CHAPTER 158: CHAPTER 158

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As soon as Naruto and Neji arrived at the training ground, they spotted Sasuke already in the thick of training.

His Sharingan gleamed crimson as he hopped in place, occasionally letting out a muffled grunt—the sound of someone struck by a kunai.

These weren’t ordinary leaves. Infused with Wind Release chakra, they carried the speed and impact of thrown kunai.

Of course, Kitazawa had stripped away the cutting edge of the wind chakra, leaving only its velocity. Otherwise, Sasuke would have been shredded.

"This looks a lot like Hinata’s leaf training from before," Shikamaru observed thoughtfully. "Except this time, it’s meant for the Sharingan."

"The Sharingan has stages—One-Tomoe, Two-Tomoe, and Three-Tomoe," he continued.

Ino gasped. "Wait, are you saying Sasuke’s about to unlock his Two-Tomoe?"

"Is Two-Tomoe really that strong?" Naruto asked curiously.

Neji’s voice dropped low. "Once the Sharingan reaches Two-Tomoe, its wielder’s strength is on par with a Chunin."

A heavy sense of crisis welled up in Neji’s chest. Sasuke was one of his rivals—someone he’d already defeated once. Neji had been planning to challenge him again after perfecting his Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms. But clearly, Sasuke wasn’t standing still.

"Chunin?!" Naruto’s eyes went wide. He wasn’t even officially a Genin, yet Sasuke was already pushing for Chunin-level strength.

"As expected of my eternal rival!" Naruto gave a hearty thumbs up, grinning. "Such fiery youth! I can’t lose either!"

"If you keep shouting like that, Kitazawa-sensei’s bound to notice," Kabuto adjusted his glasses coolly.

Though not an Academy student, he often trained with Ino and the others. Naruto, naturally, had dragged him into the group’s secret meeting as well.

"Kitazawa-sensei will definitely notice if we slip," Shikamaru warned, giving Hinata a pointed look. "Especially you, Hinata."

"I—I’ll try my best," Hinata stammered, nervously wringing her hands.

"You’ve got this, Hinata!" Ino encouraged, pumping a tiny fist. "Your mission will succeed for sure!"

Hinata’s mission wasn’t just about keeping secrets—it was to uncover what Kitazawa liked.

"Don’t worry," Sakura reassured, patting her chest with a confident smile. "Even if you fail, I’m on the same mission too."

She also spent a lot of time with Kitazawa—though mostly at Konoha Hospital.

"Actually, I can handle this mission too!" Naruto volunteered eagerly.

"You? No way," Shikamaru shot back. "You’re way too obvious."

"That’s true," Ino muttered, recalling how Naruto was the first one exposed during their attack on Tsunade.

"Alright, alright..." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.

"Time’s up. Everyone, back to training," Shino spoke up suddenly—the first and last words he offered that day.

His quiet command was enough. The group broke apart instantly.

Kiba headed for the artificial lake alone. Sasuke no longer needed it for training, so Kiba had it to himself.

Sakura stayed behind to keep Sasuke company. Naruto, fired up with determination, ran to his own training ground—he had to finish mastering the Rasengan before the final exam.

Ino resumed practice with her advanced Mind Body Switch, attempting to control two people at once. It was mentally exhausting but crucial for her growth.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru, after weeks of painstaking effort, was finally close to completing his second clan technique—Shadow sewing. Unlike the rigid Shadow Imitation, this one was versatile and flexible. If he mastered it, he could climb a rank or two in the exam.

Hinata began practicing Sixty-Four Palms with quiet determination, occasionally glancing toward Kitazawa for reassurance. Neji, training a distance away, had already reached eight consecutive palms and was pushing for ten.

Karin sat at a desk with her books, while Kabuto leaned against a tree, practicing Wind Release: Shuriken.

"Kit... Kitazawa-sensei... I—I’m out of strength..."

Two hours later, Sasuke collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring off him. His muscles screamed, his breath burned, and his eyes ached with fatigue—his vision was blurring badly.

"It seems it’s not just your Sharingan that needs strengthening. Your body as well," Kitazawa remarked thoughtfully.

At the mention of physical training, Sasuke immediately thought of one man. His face went pale.

"From now on," Kitazawa continued, "you’ll do leaf training in the morning, and physical training with Might Gai in the afternoon."

Sasuke’s expression froze. Heat flushed through him despite the winter chill. His worst nightmare had come true.

But... for the sake of Two-Tomoe... he clenched his fists and endured.

