When Kitazawa arrived at the academy's training ground, he immediately noticed something unusual.
Kabuto Yakushi, Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Hinata Hyuga were all standing together, chatting like close friends.
Well—technically, it was Kabuto doing most of the talking. The other four were just listening… very intently.
Already hitting it off like that?
If Sakura and Kiba hadn't been training by the artificial lake, they probably would've been pulled into it too.
Kitazawa couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the scene.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto spotted him and quickly stopped talking to greet him.
"Naruto, why aren't you off training?"
Kitazawa walked up and asked.
Until now, Naruto had been laser-focused—showing up early just to grind Rasengan practice.
"Right, Kitazawa-sensei! I'll go now!" Naruto scratched his head, then turned to Kabuto. "Senpai, I'll catch the rest of that story later, okay?"
"Anytime," Kabuto smiled.
"What story?" Kitazawa asked curiously.
"It's about you, Kitazawa-sensei! The epic battle where you took down those Iwa jōnin!" Naruto replied, eyes gleaming. "I wanna be a real ninja like that someday."
Kitazawa's expression twitched.
So it's about me again…
"Kitazawa-sensei was awesome! Took down two Iwa jōnin like it was nothing!" Ino gushed.
"Mm-hmm!" Hinata nodded with a blush, clearly still caught up in the excitement of the story.
"Alright, everyone—back to training."
Kitazawa waved his hand and sent them off.
Once they left, Kabuto turned and apologized. "Sorry for telling them about your mission without asking."
"It's fine," Kitazawa said casually. "Just don't mention the classified parts."
Not that it would've mattered—none of those kids were exactly ordinary.
"I understand," Kabuto nodded. He used to be with Root—he knew how to handle secrets.
"You ever trained in Wind Release before?"
Kitazawa asked, getting to the point.
"No. I only know medical ninjutsu, the three basics, and some taijutsu," Kabuto replied.
"Then we'll start with Wind Chakra nature transformation," Kitazawa said after a brief thought. "Practice it for a week. Once you've got a feel for it, I'll teach you a beginner-level Wind jutsu."
"I'm on board, Sensei," Kabuto said with a smile.
"Wind's nature is all about cutting." Kitazawa picked up a fallen leaf. "You'll need to focus Wind Chakra until you slice this leaf clean in half."
"Got it."
Kabuto watched the demo carefully, then picked up a leaf himself and started practicing.
Kitazawa observed for a while and nodded in approval.
Compared to when Sasuke first started learning Fire Chakra transformation, Kabuto was picking it up a lot faster.
Of course, they were different ages—no point in comparing.
Kabuto already had solid fundamentals as a medical ninja.
Kitazawa walked over to Hinata.
"Kitazawa-sensei," she asked curiously, "is Kabuto-senpai gonna be training with us now?"
"Yeah." He gently ruffled her hair. "What do you think of him?"
"He seems to know everything," she said after thinking for a bit.
"Like what?"
"He knew all about our jutsu and rankings in class. And he's really good at talking—he complimented all of us."
Kitazawa immediately understood how Kabuto had earned their trust.
Kids love two things: praise and stories.
No wonder he's a future villain—he even did research.
Good thing Nono Yakushi was still around—otherwise, Kitazawa wouldn't trust Kabuto one bit.
"Alright, let's work on your strikes. Try mastering the first twelve Gentle Fist moves."
He smiled and pinched Hinata's cheek.
"Mm!" Hinata nodded and instantly got into her stance.
…
Noon
"That's it for this morning—come grab lunch!" Kitazawa called out after checking the sun.
"F-Finally?" Shikamaru collapsed onto the ground, panting hard.
He'd been multitasking—sculpting with his shadow while dodging Ino's surprise attacks.
"No pain, no gain," Ino said casually, barely tired.
"Who came up with that phrase?" Shikamaru wiped the sweat off his brow. "Probably some masochist."
"Kitazawa-sensei said it," Ino winked.
"…No wonder it sounded so convincing."
Shikamaru quickly tried to cover himself and glanced nervously at Kitazawa. Seeing the teacher hadn't heard, he exhaled in relief.
Ino giggled.
"What's so funny, Ino?"
Naruto's voice rang out.
"Huh? When did you get here?" Shikamaru instinctively turned to look at Naruto, who was decked out in his bright green jumpsuit again.
"Just got here." Naruto tilted his head. "What were you two talking about?"
"Nothing!" Shikamaru started wildly signaling to Ino.
If Naruto blurted it out, Kitazawa would know within 30 minutes—and their training would be hell.
