Chapter 101

"You won’t be able to learn medical ninjutsu more advanced than the Mind Body Switch Technique—at least not yet." Kitazawa shook his head gently. "Medical Ninjutsu requires patience. It’s not something you can rush." Though Sakura possessed remarkable potential in medical arts, she was still young. Her foundation, compared to her counterpart in the original timeline, was far from solid. In other words, mastering high-level techniques so soon was unrealistic. "Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Sakura replied, trying to suppress the excitement fluttering in her chest. "You definitely won’t catch up to me then!" Ino suddenly clung to Kitazawa’s arm, poking her head out with a smug grin aimed at Sakura. "Hmph. Childish," Sakura muttered, rolling her eyes before sticking out her tongue in retaliation. "Alright, that’s enough for today. Training’s over. Go home and get some rest," Kitazawa said, ruffling Ino’s hair with a casual pat. "Kitazawa-sensei!" Sakura called out expectantly. "What medical ninjutsu will I learn tomorrow?" "You..." Kitazawa opened his mouth to answer, but a sudden system prompt cut him off: [You and Sakura Haruno are both medical ninjutsu prodigies. One must surpass the other.] [Mission: Learn one medical ninjutsu faster than Sakura Haruno.] [Reward: Proficient-level Yang Release Chakra Nature Transformation.] [Accept Mission?] Kitazawa’s eyes lit up. Theoretically, once you mastered both Chakra Shape and Nature Transformation, no Ninjutsu was beyond reach. He had already achieved master-level Chakra Shape Transformation. What he lacked was Nature Transformation—and now, a golden opportunity had arrived. Even though it wasn’t a full set of elemental transformations, Yang Release was still invaluable. The system ranked proficiency in three tiers: Beginner, Proficient, and Master. Proficient-level Yang Release was roughly on par with Shizune. Master-level, of course, meant standing alongside Tsunade. Until now, Kitazawa was considered a genius for his Shape Transformation skills. But with Yang Release, he’d be an enhanced genius. He no longer needed to pretend to be a medical prodigy. He was one. "I’ll keep it a surprise," Kitazawa said, changing the subject with a sly smile. "You’ll find out tomorrow." "Huh?" Sakura blinked in disbelief. How was she supposed to sleep now? Ino, satisfied with the minor chaos, tugged Sakura’s arm and started walking away. After a few steps, she turned back and called out, "Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei!" Kitazawa returned her smile. His intent wasn’t to help Ino win some petty rivalry. He simply wanted to calibrate the difficulty of the next technique—just enough to outpace Sakura and complete the mission. Missing out on the reward wasn’t an option. He could already imagine waking up in the middle of the night yelling, "I’m such an idiot!" — Kitazawa returned to Kurenai Yuhi’s house. As expected, Tsunade and Shizune were already waiting—unlike before, Tsunade had been surprisingly punctual these past two days. Clearly, when it came to medical ninjutsu, she had her own code of honor. The only catch? She kept pushing the teaching duties onto Shizune. "Kitazawa," Shizune greeted him, holding up yesterday’s fish. "Did you manage to practice today?" "I squeezed in about three hours," he replied. "Then you’ll need to push harder," she said with a soft smile. "Two days go by in a flash." "I don’t need two," Kitazawa said confidently. "I’ll master the healing technique tonight." "Really?" Shizune raised an eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe." Six hours total so far—three yesterday, three today. That was nothing. "Just wait and see, Shizune-senpai," Kitazawa said pointedly, drawing out the last word. "Then let’s begin." Shizune huffed, not one to back down from a challenge. Though normally even-tempered, something about Kitazawa’s smug confidence made her want to prove him wrong. Kitazawa extended his hands and began practicing. As she watched from the side, Shizune quickly realized she had little to offer. His technique was already near flawless. Two hours later, the faint green glow of healing chakra enveloped the fish. The knife wounds sealed up, and it began flopping around energetically. A living, breathing miracle. With Medical Ninjutsu, a fish that would usually survive only a few hours out of water could now last a full day, maybe longer. "You... actually pulled it off?" Shizune stared in disbelief. "Eight hours total?" Tsunade suddenly sat up, her expression turning serious. That was how long she had taken to learn the healing technique. Which meant... Kitazawa’s talent was on par with hers. "It’s all thanks to Shizune-senpai’s help," Kitazawa said, flashing a grin. Shizune’s expression froze. ’Did I even teach him anything?’ Sure, she’d been there. But help? That was generous. What a frustrating genius. Talented students were a blessing—until they robbed the teacher of any sense of accomplishment. "Shizune," Tsunade crossed her arms. "You’ll keep teaching him." She needed to see just how far this so-called genius could go. "...Alright," Shizune replied, sighing inwardly. Shizune paused to think, then said, "The second medical ninjutsu I’ll be teaching you is the anesthesia technique." Forming a string of hand seals, she gently pressed her palm against the struggling carp. In the next instant, it went still—peacefully asleep. "This is a D-rank technique," she explained calmly. "Its difficulty lies not in execution but in precisely targeting the area for anesthesia." Kitazawa understood immediately. ’So it’s like general versus local anesthesia back in my old world.’ Unlike the Healing Technique, this jutsu wasn’t granted by the system. He’d have to master it on his own. An hour passed. Despite his efforts, Kitazawa still hadn’t found the critical insight. Watching him struggle, Shizune couldn’t help but feel a small wave of relief. ’At least he’s not learning this faster than I can blink.’ Still, even now... he was slightly quicker than her. That realization stung. She had always taken pride in being a medical ninjutsu prodigy. She had trained under Tsunade—the most revered medical ninja in the entire shinobi world. But now, standing across from Kitazawa, she couldn’t help but feel the ground shift beneath her feet. Off to the side, Tsunade rubbed her temples. Kitazawa’s talent was proving more troublesome than she’d expected. What was supposed to be a quick job in Konoha—earn some money, train a few brats—was beginning to feel like something else entirely. A medical ninjutsu genius had suddenly fallen into her lap. How long would she stick around in this village now? Probably not much longer. ’Forget it. Any place with a casino is home enough for me.’ But before she left, there was still one thing she needed to finalize—Yakumo’s fourth technique. As one of Konoha’s high-ranking officials, Tsunade had authority to review all memory-related jutsu. After countless rounds of discussion, Yakumo’s fourth technique was finally taking shape. If all went well, it would be completed within the week. That night, after Tsunade and Shizune left, Kitazawa spent some quiet time with Kurenai before heading home. His days had been a blur of teaching at the academy and training at night. His general store hadn’t opened in weeks. Thankfully, his income from the Ninja Academy and the generous allowance from Hinata kept things afloat. He hadn’t needed to lift a single price tag. After a hot shower, he collapsed into bed. The next day—Wednesday. The moment Kitazawa arrived at the academy, Hisao Sarutobi summoned him to the vice principal’s office. "Nothing urgent," Hisao said plainly. "Just letting you know that the final exam’s scheduled for July 29th." He added with a smile, "Since you’re now Head of Academic Affairs, the whole thing is your responsibility." "Understood, Vice Principal," Kitazawa replied with a nod. In truth, he had been waiting for this. The final exam was tied to a system mission—one that required him to secure first place. ’The only issue now is figuring out a solid reason to join the practical exam myself...’ He was still thinking it over when he arrived at the training ground. "Kitazawa-sensei!" Sakura came jogging over, eyes sparkling with anticipation. "What medical ninjutsu are we learning today?" "Today’s lesson is the hemostatic technique," Kitazawa replied. "It’s another D-rank medical jutsu." He had already made the decision last night—if he was working on the anesthesia technique, Sakura would train on something of equal difficulty. That way, the race would be fair. Well... relatively fair. After all, she was still too young. But since the system considered them to be the same age, the conditions were technically even. "Since we’re doing hemostasis today, our training subject won’t be a carp—it’ll be a rooster," he added with a pause. "Give me a few minutes. I’ve already sent a Shadow Clone to pick one up." Ino’s face twitched slightly. ’Ugh, a rooster? Controlling that thing’s consciousness will be way harder than a fish... If I mess up, I’ll get double the homework again!’ "Shikamaru," Kitazawa said, glancing at the lazy genius. "Don’t forget. Special combat training at noon." "Got it, Kitazawa-sensei," Shikamaru sighed, already mourning his peace of mind. Another day of mental and physical torment awaited him. Not long after, the Shadow Clone returned, carrying a very confused rooster. Kitazawa taught as he always did: demonstration, explanation, then hands-on practice. Once Sakura had memorized the technique’s key points, he left a clone behind to supervise. He himself moved to a quiet corner and resumed practicing the anesthesia technique. Even though he was confident of beating Sakura, it didn’t hurt to be cautious. Noon The special combat session began. Kitazawa made quick work of Naruto and Shikamaru. Shikamaru had attempted a sneak attack using the Shadow Imitation—but Kitazawa now understood it better than he did. It was like showing a basic math trick to someone who had written the textbook. Kitazawa calmly dodged the technique, then overwhelmed Shikamaru so thoroughly the poor boy nearly questioned his existence. After training, Shikamaru didn’t waste a moment. He dropped into a meditative pose and began practicing Yin Release Chakra Nature Transformation, clearly determined not to be left behind. Kitazawa, refreshed and relaxed, returned to his office to continue practicing the anesthesia technique. 5 PM A pleasant chime echoed in his mind. [Mission Complete: Learn one Medical Ninjutsu faster than Sakura Haruno.] [Reward: Proficient-level Yang Release Chakra Nature Transformation.] [Reward issued.] Kitazawa exhaled deeply. A flood of knowledge surged into him. He could feel the strength coursing through his chakra network. From this moment forward, there was no need for comparisons or titles. With Yang Release in his grasp, Kitazawa was officially—and undeniably—a medical ninjutsu genius. ------------------ AN: Check out my P@treon For +40 extra Chapters. Thank You For your Support!! [email protected]/noviceauthor777