CHAPTER 140: CHAPTER 140

The sun dipped low in the sky, casting long shadows across the village streets.

Kitazawa stepped out of the Ninja Academy, the quiet hum of the day settling into evening. After just a single class, he had fully grasped the fundamentals of the One-Tomoe Sharingan. Compared to its fully matured Three-Tomoe form, its abilities were modest—but not without value.

Its greatest strength lay in heightened perception, especially in combat—allowing him to track an opponent’s movements with clarity. Still, it couldn’t match the Byakugan’s penetrating vision, which could read chakra flow and pinpoint tenketsu inside the body.

But that didn’t make it useless.

For Kitazawa, the One-Tomoe had two immediate benefits: a noticeable boost in chakra output when activated and the ability to learn Sharingan-based genjutsu.

As he walked, his thoughts drifted.

’Could I evolve it on my own—without the system’s automatic upgrades?’

Theoretically, with the Sharingan awakened, he was already an Uchiha in all but name. Advancing it, however, required intense emotional stimulus—something he hadn’t experienced in a long time. And frankly, courting mental trauma just for a power-up sounded like a terrible deal.

That was when he heard familiar footsteps behind him.

"Guess who?"

Soft, fair hands slipped over his eyes.

"The most beautiful kunoichi in Konoha," Kitazawa replied without hesitation.

Kurenai let out a small laugh, withdrawing her hands. "Flattery like that sounds suspiciously rehearsed."

"That’s slander," he said with mock seriousness, catching her wrist and gently pulling her forward.

She stumbled lightly into his chest before stepping back, an eyebrow raised. "And what do you call this? Dragging me around in the middle of the street?"

"Is there a rule against it?" Kitazawa leaned closer, his breath brushing her ear before giving it a playful nip.

Kurenai’s breath hitched, color blooming in her cheeks.

"You’ve been training," Kitazawa noted, catching the faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Mhm. I want to master the Bringer of Darkness as soon as possible."

"That’s an A-rank jutsu, and not just any A-rank—it’s tricky. Don’t rush; you’ll get it." His gaze drifted toward her lips as he spoke.

"I’m not rushing," she said, then pouted. "I’m just bored at home."

With Tsunade and Shizune off gambling during the day and Yakumo busy with classes, Kurenai found herself a lone kunoichi with far too much free time.

Kitazawa smiled faintly at her expression before leaning in to kiss her.

"Hey—this is still the street!" She protested, flustered.

"If you’re really that bored, come to the Academy. I am the Director of Academic Affairs now. A little... persuasion, and I could get you in."

Kurenai laughed, shaking her head. "You’re openly suggesting backdoor deals now?"

"I’m serious. You could even teach Class 1-A if you wanted."

"Teaching’s not for me," she said after a pause.

"Offer stands," he replied, brushing his cheek against hers.

"All slobber," she said with a teasing grimace.

"That face would look great in a movie I once saw," he murmured.

"Pervert," she shot back, stepping away with a smirk.

"You wound me. Come on—let’s go home so I can clear my name properly."

"What are you babbling about? And don’t forget—Shizune’s waiting for you at the hospital."

Kitazawa sighed dramatically. "Medical ninjutsu... so inconvenient."

Kurenai shook her head, laughing. Then she stole a quick kiss. "Don’t forget—you promised we’d take a mission together."

"Right. You pick one, and I’ll go with you this weekend. Might as well rack up some achievements while we’re at it."

"Deal. Once I master the Bringer of Darkness."

Kitazawa gave her a parting nod and headed for Konoha Hospital.

The night passed without incident.

By Friday, the Academy training grounds buzzed with even more energy—thanks to one new face: Hyuga Neji.

"Neji, let’s see your Gentle Fist," Kitazawa said.

Neji’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’He can teach Gentle Fist?’ Only a handful of non-Hyuga could. Sarutobi Hiruzen, for example, was said to have mastery over all of Konoha’s ninjutsu. Tsunade too, with her vast medical and taijutsu expertise, understood it to a degree.

But Kitazawa?

Neji didn’t voice his doubts—he simply performed the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

"There are sixteen mistakes in your form," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.

"Impossible!" Neji blurted. He had begun training under Hiashi-sama just two days ago. Surely, Hiashi would have noticed such flaws.

"Neji, Kitazawa-sensei is amazing!" Hinata interjected, frowning at Neji’s disbelief.

Neji bit back the retort that had come to mind.

"Show me again, and I’ll point them out," Kitazawa said calmly.

Neji assumed the opening stance.

"Hand’s too high." Kitazawa adjusted his wrist—by exactly one centimeter.

Neji struck out with both palms, front and back.

"Chakra flow’s off." Kitazawa tapped his shoulder with two fingers. "Feel that hitch?"

Neji’s eyes widened. ’He can sense chakra flow... without Byakugan?’

The truth was simpler—Kitazawa’s mastery, courtesy of the system, was so refined he could predict exactly what an imperfect movement would cause.

