Kitazawa worked very quickly. He completed the test paper in less than an hour. There was no helping it—he had cheated. How could he not be fast when he already knew the answers?
Kitazawa double-checked the test paper and, after confirming everything was correct, put it away. As long as he scored full marks, first place was guaranteed.
He raised his head and looked around at the students still writing their exams. Most of them were quiet, though a few scratched their heads or fidgeted anxiously.
Kitazawa's gaze eventually fell on Shikamaru.
In the previous monthly exams, Shikamaru had always been laid-back—taking breaks halfway through and never appearing serious about the test. But today was different.
He sat upright, focused, and appeared unusually serious. If Nara Shikaku had been here, he might have thought he was hallucinating.
Otherwise, how else could such a bizarre sight be explained?
Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The Nara clan was well known for their high intelligence—be it in battle strategy or analysis, their wit was unmatched.
So what would happen when that intelligence was applied to written exams?
Would Shikamaru get a perfect score? Kitazawa felt it was worth looking forward to.
After all, Shikamaru must've realized that, with his combat ability, breaking into the top three in the practical exam would be nearly impossible.
To avoid being dragged down overall, his only option was to aim for a top score in the theory section.
Time passed slowly.
Soon, the clock struck eleven.
"Time's up. Everyone, stop writing. Stay seated and don't move." Kitazawa stood up and began collecting the papers from the front row.
After gathering all the test sheets, he left the classroom silently.
"Naruto." Kiba leaned over, trying to get a sense of the competition. "How did it go?"
"Not sure." Uzumaki Naruto said confidently, "But I answered everything, so maybe I'll get first place!"
"Hope your dream comes true." Kiba laughed. It looked like Naruto was going to be the one treating them again.
"Shikamaru, how about you?" Ino turned to him. "Your results will determine whether I can beat Sakura."
"You think Shikamaru can outperform me?" Sakura had overheard and replied with disbelief. "He always ranks around twentieth in the monthly exams."
"Grades don't matter. What matters is summer vacation." Shikamaru yawned, unwilling to get dragged into their quarrel.
For once, he had truly overworked his brain. All to avoid the dreaded special combat training during the summer break—he'd gambled everything on this test.
"That's great." Ino knew Shikamaru's character, and hearing his response reassured her.
"What do you mean by 'great'? You're so cryptic!" Sakura huffed. "Ino, better get your wallet ready. We're going shopping after tomorrow's exam."
"I'll return that line to you word for word." Ino smiled.
"You're just putting on a brave face." Sakura looked at Sasuke. Her expression softened instantly. "Sasuke-kun, are you free the day after tomorrow for shopping?"
"No time." Sasuke didn't even glance at her as he stood and left the classroom.
The practical test was tomorrow. Since he had the afternoon off, he planned to go home and continue practicing Fire Style. It was unfortunate his father and brother were both at work, or he could've asked them for advice.
But it didn't matter. Once he claimed first place tomorrow, he would seek them out.
---
Kitazawa returned to the office.
After putting the test papers down, he formed a few hand seals. With a puff of smoke, a shadow clone appeared.
"Mark the tests." Leaving the grading to the clone, Kitazawa headed to the dean's office at Konoha Hospital.
"Tsunade-sama and Shizune haven't arrived yet," Yakushi Nono said after a moment's thought. "If you don't mind, I can teach you."
"How would I dare mind?" Kitazawa quickly shook his head. "Won't that interrupt your work as dean?"
"No need to call me dean. Just call me 'senior' like Shizune does." Yakushi Nono said softly. "Long ago, I had the honor of attending Tsunade-sama's lectures."
Kitazawa was momentarily surprised, then understood. During the Second Great Ninja War, Tsunade had advocated for assigning medical ninja to squads to reduce battlefield casualties.
But due to limited resources and the complexity of training, the proposal wasn't accepted at the time. Later, Konoha formed a medical ninja experimental class to cultivate specialized ninja.
Before Tsunade left the village, she had taught classes there.
