Chapter 25

AN : THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!! As promised I’ve released bonus Chapters for the 10+ reviews, Top 10 in popularity and for the 100 power stones. ------------------------------------------- Kitazawa snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that Ino and Hinata had paused their training. They couldn’t help it—Uchiha Sasuke was laughing so loudly that it echoed across the training field. Both girls stared in confusion, expressions practically screaming "Sasuke, what on earth are you laughing about?" "Don’t mind him," Kitazawa said, clearing his throat. "You two, keep training." Sasuke finally came back to his senses, his triumphant grin fading into awkward silence. He stood frozen for a moment, clearly mortified that he’d lost his cool in front of everyone. "Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke said, trying to bury his embarrassment as he stepped forward. "I’d like to start the next level of training." His recent breakthrough with the Great Fireball Technique hadn’t just boosted his confidence—it had deepened his trust in Kitazawa as well. "Alright. You’ll partner with Hinata," Kitazawa replied, explaining the next drill. "I don’t need any warning shots," Sasuke declared, a determined glint in his eyes. Without waiting for further instructions, he channeled chakra into his feet and darted up the tree trunk, a picture of overconfidence. Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. So, it’s basically "Come at me, sensei"? Well, as Sasuke’s sensei, it was his sacred duty to oblige. With an easy flick of his wrist, Kitazawa hurled a wooden kunai at him. Sasuke heard the faint whistle of wind and smirked. He shifted left to dodge— —and yelped as the wooden kunai smacked into his left arm. His grin vanished, replaced by a scowl. His reflexes hadn’t quite caught up with the speed of Kitazawa’s throw. "Again!" Sasuke snapped, jumping to his feet, cheeks flushed bright red. Kitazawa tried to keep a straight face—but failed spectacularly. He burst out laughing. There was just something satisfying about watching a cocky genius eat a slice of humble pie. Time slipped by as the sun sank lower in the sky. The practical combat class finally came to an end. Despite the bruises mottling his arms, Sasuke refused to quit. His progress was clearly faster than Hinata’s, thanks in no small part to his willingness to get knocked around for the sake of learning. ’The educational value of pain,’ Kitazawa mused wryly. With class over, he dismissed Hinata, Ino, Sasuke, and the others, then headed upstairs toward the conference room. Mizuki had told him last Thursday there’d be a teachers’ meeting today to discuss the upcoming April exams. "Kitazawa-senpai!" Iruka spotted him and waved enthusiastically. Kitazawa smiled and waved back, taking a seat beside him. Not far away, Mizuki scowled as he watched them. He and Iruka had been childhood friends—or so Mizuki insisted. In his eyes, Kitazawa was an intruder stealing away his "good friend." A few minutes later, the conference room filled up completely. Most of the teachers were nameless faces as far as the original story was concerned—except for Mizuki and Iruka, of course. At last, a middle-aged man strode in. This was Hisao Sarutobi, a Jonin and the vice-principal of the Ninja Academy. Technically, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the principal, but since he was also the Hokage, he had precious little time for administrative duties. In practice, Hisao ran the show. "I’ll now announce the details for this month’s exam," Hisao said, sitting down and folding his arms. Kitazawa listened attentively and realized the system was nearly identical to the previous year’s. Each grade’s teachers were responsible for submitting potential exam questions. The best questions would be selected to create two test versions: an official one and a backup. "The monthly exam will be held on April 30th," Hisao continued. "I want all question submissions on my desk by the 20th." "Yes, Vice-Principal!" everyone chorused. "And one last reminder," Hisao added with a sly grin. "The more of your questions that get chosen, the higher your chances of being recognized as this year’s Outstanding Teacher." With that, he stood up and declared, "Meeting adjourned." "Kitazawa-senpai!" Iruka hurried after him, his face earnest. "This is my first time writing questions for the exams. Do you have any tips on what I should focus on?" It wasn’t surprising that Iruka sought his help. For three years running, Kitazawa