Kiba arrived at the Ninja Academy training ground and saw Shikamaru lying on the grass with his hands behind his head.
He saw this scene every morning.
"Shikamaru, you really won't stand if you can sit, and you won't sit if you can lie down," Kiba said, shaking his head in exasperation.
"I'm conserving my energy," Shikamaru replied calmly.
"Conserving energy? You're just being lazy," Ino exposed him without mercy.
"I feel like only Kitazawa-sensei can handle Shikamaru," Akimichi Choji said with a goofy chuckle.
"I hope Kitazawa-sensei will be your team leader for this final exam," Kiba said with mock seriousness.
He still remembered the miserable time he'd had with Kitazawa last time — after falling into a trap, he'd been forced to relearn trapology from scratch.
"Don't say such terrifying things!" Shikamaru yelped, sitting up immediately. He looked around nervously and sighed in relief after confirming that Kitazawa wasn't there.
"How dare you dislike Kitazawa-sensei?" Ino put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"I don't dislike him," Shikamaru coughed lightly, trying to defend himself. "Kitazawa-sensei asked me to learn the Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique, and I haven't mastered it yet. I'm just embarrassed to see him."
"I've already completely mastered Fang Bullet. When Kitazawa-sensei arrives, I'll ask him if there are any new secret techniques I can learn!" Kiba said with anticipation.
"I envy you for having new Ninjutsu to learn," Tenten sighed. "I feel like the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique will take a long time to master."
"That's too much!" Kiba rolled his eyes. "That's an A-rank Ninjutsu! I should be the one envying you!"
"Indeed," Shino Aburame said as he adjusted his glasses. "That's already the same level of treatment as Sasuke and Naruto."
Tenten immediately smiled shyly upon hearing that. She hadn't meant to show off.
Although the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique suited her perfectly, the difficulty was incredibly high — and her chakra reserves weren't enough yet.
"Everyone just needs to follow Kitazawa-sensei's arrangements for what to learn," Inuzuka Hana said with a smile.
"Kitazawa-sensei's arrangements are definitely correct," Hinata echoed softly.
Just then, two green blurs came rushing toward them.
"I won!" shouted the first one, Naruto.
"As expected of my lifelong rival!" Rock Lee stopped abruptly, clenched his fists, and said earnestly, "I lost to you again!"
"Lee, this is youth!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming.
Ino and Tenten immediately covered their foreheads. They found it difficult to handle such an overly youthful scene.
"They're really energetic," Maruboshi Kosuke said with a smile as he and Sarutobi Hiruzen walked into the training ground together.
"..." Hiruzen's mouth twitched, already feeling a headache coming on.
This wasn't just energetic, it was chaotic. If Naruto really became Hokage one day, what would Konoha Village even become? He couldn't imagine it.
"Grandpa Third!"
Despite just finishing his morning run with Rock Lee, Naruto was still full of energy. The others quickly greeted both Hiruzen and Maruboshi Kosuke.
At nine o'clock sharp, Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja Academy. To his surprise, someone else showed up just as late.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke greeted respectfully.
"How did you two meet up?" Kitazawa asked curiously, glancing at Kakashi.
"I took him for morning training," Kakashi replied. "And I taught him Chidori Current along the way."
"It's rare to see you so dedicated," Kitazawa said with a small smile.
The slacking, easygoing Kakashi was gradually disappearing. Now, he was beginning to resemble his original self after taking charge of Team 7.
"I just didn't have anything else to do," Kakashi said casually.
The three of them arrived at the training ground.
"Sasuke, you go ahead," Kitazawa instructed.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke said before turning to join Naruto and the others.
"Lord Third," Kitazawa greeted politely. "Kosuke-senpai."
"Good morning, Kitazawa," Maruboshi Kosuke replied with a warm smile.
Ever since his left leg had recovered, his spirits had been noticeably better. He looked radiant — almost unnaturally so.
