Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Fueled by the thought of Kitazawa’s promised reward, Naruto threw himself into his homework as soon as he got home.

But soon enough, his face scrunched up in agony.

’A person can do anything when they’re fired up… except math problems.’

Naruto scratched his head, utterly baffled.

Why did ninjas have to study so many subjects? Wouldn’t it be enough just to beat up the bad guys?

“Naruto.”

A familiar voice called out.

“Grandpa Hokage!” Naruto shouted in surprise as Hiruzen stepped into the room. “What are you doing here?”

“I just got off work and thought I’d come see you.”

Hiruzen glanced at the mess of papers on Naruto’s desk. “Is this homework?”

“Yeah!” Naruto replied, puffing up his chest a little. “Kitazawa-sensei gave it to me. He wants me to make it into the top ten in the next monthly exam!”

Hiruzen nodded approvingly.

’Not bad… That Kitazawa is certainly diligent. I only spoke to him about this two days ago, and he’s already putting it into action.’

“You’ve been training with Kakashi for the past couple of days,” Hiruzen said, shifting the topic. “What do you think of him?”

“He’s awesome!” Naruto exclaimed, throwing a thumbs-up. “He knows everything!”

“If you like him, I could arrange for him to be your sensei,” Hiruzen offered with a smile.

“Huh?”

Naruto froze, blinking in confusion. After a moment, he scratched his cheek and muttered, “I still like Kitazawa-sensei better…”

Hiruzen chuckled. “You misunderstand. I’m not saying Kakashi would become a teacher at the Ninja Academy. I mean he could be your squad leader after you graduate.”

“Can’t Kitazawa-sensei be my squad leader after I graduate?” Naruto asked, sensing something was off.

“He can’t,” Hiruzen said gently but firmly. “He has his own duties.”

He didn’t mention the other part he was thinking—that in his opinion, Kitazawa’s strength wasn’t quite on par with the demands of a jonin squad leader.

“I see…”

Naruto’s shoulders slumped. “If Kitazawa-sensei can’t… then I guess Kakashi-sensei it is.”

Hiruzen couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated at Naruto’s reluctant tone.

’In the entire Hidden Leaf Village, no one would ever compare Kitazawa and Kakashi. They’re simply not in the same league. One is an ordinary chunin teacher. The other was a jonin at twelve—a true genius.’

“What ninjutsu did Kakashi teach you?” Hiruzen asked, genuinely curious.

“I’ll show you!”

Naruto’s eyes sparkled as he bounced up, shouting, “This will definitely surprise you!”

“Oh, really?”

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, chuckling. “I’m the Hokage. I’ve seen countless jutsu in my time. It takes a lot to surprise me.”

But the next second, his entire body froze—two bright streams of blood gushed from his nose.

Naruto beamed with pride.

’Heh! I’m awesome. I actually made the Hokage get a nosebleed!’

“What on earth did Kakashi teach you?!” Hiruzen roared, clamping a hand over his face, eyes blazing with fury.

Meanwhile, Kitazawa had no idea that Kakashi had just taken the blame for him yet again.

He and Hinata were on their way home.

Trailing quietly in the shadows was Hinata’s bodyguard, Hyuga Ko.

The only reason Kitazawa could be so relaxed around Hinata was because Hyuga Hiashi tacitly allowed it.

Hiashi had noticed the remarkable change in his daughter’s personality.

In the past, he’d tried countless methods to correct Hinata’s timid nature—but the more he pushed, the worse it had become. Eventually, his frustrations had even contributed to the birth of Hyuga Hanabi, his younger daughter.

Now, seeing hope flicker in Hinata once again, Hiashi chose not to interfere with Kitazawa’s influence.

“Hinata,” Kitazawa said as they reached his shop. He opened the door and turned back to her with a gentle smile. “I want to hire you as a shop assistant for three hours. Want to help me sell some goods?”

“Eh?”

Hinata, who had been glancing around the shop in quiet curiosity, froze in surprise.

“How about it?”

Kitazawa picked up a price list from the counter and waved it lightly. “Interested?”

His motive was simple: to help Hinata build confidence.

Her biggest hurdle was her extreme shyness, and having more interactions with people would gradually help her open up.

“I… I’ll do it!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Hinata nodded firmly.

“Great. Here’s the price list.”

Kitazawa handed it to her, smiling. “I’ll show you around and explain the products.”

Just then, four glowing lines of text appeared in front of Kitazawa’s eyes.

