The Hyuga Clan's Headquarters.
Kitazawa spotted Hinata standing at the entrance. She was dressed as always—long sleeves, long pants—completely covered. Under the blazing July sun, anyone would feel overheated just looking at her.
Kitazawa thought for a moment. In the original timeline, from childhood to adulthood, Hinata had always worn conservative or traditional clothing.
There was no doubt, this was closely tied to the customs of the Hyuga Clan.
Kitazawa's eyes shifted to Hyuga Hiashi, who stood beside Hinata. He stood tall and dignified, his expression cold and unreadable—hardly someone easy to approach.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Hinata's face lit up as she spotted him, and she trotted over.
"...?" Hiashi's brow furrowed slightly. As the Hyuga clan's heiress, how could she behave so casually in front of an outsider?
"Hinata," he said sternly, "hold on. I need a word with your teacher."
"Yes, Father, "Hinata glanced at Kitazawa, then nodded obediently.
"Clan Leader Hiashi," Kitazawa greeted politely.
"It's fine for Hinata to take part in special training," Hiashi said, his face expressionless. "But don't forget—she's a Hyuga. Her focus should be on mastering the Gentle Fist."
"I understand. I'll add more Gentle Fist training to her regimen," Kitazawa replied immediately, catching his meaning.
Hiashi's eyes darkened ever so slightly. That wasn't what he meant—he had hoped Kitazawa would cancel the special training altogether.
But instead, the man doubled down. Who gave you permission to teach whatever you please? Are you even from the Hyuga clan?
"If her Gentle Fist progress stagnates, the special training ends immediately." Hiashi rephrased, controlling his irritation in front of Hinata.
"Understood," Kitazawa nodded calmly. He wasn't concerned about offending Hiashi.
So long as the disagreement didn't escalate into a full conflict, a bit of tension was manageable. Besides, Hinata was on his side—and even without her, Tsunade and Sarutobi Hiruzen would help smooth over minor disputes.
"You may go," Hiashi said, his gaze locking onto Kitazawa's as if guarding his domain from a trespasser.
"Goodbye, Father," Hinata said cheerfully and followed Kitazawa out of the compound.
Once outside the Hyuga residence, she suddenly ran ahead and blocked his path.
"What's the matter, Hinata?" Kitazawa asked, surprised.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said seriously, her tone uncharacteristically firm."Even if Father doesn't believe in you—I do!"
"I know," Kitazawa laughed and gently patted her head.
Hinata visibly relaxed. Though she'd become braver, traces of her old timidity remained, making her sensitive to others' moods. She had sensed her father's distrust—and that's why she'd spoken up.
Kitazawa gave her a thoughtful glance.
Hinata was incredibly considerate. But that was hardly surprising—children in the ninja world matured quickly. After all, in this world, even four-year-olds were sent to the battlefield.
Soon, Kitazawa and Hinata reached the artificial lake on the ninja academy grounds.
It was the summer break, and the school was closed—completely deserted. Technically, students weren't allowed on school property during holidays.
But as Dean of Academic Affairs, Kitazawa had special privileges.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto, busy practicing the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, spotted them and waved enthusiastically."Hinata!"
"No distractions!" Kitazawa's shadow clone scolded with a stern face.
Naruto quickly straightened and returned to training.
"Hinata, let's begin," Kitazawa said, stopping at the lakeside.
"Yes!" Hinata nodded eagerly. She positioned herself, lifted her arms, and assumed the Gentle Fist stance.
Under Kitazawa's sharp gaze, she began practicing the Soft Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Time passed quietly.
Before long, it was noon.
"I... I can't..." Deep inside Konoha's Forest of Death, Sasuke's legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. He'd been training all morning with Might Guy and Rock Lee—and he was utterly drained.
"Sasuke!" Rock Lee stood over him, fists clenched.
"Sasuke, you're the genius of the Uchiha clan. How can you let your youth be wasted here?" Rock Lee halted in front of him, fists clenched, offering a dose of spirited encouragement.
"Sasuke, has your youth already burned out?" Might Guy asked as he wiped sweat from his brow.
Uchiha Sasuke felt as though his vision had taken on a green hue. Two eccentric men in matching green bodysuits stood on either side of him, passionately preaching about youth—it was like being caught in a genjutsu.
"Sasuke, your training ends here for today!" Seeing that Sasuke remained silent and motionless, Might Guy didn't push him further.
He waved Rock Lee forward, and the two resumed their run.
