Chapter 108

Kitazawa worked swiftly. He breezed through the entire exam in under an hour. Well, it wasn’t exactly fair—he had a cheat code. When you already knew the answers, how could you not finish quickly? After double-checking his paper to ensure it was perfect, Kitazawa neatly stacked it away. With a full score, first place was basically guaranteed. He glanced up, scanning the classroom. Most students were quietly focused, though a few were clearly struggling—scratching their heads, shifting in their seats, chewing their pencils like they held the answers. His gaze landed on Shikamaru. In past exams, Shikamaru had always been the definition of indifference—answering a bit here, napping a bit there. He never took tests seriously. But today was different. He sat upright, eyes sharp with focus, and his pen moved steadily across the page. If Shikaku had been present, he might’ve thought his son had fallen under genjutsu. Otherwise, what could explain such an unnatural display? Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The Nara clan’s brilliance was well-documented—whether it was battle tactics or strategic planning, their intelligence always shone through. So... how would it translate to an exam setting? Could Shikamaru actually aim for a perfect score? Kitazawa found himself intrigued. Given Shikamaru’s limited physical prowess, he knew the boy wouldn’t be cracking the top three in tomorrow’s practical. If he wanted to avoid Kitazawa’s dreaded summer training sessions, he’d have to crush the theory portion. Time ticked by. By eleven o’clock, Kitazawa stood and called out, "Time’s up! Pens down, everyone. Stay seated and don’t move." He started collecting the papers row by row, and once done, silently exited the classroom. "Hey, Naruto." Kiba Inuzuka leaned over, trying to get a read. "How’d it go?" "No clue," Naruto grinned confidently. "But I answered everything! I might even get first place!" Kiba couldn’t help but laugh. "I hope your dreams come true, man." Looked like Naruto would be footing the bill for lunch again. "Shikamaru," Ino turned to him, eyes sharp. "You know your performance determines if I win that bet against Sakura, right?" Sakura, who happened to overhear, scoffed. "You seriously think he’s going to outscore me? He’s never cracked the top twenty!" Shikamaru yawned, completely unfazed. "Doesn’t matter. I just don’t want summer special training." This was, without question, the most brainpower he’d ever used in a single morning. If avoiding brutal summer drills meant putting in effort, so be it. Ino smiled knowingly. "Very good." Sakura clicked her tongue. "Keep dreaming. You better have your wallet ready, Ino. We’re going shopping after tomorrow’s exam." "I’ll tell the cashier you said that," Ino replied sweetly. "Still bluffing?" Sakura narrowed her eyes, then turned with a sudden softness. "Sasuke-kun... are you free the day after tomorrow?" "No." Sasuke didn’t even look back as he stood and walked off. Tomorrow’s exam was the practical—he had the afternoon off, and he planned to spend it training his Fire Release. His father and brother were both busy, unfortunately. Otherwise, he would’ve asked them to supervise. Still... once he claimed first place tomorrow, they would notice. Back in the staff room, Kitazawa dropped the stack of test papers onto his desk. Then, he made a hand sign. Poof! A Shadow Clone appeared. "You handle the grading," Kitazawa instructed, already heading out the door. His next destination: the Director’s Office at Konoha Hospital. "Lady Tsunade and Shizune haven’t returned yet," Yakushi Nono said thoughtfully as Kitazawa entered. "If you’re willing," she offered, "I can begin teaching you in the meantime." "Of course!" Kitazawa nodded quickly. "But... won’t this interfere with your work?" "No need to be so formal. Just call me Senpai, like you call Shizune." Nono said gently. "Back in the day, I had the honor of attending Lady Tsunade’s lectures myself." Kitazawa paused. That explained it. During the Second Great Ninja War, Tsunade had put forward the idea of placing medical ninja in every squad—a revolutionary concept aimed at reducing casualties. At the time, resources were tight, and the idea had been rejected. Later, Konoha launched a medical-nin experimental program, and before Tsunade left the