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~~~
"What kind of jutsu is that?!"
Naruto came to a screeching halt mid-charge, eyes wide as he stared at the smoking crater ahead of him.
One glance was all he needed—if he'd taken that hit head-on, it would've punched a hole clean through him.
"That's the Rasengan," Kitazawa said coolly. "A jutsu created by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
"What?!"
Naruto practically lit up. "Kitazawa-sensei! Teach me that!"
"Come see me the day after tomorrow."
Kitazawa wasn't surprised in the slightest. Naruto's number one goal was still to surpass all the Hokage who came before him.
"Called it—Kitazawa-sensei wins again."
Ino grinned. "Didn't even break a sweat."
"What was that jutsu? I've never seen it before—but damn, it looked powerful!"
Kiba was clearly more interested in the Rasengan itself than the outcome of the fight.
"And there weren't any hand seals," Shino added with curiosity. "You can get that much power from a jutsu with no seals?"
"Wait—I've heard of that!"
Shikamaru's eyes lit up. "It's the Rasengan! One of the Fourth Hokage's signature moves!"
"Yeah, my dad said he was famous for two jutsu: the Flying Thunder God and the Rasengan," Sakura said, finally catching on.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He remembered the Rasengan being an A-rank jutsu. Could he possibly learn it too?
Then again… probably not. Kitazawa wouldn't just hand that out.
He shook his head. Whatever. Even A-rank jutsu can't beat the power of the Sharingan.
"Rasengan…?"
Iruka blinked, a little shaken. He used to think of Kitazawa as just another capable senpai—but now it was clear the man was in a league of his own.
If he could pull off the Rasengan, there was no way he was stopping at Special Jōnin. At this rate, he'd probably be a full Jōnin or even Academy principal in no time.
[Mission Complete: Rank 1 in the final exam by a dominant margin]
[Reward: Gate One of the Eight Gates]
Bingo.
Kitazawa let out a breath. The "System" approved.
A rush of data flooded into his mind, and he couldn't help but mutter, "Damn, this technique is busted."
Even just the first gate gave a major boost. Definitely worth the grind. But with his current stats, unlocking the next one meant some serious training—or maybe the system would toss him some Senju or Uzumaki bloodline perks to help reach the threshold.
"Naruto, back in line. Results are coming up."
Kitazawa patted him on the shoulder.
"Got it!"
Naruto gave a big nod, trying (and failing) to contain his excitement. He had beaten Sasuke—no doubt about it, he was taking first place!
"I'm back, baby!"
He ran back to his team, waving like a dork.
"Don't let it get to your head!"
Kiba snapped. "It's only the first semester!"
"Exactly!"
Sakura huffed. "Next term, Sasuke-kun will take the top spot again!"
Sasuke glanced at her and sighed. She had more confidence in him than he did, and it always backfired.
Honestly, what is this energy?
"I'm not stopping here," Naruto said, clenching his fists. "Next term, I'll be even stronger! That's what youth is all about!"
"…Great."
Shikamaru rubbed his temples. Every time Naruto shouted "youth," it meant another training overtime session. As his teammate, he was always dragged along for the ride.
Sasuke quietly stepped away. He hated it even more than Shikamaru did.
Might Guy's training didn't just push their bodies—it drilled their spirits too. And even with all that effort, Sasuke still couldn't outrun those three yelling about youth every day.
Thankfully, summer break was coming. Then it'd just be Kitazawa's training—way more manageable.
"Kitazawa-senpai!"
Iruka jogged over, grinning from ear to ear as he handed over the score sheet.
"What's got you so hyped?"
Kitazawa asked with a chuckle.
"I'm just proud! Class 1-A has some serious talent."
Kitazawa skimmed the sheet. Everything lined up with what he expected.
"Alright, quiet down."
He stepped in front of the class. "Time to announce the combat exam results."
Unlike the monthly tests that combined theory and combat, this final was all about real fighting. And real fights deserved real rankings.
"First place: Uzumaki Naruto."
"YES!"
Naruto practically exploded with joy.
