"Teacher Kitazawa, what's going on here?"
Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
Although he trusted Kitazawa, losing the long-awaited chance to fight left him deeply confused.
He wasn't the only one — Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, and several others wore equally puzzled expressions.
After all, Kurama Yakumo was practically invisible in Class 1-A.
She skipped classes often and only occasionally attended combat training.
Ever since Tsunade returned to the village, she had outright taken a leave of absence.
For most first-year students, their only impression of Kurama Yakumo was that she was frail and sickly.
But now, the "little white rabbit" was going to fight Hyuga Neji — the so-called "great demon king" of the upperclassmen? It sounded impossible.
"You'll understand why I let Yakumo fight once you've seen the match."
Kitazawa's tone was calm.
"But still…"
Sasuke wasn't satisfied.
He'd been looking forward to testing the power of the Byakugan himself.
"Patience, Sasuke."
Kitazawa patted his shoulder. "If Yakumo loses, I'll let you spar with Neji afterward."
Sasuke blinked, then nodded — he wanted to see what this Kurama Yakumo was truly capable of.
"Kurama Clan?"
Nara Shikaku glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "The same genjutsu clan that once rivaled the Uchiha?"
"That's right."
A sharp gleam flickered in Hiruzen's eyes. "I didn't expect Kitazawa to have her face Hyuga Neji."
But truthfully, this arrangement suited Hiruzen's own interests — he was curious to see how far Kurama Yakumo's kekkei genkai had developed.
Shikaku's eyes narrowed in thought.
With his intellect, he quickly guessed the implication — Kurama Yakumo had likely awakened her bloodline limit.
A kekkei genkai comparable to the Sharingan.
If the Kurama Clan rose again, it wouldn't hurt to make friends early.
"Begin."
Neji formed the seal of confrontation.
He didn't know why his opponent wasn't Sasuke, but it didn't matter — he intended to win regardless.
Kurama Yakumo nodded nervously.
Neji's reputation was intimidating, and she wasn't entirely confident.
But Kitazawa had said she could win — so she would try.
"Match, start!"
At Kitazawa's signal, Neji immediately activated his Byakugan.
In an instant, Yakumo's chakra flow became visible to him — and what he saw made his pupils contract sharply.
"What—?"
A vast, overwhelming concentration of Yin Release chakra swirled within her small body, sending a chill down his spine.
"Be careful!"
Without hesitation, Yakumo tore open a prepared painting.
A wave of searing heat erupted as a blazing inferno surged across the field.
The temperature soared; sweat beaded on Neji's brow.
"What Fire Style is this?"
Sasuke's expression tightened.
The scope and intensity already surpassed his Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu or Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
"Yakumo's so strong!"
Naruto finally understood why Kitazawa had chosen her.
"Something's off," murmured Nara Shikamaru. "She didn't form any hand seals."
Ino, Shino, and the others were stunned.
Even Hyuga Hinata watched, wide-eyed, as her cousin struggled just to dodge.
A "genius" like him — this powerless?
"Damn it!"
Neji darted through the flames, trying to close in — but midway, Yakumo unfurled another painting.
BOOM!
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and several lightning bolts came crashing down!
Forced to stop, Neji leapt back to avoid the strikes.
Yakumo didn't relent — she pulled out a third painting.
Wild gusts burst forth, turning into countless invisible wind kunai that whistled through the air.
"Fire, Lightning, and Wind… what is she?!"
The first-year students were dumbfounded.
Even Sasuke began to wonder — is she really our age?
"It's a bloodline limit!"
Shikamaru's eyes lit up. "She's from the Kurama Clan — their legendary genjutsu bloodline that rivals the Sharingan!"
Sasuke stiffened in disbelief.
Comparable to the Sharingan? Impossible!
But seeing Yakumo's overwhelming power, he couldn't deny how terrifying this kekkei genkai was.
"No wonder their clan once rivaled the Uchiha…"
Even Nara Shikaku looked shaken.
As a jōnin, he could see more than the kids — and what he saw was monstrous.
"This is the Illusion Manifestation Technique," Hiruzen murmured.
Even he was surprised by Yakumo's display.
This bloodline limit had immense potential.
"There's really a kekkei genkai like that?"
Shikaku muttered. Genjutsu was illusion — fake by nature. Yet hers made illusions real.
Facing her without intel meant certain defeat.
And indeed — Hyuga Neji was overwhelmed.
He couldn't counterattack; dodging alone pushed him to the limit.
Kitazawa silently thought — this is practically a new law of ninjutsu.
With enough paintings, Yakumo was invincible.
"Someone's cheating," sighed Yūhi Kurenai.
She already knew Yakumo's genjutsu was extraordinary, but seeing it firsthand was still crushing.
As a normal genjutsu user, she suddenly felt the ninja world's cruelty — once a clan awakened a bloodline limit, they easily surpassed her.
"..."
Mizuki felt personally victimized.
He hadn't won a single match all day — even his ace student Neji was demolished by a frail-looking girl.
"What kind of nightmare is this?" he muttered bitterly.
"Winner: Kurama Yakumo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "I declare Class 1-A the winners of this friendship match!"
"We won!"
The first-years erupted into cheers.
