The Jōnin meeting finally wrapped up.
The moment Hiruzen left, Kitazawa found himself surrounded.
Several Jōnin pressed in, firing questions at him with genuine curiosity.
"What exactly are the requirements to become a teacher in the Genius Class?" one of them asked.
It was ironic—before this meeting, teaching at the Ninja Academy had been one of the least respected jobs. Now it was suddenly the hottest position in the village.
It took Kitazawa a solid half hour to extract himself from the crowd.
Stepping out of the meeting room, he immediately noticed Kabuto waiting nearby.
"Kabuto? What are you doing here? Did our squad run into trouble?" Kitazawa asked, walking over.
Kabuto shook his head with a gentle smile. "No trouble. The three of us just wanted to treat Sensei to lunch. Since we'll be leaving the village tomorrow, it might be a while before we can eat together again."
Kitazawa tilted his head back, glancing at the noon sun. "Then let's go. The timing works out anyway."
The meeting had started at nine sharp, dragged on for two hours, and with another thirty minutes of detainment afterward, it was already mealtime.
Normally, he would've shared a bento at the Academy with Hinata, Naruto, and the others. But Kabuto's invitation couldn't be refused.
"Barbecue?" Kitazawa asked as they headed toward the restaurant.
But as soon as they stepped inside, he noticed something odd.
The place was deserted. Not a single customer.
Strange. He had come here plenty of times, and business was always lively. An empty barbecue shop was unheard of.
He gave Kabuto a sidelong glance but didn't call him out.
"This way, Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto said smoothly, raising his hand toward the back. "We reserved the luxury private room."
Kitazawa followed, stopping before the ornate door.
Under Kabuto's eager gaze, he pushed it open—
"Happy birthday, Kitazawa-sensei!"
A chorus of voices rang out.
Inside, a massive cake dominated the room. Twenty-two candles burned brightly, marking his twenty-second birthday.
Surrounding the cake were familiar faces—Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Yakumo, Karin, and several others.
Kitazawa smiled, warmth blooming in his chest.
"Thank you."
He'd suspected something was up, but seeing it in person still filled him with joy.
All his efforts over the past year hadn't been in vain.
At first, when he'd started training Naruto and Sasuke, it had been for the sake of the system's rewards. But people weren't plants—time spent together forged bonds.
"Kitazawa-sensei, hurry up and blow out the candles!" Naruto urged impatiently.
"Why are you more excited than Choji?" Kiba elbowed him with a smirk.
"I'm not doing this for the cake!" Naruto huffed. "I just want to know what birthday wish Sensei will make!"
"What are you saying, idiot? You're not supposed to tell anyone your wish!" Kiba scolded.
"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "But I said mine out loud on my last birthday."
"That's different," Shikamaru sighed, hands tucked behind his head. "Everyone already knows what your wish is anyway."
"Really? Is my wish that obvious?" Naruto scratched his head.
"You're always talking about being Hokage," Ino teased with a grin.
"Tch. If you want that title, you'll have to get past me first!" Kiba declared boldly.
"The Hokage will be mine," Sasuke cut in flatly.
Sakura's eyes widened. "Sasuke-kun… since when did you care about the Hokage position?"
Shikamaru echoed her confusion. "Yeah, that's out of the blue."
"It's nothing," Sasuke said, face calm. "I just want Naruto to know what defeat feels like."
In truth, his father's words a few nights ago had lingered in his heart. For Fugaku to show such open yearning had been unusual, and Sasuke wanted to earn that recognition.
"As expected of Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's eyes sparkled.
"But you literally just lost to Naruto," Kiba shot back.
"The past is the past. The present is the present. The future is the future," Sasuke said stiffly.
Kabuto coughed to interrupt before it escalated. "Sensei, perhaps you should blow out the candles first?"
"Right, sorry! We got carried away," Naruto admitted quickly.
The others looked sheepish.
Kitazawa waved it off. "It's fine. Birthdays are meant to be lively."
Patting Naruto on the shoulder, he stepped forward, clasped his hands, and blew out the candles.
Once, before he'd received the system, his wish had been simple: survive.
Now? He wished to grow stronger and stronger—strong enough to stand at the very top of the shinobi world.
He opened his eyes with a faint smile. "Alright, let's eat some cake."
Naruto bit back his question about the wish, remembering Kiba's warning.
"Who's getting the first piece?" Kitazawa asked, knife poised.
