Kitazawa yawned.
After spending the whole night with Tsunade, it was already early morning when he returned home.
This was the first time he had gone to bed so late since becoming a ninja. In his previous life, he stayed up until one or two in the morning every day.
But that was because he had mobile phones and computers to play with—watching videos casually, and an entire day would slip by unnoticed.
In the ninja world, there weren't so many entertainment options, and since he had work responsibilities, he usually went to bed early.
Still, it wasn't without gain. Yakumo's fourth ninjutsu—the Memory Sealing Jutsu—had been successfully created.
Tomorrow, he and Tsunade would go to the Hokage's office and claim their reward from Sarutobi Hiruzen, the old fox.
In addition to money, he would likely receive a B-rank ninjutsu as well. Kitazawa planned to choose a Wind Release technique.
Currently, his Genjutsu came from Kurenai, Fire Release from Uchiha Sasuke, and Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade.
He had no source for Wind or Water Release, and the system hadn't rewarded either nature recently. As for things like Gentle Fist and the Shadow Imitation Technique, they couldn't be whitewashed for now.
Kitazawa took a shower, lay down on the bed, and the moment he closed his eyes, three lines of text appeared before him.
He glanced at them instinctively, then sat up in shock.
[Current Task: Gain Tsunade's initial approval.
Task Reward: Chakra Scalpel.]
[Host has completed the task. Reward issued.]
Kitazawa couldn't help but exclaim softly. He hadn't realized he had completed the task—it was so sudden.
Was it just because he drank with Tsunade and had a heartfelt conversation? Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
That likely played a role. But he believed there was another reason—his remarkable talent in Medical Ninjutsu over the past two days.
Either way, completing a mission was always a good thing.
Especially when the reward was this generous—Chakra Scalpel was an A-rank Medical Ninjutsu.
Kitazawa formed hand seals with both hands, and chakra quickly gathered in his right hand. In an instant, pale green chakra extended rapidly, transforming into a glowing, blade-like shape.
Although called a Chakra Scalpel, it was different from the physical cutting of a traditional scalpel. Instead, it cut through nervous systems or muscle tissue internally.
And it did so without leaving external wounds.
In medical treatment, it could quickly remove necrotic tissue and seal internal bleeding points, among other uses.
But in combat, it was far more dangerous—it directly targeted the enemy's mobility by paralyzing them.
Kitazawa nodded in satisfaction. Tonight had been a big win. If tasks could always be completed this easily, he wouldn't mind drinking and chatting with Tsunade every day.
He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
---
A new day.
Thursday.
He woke up on time at 7:30 in the morning. Kitazawa stretched, changed his clothes, washed up, and walked toward the ninja school.
Halfway there, he suddenly saw four familiar figures.
Might Guy, Uzumaki Naruto, Rock Lee, and Uchiha Sasuke.
Kitazawa stopped to observe. The three in green tights were full of energy, shouting about youth from time to time.
But Sasuke looked pale and was gritting his teeth, barely keeping up.
"Sasuke?" Naruto turned around and asked, "Do you have enough energy reserves?"
"Just worry about yourself!" Sasuke gasped for breath and said stubbornly.
"We're almost at the finish line!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "Sasuke, burning youth awaits you!"
"If you say a few more words, I'll catch up and shut you up!" Uchiha Sasuke said with a sour expression.
"Then I'll say a few more words!" Naruto took him seriously and shouted, "Sa—"
"Shut up!" Sasuke finally snapped, glaring at him.
Naruto scratched his head, looking genuinely confused.
Ignoring him, Sasuke focused on the Taijutsu skills taught by Might Guy. His body suddenly ignited with a surge of hidden potential—and he accelerated.
"As expected of Sasuke!" Naruto saw it and got fired up. "Watch me! Youth Charge!"
He caught up in one burst of speed.
"No!" Sasuke's eyes widened. The finish line was right in front of him, but the yellow-haired idiot beat him to it.
Once across the line, Sasuke slumped to the ground. He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. For someone with his stamina, running continuously for an hour was pure torture.
Sasuke glanced at Might Guy and the other two, his mouth twitching slightly as he cursed them inwardly—"monsters."
Now he finally understood how Uzumaki Naruto could consistently outperform him in Taijutsu and physical endurance.
With that kind of insane training, combined with his freakish body, it was no wonder.
Uchiha Sasuke felt that Taijutsu wasn't suited to him. At most, it could be used to strengthen his body. His true strength still lay in ninjutsu.
Kitazawa looked at him for a while, then withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward the ninja school.
"Teacher Kitazawa!"
As soon as she heard the door open, Hinata's eyes lit up. She jumped off the sofa and ran straight to Kitazawa.
"Good morning, Hinata," Kitazawa patted her head as he greeted her.
Hinata squinted in delight, enjoying his touch like a content kitten.
