A new day—Tuesday.

After checking the progress of Kurenai’s Rasengan training, Kitazawa made his way to the Ninja School.

“Kitazawa-senpai!” Iruka spotted him and hurried over to greet him.

“Kitazawa.” Mizuki also nodded in greeting, his emotions suppressed beneath a calm expression.

“Good morning.” Kitazawa returned the greeting and asked, “Are you both going to the meeting as well?”

“Yes.” Iruka smiled with a trace of emotion. “I can’t believe it’s already been three months since I became a teacher.”

“You’ve still got a long journey ahead.” Kitazawa chuckled and teased, “Who knows, maybe you’ll become the principal someday.”

It might sound like a joke, but in the original story, Iruka did eventually become the school’s principal.

“Principal? No way!” Iruka waved his hands, startled. While he hoped for such a future, he knew his current strength made that far-fetched.

“What a good joke.” Mizuki chuckled mockingly. “If Iruka became principal, I’d swallow a kunai right here.”

“By the way, Mizuki, don’t forget to meet at the village gate at nine on Saturday morning.” Kitazawa glanced at him meaningfully.

“Got it.” Mizuki’s smile stiffened, his tone turning dull. But deep inside, he was seething with murderous intent.

Why even smile at Iruka?

That damned Kitazawa—always ruining my plans!

“What are you two doing on Saturday?” Iruka asked, genuinely curious. “I’m free that day too. Need my help?”

“No.” Mizuki rejected it instantly. “It’s a private matter between me and Kitazawa.”

With Iruka around, it would be inconvenient to kill him.

“Next time then.” Kitazawa smiled and patted Iruka on the shoulder.

“You—” Iruka began to ask, but Kitazawa cut him off. “The vice-principal is here. Let’s get to the meeting room.”

Kitazawa had spotted Sarutobi Hisao in the distance.

Iruka held back his curiosity and followed them into the room.

It was exactly 8:30.

All the teachers from the six grades had arrived, and the meeting room was full.

“Before we begin, I have an announcement to make on behalf of the principal.” Sarutobi Hisao stood up to speak.

Although the principal of the Ninja School was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, he was referred to as the principal in this context because the school’s structure required it.

“The principal has officially appointed Kitazawa as the new Director of the Academic Affairs Office.”

“What?!” Mizuki shot up from his seat, face twisted in disbelief. “Why?!”

Though he had suspected Kitazawa might rise quickly, this was faster than expected—and hard for him to accept.

“That’s the Hokage’s decision.” Sarutobi Hisao met Mizuki’s gaze calmly. “If you have a problem with it, take it up with him.”

“…” Mizuki sat down, stunned into silence.

Iruka, who had wanted to congratulate Kitazawa, held his tongue after seeing Mizuki’s reaction. Still, he couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of admiration—and even longing.

Maybe one day… I’ll be promoted too. Maybe I’ll earn the Hokage’s recognition…

“From now on, Kitazawa will preside over the monthly exam meetings.” Sarutobi Hisao added, “Kitazawa, come forward and begin today’s meeting.”

“Alright.” Kitazawa stood and walked up confidently.

“Have a seat.” Sarutobi Hisao stepped aside.

“Thank you, Vice-Principal.” Kitazawa took the seat without hesitation.

He cleared his throat and formally opened the meeting.

Although it was his first time hosting as Academic Director, he was no stranger to these sessions—he’d attended enough of them before.

All he had to do was follow the established format. And if anything went wrong, Sarutobi Hisao was right there to back him up.

There were two main objectives for this meeting:

Teachers were to prepare exam questions based on their current teaching progress. Once submitted, the best questions would be selected and compiled into the theoretical test paper.

Previously, Sarutobi Hisao handled this task. Now, it was Kitazawa’s responsibility.

For him, this was a huge advantage. It would make completing tasks—and securing first place—even easier.

Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about the June exams; his focus would be on the July finals.

“That concludes the meeting.” Kitazawa stood and declared.

“Not bad!” Sarutobi Hisao smiled warmly. “For your first time presiding, you handled everything smoothly.”

“I was just following your example,” Kitazawa replied. “Leaders should always set a good standard.”

“Haha, you’re quite the character.” Sarutobi Hisao chuckled. “If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Understood.” Kitazawa nodded respectfully.

Once Sarutobi Hisao left, the other teachers crowded around Kitazawa to offer congratulations and hopes for future support.

Only Mizuki stood apart, feeling as if the whole world were against him. The others were celebrating—but he had nothing.

Even Iruka, his supposed friend, had gone over to congratulate Kitazawa.

Mizuki clenched his fists tightly. Just wait until Saturday…

He left without another word. In his mind, he was already planning Kitazawa’s death.

