"Sasuke-kun!"
Yamanaka Ino stepped forward and greeted him cheerfully.
Uchiha Sasuke didn't even glance her way, his full concentration fixed on maintaining the chakra at the soles of his feet.
Ino's smile faltered. Not wanting to embarrass herself, she decided to drop it and turned to watch Hinata instead.
At that moment, Hyūga Hinata was already halfway up the tree, her feet firmly pressed to the bark as she hung suspended in midair.Her short blue hair dangled downward, her expression one of total focus and quiet determination.
Seeing that, Ino's competitive spirit unexpectedly flared.
If Sasuke wasn't going to pay her any attention, then she'd just show him she could complete the training before he did!
Gathering chakra at her feet, she dashed toward the tree trunk.
Kitazawa observed the three of them quietly, his expression soon turning thoughtful.Among them, Hinata's chakra control was by far the most refined.
Was it because of the Byakugan?
The Hyūga Clan's fighting style relied on the Byakugan to see an opponent's chakra flow, using Gentle Fist to strike and seal chakra points.Once hit, the victim would lose the ability to use chakra entirely—reduced to a normal human, completely at their mercy.
Of course, to land those strikes precisely, the Hyūga had to possess an extraordinary understanding of chakra itself.
Sasuke was a genius, yes—but his control was slightly less refined.In the original timeline, even Haruno Sakura had mastered the tree-climbing exercise before him.
Just then, Ino let out a startled cry as she slipped and fell.
Kitazawa moved instantly, catching her before she hit the ground.The soft weight in his arms made him briefly think she felt like a perfectly crafted life-sized figure.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Ino said, letting out a shaky breath.
"It's fine," Kitazawa replied, bending down to set her back on her feet.
"…?"
Sasuke glanced over with a faint scowl, a silent question flashing in his eyes.
Yesterday I fell off that same tree—why didn't you catch me?
Oh, right. Men are supposed to be strong on their own, huh?
"Hinata's already climbed that high?" Ino exclaimed in surprise, looking up.
Hinata was nearing the top of the tree—until, with a small gasp, she lost her balance and began to fall.
Ino froze, guilt flashing across her face. She hadn't meant to jinx her!
Kitazawa reacted instantly again, catching Hinata midair.
"Th-thank you," Hinata murmured, her face turning a delicate shade of pink.
"If you ever feel like you can't hold on, jump down before you fall," Kitazawa said gently, patting her head. "Don't push yourself too hard."
Boom!
Before they could even recover from Hinata's fall, another body dropped to the ground—Sasuke this time.
"I'm fine," Sasuke said flatly, meeting their eyes with forced calm.
He brushed the dirt off his clothes and turned right back to the tree, clearly suppressing his embarrassment.
He could feel it—pressure.Even though he'd ignored Ino and Hinata, he couldn't let himself fall behind them.
The three resumed their training, while Kitazawa watched from below, giving the occasional correction—and, when necessary, catching whoever slipped.
Time passed quietly, until the dismissal bell rang through the academy grounds.
"You three, finish one more climb and you're done for today," Kitazawa called. "I'll go check on the others."
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Uzumaki Naruto came running up to him, beaming. "I hit the moving target!"
"Well done," Kitazawa said, looking toward the training field.
It wasn't a bullseye, but for Naruto, managing to hit a moving target at all in one class period was impressive.
"Heh-heh!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear, full of pride.
"Class is over. Be careful on your way home," Kitazawa said, clapping his hands. "Dismissed!"
"See you tomorrow, Kitazawa-sensei!" the students chorused, bolting off the field without hesitation.
Anyone not eager to go home after class… probably had a problem.
"Kitazawa-sensei, what're we doing next lesson?" Naruto asked.
"Next class is physical training," Kitazawa replied after a moment's thought.
"Running?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "We're gonna run, right?"
"There is running involved," Kitazawa said, puzzled. "You like running that much?"
"I'm gonna be the fastest ninja in the whole world!" Naruto declared, punching the air. "That way I can surpass the Fourth Hokage!"
"…I see."
Kitazawa smiled faintly. So he must've heard about Minato from the Third Hokage, huh?
Then, lines of glowing text suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Your lifelong rival, Uzumaki Naruto, has challenged you to a physical training contest. You graciously accept.][Current Mission: Achieve first place in the training session.][Reward: Leaf Strong Whirlwind.][Accept Mission?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
That was practically a free reward.He'd be leading the exercise anyway as the teacher.
But wait—since when was Naruto his "lifelong rival"? Wasn't that title supposed to belong to Sasuke?
"See you tomorrow," Kitazawa said, waving as Naruto dashed off.
When he returned to the tree, he immediately noticed something was off.Ino was leaning against Hinata, her face pale.
Her left foot was planted, but her right foot hovered slightly off the ground.
"I'm fine," Ino said quickly. "I just twisted my ankle a bit when I came down."
"Sit down. I'll take a look," Kitazawa said, stepping forward. "Sasuke, Hinata—you two can head home first."
"It's really not—ow!"
Ino winced mid-sentence as pain shot through her ankle.
"That's enough. Don't try to tough it out."
Kitazawa helped her sit down. "I'm pretty good with these kinds of minor injuries."
When he'd still been an active shinobi, medical-nin were in short supply.Four-man squads rarely had one—so they'd had to learn basic field treatment themselves.As long as the injury wasn't too serious, they could manage temporary care.
"…Thank you."
Ino hesitated, then slipped off her shoe.
Her pale, delicate foot came into view, making her blush as she turned her head away. Her pink-painted toes curled unconsciously.
Kitazawa poured a bit of ointment into his palm and began massaging it gently into her ankle.
Her foot was small—he could easily hold it in one hand.His touch was careful, steady, professional.
Ino found herself watching him quietly, heart fluttering with an unbidden thought.If only he were their age… she wouldn't mind letting Sakura have Sasuke.
"All done," Kitazawa said after a while, pulling back his hand. "Have a medic-nin take a look later—it'll heal faster."
"…Okay."
Ino pushed the stray thought from her mind and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei."
"I'll carry you home," he said, turning around.
Ino blinked in surprise, then smiled softly and looped her arms around his neck, holding her shoes in one hand.
Resting against his back, she thought to herself, Sensei really is such a good man.
Kitazawa had no idea he'd just earned himself another "nice guy" card.
When they reached the Yamanaka Flower Shop, he gently set her down.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Ino said, smiling warmly, "see you tomorrow."