Chapter 67: Chapter 67

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

For five straight days, the students of Class 1A had poured all their energy into preparing—both for Sunday’s monthly exam and the upcoming friendly match against Class 2A.

After a month of intensive training, Sasuke and Hinata had more or less met Kitazawa’s expectations.

The odds were now in their favor—but victory would still depend on how things played out in the moment.

Saturday

Behind Kurenai’s home.

In the open clearing, Kitazawa stood alone, his fingers weaving through one-handed seals.

Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu

A surge of chakra built in his lungs. He leaned back slightly—then exhaled.

A roaring stream of fire burst from his mouth, taking the shape of a massive dragon. It coiled through the air like a living beast, its heat warping the air.

Of the four Fire Release jutsu Sasuke had gifted him, only Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique was C-rank. The other three were powerful B-rank techniques.

Kitazawa had already learned Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation—a reward from the system. That left two contenders: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu and Great Dragon Fire Jutsu.

He’d chosen the latter.

After four days of relentless practice, he’d achieved the first stage of mastery. For now, he could only summon a single fire dragon—but with time, he’d be able to produce three at once. When fully mastered, it would be devastatingly powerful.

Just then, the sound of clapping echoed behind him.

Kitazawa cut the chakra flow and turned.

Tsunade stood at the edge of the clearing, arms crossed and smiling. Shizune stood slightly behind her, looking impressed—though her pet pig Tonton merely snorted in disinterest.

“With strength like that,” Tsunade said, lowering her hands, “why are you still a Ninja Academy teacher?”

Her golden eyes lingered on his hands. “One-handed seals aren’t something just anyone can pull off.”

“I prefer working with kids,” Kitazawa replied with a calm smile. He’d heard the question more than once by now.

Tsunade raised a brow. “You friendly with the Uchiha Clan?”

She’d clearly recognized the technique. Unlike Great Fireball, which had spread beyond the clan, B-rank Fire Release jutsu were still tightly guarded by the Uchiha.

And Kitazawa was, after all, just a Chunin—on paper, at least.

“I taught Sasuke some jutsu. He gave it to me as thanks,” Kitazawa explained, leaving nothing to hide. In fact, he wanted Tsunade to know.

With her tacit approval, it would silence any objections about him using high-level jutsu—or advanced techniques like one-handed seals.

“Mikoto’s second son, huh?” Tsunade murmured, her expression distant. “Didn’t think he’d be old enough for school already…”

The last time she’d seen Uchiha Mikoto was at Minato and Kushina’s funeral.

Hard to believe six years had passed since then.

“We’ll pause training for now,” Tsunade said, snapping back to the present. “You’re coming with me. The Hokage’s waiting.”

Kitazawa’s eyes lit up. “The third jutsu is ready?”

“It is,” Tsunade confirmed, already turning toward the road.

Kitazawa fell in step beside Shizune. “What’s it called?”

“Mind Heart Jutsu.” Tsunade answered casually. “C-rank genjutsu. It triggers a patient’s psychological illness.”

Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. The name reminded him faintly of the Mind Body Disturbance Jutsu used by the Yamanaka.

Originally, he and Kurenai had conceived a jutsu to help locate hidden emotional trauma within patients. But Tsunade’s version took it even further.

Rather than merely identifying negative emotions, it forcibly reproduced the psychological illness itself.

A powerful diagnostic tool—but harsh.

In other words: no matter the trauma, no matter the condition, the genjutsu would drag it into the open. There’d be no hiding from it.

Cruel? Perhaps.

But sometimes, the road to healing demanded a little pain first.

Bang!

Tsunade kicked open the Hokage’s office door with a crash loud enough to shake the walls.

“How many times have I told you—knock when you’re entering!”

Hiruzen Sarutobi hastily stashed away his crystal ball, coughing to cover his embarrassment.

“It’s disrespectful to your elders!”

Tsunade folded her arms, a look of scorn on her face.

’Jiraiya wasn’t the only pervert around…’ she thought darkly. She knew exactly where Jiraiya had learned his bad habits—straight from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“I was merely patrolling the village,” Hiruzen insisted, clearing his throat. “Now, what brings you here?”

