Kitazawa and his group returned to Konoha on Sunday evening.

The Land of Rivers bordered the Land of Fire, and the round trip usually took two full days.

They had defeated Aoi in under an hour, so most of their time had been spent traveling. Even so, they finished the mission half a day earlier than their last one—the pursuit of Haku.

“You’ve all done well. Go home and rest,” Kitazawa said, glancing at the trio of exhausted but exhilarated students. “I’ll distribute your mission rewards tomorrow.”

“There are rewards too?” Naruto’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Of course there are rewards,” Kitazawa said, flicking a finger at Naruto’s forehead. “What, did you think I’d pocket your pay?”

Naruto chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his head. “Hehe… no way, sensei!”

“Good. Then see you all tomorrow.”

With that, Kitazawa and Kurenai headed off into the night. It was already late, and Tsunade had gone home. Kitazawa planned to report the mission in the morning.

“I’m heading back!” Sasuke said quickly, already walking off.

Of course, it wasn’t just because he wanted to go home—he couldn’t wait to tell his father and brother about his mission. After all, he’d killed a Jonin. That was bound to earn their praise.

“Why’s Sasuke walking so fast?” Naruto asked, scratching his head.

“Probably wants to get home for dinner,” Neji replied casually.

“Speaking of dinner…” Naruto’s stomach growled. “Neji, wanna hit Ichiraku Ramen?”

Neji thought for a moment and nodded. “Sure.”

Like Naruto, he would’ve eaten alone anyway.

Uchiha Clan Compound

“Father! Mother! Brother!”

The moment Sasuke stepped into the house, he shouted excitedly, “I’m back!”

“You’re home so soon?” Mikoto emerged from the kitchen, surprised. “Did you already finish your mission?”

“Yes! And it went perfectly!” Sasuke kicked off his sandals and asked eagerly, “Where are Father and Itachi?”

“In the study,” Mikoto said, stopping him before he bolted off. “Have you eaten?”

“No, but—” Sasuke’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “I want to tell them about the mission first!”

“You child…” Mikoto smiled knowingly. She could already guess what this was about. He wanted to show off his success—and bask in his father’s and brother’s approval.

“I’ll call them,” she said, patting his head gently.

“Thanks, Mom!” Sasuke grinned and hurried to the sofa, sitting upright like a soldier awaiting inspection.

Moments later, Fugaku and Itachi appeared.

“Dad! Brother!” Sasuke jumped to his feet. “I killed a Jonin on this mission!”

“A Jonin?” Mikoto blinked in shock. “But you’re not even a full ninja yet—what kind of mission involved a Jonin?”

Both Fugaku and Itachi, who had initially looked calm, now stared at him in surprise.

“It was a mission Kitazawa-sensei chose. We tracked down a rogue ninja named Aoi Rokusho.”

“Aoi Rokusho…” Itachi frowned slightly. “I remember him. He defected after stealing the Second Hokage’s sword—the Sword of the Thunder God.”

Being an ANBU, Itachi knew of many missing-nin. Aoi Rokusho wasn’t particularly strong, but stealing such a weapon had made him infamous.

“Let me guess,” Fugaku said, his arms crossed. “Your sensei heavily injured him first, then let you finish him off?”

That was, after all, how he’d handled missions when Itachi was young.

“No, Dad,” Sasuke said proudly, “Kitazawa-sensei didn’t interfere at all!”

Fugaku’s brows furrowed. “Impossible. Aoi Rokusho was a Jonin. A man like that doesn’t fall to children.”

“Tell us what happened,” Itachi said with a calm smile, sitting beside him. He, too, was intrigued.

“Yes!” Sasuke began eagerly, recounting the battle—every trap, every strike, every moment of teamwork.

By the end, Mikoto smiled softly. “Your teamwork was remarkable. Three geniuses, fighting in perfect sync—that’s what made it possible.”

“Sasuke,” Fugaku said with rare warmth, “you did very well. You truly are my son.”

Even by his strict standards, Sasuke’s performance was flawless.

“You’ve already surpassed where I was at your age,” Itachi added, nodding in approval.

Sasuke couldn’t stop grinning. The praise from both of them filled him with joy and pride.

“I’ve said what needed to be said,” Mikoto said with a gentle smile. “I’ll go make you dinner.”

“Oh, right!” Sasuke suddenly remembered something. “Kitazawa-sensei also gave me this!”

He pulled out the Sword of the Thunder God.

“What?!” Fugaku’s expression darkened in shock, as if struck by lightning.

“What’s wrong?” Sasuke asked, puzzled.

“That sword belonged to the Second Hokage,” Itachi explained, a faint smile on his lips. “Your sensei must think very highly of you, Sasuke.”

