The physical training ended, leaving the students sprawled all over the training field, too exhausted to care about appearances.
Watching them, Kitazawa recalled the college fitness tests from his past life.
Back then, running just a kilometer felt like being punched by Tsunade's monstrous strength, he almost died on the spot.
Yet here these six- and seven-year-olds were, running a kilometer like it was child's play.
Chakra truly was something else.
[Quest: Place first in the physical training session.]
[Reward: Leaf Strong Whirlwind]
[Quest complete. Reward received.]
Kitazawa processed the knowledge that filled his mind, nodding slightly.
Might Guy had created the entire "Leaf Whirlwind" series of taijutsu.
The Leaf Strong Whirlwind was the advanced version of the Great Leaf Whirlwind.
If he kept completing this series of quests, perhaps the legendary Eight Inner Gates would one day be within his grasp.
The Gates were brutal on the body, but their power was unquestionable.
And really, at the brink of life and death, who cared about side effects?
"Time to announce the results," Kitazawa said once they'd rested a bit. "First place: Uchiha Sasuke."
"Go Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura and a few other girls couldn't hold back their cheers.
But Sasuke wasn't happy at all.
First place in physical training and a snack pack reward, it should have been a double dose of joy.
So why did it feel so hollow?
A regular chunin can run like that?
Sasuke sighed.
The excitement belonged to everyone else. For him, there was nothing.
"Second place, Inuzuka Kiba. Third, Aburame Shino… Ninth, Uzumaki Naruto…"
Kitazawa stopped after tenth place.
As expected, the top ten were dominated by students from shinobi clans.
Except Shikamaru and Chōji, of course, since they'd only run half the distance before giving up.
"Damn it!"
Naruto clutched his head, frustration written all over his face.
He was supposed to become the fastest man in the ninja world, yet here he was in ninth place.
Kitazawa gave him a glance.
Naruto's stamina wasn't bad, but his technique was a disaster. He was just flailing around.
[Your lifelong rival, Uzumaki Naruto, placed too low in physical training. It's an embarrassment to you.]
[Quest: Help Naruto achieve second place in the physical training.]
[Reward: Shadow Clone Jutsu]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa froze for a second, then a smile tugged at his lips.
This was a treasure.
Shadow Clone Jutsu created tangible copies with substance.
And the uses were endless, not just in battle, but also for training and espionage.
When dispelled, the clone's memories and experiences returned to the original.
Its advanced form was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
In the original story, it was essentially Naruto's cheat code.
With his immense chakra reserves, he could split into hundreds, thousands of clones. It was like having a permanent multiple-exp buff active.
Kitazawa didn't have that kind of chakra.
He didn't even have one full "bar", maybe a fifth at best.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was out of reach.
But a single Shadow Clone? That was manageable.
Why second place for Naruto, though?
Kitazawa rubbed his chin, then figured it out.
The system must have already considered him first place.
So Naruto's "second" would still be equivalent to the true top spot.
"Once you've rested, we'll practice kunai throwing at moving targets," Kitazawa announced. "Those who've already mastered it can train freely."
Without a word, Sasuke stood and walked straight toward the training tree.
He couldn't afford another failure. He needed to master tree-climbing as soon as possible.
Hinata and Ino exchanged glances and followed.
"Naruto, come with me."
Naruto jogged over, curious. "What is it, Kitazawa-sensei?"
"I saw how you ran earlier. You shouldn't have finished in ninth place."
"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "I thought so too!"
Kitazawa chuckled despite himself.
When it came to stubbornness, Naruto was no different from Sasuke.
Truly, they were brothers in spirit.
"In my opinion, you have the ability to reach the top three," Kitazawa said. "Do you know why you only came in ninth?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Because all you did was charge blindly."
Kitazawa explained, "You don't understand what running actually is."
"Then… will you teach me?" Naruto asked, not dejected at all, in fact, he looked excited.
"Of course." Kitazawa smiled. "That's why I called you over."
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto grinned ear to ear. "Next time, I'll definitely be first place!"
"Not so fast." Kitazawa shook his head. "Sasuke's no pushover. But you have your advantages, your stamina is stronger."
The Uzumaki clan's bodies were naturally resilient, with massive chakra reserves.
On top of that, Naruto carried the Nine-Tails.
Even though he didn't yet know it, the fox's chakra leaked constantly, letting him heal and recover faster than anyone else.
The two of them arrived at a quiet training field.
The same one Sasuke, Hinata, and Ino were using for tree-climbing practice.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, spotting him immediately.
Thud!
Startled, Sasuke slipped and tumbled down.
"Why the hell are you shouting!?"
Gritting his teeth, he got back up and returned to climbing without a word.
"What are they doing?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.
"That's chakra control training," Kitazawa explained. "You're not ready for it yet. First, let's focus on your running technique."
"Okay!" Naruto straightened up, unusually serious.
"The most important thing is posture and rhythm," Kitazawa lectured. "Running is all about keeping a steady pace."
"I get it now!" Naruto said with a firm nod. "Totally makes sense!"
"Understanding it in your head and actually doing it are two different things," Kitazawa replied dryly.
From what he knew of Naruto, theory was not his strong suit. No wonder he was always at the bottom of the class.
"Alright. Start running laps here. I'll point out your mistakes as you go."
"Got it!"
Naruto dashed off immediately.
Kitazawa twitched.
This kid was a monster.
After all that physical training earlier, and barely a few minutes of rest, he was already bursting with energy again.
Kitazawa couldn't help but feel envious.
At least he had the system now.
With its help, catching up to Naruto's physique and chakra wasn't impossible.
Kitazawa's gaze drifted to Sasuke, Ino, and Hinata climbing trees.
He was starting to look the part of a real teacher.
,
Saturday arrived.
Kitazawa lifted his hand and knocked on a door.
It opened to reveal a beautiful face.
"You're here early," Yūhi Kurenai yawned.
Kitazawa's eyes lit up.
She was wearing a yukata-style nightgown, its tight fit tracing the curves of her body.
Her chest in particular… though not on Tsunade's level, was still impressive.