A new day dawned.
Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja Academy early.
The usually quiet training ground was bustling; many students were warming up.
"Kitazawa,"
Mizuki approached him from a distance.
"Mizuki,"
Kitazawa nodded slightly. "Iruka isn't here?"
"He's probably still sleeping,"
Mizuki replied with a smile. "You don't know—he's had procrastination issues since childhood, and he's timid; he's been scared to tears before."
In fact, it was deliberate: Iruka hadn't been informed.
"You managed to become friends with him… were you scared to tears too?"
Kitazawa asked calmly, his words hinting at an inside joke.
"Y-you… impossible!"
Mizuki's face turned pale. The smile vanished, and he hastily denied it.
"I understand,"
Kitazawa smiled, patting his shoulder and leaving a meaningful glance behind.
Wait, what do you understand, you bastard!
Mizuki instinctively tried to explain, but it was too late.
Kitazawa returned to Class 1-A.
"Damn you, Kitazawa!"
Mizuki gritted his teeth. "One day, you'll regret this!"
He vented his frustration in vain.
Kitazawa was now under Sarutobi Hiruzen's scrutiny; his cunning strategies were hard to counter.
He took a deep breath and focused on Neji Hyuga nearby.
Mizuki had intended to flaunt his genius student, but the tables had turned.
Kitazawa stroked his chin.
They say revenge can wait ten years, but he wasn't a gentleman.
Moreover, he could tolerate women taking notice of him, but not men.
Still, the matter wasn't simple. Mizuki hadn't yet committed a real transgression.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto's energetic voice rang out as usual.
Kitazawa's eyes gleamed with a cunning thought.
He had an idea: use Naruto to deal with Mizuki.
In the original story, Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals.
Kitazawa's previous life had found that plot absurd.
How could the Scroll of Seals, which contained powerful forbidden techniques, be stolen so easily?
Even with his worst suspicions, there had to be some manipulation—a subtle move by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.
[Evil Teacher Mizuki has set his sights on the budding flower that is you. Deliver him a ballad of iron bars and tears.]
[Current Task: Put Mizuki in prison.]
[Task Reward: Fire Release: Heavenly Prison.]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, delighted.
Mizuki, your mouse-like existence ends with a single command!
Prison… any prison will do!
In the Land of Grass, there was a prison called Hozuki Castle, home to a skilled warden named Mu.
His signature Fire Release technique was Fire Release: Heavenly Prison.
The effect was formidable: it could seal the target's chakra, preventing them from forming jutsu.
The most astonishing part? If the target moved too far away after being caught, they would ignite automatically.
This jutsu was technically fire-style, but in reality, it was fire-style combined with sealing technique.
Sealing techniques in the ninja world were notoriously powerful, comparable to Sage Mode in their influence.
Simply put, this was pure, boundless darkness.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Sasuke Uchiha glanced at Naruto, hesitated for a few seconds, then approached Kitazawa.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto greeted him with a broad smile.
"I won't lose to you in this physical test,"
Sasuke said coldly, feeling Naruto's grin was mocking.
"I can beat you the first time, and the second time too!"
Naruto was full of confidence. "See you at first place!"
Sasuke stepped back subtly.
Staying near Naruto would pull him down to the same level.
"Ahhhh!"
A beast-like roar erupted.
Iruka Hyuga dashed forward at top speed—his fastest ever.
Seventeen years old, already a teacher.
Kitazawa checked the clock: 8:55 a.m.—almost late.
"S-sorry, Kitazawa-senpai!"
Iruka gasped, sweat streaming down his face.
"No worries, you made it," Kitazawa said, pausing. "Watch out for Mizuki."
"Huh?"
Iruka froze, confused.
What does that mean? An inside sabotage? A traitor among us?
"All right, everyone, gather around. I'll explain the rules for this practical exam,"
Kitazawa clapped his hands, drawing attention.
Normally, the practical exam was a real battle among strong ninjas.
But they'd only been students for a month; none had fully mastered the Three Body Technique. It would be mere chicken pecking.
Besides, if they fought seriously, clan-born students would easily dominate.
To avoid civilian students being crushed, the first practical exam didn't use a matching system.
"This exam has four events: Clone Technique, physical test, shuriken throwing, and kunai throwing,"
Kitazawa raised four fingers. "I'll demonstrate each first."
The demonstration secretly contained the essence of the exam itself.
Kitazawa took out a kunai and a shuriken, spinning his hands to throw them.
Clang!
They collided in midair, then each hit a separate target perfectly after a parabolic arc.
It was clear he did this intentionally—to keep Sasuke from stealing the spotlight.
"Amazing!"
Naruto cheered sincerely.
He wasn't pretending; the blind throw was genuinely impressive.
Hinata Hyuga instinctively clenched her fists, admiration in her eyes.
If only she could dominate like Kitazawa-sensei… but not impossible. First place would earn her father's respect.
Sasuke sensed a kindred spirit.
What is this Kitazawa-sensei? Demonstrating like this…
Sasuke sighed.
Too bad he hadn't learned the Shuriken Control Technique; he couldn't shine here or steal the spotlight.
"The first event: Clone Technique,"
Kitazawa demonstrated again. "Step up in order."
He took out the class roster and a pen, ready to grade.
"It's my turn!"
Naruto strutted to the center like a battle rooster among chickens.
"Go, Naruto!"
Shikamaru and Choji shouted encouragement.
Naruto glanced around, noticing most doubted him.
But Kitazawa's encouraging gaze moved him deeply.
If I fall here, my student life ends!
"Clone Technique!"
Naruto yelled, forming hand seals.
Kitazawa tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Who taught you to shout your jutsu name?
Bang!
Two vivid Naruto clones appeared.
"Not bad,"
Kitazawa praised. "That's extraordinary performance."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto beamed with excitement.
In the Hokage office, a crystal ball on the desk showed Naruto's face.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard, thinking silently: Kitazawa is indeed something else.