"Any questions?"
After Kitazawa explained what the Advanced Class was, he asked the room.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Shikamaru Nara raised his hand. "Will the roster change over time?"
"Yes. The Advanced Class uses a bottom-challenge system," Kitazawa said. "After each monthly exam, the bottom ten can be challenged by students from other classes. If they lose, they swap places."
"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed. It meant he'd have to stay top-20. With prodigies from grades five and six now in the mix, cracking the top-20 just got a lot harder.
"So harsh?!" Inuzuka Kiba's eyes went wide—though he also felt relieved. Without the Hellhound Kitazawa had taught him, he wasn't sure he could stay.
"Youth means facing challenges head-on!" Rock Lee clenched his fists, fired up.
"Lee's right!" Uzumaki Naruto flashed a thumbs-up. "Youth and challenge are a perfect pair!"
Uchiha Sasuke swept his gaze over the new additions to Class 1-A. Moments later he relaxed; aside from Hyūga Neji, none looked like a threat. This "Advanced Class" was basically the same as before—only a few would vie for first.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Yamanaka Ino waved. "So what are we going to learn now?"
Students now ranged from first to sixth years, with very different levels in theory and practice. Were they all going to study the same syllabus?
"We'll tailor a study plan for each of you based on your ability," Kitazawa said after a pause. "That's the advantage of the Advanced Class—it helps you get stronger faster."
"That's basically how ninja squads work," Haruno Sakura said, feeling déjà vu.
"My easy Academy life is over," Shikamaru muttered, going a little pale. With individualized plans, slacking like before would be impossible. Bleak prospects indeed.
Sasuke gave a small nod. For a genius like him, it was great—no more wasting time. He'd already learned most of the Academy curriculum anyway.
"Kitazawa-sensei, does that mean no more worksheets?" Naruto asked, eyes shining.
"Your plans include theory and live training. Iruka will handle theory," Kitazawa said, giving him a look.
"Still worksheets…" Naruto's face froze, then fell.
"Youth fears nothing. A few worksheets are nothing to dread," Rock Lee said, thumping Naruto's shoulder. Since transferring into Class 1-A, he'd become Naruto's desk mate.
"True!" Naruto rallied.
"Lee, you're dead last in every theory test," Tenten couldn't help ribbing him.
"...?" Naruto glanced at Lee.
"I do my best," Lee said matter-of-factly. "That's already true to my youth!"
"Kitazawa-sensei," Kiba shot a look at his sister Hana. "How do Advanced Class students graduate—still the Three Basic Techniques?"
"Not the Three Basics—live combat assessment," Kitazawa said with a chuckle. "As for timing, same as before: you can apply once you're twelve."
"Can we graduate early?" Kiba pressed.
"You can," Kitazawa nodded. "If you think you're up to standard, apply for an early live-combat assessment."
Sasuke's eyes flickered. His brother Itachi had graduated after a single year. But he tamped the thought down. He would not graduate without taking first place—and taking it repeatedly. In this class, the occasional first place meant nothing.
"Next I'll introduce two new instructors." Kitazawa moved to the door. "Kosuke-senpai, sorry to keep you. Please come in."
"No need for courtesy," said Maruboshi Kosuke.
He stepped in and drew a round of curious looks. He hardly looked like a teacher—white-haired, a big black pot on his back, two spatulas slung with it.
"Maruboshi Kosuke, Genin. Specialties: Water Release, genjutsu, and swordsmanship," Kitazawa said evenly. "He'll be your ninjutsu instructor. Ask him when you're stuck."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Doubts or not, they answered in unison out of respect for Kitazawa.
"And one more." Kitazawa looked to the doorway.
Hatake Kakashi tucked away his Icha Icha Paradise and walked in. Students traded looks again. He certainly presented better than Kosuke—but why show only one eye? Was the other blind? What did he actually look like?
"Kakashi Hatake, jōnin. Konoha's top technician. Proficient in over a thousand jutsu," Kitazawa said.
Gasps rippled through the room. Kakashi's résumé was outrageous, and his name was well known in the village; a few students recognized him at once. (Sasuke and Naruto already knew, so they weren't surprised.)
