Chapter 96: Chapter 96

Kitazawa’s teaching style remained consistent.

Just like with First Year Class A, he divided Second Year Class A into three groups based on the results of the recent exam.

The first group was assigned the Clone jutsu.

The second group was working on the Transformation jutsu.

The third group had already mastered both and were allowed to train independently.

This last group was tiny—just four students. Among them were Neji and Tenten.

Kitazawa dispatched two Shadow Clones to guide the first two groups while he remained where he was, his eyes quietly observing Neji in the distance.

In terms of Gentle Fist fundamentals, Neji was far ahead of Hinata.

Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Had he already learned Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms in secret?

Though officially forbidden, Kitazawa suspected it wasn’t really secret. It was more likely that Hiashi had quietly permitted it.

Given Hiashi’s strength, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice Neji practicing it. But for Neji to master it so young—now that was surprising.

Even Hiashi hadn’t expected it. That explained his shock in the original timeline.

Just then, Kitazawa raised an eyebrow—Neji shifted his stance.

It was the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. A form Kitazawa recognized immediately.

He narrowed his eyes.

Maybe Neji thought no one at the academy understood this advanced jutsu and so didn’t bother hiding it.

Still, Kitazawa suspected his own remarks earlier had triggered Neji—pushing him to train with even more intensity.

Neji had always eclipsed Hinata growing up. The idea of losing now? Unthinkable.

Especially with the underlying tension between the main and branch families of the Hyuga clan.

What to say…?

Neji was a genius. But still too young. And without formal guidance, he was only proficient with the first six strikes of the jutsu.

’Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated.’

Kitazawa now felt Hinata had a real shot at winning next semester’s match.

That is, if she could master more of the Sixty-Four Palms than Neji in time.

Of course, jutsu alone wasn’t enough. Real combat experience mattered too.

He made a mental note to begin special summer training with her.

After observing Neji for a while, Kitazawa turned away and headed toward a quiet corner of the training ground.

He had assessed Neji’s capabilities.

Now it was time to evaluate the benefits of his own reward—this mysterious 10% increase in Byakugan purity.

After confirming he was alone, Kitazawa activated his Byakugan.

A quiet hum filled his senses.

First impression—everything appeared sharper. Clearer. The clarity had improved noticeably, though perhaps only by the promised 10%.

The second change was more subtle—an increase in ocular power.

Using a dōjutsu consumes chakra from the eyes themselves.

The Uchiha often said: Sharingan battles are really battles of ocular power.

That became painfully obvious once Mangekyō Sharingan entered the equation—too much usage risked blindness.

Kitazawa could feel it—his own reserves had improved by around 10%.

He gave a satisfied nod and shifted his gaze farther out.

His range didn’t just extend by 10%—it had doubled.

That, now that was a real upgrade.

In reconnaissance, sight range was everything.

He deactivated the Byakugan and returned to the training ground.

Pulling out a medical scroll, he casually began reading.

With Shadow Clones handling the students, there wasn’t much for him to worry about.

Time passed quietly, and before long, class was over.

“We’ll pick up again tomorrow,” Kitazawa said, dispersing his Shadow Clones with a flick of his sleeve. He left with an air of nonchalance—like a cloud passing through the sky.

“No way… a sensei who doesn’t drag out class?”

“Kitazawa-sensei explains the Clone and Transformation jutsus way better than Mizuki-sensei ever did!”

“Totally! I learned more in this one class than I usually do in an entire week!”

“No wonder First Year Class A is so strong…”

Nothing makes a teacher’s strengths more obvious than comparison.

Even after a single class, the students of Second Year Class A already respected Kitazawa deeply.

“Neji, wanna head back to class together?”

Tenten called out to him, noticing he was still practicing Gentle Fist.

“You go ahead,” Neji replied without looking up. “I need to train more.”

“As expected of my eternal rival!” Rock Lee shouted, fists clenched in admiration. “This is youth! I’ll do three hundred more laps after school today!”