Until now, his only first place had been in the physical test. But this—this was the real deal. He finally hit his goal.
Watching from afar, Hiruzen couldn't help but smile. Topping a class filled with prodigies was no small feat. It reminded him of Minato's school days—always ranking first.
Sakura sighed—she'd already lost half her bet with Ino. Hopefully she still had theory locked down.
"Second place: Uchiha Sasuke."
Technically, Sasuke should've fought Hinata and Shino, but that would've just been overkill. They lacked Naruto's speed and wouldn't dodge Sasuke's Fire Style. So, Sasuke took second by default.
Still, Kitazawa thought, once his Sharingan awakens, the rankings might flip.
"Third place: Hyuga Hinata. Fourth: Aburame Shino. Fifth: Nara Shikamaru. Sixth: Yamanaka Ino."
Naruto was over the moon. Sasuke… completely silent. Second meant nothing to him.
Shikamaru, though? He was ecstatic. Fifth place meant no extra training. His summer was safe.
"That's the combat ranking," Kitazawa finished. "Good progress all around. Just keep pushing for more next term."
"Kitazawa-sensei," Naruto raised his hand. "Are all future exams gonna be like this?"
"Yep."
Sasuke's eyes sharpened. Three or four tests a semester, nine total a year. This was just one loss. He clenched his fist.
Once I awaken my eyes, I'll take back everything.
"Next, the written exam results."
Kitazawa raised his hand, and the class instantly quieted.
This would determine the final rankings. Sakura was the most nervous—she expected to win, but after Sasuke's upset, nothing felt guaranteed.
"First place: Nara Shikamaru."
"No freaking way!"
Sakura gaped.
"Shikamaru?!"
Naruto looked at him like he'd seen a ghost. The guy barely stayed awake in class.
"Something's wrong here."
Kiba frowned. Shikamaru used to barely pass. Wait… was he sandbagging this whole time?
"So he finally stopped slacking, huh?"
Choji said. The surprising part wasn't the score, it was that Shikamaru actually tried.
Only Ino wasn't shocked—she knew the full story. Even Sasuke paused for a beat. Shikamaru had never even been in the top three before.
"Second place: Haruno Sakura."
She opened her mouth but said nothing. Second was good… but not good enough.
Sasuke gave her a quick glance. Misery loves company, he thought. They both had their first-place dreams snatched away.
"It's fine, Sakura," Ino patted her shoulder. "You've got plenty more chances."
With Shikamaru, if Kitazawa didn't stay on his case, he'd probably slack off and drop back to sixties next test.
"Sasuke‑kun's second too," Sakura suddenly beamed. "That means we're a perfect match!"
"…Seriously?"
Ino gave her a deadpan look. One second place and you're already planning a wedding? Get a grip.
"Bring your money tomorrow. Nine a.m."
Ino sniffed.
"You're still bringing that up? I'm grieving here!"
"You look pretty happy to me."
Their fake bestie energy was showing full force.
"Finals are over. Summer break starts tomorrow!"
Kitazawa said with a big smile. "Go enjoy yourselves!"
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei!" the class chorused.
"Iruka, I'll leave the rest to you."
Kitazawa noticed Hiruzen slipping away. "I've gotta head to the Hokage's office."
"Got it."
Iruka said with admiration. "Leave it to me."
Kitazawa waved goodbye to the class and headed out.
Kitazawa followed Hiruzen back to the Hokage Tower, a few steps behind the old man. Once they entered the office, Hiruzen sank into the Hokage's chair with a thoughtful look.
"Kitazawa."
He clasped his hands. "Class 1-A really surprised me today—in the best way possible."
"It's all thanks to their hard work," Kitazawa replied modestly.
"Their effort, sure… but your guidance too."
Hiruzen chuckled. "I've been Hokage for decades. I've seen a lot of classes, a lot of promising kids—but I've never seen a class quite like yours."
"They're just a rare batch of geniuses," Kitazawa said with a small smile. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
"Even so, your role in this can't be overstated."
