The Jonin meeting concluded.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen left, Kitazawa was immediately surrounded. Many Jonin approached him with questions, their tone filled with curiosity and concern.
For example, they wanted to know what the conditions were to become a teacher in the Genius Class.
Before this Jonin meeting, being a Ninja Academy teacher was undoubtedly an unappreciated profession, but now, it had suddenly become highly sought after.
Kitazawa spent nearly half an hour before he could finally extricate himself from their grasp.
Leaving the meeting room, he noticed Kabuto standing not far away.
"Kabuto, why are you here? Did your team encounter a problem?" Kitazawa walked over and asked.
"No, it's just that the three of us wanted to treat Sensei to lunch." Kabuto smiled gently and said, "After all, we'll be leaving Konoha Village tomorrow, and we won't be able to eat together for a while."
"Then let's go. It's already noon anyway." Kitazawa glanced up at the sky and agreed.
The meeting had started at nine in the morning, lasted two hours, and afterward, he had been delayed another half hour. By now, it was indeed time for lunch.
Normally, he would eat bento with Hinata, Naruto, and the others at the Ninja Academy. But since Kabuto had invited him, he couldn't refuse.
"Barbecue?" Kitazawa followed Kabuto to the barbecue restaurant.
But soon, he noticed something unusual. The entire restaurant was empty—eerily quiet.
He was a regular here and had come many times before. Business had always been good; it was never this deserted.
Kitazawa glanced at Kabuto but chose not to expose him.
"Kitazawa-sensei, this way please." Kabuto raised his hand politely and added, "We reserved a luxury private room."
Kitazawa nodded and walked forward until he reached the door of the private room. Under Kabuto's expectant gaze, he pushed it open.
"Happy Birthday, Kitazawa-sensei!" A chorus of voices rang out.
What greeted Kitazawa's eyes was a giant birthday cake. Twenty-two candles were placed on it, representing his age.
Around the cake stood Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Yakumo, Karin, and others, all smiling brightly.
"Thank you." Kitazawa smiled warmly.
Although he had somewhat expected it, he was still very happy to see this scene. His efforts over the past year had not been in vain.
Initially, when he began training Naruto and Sasuke, it was indeed for the system rewards. But humans are not plants—how can they be emotionless? After spending so much time together, real feelings naturally grew.
"Kitazawa-sensei, hurry and blow out the candles!" Naruto urged impatiently.
"Why are you more eager than Choji?" Kiba elbowed him teasingly.
"I'm not doing it for the cake!" Naruto snorted, crossing his arms. "I just want to know what birthday wish Kitazawa-sensei will make!"
"What nonsense. How can you say your birthday wish out loud?" Kiba complained.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Last time, on my birthday, I said my wish out loud."
"That's fine for you." Shikamaru yawned, hands behind his head. "Everyone already knows what your wish is anyway."
"Is it really that easy to guess?" Naruto scratched his head, puzzled.
"You're always thinking about the Hokage," Ino smirked, hands on her hips.
"That may be true, but if you want to be Hokage, you'll have to get past me first!" Kiba raised a thumb confidently. He had just learned the Hellhound technique and was practicing Fang Over Fang—his confidence was at its peak.
"The Hokage is mine," Sasuke said abruptly.
"?" Sakura instinctively turned toward him.
"Sasuke, since when are you interested in becoming Hokage?" Shikamaru also voiced the doubt in his heart.
"Nothing. I just want Naruto to taste defeat." Sasuke said calmly.
In truth, Uchiha Fugaku had mentioned it in a conversation just two days ago. Sasuke had seen the rare yearning in his father's usually stoic expression. That image left an impression.
If he could fulfill such a wish, he would surely receive praise and recognition. Thus, Sasuke had quietly set becoming Hokage as one of his goals.
"As expected of Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"But you just lost to Naruto," Kiba retorted, unable to stand his arrogance.
"The past is the past, the present is the present, and the future is the future." Sasuke's tone stiffened, but he stubbornly held his ground.
