Unlike Naruto, who became a bottom-tier ninja due to the interference of Kurama's chakra, Izayoi, with the Otsutsuki bloodline, not only has incredible potential but also an extraordinarily strong foundation.
The Hyuga clan's Byakugan can see the chakra within the meridians, which provides a unique advantage in chakra control training.
After awakening his Byakugan, Izayoi also unlocked the chakra control entry.
Even before entering the academy, Izayoi had already learned to climb trees with his feet and walk on water.
Not to mention the Shadow Clone technique, he had already mastered the B-rank ninjutsu passed down by his parents and basic Earth Release techniques.
He was like Uchiha Itachi, having the strength of a graduate before even entering the Ninja Academy.
During the entrance exam, it was no surprise that Izayoi took first place.
Thus, he was assigned to Class 1, where he shared the class with the top nine strong students.
Upon entering the classroom, many students were already seated.
Izayoi scanned the room and his eyes locked on a little girl who had also noticed him, her face lighting up with surprise and joy.
Smiling slightly, Izayoi made a beeline for her.
The desks in the classroom were long, meant for three people.
The girl was sitting in the middle, with no one on either side.
"Hey, we meet again," Izayoi said as he sat next to her, teasing, "As expected of the young lady who dared to run away from home. The entrance exam was no challenge for you."
"T... Izayoi-kun," the girl stammered, avoiding eye contact, her fingers nervously fidgeting, though her joy and excitement were evident.
She had indeed guessed correctly—the 'Izayoi' on the list was the same person who helped her all those years ago.
"We're desk partners now. Please take care of me, Hyuga... no, Hinata," Izayoi said, smiling as he spoke her name, noticing the girl's cheeks and ears turning red.
Hinata, reflexively looking at him, made brief eye contact before quickly averting her gaze. She softly replied, "P... please take care of me, Izayoi-kun."
However, she didn't notice the look in his eyes, which carried a hint of intensity.
In Izayoi's eyes, there were five floating bubbles around Hinata, each a different color.
The most striking and largest bubble was a red one.
[Princess of Byakugan (Red)]
[Bloodline Limit: Byakugan (Purple)]
[Jonin Potential (Blue)]
[Otsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)]
[Chakra Control (Blue)]
The "Princess of Byakugan" entry was the main reason Izayoi had gotten close to Hinata, waiting outside during the Hyuga family funeral to intercept her when she ran away from home, winning her favor.
When Izayoi saw this entry, he decided to surpass the destined child, Naruto Uzumaki, and the unfortunate Otsutsuki Shiren.
Just like how the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra could awaken the Rinnegan by combining each other's powers, Otsutsuki Shiren and Hinata only needed each other's power to awaken the Reincarnation Eye.
Furthermore, their bloodlines and the purity of their Byakugan are of such a high level that they are destined to awaken the Reincarnation Eye.
In the original story, Hinata only needed Otsutsuki Shiren's chakra to dramatically alter her fate.
Unfortunately, this condition was nearly impossible to achieve.
Therefore, Hinata, who only had the "Princess of Byakugan" entry and Otsutsuki bloodline at the blue level, could only reach the elite Jonin level at best.
But now, Hinata's fate was beginning to change.
With the Otsutsuki Bloodline (Red) in Izayoi's possession, his chakra might just help Hinata alter her destiny.
And Hinata's red entry might give Izayoi the power to awaken the Reincarnation Eye.
Together, they were a perfect match!
Izayoi only greeted Hinata briefly and didn't speak further.
After all, this was only their second meeting.
At six years old, Hinata had started learning Gentle Fist but was likely unable to defeat Neji Hyuga, causing disappointment in Hiashi Hyuga, and her character was becoming more introverted.
Three years ago, while still shy, Hinata had never been unable to look Izayoi in the eye.
Fortunately, Hanabi had not yet grown up, and Hiashi had not given up on training his eldest daughter, so with some encouragement, Hinata's confidence could be restored.
However, that was still a difficult challenge.
As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, Hinata rarely left the house, and when she did, she was always accompanied by family members wearing green vests for protection.
It would be nearly impossible to spend time with her alone.
Izayoi, resting his chin in one hand, absentmindedly tapped the desk with his other finger.
At this moment, Hinata, glancing over at Izayoi, could not hide the admiration she felt, which surged in her heart once again.
Yes, Hinata admired Izayoi.
While she herself would get lost if she ran out of her house, he was brave enough to wander through the snowy night alone, speaking and acting with a maturity beyond his years.
He was the top of the entrance exam.
If only she could be as excellent as him, then perhaps her father wouldn't be so disappointed in her.
Moreover, Izayoi was the only other person her age she knew, aside from Neji.
Even after three years, she had not forgotten the black-haired, blue-eyed boy named Izayoi, with his baby fat face.
Hinata, who longed for friends, wanted to speak to him, but...
She couldn't do it.
She felt so useless!
Izayoi, unaware of Hinata's thoughts, had also come back to his senses.
Because he had once again spotted his targets.
Naruto Uzumaki and... Sasuke Uchiha.
Around them, there were also floating bubbles, with red bubbles just like Hinata's.
Naruto Uzumaki's talent entries included:
[Sage Body (Red)]
[Super Shadow Potential (Gold)]
[Uzumaki Bloodline (Purple)]
[Otsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)]
In Naruto's talent entries, there were no references to Ashura or Kurama.
However, the Sage Body and Uzumaki Bloodline indicated that Naruto's Sage Body was on the same level as pure Otsutsuki bloodline, similar to Otsutsuki Kaguya and her son, Otsutsuki Ashura.
Besides these four entries, Naruto also had the added advantage of having half of Kurama's chakra.
Compared to him, Sasuke Uchiha's talent entries were somewhat lacking:
[Sage's Eye (Red)]
[Shadow Class Potential (Purple)]
[Uchiha Bloodline (Purple)]
[Otsutsuki Bloodline (Blue)]
Without an evolved Byakugan Princess and without the power of Indra's chakra, Sasuke's potential was limited to the Shadow class.
Only if he received the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan or awakened the true power of the Sage's Eye, Indra's chakra, would his potential reach the Super Shadow level.
Just like how Madara Uchiha, always suppressed by Hashirama Senju, could eventually overcome the obstacles when he unleashed his full potential, Naruto, though seemingly weak now, would surpass Sasuke in the future as he began to tap into his true power.
This difference in talent and potential would remain, even through the six years of Ninja Academy and the three years of Shippuden.
This was the power of destiny, and the difference made by talent and external power.