"These are the final rankings for this month's exam." Kitazawa closed the roll book and said, "Now, students ranked twentieth and below, please step forward."
Soon, ten students walked up to him. Their faces, more or less, showed nervousness and apprehension. They knew very well what was going to happen next.
They would face challenges from outstanding students in other classes. And if they failed, they would leave the Genius Class.
"Don't worry too much," Kitazawa said with a smile. "You might not have noticed, but you've made great progress this past month — enough to handle the challenges."
The ten students exchanged glances. Still, they chose to believe Kitazawa, and their hearts settled somewhat.
"Iruka." Kitazawa handed the roll book to him. "Go to each class and bring over the students who want to challenge."
"All right." Iruka took the roll book and went to find the teachers of the other classes.
The monthly exams for all classes in the Ninja Academy were held on the same day. Now that the Genius Class had finished their practical exam, the other classes were more or less done as well.
"Take this time to rest." Kitazawa looked at everyone. "The challenge round will begin once all participants have arrived."
The students of the Genius Class all sat down on the Training Ground upon hearing this.
This included Sasuke, Neji, and others who were not participating in the challenge round. They had to wait until the challenge round ended before they could leave.
"Kitazawa." Sarutobi Hiruzen walked forward. "I'll be leaving first. When you have a moment later, come find me at the Hokage Office."
The Genius Class rankings, which he was most interested in, had been released. There was no need for him to watch the remaining challenge round.
It was just a bunch of weaklings pecking at each other; he only needed to check the new student roster at the end.
However, his thoughts mirrored Kitazawa's: the Genius Class had too great an advantage, and it would be very difficult for students from other classes to successfully challenge them.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kitazawa immediately responded.
Time slowly passed.
Students from other classes arrived one after another.
"Senior Kitazawa." Iruka brought in the last student from another class. "These are all the students participating in the challenge round — fifteen in total."
"Mm." Kitazawa nodded. "You host it."
After saying this, he ran to the queue of Genius Class students who were not participating in the challenge round.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Naruto immediately waved. "Sit here with me!"
"Teacher Kitazawa, hurry over!" Kiba quickly followed, shouting eagerly.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Ino waved her hand urgently. "Here! Here!"
Hinata, sitting next to her, immediately showed an expectant expression.
"It's all the same wherever I sit." Kitazawa thought for a moment, then sat down between Ino and Hinata.
"I will now announce the rules for the challenge round." Iruka announced loudly, "Each Genius Class student is allowed to be challenged a maximum of three times and cannot be challenged consecutively…"
"Teacher Kitazawa." Ino glanced at Sakura, who was sitting next to Sasuke, and tugged on Kitazawa's sleeve.
"What's wrong?" Kitazawa looked down at her.
"Is Sakura learning Water Release very quickly?" Ino asked in a low voice.
"Indeed, it's not slow." Kitazawa pondered for a moment. "Among her peers, she can be considered outstanding."
Sakura was, after all, the female lead in the original work. Her talent was undeniable. Her skill in Medical Ninjutsu was second only to Tsunade.
And learning Water Release was much simpler than Medical Ninjutsu, and with her natural water affinity, she was naturally in her element.
"Then can I still defeat her next time?" Ino's small face showed a worried expression.
"Are you that lacking in confidence?" Kitazawa smiled.
"But I have a lot of confidence in Teacher Kitazawa." Ino's eyes darted around playfully.
"If you want me to teach you a new Ninjutsu, just say so." Kitazawa raised his hand and tapped her on the forehead.
"I still can't hide it from Teacher Kitazawa." Ino rubbed her forehead, a smile on her face.
[Current Mission: Help Yamanaka Ino defeat Haruno Sakura in the next monthly exam.]
[Mission Reward: Mind Clone Switch Technique.]
[Accept?]
A mission with no surprises. Mind Clone Switch Technique is an enhanced version of the Mind Body Switch Technique, allowing control of two targets.