"Cough, cough." Kabuto quickly cut in, preventing things from escalating. "Kitazawa-sensei, please blow out the candles first."
"Sorry," Naruto said sheepishly. "We got carried away chatting."
Sasuke, Kiba, Shikamaru, and the others also showed embarrassed expressions.
"It's fine," Kitazawa said calmly. "Birthdays are meant to be lively."
He patted Naruto on the shoulder, stepped forward, and blew out the candles.
Clasping his hands, he closed his eyes.
Before he had the system, his only wish had been to survive safely until the end. Now, with the system, his wish had changed.
Currently, Kitazawa hoped to grow stronger and stronger—preferably, to become the strongest in the entire Ninja World.
"Alright, everyone, let's eat cake." After making his wish, Kitazawa opened his eyes.
"Kit—" Naruto almost asked what the wish was, but recalling Kiba's words, he stopped.
"Who wants the first piece of cake?" Kitazawa picked up the knife and sliced a piece.
"Me!" Choji immediately rushed to the front, raising his hand eagerly.
"Choji hasn't taken his eyes off the cake since he saw it." Shikamaru teased.
"Then it's yours." Kitazawa smiled and handed him the slice.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Choji exclaimed excitedly, taking it with both hands.
Kitazawa immediately cut out a second piece of cake. He scanned the room and noticed that timid gaze.
"Hinata." Kitazawa extended his hand and placed the cake in front of her.
"Tha—thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." Hinata was stunned for a moment, but her heart leapt with joy. She took a bite of the cake, her mouth filling with sweetness—just like her mood.
"Here you go." Kitazawa held out the third piece of cake and noticed Naruto's eager expression.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto grinned happily and ate the cake with delight.
Before long, all the cake was distributed.
Kitazawa picked up the last piece and took a bite. The taste was familiar, no different from what he remembered. It seemed that no matter which world he was in, cake didn't change much.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Akimichi Choji was the first to finish his cake. He quickly presented a gift box.
"This is my gift!" Seeing this, Naruto hurriedly pulled out his own gift box.
"Thank you." Kitazawa accepted them but didn't open them on the spot.
He soon noticed that all the gifts were wrapped in the same type of gift box. But when he received Hinata's, he was surprised—it was unusually heavy.
What could this gift be?
Suppressing his curiosity, Kitazawa collected the gift boxes one by one. He wasn't worried about mixing them up, since each one had a name written on it.
This level of organization was probably Kabuto's doing; after all, he paid the most attention to such details.
After the cake and gifts, it was officially time for lunch.
"Kitazawa-sensei, just eat today! We'll do all the grilling!" Kiba tugged Kitazawa over and seated him at the head of the table.
"That's right!" Naruto added confidently. "Kitazawa-sensei, you'll have to try my Youth Barbecue later! I guarantee it'll be hot-blooded and delicious!"
"How can barbecue be hot-blooded?" Shikamaru muttered with his usual laziness.
"Youth Barbecue will make you boil with excitement when you eat it!" Naruto declared as he placed a slice of beef onto the grill.
"Then it won't be boiling with excitement—it'll just be burning your mouth." Kitazawa smiled and teased.
The others chuckled, laughter filling the private room with warmth.
"You guys just wait!" Naruto puffed up his chest and shouted, "My Youth Barbecue will definitely fire you up!"
"We'll grill too." Ino distributed meat to Hinata and Karin, adding proudly, "Our girls' barbecue will definitely taste better!"
Byakugan!
Hinata activated her dojutsu, veins bulging around her eyes as she focused on the lamb skewer. With this, even the tiniest change in the meat wouldn't escape her sight—ensuring a perfectly grilled skewer.
Kitazawa noticed the sudden chakra fluctuation, turned instinctively, and froze with question marks in his head.
Using Byakugan… to grill meat? Who taught you that?
But, theoretically speaking, Byakugan was quite suitable for grilling. With its x-ray vision, Hinata could keep the meat at the perfect tenderness.
Meanwhile, Sasuke glanced around.