"Once you’ve rested, you can seek out Gai," Kitazawa added with a faint smile, clearly enjoying Sasuke’s suffering.

Sasuke hesitated, glaring suspiciously. Was Sensei... doing this on purpose? He dared not ask, in case Kitazawa handed him a green jumpsuit on the spot.

[Current Mission: Help Nara Shikamaru learn his second clan jutsu.]

[Mission Reward: Shadow Sewing Jutsu.]

[Mission Complete. Reward Issued.]

Kitazawa’s gaze slid toward Shikamaru. His shadow had sprouted into two arm-like appendages. With enough chakra, the technique could multiply—dozens, hundreds, even thousands of shadow arms in theory. Though an ordinary Nara would barely manage a handful.

"Congratulations, Shikamaru," Kitazawa said warmly. "At your age, mastering two secret techniques already makes you a genius among geniuses."

"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." Shikamaru dismissed the jutsu with a sigh. "But I’m no genius. Sasuke and Naruto... they’re the real prodigies."

Kitazawa chuckled. "Their talent is monstrous, I’ll admit. Sometimes it feels like they’re not even human."

Shikamaru’s eyes lit up. "So you think so too, Sensei?"

"Of course. After all, like you, I’m just a normal human," Kitazawa replied with a shrug.

’If not for the system, he mused privately, he’d be far worse off than even Shikamaru.’

"Sensei..." Shikamaru leaned forward hopefully. "Since I’ve mastered Shadow Sewing, can I finally... rest?"

After half a semester of relentless training, all he wanted was to collapse in bed and sleep for days.

"You can rest today," Kitazawa granted with a smile. "But tomorrow, you’ll begin practicing Yin Release nature transformation—sculpting with shadows."

Shikamaru froze. ’You’re no human, you’re a devil.’

"Don’t want to rest? Then we can start right now—" Kitazawa began.

But Shikamaru had already bolted, sprinting like a startled deer.

Kitazawa shook his head with a helpless laugh. After checking that everyone else was training properly, he finally turned and headed toward the artificial lake.

"Kitazawa-sensei?"

Inuzuka Kiba, practicing Water Walking alone, froze in surprise when he spotted him.

"Want to master water walking faster?" Kitazawa asked, stroking his chin.

"Yes!" Kiba’s eyes lit up, touched. "Sensei really does care about me the most!"

It wasn’t surprising Sasuke never trained with him. And Sakura... well, she’d abandoned friendship for beauty. Typical.

"Alright then." Kitazawa’s expression turned serious. "While you train, I’ll attack you with Water Release jutsu."

That way, he could polish his Water Style while helping Kiba push past his limits. A win-win.

"Huh?" Kiba blinked. What kind of hellish training was this supposed to be?

"Be careful," Kitazawa warned, rolling his shoulders. "I just learned this jutsu. My aim might not be perfect."

"...Huh?" The realization dawned on Kiba. ’Wait. Am I just target practice?’

Whatever warmth he felt a second ago evaporated instantly. Sensei really had no heart!

Kitazawa’s hands blurred through seals as he recalled the Water Style: Water Dragon Bulletfrom the scroll. He didn’t have mastery of Water Nature, but his chakra shape transformation was top-notch. Under his control, the artificial lake began to churn violently.

Water surged upward, coiling into the form of a massive dragon.

Water Release—like most jutsu—benefited from environmental buffs. Near rivers, lakes, or oceans, it consumed less chakra and hit harder. That was why Kitazawa had chosen this spot.

As for Kiba? He was just a convenient side benefit.

"Run." Kitazawa guided the dragon forward. "The key to water walking is steady chakra rhythm."

Kiba dashed across the lake’s surface.

"Don’t panic. Keep breathing," Kitazawa called calmly. "I won’t actually hurt you."

That reassurance settled Kiba. Even with a water dragon chasing him, the exercise didn’t feel much harder than before—just faster, forcing him to run instead of walk.

But then the dragon suddenly accelerated.

Crash!

It slammed him straight into the water. Kiba flailed, choking on mouthfuls of lake water.

"Oops. My mistake." Kitazawa hauled him out casually.

Kiba coughed, dripping wet. "N-no big deal..." What else could he say? Arguing would only make it worse.

"Keep going." Kitazawa patted his shoulder. "You don’t want Naruto outperforming you in every single exam, do you?"

