"Huh?"
Choji blinked in disbelief. He'd been so focused on demolishing his own food that he hadn't noticed Hinata eating.
Now that he found out she had eaten five more bowls than him, his jaw practically hit the floor.
"Hinata… are you sure you're not part of the Akimichi clan?"
Kiba asked, half-joking, half-serious.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Shikamaru immediately covered his mouth.
You trying to spread rumors about Hiashi Hyuga's daughter? Do you have a death wish?
"With Hinata's Byakugan and her slim figure? No way she's Akimichi."
Ino shook her head with a smirk.
"Exactly."
Sakura nodded in agreement.
"Still… I didn't expect anyone to out-eat an Akimichi ninja."
Uchiha Mikoto blinked in surprise.
"Wait, I've only been packing one lunch for Hinata every day… has she been hungry this whole time?"
"Kitazawa-sensei brought plenty of extras,"
Sasuke replied calmly.
"That's good. A big appetite means she's healthy."
Mikoto smiled warmly.
"Guess I don't have to worry about making too much lunch anymore."
"…?"
Sasuke looked like he had something to say but held it in.
Wait. Is Mom seriously planning to make lunch for Naruto and Hinata every day now?
That was… weird.
He'd never seen her care this much about people outside the clan.
"And the winner of the junior division of today's Eating Contest is… Hyuga Hinata!"
Ayame called out as time ran out.
"Looks like I've got work to do."
Choji clenched his fists.
"Starting this summer, I'm eating an extra meal every single day!"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
Why did that sound so familiar?
Then he remembered—Might Guy and Naruto said the same stuff every day. "Let's run ten extra laps today!"
"Hinata, come with me," Ayame said with a smile. "Let's get you your prize."
"Okay."
Hinata stood up and followed her inside.
Kitazawa watched her go, and three glowing lines of text popped up in his mind:
[Current Mission: Make Choji lose the eating contest.]
[Reward: Partial Expansion Jutsu.]
[Mission Complete. Reward Granted.]
Well then…
Now that he'd unlocked Partial Expansion, Kitazawa finally got it—why every Akimichi was built like a sumo wrestler.
It wasn't a choice. It was survival.
The jutsu burned through chakra like crazy.
Without Uzumaki or Senju blood to rely on, the Akimichi had to turn fat into chakra.
Kitazawa? Not happening.
He was good-looking. No way he was bulking up just for a jutsu.
But still… that didn't mean being fat was required.
Partial Expansion was a Yang Release technique—same category as medical ninjutsu.
If Kitazawa learned the Yin Seal or had inherited bloodlines, he could use it freely without gaining weight.
Inside the prize room.
The place was filled with all kinds of rewards—food, toys, ninja tools, everything.
"See anything you want?" Kitazawa asked, scanning the room.
Hinata's cheeks turned pink. "Th-that one." She pointed at a massive plush cat, nearly half her size.
Kitazawa chuckled. Classic. No little girl can resist a giant plushie.
But why drag him in here?
After a second, he figured it out.
A regular girl liking stuffed animals? Totally normal.
But the Hyuga clan heiress? No way Hiashi would approve of this.
"How about we keep it in my office?" Kitazawa suggested.
That's basically her second home anyway.
Hinata nodded instantly, a shy smile on her face.
He ruffled her hair and handed her a scroll. "Here. Store it in this."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hinata ran up, hugged the plushie, nuzzled her face into it, then sealed it away with the scroll.
…
Back at the shop.
Mikoto, Shikamaru, and the others had already finished eating and were waiting.
Kitazawa turned to Sasuke. "You can take a break from special training for now."
"Why?"
"You activated your Sharingan."
Kitazawa said.
"Even though I'm not a Sharingan expert, I know there's an adjustment period."
Sasuke blinked. Then he remembered something Itachi had told him about the Sharingan's abilities.
If he could master it… Naruto and Neji were already out of the competition.
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei! Once I've got the hang of it, I'll be back!"