"I can teach you while I work." Yakushi Nono smiled gently. "It won't delay anything."
"Alright." Kitazawa could hear the confidence in her voice. "Thank you, Senior Nono."
"Come with me," Nono said, walking ahead. "The chances of a ninja being poisoned are very high. Just today, a special jōnin came in."
"What kind of poison?" Kitazawa asked curiously.
"Snake venom." She paused. "It was applied to a senbon."
Senbon were thin, needle-like weapons commonly used by ninja. To increase their lethality, poison was often applied to them.
As the two conversed, they arrived at the operating room.
"Why is it you, Shiranui-senpai?" Kitazawa pushed the door open and was surprised to see the poisoned patient.
He was Shiranui Genma, who had once served as a bodyguard for the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. He'd also learned the Flying Thunder Formation Technique.
That jutsu was essentially a nerfed version of the Flying Thunder God Technique, requiring three users to perform together.
Due to its many limitations, it wasn't viable in actual combat. It was mainly used for transporting supplies and personnel.
Those were days of past glory. After Minato's death, Genma had become just an ordinary special jōnin.
Kitazawa called him "senpai" only because he was a year older.
"Aa... Aa." Shiranui Genma tried to speak, but his words were unintelligible.
"Your mouth was poisoned, too?" Kitazawa asked, glancing at him.
Genma nodded.
"You'll have to wait until the treatment is over to speak," Yakushi Nono said gently.
"Well, there's no helping it then." Kitazawa shrugged. "What should I do now?"
"Go get the serum." Nono directed while putting on her medical gear. "It's on the shelf over there—Serum No. 7."
"——?" Shiranui Genma's wide eyes were filled with confusion.
What was going on with Kitazawa? Wasn't he a school teacher? Why was he assisting in surgery at Konoha Hospital?
But what happened next left him even more shocked.
"Kitazawa, do you know how to administer anesthesia?" Yakushi Nono asked as she approached Genma. "If so, anesthetize his mouth and tongue."
"I do." Kitazawa extended his hands and performed the procedure.
"How does he know medical ninjutsu?!" Although Genma couldn't speak, his face was filled with question marks.
Kitazawa said nothing and maintained the anesthesia.
"Prepare the Blood Coagulation technique." Nono smiled reassuringly. "The process is the same as yesterday. No need to be nervous."
Nervous? Shiranui Genma's pupils shrank in horror. He understood now—he was being used as a teaching prop.
What was this situation? Kitazawa hadn't even taught a full class and was already performing surgery?
Half an hour later, the operation was completed successfully.
"Ugh—I thought I'd suffocate. Finally, I can—hiss!" Shiranui Genma sat up, but midway through speaking, he clutched his mouth in pain.
"You just had surgery. You need to rest for two days." Kitazawa reminded him calmly.
Medical ninjutsu is not omnipotent.
It functions more like emergency treatment. Although it may appear that the patient is cured, in reality, physical deficiencies don't recover immediately.
That's why Konoha Hospital still has so many patients.
"I—hiss—I'm fine," Shiranui Genma winced, then asked, unable to suppress his curiosity, "How do you know medical ninjutsu?"
"I learned it," Kitazawa replied matter-of-factly.
"—?" Genma's mouth twitched. Why did it sound like learning medical ninjutsu was as easy as boiling water?
Among all types of jutsu, sealing techniques, medical ninjutsu, and genjutsu were undeniably the most difficult—especially the first two.
"Kitazawa is a medical ninjutsu genius… and he's only learned half of it," Yakushi Nono added with a soft smile.
"What?!" Shiranui Genma was stunned.
"How did you even get poisoned?" Kitazawa changed the topic and asked, "You specialize in senbon, right? How were you injured by one?"
"That… is a long story." Embarrassment flickered across Genma's face.
"Then make it short," Kitazawa said, his curiosity piqued.
"Fine." Genma coughed lightly. "I accidentally stabbed myself with my own senbon."
