The second week of May.
After buying breakfast, Kitazawa arrived at the ninja academy.
As expected, Hinata Hyūga was already waiting in his office.
"Eat."
Kitazawa set the breakfast neatly on the table.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata sipped her milk, lips curling into a small smile. "Yesterday, I sparred with Father."
"You look so happy, don't tell me you actually won?" Kitazawa teased.
"N-no…"
Her cheeks turned red at his joke, her voice dropping. "How… how could I possibly win?"
In her mind, Hyūga Hiashi was an untouchable giant, a shinobi standing at the very summit. For her, reaching even half his strength would already be extraordinary.
"Why not?" Kitazawa chuckled. "I believe you'll surpass him one day."
"Eh?"
Hinata's mouth opened slightly, unsure how to respond.
"You didn't win, so what made you so happy?" Kitazawa steered the conversation back, biting into his rice ball.
"Father said… I've improved a lot!"
Her smile bloomed again.
"That proves your talent is real," Kitazawa praised warmly.
Hinata's problem was always her lack of confidence. His method was simple: keep praising her.
"I… I don't have talent," Hinata shook her head quickly. "It's because of your training, Kitazawa-sensei."
"My training only works because your talent is good," he countered with a smile.
"Eh?"
Hinata's mind froze. Did that mean her talent was truly exceptional?
"…But I'm still nowhere near Neji-nii." Her voice dimmed as she mentioned him.
"Not necessarily," Kitazawa shook his head. "He's stronger now only because he's older."
Hinata was undeniably gifted. In the original fate, even the Ōtsutsuki clan called her the "Byakugan Princess" for her pure eyes.
"B-but…" she hesitated.
"Experience proves everything," Kitazawa said gently, meeting her gaze. "Keep training. Someday, you'll defeat Hyūga Neji."
Theoretically, it was difficult. But with his "system," once Hinata obtained Byakugan mastery and Gentle Fist's Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, victory was not impossible. After all, every reward he gave came at maximum proficiency.
Hinata blinked.
The thought of defeating Neji had never crossed her mind. Yet, looking at her teacher's serious face, she found herself nodding without realizing it.
"Kitazawa-sensei…" Hinata looked away, hesitating. "There's… something else I want to ask you."
"Go ahead."
He had just finished his rice ball and was picking up sushi.
"Father said my chakra… has increased by half since before." Her tone was puzzled.
"Neither you nor your father know why?" Kitazawa raised a brow.
Hinata shook her head. "No."
Even though she'd been training daily to refine chakra, an increase that large was unheard of.
"You really don't listen in class."
Kitazawa flicked her forehead with a finger.
"I… I haven't been going to class recently…" Hinata admitted shyly, cheeks glowing.
"…Cough." Kitazawa cleared his throat, skipping the topic. "Do you know what makes up chakra?"
"It's the combination of spiritual energy and physical energy," Hinata answered.
"Exactly. If your chakra increased, it means one, or both, of those grew. Think carefully: what have you been doing lately?"
"I haven't, " Hinata froze.
The reason struck her.
Thanks to Kitazawa, she no longer needed to hide her appetite. For the past month, she'd been eating her fill every day.
And with food came strength. Her body had been brimming with energy.
"…Could it really be that?" Hinata whispered, stunned.
All her life, she had thought eating a lot was shameful, unbefitting of the Hyūga clan's elegance.
"Being able to eat well is a blessing."
Kitazawa reached out and patted her head. "Never feel embarrassed about it again."
Hinata looked up at him, eyes wavering.
Defeating Toranosuke, earning her father's praise, and now learning that eating well strengthened her chakra…
The emotions she had buried deep inside suddenly overflowed.
"Kita..., " Her voice broke, and tears spilled from her eyes.
Flustered, Hinata rubbed at her cheeks, refusing to meet his gaze.
Poor child, Kitazawa thought, watching silently.
"…Sorry, Kitazawa-sensei."
After a long pause, Hinata steadied her breathing.
"There's nothing to apologize for," he said softly.
"Thank you."
Hinata felt lighter than ever before. The heavy weight in her heart seemed to melt away with her tears, leaving only a refreshing freedom.
"Come on. Let's get to class." Kitazawa rose after breakfast.
"Mm." Hinata obediently followed.
The school bell rang.
"Before we begin," Kitazawa said from the podium with a smile, "I have an announcement. At the start of June, our class will hold a friendly match against Year Two, Class A."
The classroom erupted into noise.
"Class A? The one with Hyūga Neji?" Chōji gasped. "We're doomed. No way we can win."
"Don't sell us short!" Kiba slammed his desk. "We haven't even fought yet!"
"You don't know how strong Neji is," Ino said nervously. "His reputation's even bigger than Sasuke's. He's a famous Hyūga prodigy."
"Stronger than Sasuke-kun? Impossible!" Sakura clenched her fists. "Sasuke-kun will definitely beat him!"
"I'll defeat him," Sasuke said coldly, cutting into the chatter.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed, eyes sparkling hearts, her crush had actually spoken to her!
"Neji isn't someone to underestimate," Shikamaru said with rare seriousness.
Hinata stiffened at the mention of Neji's name. The courage she had built up earlier wavered, almost gone.
"Hey!"
Naruto suddenly stood, grinning wide. "Don't worry, we've got Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hinata turned instinctively toward her teacher.
That gentle smile on his face… was enough to steady her heart again.