CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 121

The sun had slipped behind the horizon, and the air cooled with the evening breeze.

"You’ve pretty much mastered the Place Transfer Technique," Kurenai said after a moment of thought. "Tomorrow, we’ll switch to another genjutsu."

"Alright," Kitazawa replied with a grin. "Everything according to Yūhi-sensei’s arrangements."

"You’re still calling me that?" she said, folding her arms and giving him an unimpressed look.

"Why not?" Kitazawa’s eyes flicked toward her snug suit jacket, and he smirked. "Soon enough, maybe you’ll be the one calling me Kitazawa-sensei."

"As if," Kurenai said flatly, though a flicker of curiosity crossed her face.

"Then wait and see," he teased. "Just don’t come begging me when the time comes."

In his mind, he was already counting down—mastering five genjutsu would unlock the Bringer of Darkness jutsu.

"...Fine," Kurenai said, her interest piqued. "I want to see why I’d ever have to beg you."

Kitazawa glanced at the darkening sky. "I’m heading to the Academy."

"Mhm." Kurenai arched her back in a slow stretch. "Finally, I can take this outfit off. It’s so uncomfortable."

"Can you wear it again tomorrow?" Kitazawa asked with a straight face. "You saw how fast I learned today. Clearly, this outfit is my inspiration."

"You and your twisted logic!" Kurenai shot him an exasperated glare before turning toward her room.

Kitazawa sighed inwardly at the sight of her retreating figure but didn’t push his luck. He changed shoes and left for the academy.

Kitazawa dispelled his Shadow Clone, and the day’s memories flooded back. He instantly understood the progress of his three students: Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.

Naruto had advanced the fastest. He had nearly grasped the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and would probably master it within two or three days.

Sasuke had improved his Fire Release training, cutting the time to evaporate water droplets down to one minute—respectable progress for a first attempt.

Hinata had begun attempting the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms in a single sequence, though she still had a way to go.

Overall, all three had gained something from today.

"That’s enough for today," Kitazawa said, clapping his hands to draw their attention. "Tomorrow, training starts at 9 a.m. Don’t be late."

"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!" the three answered in unison.

"Sasuke," Kitazawa added, "remember to still train with Might Gai in the morning."

Sasuke’s mouth twitched, but he nodded reluctantly.

"See you tomorrow." Kitazawa paused, then glanced at Hinata. "I’ll walk you home. I have something to discuss."

"Mm!" Hinata’s heart skipped.

"I’ll walk you home, Sasuke!" Naruto jumped forward, slinging an arm around his rival. His spirits were still high from eating Mikoto’s bento earlier.

"My house is far. No need," Sasuke said curtly, shaking him off.

"How far can it be? I’ve never even been to your place," Naruto said curiously.

"Western edge of Konoha," Sasuke replied, then shook his head. "It’s late. Go home."

"Fine, fine..." Naruto waved as he veered off down another street. "Next time, I’m coming over to play!"

"Hinata," Kitazawa said casually, "in a couple of days, Ichiraku Ramen is holding an eating contest. Want to go?"

"Me?" Hinata blinked, startled.

Her first instinct was to refuse. She imagined the crowd of onlookers and felt her face heat up. Her "big eater" reputation at the academy was no secret, but performing in front of strangers was another matter entirely.

"Will... Kitazawa-sensei be participating?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nope. I’m just going to watch the fun," he said with an easy smile.

"Then..." Hinata tilted her head, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes. "I’ll go too."

"If you participate, you might even take first place," Kitazawa said, visibly relieved. "The prizes are great—you’ll like them."

"Mm. I’ll do my best," she said, clenching her fists softly.

They chatted as they approached the Hyuga compound, only to find Hiashi standing at the entrance like a silent guardian.

’Good heavens,’ Kitazawa thought. ’When did the Hyuga clan head start moonlighting as a door god?’

"See you tomorrow, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said with a polite bow before turning to her father.

"Father."

"To the courtyard," Hiashi said coolly. "Show me the results of today’s special training."

He didn’t truly believe Kitazawa’s training could produce meaningful results. His plan was simple—if Hinata showed no progress, she’d naturally give up on this "special training" nonsense.

"Understood, Father," Hinata said obediently and followed him inside.

"Begin."

The moment they exchanged blows, Hiashi noticed something was... different.

By the end of the spar, he was left in quiet disbelief.

’Her improvement... is this really because of Kitazawa?’

