After lunch, Kitazawa and Haruno Sakura headed to Konoha Hospital.
It was a lucky day for him. Not long after he arrived in his office, Yakushi Nonō notified him that an Anbu operative had been severely injured and needed emergency surgery. Three hours later, Kitazawa completed the difficult surgery, adding another success to his list. However, he was still far from completing his mission—he had seven more complex surgeries to go.
After his last practical class ended, Kitazawa went back to Yūhi Kurenai's house. He had already mastered three of the four Wind Release jutsu he had been working on; only one remained—the final and most difficult: Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves. It was a more advanced version of Vacuum Wave, capable of unleashing multiple straight-line wind blades at once—a powerful area attack.
The next day, Tuesday, Kitazawa arrived early at the first-year teachers' office.
"Kitazawa-senpai!" Umino Iruka immediately greeted him.
"I need you to send out a notice—tell the students who joined the student council from each class to meet in the conference room at 12:40," Kitazawa said directly.
"Got it," Iruka responded, used to running errands for Kitazawa. Other teachers envied him for being Kitazawa's go-to assistant. With Kitazawa's strength and the support of Hiruzen and Tsunade, Iruka's career would only continue to rise.
The morning passed with their usual training, and soon it was noon.
"Sasuke, this conference room is huge!" Naruto exclaimed, looking around excitedly.
Sasuke simply stared, uninterested.
"Naruto!" Rock Lee's voice called from a distance.
Sasuke subtly took a step back.
"Lee!" Naruto greeted, rushing up. The two in green spandex embraced, making weird noises. The other students exchanged confused glances. Sasuke and Hyūga Neji shared a look, both feeling a bit of camaraderie in their mutual discomfort. Neji turned and walked into the conference room, Sasuke following.
The room had been set up with nameplates and a student council introduction on the table. Sasuke sat down and began reading the introduction, which was much more detailed than Kitazawa's earlier explanation. The president, it seemed, held significant power, practically able to control the entire student body. Sasuke considered this. He was determined to become the president. Neji, however, didn't care. He thought being the student council president was a waste of time—he'd rather be training his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
At 12:40 on the dot, Kitazawa walked in. All the trial student council members were present—top students from each class. Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, Lee, and Inuzuka Hana (Kiba's older sister, now in fifth year) were there.
"Did you all read the materials on your desks?" Kitazawa asked.
"Yes!" they responded in unison.
"Our student council was approved by the Hokage," Kitazawa said with a smile. "If you do well, you might even be summoned by the Hokage himself."
His words had the desired effect; everyone was excited. The Hokage was the idol of every student, and the idea of receiving attention from him was thrilling.
"This council is just a trial, though. To become official, we need to show results," Kitazawa continued, raising his hand to quiet them. "What ideas do you have for our first activity?"
"I have one!" Naruto's hand shot up.
"Go ahead," Kitazawa said, already preparing for Naruto's wild ideas.
"I think we should have a cool, youthful uniform for the council! Like the green jumpsuit I'm wearing!" Naruto said, chest puffed up.
"I agree!" Lee chimed in, giving a thumbs-up. "That's youth!"
"I refuse," Sasuke said coldly. The evil virus of youth would not spread in this school.
"Me too," Hana said, immediately following Sasuke's lead.
"Why?" Naruto asked, scratching his head, confused.
"It's ugly," Hana replied bluntly. Just thinking about wearing that green jumpsuit gave her chills.
"Uniforms are fine, but we'll vote on the design," Kitazawa said, clearing his throat.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you're the best!" Hana sighed in relief.
Lee looked disappointed, but Naruto gave him an encouraging thumbs-up, already planning to win the vote. Many students thought the pair was hopeless.
"Back to business," Kitazawa said. "Our first activity will be founding a club."
"A club?" Naruto asked, as clueless as always.
"You can think of it as a group for people with a shared interest," Kitazawa explained with a smile.
"Cool!" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Can I start a Youth Club?"
"You can, but you need at least ten members," Kitazawa replied.
Naruto's excitement waned. Beyond him and Lee, he couldn't think of a third person who'd be interested in 'youth.' He glanced at Sasuke.
"I'm not joining," Sasuke immediately declared, making it clear he wouldn't wear that hideous green jumpsuit.
"Clubs are new to most of you," Kitazawa continued calmly. "As student council members, you should set the example and show how to run a club."
"Kitazawa-sensei, what kind of club should we start?" Hana asked after understanding the idea.
"The Will of Fire Club," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Anyone who wants to be Hokage can join."
"I'm in!" Naruto raised his hand immediately.
More than two-thirds of the students raised their hands.
"Great! You all have great enthusiasm," Kitazawa said, smiling. "Next, I'll explain the club's structure."
He had decided to use a traditional club format: a president and three departments—Events, Publicity, and External Relations.
"We'll vote for the president now," Kitazawa said, pulling out a ballot box. "Write down your choice for president; the one with the most votes wins."
The students went one by one to cast their votes. Kitazawa wasn't surprised when Sasuke was chosen. Despite Naruto's energy, his idea for the uniform put him at odds with the group. Sasuke, with his looks and reputation, was the natural choice.
Kitazawa smiled. This was interesting—Sasuke becoming the president would stir things up. Given the Uchiha clan's complicated relationship with the Hokage's faction, this would surely create waves.
"Based on the votes, Sasuke Uchiha will be the president of the Will of Fire Club," Kitazawa announced after counting the votes.
"Huh? We didn't beat Sasuke?" Naruto looked disappointed but quickly added, "Congrats, Sasuke!"
"Thanks," Sasuke replied, a little taken aback. Honestly, the student council presidency meant little to him—he didn't dream of becoming Hokage. He just wanted to surpass his brother, Itachi. But he wasn't about to turn down Kitazawa's offer.
"Hana, you're in charge of the Events Department," Kitazawa said. "The main task is to organize activities and strengthen connections between members."
"Got it, Kitazawa-sensei!" Hana responded eagerly.
Naruto looked expectantly at Kitazawa. "What about me?"
"Naruto, you're in charge of External Relations," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Your task is to secure sponsorships for events."
"Who do I ask for sponsorship?" Naruto was a little confused.
"Anyone," Kitazawa replied. "Teachers, ninjas, or shop owners in the village."
"Oh! I'll ask Uncle Teuchi from Ichiraku!" Naruto said, a bright smile on his face.
"I can also contribute," Sasuke said after thinking for a moment. As the president, he had responsibilities now.
"Right, the Uchiha clan is the biggest ninja clan," Kitazawa agreed. "And Sasuke's the Clan Head second-youngest son in the Uchiha clan. He'll be able to get plenty of sponsors."
The students agreed. Sasuke, the new president, seemed to be a reliable leader.
"We're the Will of Fire Club, and we can also ask Hokage-sama for sponsorship," Kitazawa added.
"Good idea, Kitazawa-sensei!" the students chimed in. "Naruto, I'm joining External Relations! Let's go meet Hokage-sama!"
Sasuke stood quietly, feeling a little left out, but still watching as Naruto led the charge.
"Alright, everyone can join," Kitazawa said, laughing.
The Will of Fire Club had officially kicked off, with the excitement quickly spreading across the school. Hiruzen's sponsorship made the club an instant success.
By the fourth week of October, the school was buzzing with talk about the Will of Fire Club. Kitazawa, content with the progress, stepped back and let the students handle things.
As the October exams loomed in just a week, the schedule for November was clear—no monthly exam, as finals would take place in mid-December.