The certificate was useless, but the 300,000 ryo bonus was quite nice. But Kitazawa no longer cared much about 300,000 ryo. He now had a decent income and was considered quite wealthy.
After the meeting, Kitazawa returned to First Grade Class A.
The first class was once again on the Will of Fire. The content was more in-depth than last semester. Previously, it was about understanding the Will of Fire; now, it was about truly embodying it.
"Before class ends, I have an announcement to make."
The bell rang, and Kitazawa didn't just grab his textbook and leave as usual. The students in First Grade Class A glanced at him curiously.
"At the beginning of last semester, I said I would temporarily take over as class monitor and that we would choose a suitable replacement this semester," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Now that the time has come, it's time for me to step down and let someone else take over."
"Mr. Kitazawa, who will be the new class monitor?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"It's you," Kitazawa said directly, looking at him intently, without building any suspense.
"Ah? Me?" Naruto was a bit incredulous at first.
"Do you have any objections?" Kitazawa looked at everyone and said, "If you don't, the position of class monitor belongs to Naruto."
"No!" Kiba said immediately. "I support Naruto for class monitor!"
"Kiba!" Naruto was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
"I support Naruto too," Choji added with a naive smile.
"I have no objection," Shikamaru and the others echoed.
Uzumaki Naruto's performance this semester had been evident to all. He was strong and enthusiastic, making him a perfect fit for the position of class monitor. Besides, being class monitor didn't come with any real benefits—it was mostly tiring work.
"Thank you, everyone!" Naruto said with a thumbs-up. "I will never let you down on the trust of my youth!"
"Naruto, from today on, you are the class monitor of First Grade Class A. Do your best," Kitazawa said, picked up his textbook, and left the classroom.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura hurried over to Sasuke and invited him, "How about we go to the training ground together?"
"Sorry." Sasuke stood up and said, "I've made an appointment with Naruto."
"Huh?" Sakura was immediately stunned.
"Naruto." Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, glanced at Naruto, and walked straight forward.
"Huh?" Naruto and Sakura, who were both excited, now shared the same expression.
What do you mean? If you don't explain clearly, how should I know? Are you going to challenge me to a duel?!
Naruto thought of this and hurriedly chased after him in excitement.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Sakura shouted through gritted teeth. She could lose to the yellow-haired Ino, but she could never lose to the yellow-haired Naruto.
"I don't know whether to pity Sasuke or Sakura," Shikamaru sighed. "Or maybe it's me."
With his intelligence, it was easy to see that Sasuke's talk of meeting Naruto was just a way to shake off Sakura's relentless pursuit. As for Shikamaru, it was because he was about to attend Kitazawa's special training.
"What's going on with them?" Yakumo hadn't attended many classes and didn't know much about the relationship between Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto.
"It's a long story," Ino couldn't help but laugh. "I'll talk to you when I have time."
"It's just fake sisterhood," Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head as he saw Ino watching with amusement.
"Time to train, Shikamaru," Ino said, glaring at him.
"..." Shikamaru instantly deflated, like a frost-bitten eggplant.
"Good luck!" Yakumo waved.
Ever since Tsunade had healed her, she no longer had to attend Kitazawa's special training. Her task was simple: to constantly develop her illusory bloodline limit.
Kitazawa couldn't help her with that—at least not yet.
"Let's go, Hinata." Ino took Hinata's hand and walked out. Shikamaru followed them reluctantly.
At the ninja school's training grounds, Kitazawa stood in thought, pondering what kind of new training to assign them.
But just then, four lines of text appeared before his eyes:
[The class monitor is no longer able to contain your talent. Please find a way to establish the first-ever Student Council in the history of the ninja school.]
[Current Mission: Like a bolt from the blue—select the most outstanding students to establish a complete and formal Student Council, and become the Student Council president.]
[Mission Reward: Gain Lightning Attribute and Mastery-level Lightning Release Chakra Transformation.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa was stunned.
Joining a student council was beyond his expectations. But the reward was quite impressive.
Just think about Master-level Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation? If Kitazawa obtained this mission reward, he would instantly rival—or even surpass—Hatake Kakashi's Lightning Release proficiency.
He might even be able to manually create the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of the Hidden Cloud Village.
Kitazawa accepted without hesitation. According to the system's rules, generally speaking, the better the reward, the more difficult the mission.
Was the difficulty with Sarutobi Hiruzen? Forming a student council at a ninja school did require the approval of the principal, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But if he were to choose a president, he would definitely pick Uzumaki Naruto and the others. If Kitazawa insisted on being president, Sarutobi Hiruzen might have second thoughts.
Are you planning to create a new Konoha?
With Sasuke and Shikamaru as members, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a future version of Konoha Village. While it might not be that exaggerated, Kitazawa felt it would be safer to establish a relationship with Tsunade first.
However, before that, some preparations could be made.
For example, a school-wide member selection competition. After all, the system said this time that a complete and formal student council was required, and just two people fooling around wouldn't do it.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto arrived first. Behind him came Sasuke and Sakura.
Not long after, Hinata, Ino, and Shikamaru also appeared.
"Sasuke, how's your Sharingan?" Kitazawa asked after a moment's thought.
"Nine out of ten," Sasuke said confidently. Because he had awakened his Sharingan at the age of six, both Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi had found the rare opportunity to train him.
"Alright," Kitazawa said with a slight nod. "You'll go to the artificial lake and practice changing the nature of your Fire Style chakra."
"Okay." Sasuke wasn't surprised.
Kitazawa was an outsider, and there was no way he'd understand the Sharingan. Plus, since he already possessed the One Tomoe Sharingan, he definitely needed to intensify his Fire Style training.
"I'll go first." Uchiha Sasuke wasted no time, turning and heading towards the school's artificial lake.
"Shikamaru, your training will continue as usual," Kitazawa said after a pause. "But you didn't have any special training over the summer, so you'll need to improve."
Shikamaru's eyes widened at that. Sculpting with shadows was already hard work, so why even more? Was this the price of having too much fun over the summer?
"Ino, you'll train with Shikamaru," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Your task is simple: keep disrupting him."
"???" Shikamaru's face was filled with confusion. Wasn't Yamanaka Ino's interference just using the Mind Body Switch Jutsu?
In other words, he was trying to do two things at once: While controlling Yin chakra to manipulate shadows, he was simultaneously competing for consciousness with Ino.
"This training method is excellent," Ino said with a wink. "Shikamaru, I won't show any mercy."
Shikamaru paused.
"What about me?" Sakura asked, puzzled. She and Ino had previously trained together, but now she was alone.
"I'll teach you a new medical ninjutsu," Kitazawa replied.
He was tailoring his approach to each student's abilities. Both Sakura and Ino had spent the summer training intensively.
Sakura had a greater aptitude for medical ninjutsu. It wasn't that Ino wasn't talented, but rather that her clan's secret techniques were more difficult to master.
There were many C- and D-rank medical ninjutsu available for Sakura to learn.
"Finally, I can learn a new medical ninjutsu!" Sakura's eyes lit up, her face filled with a smile.
Ino felt a little envious, but there was nothing she could do—they were learning different ninjutsu.
"I'll let my shadow clone teach you." Kitazawa formed seals with his hands and created a shadow clone.
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei." Sakura didn't care whether it was the real person or the shadow clone teaching her. It was all the same anyway.
"Begin training." Kitazawa said, then looked at Hinata and added, "Your training today will be sparring with me."
No matter how much time you spend practicing the Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms for a whole morning, you won't see much improvement.
And the best way to squeeze in last-minute progress was through actual combat.
"Yeah," Hinata nodded obediently. Kitazawa's word was what mattered.
"Let's go over there." Kitazawa led Hinata to a secluded, deserted corner.
The battle began.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, kicked off with her feet, and dashed forward like a flash of white light. She raised her hands and immediately launched into the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Her small palms struck toward Kitazawa, one after another.
Kitazawa's response was simple: he also countered with two palms. The four palms clashed, two by two. The chakra surging from their palms collided.
Instantly, invisible waves of air rippled outward.
Hinata was momentarily dazed. It felt as if she weren't sparring with Kitazawa—but with Hiashi himself.
The reason was simple. There weren't many taijutsu styles that released chakra from the palms. The most iconic one was the Gentle Fist.
How could someone not of the Hyuga Clan use the Gentle Fist? Hinata thought of Kitazawa's daily instructions and finally understood. Her face turned serious, and she continued striking without hesitation.
But as expected, each of her strikes proved ineffective. After ten consecutive attacks, Hinata was about to continue when she suddenly froze. A look of surprise crossed her face.
When had this happened? Hinata realized her chakra flow had completely stopped.
Kitazawa stepped forward, gently grasped her hand, and rolled up her sleeve. Four red dots appeared on Hinata's once-skinny forearm.
These dots were marks left by Kitazawa—and they corresponded to her chakra points.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you..." Hinata opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.
"Do you want to ask me why I know the Gentle Fist?" Kitazawa pressed his fingers together over her chakra points and smiled. "I learned it from you."
"Huh?" Hinata's eyes widened.
But the sudden return of her chakra flow confirmed Kitazawa's words. Only those who had mastered the Gentle Fist could precisely manipulate chakra for acupuncture.
"Don't tell anyone about this," Kitazawa said playfully, releasing her arm. "If your father found out, I'd probably be dead."
"I won't!" Hinata quickly promised, her voice firm. "Even if I die, I won't tell anyone—not even my father!"
"It's not that serious," Kitazawa chuckled, patting her head. "Let's continue training."