No, impossible. It had to be her own hidden talent.

Regardless, he couldn’t deny the results. And geniuses had their privileges.

With that silent acknowledgment, he let the matter drop.

—

Time during training always seemed to blur together, and in the blink of an eye, two days passed.

Kitazawa opened his eyes precisely on time. He stretched, yawned, and slowly sat up.

Because he learned so quickly, Kitazawa had decided to alternate his studies between genjutsu and medical ninjutsu—today genjutsu, tomorrow medical ninjutsu.

Compared to genjutsu, medical ninjutsu progressed at a crawl. He was currently "learning" the Mystical Palm.

Of course, in reality, he had already mastered the technique long ago thanks to his system.

But suddenly showing that level of skill would raise too many eyebrows—especially from Tsunade and Shizune. Better to take it slow and waste some time for appearances’ sake.

After a quick change of clothes and breakfast, Kitazawa made his way to the Academy.

"Kitazawa-sensei!"

The voice hit him like a tidal wave the moment he arrived.

Naruto was standing at the lakeside, and for a moment, Kitazawa thought he was hallucinating.

Then he blinked.

He wasn’t seeing double—or triple.

He was seeing Naruto times seventy.

A sea of green, he thought numbly. This... this is what it means for one person to count as a crowd.

Beside him, Hinata stared, speechless. She had seen Shadow Clones before—her father used them during sparring sometimes—but this... this was on a completely different scale.

"S-So... amazing..." she whispered.

The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was an A-rank technique infamous for its massive Chakra consumption. Most Jōnin could only produce twenty clones at best.

And yet here stood Naruto with seventy.

Kitazawa sighed inwardly.

"Since you’ve learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu," he said, "then your next step is Water Walking Training."

"Huh?" Naruto’s expression froze. He had clearly been expecting something... flashier. "Why water walking? I thought I’d be learning the Rasengan!"

"Because," Kitazawa said flatly, "your Chakra control is atrocious. You can’t build a house on a crooked foundation."

He pointed toward the shimmering lake. "You—and all seventy of you—are going to practice water walking until you can stand without splashing like toddlers in a bath."

Naruto’s face fell.

In truth, Kitazawa knew Naruto could learn the Rasengan the "shortcut" way with Shadow Clones, just like in the original story—turning a solo technique into a team effort with himself.

It worked, sure. But it was slower, clumsier, and easy to interrupt. Kitazawa preferred to raise his fundamentals first.

"If you really want to learn the Rasengan," Kitazawa said, waving his hand, "then hop to it."

"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto saluted dramatically, then turned to his clones.

"For the Rasengan, everyone—Youthful Water Walking Training!"

"Behold my Youthful Charge!"

"Not as good as my Youthful Leap!"

"And my Youthful Flying Kick!"

One by one, seventy greeen-clad Narutos, now sporting green jumpsuits like Rock Lee, launched themselves onto the lake.

The resulting splash was so massive that even fish probably filed noise complaints.

Kitazawa pressed a palm to his forehead.

’Seventy Narutos are already like this... I don’t even want to imagine a thousand. If Madara or Obito ever see this, they’ll probably faint on the spot.’

"Hm. Hinata," Kitazawa said once he recovered his sanity, "don’t forget the eating contest at noon."

"Mm... I know," she said softly, though determination glimmered in her pale eyes.

"Good. Let’s start today’s training."

Noon arrived quickly.

Kitazawa clapped his hands, calling an end to training. Together, the group headed toward Ichiraku Ramen.

"Whoa!" Naruto’s eyes sparkled the moment he turned onto the main street. "I’ve never seen Ichiraku this packed!"

The street was wall-to-wall people—children, teens, even middle-aged and elderly villagers.

"Kitazawa-sensei! Over here!"

Ino waved from a corner near the stage. Beside her stood Sakura, Choji, and Shikamaru.

Kitazawa gave a small nod in greeting, his gaze scanning the crowd... and landing on Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Itachi.

’Perfect,’ he thought. ’The audience is ready. All we need now is the protagonist.’

Meanwhile

"Everyone! Change of plans! We’re going to Ichiraku Ramen!"

Gai’s voice boomed with enthusiasm. "Today, it’s my treat—and both of you are coming!"

Sasuke had been about to refuse, but... well, it was Might Gai.

The man had pushed him hard in training these last few days and had never held back.

Besides... it was just ramen. What could possibly go wrong?

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