Tenten opened her mouth as if to say something… then thought better of it.

Neji had always trained hard—but he used to know when to rest.

Now? He was turning into a second Rock Lee.

Kitazawa didn’t leave the Ninja Academy, nor did he return to his office.

He still had one last class to teach: First Year Class A’s practical combat session.

During the short break before class, he strolled down to the academy’s artificial lake to observe the students’ training.

Shikamaru was making rapid progress—faster than Kitazawa had expected.

Diligence had carried him this far.

At this pace, Kitazawa estimated he’d finish water walking training by the end of the week. After that, like Ino, he’d move on to learning his clan’s secret jutsu.

In truth, Shikamaru had already begun studying the Shadow Imitation jutsu with his father. He just hadn’t told anyone—wanting to surprise Kitazawa during sparring.

Not that it mattered.

Even if Kitazawa knew, he wouldn’t care.

One jutsu couldn’t close the gap between them.

“Ino.”

Kitazawa approached the blonde.

Over the past few days, he’d taken a closer interest in the Yamanaka clan’s Mind Body Switch jutsu. As a Yin Release–based jutsu, it shared similarities with genjutsu—something Kitazawa had talent and training in.

With his Yin Release affinity, he could offer useful pointers.

Ino didn’t really need his help; she was bound to master the jutsu eventually.

But Kitazawa still guided her. Not because she required it—he just wanted to be involved.

To feel like he had a hand in their progress.

To make his mission feel worthwhile.

The school bell rang.

Kitazawa headed toward the training grounds and glanced over First Year Class A.

A thought struck him.

Could he merge their class with Second Year Class A?

It would save him an hour in the weekly schedule.

He considered it seriously.

The Ninjutsu curriculum for both groups was centered on the three basic jutsu. Their learning speeds varied, but with batch teaching, he could easily manage the difference.

“Today’s session is still focused on Konoha-style taijutsu,” Kitazawa decided. He’d combine the two classes after the monthly exams wrapped up.

By Wednesday, Kitazawa had finalized the theoretical test papers for June’s monthly exams.

He scheduled the exams for Thursday and Friday—written first, then practical.

Saturday and Sunday would be free.

“Aren’t I considerate?”

He muttered the words half-proudly.

He could’ve easily shoved the exams onto the weekend. It wouldn’t interfere with class time that way.

But the students would’ve hated that. Losing their only break, then rolling right into another week of class? Unforgivable.

Back in his previous life, Kitazawa had despised working weekends.

A knock echoed on the door.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open.

“Kitazawa-senpai.”

Iruka stepped inside, his face even more worn than usual.

“Iruka, I’ve got something for you.”

Kitazawa stood and handed over a notice. “This is the exam schedule. I need you to inform all the grade offices.”

“Of course, Kitazawa-senpai.”

Iruka didn’t hesitate.

The man looked exhausted.

Mizuki’s death was clearly weighing on him.

Since Mizuki had no family, his girlfriend, Tsubaki, was left to handle the funeral arrangements.

Iruka, being the kind soul he was, volunteered to help.

Teaching by day, supporting Tsubaki by night—it was wearing him down.

Kitazawa suddenly remembered something: in the original timeline, Iruka never married. No wife or girlfriend was ever shown.

But now, with Mizuki gone and Tsubaki vulnerable…

Kitazawa shook the thought from his head.

He didn’t meddle in other people’s relationships.

Kurenai and Asuma weren’t even officially dating yet, so that didn’t count.

“Also,” he added, “make sure to get some rest.”

Iruka paused, then smiled faintly. “Thanks for the concern, senpai.”

Kitazawa nodded, then grabbed the stack of test papers and left to find Vice Principal Hisao Sarutobi.

With the exams finalized, the next step was printing.

Thankfully, that wasn’t his job—it was Hisao’s.

[Mission Completed: Help Nara Shikamaru establish the foundation for learning his clan’s secret jutsu.]