“Here.”

Tsunade tossed a scroll across his desk.

Hiruzen caught it, opened it, and scanned the contents. Moments later, his eyes lit up with satisfaction.

“A technique that treats the root of the problem… excellent work.”

He set the scroll aside and looked at Kitazawa.

“Kitazawa, go to the ANBU division and collect one million ryo as payment.”

“One million ryo per person?” Tsunade interjected sharply, narrowing her eyes.

“One million per jutsu,” Hiruzen corrected her firmly. “Don’t push your luck.”

“Hmph! Stingy old man.”

Tsunade clicked her tongue, obviously displeased.

“This is the village’s money,” Hiruzen said, growing stern. “I can’t spend it recklessly.”

“Spare me the lecture,” Tsunade huffed, grabbing Kitazawa’s wrist. “We’re leaving.”

As they exited the office, Kitazawa glanced at the fair hand wrapped around his arm.

“So how are we splitting the money, Lady Tsunade?” he asked.

Tsunade thought for a moment.

“I’ll take four hundred thousand. You and Yuhi Kurenai can split the remaining six hundred thousand.”

“Fair enough,” Kitazawa agreed without complaint.

In truth, he knew Tsunade deserved the largest share. She’d contributed the most. He’d barely done the legwork by comparison, so he was already gaining more than he’d earned.

Besides, only a fool would refuse money when it fell into his lap.

“Kitazawa,” Tsunade said slyly, eyes glimmering, “want to come gambling with me?”

“No thanks.”

Kitazawa shook his head.

Back in his previous life, he’d stayed far away from gambling and vices. He wasn’t about to start now.

“Then at least lend me a hundred thousand?” Tsunade asked, sticking out her palm.

“No.” Kitazawa smiled. “Unless you agree to take me as your student.”

Tsunade blinked, momentarily speechless.

“It’s not that simple to become my student,” she said finally, her lips curling in faint amusement. “You’re not qualified yet.”

She was one of the Legendary Sannin, after all. To become her apprentice required extraordinary talent in medical ninjutsu—something she doubted Kitazawa possessed.

After all, at twenty-one, he was still only a Chunin. She assumed that meant he lacked the natural genius she demanded.

In the original timeline, she’d only ever accepted two students: Shizune Kato and Sakura Haruno.

“Perhaps over time, you’ll change your mind,” Kitazawa said calmly. He wasn’t rattled by her rejection—it was exactly what he’d expected.

He had another idea brewing.

Rather than becoming Tsunade’s student outright, why not suggest they become mutual teachers? Tsunade could teach him medical ninjutsu, and in return, he might someday pass on techniques like Wood Release—or something equally valuable.

His system only cared about establishing the title of teacher and student. It didn’t matter how it happened.

But for now, he knew he wasn’t strong enough to offer Tsunade anything worth her time.

’Still… with the system backing me, nothing’s impossible.’

’Let’s see just how far we can go.’

“Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming,” Tsunade said dismissively, already striding off toward the gambling district. “See you around, Kitazawa.”

Shizune lingered for a moment, glancing at Kitazawa with a thoughtful look before hurrying after Tsunade.

Saturday passed quickly, and Sunday arrived.

It was the day of the May monthly exam—a written test.

Tomorrow would bring the practical exam, just like last month, evaluating Clone Jutsu, physical stamina, shuriken throwing, and more.

Kitazawa entered the classroom, a stack of test papers in his hands.

“Oi, Naruto. Confident this time?” he called out.

“First place, guaranteed!” Naruto yelled, flashing his teeth in a dazzling grin. “Kitazawa-sensei, prepare to witness the power of my youthful spirit!”

“Tch, there you go bragging again,” Kiba snorted. “Last time you didn’t even make the top ten, and now you’re talking about first place?”

“You only ranked sixth last time!” Naruto shot back, hands planted on his hips. “This time, I’m leaving you in the dust!”

“Oh, really?” Kiba raised an eyebrow. “If you beat me, I’ll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen.”

“It’s a deal!” Naruto declared without hesitation, his eyes blazing with determination.

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