"Thanks, Kitazawa."
Kurenai Yuhi rolled up the scroll she'd been holding and gave him a small smile. "I'll make sure to study this carefully once I get home."
"Want a lollipop?"
Kitazawa casually tore open a small bag of snacks, offering it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Kurenai blinked, then laughed softly. "At my age, do you really think it's appropriate for me to eat a lollipop?"
"It's childish for kids," Kitazawa said with mock seriousness, unwrapping one himself, "but just right for adults."
He held one out to her, close enough that she could smell the faint sweetness of the candy.
"You really haven't changed," Kurenai said, her tone amused as her soft lips parted to bite down on the lollipop.
"How's the flavor?" Kitazawa asked, sticking another one into his own mouth.
"Sweet," she said, eyes narrowing in quiet delight. "But tell me—why do you always carry snacks with you?"
"They're rewards for my students," Kitazawa replied casually. "Helps keep them motivated to study and train."
Kurenai's thoughts flickered to Yakumo Kurama.
Then she sighed. Not that it would work on her.
Yakumo was the Kurama clan's young heiress—wealthy, spoiled, and surrounded by more luxury than she could ever need. Snacks weren't exactly a motivator.
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Kurenai asked, her pink tongue flicking the candy in her mouth playfully. "My treat, so don't hold back."
"Hmm…" Kitazawa thought for a moment. "Let's go for yakiniku."
"Sure."
Kurenai nodded in agreement, a nostalgic look crossing her face. "The last time I had barbecue was during the Chūnin Exams… back when everyone was still together."
By "everyone," she meant Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Sarutobi Asuma.
But those bright days had long since turned to shadows—only a few of them remained.
"Getting sentimental all of a sudden?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. "Careful, Kurenai-san. Nostalgia is how you start getting old."
"You're such a baka."
Kurenai shot him a sharp glare, though her lips curved in a faint smirk. "You should know better—aging is a topic you never bring up around women."
"Sorry," Kitazawa said with a grin.
He could tell she wasn't really angry. This was just how they teased each other—friendly, easy, familiar.
"Have you seen Kakashi lately?" Kurenai asked as they walked down the dimly lit street.
"Yeah," Kitazawa replied. "Ran into him last month. Still the same as ever—dead-eyed and gloomy."
It wasn't an exaggeration. Kitazawa's old classmates had been legends in their own right.
Hatake Kakashi—genius who made Jōnin at the age of twelve.But cursed with loneliness. He'd lost his father, his teammate, and his teacher. Eventually, he sealed himself off from the world.
Uchiha Obito—hidden behind his "Kamui," tears buried with his ideals. Twisted by grief for Nohara Rin, he turned against the world itself, seeking to create one where she still lived.
He killed his own sensei, aided Itachi in wiping out his clan, and later took up the name "Uchiha Madara" to destroy the shinobi world.
Then there was Maito Gai—whose sheer willpower nearly kicked fate itself into submission—and Sarutobi Asuma, the Third Hokage's son.
Truly, his class had been full of monsters.
"I just hope Kakashi can crawl out of that darkness someday," Kurenai murmured, her voice soft but heavy with meaning.
Kitazawa nodded quietly.
"What about Asuma?" he asked after a pause. "You still keeping in touch?"
"I get a letter from him every few days," Kurenai said, rolling her eyes.
Kitazawa caught the faint note of irritation in her tone.
In the original timeline, Sarutobi Asuma had chased Kurenai for years before finally winning her heart just before the Fourth Shinobi World War.
But right now, they were still a decade away from that future.
"He's persistent," Kitazawa said with a grin. "Even working as a Guardian Ninja in the Fire Daimyō's capital, he still finds time to write to you."
After the Third Great Ninja War, Asuma's rebellious streak had led him to leave the village and join the Guardian Twelve—elite shinobi tasked with protecting the Fire Daimyō himself.
Canon never made clear when he'd return to Konoha, but Kitazawa knew it would be around the time Naruto graduated from the Academy.
"Forget him," Kurenai said, waving a hand. "Let's talk about something else. How many cups are you planning to drink tonight?"
"I'll risk my life to keep up with a beautiful woman," Kitazawa said, flashing her a playful grin.
Kurenai caught the look in his eyes and laughed.
He hadn't paid her much attention before—not because he was some paragon of virtue, but because back then, survival had been his top priority.
Now, with the system at his back, he had room to breathe… and maybe even to flirt.
Besides, he thought wryly, it'd be a shame to let Kurenai end up a widow.
Ahem.
It wasn't like she and Asuma were an item yet. At this stage, they were just a pursuer and his reluctant target.
Kitazawa was merely joining the competition—fair and square.
"Really now?" Kurenai said, grinning as she tilted her head. "You can still back out, you know."
"Then I'll just have to beg for mercy," Kitazawa said good-naturedly.
"Fine, fine. Since you helped me today, I'll go easy on you this time."
Kurenai waved a hand grandly, looking more amused than serious.
And with that, the two of them stepped into the cozy warmth of the yakiniku restaurant.
"Let's see what my cooking's worth today."
Kitazawa took a seat and immediately began grilling the slices of meat himself.
"I've been wondering something," Kurenai said as she poured sake into two cups. "Why did you decide to become a teacher?"
In the shinobi world, the most respected profession was, naturally, that of a ninja—especially the strong ones.
Becoming an Academy instructor, on the other hand, wasn't exactly glamorous.
To most shinobi, teaching was something middling Chūnin did when they had nowhere else to go.
"Just a matter of interest," Kitazawa replied, flipping a piece of pork belly.
"Is that so?" Kurenai smiled faintly. "Still… I think it suits you."
"What about you?" Kitazawa asked. "You've been working as a home tutor all this time?"
"Mm," Kurenai nodded. "But I still take missions when the village needs me."
All ninjas, except for full-time Academy instructors, were obligated to complete regular missions.
Although some exceptions existed—particularly among the higher-ups.
Take Tsunade, for example. After developing hemophobia, she wandered the world gambling her fortune away, dragging poor Shizune along with her.
She didn't take missions or report back to the village, and even Konoha's leadership couldn't do a thing about it.
Jiraiya was another one—always traveling, always "researching."
"If you ever have free time," Kitazawa said with a light chuckle, "come see me. I can help you teach that student of yours, too."
He was thinking, of course, of Yakumo Kurama.
In the original story, Kurenai had struggled with Yakumo's dangerous genjutsu for years before finally resolving it with Naruto's help.
"Then I'll take you up on that, Kitazawa," Kurenai said, not bothering to refuse.
"It's settled, then," he said, raising his cup. "If you run into any trouble, come straight to me."
Whether or not this mission completes depends on how tonight goes, he thought silently.
Kurenai blinked at his earnest expression, a faint warmth stirring in her chest.
Something about Kitazawa felt… different today.
No, that can't be right. She brushed the thought aside almost immediately.
The Kitazawa she knew was kind to everyone, always patient and composed. And despite his looks, he'd never dated anyone—not because he couldn't, but because he seemed genuinely uninterested.
"Kanpai," Kurenai said softly.
Their cups clinked together with a clear ring.
Kitazawa met her gaze across the table, and for a brief moment, the scent of grilled meat, the warm light, and the faint sweetness of the lollipop still lingering on her lips—all seemed to blend together into a strangely perfect evening.