Kitazawa had one fewer class today than yesterday.In the morning, he taught Will of Fire, and in the afternoon, it was Practical Combat.
After finishing his classes, Kitazawa returned to the office.He casually picked up the assignments on his desk and began reading through them.
The practical combat class had no homework—only Konoha History and Will of Fire did.Neither assignment was particularly difficult. Everyone passed, and a few stood out as exceptionally well done.
What surprised Kitazawa was that Uzumaki Naruto was among those few.
It seemed his teaching had actually worked.
This wasn't Kitazawa bragging. In the original story, Naruto was the absolute dead last—the so-called class bottom feeder, terrible at both theory and practice.
Time soon came for the final class of the day: Practical Combat.
"Today's lesson is still kunai throwing,"Kitazawa said, standing before the students."Those who haven't mastered it yet will continue practicing. Those who already have may move freely."
At once, many students lit up—especially the clan geniuses led by Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru.
After all, free activity basically meant no class.
"Damn it! I miscalculated!"Inuzuka Kiba froze on the spot, lamenting loudly."If I'd known, I would've used my real strength yesterday!"
"Today, I'll definitely hit the bullseye!"Naruto clenched his fist with determination.
He had already received Kitazawa's snack reward ahead of time yesterday.If he still hadn't mastered it today, that would be way too embarrassing.
Hyuga Hinata glanced at Kitazawa.
After a moment of thought, she decided to stay and continue practicing kunai throwing—even though she had already mastered it long ago.
"This teacher is really something. I like him,"Shikamaru said, finding a patch of grass and lying down comfortably with his hands behind his head.
"Yeah,"Akimichi Choji agreed as he sat beside him, pulling out a bag of chips and crunching away.
"Sasuke-kun!"Haruno Sakura dashed over like the wind and asked eagerly,"Can you teach me that curving kunai technique from yesterday?"
"I don't have time,"Sasuke replied coldly, rejecting her without hesitation.
Without even looking at her, he walked toward the far side of the training ground.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Sasuke formed seals with both hands. Chakra surged, condensing into a fireball about the size of a fist in midair.
Disappointment crept onto his face.
Everyone called him a genius—but compared to his brother, Uchiha Itachi, he felt painfully average.
His brother could fully master the Great Fireball Technique after seeing it once.Sasuke couldn't.
"Why… why is this happening?"Sasuke grit his teeth.
He just wanted to learn it as soon as possible—to earn praise from his father and his brother.
Whenever he imagined that scene, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift.
But unfortunately, it was all just a fantasy.
"Your chakra control is the problem."
A sudden voice sounded behind him.
Sasuke turned around and saw Kitazawa.
He froze for a moment. Something flickered in his eyes before quickly returning to calm.
To him, Kitazawa was just an ordinary chunin instructor—not even an Uchiha.What could he possibly know about the Great Fireball Technique?
Sasuke didn't think he had any real skill.
"Come with me,"Kitazawa said, seeing through Sasuke's thoughts.
He wasn't surprised. Pride was practically written into the Uchiha bloodline.
But a rare opportunity to complete a task had appeared—and Kitazawa didn't intend to let it slip away.
"Where are we going?"Sasuke asked suspiciously.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Kitazawa led him to a quiet, secluded training area on school grounds.
Just as Sasuke was about to speak, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw next.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Kitazawa went all out, exhaling a massive, roaring fireball.
What stunned Sasuke was that this fireball was even larger than the one his brother Itachi used.
It completely shattered his understanding of reality.
"Want to learn?"Kitazawa smiled at Sasuke's stunned expression."I'll teach you."
Although the Great Fireball Technique was a signature Uchiha jutsu,it was simple to learn and powerful, so many non-Uchiha ninja knew it as well.
That included Kitazawa's already-deceased "cheap" teacher.
Because of that, Kitazawa didn't need to worry about anyone questioning where he'd learned it.
It took Sasuke a long while to recover.
If he could use a fireball that big,his father and brother would definitely look at him in a new light.
"Kitazawa-sensei, I want to learn,"Sasuke said firmly, his eyes shining.
At this point, he wasn't yet the withdrawn Sasuke from the original story,so he didn't bother putting on airs.
"To master the Great Fireball Technique, you need to focus on two things,"Kitazawa said with a gentle smile."First, chakra control. Second, chakra nature transformation."
The original story never explained how Fire Release nature transformation was trained,but it did explain Wind Release training—shown when Naruto learned from Sarutobi Asuma.
Step one: cut a leaf with Wind Release.Step two: cut a waterfall.Step three: apply the nature transformation to actual ninjutsu.
"For now, chakra nature transformation is too early for you,"Kitazawa said, pointing at a nearby tree."I'll start by teaching you how to improve chakra control.Concentrate chakra in your feet and climb that tree."
The Great Fireball Technique also involved chakra shape transformation,but as a C-rank jutsu, it wasn't complicated—just make it bigger and rounder.
"That's it?"Sasuke asked, doubtful.
"Go try it,"Kitazawa said with a smile, saying nothing more.
He remembered that in the original story, Sasuke failed his first attempt at tree climbing—and that was after graduation.Now, having just enrolled, it would probably be even worse.
"I'll climb it in one go!"Sasuke snorted, sensing Kitazawa's doubt, and walked to the tree.
He channeled chakra to his feet and stepped onto the trunk, moving upward.
"This is pretty easy—"He smirked after a couple of steps.
But celebrating too early never ended well.
Halfway up the tree, Sasuke's expression changed—and he fell straight down.
"Well?"Kitazawa asked with a grin.
"I–it's the bark! It's too slippery!"Sasuke retorted stubbornly, his face red.
He struggled to his feet, took a deep breath, and tried again.
[Current Task: Gain the initial recognition of your classmate Uchiha Sasuke.][Task Reward: Fire Release · Phoenix Flower Technique.][Task Complete. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
Tsk. Tsunderes really have fallen out of the meta.
A flood of information instantly appeared in his mind.
Watching Sasuke continue to practice tree climbing, Kitazawa fell into thought.
How was he supposed to explain the origin of the jutsu rewarded by the system?
Low-level jutsu could be attributed to his fallen squad leader or teammates—dead people were convenient. No one could verify anything.
But high-level jutsu—starting from B-rank—couldn't be brushed off so easily.
There were only two legitimate ways for a ninja to obtain jutsu:being taught by a teacher, or receiving them as village rewards.
Kitazawa stroked his chin, deep in thought.
[Your lifelong rival, Uchiha Sasuke, is diligently learning Fire Release. You must not fall behind.][Current Task: Master a C-rank jutsu faster than Uchiha Sasuke.][Task Reward: Manipulating Shuriken Technique.][Accept?]
The sudden prompt made Kitazawa freeze.
Him—a mere chunin—being labeled the lifelong rival of a future savior?That was… the system clearly setting him up.
He was happy to see a new task,but this one looked simple on the surface and was anything but.
He didn't have any new jutsu to learn—even if it was only C-rank.
Should he go to Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Kitazawa rubbed his temples.
He hadn't earned any major merits yet.Showing up uninvited now would just make him look presumptuous.