Kitazawa chuckled softly as he listened to his students' chatter.
In their mouths, Hyūga Neji had practically become a great demon king.
But thinking about it carefully, he couldn't really blame them.
After all, Hyūga Neji's reputation was well known.
"I'll now announce the rules for the friendly match."
Kitazawa clapped his hands, waiting for the room to fall silent, then listed the four events.
"These four events sound so familiar," Yamanaka Ino said in surprise. "Aren't these the exact same training exercises Kitazawa-sensei made us do?"
"Could it be… that Kitazawa-sensei can see the future?" Haruno Sakura gasped with admiration.
In her memory, Sasuke, Hinata, and the others had started this special training over a month ago. At that time, the match with the Year Two Class A hadn't even been decided yet.
"It's not prophecy," Nara Shikamaru said after thinking for a moment. "Most likely, these events were designed by Kitazawa-sensei himself."
"Hahahaha!"
Naruto Uzumaki crossed his arms proudly. "The first place in the physical test? That's mine for sure!"
With his strong body and extra training from Might Guy, his confidence was overflowing.
"You cocky idiot!" Inuzuka Kiba muttered, annoyed by Naruto's smug face.
"You're just jealous of me!" Naruto shot back with a grin.
"…"
Kiba ground his teeth.
Truth was, when it came to pure stamina, he really couldn't beat Naruto. The guy's endurance was scarier than even his clan's ninja dogs. He was basically… Konoha's mad dog.
"We'll need to be careful of Hyūga Neji," Aburame Shino adjusted his sunglasses and reminded calmly.
"No problem. Kitazawa-sensei will handle it," Ino said with a smile.
"That's right," Hinata agreed softly.
Shikamaru shook his head helplessly.
You guys are pushing all the pressure onto a single chūnin teacher… you really have no idea what he's capable of.
He felt it would be difficult.
But then again, it was just a friendly match. Losing wouldn't be the end of the world.
"In preparation for next month's match, I've designed a training plan tailored to each of you," Kitazawa said calmly. "We'll cover it in the practical class later. For now, let's begin today's lesson."
The first period of the day was on the Will of Fire.
By now, Kitazawa had reached near mastery in teaching it.
Amidst laughter and lively discussion, the class came to an end.
Kitazawa left the classroom and returned to his office. With him were Uchiha Sasuke and Hyūga Hinata, who had both already begun training without needing any instruction.
Time passed into the afternoon.
It was time for Class 1-A's final period: the practical lesson.
Kitazawa presented the training plan.
He divided the class into two groups based on their first monthly exam results.
The first group, with average scores, wouldn't participate in the friendly match. They just needed to focus on their lessons.
The second group, the top performers, led by Hinata Hyūga and Sasuke Uchiha, would undergo specialized training.
For Sasuke, it was still chakra nature transformation.
For chakra control, Hinata, Ino, and Sakura were joined by Shikamaru and Chōji.
Oh, and Aburame Shino too.
The rest of the students were placed under Naruto and Kiba for stamina training.
As for actual combat drills, Kitazawa decided they would wait two weeks before beginning intensive practice.
When the lesson ended, Shikamaru collapsed on the ground, utterly drained.
He had never imagined Kitazawa would assign him to tree climbing.
This was a devastating blow to his "professional slacker" lifestyle.
Kitazawa noticed Shikamaru's salted-fish expression and chuckled.
That was just his personality, if you didn't push him, he'd never put in effort.
"Good work today, everyone. I've prepared snacks for you."
Kitazawa pulled out a storage scroll and said with a smile.
Hinata instinctively touched her stomach.
The moment Kitazawa mentioned it, she realized she was hungry.
"Alright!"
Chōji instantly revived, springing to his feet.
"That's our Kitazawa-sensei," Ino laughed.
She wasn't greedy, but she never turned down snacks either.
"Sasuke-kun, I'll get your snack for you!"
Sakura staggered up and rushed over to Kitazawa.
"…."
Sasuke sighed helplessly. He didn't really care for sweets.
"Sasuke-kun, this is yours!"
Sakura reappeared in front of him, beaming.
Sasuke was about to refuse, until he noticed his snack pack included dango skewers.
His favorite. And Itachi's too.
Curious, Sasuke glanced at Sakura's pack and realized her snacks weren't exactly the same as his.
Even in such details… Kitazawa had been deliberate.
For the first time, Sasuke felt a flicker of respect.
He took a bite of the dango, and it was sweet.
"Kitazawa-sensei…"
When most of the others had left, Hinata hurried forward.
"These are for you."
Kitazawa stuffed four large bags of snacks into her arms.
"T-thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata blushed furiously, holding them awkwardly.
"I told you before, being able to eat well is a blessing."
He gently patted her head. "Don't be shy."
"Mm…" Hinata's heart warmed, her voice soft.
"I'll walk you back," Kitazawa offered, taking the bags from her. "It'll be hard to carry on your own."
Hinata's heart skipped, and she nodded eagerly.
Deep down, she simply wanted to spend more time with him.
When they reached the Hyūga compound, Kitazawa spotted a figure standing like a pine tree, radiating authority.
"Father," Hinata quickly approached and bowed respectfully.
"Clan Head Hiashi," Kitazawa thought to himself, then greeted aloud, "Good evening, Lord Hyūga."
"You're Kitazawa?" Hiashi asked calmly.
"I am," Kitazawa nodded.
"Thank you for taking care of Hinata these past weeks," Hiashi said simply, before turning and walking back into the courtyard.
Polite in manners, but the underlying condescension was unmistakable.
Kitazawa wasn't surprised.
The Hyūga were like the Uchiha, proud to the bone. The only difference was, the Hyūga were clever enough not to show it too openly.
"See you tomorrow, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said softly, reluctant to part, clutching the snacks.
"Why do you have so much?" Hiashi asked suddenly, noticing the four big bags in her arms.
"They're a reward from Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata explained after a short pause. "And… I can eat them all."
"Snacks are fine, but don't eat too many." Hiashi frowned. "Three proper meals a day are what matter most."
"I can eat all of it," Hinata whispered, summoning courage. "My appetite is… very big."
Hiashi blinked.
At first, his instinct was to dismiss her words. But then, he froze.
As clan leader, he understood well, being able to eat was an advantage.
After all, in Konoha there was also the Akimichi clan, who drew great strength from storing energy through eating.
"How much can you eat?" Hiashi asked seriously.
"If it's the bowls at home… right now, ten," Hinata said carefully.
"Ha!"
Hiashi stood stunned for two seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"…?"
Hinata stared at him, bewildered.
This was the first time she had ever seen him laugh so openly.
Was it because… of her appetite?
Maybe Kitazawa-sensei really was right.
[System Notification]
Current Task: Feed your deskmate, Hyūga Hinata, until she willingly reveals her secret.
Reward: Byakugan.
Task completed. Reward issued.
Walking down the road, Kitazawa's eyes suddenly widened.
What the, ?!
Did the village just hand out gold bars?!