A brand‑new day—Friday.
On the Ninja Academy's artificial lake, a tense atmosphere hung between Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura.
Kitazawa felt as though he could see sparks flying where their gazes met.
"Sakura."
Hands on her hips, Ino said confidently, "Your homework is going to be doubled tonight!"
"What nonsense is that?"
Sakura clenched her fists and retorted smugly, "You haven't beaten me even once!"
"I'll beat you today!"
Ino stepped onto the water and beckoned, "Come on!"
Sakura instantly drew a wooden kunai; her small face tightened with focus.
Ino, fully alert, started walking toward the far side of the lake.
Suddenly a whoosh cut the air at her left.
Without looking, Ino bent low, dodging Sakura's wooden kunai.
All that special training with Kitazawa's flying‑leaf drill had finally paid off.
"Just lucky,"
Sakura muttered, face darkening, and pulled out another wooden kunai.
After Ino had taken two steps, Sakura snapped her arm, hurling it at a tricky angle toward Ino's back.
"What?!"
Seeing Ino dodge again, Sakura sensed trouble.
Until now, Ino would focus so hard on evading the kunai that she forgot to keep molding chakra to walk on water and would fall in.
"I don't believe this!"
Fired up, Sakura drew both hands and flung two wooden kunai at once.
Ino spun in mid‑air, slipped past the kunai, and landed gracefully.
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and flashed Sakura a dazzling, captivating smile.
"Darn it!"
Sakura felt nothing but mockery in that smile.
Silently she kept throwing kunai.
But Ino was in peak form today—she wasn't hit a single time.
"Yes!"
Reaching the far bank, Ino hopped ashore, raised both hands, and shouted in triumph.
Miss Ino's victory.
Sakura stood frozen, wooden kunai suddenly weighing a thousand pounds.
"Your turn now, Sakura,"
Ino walked up and said, "If I hit you even once, your homework doubles tonight!"
"Not that easy!"
Sakura growled through gritted teeth.
But the more tense you are, the more mistakes you make.
By the end of water‑walking practice, Sakura had been struck three times.
"I win!"
Ino bounced in place as if she'd won a great battle.
Sakura fell silent, feeling as if someone had stuffed a lemon in her mouth—so bitter.
Kitazawa, looking at the blooming‑cosmos‑like Ino, couldn't help but smile.
At that moment glowing text floated before his eyes—Ino's mission complete:
[Current Mission: Help Yamanaka Ino defeat Haruno Sakura in water‑walking training.]
[Reward: Master‑level chakra control.]
[Mission complete. Reward delivered.]
After absorbing the torrent of information, Kitazawa felt a little dazed.
Master‑level chakra control was beyond his expectations—
He even felt he could probably form a Rasengan now.
Most important, with that level of control he could push forward his plan:
Befriend Tsunade, display talent as a medical‑ninjutsu user, and try to become her student.
Though older, Kitazawa knew medical ninjutsu was so demanding that late bloomers weren't unheard of.
Yet faking medical‑ninja talent wouldn't be easy:
1. He needed a Yang‑chakra affinity.
2. He had to master a good number of healing techniques via the system so he could look like a prodigy when "learning" them.
3. Above all, master‑level chakra control—which he now possessed.
Glancing at Sakura—his only medical jutsu, Blood Coagulation Technique, had come from her.
"Sakura," Ino held out her hand and smiled. "Ready to admit defeat?"
"As if!"
Sakura grabbed the hand. "You've only won once—what's there to brag about?"
"I got special training from Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino declared proudly.
"That explains it."
Realization dawned on Sakura; she immediately called, "Kitazawa-sensei, I want special training too!"
[New Mission: Help your classmate Haruno Sakura complete water‑walking practice.]
[Reward: Healing Technique.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa blinked.
Good job, Ino—exactly what I need.
Healing Technique—C‑rank to learn, speeds up wound closure, a milder version of the Mystic Palm.
"No problem,"
Kitazawa smiled. "Train together with Ino."
One more student or one less made no difference to him.
What mattered was the chance to learn more medical jutsu.
All he needed was for Ino and Sakura to keep up their love‑hate "sisterhood."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Sakura shot Ino a small snort. "Our rivalry's just beginning—watch me!"
"Sure,"
Ino agreed instantly.
She had done it on purpose: one win with Kitazawa's help was enough; winning every time would be unfair to Sakura.
They were best friends—Kitazawa's training should be shared.
"Follow me to the training field."
Kitazawa turned and led them a short way to the range.
Sparks flew—Uchiha Sasuke was drilling Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
From its force, he'd almost mastered it already.
After all, both Phoenix Flower and Great Fireball were C‑rank.
"Sasuke‑kun!"
Sakura brightened at once.
Startled, Sasuke lost control; black smoke puffed from his mouth as he hacked and coughed.
"I didn't mean to!"
Sakura flustered.
"Come on—training time."
Ino patted her shoulder. "Hope you can last three minutes."
"Three minutes?"
Sakura glared. "I'll last way longer than you!"
One class period flew by.
After school, Sasuke went home—
To his surprise, his brother Uchiha Itachi was actually there.
"I've got two days off,"
Itachi explained. "Tomorrow's Saturday, so I can spend two days at home helping you with Fire Style."
"Oniisan, look!"
Eyes shining, Sasuke eagerly unleashed Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
"Not bad—you learned a second Fire Jutsu so quickly,"
Itachi praised, then asked, "Did Father teach you?"
"Kitazawa-sensei taught me."
Sasuke beamed at the compliment.
"Kitazawa-sensei?"
Itachi froze a moment, brows knitting. "That's… a bit improper."
"Huh?"
Sasuke looked puzzled.
"In principle, academy teachers only teach the Three Basic Techniques. Anything else should come from your clan or your squad leader,"
Itachi said, ruffling his brother's hair. "Learning Fire Style from Kitazawa-sensei isn't exactly by the rules."
"Then what should I do?"
Sasuke asked anxiously.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!