Kitazawa suspected it might be the effect of White Zetsu cells… or perhaps just a genuinely good mood. After all, good news always lifted the heart.
"The final exam is coming up," Kitazawa said after a few pleasantries. "Let's discuss how to form the teams."
"I'll still take Naruto," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "The other two students can be changed."
"I want to take Sasuke," Kakashi said after a moment's pause. "I can continue teaching him Lightning Release during the mission."
"I have the same reason. I'll choose Sakura," Maruboshi Kosuke added.
"I understand. Then let's form the teams this way," Kitazawa said without objection.
It didn't really matter who led which students — there were only four teachers, so everyone's turn would come eventually.
"Before we begin today's training, I'll announce the team assignments for the final exam," Kitazawa said, stepping in front of the Genius Class students.
Naruto, Sakura, Ino, and the others immediately looked up with anticipation.
"Team One: Uzumaki Naruto, Akimichi Choji, and Inuzuka Hana," Kitazawa said evenly. "Led by Lord Third."
"Can't team up with Sasuke this time? What a shame," Naruto said, scratching his head.
Sasuke felt a flicker of regret but quickly dismissed it. This was a perfect opportunity to surpass Naruto.
The first time they'd teamed up, they both ranked first. But the second time, Sasuke ended up in second place.
How to put it?
During their mission to Sunagakure with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Naruto had completely stolen the spotlight — he and his shadow clones had rushed ahead and surrounded the enemy squad before Sasuke could even land a blow.
He hadn't managed a single assist, let alone a kill.
This time, being on separate teams would give Sasuke the chance to fully display his strength — and claim first place for himself.
"Naruto as a teammate? That's great," Akimichi Choji said cheerfully.
"It seems this mission will be very easy," Inuzuka Hana said with a smile.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen and Naruto both on her team, she was certain their mission was already as good as won.
"Team Two: Hyuga Neji, Yamanaka Ino, and Sakura Haruno," Kitazawa continued, announcing. "Led by Kosuke-senpai."
"Huh?" Ino and Sakura were both stunned at the same time.
"Why isn't Sasuke-kun my teammate?" Sakura recovered first and asked.
"Why is Sakura my teammate?" Ino asked subconsciously.
"What do you mean?" Sakura glared at her. "Are you not satisfied with me?"
"Hmph, I'm just worried you'll hold me back!" Ino retorted, refusing to back down.
"It's not certain who'll hold whom back!" Sakura shot back confidently. "My Water Release strength is far superior to yours now!"
"What's so great about that?" Ino placed her hands on her hips proudly. "I have the Genjutsu Kitazawa-sensei taught me — do you?"
"How terrifying," Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head.
Neji felt a headache coming on. As expected, these two would definitely argue throughout the entire mission.
"Team Three: Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Tenten," Kitazawa announced, interrupting Ino and Sakura's quarrel. "Led by Kakashi."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. Rock Lee and Tenten, huh?
With their strength, they wouldn't threaten him. That meant he could fully display his abilities during this mission.
Moreover, Kakashi — someone very familiar with him — would surely give him opportunities to perform.
The only trouble was Rock Lee. Like Naruto, he constantly talked about "youth," which Sasuke found unbearable.
Although Sasuke had once worn a green jumpsuit, after awakening his Sharingan, he had sworn to completely sever ties with that "youthful" image. Otherwise, he'd forever remember the embarrassing scene of awakening his Sharingan that day.
"Wait! Something's not right!" Shikamaru's face suddenly changed drastically.
Three teams had already been announced, yet he wasn't in any of them — and Kitazawa wasn't leading any of those teams either.
Could it be…? As soon as that possibility crossed his mind, he grew restless.
"Team Four: Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru," Kitazawa said with a slight smile. "Led by me."
It's over! Shikamaru froze on the spot.
The team assignment he least wanted had happened, and both of his teammates were strong. He could already foresee that their mission would be nothing but troublesome.
This is great! Hinata subconsciously clenched her small fists. She could finally be on a team with Kitazawa again.
