Kitazawa's teaching style hadn't changed.
Just like with Class 1-A, he divided the students of Class 2-A into three groups based on the results of their earlier sparring session.
The first group would practice the Clone Jutsu.
The second group would practice the Transformation Jutsu.
The third group had already mastered both, so they were free to train independently.
The first two groups made up the majority. Only four students were in the third group — among them were Neji and Tenten.
Kitazawa created two Shadow Clones to teach the first two groups while he stayed behind to observe Neji from a distance.
From the fundamentals of the Gentle Fist, Neji's skill was far above Hinata's.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
So he hasn't mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms yet?
Calling it "stolen learning" wasn't quite right. Kitazawa suspected Hiashi Hyuga had quietly allowed it.
After all, with his strength, there was no way Hiashi didn't know Neji had been secretly studying it.
Still, the fact that Neji had actually succeeded in learning the technique must have exceeded his expectations — otherwise, Hiashi wouldn't have been so shocked in the original story.
At that moment, Kitazawa raised an eyebrow — Neji's movements changed.
He was now performing the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Kitazawa's eyes narrowed as he studied him closely.
Neji must have assumed no one at the Academy understood the Gentle Fist, so he didn't bother to hold back.
Of course, Kitazawa figured his earlier remarks had provoked Neji into training even harder.
After all, Neji had always been stronger than Hinata since childhood. If he suddenly lost to her, there was no way he'd accept it — especially with the whole Main Branch vs. Side Branch tension within the Hyuga Clan.
But as Kitazawa watched, he noted that Neji's form wasn't perfect.
He had only truly mastered the first six strikes of the Sixty-Four Palms.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you'll never lose a hundred battles.
With that, Kitazawa concluded that Hinata's chances of winning had gone up — provided she could learn more of the technique before the next term began.
Still, to be safe, she needed more real combat experience.
Kitazawa decided he'd personally train her during the summer break.
After observing for a while, he turned away and walked to the edge of the training field.
He wanted to test something — what exactly did a 10% increase in Byakugan purity do?
Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Kitazawa activated his Byakugan.
A faint glow flickered in his eyes.
His first impression — the clarity was sharper, noticeably so.
Not a huge difference, but about the expected ten percent.
The second improvement was ocular chakra strength — or pupil power.
As the Uchiha clan often said: the Sharingan is a battle of chakra and eyes.
Overusing ocular power could lead to blindness, as seen with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kitazawa tested the output — it had increased by around ten percent too.
Then, when he looked off into the distance, he was pleasantly surprised — his range of vision had doubled.
Now that was useful.
For scouting and tracking, the farther you could see, the greater your advantage.
Satisfied, Kitazawa deactivated his Byakugan and returned to the training field.
He casually picked up a medical textbook and began to read — his clones were still teaching, so he didn't need to do much.
Time passed quickly, and the class ended.
"We'll stop here for today," he said, dismissing the clones with a wave.
The students were amazed.
"Did that teacher really just end on time?"
"I think Kitazawa-sensei explains Clone and Transformation Jutsu way better than Mizuki-sensei ever did!"
"Same! I learned more today than in an entire week before!"
"No wonder Class 1-A is so strong!"
Even after just one lesson, the students of Class 2-A had fully accepted Kitazawa as their new teacher.
"Neji, heading back?" Tenten asked, approaching him.
"You go on ahead," Neji replied without even looking. "I need to train more."
Rock Lee clenched his fists, eyes blazing.
"That's my eternal rival! This is youth! I'll add three hundred extra laps tonight!"
Tenten sighed. Neji had always been hardworking, but now he was starting to sound exactly like Lee…
Kitazawa didn't return to the staff room.
He still had to teach Class 1-A their final period — the practical training class.
During the break, he stopped by the Academy's artificial lake to check on everyone's progress.
Shikamaru was improving rapidly thanks to his persistence.
At this rate, he'd master Water Walking by the end of the week — then, like Ino, he could move on to learning his clan's secret technique.
In fact, Shikamaru had already started studying the Shadow Possession Jutsu with his father, Shikaku.
He planned to surprise Kitazawa by showing it off during the next training session.
Kitazawa, of course, didn't know that — and even if he did, he wouldn't mind. A single jutsu couldn't make up the gap between them.
"Ino," Kitazawa called, walking up to the girl.
After observing her for days, he had a decent grasp of the Mind Body Switch Technique.
The Yamanaka clan's secret art was a type of Yin Release, something Kitazawa also specialized in — especially after learning genjutsu.
Even if she could learn it on her own, Kitazawa wanted to guide her a little — mostly to fulfill his mission conditions.
Soon, the class bell rang.
Kitazawa gathered the students of Class 1-A on the field.
He wondered for a moment — Could he combine Class 1-A and 2-A into a single session?
That would save him an entire period's worth of time.
