoosh—thud!"

The sound of clothing brushing the air was followed by Ami being pinned to the ground.

Twisting her fingers backward, Link stared at Ami and spoke coldly, one word at a time: "I said, I need to talk to you two. Teammates."

He released Ami, who immediately scrambled to her feet and, seething with anger, drew a kunai to strike him.

Naïve.

A second later, a kunai was at Ami's neck, held silently against her skin.

"Dear teammate," Link's young voice was chilling, sending shivers down their spines. "Did you hear me this time?"

Though he couldn't match Kakashi Hatake or elite jonin in skill, Link's chakra control was leagues above his peers. He had mastered tree climbing and water walking long before entering the Academy, enabling him to move faster and strike sooner.

With the kunai's blade grazing her neck and drawing a thin line of blood, Ami froze. Beads of cold sweat trickled down her face as she whispered, "What do you want to talk about?"

Link pulled back the kunai, calmly wiping its edge on her shoulder before sheathing it.

"Training Ground Seven. One hour."