As for Shino Aburame, he was calm as usual. He was a little surprised, but not overly so. He didn't have any particular preferences — anyone was fine as a teammate.
"These are the groupings for this final exam," Kitazawa said after finishing the announcements. "Now, let's begin training."
Kakashi and Kosuke led their respective students away, leaving only Kitazawa's group behind.
However, Kitazawa wasn't leading them alone this time — Sarutobi Hiruzen was also present.
"Kiba," Kitazawa called out.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Kiba ran over eagerly. "Are you going to teach me a new Secret Technique?"
He was well aware of Kitazawa's ability to assess each student's progress precisely and assign the perfect training.
Since Kitazawa had called him, it must be because his Fang Bullet was nearing mastery.
"Yes and no," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.
"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, puzzled.
"The Secret Technique I'm teaching you is an advanced version of Fang Bullet, called Earth Fang Bullet," Kitazawa explained. "But you're not qualified to practice it yet. You first need to master Earth Release Chakra nature transformation."
"I see," Kiba said immediately. "Then I'll learn it!"
He had always liked Fang Bullet — with Earth Release added, Earth Fang Bullet would definitely be even more powerful.
"What do you think are the characteristics of Earth Release Chakra?" Kitazawa asked as he led Kiba away from the training ground to an open area.
"It's very sturdy and has strong defensive power," Kiba thought for a moment before replying.
"That's right — that's one of the characteristics of Earth Release," Kitazawa nodded. "Besides sturdiness, there's also suppression."
"Suppression?" Kiba repeated, confused.
"Earth Release Ninjutsu is both offensive and defensive," Kitazawa explained patiently.
"Defense is protection, and offense is suppression. It involves altering the hardness, mass, or terrain of soil and rocks to subdue the enemy."
Kiba's eyes brightened in understanding.
"Sturdiness and suppression are usually used offensively or defensively," Kitazawa continued. "But for the user, Earth Release also provides an auxiliary ability — movement underground."
"So what characteristic does Earth Fang Bullet have?" Kiba asked after thinking for a moment.
"Many Ninjutsu don't have just one characteristic," Kitazawa replied, shaking his head. "Earth Fang Bullet combines sturdiness and suppression — and simultaneously launches three giant rocks."
"That sounds really powerful!" Kiba said excitedly.
"Then let's begin your Earth Release Chakra nature transformation training now," Kitazawa said as he crouched down and grabbed a handful of dirt. "We'll start by changing the hardness of the soil."
After speaking, he demonstrated. Once his Earth Release Chakra flowed into the dirt, it immediately solidified into a hard clod of earth.
Kitazawa handed the clod to Kiba.
"So hard!" Kiba squeezed it tightly, but the clod didn't change shape at all.
"Once you can make dirt this hard, you can begin learning Earth Fang Bullet," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Good luck."
"Yes, Teacher Kitazawa!" Kiba said enthusiastically.
Since it was Kiba's first day practicing Earth Release Chakra nature transformation, Kitazawa left a Shadow Clone behind to guide him while he himself went to practice the Five Release Great Combo Technique.
If he ran into any problems, he could directly consult Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At his current pace, Kitazawa estimated he would be able to master it within half a month.
---
In the afternoon, he arrived at the ANBU Base.
On the training ground, Haku was practicing Chakra control — specifically, tree climbing. His progress was very fast; he had already learned how to extract Chakra and perform the Three Body Technique.
Kitazawa watched him, deep in thought. It seemed that Ice Release could now be put on the agenda.
The reason Haku could learn it so early was that Ice Release was a bloodline inheritance.
In other words, he had already mastered Ice Release innately — he just hadn't learned any Ice Release Ninjutsu yet.
Earlier, when his father and the villagers tried to kill him, Haku had inadvertently used Ice Release to kill them.
If it had been a synthetic Ice Release, it wouldn't have been that simple. After all, one would need to be proficient in the two Chakra natures being combined — Wind Release and Water Release.
