Obito's forehead was sweating, his face turned sour like a bitter melon, on the verge of tears. "Isn't this... a bit much, Teacher Kitagawa?"
"Too much?" Kitagawa looked genuinely puzzled, then turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, do you think it's too much?"
Kakashi said flatly, "Not at all."
Obito immediately gnashed his teeth at Kakashi. "Kakashi!!"
Kitagawa placed a hand on Obito's head, smiling warmly. "What's wrong, Obito? You don't like the gift your teacher prepared for you?"
"That would break your teacher's heart!"
Obito forced a smile. "No... nothing like that."
Kitagawa nodded with satisfaction. "Good."
"Now, one sheet per day. Tomorrow, give it to Kakashi to grade."
"That means tonight, you need to finish one sheet. Your teacher will let you look up answers."
"But if you get even one wrong, tomorrow you have to copy the entire sheet ten times!"
"Ten times!"
Obito nearly dropped his jaw.
Kitagawa smiled. "Obito, I remember your dream is to become Hokage, right?"
"If you can't even solve these problems, how are you going to become Hokage?"
Obito tried to argue quietly. "As long as I'm strong enough, isn't that enough?"
Kakashi delivered the killing blow instantly. "If you don't understand basic stuff like this, you can never become a strong ninja like the Hokage."
Obito immediately glared at him.
Kitagawa said, "What Kakashi said isn't pleasant to hear, Obito, but it's true."
"Take the Third Hokage. He's called the Professor of Ninjutsu. Do you think he wouldn't understand basic fundamentals?"
"He trained the Legendary Three Ninja—some of the strongest in the village. How could he have raised disciples like that if he didn't understand these basics?"
Kitagawa pointed a finger at Obito's chest. "Or are you saying you just like talking about becoming Hokage, but you don't really mean it?"
Obito immediately straightened up. "Of course I mean it!"
Kitagawa nodded. "Your teacher believes you. And I also believe you're not stupid."
"So I've prepared these problem sheets to help you. And I've asked Kakashi to help supervise."
He turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, are you willing to supervise Obito?"
Kakashi didn't nod. Instead, he asked, "Teacher, what if he can't complete it? After all, there's a limit to what supervision can achieve."
Obito nearly jumped. "Kakashi, this stuff is so simple, how could I possibly not finish it?"
Kitagawa raised a hand to silence him. "Quiet!"
"Kakashi has a point."
"Hmm, if you get answers wrong, you copy the sheet ten times. If you still can't complete it, then..." Kitagawa looked at Obito seriously. "You've seen Gai training on the practice grounds a lot, right?"
"In that case, your teacher will punish you by having you train alongside Gai. Whatever number of laps he does, you do the same."
"Of course, your teacher will be there with you."
"So, do you feel your teacher's love for you?"
Looking at his teacher's warm, gentle smile, Obito's eyes filled with tears. "Y-yes... thank you, teacher!"
Kitagawa nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent."
"One more thing."
"Obito, if you want to become Hokage, every single student in this class is your rival."
"If you can't surpass them in every way, how can you become Hokage?"
Obito froze.
Kitagawa patted his shoulder. "Alright, take the sheets home. Don't lose them."
"Though if you do lose them, it's actually fine—your teacher's office has plenty more!"
Obito left with a bitter expression on his face.
Once he was gone, Kitagawa looked at Kakashi. "I'm going to need your help for a while."
Kakashi said simply, "It's no trouble."
Kitagawa smiled. "Still, this might make Obito resent you. Let your teacher buy you dinner as compensation."
Kakashi quickly said, "Dad's home today, so I can't eat with you. Besides, I'm not afraid of Obito anyway."
Kitagawa smiled. "Next time then. Go on home!"
Kakashi nodded, bowed respectfully, and walked out of the classroom.
Kitagawa rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, then headed back to his office before making his way to the training grounds.
Gai was running laps in the sunset, with Dai jogging alongside, cheering him on.
Kitagawa used Body Flicker to get there instantly.
"Teacher Kitagawa!"
Gai was thrilled to see him.
Dai hurried over too. "Teacher Kitagawa!"
"Oh, teacher, that's... different," Gai said, noticing the unusual vest Kitagawa was wearing.
Kitagawa smiled. "This is a custom-made weighted vest. I've got weighted leg wraps too."
He lifted his leg to show.
Gai now saw that the leg wraps were different too.
"Weighted?"
Gai was confused.
Kitagawa explained, "For your teacher, regular training doesn't give enough results anymore. So I increase the weight to boost the effect."
"This vest is filled with heavy metal plates."
Gai's eyes lit up. "Teacher, can I use this method too?"
Kitagawa nodded with a smile. "Of course. But you're not ready for it yet."
"When the time is right, your teacher will give you a set!"
Gai looked disappointed for a moment, but then he burst with energy. "Teacher, I'll reach the requirement soon!"
Kitagawa nodded. "Then keep training. Your teacher will join you!"
Gai became even more excited. "Yes, teacher!"
Under the setting sun, two figures began running.
Dai watched with tears streaming down his face. "Teacher Kitagawa really is wonderful~"
Meanwhile, in the small grove, Kitagawa's shadow clone continued developing Shave.
...
After evening training and dinner, Kitagawa made his way to Tsunade's house and knocked on the door.
A moment later, it opened—to Shizune. "Teacher Kitagawa!"
Kitagawa smiled. "Has Shizune eaten dinner?"
Shizune nodded eagerly. "I ate with Tsunade-sama. Teacher, are you...?"
"Home visit," Kitagawa said simply.
Shizune broke into a smile and whispered, "Tsunade-sama didn't drink today!"
Kitagawa ruffled Shizune's hair with a smile. "Looks like Tsunade-sama is keeping her promise very well."
The two entered the courtyard, and Kitagawa scanned the space.
Though most of it was dark, he could make out that it was a huge place—old-fashioned, clearly an ancestral estate. This must be the original Senju clan compound.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a pillar.
Shizune trotted forward. "Tsunade-sama, Teacher Kitagawa came for a home visit."
Tsunade immediately looked annoyed. Is he checking up on me because he doesn't trust I'll keep my promise?
That damn little pervert!