Kitazawa walked along, wondering why Hiruzen Sarutobi had summoned him.
At least he could be sure the Third Hokage wouldn't pull out Enma and give him six staff blows in a single second—he'd done nothing wrong.
He guessed it had to be about this month's exam results; there might even be a reward.
"Go on in."
The Anbu escort stopped at the Hokage's office door.
Kitazawa nodded slightly and pushed the door open.
"You're here, Kitazawa," Hiruzen said, looking up.
"Hokage‑sama."
Kitazawa bowed at once.
"I've read your class's report card—very good," Hiruzen praised. "Your class has the highest number of students scoring over eighty in the whole Academy."
Both the written test and the practical test were marked out of 100.
The final ranking combined the two, still capped at 100.
In Hiruzen's eyes, any student scoring above eighty was Konoha's hope for the future.
"It's all thanks to your guidance, Hokage‑sama," Kitazawa said earnestly.
"No need for flattery; I've seen your work for myself," Hiruzen chuckled. "Putting Class 1‑A in your hands was clearly the right choice."
"I'll do everything I can to train them and raise a new generation that inherits the Will of Fire," Kitazawa declared.
"Excellent."
Hiruzen nodded, satisfied. "I reward and punish clearly. What would you like—money, or a jutsu?"
"I'd like a Wind Release technique," Kitazawa answered after a moment's thought.
Money was useful, but he didn't need it right now; securing a source for new jutsu mattered more.
"Go with Haru in a moment and pick out a B‑rank Wind Release jutsu," Hiruzen decided.
"Thank you, Hokage‑sama."
Kitazawa was a little shocked.
Ordinary shinobi—those without clan backing—rarely even saw a B‑rank jutsu.
Handing one out for a single monthly test was remarkably generous, a timely gift for Kitazawa; he had just received Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere, which was itself B‑rank.
"You've earned it," Hiruzen said with a smile. Then he asked, "What do you think of Naruto?"
"Naruto?" Kitazawa chose his words. "He's an upbeat, cheerful kid who values his friends."
"Naruto's parents did Konoha a great service," Hiruzen said, giving Kitazawa an appreciative look. "I hope you'll keep an eye on him—especially his studies."
He did not mention that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son; that was top‑secret, and someone of Kitazawa's current rank had no clearance.
"Understood," Kitazawa agreed without hesitation.
He already had a system quest tied to Naruto; now the Hokage had added another. A win–win—he'd win twice.
"I'll leave it to you, Kitazawa," Hiruzen said, waving him off. "Haru is waiting outside."
"Thank you, Hokage‑sama. I'll take my leave."
Recognizing the dismissal, Kitazawa turned and left.
Hiruzen watched him go, a distant look crossing his face as memories surfaced—of Minato Namikaze.
Minato had become famous in the Third Shinobi World War, but even as an Academy student he'd been Konoha's star: first in theory and first in practice, and a civilian at that. Because of his exceptional talent, he'd been apprenticed to Jiraiya, and he wasn't disappointed—he'd saved the village and led it to victory.
Hiruzen sighed. That vibrant promise was still vivid in his mind.
"Let's hope Naruto becomes the next Minato," he murmured.
Guided by Haru, Kitazawa arrived at the jutsu archive.
"All the scrolls on this shelf are B‑rank Wind‑Release techniques," Haru said, pointing.
"Take one, but don't open any scrolls on the other shelves."
"Got it."
Kitazawa scanned the shelf and locked onto Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere.
He didn't grab it immediately; he loitered a few minutes before finally picking it up.
"Memorize it, and I'll collect the scroll in a week," Haru reminded him.
"Mm."
Kitazawa stowed the scroll and went back to the Academy.
For the students, the monthly exam was over.
For a teacher, work remained.
After lunch, the faculty gathered for a meeting.
The moment Kitazawa entered, every eye turned to him—after all, he'd just been summoned by the Hokage.
"Kitazawa‑senpai!"
Iruka Umino waved excitedly. Teaching Class 1‑A alongside Kitazawa meant he shared the spotlight, and he was delighted. Beside him, Mizuki's expression shifted like an opera mask—complicated and dark.
"Congratulations, Kitazawa," Mizuki finally mustered his usual smile.
"Thanks," Kitazawa replied, then sat down.
"How did it feel meeting the Hokage?" Iruka asked enviously.
"Nothing special," Kitazawa shrugged. "It's not my first time."
The deadliest kind of showing off is the subtle kind.
Iruka was speechless.
Mizuki clenched his fists—were it not for the setting, he'd have punched Kitazawa. In the original timeline he'd killed an injured teammate just to finish a mission, after all.
"What did the Hokage say?" Iruka pressed.
"He praised Class 1‑A's results," Kitazawa paused, "and gave me a B‑rank Wind Release jutsu."
"B‑rank?"
Iruka sucked in a breath. "Hokage‑sama is generous!"
"Work hard and you can earn rewards from him too," Kitazawa said, patting Iruka's shoulder.
"I will!" Iruka answered, fired up.
Mizuki ground his teeth. He'd produced a perfect‑score student—so where was his reward? Generous Hokage? More like blatant favoritism!
After a while Hisao Sarutobi entered, and the first thing he did was hand out the overall rankings.
Kitazawa glanced through them. The year's top ten were exactly the top ten from Class 1‑A. No surprise; they'd packed the best students into A‑class from the start.
"Now for the outstanding student representative of this month's exam," Hisao announced. "Hinata Hyuga."
Mizuki's smile froze. The first two words had sent him soaring with joy; the last two dropped him into an ice cave.
"Why not Neji Hyuga?" he blurted, standing up.
"That's the Hokage's decision," Hisao replied calmly.
"But—"
Mizuki seethed with resentment. Kitazawa had more exam topics—loss one. He'd been summoned by the Hokage—loss two.
Now he'd lost the honor student slot—loss three. Three losses in a month—what was the point of living anymore?
~~~
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