The air tore apart as Gekko Hayate suddenly drew his sword, a frigid flash of steel slicing straight toward Kitazawa.
Kurenai Yuhi's pupils contracted involuntarily.
From Hayate's very first move she could tell—his skill was anything but ordinary.
Wind Release: Vacuum Spheres!
Kitazawa formed hand‑seals with both hands and spat out a rapid stream of wind spheres, unleashing them like a machine‑gun burst.
Hayate's heart jolted.
So fast!
He swung both arms: the ninja blade traced a circular arc, chopping apart the incoming wind spheres while he sidestepped left, narrowly avoiding those that stabbed forward.
He had barely regained his balance when Kitazawa was already in front of him.
Leaf Great Whirlwind!
Spinning, Kitazawa lashed out with a powerful kick at Hayate.
He knows taijutsu too?
Hayate was surprised, but his hands didn't slow—after all, he held a ninja sword.
A flick of his wrist sent the blade slanting upward, aiming to sever Kitazawa's right leg.
Yet in the next heartbeat Hayate's eyes flew wide.
The sword passed clean through Kitazawa's leg—no blood, no resistance.
In that frozen instant, branches sprang from behind Hayate, pinning him against a tree.
"Genjutsu? When did it start?"
—Gekko Hayate said in shock.
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death?"
—Kurenai Yuhi was utterly dumbfounded.
Kitazawa had even mastered her signature illusion—and as a bystander she saw it clearly: Hayate fell for it because Kitazawa used one‑handed seals, while most shinobi default to two.
Kitazawa dropped from the treetop, kunai in hand, lunging at Hayate.
"Damn it!"
Hayate jerked an arm up, but he was still a step slow—the kunai grazed his face, drawing a line of blood.
Genjutsu Release!
The pain snapped him back; the giant tree vanished as the illusion dissolved.
Hayate stared at Kitazawa in silence.
Had that been a real Tree Binding Kill, the kunai would already be in his heart.
"One last technique!"
Unwilling to concede, Hayate bet everything.
Konoha‑Style Kenjutsu: Dance of the Crescent Moon!
His figure blurred; shadow clones appeared to left and right.
Three Hayates, wooden blades in hand, hurtled at Kitazawa from left, above, and right—the tips of their swords like striking serpents, murderous and inescapable.
"Watch out!" Kurenai cried.
If her own genjutsu were broken and she faced this Dance of the Crescent Moon, she figured she would lose.
Shadow Clone Technique!
Kitazawa reacted instantly, producing two clones of his own.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
All three Kitazawas spoke in unison, belching three massive fireballs.
The yellowish mist flipped to blazing scarlet. The spheres, like miniature suns, ringed the real Kitazawa, the heat drenching Hayate in sweat and blurring his vision.
Unable to find any opening for close combat, he could only flee in disarray.
"You win, Kitazawa‑senpai."
Seeing Kitazawa make no move to pursue, Hayate admitted defeat wholeheartedly.
A chunin who commands Wind Release, Fire Release, taijutsu, and genjutsu being promoted to Special Jōnin—no one would object.
Kurenai felt both delighted and shaken.
So this is Kitazawa's full strength?
Though they hadn't fought to exhaustion, she realized a gap had quietly formed between them.
"Thank you," Kitazawa said with a small smile.
Had he used the Byakugan he would have won even faster, but he was satisfied. Fighting a named character like Gekko Hayate confirmed his own level.
"Congratulations, Kitazawa," said Haru, voice calm. "I'll report today's assessment to the Hokage. You'll receive formal notice tomorrow."
"Understood," Kitazawa nodded.
"Ki—cough—Kitazawa‑senpai, I… cough… hope we can work together next time."
Hayate's subtext was clear: with strength like Kitazawa's, he couldn't stay an academy instructor forever.
Kitazawa accepted the sentiment with a simple "Mm."
Hayate and Haruka then took their leave.
[Current reward: Master level Chakra Shape Transformation.]
[Mission complete. Reward delivered.]
A torrent of information flooded Kitazawa's mind. He clenched his fist on instinct.
He'd only guessed he could hand‑form a Rasengan before—but now he was certain.
The Rasengan, an A‑rank jutsu, is the pinnacle of chakra shape manipulation. It uses non‑elemental chakra, but adding nature transformation can amplify its power. All in all, it's an exceedingly practical technique; Naruto himself used variants of it right up to the series finale.
"What are you spacing out for?" Kitazawa walked up to Kurenai and flicked her forehead.
"Eh…" She snapped back, momentarily at a loss for words. The spar had shown her Kitazawa's true power, and it overturned her assumptions.
"You sure kept this hidden," she said after a deep breath.
"I simply dislike needless fighting," he coughed lightly, "and compared to others, my bit of strength is nothing."
"That line makes me want to hit you!" Kurenai pouted, slapping his waist. If your strength is 'nothing,' what does that make me?
"My fault," Kitazawa apologized at once—he could tell she hadn't used any force.
"What now? Heading back to the academy?" she asked.
"Back to school?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. "I took the day off for you. Did you forget what you said yesterday?"
"I was just talking—I didn't think you'd take it so seriously," she said, surprised.
"Our first date deserves to be taken seriously," he replied, straight‑faced.
"How did this become a date?" Kurenai blurted.
"Isn't it?" Kitazawa looked genuinely disappointed.
Seeing that expression stirred something in her. She wasn't the timid type—she made her decision in a heartbeat.
"Y‑You can treat it like a date," she said, cheeks flushing.
"'Treat' it?" Kitazawa leaned closer, eyes on her lovely face.
His gaze sent her heartbeat racing. She bit her lip, suddenly rose on tiptoe, and pecked his cheek.
"Does that make it clear?" she asked, rolling her eyes at him.
"Not really." Kitazawa blinked.
"Hey!" Kurenai huffed. "Don't you—mmph!"
Her eyes flew wide. Without warning, Kitazawa pulled her close and sealed her protest with a kiss—only softness and warmth remained.
A crimson blush spread across her face, pinkening her fair skin. After a few seconds—mind blank—she instinctively pushed him away.
~~~
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