After Kitazawa finished speaking with the students of the Genius Class, he approached Kakashi.
"Congratulations, Kitazawa," Kakashi said in his usual laid-back tone, his half-lidded eyes giving off that familiar, bored expression.
"What do I have to be congratulated for?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Your reputation's now greater than mine," Kakashi replied casually. "You rendered great service on the battlefield—of course, you deserve congratulations."
"You're too modest. How could my reputation possibly compare to yours?" Kitazawa countered with a faint smile.
"Am I continuing the class, or are you?" Kakashi asked, smoothly changing the topic. He clearly had no interest in discussing reputation—it wasn't something that concerned him.
"I'm free today, so I'll take over the class," Kitazawa replied. "But I'll have to trouble you for the next three days."
"Alright then," Kakashi nodded, his tone light. "I'll go lead my study group."
After taking away the students from the Lightning Release and Earth Release study groups, only the Wind Release, Fire Release, and Special study groups remained.
"It's been two and a half months since I last taught you," Kitazawa said after a brief pause. "I'll need to reassess your current strength."
He looked around at the gathered students and continued, "Those I call, follow me. The rest, continue training until I summon you."
He planned to conduct individual sparring matches. After gauging each student's level, he could tailor new training methods accordingly.
[Returning from the battlefield, you decide to give your classmates a lesson—showing them how much you've grown.]
[Current Mission: Defeat the classmates of the Genius Class.]
[Mission Reward: Konoha Dragon God.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa's brows lifted slightly in surprise.
He hadn't expected to trigger a new system mission so soon after returning. But the reward… it was certainly tempting.
The "Konoha Dragon God" — in the original chronicles, this Taijutsu technique had been created by the Konoha's strongest Taijutsu master before the rise of Might Duy and Might Guy: a man named Chen.
Konoha Dragon God was a super Taijutsu technique that allowed the user to rapidly spin their body, forming a massive tornado. The vortex of wind drew in everything around it, shredding targets within range.
Because the spinning wind resembled a coiling green dragon, the move earned its name: Konoha Dragon God.
In the original record, Chen's Dragon God spanned over ten meters in diameter — a devastating, large-scale technique.
Kitazawa accepted the mission and turned toward his students.
Naruto had already raised his hand, waving with uncontained excitement. Kitazawa almost picked him first—but then his eyes fell upon Hinata.
She was nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, her Byakugan subtly activated as her pale eyes fixed on him. Her small face was taut with tension.
"Hinata," Kitazawa called with a soft smile.
Hinata froze, then hurried toward him, a faint yet genuine smile lighting up her expression.
Kitazawa gently patted her head before walking with her to an open training area nearby.
"The best way to assess your strength is through sparring," he said calmly. "Attack me with all you've got."
Hinata nodded, taking a deep breath. She shifted into her stance—one hand forward, one behind.
Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!
In an instant, Hinata accelerated, appearing before him. Both palms thrust forward in a flurry of strikes.
Kitazawa didn't counterattack—he merely raised his arms to defend, observing her form.
Hinata's movements flowed quickly—thirty-two strikes landed in succession.
But since Kitazawa didn't strike back, she didn't stop there. She continued, thirty-four… thirty-six… until by the fortieth palm, her rhythm began to falter.
"Not bad," Kitazawa said with a nod. "You've improved a lot during this time."
Hinata's lips immediately curved into a happy smile.
"But don't get overconfident," Kitazawa added, flicking her forehead lightly. "You still have plenty of weaknesses."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said with a shy smile.
"I'll correct your form first—then I'll teach you two more palms."
He took her wrist gently and raised her arm by about three centimeters. "There. Start again from the thirty-third palm."
After letting go, he stepped back, watching her resume her stance.
Hinata didn't need new techniques yet. What she needed was mastery. For now, her goal should be to perfect Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Half an hour later, Kitazawa lowered his hand. "That's enough for today. Spend this week correcting those errors—then continue with the Sixty-Four Palms."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"I also brought you something."
Kitazawa took out a small summoning scroll. "It's not valuable—just a war trophy from the battlefield."
Hinata blinked in surprise, gratitude filling her expression.
"No need to thank me. It's really nothing special. It's a flower from the Land of Water."
He handed her the scroll with a faint smile. "I remember you like pressed flowers, right?"
"Kitazawa-sensei, how did you know?" Hinata asked, eyes wide. She had never revealed that hobby to anyone.
"It's a secret," Kitazawa said playfully, patting her head. "Now, go call Naruto over for me."
In truth, he remembered it from her profile in his previous life.
"Mm!" Hinata nodded, skipping away, clutching the scroll tightly.
For someone as shy as her, to act so openly meant she was truly happy.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto's voice rang from afar as he approached, grinning broadly.
"We'll need to change locations," Kitazawa said, thinking of Naruto's tendency to cause… destruction.
The two made their way to another nearby training ground.
"Watch me, sensei! Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto clasped his hands together—and in a burst of smoke, a hundred identical clones filled the area.
"Watch my newly learned jutsu! Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Together, Naruto and his clones leaned back, gathering chakra before exhaling in unison.