"Me!" Choji's hand shot up instantly, his eager face already glowing.
"Choji's been staring at it since we walked in," Shikamaru teased.
Kitazawa chuckled. "Then it's yours." He passed over the first slice.
"Thank you, sensei!" Choji beamed.
The next piece, Kitazawa handed to Hinata, catching her shy gaze.
"Here, Hinata."
Her cheeks reddened as she accepted it. "Th-thank you, Kitazawa-sensei…"
The sweetness on her tongue matched the flutter in her heart.
The third slice went straight to Naruto, who grinned ear to ear.
Soon the cake was gone, save for Kitazawa's own piece. He took a bite—tastes didn't change much between worlds, it seemed.
Then came the gifts. One by one, the students offered neatly wrapped boxes. Choji's, Naruto's… even Iruka's, surprisingly heavy. Each had a name written, no doubt Kabuto's careful handiwork.
After cake came the real meal.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you just sit and eat! We'll do the grilling!" Kiba announced, dragging him to the seat of honor.
"That's right!" Naruto chimed in. "Wait till you taste my Youth Barbecue—it'll be hot-blooded and delicious!"
Shikamaru groaned. "How can barbecue be hot-blooded?"
"It makes your spirit boil with excitement!" Naruto declared, slapping a piece of beef on the grill.
"More like it'll just burn your tongue," Kitazawa joked.
Laughter rippled through the room.
"You'll see!" Naruto puffed up. "My Youth Barbecue will fire you up!"
Ino wasn't about to be outdone. "Come on, girls, let's show them what real barbecue tastes like!" She handed skewers to Hinata and Karin.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, the veins around her eyes bulging as she monitored every change in the lamb's texture.
Kitazawa's face froze. Byakugan… for grilling meat? Who even came up with that?
But, admittedly, it was effective. With that precision, she could keep the meat perfectly tender.
Meanwhile, Sasuke—unused to grilling for himself—watched carefully, prepared to copy anyone's movements if needed. No Sharingan required.
"Sasuke-kun, let me help you!" Sakura chirped.
"No need," he said coolly, though a little awkward.
"Sasuke-kun's barbecue will be the best anyway!" she declared.
"Of course," Sasuke replied without missing a beat.
Not long after, Naruto proudly placed a skewer before Kitazawa. "This is my Youth BBQ!"
Kitazawa bit into it. The restaurant's meat was already semi-prepared, so unless burnt, it wasn't bad.
"It's tasty," he admitted, then added with a teasing smile, "but it's missing that… fiery passion."
"Eh?!" Naruto froze, dumbstruck.
The room erupted with laughter once again.
"Kitazawa-sensei, please try our grilled meat!"
Ino leaned forward proudly. "This one was made by me, Hinata, Yakumo, Karin, and Izumi-senpai!"
Kitazawa raised a brow, curious. He deliberately picked up one of Hinata's lamb skewers.
I wonder what lamb grilled under the Byakugan looks like in taste…
The moment he bit in, his eyes lit up.
The aroma, seasoning, and tenderness were perfect—impeccable, even.
"It's delicious," he said with a smile toward Hinata.
Hinata immediately exhaled in relief, her lips curving into a shy but genuine smile.
"Alright, don't just watch me. Dig in, everyone." Kitazawa divided the skewers in front of him.
"Whoa—salty!" Naruto yelped after biting into a beef skewer, his cheeks puffing like a blowfish.
Sasuke's heart lurched. His gaze flickered, and with forced calm he quietly slid a glass of milk over.
That one had been his. His first attempt at grilling, and the salt had clearly gotten away from him.
Luckily, nobody else had noticed.
"Thanks." Naruto gulped the milk down, then blinked at Sasuke. "Hey, where's your grilled meat?"
"It's mixed in. No idea which one's mine," Sasuke replied smoothly.
"Aw, what a waste." Naruto sighed, looking genuinely disappointed.
"Not really," Shikamaru drawled. "You can just have him make another one later."
Sasuke's expression froze.
"Then line up!" Sakura cut in quickly, folding her arms. "I haven't even tasted Sasuke-kun's grilled meat yet!"
"…Sasuke seems popular," Kabuto murmured, adjusting his glasses with interest. "I'd like to try it too."
At that point, Sasuke wished the floor would swallow him. But cornered, he reluctantly started grilling again.
