The Artificial Lake of the Ninja School.
Nara Shikamaru walked halfway across the training ground. Seeing that Kitazawa wasn't around, he sat down by the lake. He raised a hand and rubbed his temples.
Was there any way to slack off today? Suddenly, an idea popped into his head—the Shadow Clone Technique. If he could master it, he could just send a clone to train in his place.
But then, another thought struck him. Would his shadow clone really be any more motivated than he was?
"It's a total failure if the clone keeps my personality," Shikamaru muttered with a sigh. Most likely, his clone would just lie around and enjoy life right along with him.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed something strange—the surface of the lake rippled unnaturally. He looked up instinctively—
And the next second, water surged out and splashed him square in the face. Caught off guard, Shikamaru fell into the lake with a splash.
Gurgle. He swallowed two mouthfuls of lake water before scrambling back up.
"Who's the idiot that—wait, Mr. Kitazawa?!" Shikamaru froze in disbelief, eyes wide.
He was caught red-handed slacking off—how embarrassing.
"Your chakra control is actually quite good, so I decided to increase the difficulty," Kitazawa said calmly.
The best way to deal with a lazy student like Shikamaru was to give him no chance to be idle.
"That water just now...?" Shikamaru's face darkened. Something wasn't right.
"Yes," Kitazawa confirmed. "While you're practicing walking on water, I'll occasionally launch water attacks."
"I... I need to go back and change clothes first!" Shikamaru protested, trying to salvage his dignity.
"No," Kitazawa replied flatly, cutting off the excuse before it could take hold. "If you skip out, I'll let your parents know."
"Ah?!" Shikamaru panicked. "You're a teacher—how can you threaten your student like this?!"
"Calling a student's parents is a teacher's right," Kitazawa answered with a grin.
That made so much sense, Shikamaru couldn't even argue. He sighed—completely speechless.
"That said, soaked clothes are a problem." Kitazawa changed the subject.
Shikamaru's eyes brightened. Was he finally going to let him go change? If he were told to go home now, he could definitely stall the whole afternoon.
"I'll help you dry off using Fire Style," Kitazawa added with a straight face. "What do you think?"
"...Thank you." After a long pause, Shikamaru gave his reply. Was that really necessary?
Kitazawa couldn't help but smile. "All right, let's begin. Don't worry—I won't burn you."
With full chakra control and system-given mastery in Fire Style, it was nothing for him to regulate the heat precisely.
"Teacher Kitazawa, I'm still a child—please be gentle," Shikamaru joked nervously.
"You'll know once you try it," Kitazawa replied as he signaled the training to begin.
Shikamaru stepped onto the surface of the water again to resume his training. Kitazawa formed hand seals, then released a small fireball from his palms.
Startled by the sudden heat, Shikamaru instinctively dashed to the side.
"Stop!" Kitazawa called out immediately.
Shikamaru halted. After a few seconds, his eyes lit up with surprise. The fireball hovered at just the right distance—he could feel its warmth, but it didn't burn.
His clothes were drying perfectly.
But ten minutes later, the surprise gave way to shock. He understood how difficult it was to maintain a jutsu, especially one like this.
Kitazawa wasn't just maintaining the fireball—it hadn't changed size or temperature at all. It was perfectly stable.
That level of chakra control... was terrifying.
Wait. Shikamaru blinked, confused. With an ability like this... why was he teaching at a ninja school?
And even more importantly, why was he tormenting him?
Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued the training—literally caught between fire and water.
By noon...
"You performed well this morning," Kitazawa said, dispersing the fireball with a smile.
Shikamaru collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Every time his clothes dried, Kitazawa would switch to Water Style, soak him again, and then switch back to Fire Style. He had spent the entire morning being alternately boiled and frozen.
"You're done for today. Go home and find a medical ninja to check your body." Kitazawa added after a moment's thought.
He was concerned that the intense water-heat cycle might have some effect on Shikamaru's health. Though Kitazawa himself could have handled the examination, he chose not to—he was still hiding the fact that he could use medical ninjutsu.
Even when Hinata had been injured during the friendly match against Class A, he had left the treatment to other medical personnel.
