CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 142

"I haven’t been to Grass Country much," Kitazawa admitted.

Kurenai smiled. "I’ve heard it’s full of open grasslands. We should go see them sometime."

"I’ve never been to a grassland either. Let’s take this mission." Kitazawa nodded.

"Then let’s get it approved." Kurenai hooked his arm and led him toward the mission hall’s window.

"What mission are you two accepting?" the staff member asked warmly.

"B-rank, Grass Country—apprehend rogue ninja Kenichiro," Kurenai replied crisply.

"Team members and strengths?" the clerk asked, pen poised.

"Special Jōnin Kitazawa, Chūnin Kurenai. Just the two of us," Kurenai answered after a short pause.

"Here’s your mission scroll," the clerk said, handing it over. "You’ve got one month to complete it."

"Thank you," Kurenai said. She glanced at Kitazawa. "I’ll head back and wait for you."

Kitazawa had some academy matters to discuss with Hiruzen—something Kurenai had no intention of joining. Once she left, Kitazawa made his way to the Hokage’s office.

"When I heard the knock, I knew it wasn’t Tsunade," Hiruzen joked as Kitazawa entered.

"Lady Tsunade is nothing if not direct," Kitazawa replied with a faint smile.

"So, what can I do for you? Here to invite me to your monthly exams?" Hiruzen asked, puffing his pipe.

"If you could attend, Hokage-sama, the students of First Year Class A might be too excited to sleep," Kitazawa teased.

"Unfortunately, Monday’s no good for me," Hiruzen said with a shake of his head. "Perhaps for your finals."

"A shame—but Konoha comes first, of course." Kitazawa reached into his sleeve and produced a scroll. "I’ve been thinking about some new reforms. Please have a look."

"Knowing you, this should be interesting." Hiruzen unrolled the parchment, scanning the two neat sections.

The first outlined the purpose and structure of a proposed student council.

The second detailed a pilot program and its member selection process.

"A student council?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Now that’s new."

In the shinobi world, the concept didn’t exist. Even the Ninja Academy itself was first established by Second Hokage Tobirama—other villages only followed later.

"Hokage-sama, do you think it can be done?" Kitazawa asked, watching his face.

Hiruzen’s eyes settled on the stated purpose: to let top students embody the Will of Fire through real responsibility. Under Kitazawa’s selection method, only the academy’s very best would make it in—bringing them together could only strengthen Konoha.

But Hiruzen was also weighing another detail. The proposed council had a president, vice president, and departments like General Affairs, Academics, and Publicity. That mirrored Konoha’s own governance. Choosing the right president would be crucial.

His mind went to Naruto.

For sheer management skill, Shikamaru was the obvious choice. But in the shinobi world, strength outweighed everything—even leadership talent. Could Naruto, still a first-year, defeat students in their fifth or sixth year?

"We’ll give it a trial run," Hiruzen said finally. "But member selection will happen later."

"Later?" Kitazawa tilted his head.

"After the trial ends," Hiruzen clarified. "And your class hasn’t even been in school for two full terms—early selection would put you at a disadvantage."

Kitazawa understood instantly. Hiruzen liked the idea, but without precedent, he wanted proof before committing—and he clearly wanted Naruto and his peers to take key roles.

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

If the trial succeeded, Kitazawa could hold the presidency until elections. That transition period would be vital to completing his own mission. But first, the trial council had to achieve something significant.

"I’m looking forward to seeing what you accomplish," Hiruzen said with a smile. As principal of the academy, the council’s success would reflect well on him. And if it failed—well, the trial could be quietly dropped.

After leaving, Kitazawa returned to Kurenai’s home. Tsunade, Shizune, and Yakumo were there, discussing emotion-displacement ninjutsu. Progress was steady—it would likely be complete within two weeks. At that point, Kitazawa intended to coax Tsunade into addressing her hemophobia.

"Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa said casually, "interested in watching the First Year Class A monthly exams?"

"Why ask me?" Tsunade blinked in surprise.

"Because you’re famous—and many of my students idolize you," Kitazawa said with a grin. "Your presence might even push them to perform their best."

"When?"

"Written exam next Monday, practical exam Tuesday. Both start at nine."

"If I’m free, I’ll come Tuesday morning," she said after a pause.

Kitazawa nodded and headed upstairs. He hadn’t yet told her about Karin’s mother—best to discover her ’by accident’ on the mission with Kurenai, then report back.

On the rooftop, Kitazawa trained. He had already mastered two of his four target Wind Release techniques—Wind Release: Shuriken and Wind Release: Vacuum Blade—both involving infusing weapons with wind chakra. Now he was tackling his third: Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, a sharper, linear variant of Great Vacuum Bullet.

His progress was steady but not fast—split between teaching, medical ninjutsu study, and the fact he hadn’t yet perfected wind chakra transformation. Still, with two months left in the semester, he was on track.

Monday arrived—final day of September, and the monthly exam for First Year Class A.

Kitazawa entered the classroom right on time. The students were already seated, buzzing with anticipation.

"Good morning, Kitazawa-sensei," Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others greeted.

"Before we start, I’ve got some good news," Kitazawa said from the podium.

"Is Hokage-sama coming?" Kiba asked eagerly—last semester’s finals had been graced by Hiruzen himself. The room instantly filled with expectant faces; Hiruzen’s popularity in Konoha was well-earned.

"Not Hokage-sama—Lady Tsunade."

The class erupted.

"One of the Legendary Sannin?"

"Hokage-sama’s student!"

"If I do well, maybe she’ll recommend me!"

"And she doesn’t have any students yet!"

