It was the second week of May.
Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja Academy, a bag of freshly bought breakfast swinging from his hand.
As expected, Hinata was already waiting for him in his office, sitting primly with her hands folded in her lap.
"Eat."
Kitazawa set the breakfast items on the coffee table one by one.
"Kitazawa-sensei…"
Hinata took a small sip of milk, then let a shy smile slip across her face. "I sparred with Father yesterday."
"Oh?" Kitazawa asked with playful curiosity. "And judging by how happy you look, does that mean you beat him?"
"No… no way…"
Hinata's face turned pink in an instant. Flustered, she shook her head. "How… how could I possibly win against Father?"
In her eyes, Hyuga Hiashi was a towering figure—a master whose strength sat at the very peak of the ninja world.
It felt impossible that she'd ever even come close.
"Why not?"
Kitazawa gave her a calm, confident smile. "I believe that one day, you'll definitely be able to defeat him."
"Ah?"
Hinata's mouth fell open. For a few seconds, she was too stunned to speak.
Kitazawa took a bite of his rice ball, steering the conversation back on track. "So… if you didn't win, what's making you so happy?"
"Father said I've improved a lot!"
Hinata blinked out of her daze, and a bright smile returned to her face.
"That just proves you're talented."
Kitazawa praised her sincerely.
Hinata's biggest hurdle had always been her lack of confidence.
Kitazawa's solution was simple: keep praising her until she believed it herself.
"I… I'm not that talented," Hinata murmured. She glanced at him, her voice soft. "It's all because of your training, Kitazawa-sensei."
"My training only works because you are talented."
Kitazawa gave a faint smile.
"Eh?"
Hinata felt her brain stall for a moment.
'How did it come back to that again?'
Could it be… she really was talented?
"I… I'm still nothing like Neji-niisan…"
Hinata suddenly looked down, her smile fading as she thought of her cousin.
"Not necessarily."
Kitazawa shook his head gently. "It's normal for him to be stronger. He's older than you."
Hinata definitely had talent.
In the original timeline, even beings as powerful as Ōtsutsuki Toneri had called her the Byakugan Princess, recognizing her as possessing Byakugan of exceptionally high purity.
"But… but…"
Hinata looked like she wanted to protest but couldn't quite find the words.
"Practice makes perfect," Kitazawa said firmly, meeting her gaze. "Keep training. I believe that one day, you'll surpass Hyuga Neji."
Theoretically, it would be a steep climb—but he had a cheat system.
If he could unlock the Byakugan and Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms for her, then Hinata might not be entirely without hope of victory.
After all, any ninjutsu he gained from the system was instantly mastered to its highest level.
Hinata sat there in stunned silence.
She had never even dared to dream of defeating Neji before.
But as she stared into Kitazawa's steady eyes, she found herself nodding despite her doubts.
"Kitazawa-sensei…"
Hinata shifted a little closer, lowering her voice. "There's something else I've been meaning to ask you."
"Go ahead."
Kitazawa popped the last bit of his rice ball into his mouth and reached for some sushi.
"Father said my chakra reserves have increased by half compared to before."
Hinata's brow furrowed as she spoke, still sounding puzzled.
"Neither you nor your father knows why?"
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm."
Hinata nodded. She'd been diligently refining her chakra lately—but a fifty percent increase seemed too dramatic to explain away so easily.
"I see."
Kitazawa gave her a dry look and flicked her lightly on the forehead. "You clearly haven't been paying attention in class."
"I… I haven't really been in class much lately…"
Hinata's cheeks went scarlet as she admitted it softly.
"Ahem."
Kitazawa cleared his throat and decided to skip over that part. "Do you remember what chakra is made of?"
"It's created from mixing spiritual energy and physical energy," Hinata recited.
"Exactly."
Kitazawa nodded. "So, if your chakra has increased, it means your spiritual or physical energy—or both—have grown stronger."
He tilted his head at her. "Think about it carefully. What have you been doing differently lately?"
"I haven't really…"
Hinata began to protest—but then froze mid-sentence.
Realization dawned on her all at once.
She remembered the change that had come over the past month.
Thanks to Kitazawa's encouragement, she'd finally stopped hiding her secret of having a massive appetite.
For nearly a month, she'd been eating until she was truly full every single day.
With a well-fed body, her physical energy—and thus her chakra reserves—had naturally surged.
"Is that… really how it is?"
Hinata murmured, her eyes wide with shock.
All her life, she'd believed that having a big appetite was shameful—a disgrace that went against the Hyuga Clan's rules and strict etiquette, making her seem unrefined and improper.
"Being able to eat well is a blessing."
Kitazawa reached out and gently patted her head. "There's nothing for you to feel embarrassed about anymore."
Hinata lifted her eyes to him, blinking through the confusion swirling inside her chest.
She couldn't help feeling a little dazed.
Defeating Toranosuke… earning her father Hiashi's rare praise… learning that her growing chakra reserves were thanks to eating properly…
One revelation after another piled up in her heart, until the emotions she'd been bottling up for so long finally burst.
"Ki…"
Hinata tried to speak, but the moment she opened her mouth, tears spilled from her eyes.
She frantically wiped at them, turning her face away so Kitazawa couldn't see.
'Poor kid.'
Kitazawa let out a quiet sigh. He said nothing else—only stood beside her, giving her the space to let it out.
"I'm sorry, Kitazawa-sensei."
At last, Hinata drew a deep breath and spoke, voice trembling slightly.
"There's nothing to be sorry for."
Kitazawa shook his head. "None of this is your fault."
"Thank you…"
A soft, relieved smile tugged at Hinata's lips.
As her tears dried, she felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest. Everything that had been suffocating her seemed to flow away, leaving her lighter than she'd ever felt.
"Come on, let's head to the classroom."
Kitazawa stood and gathered the breakfast things.
"Mhm."
Hinata obediently rose to follow him.
Moments later, the class bell rang, echoing through the academy corridors.
"Before we start today's lesson, I've got an announcement."
Kitazawa stood at the front of the class, a smile playing at his lips. "In early June, our class will have a friendly match with Second Year Class A."
His words sparked immediate uproar.
"Second Year Class A? You mean the one with Hyuga Neji?"
Choji nearly choked on his snacks, eyes going round as plates. "We're doomed. We can't beat them!"
"Don't be such a defeatist!"
Kiba slammed his palm against his desk. "We haven't even fought yet! How can you say we're gonna lose?"
"You don't know how strong Hyuga Neji is," Ino Yamanaka interjected, chewing on her lower lip. "His reputation is even bigger than Sasuke's. He's the Hyuga Clan's top genius."
"Wait—there's someone even more talented than Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura clenched her fists, eyes blazing. "Sasuke-kun will totally defeat him!"
"I'll defeat him."
Sasuke's voice cut through the chatter like a blade.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura practically swooned, her eyes transforming into hearts. It was the first time Sasuke had directly spoken up in front of her.
"Neji isn't a joke," Shikamaru Nara said seriously, for once dropping his usual lazy demeanor.
Meanwhile, Hinata froze at her desk.
Just hearing Neji's name made her muscles tense, as if cold water had been poured down her back. The courage she'd gained in recent days seemed to vanish in an instant.
"Hey!"
Naruto jumped to his feet, voice loud and confident. "We've got Kitazawa-sensei on our side!"
At those words, Hinata found herself turning to look at Kitazawa.
He met her eyes with a calm, reassuring smile.
Somehow, just seeing that smile made the fear in her chest loosen a little—and she felt the faint stirrings of courage again.
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