Chapter 55: Chapter 55

A new week dawned over Konoha, and Class 1A gathered for their practical training session.

Kitazawa balanced lightly on the branch of a cherry blossom tree, his fingers flicking in rapid succession.

Each flick launched a leaf, sharp as a kunai, whizzing through the air.

Charged with chakra, the leaves sliced forward at blistering speed, crossing the three-meter gap in the blink of an eye.

Just as one was about to fly past, a small, delicate hand shot out and snatched it clean from midair.

The hand belonged to Hyuga Hinata.

After a week of relentless practice, she was finally getting the hang of it.

Hinata darted and twisted within the narrow clearing, her pale lavender eyes focused, hands moving with astonishing quickness as she caught leaf after leaf.

She only paused once the leaves stopped coming.

“Ki… Kitazawa-sensei.” Hinata called out between breaths, her voice trembling slightly. “Is the training… over?”

“Take a five-minute break,” Kitazawa replied, nodding in approval. “You held out for a full half hour this time. You’re lasting longer and longer.”

Hinata’s fair cheeks, already flushed from exertion, blossomed into a shy smile.

“Kitazawa-sensei!”

A sharp voice interrupted them.

Kitazawa looked down from the tree. “What is it, Sasuke?”

He leapt gracefully to the ground as Sasuke came striding over, eyes burning with determination.

“I did it!” Sasuke declared, thrusting an empty glass cup toward him, his voice brimming with excitement.

“Congratulations.”

Kitazawa accepted the glass cup with a small smile. “All your hard work is paying off.”

Sasuke had been putting in effort not only during class, but in every spare moment outside of it. He trained as tirelessly as Naruto and Lee, and with his natural talent, it was no surprise he’d conquered the second stage of chakra nature transformation training.

“Try the Great Fireball Jutsu,” Kitazawa said, offering a word of caution. “If you pour out your chakra with full force, you should be able to match your brother’s level.”

“Really?” Sasuke blurted, fists clenching at his sides.

“Your chakra nature transformation has reached the required level,” Kitazawa confirmed. “Now it’s all about controlling your output.”

Though Uchiha Itachi was undeniably powerful, he’d never wasted much time perfecting just the Great Fireball Jutsu. He simply knew too many other jutsu to fixate on a single one.

Sasuke sucked in a deep breath, forming the seals with precise, practiced motions.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!”

A massive fireball exploded forth, roaring into existence, swelling until it reached nearly eight or nine meters in height.

“Hahaha!” Sasuke let out an exuberant laugh, his eyes gleaming. “I’ve finally surpassed my brother!”

Kitazawa only shook his head, choosing not to shatter Sasuke’s illusion.

If nothing else, the boy deserved this moment of triumph.

As Kitazawa’s thoughts shifted to the upcoming friendly match with Class 2A, he felt reassured. In the category of pure ninjutsu power, Sasuke was practically guaranteed to dominate.

Among the second-years—and even some sixth-years—very few ninja had advanced beyond the basic three jutsu. Meanwhile, Hyuga Neji’s Gentle Fist was formidable in practice, but lacked the explosive spectacle of the Great Fireball.

“Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!” Sasuke said, sobering a bit, though his eyes still sparkled with gratitude.

At first, he’d looked down on Kitazawa as nothing more than a regular Chunin instructor. But his opinion had changed completely.

“Class is about to end,” Kitazawa said, reading Sasuke’s eagerness like an open scroll. “Since you’ve finished your training, you’re free to go home early.”

Without another word, Sasuke spun on his heel and bolted off.

Of course, he was dying to show off his new fireball to Fugaku and Itachi.

Kitazawa watched him go, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

He wasn’t worried that Sasuke would slack off now that he’d achieved his goal.

After all, Sasuke was an Uchiha to his core—obsessed with being the best and utterly unwilling to let Naruto or anyone else leave him in the dust.

“Kitazawa-sensei, let’s keep training!”

Hyuga Hinata stood up, her eyes bright with determination.

Sasuke’s incredible performance had lit a fire in her heart, and now she was burning with motivation.

“Mm.”

Kitazawa gave her a light pat on the head before leaping effortlessly back onto the tree.

The sun was setting, casting the training field in a warm, golden glow as the sky began to dim.

Meanwhile, Sasuke sprinted all the way home.

He was so fired up that he didn’t even return the greetings from fellow clan members he passed along the way.

“Father!”

As soon as Sasuke stepped into the courtyard, he shouted with uncontained excitement.

“So impetuous. That’s not how a shinobi should behave.”

Fugaku stepped out of the house, his voice calm but stern.

“Sorry,” Sasuke muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Then he quickly added, “But watch this, Dad!”

He flew through hand signs and unleashed a massive, roaring fireball into the air.

Fugaku’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of surprise breaking through his usually stoic expression.

That was no ordinary Fireball Jutsu. The scale, heat, and control were remarkable—especially for a six-year-old.

“…As expected of my son.”

Fugaku gave an approving nod.

In that moment, Sasuke reminded him of Itachi—the same potential, the same fire. Perhaps… the same destiny.

Sasuke tried to suppress his grin, but the pride swelling in his chest was impossible to hide.

Back at the academy, the school bell rang.

Kitazawa bid farewell to his students and returned home. Just as he stepped inside, three lines of glowing text suddenly appeared before his eyes:

[Current Mission: After Uchiha Sasuke’s Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu surpasses Uchiha Itachi, use your own Fire Release to surpass Sasuke.]

[Mission Reward: Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation.]

[Mission Complete. Reward Issued.]

Kitazawa blinked.

“Huh?”

He hadn’t even done anything yet—hadn’t fired a single fireball.

How was the mission already complete?

Still, he wasn’t about to complain.

With a mental command, he absorbed the newly granted knowledge. A flood of understanding poured into his mind.

In that moment, he became someone who had trained in the Great Fire Annihilation Jutsu for decades—an expert of the highest caliber.

Kitazawa sank onto the sofa, lost in thought.

Now, he had to figure out how to guide Sasuke toward his next breakthrough.

He suspected the upcoming practical sparring session would be the perfect opportunity.

With the friendly match against Class 2A approaching, Kitazawa decided it was time to run an internal mock battle.

He would observe and select the top five students for special combat training.

His thoughts drifted briefly to Hyuga Hinata.

Would she awaken her Byakugan before then?

The next morning—Tuesday.

After breakfast, Kitazawa arrived at the academy early, expecting to find an eager Hinata waiting for him.

But to his surprise, she wasn’t alone.

Ino was also there, standing in front of his office with a pout on her face.

“Kitazawa-sensei! Help me!”

Ino rushed forward, grabbing his hand like she was clinging to a life raft.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Kitazawa asked, clearly confused.

“I don’t want to do homework anymore!” Ino cried, her expression full of pain.

Kitazawa blinked—then it clicked.

He remembered the little bet he’d set up between Ino and Sakura during their tree-walking chakra control training.

Whoever got hit by more kunai would have double homework.

Naturally, Sakura had slightly better chakra control—being the original series heroine and all—so Ino had ended up eating dust every night.

Just as Kitazawa was about to cancel the rule out of pity, a new notification flashed in front of his eyes:

[Current Mission: Help Ino Yamanaka defeat Sakura Haruno in water-walking training.]

[Mission Reward: Master-Level Chakra Control Ability]

[Accept?]

Kitazawa’s eyes gleamed.

Now that was a reward worth chasing.

After all, mastery over chakra control was essential for almost every form of ninjutsu.

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