Chapter 97: Chapter 97

“Mom, I don’t think we need to bother Kitazawa-sensei anymore. I’ve already learned the Shadow Imitation jutsu, haven’t I?”

Shikamaru asked cautiously, testing the waters.

“That won’t do.”

Yoshino Nara shut him down immediately. “The Shadow Imitation is just the beginning. Our clan has plenty of secret jutsu left for you to master.”

She knew her son all too well.

If she gave him an inch, he’d be back to his lazy old self in no time.

Shikamaru’s vision dimmed.

’No! I just crawled out of hell—now you want to drag me back in?’

“I think… Kitazawa-sensei’s fees are too high,” he tried, tone suddenly serious.

“Oh, really?” Yoshino smiled sweetly—too sweetly. “Didn’t Kitazawa-sensei open a shop recently? Why not go work there to pay off the fees?”

Shikamaru froze.

Her smile was just like Kitazawa’s—deceptively kind. The smile of a devil.

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours,” Yoshino said smugly. “You came from me, remember?”

“…Yes, Mom is wise,” Shikamaru muttered with a sigh.

“You really don’t want to keep training with Kitazawa-sensei?”

Yoshino narrowed her eyes, voice soft but piercing.

“I—I really don’t,” Shikamaru said, hesitating just enough to ruin his case.

“I understand.” Yoshino smiled knowingly.

If he truly didn’t want to continue, he wouldn’t have hesitated.

“No—wait. What do you mean you understand?” he asked, suddenly nervous.

“We’ll wait until your father gets home,” she said, waving a hand. “He’ll help us decide.”

“…Okay.”

Shikamaru slumped onto the sofa. But the moment he closed his eyes, images of Water Walking and sparring with Kitazawa flashed through his mind.

He shot upright.

“No! I haven’t even reclaimed my dignity in practical combat yet—how can I quit now?!”

Around noon, the door creaked open.

“I’m home.”

Shikaku entered, raising an eyebrow at the sight of his son. “You’re back early today?”

“Kitazawa-sensei said my training’s complete,” Shikamaru replied quickly. “He said I’m done.”

“He learned the Shadow Imitation jutsu,” Yoshino added helpfully.

“Really?” Shikaku blinked in mild surprise.

“Mhm.”

Shikamaru glanced at his mother, coughed, and asked as casually as he could, “Dad… do you think there’s still a need to hire Kitazawa-sensei again?”

Shikaku’s sharp gaze fixed on him. “What? Planning to get lazy again?”

Father and son shared similar intelligence—Shikaku had already figured out the situation.

Shikamaru sighed in defeat.

It was over.

No way out.

’Fine. I’ll just get my revenge during sparring.’

“After lunch, we’ll go speak with Kitazawa,” Shikaku said, exchanging a glance with Yoshino and smiling.

Both parents were on the same page.

They wanted their son to become strong. Not just clever, but formidable.

In the harsh world of shinobi, brains alone wouldn’t cut it. Strength was survival.

Later that afternoon, Shikaku and Shikamaru made their way to the Ninja Academy.

At that moment, Kitazawa was finishing his bento and preparing for a nap when he remembered the new jutsu he’d acquired.

He sat up and formed the necessary hand seals.

A second later, his shadow sprang to life—slithering forward like a curious serpent.

“This is kind of fun,” Kitazawa grinned, weaving his shadow across the room in sharp angles and playful spirals.

He stopped only when the dizziness hit him.

“The chakra drain’s no joke,” he muttered. “No wonder the Ino–Shika–Chō need to fight together.”

Of the three clans, only the Akimichi jutsus were well-suited to solo combat.

Both the Nara and Yamanaka jutsus shone brightest when used in tandem with allies.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Kitazawa called, brows lifting.

“Kitazawa-san.”

Shikaku entered calmly.

“Kitazawa-sensei…” Shikamaru trailed behind, voice barely above a mumble.

’So they came after all,’ Kitazawa thought with a small smirk.

He’d told Shikamaru the training was over on purpose.

