A new week began.
It was time for the first-year Class A combat training.
Kitazawa stood on a cherry blossom tree branch, his fingers flicking rapidly.
With each motion, leaves shot out like kunai, propelled by his chakra.
They flew so fast that the three-meter distance vanished in a blink.
Just as the leaves were about to scatter, a small, delicate hand caught them one after another.
The hand's owner was none other than Hinata Hyuga.
After a week of training, her movements had become fluid and precise.
Within the tight space, Hinata's body twisted and shifted gracefully as she caught the leaves midair, her eyes sharp and hands quick.
When the last leaf fell still, she finally stopped.
"Ki–Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata panted softly. "Is… is training over?"
"Rest for five minutes," Kitazawa said approvingly. "You lasted half an hour today — that's much longer than before."
Hearing his praise, a soft blush spread across Hinata's pale cheeks as she smiled shyly.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
A voice rang out — Uchiha Sasuke's.
"What is it, Sasuke?"
Kitazawa leapt down from the tree.
"I did it!"
Sasuke held up an empty glass cup, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Congratulations," Kitazawa said, taking the cup. "Your hard work has paid off."
Sasuke didn't just train during lessons — he practiced every spare moment, driven as hard as Naruto or Rock Lee.
He already had natural talent, and with such determination, it wasn't surprising he'd completed the second stage of chakra nature transformation training.
"Try the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," Kitazawa said. "If I'm right, you should be able to match your brother now."
"Really?"
Sasuke clenched his fists, eyes burning with anticipation.
"Your chakra nature transformation is already at the required level. Just pour all your chakra into the technique."
Kitazawa nodded encouragingly.
Itachi Uchiha was indeed powerful, but he'd never spent as much time as Sasuke had perfecting the Fireball Jutsu — he had far too many other techniques.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Sasuke inhaled deeply and formed the hand seals.
A surge of chakra erupted from him — a blazing fireball nearly nine meters tall burst forth.
"Hahahaha!"
Sasuke threw his head back and laughed in triumph. "I finally surpassed my brother!"
Kitazawa merely shook his head.
He didn't have the heart to shatter Sasuke's illusion — at least, for now, the boy was happy.
Kitazawa thought back to the upcoming friendly match with Class 2-A.
In the ninjutsu power category, Sasuke was practically unbeatable now.
Even among sixth-years, few could use anything beyond the Three Basic Jutsu.
As for Neji Hyuga, his Gentle Fist was practical, but nowhere near as flashy as Sasuke's great fireball.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Sasuke stopped laughing and bowed gratefully.
At first, he'd looked down on Kitazawa as just another average chūnin instructor, but that opinion had changed completely.
"Class is almost over. Since you've finished your training, go home early," Kitazawa said, seeing right through his eagerness.
Without a word, Sasuke turned and sprinted off — exactly as expected.
He was clearly dying to show his father and Itachi what he'd achieved.
Kitazawa watched him disappear down the path.
He wasn't worried that Sasuke would grow complacent — not a chance.
He was an Uchiha, proud and competitive to the bone. The idea of letting Naruto or anyone else surpass him was unthinkable.
"Kitazawa-sensei, let's keep training!"
Hinata stood up, motivated by Sasuke's display.
"Alright," Kitazawa said, patting her head before jumping back into the tree.
The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving only a streak of crimson clouds.
Meanwhile, Sasuke jogged all the way home.
He barely had time to return the greetings of the Uchiha clansmen he passed.
"Father!"
The moment he entered the yard, he called out excitedly.
"So noisy — have some manners," said Uchiha Fugaku, stepping out of the house with a frown.
"Sorry," Sasuke said quickly, scratching his head — then he brightened again. "But look, Father!"
He immediately formed hand seals and exhaled a massive fireball.
Fugaku froze for a moment, surprise flickering in his eyes.
Such a powerful Fireball Jutsu was rare — and Sasuke was only six years old.
"As expected of my son," Fugaku said with satisfaction, nodding.
At that moment, Sasuke truly resembled his brother — someone with the potential to become Hokage.
Sasuke tried to suppress his grin but couldn't hide the joy on his face.
The school bell rang, signaling the end of class.
After dismissing his students, Kitazawa returned home.
Then, three glowing lines of text appeared before his eyes:
[Current Mission: Once Uchiha Sasuke's Fireball Jutsu surpasses Itachi's, use your own Fire Style to surpass Sasuke.]
[Reward: Fire Style — Great Fire Annihilation.]
[Mission Complete. Reward Delivered.]
Kitazawa blinked in surprise.
"Wait… didn't we skip a step?"
He hadn't even used his fire jutsu yet — how was it already complete?
Still, he wasn't about to complain.
He absorbed the new knowledge flooding his mind — mastery of Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation, the mark of a veteran fire-style expert.
Sitting on his sofa, Kitazawa pondered how to trigger Sasuke's next mission.
He finally decided to wait until the upcoming mock battles between Class 1-A students.
Since they'd soon face Class 2-A, he planned to hold internal sparring matches first, then select five students for special combat training.
His thoughts turned briefly to Hinata — he wondered when she would finally awaken her Byakugan.
The next morning, Tuesday.
After breakfast, Kitazawa headed to the academy.
To his surprise, waiting in his office were not only Hinata — but also Yamanaka Ino.
"Kitazawa-sensei! Please help me!"
Ino rushed up like someone spotting a savior, clutching his hand.
"What's wrong?" Kitazawa asked, puzzled.
"I don't want to do homework anymore!"
Ino's face twisted in anguish.
Kitazawa blinked, then realized what she meant.
He had set a rule for Ino and Haruno Sakura:
During water-walking training, whoever got hit by more kunai would have double homework.
Sakura, true to her main-character reputation, had slightly better chakra control.
As a result, Ino had been stuck with extra homework every night.
Kitazawa chuckled and was about to cancel the rule when — suddenly — three glowing lines appeared before him again.
[Current Mission: Help Yamanaka Ino defeat Haruno Sakura in water-walking training.]
[Reward: Chakra Control — Master Level.]
[Accept Mission?]
Kitazawa's eyes lit up immediately.
That reward was excellent.
Chakra control — arguably the foundation of all ninjutsu — was invaluable.