The Headmaster’s Office.
Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore sat across from each other.
Snape’s expression was tight, guarded, and laced with vigilance, whereas Headmaster Dumbledore seemed relaxed, gently reassuring him with a hint of helplessness.
“Relax, Severus.
We both know You-Know-Who has vanished.
He wouldn’t use a child as a spy.”
“But you can’t drop your guard like this.
The Prent family is nothing more than an unremarkable pure-blood line.
Not a single wizard in over a dozen generations has shown such insight into Potions, nor has any wizard ever conceived of such precise standards for processing ingredients and controlling heat.”
“Albus, I can tell you with absolute certainty: anyone capable of pondering these questions and pursuing them deeply will inevitably become an outstanding Potioneer.
They possess an exceptional talent for Potions—talent that does not belong to the Prent family.”
Snape’s voice carried a sharp caution.
Headmaster Dumbledore agreed warmly, “Of course, I agree with that.
After all, sitting before me is the only Potions Master of this century—the sole remaining heir of the Prince family, a legendary Potions dynasty.”
Snape’s face, which had briefly flickered with pride, instantly darkened upon hearing those words.
He snarled in a low voice, “Albus, you know—you know perfectly well…”
Just as Dumbledore was about to speak, the old woman snoozing in the portrait beside them suddenly opened her mouth:
“Albus, that boy—the one without eyes—just entered that magical room on the eighth floor.”
Snape abruptly stood up, demanding sternly, “How could a young wizard who grew up in the Muggle world know about the Room of Requirement?
Even I only discovered it by accident after becoming a professor!
How could he know?”
Dumbledore harbored a slight doubt as well, but he replied gently, “The Room of Requirement is well-known within Ravenclaw.
A few students discover it every year.
Perhaps his father told him.”
“He’s only a first-year.
That doesn’t mean he intends to do anything nefarious.
We shouldn’t jump to conclusions about a child.”
Seeing that Snape remained suspicious, Dumbledore felt a pang of sympathy for the young man before him.
He sighed helplessly and conceded, “Very well, Severus.
Since he has such a unique perspective on Potions, would you mind guiding him a bit more?
He’s a Ravenclaw, so he certainly won’t refuse instruction from a professor.”
***
On the other side of the castle.
Jereil had no idea that Headmaster Dumbledore had just given him a push along his academic path.
He had originally worried about what to do if Professor Snape had no interest in him, but now it seemed there was no need to fret.
It wasn’t that the Hyuga clan couldn’t use elemental Ninjutsu, but rather that the Byakugan provided far greater utility to Gentle Fist than to standard Ninjutsu.
To focus on developing the capabilities of their Byakugan, the Hyuga clan preferred training in taijutsu like Gentle Fist in tandem with their kekkei genkai, creating a powerful and unique legacy.
It was much like the Hatake clan’s sword techniques—a specialized training method exclusive to their bloodline.
During his two months of training before the school year began, Jereil had focused mostly on molding chakra and running chakra energy to cast magic.
He was still in the adjustment phase.
Back then, he only had Grandpa Cora by his side; if something went wrong during training, what could be faster than having a professor carry him straight to the Hospital Wing?
Even during recovery, he could enjoy hellishly bitter potions personally brewed by a Potions Master.
He decided to start with the fundamental Ninjutsu: the Substitution Technique, the Transformation Technique, and the Clone Technique.
Chakra—or rather, magic power.
Jereil decided to call the energy within his body magic power from now on.
There wasn’t much of a difference anyway.
Magic power flowed through his body according to his will.
Before long, Jereil transformed into Jack.
No smoke popped up, which satisfied Jereil greatly.
In Kishimoto’s manga, every technique was accompanied by white smoke or a loud poof for visual effect, but when actually living in the Naruto world, Jereil had realized those didn’t exist.
Otherwise, a ninja in battle would be seen through instantly.
Furthermore, Jereil discovered that he didn’t even need hand seals.
As long as he willed it, his magic power would trigger automatically.