This time, with his first attempt behind him, the results weren't half-bad. Not exactly restaurant quality, but at least edible.
The barbecue continued with laughter and lighthearted banter, until the plates were clean.
At the entrance, Kitazawa turned to the group. "There's something I need to tell you all. I'll be leaving on a mission tomorrow. It might be a week or two before I'm back."
"What?!" Naruto's eyes widened.
"That long?" Ino frowned, clearly reluctant.
Hinata even took an involuntary step forward, her pale eyes trembling.
Kitazawa softened his tone. "Even though I'm your teacher, I'm also a shinobi. Missions are unavoidable. Don't worry—someone else will guide you while I'm gone."
"Is it Iruka-sensei?" Shino asked quietly. He worried Iruka's lack of Fire Style might hinder his kikaichū experiments.
Kitazawa shook his head with a smile. "No. It's Hatake Kakashi."
"Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto practically bounced.
"You know him?" Sasuke asked, surprised at Naruto's reaction.
"Of course! He's Konoha's Copy Ninja, a master of over a thousand jutsu!" Naruto beamed. "He even helped me develop my sexy jutsu!"
"…What?!" Sasuke stared, utterly dumbfounded. That ridiculous jutsu… connected to Kakashi?
Kitazawa ignored the odd tangent. "Sasuke, tomorrow you'll introduce Kakashi to the others."
"Mm." Sasuke nodded.
Kiba immediately perked up. "Wait, Sasuke—you already know him?"
"I've been training with him these past two days."
"Training what?" Naruto asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"That's a secret." Sasuke gave him a cool glance. "But if you don't work harder, you'll be eating my dust very soon."
"As expected of my eternal rival!" Naruto clenched his fists, full of energy. "This is youth burning hot! I'm going straight to Gai-sensei for training!"
He sprinted off, leaving everyone stunned.
Sasuke twitched his lips, tempted to yell after him don't overdo it! But he couldn't deny it—Naruto's relentless drive put heavy pressure on him.
"I'm heading out too." Without lingering for a break, Sasuke waved and left for the Academy.
One by one, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, and the others said their goodbyes until only Hinata, Kabuto, Izumi, and Torune remained.
"You three—meet me at the village gate at nine tomorrow," Kitazawa instructed.
"Yes, sensei," they answered in unison before departing.
That left only Hinata.
"Hm? Still here?" Kitazawa tilted his head at her.
"N-no…" Hinata flinched slightly, lowering her gaze.
Kitazawa chuckled, patting her hair gently. "I'll walk you home then."
Her lips curved faintly at the warmth of his hand. "Mm."
As they walked, Kitazawa asked curiously, "By the way, your gift… why's it so heavy?"
"It's a ninja blade," Hinata said softly, her pale eyes shining with quiet anticipation. "I… hope sensei likes it."
Kitazawa blinked. "A ninja blade?"
He pulled out the box and opened it. Inside lay a short, sheathed blade, more compact than a standard katana.
Drawing it, he infused it with chakra—and froze.
The chakra flowed perfectly, without resistance.
Impossible… unless it's chakra metal.
Realization hit him. Chakra metal weapons cost a fortune—ten to twenty million ryō. Even with his current wealth, he'd never splurge on one.
For Hinata to gift him such a blade… there was no way she had done it without her clan head's approval.
So this is Hiashi's doing. An investment, perhaps… trying to tie the Hyūga closer to me, or even Tsunade.
Kitazawa closed the blade carefully, then met Hinata's eyes. "Thank you. I like it very much."
Hinata's face lit up in a radiant smile.
"Let's go, my dear little Hinata," Kitazawa teased, pinching her cheek.
Hinata froze, cheeks turning pink, before hurrying to keep up with him.
At her gate, Kitazawa stopped. "See you next time."
Hinata slipped inside, but instinctively turned back. Kitazawa was already gone.
"Back already?"
Her father's voice cut through the quiet. Hiashi stood in the courtyard, eyes on the gate.
He was pained by the extravagant gift—worth millions—but after today's Jōnin meeting, he no longer regretted it.
Kitazawa was worth the investment.
Through him, the Hyūga might secure a bond with the future Hokage—something they couldn't manage directly with Tsunade.
--------------------------------
'Naruto : No System Shinobi'
Transmigrated to a Normal Shinobi - Check
No System - Check
Realistic Progression - Check
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