He blinked, then read them silently:

[Your lifelong rival, Uzumaki Naruto, has already found a squad leader. You can’t fall behind.]

Current Mission: Before graduation, find a squad leader who holds higher status and greater power than Kakashi Hatake.

Mission Reward: Rewards will be granted based on your chosen squad leader.

Accept?

Kitazawa stared blankly at the message, dumbfounded.

’Higher status and stronger than Kakashi Hatake?’

’Just where the hell am I supposed to find someone like that?!’

A flood of information about potential rewards poured into Kitazawa’s mind.

If he became Hiruzen’s student, he’d gain the Five Release: Great Consecutive Ball Technique.

If it was Tsunade, he could learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal.

Jiraiya would grant him the Super Big Ball Rasengan.

Danzo Shimura would offer the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique.

Kitazawa rubbed his temples helplessly.

’Seriously, is this even a mission meant for humans? Can someone like me even pull this off?’

According to Konoha Village regulations, after graduating from the Ninja Academy, squad leaders were assigned based on each student’s performance.

But the problem was, Kitazawa had graduated years ago.

If he really wanted to “find a squad leader,” he might’ve been able to bluff his way through.

Unfortunately, the system’s list left no room for bluffing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Danzo Shimura… each option screamed “nightmare difficulty.”

Kitazawa considered it carefully and decided Tsunade was his most likely shot—if Yakumo could help cure her hemophobia.

With a sigh, he pushed the matter aside for now and returned to introducing products to Hinata.

Once Hinata got familiar with everything, Kitazawa let her take over behind the counter.

Hinata sat stiffly, eyes glued nervously to the door.

A few minutes later, a young ninja stepped inside.

“Wel…welcome!” Hinata stammered, springing to her feet.

“Kitazawa-senpai, when did you get such a cute shop assistant?” the young ninja exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise.

“Izumo.”

Kitazawa chuckled. “This is my student, Hyuga Hinata.”

The young ninja was Izumo Kamizuki—one of Konoha’s gatekeepers, along with Kotetsu Hagane.

In the original timeline, he’d served as an examiner during the Chunin Exams and had fought against Akatsuki’s Kakuzu and Hidan alongside Asuma Sarutobi.

“You’re actually hiring students now?”

Izumo teased, “Hinata, don’t forget to ask your sensei for double pay.”

“Ah?! I…I don’t want money!” Hinata gasped, face turning crimson as she shot Kitazawa a frantic glance.

“Alright, what are you looking to buy today?” Kitazawa asked, grinning. “I’ll give you a ten percent discount.”

“Wow, you’re feeling generous today.”

Izumo’s eyes sparkled. “Then I won’t hold back, senpai.”

“Hinata.”

Kitazawa nodded toward her. “Note down everything he picks up and total the bill.”

“O-okay!”

Though flustered, Hinata didn’t make a single mistake.

Three hours later, Kitazawa locked the shop door, ending the day’s business.

Hinata let out a long breath, visibly relieved.

As the Hyuga clan’s eldest daughter, the experience of working as a shop assistant was both novel and eye-opening. She’d met many villagers and, while she’d been nervous at first, she was noticeably calmer by the end.

On Thursday afternoon, Kitazawa watched as Sakura finally made it to the top of the tree. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

’Four days to complete tree-climbing training…’

Her chakra control was impressive—no wonder Sakura would one day inherit Tsunade’s medical ninjutsu and become one of the new Legendary Sannin.

[Current Mission: Help your classmate Sakura Haruno complete tree climbing training.]

[Mission Reward: Hemostasis Technique.]

[Mission complete. Reward granted.]

Kitazawa smiled faintly.

’Hemostasis Technique… it’s like stumbling across unexpected treasure. What a great profit.’

Meanwhile, Uchiha Sasuke shot a look at Sakura.

He hadn’t expected her to finish tree climbing faster than he did.

But… she was still too annoying.

He stared at the leaf in his hand—a leaf now dried and brittle.

It was the result of his four days of training.

’I’ll keep pushing forward.’

The thought of surpassing Itachi in the Great Fireball Jutsu filled Sasuke with renewed determination.

Kitazawa set up advanced tree-climbing exercises for Sakura, hoping to push her even further.

Unfortunately, no new mission appeared.

Finally, Friday arrived. The two morning classes were canceled and replaced with the school’s award ceremony.

Kitazawa made his way to the office and immediately spotted Hinata, her face tense with nerves.

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