"Quiet," Kitazawa raised a hand. "We'll start with chakra nature testing."
"Kitazawa-sensei, what's a chakra nature?" asked a student who'd been in Grade 5-A. The Academy didn't cover this—canonically, Naruto didn't test his nature until long after graduating.
"The chakra we refine is neutral, and the Three Basics are non-elemental," Kitazawa explained. "But common ninjutsu—say Fire Style—involves an elemental nature."
"I know this!" Naruto blurted. "Mine is Wind!"
"There are seven chakra natures: Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Yin, and Yang," Kitazawa said with a nod. "Once we know yours, we can teach you matching Release techniques."
"They're going to teach Releases here?" Shikamaru looked genuinely surprised.
"What's the big deal?" Chōji asked, puzzled.
"That's usually the squad leader's job," Shikamaru countered. "Think about what happens if the Academy teaches Releases."
"Squad leaders… save a lot of effort?" Chōji tried.
"That's… not wrong," Shikamaru chuckled.
"If the Academy teaches Releases, students will develop sooner—and this Advanced Class becomes especially important," Shino adjusted his glasses. In that moment, he decided—no matter what, he wouldn't leave the Advanced Class. He could feel it: this class mattered.
"Kakashi, hand out the chakra paper," Kitazawa said, then looked back to the students. "Once you have it, push chakra into it."
Without moving from his spot, Kakashi showed off razor-fine control. He tossed a stack into the air; the sheets fanned out and landed neatly on each desk.
"Whoa! Awesome!"
"Chakra paper reacts differently by nature," Kitazawa continued. "If it burns, Fire. Gets damp, Water. Splits, Wind. Crumbles, Earth. Wrinkles, Lightning."
"What about Yin and Yang?" a sixth-year asked.
"You can't test those with paper," Kitazawa said after a beat. "But it's fine—we'll find other ways later."
"Sasuke-kun, why aren't you testing?" Sakura asked when he didn't move.
"I tested before. Lightning and Fire," Sasuke said offhand.
"I'm Earth and Water," Sakura chimed in.
"You can have two?" Naruto gaped.
"I've heard of three-, four-, even all-attribute types," Shikamaru drawled.
"So jealous," Naruto scratched his head. "I've only got one."
"Nothing wrong with that. More natures doesn't automatically mean stronger," Ino smiled. "Our Yamanaka arts are pure Yin Release."
"Our Inuzuka arts are Yang Release," Kiba said, setting his paper down. "For us, there's no need to learn other ninjutsu."
"Besides clan arts, plenty of jōnin are famous for a single element," Shikamaru added. "Like Kakashi-sensei—he knows tons of jutsu, but he's best known for Lightning Release."
"I get it," Naruto clenched a fist. "Then I'll become a powerful Wind Release user."
"Wind, huh?" Shikamaru mused. "Konoha doesn't really have a standout Wind specialist."
Shino lowered his head. Actually, it did—he'd heard from Torune that Shimura Danzō was a Wind user.
"Then it'll be me!" Naruto declared. "In the name of youth, I'll be Konoha's most famous Wind Release ninja!"
"Huh?" Rock Lee blinked. "Naruto, are you giving up on your dream of being a taijutsu ninja?"
"Oh—right!" Naruto brightened. "I'm also going to be Konoha's strongest taijutsu ninja!"
"I won't hand over that title so easily!" Lee's teeth sparkled. "We'll have a youthful duel, then!"
"Deal!" Naruto answered at once.
Before long, everyone had finished testing. Kitazawa split them into five standard groups by element and one special group.
If you had multiple natures, you could pick one group. The special group covered Yin/Yang, kekkei genkai, and taijutsu. Kurama Yakumo, Hyūga Hinata, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Karin chose that group.
Sasuke, currently studying Lightning Release, joined the Lightning group. Naruto chose Wind for the same reason. The six groups weren't fixed; students could switch as needed.
"Kosuke-senpai, please take the Water group," Kitazawa said without hesitation. Maruboshi Kosuke's Water Release came straight from the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—even Kitazawa couldn't match him yet. "No problem," Kosuke nodded.