Kitazawa had already learned the Mind Body Switch Technique, so another Mind Clone Switch Technique was in line with the system's mission trigger pattern.
It was just that, for him, neither the Mind Body Switch Technique nor the Mind Clone Switch Technique was very useful. But it didn't matter; he would accept it first.
After all, he could also use the Ninjutsu he created. For example, Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos and Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty were both relatively practical Ninjutsu.
Because it involved genjutsu, he could also teach it to Kurenai — a win-win.
"Next week, I'll teach you a new Ninjutsu." Kitazawa met Ino's light blue eyes and smiled.
"Yay!" Ino instinctively clenched her fists. "Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!"
While they were talking, the first practical battle of the challenge round had already ended.
The winner was, of course, the Genius Class student. He stood in the arena at this moment, looking dazed. He felt that he had won too easily.
In the previous three rounds of practical battles, he had fought extremely hard, to the point of doubting himself. But now he suddenly realized that it wasn't that he was incapable — his Genius Class classmates were just too strong.
Facing students from other classes, his strength was immediately unleashed. And he wasn't an isolated case.
When the challenge round ended, all fifteen challenging students had failed. Iruka led them away, their faces filled with shock.
"I won't say anything more. Everyone, go home. See you next week." Kitazawa stood up, walked to the front of the crowd, and said with a smile, "Dismissed."
Sasuke turned and left upon hearing this.
A smile played on his lips; he wished he could teleport home immediately. Having finally secured first place, he couldn't wait to tell Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi.
"Naruto," Kitazawa called out to him.
"Teacher Kitazawa." Naruto looked up at him, a little puzzled.
"You lost to Neji and Sasuke today. Have you thought about why?" Kitazawa smiled and asked.
"I think it's because I'm not strong enough!" Naruto was full of fighting spirit. "I need to train harder and defeat them as soon as possible!"
"Your strength is similar to theirs; you just don't know how to adapt on the fly." Kitazawa wasn't surprised; Naruto's thoughts were as simple as his personality.
"Adapt on the fly?" Naruto scratched his head, confused.
"Simply put, you need to change your battle strategy based on your opponent's situation." Kitazawa gave an example. "For instance, in your battle with Sasuke, in the final stage, why did you only think of using Rasengan?"
"If not Rasengan, then what?" Naruto asked, still looking puzzled.
"Use Ninja Tools," Kitazawa replied. "With three Sasukes, boosted by Konoha Style Swordsmanship and Fire Release, close combat with them is the least effective."
"Oh, right!" Naruto suddenly understood.
If he had used long-range Ninja Tool throws at that time, Sasuke and his Shadow Clones wouldn't have been able to stay together.
After all, if they continued to stand back-to-back, they would become living targets. And once they separated, their threat level would drop significantly, and he might have been able to defeat them one by one.
"Teacher Kitazawa, you're amazing!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up, saying with great admiration.
[Current Mission: Help Naruto defeat Sasuke and Hyuga Neji in the next monthly exam.]
[Mission Reward: One-fifth Chakra limit.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa looked at the three lines of text before him, and four words appeared in his mind: As Expected of Naruto.
The system mission triggered by Naruto, in terms of value alone, was several times greater than the one triggered by Ino. After all, a Chakra limit increase was a tangible improvement.
"I'll talk to you about the specifics next week." Kitazawa regained his composure, patted Naruto's shoulder, and said.
"Mm." Naruto nodded. "Teacher Kitazawa, goodbye!"
Kitazawa watched him leave. He withdrew his gaze and looked around. All the Genius Class students had gone home, except for Hinata.
"Hinata, what do you want for lunch?" Kitazawa walked over and asked with a smile.
"I'm fine with anything," Hinata replied.
"Let me think." Kitazawa ruffled her little head. "How about sukiyaki?"
Sukiyaki is a Japanese beef hot pot. Kitazawa never deprived himself, especially now that he had considerable wealth.
"Mm!" Hinata had no objections.
"Let's find a sukiyaki restaurant first, then I'll go to the Hokage Office. You can wait for me to come back before we eat together." Kitazawa said after a brief thought.