To ensure success and avoid suspicion, he intended to hire two rogue Chunin. When the deed was done, he’d frame them for it.

9:00 a.m.

Kitazawa finally let out a sigh.

The teachers’ excitement had been overwhelming. This situation made him realize a subtle truth—being too nice had its downsides.

No wonder the Uchiha always wear cold expressions. With faces like that, no one dares get too close.

—

“Start class.”

Kitazawa walked into First Grade, Class A.

He scanned the room and immediately noticed that Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Ino were absent.

Before his meeting, he had asked a shadow clone to take them to the school’s artificial lake for training. After all, missing a theoretical class wouldn’t affect their grades significantly.

In this situation, special circumstances required special handling.

This was what it meant to teach students according to their aptitude.

“Class dismissed.” Kitazawa, now very familiar with the class routine, completed the session smoothly.

He picked up his lesson plan and was about to leave when a thought struck him. He paused at the door.

“Naruto, come out for a second.” Kitazawa turned around and called out.

“Teacher Kitazawa!” Naruto rushed over, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Are you going to teach me a new ninjutsu again?”

Clearly, he was still riding high from learning the Shadow Clone Technique. Since mastering it, he had felt his strength surge dramatically.

“Do you still have the energy to learn more ninjutsu?” Kitazawa raised a brow and said, “Focus on physical training with Guy for now.”

Due to the interference of the Nine-Tails, Naruto required significantly more time—sometimes dozens of times more—than Sasuke and the others to learn ninjutsu.

Honestly, it wasn’t worth the effort unless the ninjutsu was straightforward and powerful—like the Rasengan or Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

And Might Guy’s training was no joke. It ran from dawn to dusk, relentless and brutal.

“Alright…” Naruto scratched his head, then asked, “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

“How’s your progress with Konoha-Style Taijutsu?” Kitazawa asked after a brief pause.

“I’ve almost mastered it,” Naruto replied earnestly. “Teacher Guy’s physical techniques are pretty similar, so I’m used to it.”

Kitazawa nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. The Konoha Whirlwind series likely evolved from Konoha-style Taijutsu—it was essentially an advanced version of it.

“With your current strength, you don’t need to attend regular practical classes anymore.” Kitazawa said, “From now on, during those sessions, come to the artificial lake. I’ll give you personalized special training.”

“Awesome!” Naruto lit up with excitement. “I’ve been wanting to train with you forever!”

He had always been a little jealous of Sasuke and Hinata getting pulled out of class for training. Now, even though it wasn’t skipping class, he could finally join them.

Kitazawa chuckled softly.

Only Naruto could be so enthusiastic about extra training. Anyone else would think twice. If it were Shikamaru, he’d disappear before you even finished the sentence.

“A single class period isn’t long enough. So, wait for me at the artificial lake after lunch.” Kitazawa decided.

“Got it!” Naruto didn’t complain in the slightest. In fact, he looked thrilled to have more time to train.

“Go back to class now.” Kitazawa patted his shoulder and headed out.

—

Instead of going to the school training grounds to check on Sasuke and the others, Kitazawa made his way to the Hokage Building’s Mission Hall.

The goal was simple—he planned to take an official mission, one that would coincide with Mizuki’s plans for Saturday.

The Mission Hall was bustling despite the early hour. Many ninjas came and went, reviewing the available missions. Kitazawa scanned the mission board mounted on the wall.

Missions were categorized by difficulty: D, C, B, A, and S-rank.

He paused at the B-rank section.

While special jonin could technically take on A-rank missions, they were still risky and unnecessary for his current purpose.

After all, Kitazawa wasn’t here for the rewards. He just needed a legitimate mission to leave the village. As he browsed the listings, one mission caught his eye: a bandit suppression task.

A group of bandits had taken over a mountain called Civet Mountain and had been terrorizing nearby towns.

Kitazawa chose this mission for a specific reason.

One of his students was from a nearby city. Though the student now lived in Konoha and only returned home once a month, this gave Kitazawa a perfect excuse.

A teacher eliminating bandits to protect his students’ hometown—righteous and just.

He walked up to the counter.

“Hello, I’d like to take the Civet Mountain bandit suppression mission.” Kitazawa handed over the request.

“How many members are in your team, and what are their ranks?” the staff member asked.

“Two. One special jonin and one chunin.”

“That meets the mission’s minimum requirement.” The staff nodded, then offered advice. “Still, I recommend taking at least one more ninja. It’ll be safer.”

“No need. The two of us can handle it.” Kitazawa shook his head.

The staff didn’t press the issue and issued the mission scroll.

“Thank you.” Kitazawa accepted it with a smile.

As he walked away, he couldn’t help but feel amused. This feels like I’m playing an open-world game, he thought.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep