Even though the new semester had started, Kitazawa didn't introduce any new jutsu. Instead, he stuck with having the students continue practicing the Konoha-style Taijutsu.
Not because he didn't want to teach something new—but because, honestly, most of the students just didn't have the talent. For them, being able to master the Three Basic Techniques was already impressive.
As always, Kitazawa split the class into two groups.
The ones who had already gotten the hang of the Konoha-style were free to train on their own or head off for more advanced practice.
The rest? He left them to one of his shadow clones.
"Neji, come with me."
Once the two classes were sorted, Kitazawa called out to Hyūga Neji and took him over to a tree nearby.
"Kitazawa-sensei, what is it?" Neji's tone was calm. At least on the surface.
Kitazawa gave him a look, then asked, "How do you feel about losing to Hinata?"
Neji was silent for two seconds before replying, "It was fate."
"She was born into the main family. Naturally, her talent and strength should be above mine."
"…Huh?" Kitazawa's expression twitched. This kid seriously gone full emo now?
Neji's grudge against the Hyūga main family came down to two things.
One—he believed his father, Hizashi, died because of the main family and saw them as cold and heartless.
Two—despite being a prodigy, he was branded with the Caged Bird Seal just for being born in the branch family.
But now that Hinata had beaten him, that second reason crumbled.
He used to fight against the idea of fate being unfair. Now? He was just going along with it.
"Did you ever think Hinata would actually beat you?" Kitazawa asked.
Neji paused. "…No. I guess that's just fate playing a cruel joke on me."
"There was one thing Hinata said earlier that was almost right…" Kitazawa said, looking him over. "But it needs fixing."
"Fate is just an excuse for the weak."
"What did you say?" Neji looked up sharply.
"I said you're weak," Kitazawa replied without flinching. "Only weaklings bow to fate."
"I'm not weak!" Neji snapped. "I'm a genius of the Hyūga clan!"
Ever since he was little, everyone—from Hizashi to the other Hyūga—praised him as a once-in-a-generation talent.
But the moment he said that… he just froze.
"What does it matter if I'm strong or not?" he muttered. "Even if I am, the Caged Bird Seal still controls me."
"You're not being held back by the seal," Kitazawa said, shaking his head. "You're being held back by your ignorance."
"Why not try to break it?"
"The Hyūga branch family's been trying for over a thousand years," Neji suddenly shouted. "No one's ever succeeded! That's just our fate!"
"But you're the genius, right?" Kitazawa said calmly. "Break the seal and you'll be the greatest Hyūga who ever lived."
"I… That's impossible."
"Then let me ask you this."
Kitazawa looked him straight in the eyes. "Do you have the courage to fight back against fate?"
Neji opened his mouth… but no words came out.
[Main Academy Goal: Dominate all years by gaining the respect of every top-tier student.]
[Current mission: Earn Hyūga Neji's initial approval.]
[Reward: +10% Byakugan purity.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes lit up.
Bingo. New quest, and it's Byakugan-related too.
Same reward as the one from beating Neji before. And sure, 10% might not sound huge, but it definitely had an effect. Add that to the previous 10%? The boost might be even bigger.
Of course, he wouldn't know until the mission was done.
"Think about it," Kitazawa said, patting Neji's shoulder. "If you decide you're ready, come join my special training."
He didn't push further.
After all, as the saying goes—if you haven't walked in someone's shoes, don't try to talk them into being "strong."
Kitazawa understood why Neji hated the main family.
Hizashi literally died in Hiashi's place. That was messed up.
And Neji had personally witnessed Hiashi use the seal to punish Hizashi.
So no, Kitazawa didn't try to preach forgiveness. Instead, he redirected Neji's hatred toward the real target: the seal itself.
Could Neji break it? Hard to say.
But just because he couldn't… doesn't mean Kitazawa couldn't.
Alright, System—show me what you've got.
He wasn't being entirely honest with Neji—but it was half-truth, half-motivation. And clearly, it worked. The quest had been triggered.
Whether Neji could move forward from here would be up to him.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hinata spotted him and ran over.
"Aren't you supposed to be training?" Kitazawa grinned and gave her cheek a gentle pinch.