It would be inappropriate to go see Hiruzen after eating. Although his status in Konoha Village had skyrocketed, he still needed to maintain proper etiquette when facing the Hokage.
Unless Tsunade became Hokage, he could be a bit more unrestrained.
"All right." Hinata nodded. The two of them arrived at the nearest sukiyaki restaurant.
After ordering, Kitazawa walked towards the Hokage Building.
A knock sounded.
"Come in," Hiruzen said casually.
"Hokage-sama." Kitazawa pushed the door open and entered.
"Oh, it's Kitazawa." Hiruzen put down the documents in his hand. "The Genius Class performed exceptionally well in this month's exam."
"It's the result of everyone's collective efforts." Kitazawa paused, then added, "Especially Kakashi and Senior Kosuke, whom Hokage-sama sent, played a huge role."
"You're still as humble as ever." Hiruzen chuckled. "Your contribution is also significant. The three Ninjutsu you created are all very good and can be rated as B-rank Ninjutsu."
"I was busy earlier and forgot about this. I'll submit these four Ninjutsu to the Village later."
Kitazawa offered proactively.
These four Ninjutsu were not of much use to him; submitting them to Konoha Village could earn him more rewards.
"That's not what I meant." Hiruzen was stunned for a moment. "But it's good that you have this idea. If you submit them, you can exchange them for four…?"
He paused midway, realizing the issue.
"There are four?" Hiruzen asked, surprised.
"There's also a Ninjutsu called Quadruple Fang Over Fang," Kitazawa explained the sequence of events that led to creating this Ninjutsu.
"I see." Hiruzen thought for a moment, then generously said, "Then go ahead and choose four B-rank Ninjutsu."
Strictly speaking, Quadruple Fang Over Fang couldn't really be considered B-rank, but he didn't need to be nitpicky.
Kitazawa's eyes lit up. This deal was not a loss. He essentially got four B-rank Ninjutsu for free.
"Not just these four Ninjutsu, but any Ninjutsu you create in the future can be exchanged for Ninjutsu of the same rank." Hiruzen added, "If they are A-rank or S-rank Ninjutsu, there will be additional rewards."
Kitazawa looked thoughtful. Was this to encourage him to create more new Ninjutsu?
Thinking about it, it made sense. The emergence of new Ninjutsu, even some low-level ones, was beneficial for Konoha Village.
After all, Konoha had the most Genin and Chunin.
[The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi appreciates your creativity. This is undoubtedly an opportunity for you to make a name for yourself.]
[Current mission: Modify or create a new Ninjutsu.]
[Mission reward: Rewards will be sent based on the Ninjutsu's rank, purpose, and impact.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa scanned it and was immediately delighted. This was another rare mission.
Similar to the previous mission of finding Summoning Animals for Tenten, the mission rewards were variable.
The first Ninjutsu Kitazawa thought of was Lightning Release: Kirin. An S-rank Lightning Release would certainly meet the requirements, but Lightning Release: Kirin had already triggered a related system mission.
Kitazawa was unsure if it could still be used to complete this mission.
Aside from Lightning Release: Kirin, the S-rank Ninjutsu Kitazawa could think of was Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
This Wind Release Ninjutsu was powerful, but its side effects were significant. In the original work, after Naruto used it for the first time, his right arm directly lost its ability to move.
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was even listed as a forbidden jutsu by Tsunade, the Hokage at the time.
How to put it? Wind Release: Rasenshuriken definitely met the requirements. However, its utility and impact were relatively limited, so it might not receive the best reward.
Kitazawa couldn't think of anything else, so he temporarily gave up. After all, creating Ninjutsu was not something to rush, especially since he wanted to create an S-rank Ninjutsu, which was even more difficult.
"I understand, Hokage-sama," Kitazawa said in a deep voice. "I will do my best."
"I look forward to you creating many useful Ninjutsu, just like my teacher." Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction.
