After the physical fitness test, everyone slumped to the ground to rest—except for Naruto, who, brimming with excitement from winning first place, walked proudly around them.

Kitazawa felt like he was about to shout, “We are the champions!”

“What a familiar feeling,” Nara Shikaku murmured as he watched the energetic boy dash about. He couldn’t help but be reminded of the Golden Flash—Namikaze Minato.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction.

At this moment, Uzumaki Naruto indeed carried a hint of Minato’s aura. Of course, the aura of youth was far stronger. But now that things had reached this point, there was nothing he could do to change it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Kitazawa. What kind of reward should he give him?

According to Konoha’s rules, only those who exceeded expectations or made great contributions were eligible for special recognition. Technically, Kitazawa was just fulfilling his teaching duties.

But Naruto’s identity changed everything. Even if he rewarded Kitazawa, no one would object. After all, the importance of a stable Jinchūriki to the village was self-evident.

“Lost again…” Mizuki muttered in despair.

Kurenai glanced at him, and a flicker of sympathy crossed her eyes. If it had been her, losing three matches in a row might’ve drawn the same reaction.

But Kitazawa didn’t take advantage of the situation.

Instead, he was carefully considering the lineup for the upcoming actual combat match.

There was no doubt that Class 2-A would send Hyuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee.

Neji would be countered by Kurama Yakumo. Rock Lee could be handled by Uzumaki Naruto. From the physical fitness test earlier, it was clear that Rock Lee was currently a bit weaker than Naruto.

As for Tenten—

She posed a bit of a problem. Her overwhelming arsenal of ninja tools created a kind of dimensional suppression.

Uchiha Sasuke and the others were still young, and if they weren’t careful, they could easily be overwhelmed by the barrage.

Kitazawa’s first candidate to deal with her was Sasuke. Even though he hadn’t awakened the Sharingan, he had solid fire-style ninjutsu and impressive shuriken techniques—he could take her on.

But then, another name came to mind: Hyuga Hinata. If she activated her Byakugan, Tenten’s ninja tools would become ineffective.

After all, the Byakugan provided a nearly 360-degree field of vision. The only concern was: what if she didn’t activate it?

Kitazawa pondered and decided—he would push her.

“Congratulations to Class 1-A on another victory. Next, take a half-hour break before we begin the final event: actual combat.” Sarutobi Hiruzen performed his role as referee conscientiously.

“There’s still actual combat!” Mizuki suddenly perked up.

In the end, a ninja is judged by strength. Compared to physical or chakra tests, the rest was just fluff. This was the real battlefield.

Grasping onto this final hope, Mizuki became serious again. He returned to the Class 2-A students and began arranging tactics.

As a Chūnin, his strategic vision exceeded that of his students.

He had already roughly guessed who the five fighters from Class 1-A would be, so he quickly offered some temporary guidance.

“Not going to talk to your students?” Kurenai asked, noticing Kitazawa standing calmly without moving.

“I’ve already said everything I needed to.” Kitazawa smiled. “The rest is up to them.”

“Your students are performing really well,” Kurenai said with curiosity. “I honestly don’t know how you taught them.”

“If you’ve got time, I can teach you too,” Kitazawa teased with a wink.

“You still want to be my teacher?” Kurenai rolled her eyes. “Keep dreaming.”

Kitazawa simply smiled, saying no more. But he wasn’t joking. In the original timeline, even though Kurenai was a jōnin, her strength wasn’t top-tier.

If he had the opportunity, he truly did want to teach her a few powerful techniques to boost her strength. However, for now, his own ninjutsu knowledge was limited. He could only wait for the system to provide more options.

—

Half an hour later, everyone who had rested gathered in a circle around the training ground.

The final competition event—actual combat—was about to begin. Only five students from each class would participate. These were undoubtedly the best of the best.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in the center of the field as the referee, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

All of Konoha’s young talents had gathered here.

Hyuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto—these rising stars could determine the future of the village.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this class had the highest number of prodigies since the days of Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, and Sarutobi Asuma.

“I’ll now announce the rules.” Sarutobi Hiruzen’s voice was steady. “First—no reckless attacks. Stop once the victory is clear. Second—absolute fairness. As the referee, I will remain impartial and precise.”

“Mizuki,” Kitazawa turned toward him and said, “Please choose your first fighter.”

Back when setting up the match, Kitazawa had tactically suggested that Class 2-A go first, like a horse-racing strategy.

Mizuki, overly confident in his students’ strength, had agreed without hesitation. But now, after losing three events in a row, his entire outlook had shifted.

Even facing the actual combat round—where he had been most confident—he now hesitated.

“Tenten,” Mizuki called out solemnly. Class 2-A’s morale had plummeted. They desperately needed a win.