Given his current relationship with Tsunade, learning the Gentle Fist wasn't a capital offense. After all, it wasn't like he had undergone Byakugan transplantation.
Still, avoiding unnecessary trouble was wise—he wasn't quite strong enough yet. Kitazawa reminded Hinata, and considering her personality, she certainly wouldn't say a word to anyone.
It was noon.
"Hinata, go home now. Take a shower and rest. Come back to school for the practical class this afternoon," Kitazawa said, looking at the sweat-drenched Hinata.
Although he hadn't used his full strength, the pressure he exerted still exceeded that of Neji Hyuga. It was impressive that Hinata had lasted the entire morning.
She had a sparring match with Neji that afternoon, so scheduling another combat session would've only worn her out too much.
"Thank... thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said breathlessly, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Her bangs were completely soaked with sweat, clumping together.
"I'll take you home," Kitazawa said with a slight nod.
"No... no need." Hinata instinctively didn't want to trouble him.
"It's okay. It's just on the way," Kitazawa replied. "I happen to be heading to Konoha Hospital."
His shadow clones were enough to oversee Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others' training. He only had one combat session that afternoon, and the rest of the time couldn't be wasted.
Hinata didn't refuse.
Kitazawa walked her all the way to the Hyuga clan's residence before leaving.
Hinata stood at the door, watching his figure disappear before averting her gaze.
"Why are you back so early today?" Hiashi sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding Hanabi.
"Sister!" Hanabi shouted immediately.
"I just finished special training with Mr. Kitazawa," Hinata replied. "He told me to go home and rest. I only need to take practical classes in the afternoon."
"Why is there special training after school starts?" Hiashi frowned slightly and asked.
For various reasons, he wasn't fond of Kitazawa.
"It's... because I have a sparring match with Neji-nii during practical class," Hinata hesitated for two seconds, then answered truthfully.
"Oh?" Hiashi's interest was suddenly piqued.
Since childhood, Neji had always surpassed Hinata in both talent and strength. To prevent Hinata from losing confidence, Hiashi had even stopped using Neji as her sparring partner.
But… things were different now. Hinata's progress had been truly impressive.
"You should go down and rest," Hiashi said, waving his hand.
He had already decided to sneak over to the ninja school during practical class to watch the match. Although he believed Neji was still stronger than Hinata, seeing was believing—truth lay in combat.
---
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the final class of the day.
Class A of First Grade and Class A of Second Grade arrived on the school playground right on time.
Kitazawa suddenly felt a stir—an instinctive sense of being watched. That feeling… it was definitely a Byakugan.
Could it be Hiashi? Had the dignified head of the Hyuga clan really fallen to the point of climbing trees?
"There will be a sparring match before class today," Kitazawa announced bluntly. "Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Neji, please take the stage."
Neji was taken aback for a moment before stepping out of the lineup. He hadn't expected the sparring match to start this soon. He had assumed Kitazawa and Hinata would stall for time.
After all, theoretically speaking, the more time passed, the better Hinata's chances. But in Neji's mind, talent couldn't be overcome by time.
Hinata took a deep breath and stepped into position opposite Neji.
"What's happening?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Have you forgotten?" Shikamaru reminded him. "After our class's friendly match with Class 2-A, Neji challenged Hinata."
"I don't remember," Naruto said, scratching his head.
"I vaguely recall it," Ino said. "Back then, Kitazawa-sensei scheduled this sparring match for the next semester, saying Hinata had just opened her eyes."
"So… isn't that now?" Sakura asked, glancing at both opponents. "They both have Byakugan—so who'll win?"
"I think Neji has a better chance," Ino said hesitantly.
"It'll be a tough match for Hinata," Shikamaru nodded.
"Not necessarily," Naruto said confidently. "I trust Kitazawa-sensei's special training!"
"A year's gap isn't something easily bridged," Kiba shook his head. "And Neji is a genius."
"Let's just see how the match plays out," Sasuke said calmly.
To him, the winner didn't matter. What mattered was that he could learn more about the Byakugan and Gentle Fist through this match.
He had already decided—if Hyuga Neji won, he would challenge him next to avenge his own defeat last semester.
"Both sides will form opposing seals," Kitazawa warned.
"You're very nervous," Neji said calmly. "Under my pressure, your gaze shifted to the upper left—that means you're recalling past experiences."
"You..." Hinata trembled upon hearing that.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that exactly what Neji had said to Hinata during the Chunin Exams in the original timeline?
Good grief. So he's already learned how to wage psychological warfare at this age?
"The fact that you even think that way means you've already accepted defeat," Neji continued. "Just like the countless times you've lost before."
"I am indeed recalling the past," Hinata said, clenching her fists. Unprecedented determination burned in her eyes. "But I don't think I'll lose!"
Did her eyes just change? Neji's tone deepened. "Then let me see what kind of strength gives you the courage to say that!"