The artificial lake behind the Ninja Academy shimmered under the morning sun.
Nara Shikamaru walked halfway across the training grounds, saw that Kitazawa wasn't around, and immediately sat down by the water's edge.
He stretched, rubbed his temples, and sighed.
There's got to be some way to slack off…
Then, a thought struck him — the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
If he could learn it, he could send a clone to train in his place!
But a second later, another realization hit him.
Would his shadow clone… actually be more diligent than him?
"Making the clone self-aware was a design flaw," he muttered to himself.
Knowing himself, his clone would just end up lounging right beside him.
Just as he was musing, the lake surface suddenly rippled.
Shikamaru blinked.
A moment later, a surge of water shot straight up — and splashed directly into his face.
Caught completely off guard, Shikamaru lost his balance and fell right into the lake.
Blub, blub.
He swallowed a mouthful of water before scrambling up, soaked from head to toe.
"Which idiot— wait, Kitazawa-sensei?!"
He froze, blinking in disbelief.
Caught slacking — perfect.
"Your chakra control's pretty solid," Kitazawa said evenly, arms crossed.
"So I thought I'd increase the difficulty a little."
Dealing with lazy geniuses, he'd learned, required forceful motivation.
"The lake water just now…?"
Shikamaru had a bad feeling.
"Correct," Kitazawa replied.
"You'll continue your water-walking training — but I'll be attacking you with Water Style at the same time."
"Uh… I-I need to go home and change first!" Shikamaru said quickly.
"No," Kitazawa said flatly.
"If you stop now, I'll inform your parents."
"What?!" Shikamaru's jaw dropped. "You're a teacher — how can you do that?"
"Calling parents is a teacher's privilege," Kitazawa said with a grin.
Damn it, he's got me there.
Shikamaru's expression froze, his eyes dull with despair.
"Still," Kitazawa continued, "your clothes being wet is a problem."
Shikamaru's eyes lit up.
Is he actually letting me go home to change?
"I'll skip Water Release next," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"I'll use Fire Release to dry your clothes instead."
"…Thank you, sir," Shikamaru said after a long pause.
Even the way he said "sir" carried suffering.
"Relax," Kitazawa chuckled. "I won't burn you. I've got full chakra control."
With master-level chakra precision and full proficiency in Fire Release, there was no danger.
"Kitazawa-sensei, please— be careful. I still plan to get married someday."
"Try it first," Kitazawa said calmly, signaling him to continue walking on the water.
Forming seals, Kitazawa exhaled a small Fireball Jutsu.
Shikamaru flinched, bolting sideways in panic.
"Stop!" Kitazawa called.
Shikamaru froze mid-step — and blinked.
The fireball hovered at just the right distance, its heat drying his clothes without burning his skin.
Ten minutes later, his shock deepened.
He knew how difficult it was to sustain a stable jutsu — but Kitazawa's fireball had maintained its size and temperature perfectly.
His chakra control wasn't just good — it was terrifying.
What kind of monster teaches at an academy?
And why does that monster have to torment me specifically?!
Tears in his eyes, Shikamaru continued his literal "training in fire and water."
By noon, Kitazawa finally dismissed the jutsu.
"You did well this morning," he said with a smile.
Shikamaru collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.
Kitazawa had alternated between Water Release and Fire Release all morning — wet, dry, wet, dry — until the boy had practically lived through the cycle of hell itself.
"You're done for today," Kitazawa said. "Go home and have a medical ninja check your condition."
He was genuinely concerned. Alternating extreme temperatures could easily cause health issues.
He could have examined him himself — but for now, he had to keep his own medical ninjutsu abilities secret.
During the A-Class inter-year match, even when Hinata had been injured, he'd asked another medical ninja to treat her.
All to maintain the illusion that he hadn't yet learned medical ninjutsu.
That image of a "genius who masters everything anew" was key to the persona he was building.
"Then… does that mean I can skip class this afternoon?" Shikamaru asked hopefully.
"You can," Kitazawa said after a pause. "But you'll have to catch up on the lessons yourself."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Shikamaru brightened.
A whole afternoon of freedom was more than worth a morning of torture.
"See you tomorrow," Kitazawa said, amused.
Even geniuses were still kids — training nonstop would only make them rebel.
Half a day of effort followed by half a day of rest was the perfect balance.
"Hinata, lunch break!" Kitazawa called toward the distance.
Hinata, who had been practicing her Gentle Fist forms, jogged over immediately.
Kitazawa ruffled her hair gently, then dispelled his Shadow Clone.
Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino had already stopped training and gone to lunch as well.
Training was important, but so was rest.
After lunch, Kitazawa let Hinata return to class for a nap.
He was just about to lie down on the sofa himself when —
BAM!
The door flew open with a kick.
That entrance… felt familiar.
Kitazawa opened one eye — and saw a pair of red-painted toenails.
Among all the women he knew, only Tsunade wore red nail polish.
"Lady Tsunade," he greeted, sitting up.
"What brings you here?"
He hadn't expected his office door to get the same treatment as the Hokage's.
"Money," Tsunade said bluntly, extending a hand.
"…Money?" Kitazawa blinked. "For what?"
"Our bet about the Rasengan," she replied casually.
"There's still half a day left, so it's impossible you've learned it. Lend me fifty thousand ryō for now."
She'd just come from the casino, broke as usual, and remembered their little wager.