After the brief chat, Kitazawa followed the Anbu Ninja, Haru, to the Ninjutsu storage room.
"These are the Ninjutsu scrolls." Haru handed him four scrolls. "Please write down the Ninjutsu hand sign sequence and specific precautions."
"Mm." Kitazawa picked up a pen and began to write his four Ninjutsu: Hell Hound, Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos, Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty, and Quadruple Fang Over Fang.
Among them, Hell Hound and Three-Headed Hellhound belonged to the same Ninjutsu. Their relationship was similar to that between Shadow Clone Technique and Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu—just a slight difference.
After Kitazawa finished writing, he handed the scrolls to Haru.
"You can now choose four B-rank Ninjutsu." Haru read through them and, after confirming there were no issues, said.
Kitazawa nodded and began to browse the bookshelves in the Ninjutsu storage room. Haru categorized and stored the four Ninjutsu he had written.
Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos and Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty were placed in the Genjutsu category. Hell Hound and Quadruple Fang Over Fang were categorized as Secret Techniques because they both involved the Inuzuka Clan.
After some thought, Kitazawa chose two Earth Release Ninjutsu and two Water Release Ninjutsu.
After all, he wasn't really lacking in Wind Release, Fire Release, Genjutsu, or Medical Ninjutsu. Lightning Release Ninjutsu was relatively scarce, but the slots were limited, so he would save them for next time.
The two Earth Release Ninjutsu were Earth Release: Mud Fall and Earth Release: Earth Flow River.
The former's effect was to drop a mass of clay from the sky to trap the target.
The latter's effect was to turn the ground beneath the target into a mudslide, washing the target away.
The two Water Release Ninjutsu were Water Release: Heavenly Weeping and Water Release: Water Bullet Technique.
The former's effect was to spit out water needles like senbon from the mouth, often used for surprise attacks.
The latter's effect was to continuously spit out water masses like bullets to attack the target, somewhat similar to Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet. Both of these Water Release Ninjutsu were Senju Tobirama's techniques.
With four additional Ninjutsu at once, Kitazawa felt he didn't have enough time.
Adding the Ninjutsu he had acquired before, he now had three Water Release and five Earth Release Ninjutsu he hadn't learned. He also had to learn Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
Busy—being busy was good.
After all, in the Ninja World, where strength was paramount, being able to learn more Ninjutsu was a great fortune.
Kitazawa arrived at the sukiyaki restaurant, and after having lunch with Hinata and sending her home, he walked towards Kurenai's house.
Today was Friday, and because of the practical exam, they had the whole day off. Plus Saturday, Sunday, and Monday—Kitazawa had three and a half days of vacation.
Kitazawa saw Kurenai from afar. She was practicing Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos.
Amidst pink petals, the graceful Kurenai moved agilely as if dancing, a scene that looked beautiful.
Kitazawa stood watching for a while and realized she had basically mastered Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos. In Genjutsu, Kurenai indeed had a lot of talent.
Petals fell. Kurenai stopped her training.
"Have you had lunch?" Kitazawa walked forward and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sweaty, I'm dirty." Kurenai subconsciously struggled twice but couldn't break free.
"Not dirty, it smells good." Kitazawa lowered his head, leaned into her neck, and said.
"You really are a pervert." Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Since you're back, then prepare for lunch."
"I've eaten. You just finished training, go take a shower, I'll cook." Kitazawa released her and said.
"Alright." Kurenai nodded, grabbed his hand, and walked into the house.
"How about wearing a qipao at home today?" Kitazawa suddenly thought of something and asked with a smile.
"Just don't tear my qipao." Kurenai pouted.
"You're slandering me." Kitazawa immediately said seriously. "I've only torn your stockings."
"Then don't you want to tear them?" Kurenai suddenly smiled charmingly.
"I'm really not that kind of person." Kitazawa cleared his throat. "But if it's what you ask, I'll definitely do it."
"Hypocrite." Kurenai lifted her leg, kicked him, and swayed her hips as she went to the bathroom.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)