The air erupted with a deafening roar—fierce gales whipped across the training ground as a storm burst into existence out of nowhere.
One hundred Wind Release: Great Breakthroughs gathered together, creating the force of an A-Rank Ninjutsu from what was originally C-Rank.
But a range too wide would inevitably weaken the power.
Kitazawa clapped his hands together, forming an Earth Release Wall to block the storm.
"Amazing!" Naruto exclaimed, then quickly shouted, "Use kunai!"
His Shadow Clones, responding immediately, hurled a volley of kunai. The weapons filled the sky like torrential rain, whistling through the air.
Kitazawa nodded slightly. Naruto's transition and tactical response were spot-on.
Under the dense barrage, the Earth Wall was soon riddled with holes.
Uchiha Style: Gale Sword!
Kitazawa vanished with a Body Flicker Technique and reappeared among the Shadow Clones. He swung his sword, and the blazing blade sliced through four Naruto in a row.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The clones burst into smoke, but the remaining ones rushed in with a coordinated Taijutsu assault.
Kitazawa's counter was simple — Zangetsu in one hand and a Lightning Blade in the other.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto, seeing his clones vanish one after another, seized the opening and lunged, slamming a Rasengan toward Kitazawa's back.
Lightning Release: Super Vibrato Lightning Blade!
Kitazawa turned sharply, his blade flashing with trembling lightning. The violent current surged forward, shattering the Rasengan into fragments of pure chakra.
"What—?" Naruto froze in disbelief. He had never seen a Rasengan destroyed like that.
"You've mastered Wind Release: Great Breakthrough quite well," Kitazawa said as he sheathed his swords, "but your Wind Chakra nature transformation still isn't refined enough."
He continued calmly, "Next, I'll teach you a B-Rank Wind Release Ninjutsu to compensate for your lack of lethality."
Both Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and Wind Release: Gale Palm were area-type techniques.
Even combined with the Shadow Clone Jutsu, their destructive power couldn't match well-used ninja tools.
"That's great!" Naruto's frustration vanished instantly. "What Wind Release Ninjutsu is it?" he asked eagerly.
"Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken."
Kitazawa drew a shuriken, infused it with Wind Chakra, and threw it.
With a sharp boom, the weapon sliced through the air and struck a large rock, shattering it into pieces.
Naruto's eyes widened in amazement. Its power was clearly greater than Great Breakthrough or Gale Palm, though not quite at the level of Rasengan.
But it had an advantage — it could be thrown.
"Before learning Rotating Shuriken, you'll need to strengthen your Wind Chakra nature transformation first," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"No problem!" Naruto replied earnestly, determination gleaming in his eyes.
Kitazawa estimated that Naruto wouldn't master it quickly — perhaps by the end of the semester, if lucky.
It was May now, and the term ended in July, followed by the summer break.
"I obtained a blade during the war," Kitazawa said as he pulled out a summoning scroll. "I think it would suit you."
The Samehada was alive and couldn't be stored in a normal sealing scroll, yet carrying it everywhere was inconvenient — and conspicuous.
Then Kitazawa had an idea. Since it was alive, why not treat it as a summoned creature?
Under his persuasion, Samehada agreed to sign a summoning contract with him.
"But I don't know swordsmanship," Naruto said, scratching his head. "Do I have to learn it like Sasuke? I don't think I can."
Kitazawa chuckled softly. "You don't need to learn swordsmanship. Even though it's a blade, you don't have to treat it as one."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion. If it's a sword but not meant to be used like a sword…then what was it supposed to be?
"You'll understand when you see it."
Kitazawa performed the Summoning Jutsu, and with a puff of smoke, the Samehada appeared.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "This… is a blade?" he muttered, staring at the spiky, scaled weapon with a mouth.
"It's not a conventional blade," Kitazawa explained. "This is Samehada, a living creature as durable as a sword. Try channeling your chakra into it."
Naruto gripped the hilt and released his chakra.
The once-dormant Samehada instantly perked up, its body writhing with excitement as it rubbed against Naruto like an affectionate pet.
"It can absorb my chakra?" Naruto asked, astonished.
"Not just that," Kitazawa said with a small smile. "It can absorb the enemy's chakra — and when you're low, it can return it to you. Though… I doubt you'll ever run out."
"That's amazing!" Naruto grinned. "Kitazawa-sensei, are you really giving it to me?"
"Of course," Kitazawa said, waving a hand dismissively. "If I said it's yours, I won't take it back. Go on, form a bond with it."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto said brightly.
"Now, go call Ino over," Kitazawa added, glancing at the Samehada.
With the summoning contract, there was no need to worry about it running off. Besides, it had no loyalty to the Hidden Mist Village — both Fuguki and Kisame were dead.
The only concern left was the Seven Ninja Swordsmen Summoning Scroll, but that could be resolved in next month's diplomatic talks with the Hidden Mist.
That way, they wouldn't dare to interfere.
Naruto hurried back to the training field, proudly brandishing the Samehada. "Hey, everyone, look! This is the sword Kitazawa-sensei gave me!"
"How can a sword look like that?" Kiba asked, astonished.
"This thing looks alive," Ino remarked after a moment of observation.