Though he had eaten barbecue before, it was always grilled by Uchiha Mikoto or Uchiha Itachi. This was his first time grilling meat himself.
Still, it wasn't a big deal. If he didn't know how, he could just copy it on the spot.
Fortunately, grilling wasn't complicated, so there was no need to activate his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Sasuke-kun, let me grill for you!" Sakura, noticing his slightly clumsy movements, quickly offered.
"No need." Sasuke said calmly, "It's just grilling, nothing special."
"Sasuke-kun's grilled meat is definitely the best!" Sakura declared without hesitation.
"Of course." Sasuke gave a small nod.
Kitazawa didn't have to wait long before a plate of grilled meat was placed in front of him.
"This is my Youth BBQ!" Naruto said proudly, pointing at a beef skewer.
Kitazawa picked it up and took a bite.
How should he describe it?
Since the restaurant's barbecue was already semi-prepared, as long as it wasn't burnt, the taste wouldn't be too bad.
"It's very tasty." Kitazawa paused, then added with a smile, "It just lacks that passionate, fiery feeling."
"Huh?" Naruto froze instantly.
Seeing his expression, the others burst into laughter.
"Kitazawa-sensei, try ours!" Ino quickly chimed in. "This was grilled by me, Hinata, Yakumo, Karin, and Izumi-senpai!"
Raising an eyebrow, Kitazawa picked up a lamb skewer grilled by Hinata.
He was curious to know what Byakugan-assisted barbecue would taste like.
He chewed slowly, and his eyes lit up slightly. The flavor was flawless—the aroma, oil, seasoning, and tenderness were all perfect.
"It's delicious." Kitazawa smiled at Hinata.
Hinata's face immediately softened in relief, her lips curling into a shy smile.
"Alright, don't just watch—eat together." Kitazawa divided the grilled meat in front of him and encouraged everyone.
"Wow, this is so salty!" Naruto took a bite of beef and yelped, mouth wide open.
Sasuke glanced sideways, his heart skipping. Suppressing his embarrassment, he discreetly offered Naruto a glass of milk.
After all… that salty skewer had been grilled by him. Though he was confident, this was his first attempt at grilling, and his timing wasn't quite right.
Luckily, no one knew which skewers were his.
"Thanks." Naruto gulped down two sips of milk, then asked, "Sasuke, where's your grilled meat?"
"It's all mixed in. I don't know which one's mine." Sasuke replied with a calm expression.
"What a shame." Naruto sighed regretfully.
"It's fine." Shikamaru yawned lazily. "You can just ask Sasuke to grill one for you later."
Sasuke's expression instantly stiffened.
"Then you'll have to wait in line!" Sakura snorted lightly, saying, "I haven't even tasted Sasuke-kun's grilled meat yet!"
"Sasuke is really popular." Kabuto adjusted his glasses and said curiously, "I want to try it too."
Sasuke just wanted to escape now. But since things had come to this, he could only grit his teeth and grill three skewers.
Luckily, he already had the experience from the first time, so the second time, while not necessarily delicious, at least it wasn't a disaster.
The BBQ ended amidst laughter and joy.
"There's something I need to tell you all."
At the entrance of the BBQ restaurant, Kitazawa spoke, "I'll be going on an external mission tomorrow and might not be back for one or two weeks."
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened instantly.
"That long?" Ino's face showed reluctance.
Hinata even instinctively took a step forward.
"Although I'm a Ninja Academy teacher, I'm also a ninja, so missions are unavoidable." Kitazawa reassured them, "You don't need to worry while I'm gone; someone will be guiding you."
"Is it Iruka-sensei?" Shino Aburame worried that Iruka wouldn't know Fire Style, which would hinder his Kikaichu mutation plan.
"No." Kitazawa said with a smile, "It's Kakashi Hatake."
"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"You know him?" Sasuke instinctively looked at him.
"He's Konoha's top technician, mastering over a thousand ninjutsu!" Naruto said with a wide smile, "He even helped me develop my Sexy Technique!"
