"As a medical ninja, one must possess a vast foundation of knowledge," Kitazawa said with a warm smile.
While medical ninjutsu was fast and convenient, it still required a deep understanding of human anatomy to be truly effective. Beyond healing, a medical ninja also dealt with toxins and antidotes, demanding familiarity with nearly every medicinal herb found across the ninja world.
"…"
Sakura suddenly felt a pang of regret.
Was becoming a medical ninja really worth memorizing so much? Why was this path—one she thought would be noble—so difficult?
"You want to learn medical ninjutsu?" Sasuke glanced at Kitazawa, then at Sakura, visibly surprised.
As someone from a prominent ninja clan, Sasuke understood how demanding medical ninjutsu could be. Sakura was one thing—but Kitazawa? Was he even a medical ninja?
"Yes!" Sakura quickly abandoned her hesitation. Her eyes lit up as she turned to Sasuke. "From now on, if you get injured, come to me! I'll treat you for free!"
"…"
Sasuke fell silent. Though her enthusiasm was touching, it sounded like she was already planning for him to get hurt.
"Sakura, are you sure about this?" Kitazawa asked, smiling slightly.
"I'm sure!" she replied, her expression firm with newfound resolve.
Off to the side, Ino Yamanaka pressed her fingers to her temple. It was the first time she'd seen someone take up medical ninjutsu out of sheer infatuation.
"Women are scary," Shikamaru muttered. The thought of reading that many books was enough to make him faint.
"Well then, good luck," Kitazawa said. He pulled out another summoning scroll, this time revealing a desk and chair set—custom-prepared for Sakura.
Knowing she was lovestruck, he simply placed her study station right next to Sasuke's, hoping proximity would be a good motivator.
"Ino, there's not much training for you today," Kitazawa continued. "Just practice the Mind Body Switch Jutsu."
Although the system had given him a mission related to her clan's jutsu, Kitazawa didn't yet fully understand it. Observing her firsthand would be the first step.
"Got it," Ino nodded.
"You already learned that jutsu?" Shikamaru looked genuinely surprised.
Among the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, they were all familiar with each other's secret Jutsus. And based on difficulty, their training thresholds were about the same. Neither he nor Choji had been cleared to begin learning their respective family jutsu yet.
He hadn't expected Ino to be the first to qualify.
"That's all thanks to Kitazawa-sensei's brutal training," Ino said with a proud little smirk. "But since you're in special training now too, you'll probably learn Shadow Imitation soon."
'I really don't want to…' Shikamaru moaned inwardly.
He remembered her complaints about the training being intense and time-consuming. She had even skipped classes for a while because of it. Just thinking about that lifestyle made him feel like giving up on the future entirely.
"Sasuke, how's your progress on manipulating shuriken using ninja wire?" Kitazawa asked.
"I've already mastered it," Sasuke replied confidently.
He had originally wanted to showcase it during his sparring match against Neji, but the opportunity never came.
"I know you were frustrated about missing Friday's match," Kitazawa said. "So to make up for it, I'll teach you a B-rank Fire Release jutsu today—Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu. It's one of the Jutsus you brought me."
Sasuke's voice rose with excitement. "Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
He did feel some resentment, but Kitazawa's thoughtful gesture left him feeling both grateful and a little guilty. He made a silent vow to ask his brother if there were more Fire Release jutsu he could contribute.
"B-rank?" Shikamaru couldn't help but gasp.
Typically, only Chunin or Jonin-level shinobi learned B-rank Jutsus. Sasuke was mastering one at six years old. 'Absolutely ridiculous.'
'Why do geniuses need to work so hard on top of being geniuses?' he thought miserably.
"It's fine that you didn't participate last time," Kitazawa added. "Next month's final exam will feature live combat. And I assure you, getting first place won't be easy."
Sasuke's gaze turned sharp.
If it were before, he'd be confident. But now? He had to contend with Hinata and her activated Byakugan, Naruto with Shadow Clones, and Yakumo and her powerful Genjutsu bloodline.
"Is Yakumo going to compete?" Ino asked. "If she does, she's a guaranteed first place."
"…"
Sasuke opened his mouth to refute her but found himself without a valid argument.
"She probably won't," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought. "Her body can't handle prolonged battles."
The finals would definitely require multiple rounds. Upon hearing this, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a small wave of relief.