"We were talking about… why Sasuke didn't drop off lunch today," Ino quickly improvised.
"What?!" Naruto looked heartbroken. "So I'm not getting Aunt Mikoto's bento today?"
"Probably not," Shikamaru said after a pause. "But yeah, her cooking's insanely good."
"It really is," Ino nodded. "I'm gonna ask her to teach me sometime."
"Wait—isn't that Sasuke?" Shikamaru stood up and looked into the distance.
"Yeah, that's definitely him," Ino said. "Why's he showing up now?"
"Sasuke!"
Naruto lit up and sprinted toward him.
"…?"
Sasuke saw a grinning Naruto in a green suit charging at him and instantly considered turning back.
Ever since the "Eating Contest of Doom," he'd kept his distance from anything labeled "youth."
"Sasuke, why didn't you show up this morning? Something happen?"
Naruto caught up to him, panting.
"Just had a bit of special training to finish. Wanted to wrap it up before coming," Sasuke said with a faint smile.
After a week and a half of grinding, he'd finally learned his first Sharingan genjutsu: Genjutsu: Bubble.
"Oh, nice." Naruto took the bento from him. "Perfect timing—let's eat!"
Seriously? You're not even going to ask what I trained?
Sasuke side-eyed him but decided not to say anything.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's voice rang out, practically glowing with excitement.
Sasuke picked up the pace and caught up with Naruto.
"Hey, I'm Kabuto Yakushi. Nice to meet you."
Kabuto turned to Sasuke with a friendly smile.
"I'm—" Sasuke started, but Kabuto cut him off.
"I've heard all about you. The genius of the Uchiha clan—Sasuke Uchiha. Top of the school in Fire Release, awakened the Sharingan at six. You're in a league of your own."
Sasuke blinked, momentarily dazed from the praise—but now he found Kabuto pretty likable.
This guy gets it.
"Hold up. Where'd you even come from?" Sakura narrowed her eyes.
He was way too smooth—even Sasuke looked like he was buying it.
"He's Kabuto Yakushi, your senpai. He'll be training with you from now on," Kitazawa said as he set the food down. "Alright, everyone sit and eat."
Kabuto had never actually been to the academy, but calling him a senpai was an easy cover.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke said after sitting down, "I finished my special training."
"So you're joining us again?" Sakura lit up.
"We'll see," Sasuke replied coolly.
If he beat Neji, he'd return. If not—back to training with Itachi.
"You're all joining the combat session this afternoon," Kitazawa announced, clearly picking up on Sasuke's tone.
"Sasuke's got a target, huh?" Shikamaru glanced around. "It's Neji, right?"
"Yeah," Sasuke said confidently. "I'm taking him down this time."
"I believe in you, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura pumped her fist.
Sasuke had to resist the urge to shut her up.
"Why not challenge me?" Naruto stepped in eagerly. "Let's have a youth-fueled showdown!"
"Didn't you say we'd spar at the monthly exam?"
"Oh, right!" Naruto remembered his Rasengan still wasn't ready. "Well, I'll surprise you then!"
Sasuke didn't take that seriously.
What surprise? Sharingan basically hard-counters taijutsu anyway.
His plan was simple: beat Neji, beat Hinata and Naruto during the monthly exam, and declare…
Uchiha's back on top.
…
After lunch, they took a half-hour break before getting back to training.
"Sasuke."
Kitazawa called out just as Sasuke was heading off.
"You've got a different kind of training this afternoon."
"Oh?" Sasuke paused, curious. "What kind?"
He'd planned to go to the artificial lake to keep working on Fire Chakra nature transformation.
"Combat-focused special training," Kitazawa replied with a smile.
He was going to reuse the same method he used on Hinata and Neji before their match—push them with one-on-one live combat to sharpen their instincts.
Now it was Sasuke's turn.
Naturally, Sasuke didn't hesitate. At this point, nothing mattered more than defeating Hyuga Neji.
"Alright. How much do you know about the Byakugan?"
They moved to a nearby training field, and Kitazawa began with a question.
"It can see chakra flow and tenketsu points in the body," Sasuke answered after a moment's thought.
"Exactly," Kitazawa nodded. "Every time we use ninjutsu, our chakra flows differently depending on the jutsu. And the Byakugan can pick up on that."
…
"That's why in the original records, Mist's Ao saw through Mangekyō genjutsu twice—once when Obito controlled the Fourth Mizukage, and once when Danzo used it on Mifune from the Iron Country."
"But that doesn't make the Byakugan a direct counter to the Mangekyō—it's just that it can track chakra movement."