To trigger the next mission.

“Our reason for coming,” Shikaku began without preamble, “is to ask you to continue as Shikamaru’s private tutor.”

[Current Mission: Help Shikamaru Nara master a second clan secret jutsu.]

[Mission Reward: Shadow Sewing.]

[Accept?]

Kitazawa stared at the system prompt blinking before him.

And smiled.

It was good to have a new mission.

A second clan secret jutsu?

So Shikamaru had already mastered the Shadow Imitation jutsu?

Was he keeping it hidden to surprise him?

Kitazawa glanced at the boy thoughtfully.

He was still a child—brilliant, yes, but young and impulsive, unaware of the gap between them just yet.

As for Shadow Sewing, if memory served, it allowed one to solidify shadows into flexible, multi-functional appendages.

“Well, since Shikaku-senpai requested it, I’ll gladly oblige,” Kitazawa said with a calm smile. “You can rest easy and leave Shikamaru to me.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Shikaku looked over at his son. “Shikamaru, be sure to listen to your teacher. Understood?”

“Yes…” Shikamaru replied with a resigned sigh.

Kitazawa and Shikaku exchanged amused looks and couldn’t help but laugh.

Shikamaru felt like he was being thrown to the wolves.

I’m suffering here, and you two are laughing?

“I’ll be heading off, Kitazawa.”

With a parting nod, Shikaku turned and left.

“Shikamaru, head back to class and rest during the lunch break,” Kitazawa said, patting his shoulder. “Your new training won’t start until next week. Take these few days to recover.”

Rest? Why would I need rest?

What exactly is this “new training” going to be?

Shikamaru had a sinking feeling he wouldn’t be sleeping well tonight.

Kitazawa watched the boy walk off, visibly troubled, and chuckled softly to himself.

Teasing children could be surprisingly entertaining.

Afternoon arrived.

Kitazawa had two classes scheduled—both practical combat.

One for First-Year Class A, and one for Second-Year Class A.

Once those were done, Thursday came to a close—bringing them to June’s monthly exam.

“Sasuke! Let’s make this a youthful monthly exam!” Naruto declared, bursting into the room in full green tights.

In an instant, the classroom froze.

“Does Naruto really not feel shame?” Ino groaned, covering her face. She was dying of secondhand embarrassment.

“He’s a warrior,” Chōji said, offering a solemn nod.

Shikamaru didn’t move. He lay sprawled across his desk, face-down, like his soul had left his body.

“Naruto, what are you doing?” Sakura hissed, marching over and shoving him aside.

Unfortunately, she pushed too hard, sending Naruto stumbling toward Sasuke.

“No!” she gasped in horror.

Sasuke’s eyes widened, and he bolted with excellent reflexes, narrowly avoiding an accidental mouth-to-mouth collision.

Kitazawa walked in just in time to see it happen.

So close to recreating the infamous “Narusasu kiss” from the original timeline…

Sasuke exhaled sharply, visibly rattled.

Naruto, still oblivious, scratched his head in confusion.

“Alright, everyone—take your seats. The exam’s starting,” Kitazawa announced, stepping up to the podium.

“Sasuke!” Naruto declared, fist raised. “This time, I’m taking first place!”

“You’re still a long way off,” Sasuke replied coolly.

Truth be told, Sasuke wasn’t too invested in this month’s written exam. He was far more excited about July’s final—when his Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire jutsu would finally be ready. By then, no number of Naruto’s clones would make a difference.

“The rules are the same as always. Begin.”

At exactly nine o’clock, Kitazawa signaled the start of the exam.

The students flipped open their papers and picked up their pens.

Leaving a Shadow Clone behind to co-proctor with Iruka, Kitazawa returned to Kurenai’s house. Clones could handle collecting and grading.

He had other things to do—namely, finishing his medical studies.

Ever since he and Kurenai had made their relationship official, he’d had his own room at her place. Between learning from Tsunade and experimenting with new Ninjutsu, this had become his main base of operations.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“I’m home, Kurenai.”