That lit a fire under Kiba. "Does Sensei... have a way for me to beat him?" he asked eagerly. Losing to Naruto every time wasn’t just frustrating—it was humiliating. Even the Ichiraku ramen bets stung.

"You don’t have a partner dog right now, so beating him in the practical exam is tough." Kitazawa paused. "But you could surpass him in the overall rankings."

Kiba wilted. "But our theory scores are about the same..."

"Then improve them. More practice questions, more drills. And if you can climb even a rank or two in the practicals, you’ll have a real shot."

"...I get it!" Kiba clenched his fists. "I’ll do it!"

Kitazawa nodded, satisfied. Hook, line, sinker.

"But Sensei," Kiba frowned, "my strength hasn’t improved lately. How can I place higher in the practical exam?"

"That’s because you don’t have a ninja dog." Kitazawa smirked. "But I’ve got another idea. If you don’t have one... become one."

"...Huh?" Kiba stared blankly. What kind of insane logic was that?

"Your clan’s secret techniques let you merge with your ninja dog, right? Like Human Beast Transformation." Kitazawa said bluntly.

"That’s true, but those require cooperation with a partner." Kiba shook his head. "I can’t use them alone."

"Why not? You have Shadow Clone."

Kiba’s jaw dropped. "Shadow Clone? Can that... actually work? I’ve never heard of anyone in my clan doing that."

"There’s no harm in trying." Kitazawa shrugged. "Even if it fails, you’ll still learn Shadow Clone. That’s already a huge step forward."

Kiba’s eyes lit up. Naruto’s Shadow Clone was legendary in the academy now. Even producing two would boost his combat power immensely.

"Yes!" He straightened, resolve burning in his eyes. "Please teach me, Kitazawa-sensei!"

[Mission Triggered: Help Inuzuka Kiba develop a new jutsu.]

[Reward: 10% Senju Clan bloodline.]

Kitazawa blinked. He’d expected a mission, but that reward? 10% of the Senju bloodline?

Did the Inuzuka clan have hidden ties to the Senju? Or was it because their techniques leaned heavily on Yang Release?

Either way, this was a high-difficulty mission worthy of such a prize. Their beast-combo jutsu would need major adjustments to work with Shadow Clones instead of dogs. But with his mastery of Yang Release, it was doable.

And if he completed this plus Naruto’s Rasengan mission... he’d reach 40% Senju bloodline. The Senju bloodline might not be Hashirama’s monstrous cells, but it still promised overwhelming chakra.

"I’ll teach you. But not yet." Kitazawa said firmly. "Finish your water walking first. Shadow Clone is still a B-rank jutsu—it demands control."

Kiba grinned fiercely. "Got it! Don’t go easy on me!" He dashed back onto the lake.

Kitazawa raised another dragon with a flick of his hand. Training resumed, both of them pushing their limits.

When the final class ended, the students of Class 1-A and 2-A filtered out.

"Hinata? Something on your mind?" Kitazawa noticed the shy girl lingering at the doorway, face pink, fingers poking together.

"Ki-Kitazawa-sensei..." she whispered, stepping forward nervously.

"Want me to walk you home?" he asked gently.

"N-no!" She suddenly blurted, then gathered her courage. "I... I want to treat Sensei to a meal!"

Her sudden boldness surprised even her. But she’d found her chance. The others had asked her to figure out what Kitazawa liked—and what better way than food?

Originally, she’d thought of giving him money as a birthday gift... but that felt cheap and impersonal. A meal felt warmer.

"What do you want to eat?" Kitazawa smiled, patting her head.

"I... I’m treating! What does Sensei want to eat?" she asked, eyes shining.

"Me? Hmm... I’ve always liked grilled meat."

"I see." Hinata’s face lit up. Then, with sudden determination, she declared, "Then I’ll treat Sensei to grilled meat every single day from now on!"

Kitazawa laughed, tapping her forehead. "Who eats grilled meat every day? Once in a while is fine."

"Eh? Why?" she asked innocently.

"Too much isn’t healthy," he said casually. "Come on, let’s go."

She followed, then quickly asked, "Kitazawa-sensei, besides grilled meat... what else do you like to eat?"

"Snacks. Sweets. I don’t mind those either."

"What kind specifically?" Hinata pressed, eyes sparkling.

Kitazawa chuckled. "You’re unusually talkative today."

"I... I just want to understand Sensei better." Hinata’s voice trembled, her heart hammering.

Kitazawa smiled faintly. She was too transparent—but he didn’t call her out. Instead, he found himself curious to see what this timid girl was planning.

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