Since Hyuga Neji, the strongest, was reserved for last, he chose the second strongest—Tenten.

“Go for it, Tenten!” Rock Lee and others cheered.

Neji didn’t speak but gave a silent nod of approval.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Tenten patted the massive scroll hanging at her waist with confidence.

“Hyuga Hinata,” Kitazawa said calmly.

“H-Huh?” Hinata’s expression faltered the moment she heard her name.

She hadn’t expected to be sent in first. Her eyes met Kitazawa’s. She slowly exhaled, then nodded firmly.

Teacher Kitazawa has done so much for me… I won’t let him down! Hinata walked onto the field with a determined look.

“Hello, I’m Tenten, Neji’s friend.” Tenten extended her hand with a bright smile. “I’ve heard Neji mention you a few times. I didn’t expect you’d be my opponent today.”

Hinata subconsciously glanced at Neji. But he stood there without any emotion—neither joy nor disappointment—completely unresponsive.

“Hello.” Hinata withdrew her gaze and shook hands with her.

“Be careful, Hinata.” Tenten unfurled the scroll and said seriously, “For the sake of Class 2-A, I won’t hold back.”

Hinata didn’t reply. She simply raised her arms and entered the Gentle Fist stance.

Just as Tenten activated her summoning technique, Hinata dashed forward in a single step.

But she was a moment too late. Right as she was about to strike, she heard a rush of wind—and saw a dense flurry of shuriken shooting toward her.

Tenten truly wasn’t holding back, just as she had said.

Hinata’s eyes widened. In that instant, Kitazawa’s special training—catching falling leaves—kicked in.

Her petite body swiftly twisted and dodged, weaving through the rain of blades. Not only that, but she held kunai in both hands, deflecting the incoming shuriken one after another as she moved.

“Amazing…” Tenten couldn’t help but murmur in admiration.

She had relied heavily on ninja tools, and while no one blamed her, after all, tools were a key part of a ninja’s arsenal, she hadn’t expected Hinata to handle them so well.

That level of evasion and countering was beyond what she anticipated.

“Twin Rising Dragons!” Without hesitation, Tenten drew two standard scrolls and hurled them high.

The scrolls spun in the air like twin dragons, opening wide as a barrage of ninja tools poured out like a storm.

If the earlier wave of shuriken had been precise and linear, this new wave was utterly indiscriminate.

Hinata suddenly found herself overwhelmed. She narrowly dodged a kunai, but a shuriken grazed her wrist, drawing blood.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She was trying her best to evade, but there were just too many weapons. Should she give up?

In that moment, Kitazawa’s warm smile and trusting gaze flashed in her mind. No… I mustn’t fall here!

A sudden surge of chakra burst from within Hinata’s body. In the next second, the veins around her eyes bulged.

Hinata’s perception of the world changed instantly. What was once a chaotic storm of flying blades now appeared distinct and manageable.

“Byakugan?!” Tenten gasped when she saw the unmistakable features of the activated Byakugan. Those sharp eyes stared her down like scalpels, dissecting her presence.

Even Hyuga Neji, usually composed, showed a flash of shock. She awakened the Byakugan at this moment?

In terms of timing, she was nearly on par with him. When did she change so much?

“It’s rare for someone to awaken the Byakugan at such a young age,” Nara Shikaku remarked, genuinely surprised.

“It looks like the Hyuga clan now has two geniuses, just like the Uchiha.” Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his beard, smiling with interest.

As Hokage, he had long paid attention to the Hyuga heir. Just like with Neji, Hiruzen had once believed Hinata wasn’t cut out to be a shinobi.

But in truth, a clan leader like her might be just what Konoha needed.

Still, this transformation clearly stemmed from Kitazawa’s guidance. He was the only explanation. And Sarutobi Hiruzen found himself even more impressed.

It had only been a month since Kitazawa started teaching, yet he had already sparked massive changes in both Naruto and Hinata. He was clearly gifted.

With the Byakugan active, Hinata’s strength soared. She advanced through the storm of ninja tools, swiftly closing the gap with Tenten.

Without hesitation, she raised her two fingers and struck at Tenten’s chakra point.

Tenten’s wrist went numb instantly, her chakra flow disrupted.

Hinata seized the opportunity and landed a palm strike, sending her opponent flying.

“I give up,” Tenten sighed, admitting defeat.

With her chakra points sealed, she could no longer summon ninja tools.

And Hinata could approach at any moment. Every ninja knew what would happen once a Hyuga got in close range.

“Did I… open my eyes?” Hinata finally realized what had happened. A strange, indescribable emotion welled up in her chest, an unfamiliar but undeniable sense of pride.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep