"As a medical ninja, you need a vast knowledge," Kitazawa said with a smile.
While medical ninjutsu was indeed efficient and useful, no matter how convenient it seemed, a user still had to understand the human body thoroughly to apply it effectively.
On top of that, medical ninjutsu often involved poison and antidotes, meaning they also needed to be familiar with a wide range of medicinal knowledge from across the ninja world.
"..." Sakura suddenly felt a twinge of regret.
Why did becoming a medical ninja require learning so much? Wasn't it supposed to be a convenient skill?
"You want to become a medical ninja?" Sasuke looked at Kitazawa, then at Sakura, genuinely surprised.
As someone born into a ninja clan, he was well aware of how difficult medical ninjutsu was. He couldn't help but wonder—how could Kitazawa even teach it? Was he a medical ninja?
"Yes!" Sakura quickly shook off her hesitation and said excitedly, "In the future, if you ever get hurt, Sasuke-kun, I'll treat you for free!"
"..." Uchiha Sasuke was momentarily speechless.
Your intentions are good, he thought, but the way you're so happy makes it feel like you're wishing I get hurt.
"Sakura, are you sure you want to learn this?" Kitazawa asked with a chuckle.
"I'm sure!" Sakura nodded firmly.
Ino couldn't help holding her forehead. This was the first time she'd seen someone pursue medical ninjutsu for such a shallow reason.
"Women are terrifying," Shikamaru muttered under his breath.
If it were him and he had to memorize that many books, he'd probably pass out.
"Alright then, give it your all." Kitazawa took out another summoning storage scroll.
This time, he pulled out a desk and chair set, specially prepared for Sakura. Since he knew she was infatuated with Sasuke, he simply let her study right next to him. That way, it could serve as extra motivation.
"Ino, your training today is light—just continue practicing the Mind Body Switch Technique." Kitazawa thought for a moment and said.
Although the system had issued a task, he still didn't know much about the technique himself, so he planned to observe Ino's progress first.
"Okay." Ino nodded.
"You've already learned the Body Transfer Jutsu?" Shikamaru was surprised to hear that.
The Ino-Shika-Cho clans had always worked closely together and were familiar with each other's secret techniques.
From what he knew, the training requirements for their techniques were about the same.
Neither he nor Akimichi Choji had met the conditions to begin training yet, so the fact that Ino had already started caught him off guard.
"It's all thanks to Mr. Kitazawa's special training," Ino smirked. "You're starting yours now, too, so you'll definitely learn the Shadow Imitation Technique soon."
I don't want it! Shikamaru screamed internally. He had some idea of how grueling Ino's training had been—it was time-consuming and intense.
During that phase, she had practically disappeared from regular classes. The thought of doing special training all day long made Shikamaru feel like his future had just turned gloomy.
"Sasuke, how's your shuriken manipulation technique coming along?" Kitazawa asked.
"I've already mastered it," Sasuke responded confidently.
He had planned to showcase it during the friendly match against Neji, but he hadn't gotten the chance.
"I know you were a bit upset about not getting to participate on Friday," Kitazawa said, "So as a make-up, I'll teach you a B-rank Fire Jutsu today."
He paused for effect. "It's one of the jutsu you gave me—Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Sasuke's voice rose with excitement.
Damn! He had been slightly resentful, but now Kitazawa was repaying frustration with generosity—it made him feel a little ashamed.
When he got home, he was definitely going to ask his brother if there were more fire jutsu he could pass on.
"B-rank?" Shikamaru couldn't help but exclaim. Usually, only chunin or jonin were qualified to learn B-rank jutsu.
And Sasuke was starting at six years old? That was insane. You geniuses are killing me…
With that kind of talent, why are you still working so hard?
"It's fine if you didn't participate on Friday," Kitazawa reminded, "There will be a real combat test during next month's final exam."
"You want to get first place? That won't be easy."
Sasuke couldn't help but tense up. In the past, he would've been certain of victory. But now… Hinata had awakened her Byakugan. Naruto had mastered the Shadow Clone Technique. And Yakumo had inherited her illusion-based bloodline limit.
These three alone made the competition significantly harder.
"Is Yakumo participating?" Ino asked curiously. "If she does, she's definitely going to win first place in the combat exam."
"..." Sasuke opened his mouth to retort—but couldn't find anything to say.
"She probably won't," Kitazawa answered after thinking for a moment. "Her body still can't handle extended battles."
To take first place in the practical exam, multiple rounds of fighting were necessary. And that, at least, made Sasuke feel a bit more relieved.
"But just because she isn't participating this semester doesn't mean she won't next semester." Kitazawa shifted the topic and added, "She's currently undergoing treatment with Tsunade-sama."
Sasuke's expression turned serious, and his heart tensed.
Kitazawa noticed the change and couldn't help but smile inwardly. Just a few words had been enough to make this proud Uchiha nervous.
"I'll work harder," Sasuke said, taking a deep breath.
The key to securing first place lay in mastering the Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique.
It would've been easier if he had awakened his Sharingan, but he had no clue how to trigger it.
I'll ask my brother about it tonight. Sasuke made a mental note—after all, his brother was a genius. Surely he would know.
Kitazawa was about to speak again when he suddenly froze.
[The first semester is about to end. As a genius among geniuses, you must shock them all.
Current Task: Secure first place in the final exam with an overwhelming advantage.]
[Task Reward: The First Gate of the Eight Gates.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa's mouth twitched slightly. What kind of prank system is this?
But thinking about it carefully, if he really were given all Eight Gates now, he wouldn't even be able to use them properly.
The Eight Gates were a rare and extreme physical ability technique, demanding extraordinary physical strength. Without the necessary foundation, forcibly opening the gates could lead to severe injury or death.
Kitazawa guessed that only after obtaining the complete Senju clan's physique would he even consider trying it.
For now, unlocking just the First Gate would be a solid start. He recalled the function of the First Gate: it released the brain's natural limits and allowed the user to exert 100% of their physical capacity.
That kind of output couldn't be underestimated. In combat, using even 100% of one's physical ability could turn the tide of battle—it was like staying in peak condition at all times.
The only issue was the nature of the task itself. If it were the earlier monthly exams, winning would've been easy.
But the final exam was structured as a practical tournament. In other words, he'd have to actively fight against students.
He'd need to come up with a proper justification. Otherwise, people might accuse him of bullying the weak. If word got out, his reputation would take a hit.
Thankfully, he was still a teacher.
"Sasuke, I'll demonstrate it once for you." Kitazawa glanced around. "Everyone step back a bit, just in case you get scorched."
Sasuke, Hinata, and the others quickly backed away.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
Kitazawa formed the hand seals, and chakra surged through his body. In a sudden outburst, it exploded forth.
The air warped with intense heat, and three massive flame dragons soared upward, twisting and roaring under Kitazawa's precise control.
"What huge dragons!" Ino exclaimed.
"So... strong," Sasuke murmured, visibly shaken.
Even Shikamaru looked stunned. The level of mastery on display was terrifying. Just how powerful was Teacher Kitazawa, really?
In his mind, Kitazawa had always been just an ordinary ninja school teacher.
Only Hinata took it in stride. To her, after everything they'd been through, Kitazawa-sensei had become someone who could do anything.
"Here you go." Kitazawa took out the ninjutsu scroll for the Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique. "My personal notes are on it too—go over them carefully."
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Sasuke said with visible excitement.
The power of the Great Dragon Fire Technique was clearly far superior to the Great Fireball Technique. This was true B-rank firepower.
If he mastered this, the entire Uchiha clan would take notice of his strength!
Kitazawa looked at him and suddenly recalled that this very jutsu was a prerequisite for the Lightning Style: Kirin.
The Kirin was an S-rank lightning technique that Sasuke developed in the original timeline. It was regarded as the ultimate Lightning Style, but it required access to natural lightning.
Sasuke had used the Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique to create cumulonimbus clouds for it.
"My shadow clone will assist you three." Kitazawa created a clone and said, "Shikamaru, Hinata—come with me."
Hinata nodded quickly, her face filled with anticipation. Shikamaru, on the other hand, looked utterly defeated.
"Shikamaru, your training will be simple—just water-walking." Kitazawa led them toward the artificial lake at the ninja school.
They skipped tree-climbing because Shikamaru already had decent chakra control. Kitazawa had deduced this from the way he performed ninjutsu like the Clone Technique.
Though lazy by nature, Shikamaru's fundamentals were solid.
In fact, every battle he fought in the original storyline had been nearly flawless.
"Understood, Teacher Kitazawa," Shikamaru said and slowly stepped into the artificial lake.
"Hinata, let's go over there." Kitazawa brought her to a shaded spot beneath a nearby tree.
As for Shikamaru, he would deal with him later.
"Hinata, demonstrate the Soft Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms you recently learned." Kitazawa stepped back and gave her space.
"Okay," Hinata replied, a little nervous, but still complied.
Kitazawa quietly observed. He knew Hinata's shy personality made it hard for her to perform well under pressure. The best way to help her improve was consistent encouragement.
Although the system had taught him a mastery-level version of the Soft Fist and Eight Trigrams technique, he noticed plenty of flaws in Hinata's execution.
But that was normal—she had only been practicing for two days. He could help her correct everything step by step.
Whether she could surpass Hyuga Neji depended on her own determination. As far as Kitazawa was concerned, she already had everything else she needed.
And ironically, Neji, being from the branch family, wasn't even supposed to learn the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. If he had, it would've been through secret training—and progress through such means wasn't necessarily fast.