"How's Neji-nii doing?" she asked, tilting her head.
"I had a talk with him," Kitazawa replied. "If everything goes as expected, he'll be joining your special training soon."
"Really?" Hinata's eyes lit up.
She hadn't practiced Gentle Fist with Neji in a long time. When they were little, they were close—practically like siblings.
But after he was branded with the seal, it was like a wall went up between them.
"Do you think I'd lie to you?" Kitazawa teased.
"Of course not!" Hinata said seriously. "You're amazing, Kitazawa-sensei! Even better than Father!"
Kitazawa couldn't help but chuckle.
Good thing Hiashi had already left after the spar. If he'd heard that, he'd probably be coughing up blood.
"Alright, let's get you training."
They headed to the training field.
Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru were already there.
Sasuke and Sakura had gone off to the artificial lake.
Naruto had taken Kitazawa's advice and gone to a quiet little grove north of the training field to practice Rasengan—too many clones made him a walking noise bomb during class.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Inuzuka Kiba came running over. "Can I join the special training too?"
Kitazawa blinked. Didn't see that coming. But I mean… it's not like I can teach him anything about syncing with his dog…
"As long as it doesn't tank your grades," he replied.
"I got this!" Kiba promised. "If I bomb the next monthly exam, I'll drop out of the training!"
"…Alright then." Kitazawa nodded. "Start with chakra control exercises."
He couldn't help with the Inuzuka family's ninjutsu, but good chakra control? That always paid off.
"Follow me."
He led Kiba to the artificial lake.
Sasuke was drying water off his hands on the shore. Sakura was off to the side, practicing medical ninjutsu on a carp.
"Start with tree climbing. Then we'll get to water walking."
Kitazawa demonstrated once, then let Kiba get started.
…
After combat class ended, school let out.
Class 1-A and 2-A students began heading home in groups.
"Neji, want to walk home together?" Tenten asked gently.
"No, thank you," Neji said, shaking his head.
Tenten hesitated, almost saying more.
"I'm fine," Neji reassured her.
She didn't buy it completely, but… he was the Hyūga genius, after all.
"See you tomorrow."
Neji left, but after a while he noticed something weird.
He turned around and saw Kitazawa and Hinata following behind.
"…Why are you following me?"
"We're not," Kitazawa said with a chuckle. "Just heading the same way. I'm walking Hinata home."
Neji froze for a moment, a little awkward, then turned back and kept walking.
They arrived at the Hyūga compound, where Hiashi was standing at the gate.
No doubt—he was there for Hinata, not for Neji.
"Clan Head," Neji greeted flatly, ready to walk past.
"Neji, wait. Come with me."
Hiashi stopped him. "There's something I want to give you."
"…?" Neji blinked, confused.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. Ah, I think I know what this is.
In the original timeline, after the Chūnin Exams, Neji let go of his hatred partially because of Naruto… and partially because of a letter from his father, passed to him by Hiashi.
Looks like Hiashi decided to give it to him early, after seeing today's sparring match.
Perfect. That'll help move my mission along.
"See you tomorrow, Hinata."
Kitazawa didn't stick around—he turned and headed for the hospital.
Right now, Tsunade and Shizune had their roles pretty well divided.
After school, Shizune taught Kitazawa medical ninjutsu at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Tsunade stayed home with Kurenai researching emotional substitution therapy.
…
Night fell.
By 9 PM, Kitazawa and Shizune had finished their surgery shift and returned home.
"…What do you mean Tsunade-sama didn't come back?!" Shizune exploded. "That woman LIED to me!"
"She didn't have money on her," Kitazawa said. "So it's probably not a casino."
"…You'd be surprised." Shizune took a deep breath. "With her status, borrowing money isn't exactly hard."
"Good point." Kitazawa chuckled. "So, what do we do?"
"We go drag her back."
Shizune clenched her fists like a mini-boss.
"Alright. We split up. You check the bars, I'll hit the casinos."
Kitazawa decided after thinking a moment.
He knew which two casinos Tsunade usually hit, but not the bars.
"Smart plan," Shizune nodded. "Let's go."
"Back soon," Kitazawa said to Kurenai with a glance before heading out.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the nearest casino.