"...?!" Sasuke's face was full of questions. That Sexy Technique was related to Kakashi?
"Sasuke, tomorrow you'll introduce Kakashi to everyone," Kitazawa instructed.
"Mhm." Sasuke nodded.
"Sasuke, do you already know this Kakashi-sensei?" Inuzuka Kiba quickly asked after hearing this.
"I've been training with him for the past two days," Sasuke replied.
"Training what?" Naruto asked curiously.
"It's a secret." Sasuke glanced at him and said confidently, "Anyway, if you don't work hard, you'll be defeated by me very soon."
"As expected of my lifelong rival!" Naruto clenched his fists and said with high spirits, "This is the burning youth! I'm going to find Might Guy-sensei to train right now!"
After saying that, he turned and ran.
Sasuke couldn't help but twitch his lips. He really wanted to say, Don't work so hard! But he had to admit, Naruto put immense pressure on him.
"I'm leaving first, goodbye everyone." Seeing this, Sasuke didn't take a lunch break and went straight to the Ninja Academy.
"Kitazawa-sensei, goodbye." Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Neji, Shikamaru, and the others bid farewell and left.
Eventually, only Hinata, Kabuto, Uchiha Izumi, and Aburame Torune remained.
"You three, gather at the village gate at 9 AM tomorrow." Kitazawa looked at Kabuto and the other two, giving his instructions.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto and the other two replied in unison.
"Hinata, is there anything else?" After Kabuto and the other two left, Kitazawa looked at Hinata and asked.
"N-no." Hinata's body trembled, and she lowered her head.
"I'll walk you back." Kitazawa smiled, patting her hair.
"Mhm." Hinata felt his large hand, and her lips curved slightly.
"Speaking of which, what gift did you give me? Why is it so heavy?" Kitazawa asked as they walked.
"It's a ninja blade." Hinata looked up, a hint of anticipation flashing in her white eyes. "I hope Kitazawa-sensei likes it."
"A ninja blade?" Kitazawa was immediately surprised.
He pulled out Hinata's gift box and opened it. A ninja blade, sheathed, appeared before him.
There were many ninja blades in the world. The most famous were the Seven Ninja Blades of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist.
The blade Hinata gave, judging by its style, was a commonly used ninja blade, slightly shorter than a samurai sword.
Kitazawa drew the blade. After a quick look, he infused it with chakra.
He immediately noticed the problem—the chakra flowed through the blade's body completely unimpeded. This was simply impossible… unless chakra metal had been incorporated.
Kitazawa realized this and couldn't help but be surprised.
Although he now had assets exceeding ten million ryō, he still couldn't bring himself to buy a chakra metal ninja blade. Because he would instantly become poorer again.
Kitazawa subconsciously looked at Hinata. Although she was the Hyuga Clan's young lady, it was impossible for her to be so extravagant as to spend ten to twenty million ryō to forge such a blade and give it to an outsider.
Undoubtedly, this had been approved by Hyuga Hiashi. Was the Hyuga Clan trying to win him over, or rather… Tsunade?
"Thank you." Kitazawa said seriously, "Teacher likes it very much."
Hinata's face broke into a smile upon hearing this.
"Let's go, my dear little Hinata." Kitazawa reached out, pinched her cheek, and said.
Hinata froze for a moment, her face flushing slightly. She quickly followed Kitazawa.
"See you next time." Kitazawa stopped at her doorstep after escorting her home.
"Kitazawa-sensei, goodbye." Hinata subconsciously looked back after entering the courtyard, but Kitazawa was no longer there.
"Are you back?" Hyuga Hiashi's voice rang out. He stood in the courtyard, gazing towards the gate.
He was pained by Hinata giving Kitazawa a ninja blade worth ten million ryō. But after today's Jonin meeting, he felt that Kitazawa was worthy of such an alliance.
After all, the Hyuga Clan wanted to establish a connection with the next Hokage through Kitazawa and Hinata. They had no direct contact with Tsunade.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)