had been the teacher with the highest number of questions selected for the official exams. "Iruka, I can help you." Mizuki suddenly stepped forward, wearing a bright smile. "Kitazawa’s already pretty busy. Let’s not trouble him." Iruka blinked, momentarily taken aback. He’d almost agreed when another voice cut in. "Mizuki, you’re a second-year teacher, and Iruka’s teaching first-years. It’s only proper that I guide him." Kitazawa spoke mildly but with a smile that left no room for argument. "Thank you, Kitazawa-senpai!" Iruka said, bowing gratefully. Mizuki’s smile froze on his face. "Come by my office," Kitazawa told Iruka. With that, he turned and walked away. "Mizuki, thanks for offering to help too!" Iruka called politely over his shoulder before hurrying after Kitazawa. "Damn it!" Mizuki clenched his fists, face twisted in frustration. But aside from silently fuming, there was nothing he could do. Kitazawa spent half an hour in his office, chatting with Iruka about exam preparations, then headed home. Tuesday arrived. Early that morning, Kitazawa made his way to the academy archives. He sifted through stacks of dusty exam papers until he pulled out a thick bundle. "Kitazawa-sensei." Hinata Hyuga appeared punctually, as always. "Your task today," Kitazawa said, handing her two thick packets, "is to finish all these past exams." "Okay." Hinata nodded obediently. The Ninja Academy’s monthly exams were split into a theoretical test and a practical combat assessment. Under normal circumstances, Hinata could easily rank in the top five in her class. But taking first place would be much harder—after all, there were plenty of geniuses in her year. Practical skills couldn’t be boosted dramatically in a short time, but theory was another matter entirely. Since the monthly rankings were determined by combined scores, Kitazawa’s strategy was simple: if Hinata could ace the theory exam and place in the top three for combat, she’d likely come out first overall. His method was equally straightforward: pure drills. First, he’d have her complete past exams to get familiar with question types and weak points. Then, he’d tailor custom practice questions and even try to predict potential test content. As for whether this might threaten his own mission to win first place in the exam rankings— Well, as Kitazawa liked to say in his past life: ’If the referee and the judges are all on my side... who’s going to stop me?’ Once Hinata finished breakfast, she dove into her exam papers. Technically, she was skipping class again—but with Hinata, skipping class to do schoolwork felt like... not really skipping class at all. While Hinata focused, Kitazawa sat nearby crafting new exam questions. All his questions revolved around Konoha’s history and the Will of Fire—topics he personally taught. This was his strategic edge. And since Hisao Sarutobi would be reviewing submissions, Kitazawa was certain these questions would get picked. Naturally, he wasn’t writing random questions either. Each one was crafted to be the kind of material Hiruzen Sarutobi himself would nod in approval over. Afternoon came, and with it, practical combat class. Ino had finally completed her tree-climbing training and joined Hinata and Sasuke for their next level of practice. But the biggest surprise for Kitazawa was none other than Naruto. His running endurance had improved at an astonishing rate. "Kitazawa-sensei! How’d I do?" Naruto asked with a broad grin. "You did great," Kitazawa said, giving his shoulder a congratulatory pat. "Even I’m impressed. We’ll test you properly in the physical assessment the day after tomorrow." "Mission accomplished!" Naruto declared, flashing a thumbs-up so dazzling it might blind someone. Kitazawa froze. ’What... was that pose?’ "...Wait a second," Kitazawa said slowly. "Do you know Might Gai?" "Huh? How’d you know that?!" Naruto’s eyes flew wide with surprise. Apparently, a single forty-five-minute class hadn’t been enough for Naruto. With nothing else to do after school, he’d taken up extra running—and that’s when he ran into Gai. Kitazawa’s expression twitched. If Naruto ended up under Gai’s influence... would Hiruzen be pounding on his door demanding answers? ------------------------------- AN : To keep the Chapters coming - Support with POWER STONES. For Every 100 power stones - 1 BONUS Chapter. For Every 10 5-star reviews - 2 BONUS Chapters. For getting to Top Power - 3 Extra Chapters. AN: Check out my P@treon For extra Chapters. Thank You For your Support!! [email protected]/noviceauthor777