Though Izayoi didn't get Sage Body from Naruto, he still felt thrilled to have extracted the Uzumaki Bloodline. That was already quite lucky. After all, just like the Senju, Uchiha, and Kaguya clans, the Uzumaki are another branch of the Otsutsuki. As descendants of the "Sage Body," the Uzumaki and Senju each possess formidable vitality and massive chakra reserves.
Moreover, on top of their sealing expertise, the Uzumaki Clan has three unique abilities:
1. Mind's Eye of the Kagura (Kagura Shingan) – One of the greatest sensory jutsu in the shinobi world.
2. Adamantine Sealing Chains (Kongō Fūsa) – A versatile technique that can function for both offense and defense, as well as to form barriers or perform sealing techniques. Even a Tailed Beast would struggle to break free once bound by these chains.
3. Physical Healing – The ability to consume one's own chakra to heal wounds, whether on oneself or others, boasting remarkably strong recovery effects.
All three are top-tier support skills. Of course, not every member of the Uzumaki Clan awakens them—just like not every Uchiha unlocks the Sharingan. In the original story, Naruto never awakened any of these powers until Kurama acknowledged him, at which point he gained an ability similar to Mito Uzumaki's "good-and-evil" perception. He never unlocked the other abilities, perhaps because his "Sage Body" was already strong enough, or the author simply didn't want to overload him with more advantages.
Even so, there's no denying that Naruto not only has Uzumaki blood but also carries a high level of purity as Asura's reincarnation. Now that Izayoi has obtained Uzumaki Bloodline from him, there's a possibility he might awaken at least one of those three unique abilities. If he's as lucky as Karin and somehow unlocks all three, he'll become top-tier in sensing, sealing, and medical support. And even if none of those abilities manifest, the powerful lifeforce inherited from the Sage Body is still a huge gain.
Izayoi happily closed his interface and continued watching the rest of the fights. One round of taijutsu matches followed another until the session wrapped up. The last part of the exam was a survival exercise. Before starting that, Iruka took everyone to the infirmary for treatment and then led them to the equipment room, where they could pick out tools essential for using the Invisibility Technique.
Unlike the Genin "bell tests," the Academy's survival exercise was basically "hide-and-seek," testing students' mastery of the Invisibility Technique, Body Flicker, and the Three Basic Techniques. Those who did well would receive high or perfect marks. Those who struggled might get a second chance, as in the Chunin Exams, but if they still couldn't cut it, they'd be "dragged out" of the exercise.
This sort of test posed no difficulty for Izayoi, who had long since mastered all the necessary techniques. Unsurprisingly, he sailed through it and got another perfect score. Official results wouldn't be posted until the new semester in April, but Izayoi was sure to be the top student for his year.
…
"Hinata, see you tomorrow at our usual spot."
"Mm!"
After class let out, Izayoi and Hinata parted ways at an intersection, arranging to meet as they often did. Even though Izayoi wasn't taking her to the old training ground before the Uchiha Incident concluded, they still planned to train together—just switching the location to the schoolyard or the small courtyard of Izayoi's house.
During the Nine-Tails attack, Izayoi's home hadn't been destroyed. Among the inheritance left by his ninja parents was a two-story house with a small yard. Compared to Naruto—whose inheritance was seized and even Kushina's scarf was tossed into some storage room—Izayoi's conditions were vastly better. Luckily, both of his parents had only been ordinary ninja, so the village didn't see any need to confiscate his property.
…
At the Academy, there are three semesters a year. Aside from summer break being fairly long, the other vacations are very short. Soon enough, it was April 1st, marking the start of a new school year.
The sixth-years had graduated. Those recognized by a Jonin were already taking on missions as Genin. Anyone not recognized either returned for another year, got scouted by some special department, or realized after multiple attempts that the ninja path wasn't for them and dropped out to live as ordinary citizens. Grades 1–5 all advanced to the next level and relocated to new classrooms. The empty first-year classes welcomed freshly admitted students.
That day, a huge crowd stood around the announcement board. New first-years were checking which classroom they were in. Students from other grades were checking their final exam results.
"Hey, Izayoi-kun, have you seen the results on the board yet?"
"Wow! Izayoi, you became the top of our entire year!"
"Not even Sasuke can compete—just as expected of Izayoi!"
"You took first place, and Hinata's second. You two seatmates are dominating the top spots!"
"… … …"
Izayoi had barely entered the new classroom when a bunch of classmates—both boys and girls—surrounded him. He wasn't annoyed, though; he stood there smiling and chatting for a while. From what they said, he'd indeed ranked first, and second place went to Hinata, not Sasuke. This didn't surprise Izayoi at all. Hinata's academic performance had always been near the top. Recall how in the original Chunin Exams, among the four female members of the "Konoha 12," only she and Sakura didn't need to cheat on the written test. And with Izayoi's help—learning tree- and water-walking in first year, shedding her shyness, striking decisively without worrying about others—it would've been ridiculous if Hinata still lost to Sasuke.
In fact, Sasuke should be relieved he didn't run into Hinata during taijutsu sparring or he might not have even gotten third place. Shino wouldn't let him off easy, either.
They chatted right up until class time. Izayoi then made his way to his seat.
"Izayoi-kun, good morning."
"Morning, Hinata."
As usual, she'd arrived before him. After exchanging greetings, they fell into a casual conversation.
"Congrats on becoming top student, Izayoi-kun."
Hinata had clearly seen the posted rankings too. Izayoi smiled back, "Congrats on taking second place. Now your dad definitely won't stop you from going out."
"Mm-hmm."
She nodded and smiled happily. It was clear to her that their mentor-student "plans" had long since been noticed by Hiashi, yet she hadn't been grounded—she was still free to leave home.
This could only mean that her continued association with Izayoi had Hiashi's tacit approval. Thinking about how he'd once caught her practicing water-walking at home multiple times and hadn't questioned her, Hinata figured he was pleased by how much she'd progressed.
Now that she'd secured second place, and the person who taught her had become first place, she was sure her father would only respect Izayoi more. The thought filled her with excitement.