Spotting her sandals by the shoe cabinet, Kitazawa noticed Tsunade’s and Shizune’s were absent.

“Isn’t today the monthly exam?” Kurenai called from the living room, her legs casually crossed.

It was a hot day, so she’d opted for denim shorts. When she saw Kitazawa enter, she uncrossed her legs.

Her fair, flawless skin practically shimmered in the sunbeam pouring in through the window.

Kitazawa’s eyes briefly traced her exposed thighs.

Paired with the shorts, she wore a cropped, off-white top—revealing her smooth waist and navel.

“Like what you see?” she asked with a sly grin, spreading her arms playfully.

As she moved, her chest swayed freely beneath the light fabric.

“You’re gorgeous,” Kitazawa said, his gaze rising. “Did you go out today?”

“Nope,” she said, cocking her head. “Why do you ask?”

“Because you look too stunning… and I’d rather be the only one who gets to see it.”

Her smile deepened. “It’s only for you.”

She had, in fact, bought this outfit after they got together. Before that, her wardrobe was mostly kimonos, her red dress, or that familiar red-sleeved top.

Kitazawa felt a rush of warmth and stepped closer.

Now face-to-face, he could see every detail of her delicate expression. She smelled faintly floral—light, clean, and intoxicating.

“You…”

Their breaths mingled. Kurenai’s pulse quickened, her toes curling unconsciously.

“May I kiss you?” he asked, eyes lingering on her lips.

“You’re still asking?” She teased, then leaned forward and kissed him first.

The soft contact sent a tremor through them both.

Kitazawa deepened the kiss slowly. Kurenai let out a soft sound, her cheeks burning as the color spread down her neck.

But this time—she didn’t pull away.

After a long moment, they separated.

“Y-you should go study… only two days left,” she murmured, licking her lips as if trying to cool down.

“No rush,” Kitazawa said, voice low. “I just have one book left—Shizune’s.”

“Tsunade-sama will be back soon…” Kurenai warned, her gaze flickering away.

Kitazawa smirked, leaned in again, and planted a light kiss just below her collarbone before retreating upstairs.

Left alone, Kurenai inhaled sharply.

That kiss… had nearly swallowed her whole.

Upstairs, Kitazawa returned to his room and shook off the lingering heat.

His approach with Kurenai had always been steady—gentle, deliberate, and patient.

Clearly, it was working. From their first brush of lips to deep kisses, she was letting her guard down, one layer at a time.

Maybe they’d take the next step soon.

But for now, he had a medical textbook to finish.

He sat down and focused. There was only one book left, but reading wasn’t the problem—retention and comprehension took time.

That was just the nature of medicine.

Later that afternoon, the sun still blazed relentlessly in the sky.

Kitazawa paused, wiping his brow, and suddenly thought of Ice Release.

If only he could conjure cold air on demand…

He chuckled and set the book aside.

Two weeks of studying, and he’d finally completed the first phase of Tsunade’s medical training plan.

Thank goodness for Shadow Clones.

He dispelled the one at school and felt the rush of memories return.

The theoretical exam results were in.

Sasuke had previously held the top spot—but this time, Sakura had taken it.

Kitazawa figured Sasuke had been too focused on Fire Release Ninjutsu to study.

Sakura, meanwhile, was already strong in academics, so the result wasn’t surprising.

Naruto, without Kitazawa’s help this time, had dropped from sixth to thirteenth—but that was still a huge improvement over dead last.

The next day: Friday.

The practical exam began.

Same format as the last one—nothing new.

Naruto took first in physical fitness, as usual. But Sasuke claimed the top scores in Clone Jutsu and ninja tool accuracy.

That afternoon, the final rankings for June’s exam were announced.

Nothing too shocking—mostly consistent with the previous results.

The only real shift: Naruto dropped to eleventh place overall.

“Hahaha!”

Kiba burst out laughing. “Naruto, I finally beat you! You owe me Ichiraku Ramen!”

Last time, Kiba had lost by a hair, which had really stung. Now, he had his revenge.

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