The air split as Hayate Gekko suddenly drew his blade, a cold arc of steel slashing toward Kitazawa.
Kurenai's pupils shrank involuntarily. The moment Hayate made his move, she realized his strength was far from ordinary.
Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!
Kitazawa formed hand seals and unleashed a rapid stream of compressed, small wind blasts from his mouth. Like a chakra-powered machine gun, he rained down a storm of projectiles.
Hayate Gekko's heart jolted. Such speed—these Vacuum Bullets are no joke!
He swung his ninja blade, slashing down several of the incoming wind orbs while sidestepping swiftly to avoid the rest.
But before he could regain his footing, Kitazawa appeared right in front of him.
Konoha Great Whirlwind! With a swift spin, he launched a powerful roundhouse kick.
He's skilled in taijutsu, too? Hayate was momentarily caught off guard, but reacted quickly—he still had his blade. With a flick of his wrist, he angled his sword upward to slice through Kitazawa's right leg.
But in the next instant, Gekko's eyes widened in shock. His sword passed straight through the leg—no resistance, no blood.
Stunned, he froze.
Suddenly, tree branches erupted from behind him, wrapping around his limbs and pinning him tightly to a tree.
"Genjutsu? When did it start?" Gekko was appalled.
"That's Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!" Kurenai stared, dumbfounded. Kitazawa actually learned my genjutsu?
As a bystander, she saw clearly: the reason Gekko fell into the illusion was that Kitazawa had used one-handed seals. Most shinobi instinctively expected two-handed seals.
Kitazawa emerged from above the branches, holding a kunai that he drove toward Gekkou.
"Damn it!" Gekko struggled violently, but he was still too slow.
The kunai slashed across his face, drawing a streak of blood.
Genjutsu Release!
Driven by the pain, Gekko broke free of the illusion.
As the genjutsu dissolved, the massive tree vanished. He stared at Kitazawa in silence. Had this been a real fight, that kunai would've pierced his heart.
"One last move!" Unwilling to admit defeat, Hayate went all in.
Konoha Style Sword Technique: Dance of the Crescent Moon! With a blur, Hayate's figure split into two shadow clones.
All three rushed at Kitazawa from the left, right, and above with synchronized speed and deadly blades. Steel glinted in all directions—murderous intent filled the air.
There was no escape.
"Watch out!" Kurenai couldn't help but cry out.
Putting herself in Kitazawa's place, she knew she couldn't counter this without genjutsu. If her illusion was broken, she would lose to this technique.
That's why she began to worry.
Shadow Clone Jutsu! Kitazawa reacted quickly, summoning two clones of his own.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! All three Kitazawas formed seals and spat out blazing fireballs.
The desperate situation reversed in an instant.
Three roaring fireballs surrounded the real Kitazawa like burning suns, pushing Hayate Gekko and his clones into full retreat, drenched in sweat and disoriented by the heat.
None of them could get close. Forced back, they had no choice but to flee.
"…You win, Kitazawa-senpai." Hayate gazed at Kitazawa, who stood calmly without giving chase. He bowed his head in complete acceptance.
A Chunin who mastered Wind Style, Fire Style, taijutsu, and genjutsu—no one could object to his promotion.
Yuhi Kurenai felt both dazed and shaken. So this… is Kitazawa's full strength?
Though they had never sparred directly, she suddenly realized there was already a gap between them.
"Thank you." Kitazawa smiled faintly.
If he had access to the Byakugan, he could've ended the match even faster. Still, he was satisfied.
Hayate Gekko, after all, was a named and capable character in the original story. Through this battle, Kitazawa had confirmed his own strength.
"Congratulations, Kitazawa," Haru said calmly. "I'll report the results to the Hokage. You'll receive the official notice tomorrow."
"Understood." Kitazawa nodded.
"Kitazawa-senpai… cough… I hope we get to work together in the future," Hayate said between coughs.
The message was clear—with Kitazawa's current strength, he wouldn't remain a schoolteacher for long.
"Mhm." Kitazawa agreed.
Hayate and Haru said their goodbyes and left.
[Current Task: Pass the Special Assessment of Principal Sarutobi Hiruzen.]
[Reward: Mastery of Chakra Shape Transformation]
[Task Complete — Reward Granted]
A surge of information rushed into Kitazawa's mind. He instinctively clenched his hand.
Previously, when he said he might be able to form a Rasengan by hand, it was just a theory.
Now, he was certain—he could definitely form one. The Rasengan was an A-rank technique, regarded as the pinnacle of chakra shape manipulation.
It didn't rely on elemental nature, only on raw chakra control. But if elemental nature was added to it, its power increased dramatically.
In short, it was an incredibly useful technique. In the original story, Naruto used the Rasengan all the way to the final battle.
"What are you spacing out for?" Kitazawa walked up to Kurenai and gently tapped her forehead.
"You…" Kurenai snapped out of her daze but didn't know what to say. Watching today's battle had completely changed how she saw Kitazawa.
"You sure hid it well." She sighed.
"I just don't like unnecessary violence," Kitazawa said with a cough. "Besides, compared to true powerhouses, my strength is nothing."
"That's the kind of line that deserves a beating." Kurenai pouted, reached out, and pinched his waist. If your strength is 'nothing,' what does that make me?
"My bad." Kitazawa immediately apologized. He could tell she didn't use any real force.
"What are you planning now? Going back to school?" Kurenai asked, withdrawing her hand.
"Back to school?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. "I took the day off for you. Did you forget what you said yesterday?"
"That was just a casual remark. You didn't need to take it seriously." Kurenai looked surprised.
"Our first date deserves to be taken seriously," Kitazawa replied in a serious tone.
"W-Who said anything about a date?" she asked, flustered.
"Wasn't it?" Kitazawa put on a disappointed expression.
Looking at his face, something stirred in her heart. Kurenai wasn't one to hesitate—she made a decision in that instant.
"…You can treat it as a date," she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
"What do you mean, treat it as one?" Kitazawa asked, staring at her beautiful face.
Kurenai caught the look in his eyes, and her heart started to race. She bit her lip, suddenly rose on her toes, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Now do you get it?" she asked with a sidelong glance.
"Nope," Kitazawa blinked and replied.
"Hey—!" Kurenai's expression turned indignant. "You better not—mmph!"
Her eyes widened. Caught off guard, Kitazawa had pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. A soft, warm sensation sealed her lips. The flush on her face deepened rapidly, her skin glowing with a rosy hue.
After a few seconds, her mind blank, Kurenai instinctively pushed Kitazawa away.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)