[Reward: Shadow Imitation jutsu.]

Kitazawa stopped in his tracks as the notification popped into his mind.

Had Shikamaru already completed Water Walking?

Looks like pressure really was the best motivator.

All the sparring and Ninjutsu “harassment” must’ve finally pushed him past the threshold.

A flood of knowledge surged into Kitazawa’s brain—the intricacies of the Shadow Imitation jutsu, a Yin Release specialty like the Mind Body Switch.

Tempted to test it out immediately, he instead made his way back to the lake.

Shikamaru was still there, walking calmly across the water’s surface.

“Shikamaru,” Kitazawa called, dispelling his Shadow Clones as he approached.

“Kitazawa-sensei?”

The boy turned, slightly out of breath.

“No need to keep training. You’re done with water walking.”

“Huh? Already?”

Shikamaru looked stunned.

“Not just for today,” Kitazawa clarified. “You’ve officially graduated from this exercise.”

“…Seriously?”

Shikamaru blinked, waiting for the catch.

“Why would I lie?” Kitazawa shrugged. “Your Chakra control’s more than sufficient now. You’ve hit the ceiling for this stage.”

“Awesome!”

Shikamaru’s eyes lit up. He grinned wide—and then, in his excitement, forgot to maintain chakra under his feet.

With a splash, he plummeted into the lake.

“Gl—glug—Sensei—!”

Kitazawa couldn’t help but laugh.

He leapt gracefully onto the water and pulled the boy out—like hauling a flailing Magikarp from a pond.

Shikamaru immediately started coughing up water the moment he hit land.

“Thanks… cough… sensei…”

“You want me to dry you off with a Fire Jutsu?” Kitazawa offered playfully.

“No thanks!” Shikamaru refused instantly. “My house isn’t far. I’ll change there.”

“Good. Go before you catch a cold.”

Shikamaru nodded and turned to leave, but after a few steps, he glanced back.

“Uh… Do I have any more training today?”

“I only agreed to be your tutor for a month.”

Kitazawa smiled.

“Oh… right.”

For a reason he didn’t understand, Shikamaru felt a little disappointed.

’No way I actually liked this training… right?’

“See ya, Kitazawa-sensei!”

Shikamaru took off down the road.

He made it home within minutes, grabbed a towel and clean clothes, and headed straight to the bathroom.

A hot shower later, he sprawled out on the living room sofa.

The ceiling above him hadn’t changed.

But he had.

After a few moments, he fidgeted restlessly. Sitting still just didn’t feel right anymore.

With a soft grunt, he stood up and walked to the window.

A bird had landed on the windowsill.

Shikamaru formed a seal.

Shadow Imitation jutsu.

His shadow slithered forward like ink, stretching toward the bird. It climbed the wall and latched onto the bird’s shadow.

The creature chirped in alarm—but couldn’t move.

“I… I did it?”

Shikamaru stared, awestruck.

He released the jutsu, and the bird shot off in a blur of feathers.

He caught his breath.

The jutsu was powerful—but chakra hungry.

Then again, with enough Chakra, anything could be bound.

“You actually learned Shadow Imitation?”

A voice called from behind.

It was his mother, Nara Yoshino, still wearing her apron.

“First successful attempt,” Shikamaru admitted, scratching his head.

Honestly, he hadn’t expected it to work so soon.

It had to be the Chakra control—his water walking training must’ve accelerated things.

“My son really is a genius,” Yoshino said with pride. “Your dad hadn’t figured it out at your age.”

“Kitazawa-sensei helped a lot.”

The words slipped out.

And instantly, he regretted them.

’Oops. Shouldn’t have said that.’

Sure enough, her smile deepened.

“Hiring Kitazawa as your tutor was the right call.”

Over the past month, they’d all seen it—the transformation.

Lazy Shikamaru had vanished.

In his place: a boy who trained by day, learned by night, and never once complained.

A boy steadily becoming a ninja.

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