…
"You've only ever used Fire Release in battle," he continued. "So Neji won't expect genjutsu from you. That makes your first use the most effective shot."
"Got it." Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
That meant he had to strike when Neji wasn't ready. If the first cast failed, any follow-ups would be harder—especially because Neji's Byakugan could trace chakra flow and recognize the technique pattern.
And if the genjutsu did land?
It was over.
Visual-based illusions like his were extremely difficult to break out of without help or prep—and Sasuke only needed one clean window to end the fight.
That was the true power of the Sharingan.
"Alright then," Kitazawa grinned, "let's get started. I'll only be using taijutsu."
"Just taijutsu?" Sasuke smirked. "Let's go."
"Careful now, Sasuke."
Kitazawa took one step—and suddenly, he was right in front of him, fist flying.
Too fast!
Sasuke barely had time to react, activating his Sharingan as he brought his leg up to counter—
BAM!
Their kick and punch collided with force. Sasuke's leg went numb and he stumbled backward.
No time to think—Kitazawa's fist was already coming again.
Thank god for the Sharingan—Sasuke could just barely read his movements.
He threw both arms up to block, letting the force send him skidding backward, buying a split second to form hand seals.
Kitazawa spotted the unfamiliar signs instantly.
Genjutsu.
He responded immediately, using Shadow Clone Jutsu just before Sasuke completed the illusion.
Kitazawa blinked as the genjutsu hit—and saw Sasuke explode into a flock of crows.
Genjutsu: Bubble… Itachi's technique?
Hundreds of crows circled above, then dove.
But they weren't just crows anymore—they were shuriken.
That was the trick: the birds were the genjutsu, but the shuriken were real. The illusion was just misdirection—the true danger was hidden inside it.
If the enemy assumed everything was fake, they were finished.
Kitazawa's clone immediately dispelled the illusion. He'd intentionally allowed it to hit—he wanted to see how strong Sasuke's genjutsu really was.
Yeah… if Neji gets caught by this, it's basically game over.
Kitazawa's real body vanished.
Crap!
Sasuke threw up more seals.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
A giant fireball roared into existence—but Kitazawa wasn't there.
Leaf Great Whirlwind!
Kitazawa appeared on Sasuke's left and slammed a spinning kick into him, launching him back.
"Come on, again!"
Sasuke got back up, breathing hard but not backing down. He had the same relentless drive as Naruto.
And just like Naruto, he refused to lose—even if it meant getting knocked around again and again.
"Sure." Kitazawa grinned.
…
Two hours later…
Sasuke was laid out flat on the ground, completely wiped.
He was gasping like a fish out of water, every muscle in his body sore, his clothes torn and scuffed.
And still… not even a scratch on Kitazawa.
Not even his sleeve... Sasuke thought in disbelief. I couldn't land a single hit...
"Combat class starts in two hours. Get some rest," Kitazawa said with a calm smile.
He had promised to use only taijutsu—but what he didn't mention was that he'd mixed in some Gentle Fist techniques.
Sasuke hadn't realized.
As far as he was concerned, only Hyuga clan members used Gentle Fist. Even if Kitazawa copied the exact moves, Sasuke would've brushed it off as coincidence.
"…O-Okay…" Sasuke managed to reply between gasps.
Kitazawa thought for a second, then crouched in front of him and placed both hands out.
A soft green glow began to spread—he was using medical ninjutsu.
Sasuke blinked, stunned as the aching in his limbs began to fade.
So… this can heal fatigue too?
Normally, medics wouldn't waste chakra like this—healing exhaustion wasn't standard practice. But Kitazawa did it anyway.
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei!" Sasuke sat up, a little more energized.
"Keep at it," Kitazawa said, standing up.
"I swear, I'm going to beat Neji!"
Kitazawa nodded. "Mm."
But as he turned away, a new thought sparked in his mind.
Not about Sasuke—about Neji.
…
Two hours later
Final period of the day.
Kitazawa arrived at Class 2-A. Everyone was already heading toward the training grounds—they'd been briefed in advance.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Neji walked up to him. "There's something I wanted to say."
"Go ahead."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. If he's asking for special training on his own, that saves me some trouble.
"…I wanted to train with you," Neji said after a pause. "But the Clan Head—my uncle—decided to train me personally in Gentle Fist."
Kitazawa's brow lifted slightly.
So that's why he didn't come to me. Hiashi beat me to it.
Honestly, he wasn't surprised. Unexpected maybe, but not illogical.
After all, thanks to that letter from Hizashi, it seemed like the Hyuga brothers had finally reconciled.
~~~
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