Kitazawa caught the subtle smirk on his face.
Yeah, I can guess what you're planning.
But honestly, with Naruto already using Multi Shadow Clones, next term was gonna be anyone's game.
"Later, Sensei!"
Ino and Shikamaru waved and headed off.
"Even though Sasuke won't be training for a while, I'll have him deliver your lunches every day."
Mikoto said with a smile.
"What?!"
Sasuke froze.
Don't tell me… Naruto's actually my secret baby brother or something?
"Kitazawa-sensei's done so much for you, and you're complaining about delivering food?"
Mikoto gave him a look.
"I'm not complaining," Sasuke sighed.
"I'll bring them every morning."
"Thanks, Auntie Mikoto! Thanks, Sasuke!"
Naruto grinned.
Mikoto stared at him. For a second, she saw Kushina's face.
She hadn't seen Naruto since Kushina died—too many politics.
Now, she just wanted to make up for lost time.
"Thanks, Mikoto-san," Kitazawa said sincerely.
He knew this wasn't about him—it was about Naruto.
…
"Kitazawa-sensei," Mikoto said as she led him and Itachi to a quiet spot.
"Did you plan Sasuke's Sharingan awakening?"
"Why do you ask?" Kitazawa kept his tone calm.
"You invited me and Itachi to the contest. You sponsored the whole thing. And Sasuke just happened to show up in that green jumpsuit."
Kitazawa laughed. "You're sharp, Mikoto-san."
The coincidences weren't lost on anyone. Sasuke might be oblivious, but Itachi and Mikoto saw through it immediately.
Still, Kitazawa wasn't worried.
Helping Sasuke awaken his Sharingan was a good thing. The Uchiha should be thanking him.
"It wasn't you," Mikoto said. "It was something Itachi and I had already talked about."
"Kitazawa-sensei," Itachi asked, "How did you know that the Sharingan needs emotional stress to awaken?"
"Tsunade told me," Kitazawa answered.
"I'm kind of her student right now, learning medical ninjutsu."
Tobirama Senju probably understood the Uchiha better than anyone.
And the Konoha higher-ups had definitely read his research.
As for Mikoto and Itachi confronting Tsunade to confirm? Yeah, not happening.
"Wait, seriously?"
Mikoto blinked.
In her mind, Kitazawa was just a really competent teacher—not someone good enough to be Tsunade's student.
Itachi was just as surprised.
Tsunade was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, student of the Third, and the greatest medical ninja alive.
If Kitazawa was training under her… his talent must be the real deal.
"I've been shadowing Shizune at the hospital lately."
Kitazawa said casually. "If anyone from the Uchiha gets hurt, send them our way."
Mikoto was now fully convinced.
There's no way Shizune would let just anyone assist in surgery.
"Do you have time for dinner soon?"
Mikoto smiled. "I'd like to thank you for helping Sasuke."
Even if he weren't Sasuke's teacher, just being Tsunade's student made him someone worth knowing.
"Tomorrow night works."
Even with the clan being politically unstable, a dinner invite wasn't a big deal.
…
"Why isn't Dad back yet?"
Sasuke was pacing the living room, getting more and more anxious.
"Sasuke, you're being impatient again," Mikoto chuckled.
Just then, the door opened.
"Dad!"
"Sasuke," Fugaku said in a serious tone, "I'm busy. We'll talk later."
Even though Tsunade's return had calmed things down, Danzo and Root were still a problem.
"I awakened my Sharingan!"
Sasuke blurted out, practically glowing with pride.
"What?"
Fugaku froze.
"I awakened it!"
Sasuke activated his eyes. One tomoe in each.
Fugaku stared—then broke into uncharacteristic laughter.
"Hahaha! My son awakened at six? What a prodigy!"
Sasuke laughed along, surprised but happy to see his dad so proud.
…
The Next Morning – Friday
Kitazawa woke up right on time, got dressed, and was about to head out—when something occurred to him.