After thinking it through, he realized it was possible.
After all, the Academy's ninjutsu curriculum focused only on the Three Basic Jutsu — Clone, Transformation, and Substitution.
The two classes were at slightly different stages, but he could simply teach them in groups.
"For today's session, we'll continue practicing the Leaf-Style Taijutsu."
He decided that after the upcoming monthly exams, both classes would train together in practical combat.
By Wednesday, Kitazawa had finalized all the written exams for every grade.
He scheduled them for Thursday, with the practical exams on Friday — leaving Saturday and Sunday as days off.
"I really am a kind teacher," he chuckled.
He could've easily made them test on the weekend.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Kitazawa said, looking up.
Iruka stepped inside, looking more worn-out than usual.
"Ah, Iruka. I have a task for you."
Kitazawa handed him a stack of papers — the monthly exam schedule.
"I need you to distribute these to the teachers of each grade," he said.
"Yes, Kitazawa-senpai." Iruka nodded tiredly.
Kitazawa noticed his exhaustion. "You should rest more," he advised.
Iruka smiled faintly. "Thank you, Kitazawa-senpai."
He'd been helping organize Mizuki's funeral alongside Tsubaki, Mizuki's girlfriend. Between teaching and preparations, he was completely drained.
Still, despite everything, Iruka bore no hatred toward Kitazawa. Mizuki had brought his fate upon himself.
When Kitazawa finished his paperwork, he went to the Vice Principal Hiruzen Hisao's office to get the tests printed.
By the time he left, a familiar voice echoed in his head:
[Mission Complete: Help Shikamaru Nara establish the foundation for learning his clan's secret technique.]
[Reward: Shadow Possession Jutsu]
Kitazawa paused mid-step.
"So, he's done with Water Walking already?" he murmured with a smile. "Pressure really does create progress."
Information flowed into his mind — the principles and mechanics of the Shadow Possession Jutsu.
Like the Yamanaka clan's technique, it was a form of Yin Release.
Suppressing his excitement, Kitazawa walked to the Academy's lake.
Sure enough, Shikamaru was there, finishing up his training.
"Shikamaru," Kitazawa called, dispersing his clone.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Shikamaru panted. "What is it?"
"Your water-walking training is finished," Kitazawa said plainly.
"Huh? So soon?"
"Not just today — you're done for good," Kitazawa clarified.
Shikamaru's eyes widened. "R-really?"
"Why would I lie? Your chakra control is already beyond what this exercise can improve."
Shikamaru grinned with relief — then immediately lost focus and plunged straight into the lake.
"Gah—! Help—!" he sputtered, flailing helplessly.
Kitazawa couldn't help laughing. He hopped onto the lake's surface and pulled him out.
Like a drenched fish, Shikamaru coughed up water the moment his feet hit solid ground.
"Thanks… Kitazawa-sensei," he wheezed.
"Need me to dry you off with a Fire Release?"
"NO! I mean—no thanks!" Shikamaru yelped, waving his hands. "I'll just go home and change."
"Fair enough," Kitazawa chuckled.
As Shikamaru started walking away, he suddenly turned back. "Uh, Kitazawa-sensei, will we keep training after this?"
"I only promised your father a month of tutoring," Kitazawa said.
"Oh… I see."
For some reason, that left Shikamaru oddly disappointed.
Do I actually like training? No way.
"See you later, Sensei!" he said, bolting off toward home.
A few minutes later, at the Nara household, Shikamaru took a long, relaxing bath.
When he came out, he sat on the couch staring blankly at the ceiling — until an itch stirred in him again.
He hesitated, then formed a hand sign.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
His shadow stretched across the floor, crawled up the wall, and reached the window — where a small bird had perched.
The shadow connected.
The bird froze, letting out a frightened chirp, unable to move.
"I actually did it?" Shikamaru whispered, eyes wide.
He released the jutsu, and the bird took off instantly.
Panting, Shikamaru wiped sweat from his brow.
The Shadow Possession Jutsu was incredible — but it burned through chakra fast.
Still, if one had enough chakra… even the Ten-Tails could be restrained, just like in the war.
"Shikamaru! You actually learned the Shadow Possession Jutsu?"
His mother, Yoshino Nara, appeared from the kitchen, still wearing an apron.
"I just pulled it off for the first time," he admitted, scratching his head.
"It must be because of your water-walking training," she said proudly. "Your chakra control improved so much."
Then she smiled brightly. "My son really is a genius! Your father didn't master that jutsu until he was older."
"Kitazawa-sensei helped me a lot," Shikamaru said reflexively—then froze.
Crap. Mentioning Kitazawa was dangerous.
But Yoshino only nodded. "Your father made the right call hiring him as your tutor."
They'd both noticed how much Shikamaru had changed.
The once-lazy boy now trained every day, studied every night, and showed real drive for the first time in his life.