"But that doesn't mean she won't participate next semester," Kitazawa added. "She's currently under treatment by Lady Tsunade."
Sasuke's expression turned serious again. Just a few words, and Kitazawa had stirred him deeply.
"I'll do my best," Sasuke said after a deep breath.
To secure first place, the key was mastering Great Dragon Fire Jutsu. Unless his Sharingan awakened... Maybe he should ask his brother how to activate it.
Kitazawa was about to speak when a familiar message flashed before his eyes.
[The first semester is coming to an end. As a genius among geniuses, you must make a lasting impact.]
[Current Mission: Secure first place in the final exam with an overwhelming lead.]
[Mission Reward: Eight Gates — First Gate (Gate of Opening).]
[Accept Mission?]
Kitazawa's lips twitched.
'What kind of shady system is this?
Then again, even if he unlocked all the Eight Gates, he couldn't use them properly yet. The Jutsu demanded extreme physical conditioning. Without that, opening the gates would lead to serious injury—or worse.
He guessed that once he had the complete Senju bloodline, he might try it. For now, unlocking just the First Gate wasn't bad either.
The First Gate, the Gate of Opening, lifted the brain's natural limits and allowed a person to unleash their full physical capabilities.
That might not sound like much, but it could turn the tide of a real battle—essentially keeping him at 100% output at all times.
But… the mission itself would be tough.
Unlike written exams, the final would involve actual sparring.
If he wasn't careful, it might look like a teacher bullying his students. He'd need a convincing excuse to compete, or else his reputation could take a major hit.
Luckily, he was their instructor.
"Sasuke, watch closely."
Kitazawa looked around and said, "Everyone step back. You don't want to get burned."
Sasuke, Hinata, and the others quickly moved away.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!
Kitazawa performed a string of hand signs. Chakra surged within him, compressing tightly until—
Fwoosh!
Three enormous flame dragons erupted, twisting the air with intense heat as they shot into the sky.
"Those dragons are huge!" Ino gasped.
"S-So strong…" Sasuke whispered, eyes wide.
Even Shikamaru was left stunned. The precision and power were unlike anything he'd seen.
Wasn't Kitazawa just a regular academy teacher?
Only Hinata looked unsurprised. To her, after everything she'd seen, Kitazawa was capable of anything.
"Here," Kitazawa said, handing Sasuke a Ninjutsu scroll. "This contains the jutsu and some of my personal insights. Study it carefully."
"Thank you!" Sasuke replied, his voice brimming with excitement.
The might of this jutsu clearly surpassed the Great Fireball Jutsu. It was a true B-rank masterpiece. If he mastered it, he could make the Uchiha name shine brighter than ever.
Kitazawa suddenly recalled that this jutsu was the prerequisite for Lightning Release: Kirin, an S-rank jutsu Sasuke developed in the original timeline.
Back then, Sasuke used this fire jutsu to summon cumulonimbus clouds to generate natural lightning.
"My Shadow Clone will guide the three of you," Kitazawa said, forming a clone. "Shikamaru, Hinata—come with me."
Hinata nodded eagerly. Shikamaru sighed as if he were walking to his execution.
"Your training's simple, Shikamaru—water walking," Kitazawa said as they reached the Academy's artificial lake.
He'd skipped tree-walking, having already noticed that Shikamaru's chakra control was solid—something he deduced from how well the boy executed Clone Jutsu.
Shikamaru might be lazy, but he was undeniably talented.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Shikamaru replied and began wading into the lake.
"Hinata, over here," Kitazawa said, leading her to a shaded area.
"We'll work with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms today. Show me what you've got."
"Ok, Sensei," Hinata said nervously.
Kitazawa watched silently as she performed the jutsu.
He saw plenty of mistakes—but that was expected. She'd only been learning for two days. More importantly, he knew that Hinata's biggest hurdle was her lack of confidence.
The best way to teach her? Praise often and correct gently.
With the system's master-level Gentle Fist experience, Kitazawa could see every flaw. But correcting them, one by one, would be the key.
Whether Hinata could one day defeat Neji… would depend entirely on her determination.
Kitazawa had already prepared everything she needed.
And unlike her, Neji—being from the branch family—wasn't even allowed to officially learn Sixty-Four Palms. If he was learning it in secret, he'd be much slower.
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