Thursday.
When Kitazawa arrived at the academy office that morning, an unexpected visitor was already waiting for him.
"Kitazawa."
Mizuki stood up with a broad, practiced smile.
He hid his jealousy well. There wasn't a trace of resentment in his tone or movements—just a perfectly normal greeting.
"What do you need?"Kitazawa nodded slightly, speaking in his usual calm voice.
Mizuki's expression stiffened for just a second.Inside, irritation flared.
What kind of attitude is that? Tch… damn him!
"Next Monday after classes, there'll be a meeting in the second-floor conference room."Mizuki forced his voice to sound casual. "It's mainly to discuss the contents of this month's written exams."
"Thanks," Kitazawa replied politely.
Mizuki gave a short nod and walked away.Only after leaving the office did his fake smile vanish, replaced with a sour grimace.
Kitazawa didn't pay him any mind. His thoughts were already elsewhere—specifically, on the new system task that had appeared out of nowhere.
[Current Mission: Rank first in the April monthly exam.][Reward: Wind Release – Vacuum Sphere.][Accept mission?]
Normally, a teacher couldn't take a student exam.
But Kitazawa's system… well, it had never exactly been normal.If he sat down and took the same test as his students, would it count?
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.Either way, it was worth trying.
After all—Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere was a B-rank jutsu.
B-rank might not sound that high, but in reality, it was extremely rare. Even many chūnin couldn't master techniques of that level.
And Kitazawa, as a low-key, "three-no" chūnin—no fame, no wealth, no talent—hadn't mastered a single B-rank jutsu yet.
If he succeeded, this would be his first one.
And it wasn't just any technique. Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere was one of Shimura Danzō's signature moves in the original history—a jutsu with terrifying cutting power.
The school bell rang.
Kitazawa stepped into the classroom.
The lively chatter immediately died down. The students hurried back to their seats, spines straight as if by reflex.
"Everyone, open your textbooks. Today, we'll continue our lesson on the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama," Kitazawa began, his tone calm but firm. "Under his leadership, the Hidden Leaf Village flourished… though, sadly, that golden age didn't last."
The class collectively leaned forward in interest.
With the First Hokage around, how could the village possibly have fallen?
"Back then," Kitazawa continued, "the leader of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Madara, clashed with the First Hokage due to their conflicting ideals. Eventually, he broke away from the village and challenged him to an unprecedented battle at the Valley of the End."
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes widened slightly.That actually happened?
Could the current state of the Uchiha clan be related to this Uchiha Madara…?
"In the end," Kitazawa said, closing the textbook, "Uchiha Madara was defeated and died at the Valley of the End."
The room erupted in chatter.
"As expected of the First Hokage!""Wood Release is unbeatable!""Of course! Even our village name has 'Leaf' because of him!"
Hashirama was known as the God of Shinobi, and his Wood Release was legendary.
The students were young; naturally, they idolized the strong.
Only Sasuke remained silent—after all, the one who lost was his clan's legendary ancestor.
"In the afternoon's practical class, we'll be doing physical training," Kitazawa said as the bell rang again. "So don't eat too much at lunch."
And with that, he left the classroom.
It was noon when a soft knock came at the office door.
"Come in," Kitazawa said.
Hinata Hyūga stepped inside, holding a small lunch box in her hands.
"Come here," he said, sitting on the sofa. With a flick of his wrist, he opened a scroll—his personal storage seal—and eight bento boxes appeared on the table in a neat row.
Hinata froze, eyes wide.Only now did she understand why Kitazawa had invited her to eat with him—he'd prepared all this for her.
"What are you standing there for?" Kitazawa said, picking up his chopsticks. "Sit down and eat."
Hinata hesitated, then seemed to remember something. She took out a small pink wallet and offered it to him.
"What's this?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.Trying to pay me? Or feed me soft rice?
"For the lunch… money," Hinata said softly.
"That's not necessary," Kitazawa replied, shaking his head.
"No!"The word burst out before she could stop herself.
For a moment, Kitazawa was stunned—then he chuckled.
"That's the kind of spirit I like to see," he said, smiling as he looked her over.
Hinata froze, face turning crimson as she lowered her head.
"…Alright, I'll take it then. Now, let's eat."
He accepted the wallet and they began their lunch in quiet comfort.
After lunch, Hinata returned to the classroom for a short nap.
When afternoon came, all the students gathered on the training field.
"This will be your first endurance training session," Kitazawa said, hands behind his back. "There's no time limit or set number of laps today. I want to see your limits. The top ten runners will receive snack packs as prizes."
"Yeah!" a few shouted, excitement filling the air.
"The first place is totally mine!" Naruto yelled confidently.
"The top spot belongs to this great Inuzuka!" Kiba barked, arms crossed.
He wasn't boasting.As a member of the Inuzuka clan, his years training with ninja dogs gave him far greater stamina and speed than ordinary kids.
Sasuke stood silently, hands in his pockets, eyes cold and focused.
In his mind, none of them were competition.From now on, this isn't the school field… it's the Uchiha Arena.
"Man, they're fired up," Shikamaru muttered, yawning. "Hey, Chōji, wanna jog a bit and then bail early?"
"No problem," Chōji replied easily.Snacks were tempting, sure—but running? Torture.
"Ino, wanna race?" Sakura stretched her arms. "Whoever loses has to stop chasing Sasuke today."
"No need," Ino said flatly, glancing toward Kitazawa. "You can have him."
She still had to train tree-walking later—with Sasuke. Sakura was already fated to eat her dust.
Sakura blinked, turning sharply to her.What the—since when did she get so… different?
"Alright, settle down," Kitazawa clapped his hands, smiling. "I'll be running with you. And if anyone manages to surpass me… they'll receive a special reward."
Sasuke's eyes flashed like sharpened steel.
He longed for a worthy opponent.No one his age could challenge him, so he aimed higher—at a chūnin.
If he could beat Kitazawa, maybe even his father and Itachi would acknowledge him.
"Ready!"
Kitazawa raised his voice."Begin!"
Sasuke and the others shot forward like arrows leaving the bowstring.
Kitazawa started at an easy pace.Rushing at the beginning of a long run was foolish—he knew better than that.
At the front, Naruto led the pack, followed closely by Sasuke, Kiba, and Sakura. But as time passed, the situation shifted.
After half an hour, Naruto's energy burned out and his speed dropped sharply. Sasuke surged ahead into first place.
Kitazawa followed behind, running effortlessly, his breathing steady.He was, after all, in his physical prime.
Sasuke and the others were prodigies, yes—but they were still six or seven years old. Their bodies couldn't match his.
After fifty laps, most students collapsed onto the sidelines, cheering for the few who remained.
"Go, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura panted weakly, sitting on the ground.
Sasuke didn't even hear her. His world had narrowed to one figure—the calm, unshakable Kitazawa in front of him.
No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't close the distance.
"Still holding up?" Kitazawa called back with an easy smile.
By now, only Sasuke was left running.
And it was driving him crazy.
Seeing Kitazawa so relaxed, so utterly at ease, made Sasuke's blood boil. His whole body trembled with frustration. Sweat poured down his face, his limbs going cold under the blazing sun.