"Kitazawa-sensei’s the best!" Hinata said again, cheeks pink when he glanced her way.

"Continue," Kitazawa instructed.

"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Neji replied—this time with genuine respect.

Kitazawa stood before Neji, watching him perform the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—one precise movement at a time.

When Neji finished, Kitazawa calmly listed every single error. All sixteen of them.

Neji froze, stunned.

Sixteen? That many?

And the worst part—it wasn’t nitpicking. Every mistake was real.

[Current Mission: Earn Hyuga Neji’s preliminary recognition.]

[Reward: Byakugan purity +10%]

[Mission complete. Reward issued.]

Kitazawa’s eyebrow lifted in pleasant surprise. He couldn’t activate the Byakugan to fully savor the upgrade, but he could already feel the denser flow of chakra in his body. His purity had reached 20%, though the Byakugan itself hadn’t mutated—just sharper vision and stronger chakra reserves.

"Neji," Kitazawa said, clapping a hand on the boy’s shoulder, "your training for the next two days is to fix these mistakes."

"Yes," Neji replied, voice steady but eyes betraying the shock still lingering.

Now he understood why Hinata had progressed so quickly. But how was Kitazawa—who didn’t even have the Byakugan—more adept at the Gentle Fist than Clan Head Hiashi himself?

"Hinata, with me," Kitazawa called, moving toward an open clearing. Not only would they avoid distracting Neji, but it was time to begin her Genjutsu lessons.

"Genjutsu targets the five senses by disrupting chakra flow," he explained. "If you notice your chakra turning chaotic mid-battle, you’re probably caught."

Hinata immediately recalled Neji yesterday, trapped inside Genjutsu: Bubble.

"For most Genjutsu, quick reaction lets you dispel it with the right chakra disruption method," Kitazawa continued. "But Dojutsu-based illusions are far trickier—you might not even have the time. That’s when teammates become crucial."

Hinata nodded. It matched what Kiba and Ino had told her.

"Still, there are counters. With your Byakugan, you could close the gap before the caster completes their signs—"

"But... I’m not that fast," Hinata admitted quietly. Even Neji’s speed couldn’t escape the Sharingan’s gaze; she would fare no better.

"Then I’ll teach you the Leaf-Style Body Flicker," Kitazawa said with a smile. Against a young Sasuke, there were still plenty of options.

Her eyes lit up instantly.

"If you can’t reach in time, avoid direct eye contact—or close your eyes entirely," Kitazawa added. "You’ll need to fight by sound—what I call ’listening to the wind.’"

Hinata’s gaze sharpened with understanding.

"Listening to the wind requires sensitive hearing," he said thoughtfully. "We’ll train that too. The Hyuga rely too much on the Byakugan. If you ever lose it—even briefly—panic will destroy you before the enemy does."

"Understood," Hinata replied firmly.

Kitazawa demonstrated the Body Flicker, transforming into a swirling storm of leaves. Hinata’s jaw dropped—she knew the technique’s basics, but this was different. It was speed, evasion, and elegance rolled into one.

"Well?" Kitazawa reappeared, grinning.

"It’s amazing! If I master it, I can definitely beat Sasuke!"

"That’s the spirit," Kitazawa said, ruffling her hair.

"I... I just don’t want to disappoint you, Sensei," she murmured, cheeks flushing.

"Then let’s start. First, the hand seals."

The weekend passed, and by Monday the school buzzed with anticipation for the monthly exam. Kitazawa sorted and finalized the written papers with his shadow clones before submitting them to Hisao Sarutobi. His only real hope for the exam? Hinata defeating Sasuke.

At the training ground, Naruto barreled toward him like a hurricane.

"Sensei!!"

Kitazawa raised a brow. "Normally you wouldn’t be here now. I’m guessing you finished stage two of the Rasengan training."

Naruto’s jaw dropped. "Do you have mind-reading jutsu?!"

"I guessed," Kitazawa replied dryly.

Grinning, Naruto demonstrated by bursting a rubber ball in his palm.

"Not bad," Kitazawa said. A month and a half for an A-rank technique—fast for someone his age.

"Can I finish the Rasengan before the exam?"

"Hard to say," Kitazawa admitted. "Stage three’s the toughest. Two months would be a good pace."

Naruto pouted. "Then I can’t surprise Sasuke..."

Kitazawa smirked. "With your Shadow Clones, trust me—you’ll surprise him plenty."

He summoned chakra to his palm. "Stage three combines everything—make your chakra spin irregularly like in stage one, then compress and refine it like in stage two—" The Rasengan solidified, spinning like a miniature typhoon before smashing into the ground, leaving a deep crater.

Naruto’s eyes went wide. "That’s... awesome!"

"Call your clones and get started," Kitazawa said. "No shortcuts—yet."

As Naruto dashed off, Kitazawa created a shadow clone to supervise him. His gaze shifted to Shikamaru and Ino, already moving on to their clan techniques—Shadow Sewing and Mind Transfer. Harder paths, slower progress, but steady nonetheless.

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