Surprisingly modern. Real tables, plug-in slot machines… the whole deal.
He scanned the room—and there she was.
Tsunade, parked in front of a slot machine, eyes locked on the spinning reels.
"ARGH!" she shouted when all three symbols came up different, and clutched her head.
"Tsunade-sama, kicking the machine will cost you extra."
Kitazawa approached with a grin.
"…Kitazawa?" Tsunade blinked—then lit up, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him onto the seat beside her.
He slammed right into her very soft, very curvy body.
"Sit tight." Tsunade draped her arm over his shoulder. "Hand me your cash."
Kitazawa tried not to stare at the necklace buried in what could only be described as Mount Tsunade.
"…Tsunade-sama, I actually came to talk—"
"Later. Once I win, I'll sort out whatever it is."
"…Right." Kitazawa's mouth twitched.
By the time you win, Yakushi Nonō will be chilling in the Pure Land with the Sage of Six Paths.
"How much have you lost?"
"Not much. Just 200,000 ryō." Tsunade puffed out her chest. "Lend me some and I'll win it all back."
"How about this—we make a bet."
Kitazawa's eyes gleamed. "If I win back that 200K, you help me with something."
She raised an eyebrow. "And if you don't?"
"I will give you 200K."
"…Deal."
Kitazawa exhaled and clapped his hands together.
…please give me RNG.
He fed the coin in.
The reels spun.
Tsunade leaned in. He caught a peek of pale skin—
DING! Three sevens.
CLATTER!
Coins flooded out.
"JACKPOT!"
Tsunade slapped his back in excitement—her top bouncing dangerously.
"What are you staring at?" she scolded, whacking him again. "Don't just sit there—keep going!"
He kept feeding coins in. One win? Great.
But after seven in a row?
"…Why is your luck so good?"
"No clue," Kitazawa shrugged. "Luck's just wild like that."
"…Fair." Tsunade stood, jacket with the word "Gamble" flapping like a war banner. "Let's go big tonight!"
Kitazawa felt like someone needed to cue up the God of Gamblers theme.
By midnight, Tsunade was cackling while holding a mountain of cash.
It was her biggest haul on a slot machine ever.
…Well, technically, it was Kitazawa's win.
"Alright, talk. What's the favor?"
She crossed her legs, red-painted toes peeking out of her heels.
"Nonō-senpai said she accepted a mission next week—to the Land of Earth."
Tsunade's expression darkened instantly. "Why would they send a medic that far? Was it Hiruzen's order?"
"She didn't say, but I doubt it," Kitazawa replied. "If it were from the Hokage, she wouldn't need to hide it."
"…Shimura Danzo."
Tsunade's tone dropped into lethal mode. "She used to be Root—but she left."
Kitazawa saw she was already connecting the dots. Thanks for being so consistently shady, Danzo.
"I'll confront the old man tomorrow," Tsunade said with a snort. "Sending someone like Nonō on grunt work is ridiculous."
"I wouldn't rush in," Kitazawa cautioned. "If she's still following Root's orders even after leaving, she's likely being threatened."
"…You want to investigate first?"
"Exactly. If we want to help her, we need to remove whatever leverage Danzo has on her."
"You've got a point." Tsunade thought for a moment. "I'll get someone on it. She might not live in Konoha anymore, but with her background and how many people she's saved…"
"If she goes all out, she might have more pull than even Hiruzen."
"Thanks for doing this, Tsunade-sama."
"You're really thoughtful, you know that?" She suddenly smiled. "Why are you helping Nonō?"
"She's like… a third of a teacher to me," Kitazawa replied. "And if something happened to you, I'd be just as willing to risk my life."
Tsunade blinked—then remembered.
Right. I was considering taking on a student…
And with Kitazawa's talent? He was more than qualified.
But still, she hesitated.
One—he was young.
Two—once she took on a student, it'd be hard to leave Konoha.
She knew exactly what Hiruzen wanted: for her to settle down, cure her hemophobia, and become the Fifth Hokage.
Tsunade looked at Kitazawa—and suddenly felt conflicted.
She hated the thought of being Hokage.
But when it came to Konoha… she couldn't bring herself to walk away either.
~~~
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