Kitazawa finished in no time.
He breezed through the test in under an hour.
Well, no surprise there—he had the answers in advance.
Hard not to be fast when you're basically running with a cheat sheet.
After double-checking to make sure everything was perfect, he set the paper aside.
With a guaranteed perfect score, there was no way anyone was taking first place from him.
He looked up at the rest of the class.
Most students were focused and quiet. A few were clearly struggling—scratching their heads, shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
His eyes landed on Nara Shikamaru.
Normally, Shikamaru half-assed these exams—write a bit, nap a bit, no real effort.
But today? He was sitting upright, completely locked in, expression serious.
If Shikaku had walked in right now, he'd probably think he was caught in a genjutsu.
There was no other explanation for seeing his son take a test this seriously.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
Everyone knew the Nara clan had brains.
They're natural tacticians—sharp in fights, sharp with plans.
So, what happens when all that intelligence gets applied to a test?
Would Shikamaru actually ace this thing?
Kitazawa figured it was possible.
Shikamaru had to know he wasn't placing top 3 in the practical exam tomorrow.
If he wanted to avoid bombing the whole thing, the theory test was where he had to shine.
Time passed.
Before long, the clock hit eleven.
"All right, that's it. Pencils down. Stay in your seats."
Kitazawa stood and started collecting the papers from the first row.
Once he was done, he walked out of the classroom without saying another word.
"Yo, Naruto."
Inuzuka Kiba leaned over. "How'd you do?"
"No idea," Naruto said confidently. "But I finished every question. I might even grab first place!"
"Hope your dreams come true, man."
Kiba snorted. Looked like Naruto was paying for snacks again.
"What about you, Shikamaru?"
Ino turned to him. "Your score decides whether I beat Sakura or not."
"Wait, you think he's gonna outscore me?"
Sakura overheard and jumped in. "He's always in the twenties on these tests."
"Grades don't matter. Summer break does."
Shikamaru yawned, not interested in their little drama.
Today was probably the first time in his life he actually overused his brain.
All because he was betting it all on avoiding summer combat training.
"Perfect."
Ino, knowing how Shikamaru thinks, was instantly reassured.
"Perfect? What are you even talking about?"
Sakura huffed. "You better get your wallet ready, Ino. Once this is over, we're going shopping."
"Gladly. Hope you're ready to eat your words," Ino smiled.
"You're so smug now," Sakura muttered, then turned to Sasuke with a completely different tone.
"Sasuke-kun, wanna go shopping the day after tomorrow?"
"No time."
Sasuke didn't even look at her. He got up and left the classroom.
Tomorrow was the practical exam. School was out this afternoon, and he planned to go home and keep practicing his Fire Jutsu.
Too bad both his dad and brother were working. Otherwise, he'd ask them for tips.
No matter. He'd just win first place first—then go see them.
…
At the staff office
Kitazawa got back to his desk, dropped the test papers, and formed a hand seal.
Poof.
His shadow clone appeared.
"Grade these."
Then the real Kitazawa left the academy and made his way to the Konoha Hospital director's office.
…
At Konoha Hospital
"Tsunade-sama and Shizune aren't here yet," said Yakushi Nono, thinking for a moment.
"If you don't mind, I could teach you in the meantime."
"Mind? I'd be honored," Kitazawa said quickly. "But will it mess up your schedule, Director?"
"You don't need to call me 'Director.' Just 'Senpai'—like Shizune does."
Nono smiled. "Back in the day, I had the privilege of attending one of Tsunade-sama's lectures."
Kitazawa paused, then understood.
During the Second Shinobi War, Tsunade had suggested assigning a medic to every team to cut down on casualties.
But due to resource limitations—and the difficulty of training medics—it didn't happen right away.
Later, Konoha set up a medical ninja training program, and Tsunade had taught a few classes before she left the village.
"I can teach you while I work," Nono said, calm and confident. "Won't be a problem."
"Thanks, Senpai."
Kitazawa caught the confidence in her tone and nodded sincerely.
"Come with me," Nono said, walking ahead. "Poison cases are common. We just got a special jōnin in today."
"What kind of poison?" Kitazawa asked.
"Snake venom. Applied to a senbon," she replied after a beat.
Senbon—long needles—were a common ninja weapon.
To make them more lethal, poison was often added.
They arrived at the operating room.
"Wait, you?" Kitazawa blinked. "Shiranui-senpai?"
Not that Shiranui. This was Shiranui Genma, who once guarded the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
He'd even learned the Flying Thunder Formation—a weaker, three-person version of Flying Thunder God.
It was too situational for combat but useful for transporting supplies or people.
But those days were long gone.
After Minato died, Genma returned to being a regular special jōnin.
Kitazawa called him senpai since he was one year older.
"Aba… aba…" Genma mumbled, his words completely garbled.
"Your mouth's numb?" Kitazawa asked, checking him over.
Genma nodded.
"You two can talk after the treatment," Nono said firmly.