"Kakashi, take Lightning and Earth," Kitazawa went on. "I'll handle Wind, Fire, and Special."
"Mm," Kakashi replied, unfazed. After a month with Sasuke, he'd raised his bar unconsciously. If a student's talent was mediocre, a shadow clone could handle them with some basic Releases.
Truthfully, most could only manage low-level techniques anyway. Even in a "Advanced Class," the true prodigies were basically the Konoha 12; the rest had limits.
Even so, graduating with one or two low-level Releases would make them top-tier genin—already a win for Konoha.
"From now on: theory on Mondays; live training Tuesday through Friday," Kitazawa clapped. "Now line up from the first row to register. Class starts at nine tomorrow morning."
He valued theory, but survival in the brutal shinobi world mattered more, hence four days of practice. For these prodigies, one day a week was enough to master the bookwork; if not, there'd be after-school catch-up. For Kitazawa, it also meant more free time—weekend plus Monday—to study jutsu or take Kabuto's squad out on missions.
"Kosuke-senpai, Kakashi, you can head out. I'll handle registration," he said. The two left. With only thirty students, sign-ups wrapped in under two hours.
"See you tomorrow, Kitazawa-sensei!" Everyone headed home to prepare for the first official day.
After a moment's thought, Kitazawa went to the Hokage Building. He wanted a mission for his squad and to brief Hiruzen on the Advanced Class. Before the Mission Hall, though, he detoured to the Anbu office.
"I'd like to see Uchiha Itachi," he said from the doorway, not stepping inside.
The four Anbu on duty traded looks. A non-Anbu showing up to fetch someone was rare.
"Are… you Kitazawa-sama?" one asked after looking him over. As the Academy's vice-principal, Kitazawa counted as Konoha leadership; by protocol, ordinary Anbu should address him as "-sama."
"I am," Kitazawa nodded.
"Please wait—I'll get Captain Itachi." The Anbu hurried off and soon returned with Uchiha Itachi.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Itachi said, surprised. "What can I do for you?"
"What's your take on Izumi's strength?" Kitazawa asked back.
"Her talent is excellent," Itachi said after a beat. "Among Uchiha her age, she's among the best."
"She's hit a ceiling," Kitazawa said bluntly. "She's one trigger away from awakening the two-tomoe Sharingan."
"You want me to help her awaken it?"
Realization—and reluctance—crossed Itachi's face. Aside from Sasuke, every Uchiha he knew had awakened after losing someone dear.
"That's right." Kitazawa smiled, reading him. "An emotional shock doesn't have to mean death."
Itachi blinked.
"Izumi's only one step away—she doesn't need something that extreme," Kitazawa explained. "For example, your squad runs into danger on a mission."
"I see," Itachi said. "That could work."
Anbu had four divisions, seventeen members each; with his strength, Itachi already commanded one. Arranging something for Izumi wouldn't be hard.
"Let's set it for next Sunday," Kitazawa said, leaning in to whisper the plan. "Like this… and this…"
"I'll pick a suitable mission," Itachi said when he'd heard him out.
"Good." Kitazawa smiled. "Izumi won't suspect a thing." In most people's eyes, Anbu answered directly to the Hokage; it wouldn't occur to her that Anbu would stage something.
"We should probably report this to the Hokage," Itachi hesitated. "I'm not sure he'll approve."
"I'll report it," Kitazawa said. "I needed to brief him anyway."
"That's a relief, Kitazawa-sensei," Itachi exhaled. With Kitazawa making the case, Hiruzen likely wouldn't refuse.
"If the Uchiha run into serious trouble, don't go to Danzō—go to Tsunade-sama first," Kitazawa said as he turned to leave. "Or come to me."
He meant Obito. A new year had begun; in the original timeline, the clan-downfall night would happen sometime this year. Obito would very likely come to Konoha. No one knew exactly when. Kitazawa could only prepare and give Itachi a heads-up: if he encountered Obito, find Tsunade—or Kitazawa—immediately.