The only variable was his proficiency with the technique.
*Thank Merlin, thank the First Hokage, and thank Nature for her bounty,* Jereil offered a devout prayer once more.
With a thought from Jereil while wearing Jack’s skin, he substituted himself with a wooden log on the spot.
Ten meters away, three Jereils suddenly appeared.
They looked at each other; two of them smiled slightly and vanished with a soft puff, leaving the real Jereil thoroughly satisfied.
The smooth, steady flow of magic power and the seamless execution of the Three Basic Jutsu indicated that his Ninjutsu training was on the right track, bringing great relief to his mind.
He had never been entirely sure whether he could master magic; if he couldn’t, he would have to rely on Ninjutsu to protect himself.
However, Jereil pondered with his head bowed, Ninjutsu couldn’t be kept entirely hidden from others forever.
If someone saw it, wouldn’t they assume he was using wandless, nonverbal magic?
Even if he claimed Ninjutsu was a spell of his own creation, a young wizard not only inventing spells but also casting them wandlessly and silently would be far too absurd.
*Wouldn’t people mistake me for a second Voldemort?* Jereil thought hesitantly.
*I’d better add a seal.* Jereil pressed his left index and middle fingers together and held them upright in front of his chest, forming the Seal of Confrontation as his starting stance for casting Ninjutsu.
It made sense, too.
If he was about to hit someone with Ninjutsu, they were opponents—it fit perfectly.
*This way, people shouldn’t mistake it for wandless casting, right?* Jereil wondered with lingering doubt.
*Whatever, forget it.
At worst, I just won’t let anyone catch me using Ninjutsu for the next few years.
Once I reach the upper years, learning actual nonverbal and wandless magic won’t be impossible.* Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Jereil let his mind wander further.
Chakra had elemental affinities, whereas magic power didn’t seem to have distinct divisions.
Did that mean he could currently use Ninjutsu of all five elements?
“Let me try,” Jereil murmured, his gaze narrowing.
“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!”
Jereil squatted and pressed both hands to the floor.
A wall about a meter high surged abruptly out of the ground.
Taking a few steps back, he prepared the next attack.
“Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!”
*Pfft!* A small fireball the size of a fist formed and shot forward, dissipating upon impact with the earth wall.
“Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!”
*Thwack!* A small sphere of water materialized and hurtled forward, slamming into the wall and leaving tiny hairline cracks across its surface.
“Wind Release: Gale Palm!”
Jereil thrust his palm forward.
A sharp gust of wind whistled through the room, widening the cracks on the wall.
“Lightning Release: Earth Flash!”
Several arcs of electricity flickered from his palm, racing along the floor.
Upon hitting the wall, a burst of bright lightning flared with crisp crackles.
When everything settled, the earth wall had crumbled into several broken pieces.
Jereil was very pleased with the results.
He was only eleven years old, and his total reserve of magic power was small, so a light test was enough without going all out.
While magic power allowed him to use Ninjutsu of all five elements, Jereil noticed that Lightning and Fire Ninjutsu felt noticeably smoother and easier to execute.
So, magic power did possess its own implicit affinities after all.
After his test, Jereil used the Room of Requirement to create several kunai and shuriken, beginning his practice in taijutsu and projectile throwing.
He wanted magic, he wanted Ninjutsu, and he wanted Hyuga taijutsu as well.
Time flew by, and Jereil’s eleven-year-old body soon grew hungry.
Leaving the Room of Requirement, he went to the Great Hall for dinner.
Afterward, he met up with his fellow Ravenclaw first-years and headed to the library to complete today’s homework.
In addition to his regular homework, there was the essay specifically assigned to him by Professor Snape.
Although it wasn’t due until next Monday, it would be nearly impossible to write without consulting library books.
Perhaps Professor Snape was waiting for him to turn in a sloppy essay, so he could slowly curl his lips into a wicked smile and openly blast him with an Avada Kedavra.
Jereil shuddered at the thought.
Never underestimate a teacher’s scrutiny over a student’s homework!