"Not like he can talk now anyway," Kitazawa shrugged.
"What do I do?"
"Grab serum No. 7 from that shelf."
Nono put on surgical gloves.
Genma stared in disbelief.
Wait—wasn't Kitazawa a schoolteacher? What's he doing assisting in a medical operation?
But the real shock came next.
"Kitazawa, do you know anesthetic jutsu?"
"If so, numb his tongue and mouth."
"I got it."
Kitazawa raised a hand and cast the jutsu effortlessly.
Genma's face was all question marks.
Why does this guy act like medical ninjutsu is no big deal?!
"Get ready for the Blood Coagulation technique."
Nono smiled. "Same as yesterday. Don't stress."
I AM stressed!
Genma's pupils shrank.
He'd officially become a living training dummy.
Half an hour later…
The surgery was a success.
"Finally—I can talk—ah crap, ow!"
Genma sat up, only to clutch his jaw in pain.
"You just had surgery. Rest for two days," Kitazawa reminded him.
Medical jutsu helped, but it wasn't a miracle. The body still needed time to bounce back.
"I'm… okay. Sort of."
Genma couldn't contain his curiosity.
"Seriously though, how do you know medical ninjutsu?"
"I learned it," Kitazawa said like it was no big deal.
Genma winced.
Why does he make it sound so easy?
Sealing, medical, and genjutsu were among the hardest jutsu out there—especially the first two.
"Kitazawa's a natural. He's only been learning for two weeks," Nono added with a smile.
"What?!"
Genma froze.
"So how'd you end up poisoned by your own senbon?" Kitazawa asked.
"Isn't that your specialty?"
"…It's a long story."
Genma looked awkward.
"Then make it short."
"Fine." Genma cleared his throat.
"I accidentally stabbed myself with one."
Kitazawa instantly got the picture.
Genma loved chewing on senbon…
This time, he forgot it was poisoned. Slurp.
"Come in," Nono called out, opening the door.
Two nurses entered.
"Kitazawa."
Before being wheeled out, Genma asked,
"Are you training under Director Nono?"
"Nope."
Kitazawa shook his head. "I'm learning from Tsunade-sama."
"???"
Genma was stunned.
He didn't know the full story, but it was clear: Kitazawa was headed straight for greatness.
He let out a deep sigh.
He used to have that shot too.
Normally, becoming the Hokage's bodyguard meant you were on track to be part of the village leadership.
Just look at Homura and Koharu—once guards to the Second Hokage, now top advisors.
But when Minato died and Hiruzen took over again, Genma was pushed aside.
Naturally, the old man relied on his original circle.
…
"Sorry I'm late!"
Shizune burst into the room.
"It's fine. I understand," Kitazawa said.
She was surprised—and touched.
Finally, someone who got it.
With Shizune now handling things, Nono went off to take care of other duties.
Time passed quickly as Kitazawa continued practicing.
Before long, the sun was setting.
"I'd better go pull Tsunade-sama out of the casino," Shizune said with a resigned look.
If she didn't, Tsunade would gamble till midnight and miss their new jutsu meeting.
"All right. I need to head back to school anyway," Kitazawa replied.
He wanted to check the theory scores for Class 1-A and Class 2-A.
His clone was still watching over 1-A.
As for 2-A, he'd left it in Terai and Yamada Isamu's hands.
"Thanks for everything today, Senpai."
Kitazawa turned to Nono, looking sincere.
"No problem."
Nono nodded. "The more skilled medics in Konoha, the better for all of us."
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Kitazawa, already near the entrance, opened it.
"Class 2-A's theory test results," Terai said, deadpan, handing over the sheet.
Nono's face changed slightly.
Kitazawa was surprised too—he hadn't expected Terai to come deliver it in person.
How did he know I was even here? Root intel?
"Thanks," Kitazawa said, accepting the report.
"Just doing my job." Terai gave a small nod and left.
Kitazawa glanced over the scores.
As expected—Neji was first, followed by Tenten.
Rock Lee… total disaster. Classic athlete.
"He is a teacher at your academy?" Nono asked.
"Yeah. Just transferred last month."
"He's Root," she said quietly. "You should be careful."
"Thanks for the heads-up."
Kitazawa hadn't expected the warning, but it wasn't surprising. Root was practically a myth to most villagers.
"Don't worry."
He smiled. "With the Hokage and Tsunade-sama behind me, he won't stir up trouble."
And realistically, Terai wasn't even close to his level now.
"I figured."
Nono pieced things together quickly.
If Hiruzen and Tsunade were backing Kitazawa, there was nothing to worry about.
A flicker of envy crossed her face.
If only I'd had that kind of support… I wouldn't have had to fear Danzo.
"Senpai, how do you know so much about Root?" Kitazawa asked, already knowing the answer.
"I used to be one of them."
She didn't hide it—no reason to. Kitazawa would've found out eventually, especially under Tsunade's wing.
"That explains a lot."
Kitazawa gave her a nod of respect and stepped out into the evening.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!