Neji stood frozen, breathing heavily.
Hiruzen's words didn't seem real — he had lost, just like that?
Who was the real genius here?
He touched the cursed seal on his forehead.
Was this truly his fate?
Mizuki collapsed to the ground.
He'd lost too badly to even feel resentment — only confusion.
How can Class 1-A have so many prodigies?
Then realization struck — Kitazawa tricked me!
This whole match had been his trap from the start.
Of course, Mizuki ignored the fact that he had agreed to the match himself.
Blaming Kitazawa was easier.
If given the chance, he'd kill him without hesitation.
[Current Mission: Defeat Class 2-A in the Friendship Match.]
[Reward: Gentle Fist — Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.]
[Mission Complete. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa's lips curved upward.
Finally — the reward he'd been waiting for.
With Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher and now Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, all he needed was Rotation, and his power would rival Hyuga Hiashi's.
After all, his system taught every jutsu at max proficiency.
Hiashi could train his whole life and still not match Kitazawa's understanding.
Now this is real cheating.
"Kitazawa."
Hiruzen approached. "I'll be returning to my office. Come see me once you're done here."
Nearby teachers looked on enviously — a clear sign that the Hokage intended to reward him.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Kitazawa bowed respectfully.
After Hiruzen and Shikaku left, the students cheered even louder.
"Mizuki."
Kitazawa walked up to him. "You lost, so you owe me a favor."
"What kind of favor?"
Suppressing his killing intent, Mizuki asked flatly.
"Simple," Kitazawa smiled. "Be my escort next weekend. We'll take on a mission outside the village."
Mizuki's eyes widened.
Outside the village — just the two of them?
A perfect opportunity.
"I accept."
He smiled darkly.
Exactly what Kitazawa wanted.
After all, in the original timeline, Mizuki had once slaughtered his own teammates.
Kitazawa turned, noticing Neji approaching Hinata.
"Lady Hinata, I wish to challenge you," Neji said calmly.
"N-Neji-niisan, I…" Hinata stammered.
Kitazawa was about to intervene when text flashed before his eyes:
[As class representative, you should not back down from challenges.]
[Current Mission: Help your deskmate Hyuga Hinata defeat Hyuga Neji.]
[Reward: Eight Trigrams Palm — Rotation.]
[Accept mission?]
"Neji," Kitazawa said aloud, "Hinata only recently awakened her Byakugan. You've trained an extra year — how about you two spar next term?"
"I'll listen to Teacher Kitazawa," Hinata said quickly, relieved.
"That's fair," Neji nodded and turned away.
"Don't worry," Kitazawa told Hinata with a grin. "I'll train you myself."
After saying goodbye to Kurenai, he headed toward the Hokage's office — best not to keep the Hokage waiting.
Hokage's Office
After receiving permission, Kitazawa entered.
"Kitazawa," Hiruzen greeted warmly. "Today's friendship match was full of surprises — you and Class 1-A impressed me."
If only Naruto and Sasuke had improved, it wouldn't have meant much.
But even the civilian students had shown remarkable progress — especially Haruno Sakura.
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Hokage," Kitazawa said humbly.
"Don't be modest," Hiruzen waved a hand. "You're easily the finest instructor in the academy."
Kitazawa thanked him again.
"The Teacher of the Year selection hasn't even started," Hiruzen continued, "but I can already promise — the title is yours."
A clear reward — but not the only one.
"I also want you to take over the school's Academic Affairs Department," he added.
That meant managing teachers, curriculums, and student assessments — essentially, the school's chief administrator.
A major promotion.
Kitazawa was pleased — it meant stability and protection under Hiruzen's authority.
"You're a Special Jōnin now," Hiruzen said thoughtfully. "You should have an A-rank jutsu. Go to the Ninjutsu Archive with Koharu later and select one."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
This time, Kitazawa's gratitude was genuine — A-rank techniques were incredibly rare, even among jōnin.
"You may go."
Hiruzen nodded with a smile — this was a well-earned exception.
Partly because of Kitazawa's value, and partly… for Naruto's sake.
Just as Hiruzen turned back to his paperwork, the office door burst open.
He looked up — and met Shimura Danzo's cold, single eye.
Hiruzen's good mood evaporated instantly.
"Hiruzen."
Danzo's tone was sharp. "I heard Kurama Yakumo awakened her bloodline limit."
"Your information travels fast," Hiruzen said coolly.
"The Kurama bloodline rivals the Sharingan. I want her in Root — under my personal supervision."
"Absolutely not."
Hiruzen didn't even hesitate.
"Hiruzen," Danzo pressed, narrowing his eye, "her power is dangerous. She must be guided properly."
"I already have capable teachers handling that," Hiruzen replied.
"Kitazawa and Kurenai aren't qualified," Danzo retorted. "Yakumo's ability could be used to counter the Uchiha."
"Enough!"
Hiruzen's tone hardened. "The Uchiha are Leaf shinobi. They are not your enemies!"
"Our teacher once said the Uchiha are inherently dangerous," Danzo argued. "We must be prepared."
"I said no!"
Hiruzen's eyes blazed. "This discussion is over!"
"Remember Danzo, I'm the Hokage!"
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Danzo stormed out, slamming the door behind him.