Fugaku chuckled, the surprise fading into satisfaction. “Exactly. He’s grooming you for greatness… perhaps even for Hokage one day.”

Sasuke blinked, still not entirely understanding why a sword carried such weight.

In truth, both father and son had completely misunderstood.

To them, the Sword of the Thunder God was an artifact no ordinary ninja could touch—let alone a child. For Kitazawa to hand it over meant one thing: he had immense faith in Sasuke’s future.

Given Kitazawa’s rising influence and the whispers that he might become the Sixth Hokage, Fugaku saw only one path ahead—Sasuke as the Seventh.

What they didn’t know, however, was that Kitazawa had already gifted Naruto the great sword Samehada.

Giving the Sword of the Thunder God to Sasuke was simply to keep things balanced.

A small gesture—that led to one beautiful misunderstanding.

Overnight, the village awakened to a brand-new week.

Since June began, the skies over Konoha had been mostly clear—bright, endless blue stretching over roofs and training grounds alike.

Monday dawned with sunshine pouring through the windows.

After breakfast, Kitazawa made his way to the Ninja Academy.

He didn’t know what missions Kakashi or Kosuke had chosen for their teams, but one thing was certain—their difficulty couldn’t have exceeded B-rank.

Today, he planned to finalize the Genius Class rankings—and, more importantly, complete his own system mission.

Inside the classroom

Naruto was animatedly reenacting the fight against Aoi, his arms flailing in excitement as he described every explosion, every strike.

Beside him, Sasuke stood with his hands tucked in his pockets, quietly basking in the awestruck gazes of their classmates.

“Damn it!” Kiba growled, glaring enviously. “Something that awesome happened, and I wasn’t even there?”

“Sasuke-kun is so amazing!” Sakura’s voice rose dreamily, hearts practically sparkling in her eyes.

Sure, it had been a three-man effort between Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji—but in her version of events, Sasuke had single-handedly slain Aoi with his Sharingan brilliance, while the others merely played supporting roles.

“As expected of the strongest prodigies,” Shikamaru muttered, clicking his tongue. “Killing a Jonin at seven years old… who knows what they’ll achieve after graduation.”

Shino nodded silently.

He had thought his own team’s feat—defeating three Mist Chunin—would be enough to secure a top spot in the practical exams. Now, though, he realized there were monsters among them.

There was little doubt: Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji would claim the top three ranks.

“This isn’t fair!” Ino huffed, crossing her arms. “Why was our mission just an escort? If we had Yakumo, we could’ve taken down a Jonin too!”

“With Yakumo’s genjutsu… that’s actually possible,” Tenten admitted thoughtfully.

Shikamaru shot her a look.

Right—Tenten had that Kubisaki Lizard summoning. Used properly, that could take down a Jonin as well.

Shikamaru sighed inwardly.

What’s with this class?

At seven or eight years old, every single one of them could fight Jonin-level opponents? It was absurd.

He felt like a stray mutt tossed into a den of wolves.

At the classroom door, several stood listening in: Hiruzen, Kakashi, Kosuke, and Iruka.

“What terrifying geniuses,” Kosuke murmured, shaking his head. “When I was seven, I didn’t even know what a Jonin was.”

Hiruzen smiled faintly, his eyes soft. “The future of Konoha rests in good hands.”

Defeating a Jonin at that age was unheard of. Both Naruto and Sasuke were destined to shake the shinobi world.

“They already have Chunin-level strength,” Kakashi noted.

“Almost on par with you at that age,” Hiruzen teased. “You were a Chunin at six, remember?”

Kakashi chuckled dryly. “When I was promoted, I wasn’t nearly as strong as these three. For the next monthly exam, let Kitazawa assign Naruto to me. I want to see his power firsthand.”

Hiruzen nodded. “Good idea. Seeing is better than hearing.”

“I probably can’t beat those kids anymore,” Iruka admitted with a bitter smile.

“You’re a theory instructor,” Hiruzen reassured him. “You don’t need to compare yourself to them.”

Iruka nodded, though a tiny sigh escaped him. Being surpassed by seven-year-olds still stung a little.

“You’re all here early.”

Kitazawa’s voice broke the moment.

“We were just listening to Naruto’s… enthusiastic mission report,” Hiruzen said with a smile. “You’re quite bold, letting them take on a Jonin.”

“Aoi was weak for a Jonin—bottom tier. It was a good learning opportunity,” Kitazawa replied calmly.

“The results were beyond expectations,” Hiruzen said approvingly. “Their teamwork was remarkable. A testament to your guidance.”

Teamwork was, after all, one of the most critical lessons in the academy’s curriculum.

“Thank you, Sandaime-sama,” Kitazawa said with a faint smile. “But it’s their diligence and sharp minds that made the difference.”