"A summoned beast shaped like a sword?" Tenten said thoughtfully.
Her own chameleon summon, Shiromari, could transform into a castle, so a beast that could become a blade didn't seem too far-fetched.
"Wait!"
Shikamaru's expression suddenly shifted, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I feel like I've seen that blade before… Naruto, what's it called?"
"Samehada," Naruto replied casually.
"What?!" Shikamaru and the others were all stunned.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in confusion. "Is there a problem?"
"You're seriously asking that? Of course there's a problem— it's a huge one!" Kiba said, glaring with a mix of envy, jealousy, and disbelief.
"Do you remember the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist we talked about before?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing his temple as he looked at Naruto's clueless expression.
Naruto nodded slowly.
"This sword belonged to Suikazan Fuguki," Shikamaru sighed, patting Naruto's shoulder. "It's one of the most famous blades in the entire ninja world."
"Huh?" Naruto looked down at the Samehada in his hands, uncertain what to say.
"Since Kitazawa-sensei gave it to you, he must have had his reasons," Neji said in a low, steady voice.
"It's over!" Kiba groaned, clutching his head in despair. "There's no way I'll ever beat Naruto now!"
"It's fine," Inuzuka Hana said dryly. "You've never beaten him anyway."
"You really are my sister," Kiba muttered, his mouth twitching.
Neji sighed softly.
For once, Kiba's words made sense. The Samehada was a terrible matchup for Taijutsu users like him.
"Heh," Naruto grinned, suddenly inspired. "With Samehada, I won't have to worry about Sasuke's sword anymore when we fight!"
"It's a good thing Sasuke isn't here," Ino said teasingly. "If he found out, he wouldn't sleep a wink tonight."
Sasuke, after all, was currently training with Kakashi to master Lightning Release: Chidori — and wasn't in the same group as them.
"Oh, right! Ino — Kitazawa-sensei told me to call you!" Naruto said suddenly, realizing what he'd forgotten.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?!" Ino shouted, immediately sprinting off.
She ran all the way to the training field and stopped in front of Kitazawa, panting lightly.
"I… I'm sorry, Kitazawa-sensei. I'm late," she said between breaths.
"You didn't waste much time," Kitazawa said calmly, shaking his head. "Take a two-minute rest, then we'll spar."
"No need!" Ino straightened up with determination. "Kitazawa-sensei, I definitely won't disappoint you!"
"Alright then." Kitazawa stepped back, putting some distance between them.
Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty!
Ino waved both hands, scattering a flurry of glimmering petals into the air.
Kitazawa flashed forward, drew Zangetsu, and slashed toward her.
The blade light fell upon her before she could react.
Ino's eyes widened — this was the first time her Moonlight Beauty technique had failed to charm her opponent.
Startled, she jumped back, hastily forming hand signs.
Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!
An invisible wave pulsed outward.
"Not bad," Kitazawa said with a faint smile as he effortlessly dispelled the illusion.
He sheathed Zangetsu and added, "Today, I'll teach you a new Genjutsu — Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique."
"Okay!" Ino exhaled in relief, patting her chest. "I really thought you were going to cut me just now, Kitazawa-sensei."
"What nonsense," Kitazawa said, flicking her forehead lightly. "No matter what, I would never harm my own student."
"I was wrong, Kitazawa-sensei," Ino said playfully, sticking out her tongue.
"Alright, let's begin. I'll first explain the key principles of the False Surroundings Technique."
Half an hour later, Ino left, replaced by Kiba.
Kiba's War Stomp had only reached the beginner level, and Kitazawa didn't have a new technique ready for him, so he told him to wait a few days.
Inuzuka Hana, on the other hand, had already mastered Quadruple Fang Over Fang and was ready to begin training in Inuzuka Style: Human-Beast Combination Transformation – Two-Headed Wolf.
Neji and Hinata were progressing steadily as well. Their Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms had reached the fortieth strike, and they simply needed more time to refine it.
Yakumo's Konoha-Style Taijutsu had reached the beginner level, too — with some practice, she could soon learn the Konoha Whirlwind series.
Akimichi Choji had mastered both Partial Multi-Size Technique and Human Bullet Tank, and his next step was the Multi-Size Technique.
As for Tenten, Kitazawa began teaching her the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, though he knew it would take her time to master such a difficult jutsu.
Shikamaru, who had been focusing on Yin Release Chakra Nature Transformation, was told to return to the Nara Clan to study Shadow Neck Binding Jutsu, an advanced version of Shadow Imitation Technique.
Karin was given lessons in Sealing Barrier Jutsu, while Kitazawa sparred briefly with Rock Lee and Sakura to assess their current progress.
Among them, Sakura had already begun learning Water Release: Heavenly Weeping.
To complete his latest mission, Kitazawa also sparred with — and defeated — all the students under Maruboshi Kosuke and Kakashi, ensuring he understood the overall strength of Konoha's "Genius Class."
[Current Mission: Defeat the Genius Class students.]
[Mission Reward: Konoha Dragon God.]
[Host has completed the mission. Reward issued.]
After a long afternoon of battles and instruction, Kitazawa finally obtained the Konoha Dragon God.