Kitazawa immediately understood. Shiranui Genma had a habit of keeping a senbon in his mouth. He could already picture the moment: "This senbon is coated with poison—hiss."
"Come in." Yakushi Nono opened the door to the operating room and called out.
Two nurses entered promptly.
"Kitazawa," Before being wheeled away, Shiranui Genma asked, "Are you learning medical ninjutsu from Dean Nono?"
"No," Kitazawa shook his head. "I'm learning from Lady Tsunade."
"???" Genma was dumbfounded. He didn't know the full story, but he was certain of one thing—Kitazawa would definitely go far.
Shiranui Genma couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had once possessed the same potential. Under normal circumstances, becoming a Hokage guard was like ascending into the upper echelons of Konoha's leadership.
For instance, the two current Hokage advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, had once been personal guards of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
But fate was cruel. After the death of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, Genma lost his position of importance. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took office again, naturally surrounding himself with his old comrades.
"I'm late, sorry!" Shizune rushed into the operating room.
"It's alright," Kitazawa shook his head. "I understand."
He didn't need to ask to know who the delay came from.
Shizune was touched. After so many years, someone finally understood her.
Once Shizune arrived, Yakushi Nono handed Kitazawa back to her and went off to handle other hospital affairs.
Time passed quickly as Kitazawa continued his medical ninjutsu training.
Before long, dusk had settled.
"I'll go find Lady Tsunade at the casino," Shizune said helplessly.
If she didn't, Tsunade would likely lose track of time again—forgetting to eat, sleep, or prepare for the evening's ninjutsu discussions.
"Okay." Kitazawa nodded. "I should head back to the academy, too."
He wanted to check the theoretical exam results of both First-Year Class A and Second-Year Class A.
He wasn't worried about First-Year Class A—his shadow clone was handling that. He'd left Second-Year Class A in the hands of Terai and Yamada Isamu.
"Thank you for your teaching today, Senior Nono." After Shizune left, Kitazawa turned to Yakushi Nono and said earnestly.
"It's nothing." Nono replied kindly, "The more excellent medical ninjas there are in Konoha, the easier my own work becomes."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Kitazawa, standing nearby, opened it.
"Here is the final exam report card for Second-Year Class A." Terai stepped into the room, his face expressionless as always.
Nono's expression shifted subtly upon seeing him.
Kitazawa was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Terai to deliver the report card personally. How did he know Kitazawa was at the hospital?
Was it Root's intelligence?
"Thank you," Kitazawa said, accepting the report.
"It's my job," Terai replied flatly before turning to leave.
Kitazawa glanced at the contents. As expected, Hyuga Neji was ranked first, followed by Tenten. As for Rock Lee, he was a physical specialist—his written grades were a complete mess.
"Is he one of your teachers?" Yakushi Nono asked hesitantly.
"Yes." Kitazawa nodded. "He transferred in last month."
"He's from Root." Nono hesitated for a few seconds before adding, "You should be careful."
"Thank you." Kitazawa hadn't expected such a reminder from her.
But she clearly misunderstood the situation. Then again, that was normal. Root operated even deeper in the shadows than the Anbu. Most Konoha ninjas didn't know it existed, let alone recognize its members.
"You don't need to worry." Kitazawa smiled. "With Lord Hokage and Lady Tsunade here, he can't stir up trouble. Besides, Terai's current strength is no match for mine."
"I see." Yakushi Nono was smart—she immediately understood. Since both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade were aware, there was no reason for Kitazawa to worry.
Nono sighed inwardly. Her eyes flickered with envy. If she had had the backing of Hiruzen and Tsunade back then, she wouldn't have needed to fear Shimura Danzo.
"Senior Nono, how do you know so much about Root?" Kitazawa asked, pretending not to know.
"I used to be part of it." She answered after some thought.
She didn't hide it. After all, Kitazawa was learning under Tsunade. If he didn't already know, he soon would.
"That explains it." Kitazawa didn't press further. He thanked her again and left the hospital, heading back to the academy.