"Come and eat." Kitazawa took out the breakfast he had bought and began placing it one by one on the coffee table.
"Teacher Kitazawa," Hinata said happily, "Father praised me again yesterday."
"What did he praise you for?" Kitazawa handed her a rice ball and asked casually.
"He said my Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms have improved really quickly." Hinata took a bite of the rice ball, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "I can already land the first four palms in succession!"
"Not bad." Kitazawa looked at her smiling face, finding it hard to associate her with the shy and introverted girl from before.
The Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms wasn't sixty-four different taijutsu moves. In truth, it was a single technique that required striking the enemy's sixty-four chakra points in rapid succession to seal their flow.
It emphasized both speed and continuity. Using just one or two palms didn't mean much on its own.
Hinata being able to execute the first four palms in a row meant she had barely begun to grasp the fundamentals. And considering she was only six years old, Hyuga Hiashi's pride was understandable.
"One more thing!" Hinata swung her little feet in excitement. "Hanabi called me 'Sister' for the first time today!"
"Then you'll have to start carrying the responsibilities of an older sister from now on." Kitazawa smiled.
He recalled that in the original work, Hinata and Hanabi shared a close bond.
"Yeah!" Hinata nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you have any plans for summer vacation?" Kitazawa suddenly remembered it was coming up next month.
"No." Hinata shook her head.
"Then would you like to join my special training during the break?" Kitazawa asked with a smile.
"I would love to!" Hinata responded without hesitation.
"Alright then." Kitazawa nodded. "I'll let you know after the final exams."
"Okay!" Hinata felt a surge of joy in her heart.
After breakfast, Kitazawa headed to the First-Year Class A classroom to begin his lessons. As for Hinata, she went directly to the training ground to practice her Gentle Fist.
With her were Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and Uchiha Sasuke.
---
Tsunade woke up.
She sat up instinctively, pressing her forehead as a pained expression spread across her face. She had drunk far too much the previous night, and waking up now, her whole body felt uncomfortable.
Fortunately, she had the Yin Seal.
The Yin Seal: Strength of Hundred Healing Mark, an S-rank Medical Sealing Technique, had incredible effects.
One of its functions was to keep the body in peak condition at all times—even granting perpetual youth. As it activated, Tsunade quickly returned to normal.
She looked around and frowned.
"How did I get back here last night?" Tsunade shook her head, fragmented memories emerging in her mind.
From Kitazawa inviting her for a drink… to talking about Nawaki… to Kitazawa escorting her home.
Tsunade blinked in surprise. Had she really done all that?
"Why was I even talking about Nawaki...?" Tsunade scratched her golden hair and sighed. "Drinking really messes things up."
Still, it was just a conversation—nothing to dwell on. Tsunade had a carefree personality and brushed it off quickly.
Though when she thought of Kitazawa, a faint ripple stirred in her heart. While nothing happened between them, last night had undoubtedly brought them closer.
"That kid… he's not bad." Tsunade got out of bed, changed her clothes, and left the room.
"Tsunade-sama, you're awake?" Shizune heard the footsteps and instinctively turned around.
"Mm." Tsunade nodded, walked over, flopped onto the sofa, and asked, "What time is it?"
"Ten in the morning," Shizune replied.
"So late already?" Tsunade was slightly surprised.
"Tsunade-sama, you're really something else. You didn't come back until almost midnight last night." Shizune muttered.
Having been with Tsunade for years, she knew her well—so much so that she sometimes felt justified scolding her.
"I'm hungry. Go make me a bowl of ramen," Tsunade waved lazily. "After eating, I'm going to find Kitazawa."
"What are you going to see Kitazawa for?" Shizune perked up with curiosity.
"Obviously, I'm heading to the old man to collect our reward." Tsunade gave her a look. "What's with that face?"
"Nothing." Shizune didn't get the juicy gossip she was hoping for, so she stood up and said, "I'll make your ramen now."
Still, she had a strong feeling that something had definitely happened last night. The way Tsunade and Kitazawa were hugging... it couldn't have been just alcohol.
Unfortunately, neither of them seemed interested in explaining.
After finishing breakfast, Tsunade made her way toward the ninja school. Once there, she headed straight for Kitazawa's office.
She had visited him before, so she knew exactly where to go.
Soon, she arrived outside the door and instinctively reached for the handle—only to find it locked.
In class?
Tsunade thought for a moment, then made her way to the First-Year Class A classroom—but it was Iruka who was teaching today.
Not wanting to interrupt, she turned around and walked directly to the large office where all the first-year instructors gathered.
Tsunade pushed the door open. All the first-year teachers turned to look at her instinctively.
"I'm Tsunade. Where's Kitazawa?" Tsunade asked impolitely.
Instantly, the entire office went dead silent.
--
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