Hiruzen smiled kindly. "I'll skip the fluff. Time for your reward."
Kitazawa straightened up a little. He wasn't going to say no to that.
"First off, you don't need to keep monitoring Terai anymore," Hiruzen said after a pause. "I'll have Danzo send someone to take him off your hands."
Kitazawa blinked. That's unexpected…
If Hiruzen was willing to pull Terai out from under Danzo's nose, that meant Kitazawa's stock had gone way up.
"After Terai's gone, you'll be taking over his classes," Hiruzen added, then smiled. "Don't worry about your schedule—you can use shadow clones for lectures."
"Understood," Kitazawa nodded. No way he was saying no at this point.
Then Hiruzen reached into a drawer and pulled out a sealed scroll.
"Here. This is for you."
Kitazawa stepped forward and took it. The moment he unrolled it, his eyes widened.
"…Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
This was no ordinary technique. It was an A-rank forbidden jutsu. In fact, it was the very first entry in the Scroll of Seals. Unlike the basic Shadow Clone Technique, this one had no upper limit on how many clones you could create.
But with that freedom came danger.
Too many clones meant burning through your chakra reserve in seconds. For most shinobi, it could be fatal. And when the clones popped, all their memories and experiences came back at once—too much of that could fry your brain.
In canon, aside from monsters like Naruto, barely anyone could pull it off.
Normally, this kind of jutsu was restricted to high-level jonin.
So why give it to me? Kitazawa wondered. Then it hit him—Hiruzen probably wanted him to pass it on to Naruto.
Hiruzen definitely wasn't blind; he had to know how well-suited Naruto was for this jutsu.
Still… a free A-rank technique? Absolute win.
Add in the Eight Gates from earlier and—yeah, this day was cracked. No one would believe he scored two forbidden jutsu in a single day.
"With your chakra reserves, a dozen clones should be doable," Hiruzen warned. "But don't push it too far."
"Got it."
Before the system, Kitazawa played things safe. Now? He was semi-cautious. If he had the power, he went for it. If not, he held back. Self-awareness was his playstyle.
Realistically, as long as he stayed tight with Naruto and Sasuke, he could ride this plot out till the end.
"Since this is a forbidden jutsu, you can't take the scroll with you," Hiruzen added. "You'll have to memorize it."
"No problem."
Kitazawa had already done this once with the Rasengan. He was used to it.
"Go talk to Haru outside," Hiruzen said. "She'll set you up with a quiet place to study. And have her inform Danzo—I want him in my office."
"Understood."
Kitazawa stepped outside and found Haru at her desk.
"Hey, can I study next door?" he asked, pointing at the empty office to the left.
"Sure," she nodded after a glance. "That's the advisor's office. It's usually empty."
Advisor? That'd be Nara Shikaku's, Kitazawa thought as he stepped in.
Haru stayed behind, posting an Anbu to fetch Danzo while she kept an eye on Kitazawa. He didn't mind—what really caught his attention was the room's soundproofing.
Because he had a feeling he was about to overhear something legendary.
He sat down, opened the scroll, and started memorizing the Multi-Shadow Clone technique.
Just as he thought he might miss the show… the voices next door rose.
"You!
"I'm!"
Bang.
Two lines and a desk slap.
That was all Kitazawa got, but it was enough.
Perfect.
Shame he didn't get to see it in person, but the audio alone was satisfying.
Once he finished memorizing the scroll, he returned to Hiruzen's office.
"I told Danzo that Terai wasn't qualified to teach," Hiruzen said, taking the scroll back. "He's gone. You won't have to deal with him again."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Kitazawa nodded, looking serious.
"If you run into any trouble with the technique, come see me," Hiruzen said, waving him off. "You've had a long day. Go get some rest."
Kitazawa gave a small bow, turned, and left the office.
Out on the main road, he stretched with a long sigh of satisfaction.
This final exam had been one hell of a win.
Two missions completed.
Two new ones triggered.
Terai, the headache, removed.
And a second forbidden jutsu added to his arsenal.
No doubt about it—today was a massive W.
~~~
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