village, she personally trained the first batch. "I can teach and work at the same time," Nono smiled. "It won’t be a problem." "Then I’ll be in your care, Nono-senpai." "Follow me." As they walked, Nono added, "Poisoning is a frequent threat for ninja. Another Special Jonin was admitted this morning." "What kind of poison?" Kitazawa asked. "Snake venom," she replied. "It was applied to a senbon." Senbon—long iron needles—were a common ninja tool. Poisoning them made them even deadlier. They entered the operating room. "Shiranui-senpai?" Kitazawa blinked, surprised as he saw the patient. This was Shiranui Genma—once the Fourth Hokage’s bodyguard, and a former practitioner of the Flying Thunder Formation. That technique, a weakened version of the Flying Thunder God, required three users and was impractical for combat—better suited for logistics. Since Minato’s death, Genma had returned to being a regular Special Jonin. He was also a year older than Kitazawa—hence, "Senpai." "Aba... aba..." Genma’s lips moved, but no coherent words came out. "Is his mouth poisoned?" Kitazawa asked, observing carefully. Genma nodded. "You’ll be able to speak after we finish," Nono reassured him. "Not like you can talk now anyway," Kitazawa shrugged. "What do you need me to do?" "Grab the antidote," Nono instructed, slipping on medical gloves. "It’s on the second shelf—serum number seven." Genma’s eyes widened in disbelief. Wait... wasn’t Kitazawa a chunin instructor? What was he doing assisting surgery? But the shock didn’t end there. "Do you know the anesthesia technique?" Nono asked calmly. "Yes," Kitazawa replied without hesitation. He reached out, gently casting the technique. Genma’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ’Since when did this guy know medical ninjutsu?!’ Kitazawa offered no explanation. He just focused on his chakra flow. "Next, prepare the hemostatic technique," Nono instructed. "Same as yesterday—no need to be nervous." ’I AM nervous!’ Genma screamed internally. He finally understood—he was the practice dummy for today’s lesson. Kitazawa wasn’t just a teacher... He was still learning medical ninjutsu?! Thirty minutes later, the operation concluded successfully. Genma slowly sat up, but midway through a sentence, he suddenly clutched his mouth, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Easy. You just came out of surgery," Kitazawa reminded him calmly. "You’ll need at least two more days of rest." Medical Ninjutsu wasn’t some miracle cure. At its core, it was emergency treatment—effective at sealing wounds and stabilizing conditions, but it couldn’t instantly restore the body’s lost strength. Despite appearing healed, the internal toll remained, which was exactly why so many patients continued to fill Konoha Hospital. "I—hiss—I’m fine," Genma muttered, though the pain on his face told another story. Still, his curiosity won out. "How do you know medical ninjutsu?" "I studied it," Kitazawa replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "...?" Genma blinked, mouth twitching. Why did it sound so effortless when this guy said it? Medical Ninjutsu wasn’t some basic Academy technique. Along with sealing and genjutsu, it was considered one of the three most difficult arts to master—especially the first two. "Kitazawa’s a prodigy with medical ninjutsu. He only studied it for half a day," Yakushi Nono said with a small, amused smile. "What?!" Genma looked like he’d been struck by lightning. Kitazawa chose that moment to change the subject. "By the way, how’d you even get poisoned?" He raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t your specialty... senbon? Why were you taken out by one?" "Uh... it’s a long story," Genma muttered, scratching his head. "Then shorten it," Kitazawa said, eyes narrowing in interest. Genma sighed in defeat. "Fine. I accidentally poisoned myself with my own senbon." Kitazawa instantly pieced it together. Genma was famous for always having a senbon dangling from his mouth. He could practically picture the scene now: ’This senbon is coated with deadly poison—slurp.’ Before Kitazawa could tease him further, Nono opened the operating room door. "You two can come in." Two nurses entered right on cue with a stretcher. As they began wheeling Genma out, he glanced at Kitazawa. "Wait—are you learning medical ninjutsu under Director Nono?" "No," Kitazawa replied, shaking his head. "I’m learning from Lady Tsunade." "...???" Genma froze mid-roll. He didn’t know the full story, but one thing was crystal clear: this guy was destined for greatness. Genma let out a soft sigh. He had once stood in that same spotlight. Becoming a Hokage’s bodyguard was no small feat. It usually meant a direct path to the upper echelons of Konoha’s power structure. Case in point: the current advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, had both been personal guards to the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. But fate had other plans. After the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, died, Genma’s prestige evaporated overnight. With the reinstatement of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, came a return of his old trusted subordinates. Genma, a holdover from Minato’s era, faded into the background. "I’m late! Sorry!" Shizune rushed into the operating room, out of breath. "It’s alright," Kitazawa said with a faint smile. "I figured." He didn’t even need to ask to know who had held her up. Shizune blinked, slightly stunned by his understanding. After all these years, someone finally got her. Once Shizune arrived, Nono handed off Kitazawa’s training to her and went to tend to her duties. Time flew as Kitazawa practiced medical ninjutsu, and soon, dusk had settled over the village. "I’m heading to the casino to find Lady Tsunade," Shizune said with a helpless sigh. If she didn’t drag her out now, Tsunade would forget to eat or rest—and tonight’s planned discussion on new medical techniques would go straight out the window. "Understood." Kitazawa nodded. "I’m heading back to the Academy." He still needed to check the theoretical scores for both First Year Class A and Second Year Class A. First Year Class A was being handled by his Shadow Clone, so there was no worry there. But for Second Year Class A, he’d left things in the hands of Terai and Yamada Yuu. "Nono-senpai, thank you for your guidance today," he said earnestly before leaving. "It was nothing," Nono replied with a rare, warm expression. "The more outstanding medical ninja Konoha has, the easier my job becomes." Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kitazawa, already standing nearby, casually opened it. "The theoretical scores for Second Year Class A’s final exam," Terai said coolly, stepping inside and handing over a folder. Nono’s expression shifted slightly at the sight of him. Kitazawa was surprised too. He hadn’t expected Terai to deliver the results personally—let alone know he was at Konoha Hospital. ’Root intelligence?’ he thought, mildly uneasy. "Thanks," Kitazawa said, accepting the folder. "Just doing my job." Terai gave a shallow nod and turned to leave. Kitazawa skimmed through the pages. As expected—Hyuga Neji still held first place, followed by Tenten. And Rock Lee... Well, he was passionate. Theory just wasn’t his thing. "Is he a teacher at the Academy?" Nono asked hesitantly, once Terai was gone. "Yeah," Kitazawa replied. "He was transferred in just last month." "He’s from Root," Nono said after a brief pause. "Be cautious." Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected a warning. Still, her concern wasn’t unusual. Root operated even deeper in the shadows than the Anbu. Most villagers didn’t understand it—and fewer still had ever seen one of its operatives. "Don’t worry," Kitazawa said with a faint smile. "With Hokage-sama and Lady Tsunade supporting me, he won’t be stirring up any trouble. Besides, if it came to a fight, Terai wouldn’t stand a chance." "I see." Nono wasn’t slow. She understood immediately. With both the Third Hokage and Tsunade in his corner, Kitazawa had nothing to fear. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. ’If only I’d had the Hokage and Tsunade backing me... I wouldn’t have had to live in fear of Danzo Shimura all these years.’ "Nono-senpai," Kitazawa asked casually, "how do you know so much about Root?" "I was once part of it," she replied after a moment of thought. She didn’t bother hiding it. Given Kitazawa’s connection to Tsunade, he could’ve easily found out himself. "No wonder." Kitazawa said no more. After offering a polite farewell, he turned and made his way back toward the Academy.