Chapter 70: Chapter 70

Ichiraku Ramen

“Kiba, I’m stuffed. Thanks for the treat today!”

Naruto patted his stomach, grinning with satisfaction.

“Next time it’s your turn. You’d better have your money ready,” Kiba said, elbowing him playfully.

“Don’t worry—I’ve got plenty of cash.”

Naruto waved him off, looking utterly relaxed.

Kiba blinked in surprise. It felt strange for Naruto not to protest or make excuses.

“Heh. See you tomorrow, Naruto.” Kiba chuckled and turned to leave.

The two parted ways in front of Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto watched Kiba’s figure disappear down the street, then turned and headed home, a small smile still lingering on his lips.

A few minutes later, he pushed open the door to his apartment.

He barely paused before grabbing the green jumpsuit hanging in his closet. Stripping off his clothes, he slipped into the bright outfit, brimming with energy. He was just about to rush out to look for Gai when an unexpected voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Heading out again right after school, Naruto?”

Naruto froze, eyes widening. Standing in his living room was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Third Hokage eyed Naruto’s green jumpsuit and fought to keep his lips from twitching—but he quickly regained his calm, grandfatherly demeanor.

“Grandpa Hokage!”

Naruto lit up instantly, all thoughts of training momentarily forgotten.

“Did you eat dinner already?” Hiruzen asked, glancing around and not spotting any of Naruto’s usual instant noodle cups.

“Yep! Kiba treated me to Ichiraku Ramen.”

Naruto’s grin grew even broader.

“Oh? Why’d he treat you?”

Hiruzen settled onto a chair, curiosity in his eyes.

“Because I ranked sixth in our class on this month’s exam—one spot higher than Kiba!” Naruto practically bounced as he pulled out his report card. “Look, Grandpa Hokage!”

Hiruzen accepted the paper and read over it, raising his brows in mild surprise. Still, it made sense given what he knew.

“Congratulations. Your hard work paid off.”

“Mm!” Naruto nodded enthusiastically. “But Kitazawa-sensei helped me a ton.”

“Then you should thank him properly.” Hiruzen chuckled.

He knew that without Kitazawa’s—let’s say creative—approach to homework, Naruto never would’ve cracked the top ten.

“I will!” Naruto beamed. “Kitazawa-sensei even taught me the Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Hiruzen let out a thoughtful hum. “Kitazawa has a sharp eye, that’s for sure.”

It still amazed him that Kitazawa had realized how perfectly suited Naruto was for such a high-level technique. A shame his rank and strength weren’t higher—otherwise, Kitazawa might’ve been an excellent candidate for Naruto’s future squad leader.

“Your class has a friendly match with Class 2A coming up, right?” Hiruzen shifted topics.

“Yep! It’s next week.”

“The second-years are the top students of their grade. Do you think you can beat them?”

Hiruzen studied Naruto closely as he spoke.

“Yes!” Naruto clenched his fists. “I’ll take down those elites!”

“A one-year gap isn’t so easy to bridge,” Hiruzen cautioned gently.

“We’ve got Kitazawa-sensei!” Naruto declared with fierce confidence. “We’ll definitely win!”

Hiruzen smiled faintly, watching Naruto’s eager face. It was clear how deeply Naruto trusted Kitazawa. And perhaps… that wasn’t a bad thing at all. Hiruzen himself had never had such a devoted sensei back during his own days at the Academy.

“Remember,” Hiruzen said softly, “winning or losing isn’t as important as giving it your all. Make sure you have no regrets.”

“I will!” Naruto replied firmly.

“Do you want me to continue the story of the Fourth Hokage tonight?” Hiruzen offered with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Next time,” Naruto said, looking torn. “I promised Gai-sensei yesterday that I’d train with him today.”

“If you make a promise, you should keep it.” Hiruzen patted Naruto’s head fondly. “We’ll finish the story another time.”

“Okay! I’m going now, Grandpa Hokage!”

Naruto dashed out the door, leaving it swinging open behind him.

“This boy… He never even closes the door. So impatient. He’s nothing like Minato.”

Hiruzen gently shut the door, lingering there for a moment in thought before turning to leave.

Not long afterward, Hiruzen arrived at Kitazawa’s house.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, he suddenly sensed a surge of powerful chakra.

With a quiet hum of surprise, Hiruzen stepped around to the back of the house.

There he spotted Kitazawa, deep in training. Flames coiled and roared as he unleashed a fierce jutsu.

Hiruzen recognized it instantly: Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu.

“Hokage-sama?”

Kitazawa, noticing him, hurried over.

“How long have you been practicing the Great Dragon Fire Jutsu?” Hiruzen asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

“A week and a half,” Kitazawa replied honestly.

Hiruzen’s brows rose. “To pick up the Great Dragon Fire Jutsu in only a week and a half… your talent with Fire Release is impressive.”

In Hiruzen’s mind, Kitazawa had always been an average Chunin—but the power behind that jutsu suggested otherwise. At the very least, this young man was operating at an elite Chunin level.

“Hokage-sama, you flatter me,” Kitazawa said, shaking his head modestly.

“No need for false modesty,” Hiruzen countered with a faint smile. “I am the Hokage, after all. I’d like to think I can recognize talent when I see it.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “In a couple of days, I’ll be organizing a Special Jonin selection. I’m going to nominate you.”

Kitazawa blinked.

Special Jonin were ninja recognized for exceptional skills in a specific field—whether it was teaching, research, interrogation, or assassination.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama!” Kitazawa said gratefully.

He certainly didn’t mind a promotion. Becoming a Special Jonin would let him take on higher-level missions, and as a teacher, it meant better pay and benefits than a standard Chunin’s salary.

“It’s nothing,” Hiruzen said, waving a hand. “All I’m doing is putting your name forward. Whether you succeed will be up to your own abilities.”

According to Konoha’s regulations, Genin, Chunin, Special Jonin, and Jonin all had to pass examinations for promotion. However, arranging a personal assessment was a privilege reserved for the Hokage—a gesture Hiruzen was making with Naruto’s future in mind.

Suddenly, a translucent screen flickered in front of Kitazawa’s eyes:

[Your strength has attracted the attention of Principal Hiruzen Sarutobi, who has opened the Special Jonin assessment for you.]

[Current mission: Pass the Special Jonin assessment.]

[Mission reward: Master-level chakra shape transformation.]

[Do you accept?]

Kitazawa stiffened slightly.

An unexpected bonus?

’Master-level chakra shape transformation?’

Wasn’t this essentially a cue to learn the Rasengan?

Of course, it wasn’t only Rasengan—virtually every advanced ninjutsu depended on mastery of chakra shape manipulation.

“I’ll give it my all,” Kitazawa said, a hint of excitement glimmering in his eyes.

Hiruzen nodded approvingly. “So—what do you think your odds are in next week’s friendly match against Class 2A?”

Kitazawa paused thoughtfully. “About fifty-fifty, I’d say.”

Hiruzen chuckled. “That’s quite confident of you.”

Kitazawa suddenly remembered the boast he’d made to Mizuki. “Hokage-sama, are you free next Friday?”

“Oh?” Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I’d like to ask you to serve as the referee for the friendly match,” Kitazawa said.

Hiruzen let out a low laugh. “Of course. I’d be very interested to see how you plan on beating the best second-year students.”

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