Ichiraku Ramen.
"I'm full—thank you for the meal!"Might Guy stood up, grinning. "Kitazawa, if you ever want to keep learning taijutsu, just come find me."
"Will do,"Kitazawa agreed without hesitation.
"I'm going to meet that Rock Lee you mentioned,"Might Guy said with a smile.
"See you next time."Kitazawa gave a small nod.
He watched Might Guy's figure disappear down the street and couldn't help wondering whether this counted as changing Rock Lee's fate.
If Lee started learning the Eight Gates six years earlier, would he still suffer such a devastating defeat when he faced Gaara of the Sand?
"I'm full too, Kitazawa-sensei,"Hyuga Hinata said as she set down her chopsticks.
The large bowl of chashu ramen in front of her had been completely emptied.
"Teuchi, another bowl,"Kitazawa said after a glance.
"Are you eating it?"Teuchi poked his head out of the kitchen and asked.
"It's not for me. It's for Hinata,"Kitazawa replied with a smile.
"Huh?"Teuchi instinctively looked at Hinata.
"I…"Hinata immediately felt embarrassed. She wanted to refuse, but didn't know how to put it into words.
"Hinata,"Kitazawa reached out and gently pinched her cheek."Be honest with your teacher—are you really full?"
"N-no… I'm not,"Hinata's heart fluttered. Her face reddened as she answered.
"Wow… looks really can be deceiving,"Teuchi sighed in amazement before heading back into the kitchen.
A moment later, a second bowl of chashu ramen was placed on the counter.
Under Kitazawa's gaze, Hinata blushed deeply and picked up her chopsticks.
Though she was shy, her upbringing showed—she ate gracefully and politely.
Ten minutes later, the second bowl was completely finished.
"Teuchi, one more bowl,"Kitazawa called out again.
Hinata pressed her lips together, the redness on her face growing even deeper.
It was the first time anyone had discovered her secret—that she could really eat.
"Chakra is the result of physical energy mixed with spiritual energy,"Kitazawa said gently. "Being able to eat is a good thing."
At that moment, four lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[You have discovered your desk mate's secret. As class representative, you should help her while keeping that secret.][Current Task: Feed your desk mate Hyuga Hinata until she voluntarily reveals her secret.][Task Reward: Byakugan.][Accept?]
Kitazawa's pupils shrank.
He had completed quite a few tasks already, but the rewards had all been relatively basic ninjutsu.
For an ordinary chunin like him, they were solid boosts—but nothing outrageous.
This task was completely different.
The Byakugan was priceless.
In the ninja world's underground black markets, both Sharingan and Byakugan carried bounties starting in the tens of millions of ryo.
Because of the Caged Bird Seal, intact Byakugan were even more valuable—an undamaged pair was worth no less than a ninja like Sarutobi Asuma.
After all, in the shinobi world, eyes were practically plug-and-play.
Even though the Byakugan couldn't really evolve, a standard Byakugan was still an enormous upgrade.
Long-distance vision, penetration, and unparalleled perception—any one of these would drastically increase Kitazawa's strength.
If he also learned Gentle Fist and advanced to jōnin, it would be effortless.
"Hinata, eat as much as you want,"Kitazawa said seriously as he snapped back to reality."Teuchi and I will keep your secret."
"Keeping a customer's secrets is basic professional ethics,"Teuchi nodded in agreement.
"Thank you,"Hinata said softly and began eating her third bowl of ramen.
Time passed slowly.
In the end, Hinata finished seven bowls of ramen.
It was far fewer than in the original story—but she was still very young.
Teuchi clicked his tongue in wonder.
If it weren't for Hinata's unmistakable Byakugan, he might have suspected she was from the Akimichi clan.
As a ramen shop owner, though, he welcomed big eaters with open arms.
"Hinata, how did this morning feel?"Kitazawa asked as they left Ichiraku Ramen and headed back toward the Ninja Academy.
Hinata fell silent.
She didn't know how to answer right away.
For her, this had been the most rebellious morning of her life.
Skipping class. Climbing over the school wall. Eating countless bowls of ramen.
It was thrilling—but more than that, it felt like freedom, like invisible restraints had been lifted.
"It felt… really nice,"Hinata said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
Kitazawa almost didn't hear her.
They stopped in front of the First-Year Class A classroom.
"See you next class, Hinata,"Kitazawa said with a smile."Today's special training was very effective. We'll keep it up tomorrow."
Hinata felt her cheeks burn.
She nodded, then hurried into the classroom as if fleeing.
It was lunchtime. Many students were already slumped over their desks, sleeping.
"Hinata,"Yamanaka Ino lifted her head and asked,"Where did you go?"
In her mind, Hinata was the very definition of a good, obedient child.
Yet somehow, she had become the first student in the class to ever skip school.
"I… I went out with Kitazawa-sensei,"Hinata answered hesitantly.
"Kitazawa-sensei?"Ino straightened up, curiosity growing.
"N-no, it was nothing—just some taijutsu training,"Hinata buried her face in her arms."Good afternoon."
Ino looked thoughtful.
Was this special treatment behind their backs?
But Kitazawa didn't seem like that kind of teacher.
Soon, afternoon arrived.
Kitazawa stood on the training field, explaining kunai-throwing techniques.
Previously, the targets had been stationary. Now they were moving, and the difficulty had skyrocketed.
Still, for clan-born students like Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata, it was easy.
They had already mastered these basics long before enrolling.
Before long, the students were divided into two groups.
Those who successfully hit the moving targets were allowed free activity.
As in the previous lesson, Sasuke went straight to that same tree to train his chakra control.
Kitazawa soon followed him.
"Hey, want to go take a look?"Ino noticed something odd about Sasuke and Kitazawa's behavior.
"Nope,"Nara Shikamaru lay sprawled on the grass, completely unwilling to move.
Choji didn't answer—he was too busy eating chips.
"Hinata, let's go,"Ino grabbed Hinata's hand.
As for Sakura, she was still practicing kunai throws.
Her talent was decent among civilian ninja, but she wasn't from a clan and hadn't trained early.
"Huh?"Hinata hesitated.
She was a little curious—but even more afraid of upsetting Kitazawa.
Seeing this, Ino simply pulled her along.
Soon, they reached their destination and saw Sasuke practicing tree climbing.
"Since you're here, you might as well train together,"Kitazawa said when he noticed them.
"Kitazawa-sensei,"Ino stepped forward confidently and smiled."What kind of training is this?"
Hinata glanced at Kitazawa, her face reddening as she lowered her head.
"Chakra control training,"Kitazawa explained."Normally, you wouldn't learn this until after graduation."
"But you're all geniuses,"he continued calmly."So you can try it early."