A new day, Tuesday.
While teaching Class A of the second grade, Kitazawa made a point of observing Hyuga Neji. He looked no different than usual, except for a flicker of struggle and contemplation that occasionally crossed his brow.
After class, Neji didn't come to find him.
Kitazawa wasn't in a hurry. After all, something like this couldn't be figured out overnight.
He first went to the school's training grounds and then to the artificial lake.
The training of Sasuke, Hinata, and the others was progressing steadily, so there was no need for him to intervene for the time being.
As Kitazawa was preparing to practice Wind Release ninjutsu, a question suddenly occurred to him. He subconsciously looked at Sasuke.
Kitazawa had been so busy with Hinata's mission that he'd forgotten he also had another one: Help Uchiha Sasuke defeat Hyuga Neji and receive One Tomoe Sharingan as a reward.
For Kitazawa, the Sharingan was similar to the Byakugan—neither could be used openly at the moment. But just because he couldn't use them now didn't mean he wouldn't be able to in the future.
Once he reached a certain level of power, he'd be able to disregard the Uchiha and Hyuga clans altogether.
However, Kitazawa felt that wasn't the point. The system was called the Strongest Hokage Training System.
What's the strongest? Not Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama—but the Ōtsutsuki clan. The rewards of the Sharingan and Byakugan revealed the direction of future missions.
Kitazawa would undoubtedly gather all the ninjutsu and bloodlines, transforming from an ordinary human into an Otsutsuki alien.
In short, the Sharingan was a must.
But the question remained—could Sasuke, with his Sharingan, actually defeat Neji?
Kitazawa felt it was a bit difficult. But not impossible. After all, Neji was only seven years old—no, wait, he was eight now. Neji's birthday was July 3rd, and today was September 2nd.
"Sasuke," Kitazawa called out, "Come here."
If nothing unexpected happened, Neji would soon be joining him for special training. His strength would improve even faster, making it even harder for Sasuke to defeat him.
Therefore, before Neji began his special training, Sasuke needed to receive some of his own.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke paused his training and walked over.
"You watched Hinata and Neji's sparring match yesterday. What were your thoughts?" Kitazawa asked, watching him closely.
"They're both quite strong, but given some time, I can defeat them with my Sharingan."
Sasuke spoke calmly but with confidence. "My Sharingan has already seen through them."
Kitazawa was a little surprised. No wonder Sasuke didn't step up yesterday—it turned out he'd been thinking, trying to figure out how to counter the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
"But here's a question," Kitazawa said with a smile, "What if they've improved again during this time?"
"That…" Sasuke hadn't really considered that possibility.
Though he felt it unlikely they could progress so much in a short time, if they added even two more palms to the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, it would be troublesome.
And if such a situation led to his defeat, it would be unacceptable.
"Kitazawa-sensei, do you have any suggestions?" Sasuke asked, eyes lighting up. Kitazawa wouldn't have called him over for nothing—he definitely had a plan.
"You need to exploit another advantage of the Sharingan," Kitazawa said slowly. "Genjutsu."
Genjutsu, though it loses effectiveness in the later stages, is a powerful weapon in the early and middle stages. If used well, it can end a fight at first contact.
It's worth noting that in the original story, Sasuke rarely used genjutsu. His combat style was somewhat similar to Uchiha Madara's, relying more on ninjutsu.
He only used genjutsu occasionally, as a supplement. By contrast, Uchiha Itachi used it far more frequently.
Aside from personality differences, Kitazawa speculated there was another factor: The trauma from the Uchiha clan massacre might have prevented Sasuke from learning Sharingan-related genjutsu.
"But the One Tomoe Sharingan doesn't have the ability to use illusions directly." Uchiha Sasuke said, slightly embarrassed.
"But the One Tomoe Sharingan can assist with genjutsu and enhance its power." Kitazawa already knew this, so he wasn't surprised.
What Uchiha Sasuke meant by not being able to directly use Genjutsu was the Sharingan Genjutsu. With just a glare, one could control the target, and in the later stages, even Tailed Beasts.
What Kitazawa was referring to was Genjutsu performed through the Sharingan. For example, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique and Genjutsu: Unknown Fire.
Ordinary Ninjas who learned these types of Genjutsu couldn't use them because they didn't have the Sharingan.
"I understand!" Sasuke brightened up and said, "I'll go home and ask my father and brother to teach me!"
Kitazawa didn't know why he looked so happy all of a sudden. Was it because he'd found a way to defeat Neji? Or was it the joy of spending more time with Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi, and the others?
Probably both. Double the happiness.
Kitazawa felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.
How should he put it? It was quite interesting to be able to change the fate of characters from the original story using his own strength.
"From today on, you don't need to come to school anymore." Kitazawa thought for a moment and said, "Once you've completed your studies, I'll arrange a sparring match between you and Neji."
"Huh?" Sasuke blinked in surprise. "Why Neji and not Hinata?"
His reasoning was simple: if the Uchiha were going to fight, they had to fight the strongest!