This was all part of maintaining an illusion for Tsunade—that he hadn't learned any medical skills. That way, he could keep up the image of an all-around genius.
As for Sakura, he had only assigned her basic medical reading material. It wasn't enough to give anything away.
"Wait... so I don't have to go to class this afternoon?" Shikamaru asked hopefully, eyes wide.
"That's right. But you'll need to review the textbook material on your own." Kitazawa nodded after some thought.
"Thank you, Mr. Kitazawa!" Shikamaru perked up instantly.
If one exhausting morning could buy him a lazy afternoon, it was more than worth it.
"See you tomorrow," Kitazawa said with a smile.
No matter how smart a kid was, they were still just a child. Training them too hard every day would only lead to resistance.
A balance between training and rest was the key—and Shikamaru could definitely accept that.
"Hinata, come back to the office for lunch!" Kitazawa turned and called out to Hinata, who was practicing her boxing techniques in the distance.
Hinata immediately jogged over obediently. Kitazawa patted her head gently, then dismissed his shadow clone.
As for Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino, they had already ended their training and gone to take their lunch break. Training was important, but one shouldn't overdo it. Rest was necessary too.
---
Kitazawa and Hinata returned to the office.
After lunch, he instructed Hinata to head back to the classroom and take a nap.
Just as Kitazawa was about to lie down on the sofa to nap, the office door was suddenly kicked open. That familiar energy…
Kitazawa instinctively opened his eyes, only to see a pair of feet painted with bright red toenails. Among the women he knew, only Tsunade painted her toenails that color.
"Tsunade-sama," Kitazawa sat up and asked, "What brings you here?"
He didn't expect his office door to be treated like the Hokage's.
"Give me money." Tsunade held out her hand without hesitation.
"What money?" Kitazawa looked up, his line of sight barely avoiding the towering view in front of him.
"The bet about the Rasengan," Tsunade said matter-of-factly. "There's only half a day left. You're not going to make it anyway, so just lend me 500,000 ryo."
She had just left the casino empty-handed and suddenly remembered her bet with Kitazawa, so she came running over. In her eyes, learning the Rasengan in three days was impossible—even Jiraiya had taken several days.
"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune, standing behind her, couldn't help but speak up. "We should at least be fair and wait until the evening."
"I'm not wrong," Tsunade shot her a glare, then looked at Kitazawa. "Right?"
"Not quite," Kitazawa replied with a calm shake of his head.
"Why don't you know how to adapt?" Tsunade grumbled.
"There's no need to adapt—I've already won." As he spoke, Kitazawa raised his hand, gathering chakra. In the blink of an eye, a spinning Rasengan formed in his palm.
"Impossible!" Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief as she leaned in for a closer look.
Kitazawa's eyelids twitched.
That sudden movement came with an overwhelming visual impact, as if a snowy mountain had suddenly collapsed—so blindingly white, it was hard to ignore.
"You learned the Rasengan… in just two and a half days?" Shizune was stunned, her jaw slack.
As the Fourth Hokage's signature ninjutsu, the Rasengan wasn't something easily learned.
Was this fate's way of punishing Tsunade for gambling? A karmic law where every bet she made was destined to fail?
Shizune couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
Whether it was Tsunade or Kitazawa, both were terrifying in their own right.
"You… you…" Tsunade opened her mouth but couldn't find the words.
She had seen Minato and Jiraiya perform the Rasengan before. Kitazawa's version was identical—no signs of it being faked.
"How is this possible…" Tsunade took a half step back subconsciously, her curvy figure trembling slightly.
"A bet's a bet. You have to accept the loss, Tsunade-sama." Kitazawa dispelled the Rasengan and smiled.
"I know, I know! No need to rub it in!" Tsunade rolled her eyes, still bitter about losing what she thought was a guaranteed win.
"Since you want to learn medical ninjutsu from me," her tone suddenly shifted, eyes narrowing mischievously, "you'll have to pay tuition. I charge by the hour."
Why did that sound so familiar…?
Kitazawa sighed inwardly, then retrieved the passbook given to him by Nara Shikaku. "It's 500,000 ryo. That should be enough."
At least this time, he hadn't lost anything. On the contrary, he gained powerful ninjutsu.
