Dusk.
The sun had set, and the temperature had dropped considerably.
"You've almost mastered the Demonic Illusion: False Surrounding Jutsu. Tomorrow, we'll try another illusion technique." Kurenai said after a moment's thought. "Let's learn the Genjutsu: Hell Viewing."
"Okay," Kitazawa replied with a smile. "Everything is up to Kurenai-sensei."
"You're still calling me Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Why not?" Kitazawa said, glancing at her snugly fitted suit. "You might have to call me Kitazawa-sensei soon."
"As if that could happen," Kurenai replied with a scoff.
"We'll see," Kitazawa said with a mysterious air, refusing to elaborate. "Just don't ask me for help then."
Once he mastered five illusion techniques, he would be eligible to obtain the Infinite Darkness Jutsu.
"Alright," Kurenai said, her curiosity stirred. "I'd love to see why I'd be the one asking you for help."
"I'm heading to the ninja academy," Kitazawa said, glancing at the darkening sky.
"Mm," Kurenai Yuhi stretched and said, "Finally, I can take off this outfit. It's so uncomfortable."
"Will you still wear it tomorrow?" Kitazawa asked seriously. "Look how quickly I learned today. It must be because of that outfit."
"You're ridiculous!" Kurenai glared at him and turned toward her room.
Kitazawa found it a pity. But he didn't push it. After changing shoes, he headed off to the ninja academy.
---
Arriving at the artificial lake, Kitazawa immediately deactivated his Shadow Clone Technique. With his memories restored, he instantly grasped the progress made by Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata that day.
Naruto was progressing the fastest. He had already grasped the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and was on track to master it completely in two or three days.
Sasuke had reduced the time it took to evaporate water droplets to one minute—respectable progress. Hinata was already attempting the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms in one go, but she still had a way to go before she could complete it smoothly.
In short, all three had shown clear improvement.
"That's all for today. Be sure to come on time tomorrow morning at nine." Kitazawa clapped his hands, drawing their attention.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," the three responded in unison.
"Sasuke, remember to train with Guy in the morning." Kitazawa suddenly recalled and reminded him.
Uchiha Sasuke's mouth twitched, but he reluctantly nodded.
"See you tomorrow." Kitazawa paused, then said, "Hinata, I'll walk you home. I have something to discuss with you."
"Yeah!" Hinata responded, visibly excited.
"Sasuke, I'll take you home!" Naruto chimed in, walking over and hugging Uchiha Sasuke. Having enjoyed Mikoto's lunch earlier, he felt his bond with Sasuke had grown stronger.
"My house is far. You don't need to walk with me," Sasuke said, pulling out of Naruto's embrace.
"How far could it be?" Naruto asked curiously. "Where do you live? I've never been there."
"On the western edge of Konoha Village," Sasuke replied with a shake of his head. "It's getting late. You should head home."
"Alright then," Naruto said, pausing. He waved and added, "I'll visit you next time I get the chance."
With that, he turned and walked off in another direction.
"Hinata," Kitazawa said as they walked, "There's an eating contest at Ichiraku Ramen in a few days. Are you going?"
"I... Me?" Hinata was startled. She wanted to refuse, but hesitated.
She assumed the event would attract a large crowd. Even though her secret gluttony had been exposed, eating in front of a crowd was still a bit embarrassing.
"Are you going, Kitazawa-sensei?" Hinata asked, glancing up at him.
"Not to participate. I'm just going to watch the fun," Kitazawa replied casually.
"Then I'll go too," Hinata said, tilting her head.
"If you join, you might actually win." Seeing her agree, Kitazawa let out a breath of relief and smiled. "There are lots of prizes for first place. You'll definitely like them."
"Yeah." Hinata clenched her fists and said with determination, "I'll do my best to win first place."
The two chatted along the way and soon arrived at the Hyuga clan's residence.
Kitazawa spotted Hiashi standing at the entrance and couldn't help but exclaim, 'Whoa! Since when did the Hyuga patriarch become a gate guardian?'
"Kitazawa-sensei, see you tomorrow," Hinata greeted, then stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Father."
"Head to the courtyard," Hiashi said, giving Kitazawa a glance. "Let me see the results of your special training today."
He didn't believe Kitazawa's training would truly benefit Hinata. But since he'd already agreed, he couldn't go back on his word.
His only option now was to find an excuse—Hinata's lack of progress—to make her give up the special training on her own.
"Yes, Father," Hinata responded without hesitation and followed him into the courtyard.