"Their strength is about the same, so it doesn't matter who you spar with," Kitazawa replied casually. "You'll definitely have a match with Hinata too, but that'll be during the monthly exams."
"I see." Sasuke nodded in understanding.
He got it—Kitazawa meant for him to fight both of them. If he could defeat both Hyuga geniuses, it would certainly bring great prestige to the Uchiha clan.
In that case, he would start with Neji—just in time to avenge his loss from last semester.
"Then I'll be going, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke said and happily went home.
He hadn't expected that, after summer vacation, he'd get the chance to be guided by both Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi.
In short, he was overjoyed.
---
"Why are you back so early today?" Uchiha Mikoto couldn't help but show surprise when she saw him. It was still two hours before noon.
"Kitazawa-sensei told me to come back!" Sasuke knew she trusted Kitazawa, so he brought up his name right away.
"Then it must be because he gave you a special mission," Uchiha Mikoto asked curiously. "What is it?"
"He wants me to learn genjutsu from Father and Brother!" Sasuke said excitedly, not hiding anything.
"That much?" Uchiha Mikoto said softly, "Don't overwork yourself."
In her view, learning both Fire Release and genjutsu was too much for a seven-year-old. But since Kitazawa had arranged it, she couldn't object.
"Don't worry!" Sasuke said proudly. "I'm a super genius—I awakened my Sharingan at the age of six!"
Uchiha Itachi had always been his goal. But awakening his Sharingan earlier than Itachi gave him one point of superiority.
He awakened his at six; Itachi awakened his at eight. Still, this also made him a little arrogant.
"Don't be overconfident," Uchiha Mikoto said, patting his head. "After all, it was tough enough for you to get first place in your class."
"…" Uchiha Sasuke looked annoyed, but he couldn't argue, especially after watching the sparring match between Hinata and Neji yesterday.
"Your brother should be back around noon today." Mikoto noticed his expression and changed the subject.
"Really?" Sasuke's face lit up.
He was really easy to please. Uchiha Mikoto looked at him with a gentle smile.
---
Noon arrived.
"I'm back." Uchiha Itachi called out as he opened the door.
The next moment, he let out a quiet exclamation—he hadn't expected to see Uchiha Sasuke. Normally, Sasuke stayed at school during lunchtime and ate from his bento box.
"Brother!" Sasuke ran up and said directly, "I want to learn genjutsu!"
"Aren't you learning Fire Release?" Uchiha Itachi was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Genjutsu is much harder than Fire Release, you know."
"I'm not afraid!" Sasuke said, raising his chin slightly. "I'm a Uchiha—I can definitely learn genjutsu!"
"That's true," Uchiha Itachi said, then added, "But learning should be done step by step."
He shared Uchiha Mikoto's concerns—he felt Sasuke was too young to take on so much at once.
"If I don't learn genjutsu, it'll be hard for me to defeat Neji and Hinata," Sasuke admitted, looking a little sheepish.
"No wonder." Itachi naturally knew who Neji and Hinata were.
"They're both very strong, and they've already mastered the Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms." Uchiha Sasuke continued, "That's why I have to defeat them—to prove that the Uchiha clan is the strongest!"
"Whether Uchiha or Hyuga, they're all part of Konoha's ninja clans. There's no need to rank them," Uchiha Itachi said seriously. "Your sparring with them is just a classmate's exchange."
He didn't want Sasuke to become like Uchiha Fugaku, who only saw the Uchiha.
"I know!" Sasuke didn't really understand those things—he just wanted to learn genjutsu.
"Alright, I'll teach you," Uchiha Itachi said with a smile. "As it happens, I know a bit about the Gentle Fist. I'll teach you how to counter it."
---
In a secluded area of the ninja academy, a dense crowd of Narutos had gathered—a scene of intense activity.
Kitazawa glanced at them, then averted his gaze. He drew a shuriken and stared at a nearby tree. Wind Release chakra surged into the shuriken as he swung it forcefully.
The shuriken spun through the air, wind-style chakra forming invisible edges along its surface. A second later, it pierced the bark, carving a shallow dent.
"Without master-level wind-style chakra nature transformation, progress really is slow."
Kitazawa missed the sensation of learning medical ninjutsu and genjutsu at lightning speed, but he understood that mastering Wind Release ninjutsu wouldn't be so quick.
Fortunately, his chakra control was at the mastery level. Without it, progress would have been even slower. After all, B-rank and A-rank ninjutsu weren't easy to learn.
Even Kurenai hadn't yet mastered the A-rank Infinite Darkness Jutsu.
Sasuke and Naruto were exceptions. Their protagonists' aura and extraordinary talent allowed them to develop rapidly—fast enough to become saviors by age seventeen.
But in reality, most ninjas only reached Genin or Chunin level by that age. That included naturally talented shinobi like Kurenai.
Kitazawa steadied himself and resumed training. After all, the mission deadline was still far off—enough time to learn four Wind Release ninjutsu.
By afternoon, Kitazawa paused and returned to his office. After a full day of practice, his chakra was nearly exhausted—it was time for a break.