Sakura’s eyes lit up. "Kitazawa-sensei, does that mean medical ninjutsu will be part of the practical exam?"

Ino snorted. "As if they’d test that."

Sakura deflated but nodded. It was already a rare privilege to be exposed to medical ninjutsu as a first-year. Still, she wished she could repay Kitazawa somehow—her parents were civilian shinobi with no special techniques to offer, so she could only watch for an opportunity to help him in return.

"Time’s up. Get ready for the exam."

Kitazawa clapped his hands, a faint smirk on his face. "Lady Tsunade may not arrive until tomorrow, but the theoretical exam rankings will still be announced in front of her."

At once, the air in First Year Class A grew tense.

"Shikamaru, what rank are you aiming for this time?" Ino asked, eyes bright with curiosity.

Sakura turned to glance at Shikamaru as well.

In the last finals, he’d surged ahead out of nowhere—snatching first place from her. That stunt had left her with no doubt: in the written exams, Shikamaru was her true rival. Hinata and Sasuke were strong contenders, but a notch below her. Unless something unexpected happened, she could handle them. Shikamaru, however... was an entirely different headache.

"Top ten," Shikamaru said lazily.

Sakura blinked. "Top ten?"

In the last finals, he’d gone all out—far too much work for his taste. For this monthly exam, Kitazawa had set him no goals beyond keeping his parents satisfied. But since he’d already been first once, suddenly scoring sixty points would look suspicious. Top ten was perfect: believable, and far less effort.

Sakura was momentarily speechless. She’d always considered herself an academic prodigy, yet here was someone capable of adjusting his score like a thermostat.

Fine. She wasn’t going to compete with a walking, talking cheat code. She’d just do her best.

"Sasuke-kun, let’s give it our all!" she declared, fists clenched.

Sasuke gave her a calm, noncommittal glance. The top spot in the theory exam was nice, but his eyes were on the real prize—the practical exam.

Last time, Naruto had stolen first place. That... still annoyed him. But this time, things would be different. Now he had the Sharingan.

A brief test match against Neji Hyuga—Second Year’s strongest—had already proven his edge. Naruto would be no exception. First place in the practical exam plus a top-three theory score would secure overall victory.

The bell rang.

"Begin," Kitazawa said.

Pens hit paper across the room.

Leaving behind a Shadow Clone as proctor, Kitazawa slipped away to the training grounds. He had no role in this monthly exam—so why waste time sitting around? Wind Release training was far more productive.

By eleven, the theory exam was over. Kitazawa didn’t even glance toward the school building, too focused on slicing a boulder into neat pieces with razor-thin blades of air.

Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.

...Though honestly, why "Wave" and not "Cut"?

"Kit... Kitazawa-sensei..."

He turned to find Hinata standing hesitantly nearby, fingers clasped nervously in front of her.

"Come here." Kitazawa waved with a smile.

She relaxed slightly and walked over.

"Heading home for lunch, or eating here first?" he asked, ruffling her hair.

"Home after lunch!" she replied, then hesitated, conflict flickering across her face.

"What’s wrong?"

"Can... can I not go home? I want to keep training this afternoon."

"That works." He nodded. "This afternoon, we’ll switch to practical special training—getting you familiar with Genjutsu."

Hinata brightened instantly.

"So cute," Kitazawa chuckled, pinching her cheek. She flushed, but didn’t pull away.

By five, after walking her home, he dispelled his clone. The theory results flowed into his mind.

Shikamaru had indeed dropped from first to tenth, handing Sakura her victory. A surprise newcomer—Yakumo—had taken ninth despite missing a semester, proving her sharp mind.

Naruto held steady at twelfth, though this time ahead of Kiba, who had slipped to thirteenth—likely from spending more time on tree climbing and water walking than textbooks. Kitazawa made a mental note to ease off his physical training a bit.

Tuesday arrived—practical exam day.

The entire First Year Class A stood assembled at the training grounds. Though Kitazawa also oversaw Second Year Class A, today they were left to Yamada. His attention was on his first-years.

"Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa greeted as Tsunade and Shizune approached.

"You’re not calling me Senpai anymore?" Shizune asked coolly, Tonton in her arms.

"Shizune-senpai," Kitazawa replied with a grin. "My medical ninjutsu is still slightly behind yours, after all."

Shizune’s lips twitched. "Slightly" was generous—he was only missing one technique, the Creation Rebirth. Once he learned it, they’d be equals. And with his talent, it was inevitable. The question was... what next? The Strength of a Hundred Seal? Only Tsunade could teach that.

"Lady Tsunade!" the class chorused, excitement buzzing. Nearby students looked on with envy. Finals had brought Hiruzen Sarutobi; this time they had Tsunade herself.

"Can’t compete," Yamada muttered with the other teachers. They all knew this privilege was because of Kitazawa.

"Iruka," Kitazawa called, "you’re referee today."

"Yes, sir!" Iruka responded smartly.

"You don’t have to babysit me," Tsunade told Kitazawa.

"I’m only doing it to slack off," he said deadpan.

She glared. Shizune laughed.

"The practical exam begins now!" Iruka announced. "Same rules as before—three rounds, higher scores advance."

"Lady Tsunade, want to handle the scoring?" Kitazawa offered her the roster.

"No need. I’m not a teacher," she replied.

"All right, everyone, draw lots. Same number means you’re opponents."

The students shuffled forward in turn.

"I’m number five!" Naruto called. "Anyone else?"

"Haha! I’m number one!" Kiba said, grinning—until a soft, unfamiliar voice spoke up.

"I’m also number one."

Kiba turned—and froze at the sight of Yakumo Kurama.

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