"Let's begin." Hiashi assumed his stance. From the very first clash, he sensed something was off. After a brief exchange, doubt crept in.
Why had Hinata improved so quickly? Was it truly because of Kitazawa?
Impossible—absolutely impossible! It had to be due to Hinata's own exceptional talent. Hiashi thought to himself, and in the end, he could only let her be.
Geniuses had their privileges. There was no need to let such a small matter damage their father-daughter relationship.
Time slipped by during training, and just like that, two days passed in a flash.
---
Thursday morning.
Kitazawa opened his eyes right on time. He sat up and let out a yawn.
In just two days, he had already mastered the Genjutsu: Hell Viewing.
Because he was progressing so quickly, Kitazawa decided to alternate between genjutsu and medical ninjutsu—genjutsu today, medical ninjutsu tomorrow.
Compared to genjutsu, medical ninjutsu progressed more slowly—after all, he was currently learning the B-rank technique, Delicate Illness Extraction Technique.
In truth, Kitazawa had already mastered the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique via the system.
But to avoid alarming Tsunade and Shizune, he chose to take his time and not reveal too much too fast.
After changing clothes and eating breakfast, Kitazawa headed to the ninja school's artificial lake.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto shouted the moment he saw him.
Kitazawa was instantly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of noise.
He rarely used the term "sea of people" to describe a person, but Naruto truly deserved that title now. No matter where he looked, all he could see was Naruto.
Even Hinata stood there, stunned. She'd seen shadow clones before. But this was her first time seeing seventy shadow clones at once.
"Wow... so powerful," Hinata murmured in awe.
Though she hadn't learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, she had seen her father, Hiashi, use it and had some understanding of its difficulty.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was an A-rank jutsu that consumed an enormous amount of chakra. For an average jonin, creating twenty clones was the limit.
But this? Seventy?
"Since you've learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, begin water surface walking training," Kitazawa said, turning to Naruto.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "What about learning the Rasengan? Why water surface walking?"
"Because your chakra control is terrible," Kitazawa replied, pointing toward the lake. "You and all your clones—go walk on water."
The Rasengan, the pinnacle of chakra shape transformation, required exceptional chakra control. In the original story, Naruto had learned it through an alternative method—using shadow clones to assist him.
Essentially, the Rasengan was transformed from a solo technique into a multi-user one.
The advantage was that it bypassed Naruto's lack of precise chakra control. The drawback? It took longer, required more coordination, and was easily disrupted in battle.
But it still worked. Kitazawa's plan was to strengthen Naruto's chakra control first, then move on to Rasengan training.
The shadow clones would be key to both processes.
"If you want to learn the Rasengan, then start here," Kitazawa said, waving casually.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto beamed. "For the Rasengan, time for some youthful water surface walking training!"
"Watch my youthful dash!"
"Behold my youthful leap!"
"And my youthful flying kick!"
A swarm of green-tights-wearing Naruto clones charged at the lake. In an instant, water exploded everywhere. The scene was wild and chaotic.
"This technique should be renamed the Multiple Youth Technique..." Kitazawa sighed, rubbing his forehead. He took a deep breath and added sarcastically, "Only seventy Naruto... I can't even imagine the madness if there were thousands."
He could already picture the expressions of Madara, Obito, and others when confronted by such a force. They probably wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Hinata," Kitazawa said, regaining focus, "don't forget to participate in the eating contest at noon."
"Yes," Hinata nodded obediently.
"Let's begin training." Kitazawa approached her and said.
---
Noon.
Kitazawa ended their training session and brought them to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Whoa! There are so many people!" Naruto's eyes widened. "I've never seen such a lively scene before!"
The entire street outside Ichiraku Ramen was packed with people. Children, teens, adults, and the elderly filled every available space.
"Teacher Kitazawa! Over here!" Ino spotted them and waved excitedly. Standing beside her were Sakura, Akimichi Choji, and Shikamaru.
Kitazawa nodded, scanning the crowd. Eventually, his gaze landed on Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Itachi.
The stage and audience were ready. All that remained was the main character's arrival.
---
Konoha's Forest of Death.
"Everyone! Let's head to Ichiraku Ramen!" Might Guy looked up at the sky and shouted, "My treat today! Both of you must come!"
Sasuke, who had originally wanted to decline, had no choice but to agree.
After all, Might Guy had been nothing but generous in his teachings—especially in taijutsu and training. He never held anything back.
Besides, it was just a meal. No big deal.