After all, even Jiraiya had taken days to master the Rasengan — no one could do it in three.
"Lady Tsunade," said Shizune behind her, a bit flustered.
"We should honor our word. Maybe wait until tonight."
"I'm not wrong," Tsunade shot back, glaring at her aide. Then to Kitazawa: "Well? What do you think?"
"I think… you're mistaken," Kitazawa said mildly.
"You're really inflexible, huh?" she sighed.
"That's because I've already won," he said.
Raising his hand, chakra swirled in his palm — forming a perfectly stable Rasengan.
"Impossible!" Tsunade gasped, leaning forward to inspect it.
Kitazawa's eyelid twitched at the sudden motion — that view was dangerously distracting.
"Two and a half days… you actually learned it in two and a half days?!"
Shizune's jaw dropped.
The Rasengan, signature jutsu of the Fourth Hokage — mastered in less than three days?
Either this man was a freak of nature… or Tsunade's gambling curse was that strong.
"You… you…" Tsunade stammered, at a rare loss for words.
But she couldn't deny what she saw — his Rasengan was flawless, indistinguishable from Minato's or Jiraiya's.
"How… how is this possible?" she muttered, taking a step back, her curves trembling with the motion.
"Fair's fair, Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa said with a light smile, dispelling the Rasengan.
"You lose."
"I know that!" she snapped, rolling her eyes.
Why did she always lose even when the odds were certain?
"Well, since you want me to teach you medical ninjutsu, you'll have to pay tuition," Tsunade said suddenly, her expression shifting into a sly grin.
"I charge by the hour."
Why does that sound so familiar? Kitazawa thought wryly.
He took out Nara Shikaku's savings passbook. "Only fifty thousand ryō left."
Not exactly a loss — he'd learned plenty of new jutsu and strengthened his ties with Tsunade.
If he could become her student, he'd essentially join the Hokage lineage — a direct boost to his standing in Konoha.
"Good. You're a smart one," Tsunade said, patting his shoulder approvingly as she pocketed the passbook.
She hadn't expected him to actually pay.
"Shizune," she said, turning to her aide.
"Here," Shizune said, handing Kitazawa a scroll.
"These are some basic texts for medical ninja training. Study them all."
Kitazawa's mouth twitched.
Karma really worked fast — he'd just assigned the same reading task to Sakura that morning.
"Two weeks," Tsunade said. "Once you're done, we'll officially begin lessons next month."
Given how quickly he'd learned the Rasengan, his chakra control was clearly exceptional — enough to qualify as a medical-nin already.
"Understood," Kitazawa nodded. "I'll come find you after school."
[You have gained Tsunade's attention. Keep working hard.]
[Current Quest: Earn Tsunade's preliminary approval.]
[Reward: Chakra Scalpel Technique.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes lit up.
The Chakra Scalpel — an A-rank medical jutsu, essential for any medical Jonin.
It could both heal and cut — a surgical tool that could double as a weapon.
He wasn't sure what "preliminary approval" meant exactly, but either way, the mission was a must-accept.
"I'm heading out," Tsunade said, already feeling the itch to gamble again.
"Good luck," Kitazawa replied dryly.
As she left, Shizune turned back at the door, clenched her fists, and said warmly,
"Do your best, Kitazawa-sensei! I hope you become Lady Tsunade's student."
If that happened, Tsunade might actually stay in Konoha — and Shizune wouldn't have to keep wandering and dodging creditors.
After a quick nap, Kitazawa resumed afternoon training with Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the final class of the day — Combat Practice.
"Everyone, follow me to the field," Kitazawa said.
"I'll be teaching a new taijutsu style today — it'll help you in your upcoming exams."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!" the four chorused.
They arrived at the practice grounds where Class 1-A was already assembled.
"Before we begin," Kitazawa announced, "I have an important announcement."
"The first-semester final exam will be conducted as a combat sparring match."
"Awesome!"
Naruto immediately jumped up, fist in the air.
In previous tests — physical fitness, Clone Jutsu, and ninja tool throwing — he only excelled in the first.
But a pure combat exam? That was his chance to shine!
"Sasuke!" he shouted, flashing a grin and a thumbs-up.
"Let's have a youthful showdown!"
"…."
Sasuke's eye twitched. What was with this obsession with "youth"?
Still, Naruto wasn't wrong — the top spot would likely be decided between them.
Maybe with Hinata, now that she'd awakened her Byakugan, as a dark horse.
"Man…" Inuzuka Kiba sighed from the side.
"What's wrong, Kiba?" Aburame Shino asked calmly.
"I'm just jealous. Naruto's gotten so cocky," Kiba muttered.
Normally he'd have fired back, but after that match against the second-year class, he'd realized how wide the gap really was.
He didn't even have the confidence to argue anymore.
Shino adjusted his glasses in silence.
So you're depressed… because you can't show off?
That's… kind of admirable, in its own way.
"Where's Shikamaru?" Akimichi Choji asked, looking around.
"Kitazawa-sensei gave him special leave," Ino explained.
"Seriously?" Choji blinked, sounding a bit jealous.
"Alright," Kitazawa clapped his hands.
"To help you prepare for the combat exam, I'll be teaching you Konoha-Style Taijutsu."
"Konoha-Style?" Ino blinked. "That's not part of the regular curriculum, is it?"
"It's not," Shino confirmed. "Kitazawa-sensei really is too kind."