A new day dawned over the Hidden Leaf Village.
Kitazawa woke up early — the first class of the morning was his specialty: The Will of Fire.
That alone showed how seriously the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took him.
That crafty old man. Beneath his kind smile lurked the soul of a voyeur.
Kitazawa was sure of one thing — Hiruzen would absolutely be using his crystal ball to spy on this lesson.
Of course, not because of him, but because of Naruto Uzumaki and the other kids in his class.
When Kitazawa arrived at First-Year Class A, only five students had shown up so far.
He glanced around the classroom, and his eyes landed on a small girl sitting in the middle row.
She was wrapped in a modest long-sleeved shirt and pants, her short hair a deep shade of blue that almost looked black.
But what caught his attention most were her eyes — pure white and clear as snow.
The Byakugan.
A kekkei genkai of the Hyuga Clan, capable of x-ray vision and unparalleled perception.
Just then, a familiar blue system screen blinked to life before his eyes.
[Current Mission: Help your classmate, Hinata Hyuga, retrieve her stolen scarf.][Reward: Leaf Whirlwind.][Accept Mission?]
Kitazawa's eyebrow twitched.
How exactly was he supposed to become Hinata's classmate?
After a moment of thought, a sly idea formed in his mind.
He strolled over and casually took a seat right beside her.
"...?"
Hinata blinked in surprise, tilting her head slightly.
But her shy nature kept her from speaking up. She lowered her head, pressing her two index fingers together nervously.
"I'm Kitazawa," he said with a gentle smile. "The first-year Class A instructor."
Up close, her skin was pale and soft — almost like a porcelain doll.
"Ah—! G-good morning, sensei!" Hinata stammered, bowing her head quickly.
As expected of the Hyuga clan — their manners were as refined as their bloodline.
"No need to be so formal," Kitazawa said kindly. "Mind if I sit here and be your desk partner?"
He wasn't about to mention the scarf yet — moving too fast would only scare her off.
"O-okay."
Hinata nodded instinctively, though confusion flickered across her face a second later.
"My lesson prep isn't quite done yet," Kitazawa said, flipping open a random notebook as a cover. "No space on the podium, so I'll borrow your desk for a while."
A lie, of course.
But Hinata believed him without question.
Then, more glowing text appeared in front of him.
[Current Mission: Be the first student in your class to attract the Hokage's attention.][Reward: Wind Release – Great Breakthrough.][Accept Mission?]
Kitazawa smirked.
Now that was a nice surprise. Maybe this system wasn't as dumb as he'd thought.
He accepted immediately. After all, he'd planned to impress Hiruzen today anyway.Politics, after all, was all about timing — and loyalty.
Beside him, Hinata peeked shyly at her new teacher.
He's… so outgoing, she thought.
But deep down, she felt a twinge of envy.
If only she could be that confident, maybe her father wouldn't be so disappointed in her all the time.
"What are you staring at?" Kitazawa asked casually.
Hinata froze. "N-nothing!"
When their eyes met, her face turned crimson on the spot.
"By the way," Kitazawa continued, grinning, "you haven't told me your name yet, Miss Hyuga."
"Eh?"
Hinata shot to her feet in a fluster, bowing awkwardly. "I-I'm Hinata Hyuga! Sorry for being rude!"
"See? You're being polite again," Kitazawa chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair gently. "We're deskmates now — not teacher and student."
"Ah—s-sorry…" Hinata stiffened, ducking her head again, her cheeks glowing.
"Relax. Let's just talk."
Kitazawa withdrew his hand, his tone calm and reassuring.
Hinata sat obediently, legs together, hands folded neatly in her lap.
After a moment, she tilted her head. "U-um… how did you know I was a Hyuga?"
"Your Byakugan, of course." Kitazawa smiled, eyes flicking toward hers.
"D-don't look," she mumbled, turning her head away. "It's… not pretty."
"I think it's beautiful," Kitazawa said softly. Then, curiously, "Why do you think it isn't?"
"I…"
Hinata hesitated, voice barely above a whisper.
"You can tell me," Kitazawa said gently. "We're friends now, aren't we?"
"They said so…" Hinata murmured, her small face paling slightly. "They said the Byakugan looks ugly."
Kitazawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
Just as he'd suspected.
Those three little brats — the ones who bullied her and stole her scarf in the original story.
"So that's what happened?" His tone grew firm. "Then I'll have to deal with them."
"Eh?" Hinata blinked, startled. She hadn't expected him to say that at all.
"Do you remember who they were?" Kitazawa asked, his tone softening. "Don't worry, I'm a teacher — I won't hurt them."
"I remember…" Hinata said slowly. "But… I don't know their names."
"That's fine," Kitazawa said easily. "Just describe them for me."
"They were three boys… about my age. That's all I remember."
She frowned slightly, trying to recall.
"That's enough," Kitazawa said with a faint smile. "I can narrow it down. I'll confirm after class."
There were always a few mischievous kids in every class — with her hints, he'd have no trouble finding them.
"Y-you're amazing!" Hinata blurted out before she could stop herself.
In her eyes, Kitazawa had already become a dependable adult — someone strong, someone kind.
"It's nothing," Kitazawa said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'll let you know once it's sorted out."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said earnestly, bowing again.
Before Kitazawa could reply, the sound of two cheerful voices drifted in from the door.
"Sakura, do you think our new teacher's a total hottie?"
"I don't care if he's hot — what matters is whether there are any cute boys in class!"
Two girls stepped into the room, chatting loudly.
One had pink hair tied with a red ribbon, her smooth forehead gleaming under the morning light.
The other sported a blonde side ponytail, her long bangs covering one eye.
Kitazawa glanced up and immediately recognized them — Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.
The future heroines of the new generation of Leaf ninja.
Sakura — one of the main heroines of the original story, who, alongside Naruto and Sasuke, would one day save the shinobi world.(Not that she was the MVP… more like she coasted to victory on their efforts.)
And Ino — the "Boar" of the new generation's Ino-Shika-Cho trio, specializing in sensory and mind-control techniques.
Both girls had a crush on Sasuke Uchiha, but lacking the protagonist's plot armor, Ino would eventually end up as the blond "defeated rival."
"He's so handsome!" Ino gasped, eyes sparkling as she spotted Kitazawa.
"That's our teacher?" Sakura said, instantly perking up.