He veered off course and found a secluded spot in the village.
"Partial Expansion Jutsu."
He formed a seal.
Chakra surged through his body, concentrating into his right arm. In seconds, it ballooned outward—five meters, ten, fifteen… eighteen.
Only then did he feel it—the wall. His chakra reserves had hit their limit.
Kitazawa released the jutsu and collapsed onto a bench, completely drained.
Yeah… definitely not doing that again.
The size wasn't even useful at that scale.
In the original, unless you went full-body giant mode, Partial Expansion was really only used for short, focused enlargements—like growing an arm a couple meters to punch someone into the sky.
After a short rest, he headed to the academy.
Sasuke, though no longer in training, had still shown up bright and early to deliver three bento boxes—one each for Naruto, Hinata, and Kitazawa himself.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata's training routine remained unchanged.
That afternoon, Kitazawa left behind a shadow clone and made his way to Kurenai's house for the next round of lessons.
…
"Kurenai-sensei," he greeted as he stepped through the door. "What genjutsu are we learning today? Got any advanced stuff?"
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "You've only learned two C-rank illusions and you're already thirsty for high-level genjutsu?"
"I mean, don't you think I've got talent?"
Kitazawa asked with a sheepish cough.
Truthfully, he wanted to test the limits of his Yin Release chakra transformation skills. His affinity was growing fast—and he wanted to push it.
Kurenai gave him a look. "Yeah, you've got talent all right."
She clenched her fist, a smirk playing at her lips.
"You want to suffer? Fine. Just don't come crying to me later."
"Go easy on me, please."
Kitazawa chuckled.
"Still joking?" She rolled her eyes and gave him a light kick.
"Whatever. I've decided—I'm going to teach you an A-rank genjutsu today."
That made Kitazawa pause.
An A-rank illusion? That was basically core clan-level stuff.
You didn't hand that out unless you really trusted someone.
"Thanks," he said, his tone a little more serious now.
"Save it for after you master it."
Kurenai gave a light snort.
"It's called the Temple of Nirvana Technique."
Kitazawa blinked. Wait, isn't that the one Kabuto used in the original story…?
A large-scale illusion—white feathers falling from the sky, gently lulling everyone who sees them into sleep.
After explaining the theory, Kurenai led him outside and demonstrated.
She formed a seal.
Suddenly, white feathers began drifting down out of thin air.
Kitazawa didn't resist. He let the illusion take him. His eyes closed, and he slipped into a peaceful slumber.
Kurenai stepped forward and caught him gently in her arms.
After a few seconds, Kitazawa dispelled the genjutsu on his own and blinked awake.
Then, with zero hesitation, he snuggled into her chest.
A light fragrance tickled his nose.
His eyes naturally settled on the pale skin rising and falling with her breath beneath the mesh of her undershirt.
"Focus!"
Kurenai's cheeks flushed pink as she shoved him away.
"You're supposed to be learning genjutsu!"
"I am. Watch this."
Kitazawa formed a seal.
In an instant, white feathers appeared again—this time from his own illusion.
"What—? You've got to be kidding me."
Kurenai stared, completely dumbfounded.
An A-rank illusion… mastered on the first try?
"It's not perfect yet," Kitazawa said, frowning slightly.
He'd cast it, sure—but it hadn't affected Kurenai.
Still not strong enough to put her under.
"What more do you want?!"
She was still processing it.
"Just means you're a really good teacher."
He grinned shamelessly.
"…"
Kurenai felt no joy from the compliment.
He'd only been training genjutsu for a few days and was already catching up to her—someone who had studied it for years.
Good thing he was her boyfriend. No way she'd let this genius fall into someone else's hands.
"Keep going," she muttered, tugging lightly at her collar.
"You're just getting started."
"Yes, Sensei."
Kitazawa said seriously.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting golden light across the sky, Kitazawa wrapped up the session.
It was time to head over to the Uchiha compound—for dinner with Sasuke's family.
~~~
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