“For the next monthly exam,” Hiruzen said with a twinkle in his eye, “let me lead the team myself.”

Kitazawa hesitated briefly, then nodded. “Alright.”

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Hiruzen’s expression resembled someone who’d just discovered a new toy to play with.

Not that it worried him—if the Third Hokage wanted to lead, the kids would be in safe hands. Even if they somehow ran into another village’s Kage, Hiruzen could easily ensure their survival.

Kitazawa almost pitied whichever enemy nin happened to cross their path.

“What did we do to deserve this? We were just out on patrol—and suddenly the Third Hokage shows up?!”

He could already imagine their panic.

“Kosuke-senpai, Kakashi,” Kitazawa said, returning to business. “Have you finalized your students’ scores?”

Both men handed him scrolls. Inside were the evaluations for the twelve students they’d supervised over the past two weeks.

Kitazawa quickly reviewed them—Yakumo, Shikamaru, and others had all earned solid marks.

“Iruka,” Kitazawa said, “bring me the practical exam results for the rest of the Genius Class.”

“I’ll get them right away,” Iruka replied, hurrying back to the office.

While waiting, Kitazawa unrolled another scroll—the one containing his own students’ scores.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji: perfect marks.

Three students defeating a Jonin—anything less would’ve been an insult.

Hinata, Shino, and Hana also scored above ninety.

And then there was a seventh name.

His own.

The system mission required him to take first place in the overall exam, so he’d added himself—with a perfect score plus ten points, citing that he’d personally taken down a Hidden Mist Jonin.

Three kids versus one Jonin can’t compare to me soloing one, he thought with amusement.

“I’m back,” Iruka said, returning with the remaining scrolls.

Kitazawa nodded, arranging everything neatly before ranking the results.

Naturally, he claimed the top spot himself.

“[Mission: Achieve first place in the new practical exam.]”

“[Reward: Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient).]”

“[Mission complete. Reward issued.]”

Three glowing lines appeared before his eyes.

With that, all seven of his Chakra Nature Transformations had reached the Proficient level—Lightning Release even at Master.

He could now begin developing the Five Release Great Combination Jutsu.

His Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall was nearly mastered too; it could wait.

At this point, Kitazawa was truly a Seven-Release Ninja—an all-attribute shinobi.

Even Kakashi couldn’t compare.

He estimated his strength might already rival Hiruzen’s… though the old man’s decades of experience still gave him an edge.

Once all seven reached the Master level, however—Kitazawa knew he would surpass the Third Hokage himself.

“Quiet.”

Kitazawa’s calm voice filled the classroom as he stepped inside.

Naruto quickly ended his story and scrambled back to his seat.

“I’ll now announce the rankings for this practical exam,” Kitazawa said, standing at the podium.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji immediately straightened, eyes shining with anticipation.

Previously, the top spot had always swung between Naruto and Yakumo, but this time was different—mission-based exams had made everything unpredictable.

“First place,” Kitazawa announced after a brief pause, “Uzumaki Naruto… Uchiha Sasuke… and Hyuga Neji.”

Sasuke’s face froze halfway into a frown—then brightened instantly when his name followed.

A faint, proud smile tugged at his lips.

“That’s awesome!” Naruto cheered, pumping his fists. “Our squad really is the best!”

The Aoi Rokusho mission had shown him how vital teamwork was—and how much he trusted his friends.

If possible, he’d team up with them forever.

No one in the class objected. Defeating a Jonin spoke for itself.

“Next, I’ll announce the final rankings for this monthly exam,” Kitazawa said.

Sasuke’s heartbeat quickened.

The practical exam was one thing—but the final ranking determined true prestige.

“First place,” Kitazawa said with a faint smile, “Uchiha Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s theoretical exam scores had edged out Naruto and Neji, earning him the overall victory.

“What a shame,” Neji sighed softly. He had never placed first since joining the class, and this time, the gap was razor-thin.

Sasuke, meanwhile, could barely contain his grin. If it weren’t for decorum, he might’ve laughed out loud.

“Congratulations, Sasuke-kun!” Sakura said, eyes sparkling with adoration.

Ino and others joined in with applause—the result was well-deserved.

“Second place, Hyuga Neji,” Kitazawa continued.

Naruto’s theoretical ranking dragged him down—fourteenth—but he didn’t seem to mind.

He’d already decided that strength, not grades, defined a ninja.

“The rankings are concluded. Continue with your lessons.”

Kitazawa handed the class over to Iruka, as Mondays were reserved for theory.

After bidding farewell to Hiruzen and the others, he turned and made his way toward the Hokage’s Office—his next mission already forming in his mind.

——————

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