Hinata's Growth

Kitazawa's Office.

Hinata paced back and forth, clutching the manuscript of her speech. Her face had turned pale from nervousness. She only stopped when the door opened and she saw Kitazawa walk in.

"Nervous?" Kitazawa approached, gently patted her head, and asked.

"Yeah," Hinata admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.

Kitazawa had been giving her special training during this period, doing his utmost to help her improve.

But now that the moment had come, she couldn't even keep a straight face. She felt as though she'd failed his expectations.

"It's normal to be nervous." Kitazawa smiled. "Let's eat something first."

He opened a spiritual storage scroll and took out a variety of food. A delicious aroma filled the air, and Hinata's stomach growled quietly. Her face instantly flushed red with embarrassment.

"Eat up." Kitazawa handed her a sushi roll.

"Thank you, Mr. Kitazawa." Hinata took a bite and found it inexplicably sweet.

As the flavors settled on her tongue, she sneaked a glance at Kitazawa before quickly looking away again. She ate elegantly, clearly enjoying herself.

Sitting on the sofa, she swung her little feet back and forth as she ate. Her earlier nervousness gradually faded.

"I'm full, Mr. Kitazawa." Hinata placed the empty glass down after finishing her milk and looked at him.

"I'll teach you a way to relieve stage fright." Kitazawa picked up a rice ball and said, "When you go up on stage, just imagine everyone as rice balls. That way, you won't feel nervous."

"Huh?" Hinata blinked in surprise. Will that really work?

"Come on, let's head to the playground." Kitazawa packed up the remaining food.

Hearing that, Hinata's heart began to race again, and tension returned to her chest. As she followed Kitazawa, she silently repeated the trick he'd just shared.

"Rice balls… you're all rice balls…" She kept muttering to herself. For some strange reason, she really did feel her nervousness lighten a little.

At the playground, students from all six grades were lined up in neatly arranged square formations.

Kitazawa led Hinata directly to the stage.

"Kitazawa." Sarutobi Hisao spotted him and greeted him.

Kitazawa had become a prominent figure in the ninja school and was deeply trusted by Sarutobi Hiruzen. Sarutobi Hisao, a member of the Sarutobi clan and the school's vice-principal, took the initiative to express goodwill.

"Vice-Principal." Kitazawa greeted him respectfully.

At exactly half-past eight, the commendation ceremony officially began. The first item on the agenda was the speech by the outstanding student representative.

"Hinata, remember the method I told you." Kitazawa reminded her softly.

Hinata didn't respond verbally but gave a determined nod. She walked forward slowly and came to a halt. Dozens of eyes immediately turned to her. She began to tremble slightly, and panic welled up in her chest.

"Rice balls… they're all rice balls!" Hinata took a deep breath and began her speech.

—

Second Grade, Class A.

Hyuga Neji listened to Hinata's speech, a look of surprise appearing on his face. She had actually found the courage to go on stage and was delivering her speech smoothly.

In Neji's eyes, Hinata wasn't cut out to be a ninja. She was too timid, too indecisive. Her only merit, in his opinion, was her birth into the main family.

"Let me see how much you've changed…" Neji suddenly recalled Mizuki's earlier suggestion. He hadn't cared about it before, but now he was genuinely curious.

Mizuki's idea was simple: a friendly match between the two classes.

—

Thirty minutes later, Hinata's speech came to an end. Thunderous applause echoed from all around, and Hinata snapped out of her trance-like state.

She had been so immersed in delivering the speech that she'd completely forgotten about the audience. Listening to the applause from all directions, a strange but pleasant feeling welled up in her heart.

Was I really that good? She clenched the manuscript in her hands, waved it shyly, and then stepped down from the stage.

"Mr. Kitazawa!" Hinata's face was flushed pink from excitement.

"Congratulations on finishing your speech," Kitazawa smiled. "See? Everyone's applauding you."

"Yeah!" Hinata nodded eagerly. She felt like she had just opened a door to a new world. If she were asked to give another speech, she felt she could do even better.

"Do you have the confidence to defeat Toranosuke now?" Kitazawa asked, shifting the topic.

"I… I can!" Hinata hesitated for a second but then answered with determination.

"You've grown, Hinata." Kitazawa gently touched her head. "Let's go back to Class A."

The two returned to the first-grade A class formation.

"Hinata, you were amazing!" Ino complimented with a smile.

"Next time, I want to give a speech too!" Naruto exclaimed, full of anticipation. He loved being the center of attention. If people clapped for him, that meant recognition.

"You?" Kiba scoffed. "If it's about giving a speech on stage, I have a better shot than you."

"We'll see who does better in the next monthly exam!" Naruto responded confidently.

He wasn't placing faith in himself—he was placing it in Kitazawa.

"It'll be me." Sasuke suddenly spoke.

Everyone turned to him with surprise. In their memory, Sasuke had always been aloof and rarely joined in their conversations.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Quiet down. The principal is about to speak." Kitazawa clapped his hands.

The second and most important part of the ceremony began: the commendation. Sarutobi Hisao began reading out the names of the top 30 students in each grade.

"Now, let's invite the principal to give a summary speech for this monthly exam." After finishing the list, Sarutobi Hisao smiled and gestured toward the side of the stage.

A familiar figure appeared—Sarutobi Hiruzen, dressed in the Hokage's robe.

Instantly, the students erupted into cheers. Hiruzen's public image was impeccable, and his reputation in the village was extremely high. Moreover, his appearance was a surprise.

Normally, he wouldn't attend something like a monthly exam commendation ceremony. He usually only showed up at the entrance ceremony or graduation.

"Let me briefly share six points—" Hiruzen began, clearly pleased with their reaction. To him, it confirmed that everything he did was worthwhile.

Kitazawa forced a smile. He had a bad feeling about this.

And sure enough, Hiruzen spoke for two full hours. If time hadn't been limited, he might've gone even longer.

The ceremony finally ended, and everyone returned to class.

Kitazawa was about to leave when Mizuki stopped him.

"Your class did really well this time. The students in my class would like to have an exchange with yours." Mizuki smiled. "How about a friendly match between our classes?"

"Not interested." Kitazawa rejected him outright.

"W-Why?" Mizuki froze in place.

"Why?" Kitazawa scoffed. "A second-year going up against a first-year—what word besides shameless would you use for that?"

A one-year age gap isn't something you can just ignore. Kitazawa wasn't stupid—he had no intention of asking for trouble.

"Wait! We can make it a healthy exchange between students." Mizuki chased after him. "You can decide the time, place, and content of the match!"

He knew very well the advantage of a one-year gap, so he was generous enough to hand over full control of the test to Kitazawa.