More importantly, building a connection with Tsunade would improve his standing in the village. If he became her student, it would be a major leap—joining the Hokage's lineage.
"Not bad, you're very sensible." Tsunade took the passbook, patted his shoulder approvingly. She hadn't expected him to actually pay.
"Shizune."
"Here you go." Shizune stepped forward and handed over a scroll. "Inside are some basic medical books. Read through all of them."
Kitazawa's mouth twitched slightly.
So much for poetic justice. Just this morning, he had given the exact same task to Haruno Sakura—and now, by noon, he had become the next victim.
"You have two weeks to finish them. We'll officially begin medical ninjutsu training next month." Tsunade paused before speaking again.
If Kitazawa could master the Rasengan in just two and a half days, that meant his chakra control was exceptional—already qualifying him to be a medical ninja.
"Understood," Kitazawa nodded, "I'll come see you after school."
[You have received Tsunade's attention. Please continue working hard.
Current Task: Gain Tsunade's initial recognition.]
[Task Reward: Chakra Scalpel.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes lit up. The Chakra Scalpel—an A-rank medical ninjutsu—was a core ability of medical jonin.
It had a simple purpose: using chakra to form a precise scalpel, capable of both healing and killing. He wasn't sure what exactly 'initial recognition' meant… but no matter what, the task was worth taking.
"I'm off then. See you next time!" Tsunade got her money and was itching to hit the casino.
"Good luck!" Shizune turned at the doorway, clenched her fists, and cheered him on. She genuinely hoped Kitazawa would become Tsunade's student.
That way, Tsunade might stay in the village longer, and they wouldn't have to keep running from debt collectors.
With the room finally quiet again, Kitazawa lay back on the sofa and drifted into a nap.
---
In the afternoon, special training resumed for Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke.
Time passed slowly, and soon it was time for the last class of the day—the practical lesson.
"You four, come with me." Kitazawa halted their training and added, "I'm going to teach a new taijutsu technique today. It won't hurt to learn it."
"Okay, Mr. Kitazawa," the four replied in unison, following him toward the training field.
The students of Class A, first grade, were already lined up by the time they arrived. The four quickly slipped into position.
"Before we begin today's lesson, I have an announcement," Kitazawa said loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "The final exam for this semester will officially take the form of a practical competition."
"Awesome!" Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement.
In previous practical tests, such as physical fitness, clone technique, and ninja tool throwing, he could only claim first place in the physical fitness portion.
In the other two areas, he rarely broke into the top three—usually ranking somewhere around the top ten.
But now, with only actual combat on the table, he felt confident. He was sure he could make it to the top three, maybe even win.
"Sasuke!" Naruto turned to him with a toothy grin and a raised thumb. "Let's have a youth showdown!"
"..." Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly. He still didn't understand what kind of spell the word youth had.
How could a normal person become this strange?
Still, Naruto wasn't wrong about one thing—the top spot would definitely be between them.
At most, maybe Hinata, now that she had activated her Byakugan, could challenge them.
"Sigh..." Kiba let out a long breath.
"What's wrong, Kiba?" Aburame Shino glanced at him.
"Seeing Naruto being so confident, I can't help but feel a little envious," Kiba said with a complicated expression.
Normally, he would've butted heads with Naruto out of sheer pride. But after the friendly match against Class A of the second year, he had clearly seen the gap between them.
He no longer had the confidence to challenge him.
"..." Aburame Shino remained silent. So basically, you're sighing because you can't act tough anymore? What a grand ambition.
"Where's Shikamaru?" Akimichi Choji looked around and asked, "Has anyone seen him?"
"Mr. Kitazawa gave him a special day off," Ino explained casually.
"Seriously?" Choji blinked in surprise and instantly felt jealous.
"Alright, let's begin today's class." Kitazawa clapped his hands to draw focus. "To help you prepare better for the practical exam, I've decided to teach you a taijutsu move—Konoha-style Taijutsu!"
"Konoha-style Taijutsu?" Ino blinked in surprise. "I thought the school curriculum didn't include that."
"It doesn't," Aburame Shino said, adjusting her glasses. "Mr. Kitazawa really is an exceptional teacher."
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)