But rest alone wasn't enough. He still had work to do. He needed to draft a plan for establishing a student council.
Kitazawa intended to model it after the student councils from his previous life, creating a rough framework. Of course, he had to include some formalities, like stating that the council's purpose was to promote the Will of Fire through extracurricular activities.
Beyond that, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't foolish. He would quickly realize that the student council was a miniature version of Konoha itself.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the student council president would have an edge in the future race for Hokage, making him a natural candidate.
After all, the council would be composed of future clan heirs and top civilian ninja. Kitazawa predicted Sarutobi Hiruzen would likely appoint Naruto as president.
But to fulfill his own mission, he had something else in mind.
After some careful thought, Kitazawa devised a plan. He would convince Sarutobi Hiruzen to run the council as a trial. If successful, it would be officially established; if not, they'd dissolve it.
During the trial, Kitazawa would serve as student council president.
---
Two days passed swiftly, and Friday arrived.
Sasuke's absence didn't cause much commotion. Only Naruto and Sakura came to ask about him. After hearing he was attending a secret training session, they relaxed.
Then came a knock at the door.
Kitazawa, deep in thought over his student council proposal, looked up.
The door opened—and Tsunade entered.
Kitazawa immediately noticed something odd: Tsunade had actually learned to knock.
He stood up and followed her to the sofa.
"I've already investigated Nono." Tsunade slumped into the seat, emotions swirling in her expression.
"What did you find?" Kitazawa asked, after briefly admiring the view.
"You were right," Tsunade said, curling her lip in disdain. "Shimura Danzo really went all in—using the orphanage to force Nono into serving the Root."
"If it's just the orphanage, we can leave that to the Hokage," Kitazawa replied, matching her tone.
"It's not just the orphanage—it's also the orphans inside," Tsunade said with visible disgust. "He selected the most talented children, pushed them into the Root, and many of them died during internal tests."
The original work mentions the Root's internal testing.
Simply put, every so often, Root members were forced to kill one another, with only the victor deemed qualified. This brutal practice also led to the tragedy of Sai and Shin.
Sai, a Root member, was later assigned to Team 7 after Sasuke's defection, forming a new team with Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura.
His brother, Shin, had died during one of Root's internal tests. Shin's opponent had been none other than Sai. It was Shin's deliberate sacrifice that secured Sai's survival.
Shin's memory later helped Sai regain his emotions, allowing him to leave the Root and even marry Yamanaka Ino.
"The most outstanding orphan among them was Kabuto, who also happened to be Nono's adopted son," Tsunade said with a frown. "He's no longer in Konoha. Only Danzo Shimura and the Root know his whereabouts."
Though she had extensive connections, the Root members were no longer human in the emotional sense—so naturally, they wouldn't show her any favors.
"We need to first determine Kabuto Yakushi's location," Kitazawa said after a moment of thought. "The Root falls under the ANBU, and by protocol, ANBU has the authority to investigate."
"Right," Tsunade said, stretching as she rose to her feet. "Ultimately, we'll still need the old man's help."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Hokage. No matter how capable Tsunade was, she couldn't hide this matter from him.
With Hiruzen's backing, it would be much easier to eliminate future trouble. At the very least, Danzo Shimura wouldn't dare to openly threaten Nono or Kabuto Yakushi again.
"I'll go with you," Kitazawa said after a pause.
"Of course you're coming," Tsunade replied with a glance. "You're the real instigator behind all this, after all."
"Tsunade-sama, you'll definitely protect me, right?" Kitazawa blinked. "Because I really don't have the guts to go against Danzo Shimura."
"Oh, really?" Tsunade chuckled. "And yet you dared to interfere in Nono's affairs?"
"Don't I have you?" Kitazawa replied seriously. "In all of Konoha, aside from the Hokage, you're the only one who can keep Danzo Shimura in check."
"Alright, enough nonsense," Tsunade rolled her eyes. "You're now deeply trusted by the old man. Danzo Shimura wouldn't dare lay a finger on you."
"I still trust Lady Tsunade more," Kitazawa said earnestly.
"How dare you say that?" Tsunade muttered, then waved it off. "You're pledging loyalty to the wrong person. I'm not interested in the Hokage position."
"This has nothing to do with Hokage," Kitazawa said as they walked. "It's simply because you taught me medical ninjutsu."
"…" Tsunade fell silent.
Before long, they arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Have you developed a new ninjutsu?" Hiruzen asked, noticing both of them had come to see him.
"No," Tsunade replied, shaking her head as she casually tossed out a scroll. "I'm here to ask you to keep Danzo Shimura in check."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, then opened the scroll. Inside were concise but clear details outlining Shimura Danzo's conduct regarding the Konoha Orphanage and Yakushi Nono.
"How dare Danzo…" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.
The Konoha Orphanage was an official institution under the village's jurisdiction—not Root's. Shimura Danzo had clearly overstepped his authority.
And more than that, he had coerced both Yakushi Nono and Kabuto Yakushi.
--
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)