The first Ice Release Ninjutsu Kitazawa thought of was Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness.
Simply put, it involved using Ice Release Chakra to form oval ice walls in the air, their hardness comparable to rock.
Kitazawa had already mastered Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall and Water Release: Water Formation Wall. He could draw inspiration from these two defensive Ninjutsu for the Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness.
Thinking of this, Kitazawa returned to his office. He planned to write down his ideas on a scroll and then hand it to Haku.
Four days passed in a flash.
On Friday afternoon, there was still one class left before school ended. Kitazawa planned to go to the Hokage Building's mission hall to find a mission.
Tomorrow was Saturday, so he could take Hinata, Shino Aburame, and Shikamaru along.
Just then, an ANBU ninja suddenly appeared before him.
"Lord Kitazawa," the ANBU said respectfully. "The Blood-Increasing Grass has been purchased, but not the rock blue moss."
Kitazawa frowned slightly. If even one medicinal ingredient was missing, the effectiveness of the prescription would be greatly reduced.
"Go investigate the origin of the rock blue moss," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought.
Since it couldn't be bought, he would have to try his luck at its source.
"Yes, Lord Kitazawa." The ANBU ninja vanished.
Kitazawa pondered for a moment and decided not to go to the mission hall yet. Once he knew the origin of the rock blue moss, he could then take a mission nearby — killing two birds with one stone.
The ANBU's efficiency was impressive.
In less than half an hour, Kitazawa learned that the rock blue powder originated from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth.
The so-called rock blue moss was actually ground from a special kind of rock. Its formation was somewhat similar to lightning-struck wood — a rare product of nature.
The Land of Earth, as its name suggested, was full of rocky mountains. Iwagakure itself was surrounded by mountains on all sides, easy to defend and hard to attack.
The rock blue moss came from the high mountains near Iwagakure. The reason it couldn't be bought was because Iwagakure refused to sell it.
After all, this ingredient was extremely valuable and could be used to make a Secret Medicine that enhanced the Earth Release ninja.
In the original storyline, the most classic Secret Medicine was the Akimichi Clan's three-colored pills — green, yellow, and red. Especially after consuming the red one, it became clear why the Akimichi were the "Chō" in Ino–Shika–Chō.
The effect of the red Secret Medicine was to make an Akimichi lose a great deal of weight while increasing their strength a hundredfold, their Chakra forming a butterfly shape.
"It seems I'll have to make a trip to Iwagakure," Kitazawa muttered, stroking his chin.
He debated whether to take Hinata and the others along as originally planned.
After a moment, he realized he'd fallen into a misconception. They could still go on a mission — just not to Iwagakure.
He would have Kurenai take them on one, while he and Konan would handle the rock blue powder.
Konan could fly, and he himself was proficient in seven Chakra natures. Even if he encountered the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, he could still escape.
"Konan," Kitazawa called.
Konan appeared immediately.
"Did you hear what he just said?" Kitazawa asked.
Konan nodded.
"Good. You and I will head to Iwagakure, and in the meantime, I can also take students on a mission," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.
Konan was momentarily surprised but quickly agreed.
"The time is set for tomorrow at nine a.m. You don't need to show yourself then — just follow us secretly," Kitazawa added. "Once we reach the Land of Earth, I'll notify you."
"Mhm," Konan replied softly.
---
The next day, Saturday.
After breakfast, Kitazawa and Kurenai went to the mission hall. They planned to find a mission in the Land of Earth and set up a situation to test Shikamaru.
Normally, missions in the Land of Earth would fall under Iwagakure's jurisdiction, but that wasn't absolute.
In the original storyline, Naruto and his team had once gone to the Land of Wind for a mission as well.
After browsing for a while, Kitazawa chose an escort mission.
[As a future Hokage, you must properly motivate your subordinates.]
[Current Mission: Improve Nara Shikamaru's lazy personality.]
[Mission Reward: Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa stared at the four lines of text before him, not expecting such an unexpected gain.