Thursday.
The moment Kitazawa arrived at his office, he found an unexpected visitor waiting inside.
"Kitazawa."
Mizuki stood up with a broad smile and greeted him.
His disguise was flawless—there wasn't a trace of jealousy in his tone or expression.
"What do you need?"
Kitazawa nodded lightly and asked in a calm voice.
Mizuki's smile stiffened for a split second, irritation flashing in his eyes.
What kind of attitude is that? How annoying.
"After school next Monday, there'll be a meeting in the second-floor conference room,"
Mizuki suppressed his emotions and explained.
"It's mainly to discuss the content of this month's exam."
"Thanks."
Kitazawa replied politely.
Mizuki nodded and turned to leave.
Only after he stepped out of the office did his expression darken, his displeasure fully revealed.
Kitazawa didn't care what Mizuki was thinking.
Right now, his attention was on a newly triggered task.
[Current Task: Place first in the April monthly exam.]
[Mission Reward: Wind Release · Vacuum Bullets.]
[Accept?]
Under normal circumstances, a teacher obviously couldn't take a monthly exam.
But his system had always been… creatively intelligent.
If he personally sat in the exam room and did the test, would that count?
Kitazawa stroked his chin.
Whether it worked or not, he had to try.
Wind Release · Vacuum Bullets was a B-rank jutsu.
B-rank might not sound impressive, but in reality, many chūnin couldn't even master a single B-rank technique.
As a plain, background-tier chūnin, Kitazawa had zero B-rank jutsu to his name.
This would be his first.
And it was no ordinary technique either—
in canon, Wind Release · Vacuum Bullets was Shimura Danzō's signature jutsu, known for its terrifying lethality.
The class bell rang, and Kitazawa walked into the classroom.
The noisy room instantly quieted, the students returning to their seats.
"Everyone, open your textbooks."
Standing at the podium, Kitazawa said,
"Today we'll continue with the story of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama."
"Under Hashirama's leadership, Konoha prospered rapidly. Unfortunately… good times didn't last."
Curiosity was immediately piqued.
With Hashirama around, how could an invincible Konoha ever fall into trouble?
"Back then, the leader of the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Madara—parted ways with Konoha due to ideological differences,"
Kitazawa continued.
"He ultimately fought the First Hokage at the Valley of the End in an unprecedented battle."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Something like that actually happened?
Could the current state of the Uchiha clan be connected to this Madara?
"The result was Madara's complete defeat. He died at the Valley of the End."
As soon as those words fell, the classroom erupted.
"As expected of the First Hokage!"
"Wood Release is invincible!"
"Of course! Even the name Konoha has 'wood' in it!"
Hashirama was revered as the God of Shinobi, and Wood Release was legendary.
The students were young—it was only natural for them to worship power.
Only Sasuke remained silent.
After all, the one who lost was his infuriatingly charismatic ancestor.
"This afternoon's combat class will be physical training,"
Kitazawa reminded them.
"Don't eat too much at lunch."
With that, he left exactly as the bell rang.
At noon, there was a knock on the door.
Hinata walked in, holding a lunchbox.
"Come over."
Kitazawa sat on the sofa, opened a storage scroll, and in one go took out eight lunchboxes.
Hinata froze.
Only now did she realize why Kitazawa had asked her to eat with him.
"These are all… for me?"
"What are you standing there for?"
Kitazawa picked up his chopsticks.
"Sit down and eat."
Hinata suddenly remembered something.
She took out a small pink wallet and handed it to him.
"What's this?"
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
Trying to let me live off you? Do I look like that kind of man?
"The money for the lunches,"
Hinata explained.
"It's nothing."
Kitazawa shook his head and refused.
"No!"
Hinata became unusually firm.
"That confidence isn't bad."
Kitazawa glanced at her and laughed.
Hinata trembled slightly, instinctively lowering her head, her cheeks blooming red.
"Alright, I'll take it. Now eat."
Kitazawa accepted the wallet.
After lunch, Hinata returned to the classroom for her nap.
During the afternoon combat class, the students lined up neatly on the track.
"This is your first physical training session,"
Kitazawa announced.
"No time limit, no lap limit. I want to see your limits."
"I'll reward snack packs to the top ten."
"Yay!"
Cheers erupted.
"First place is mine!"
Naruto shouted confidently.
"The top spot belongs to me!"
Kiba crossed his arms.
And he wasn't bragging.
As a member of the Inuzuka clan, he'd grown up playing with ninja dogs—his speed was far above average.
Sasuke stood calmly with his hands in his pockets.
In his eyes, none of his classmates were real competition.
From this moment on, this track would be known as Uchiha Plaza.
All rise and witness his performance.
"They're really motivated,"
Shikamaru yawned.
"Chōji, how about we give it a bit of effort and drop out early?"
"No objections,"
Chōji agreed readily.
Snacks weren't guaranteed anyway—and running was pure torture for a chubby guy.
"Ino, want to race?"
Sakura shook out her arms.
"If you lose, you're not allowed to compete with me for Sasuke today."
"No need. I'll let you have him."
Ino glanced at Kitazawa.
She planned to practice tree-walking later—and Sasuke would be there too.
Sakura was destined to eat dust.
"…?"
Sakura whipped her head around.
What's going on?
Why does Ino suddenly feel so unfamiliar?
"Quiet."
Kitazawa clapped his hands with a smile.
"I'll run with you. Whoever passes me gets a special reward."
Sasuke's eyes instantly sharpened.
He longed for worthy opponents.
Among his peers, none qualified—so he aimed higher.
Kitazawa was a chūnin.
If he could beat him, that meant he'd reach chūnin-level speed.
Maybe then… his father and brother would praise him.
"Ready!"
Kitazawa shouted.
"Go!"
Sasuke and the others shot forward like arrows released from a bow.
Kitazawa wasn't in a hurry.
Starting with a sprint was a fatal mistake in long-distance running—you needed rhythm first.
He glanced around.
Naruto was in the lead, followed closely by Sasuke, Kiba, and Sakura.
As time passed, the situation quickly changed.
After sprinting for half an hour, Naruto's pace dropped sharply.
Sasuke took first place.
From start to finish, his breathing remained steady, his rhythm excellent.
Kitazawa followed behind him, looking completely relaxed.
After all, physical condition mattered.
At his age, Kitazawa was entering his physical prime.
No matter how talented Sasuke was, he was still only six or seven years old—his body simply couldn't compare.
After fifty laps, most students had hit their limits and dropped out, lining the sides like cheerleaders.
"Sasuke-kun, go!"
Sakura sat on the ground, weakly cheering.
Sasuke couldn't hear her at all.
His eyes were fixed solely on Kitazawa—but no matter how hard he chased, he couldn't close the distance.
"Can you still run?"
Kitazawa glanced back and asked.
By now, Sasuke was the only one left.
It hurt.
Seeing how effortless Kitazawa looked, Sasuke trembled with frustration.
Under the blazing sun, cold sweat poured down his body—
his hands and feet icy, his chest burning with unwillingness.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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