The area grew still again. And only then did Sasuke begin to feel human again. After resting a while, he slowly pushed himself up and staggered toward the ninja academy.
But as he entered Konoha Village, he noticed something odd: the villagers were looking at him strangely.
Sasuke suddenly remembered—he was still wearing that ridiculous green jumpsuit. He quickly peeled it off.
"Thank goodness neither Dad nor Brother saw me," Sasuke muttered with a sigh.
He had been running around Konoha Village, so the chances of bumping into them were low. Previously, during training with Might Guy, he hadn't run into anyone familiar either.
But this time, wearing the green jumpsuit in public was a whole new level of embarrassment.
Sasuke soon arrived at the ninja school's artificial lake. Hinata and Naruto had already stopped their training.
Kitazawa was setting up lunch. He first spread out a large cloth on the ground, then placed a small tatami table on top.
"Sasuke, you're here. Sit wherever you like," Kitazawa said, settling cross-legged onto the cloth as he began taking out the prepared lunch boxes.
Naruto quickly mimicked him and sat down. Hinata knelt neatly beside Kitazawa.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke said as he pulled out two bento boxes. "These were made by my mother."
"Thank you," Kitazawa blinked, a little surprised, but accepted one of the boxes. After all, it would be rude to waste someone's kindness.
"I didn't know Naruto and Hinata would be training too, so I only brought two today," Sasuke explained. "Tomorrow, I'll bring extras."
"Naruto, this one's for you," Kitazawa said, placing a box in front of him. "I brought a few spares today."
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed as he opened the box. "It looks amazing!"
"Of course!" Sasuke smirked with pride. "My mom's bento is the best."
"Naruto, aren't you going to thank Sasuke?" Kitazawa reminded him.
"Thanks, Sasuke!" Naruto turned to him with a wide grin. "I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen someday!"
Sasuke blinked, momentarily stunned. He wasn't used to such gestures.
But Naruto was different from Sakura—he had actually beaten him before. And in the Uchiha clan, strength commanded respect.
"Whoa, this is amazing!" Naruto shouted after taking a bite of fried shrimp. "I've never had a bento this good!"
Sasuke knew he was being honest. He'd seen Naruto's usual lunches—and they were nothing short of tragic.
Sasuke's thoughts drifted back to his earlier conversation with his mother. Who were Naruto's parents? Unfortunately, Mikoto hadn't told him.
But one thing was certain—they were gone.
Sasuke's opinion of Naruto quietly shifted. Growing up without parents… and still being that cheerful? That was a strength, too.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke asked, clearing his mind, "Will I be training with Guy-sensei and the others this afternoon?"
"Your body can't handle that intensity every day," Kitazawa replied after some thought. "This afternoon, you'll focus on refining your Fire Style Nature transformation."
"Got it." Sasuke sighed in relief.
Facing Might Guy and Rock Lee again right now would've been brutal. As for Fire Chakra nature transformation—he'd done it before and had a decent grasp of it.
After lunch, Naruto and Hinata resumed their morning training.
Kitazawa led Sasuke to the edge of the artificial lake. He dipped his hand into the water, soaked it briefly, then withdrew it.
"You already understand the basics of Fire Release Chakra nature, so no need for theory. Just begin the practical," he said.
He held up his hand, and Fire Chakra flared from his palm—instantly evaporating the remaining droplets.
"Is there a time limit?" Sasuke asked, watching closely.
"The faster the better," Kitazawa replied. "If you can do it in under one second, you've mastered it."
"That's enough to count as mastery?" Sasuke blinked in surprise.
"It's just one aspect of Fire Release nature transformation," Kitazawa said, patting his shoulder. "Practice. If you have questions, ask my shadow clone."
Sasuke nodded and began working. But his foundation was still limited; he couldn't evaporate the droplets within a second, not even a full minute.
Kitazawa watched for a while before leaving. A shadow clone would be enough to oversee things.
He had private Genjutsu lessons with Kurenai Yuhi that afternoon. But before heading home, he made a detour to the Forest of Death to find Might Guy.
"Guy, Ichiraku Ramen is hosting an eating contest in a couple of days. Interested?" Kitazawa asked without preamble.
"Sounds great!" Guy scratched his head but hesitated. "But we still have to train."
"Training and eating don't clash," Kitazawa suggested. "You can bring Lee and Sasuke after morning training to participate."
"That's a youthful idea!" Guy's eyes gleamed. "Count me in!"
"Just make sure Sasuke goes too," Kitazawa added seriously. The trap he'd set wouldn't mean anything if Sasuke didn't show up.