Improvement

The second week of May.

After buying breakfast, Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja School. As expected, Hinata was already waiting in his office.

"Eat." Kitazawa placed the breakfast on the coffee table.

"Teacher Kitazawa." Hinata took a sip of milk, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I had a sparring match with my father yesterday."

"You seem happy. Did you beat him?" Kitazawa asked teasingly.

"N-No…" Hinata blushed at his teasing, replying in a soft voice, "How could I possibly beat him?"

In her mind, Hiashi was a formidable figure, standing among the strongest in the ninja world. To reach even half his strength would be a dream come true.

"Why not?" Kitazawa smiled. "I believe you'll definitely beat him one day."

"Ah?" Hinata opened her mouth slightly, unsure of what to say.

"But if you didn't win, why are you so happy?" Kitazawa took a bite of the rice ball and redirected the conversation.

"Father said I've made great progress!" Hinata's eyes sparkled again as she spoke.

"That proves you have talent." Kitazawa praised her sincerely.

Hinata's main problem was a lack of confidence. Kitazawa's approach to this was simple—just praise her more.

"I-I don't have any talent…" Hinata looked up at him. "It's only because of your training, Mr. Kitazawa."

"My training works because you're talented," Kitazawa replied with a smile.

"Huh?" Hinata looked confused. How did that come full circle again? Could it really be that she had talent?

"I… I'm far inferior to Brother Neji." Her tone dimmed as she spoke, her expression turning gloomy.

"Not necessarily." Kitazawa shook his head, comforting her. "He's older than you. It's only natural he's stronger right now."

Hinata had potential. In the original timeline, even Toneri Otsutsuki and other Otsutsuki spirits referred to her as the Princess of the White Eyes, recognizing the purity of her Byakugan.

"But… but…" Hinata still hesitated.

"Practice makes perfect." Kitazawa looked her in the eyes. "Keep training. One day, I believe you'll defeat Neji Hyuga."

It was difficult in theory, but Kitazawa had a cheat. Once he obtained the Byakugan and mastered Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Hinata might have a real chance.

After all, the ninjutsu rewarded by the system always came at full proficiency. 

Hinata blinked in surprise. She had never even imagined defeating Neji. But seeing Kitazawa's serious face, she found herself nodding unconsciously.

"Teacher Kitazawa…" Hinata turned her gaze aside. "There's something else I want to ask."

"Go ahead." Kitazawa finished the rice ball and reached for a piece of sushi.

"Father said my chakra has increased by half compared to before," Hinata said, her voice full of confusion.

"You and your father don't know why?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.

"No." Hinata shook her head. Even though she had been refining chakra consistently over the past month, the increase seemed far too significant.

"Looks like you haven't been paying attention in class." Kitazawa raised his hand and flicked her forehead.

"I-I haven't attended class lately…" Hinata murmured, blushing.

"Ahem." Kitazawa cleared his throat and skipped over the topic. "Do you know what chakra is made of?"

"It's a combination of spiritual energy and physical energy," Hinata answered obediently.

"If your chakra increases, that means both your spiritual and physical energy have increased." Kitazawa said, "Now think. What have you been doing lately?"

"I haven't done anyth—" Hinata suddenly froze.

She remembered. With Kitazawa's support, she had stopped hiding her appetite.

Over the past month, she had eaten well every day. When her body was full and nourished, of course, her physical energy increased.

"So that's it…" Hinata murmured to herself, deeply shocked.

She had always believed her large appetite was a source of shame—something improper for a Hyuga, something rude and unrefined.

"Being able to eat is a blessing." Kitazawa gently patted her head. "Don't be embarrassed about it ever again."

Hinata looked up at him. She felt dazed.

Defeating Toranosuke, being praised by her father, and discovering that her chakra increase was linked to being able to eat…

All those moments overlapped, and the emotions she had buried deep inside came rushing out.

"Mr.Kitazawa…" Hinata opened her mouth, only to realize tears were falling. She quickly wiped them away, not daring to look up again.

What a pitiful child. Kitazawa sighed inwardly. He didn't say anything—just silently watched over her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kitazawa…" After a long pause, Hinata took a deep breath and spoke.

"You don't need to apologize for that." Kitazawa shook his head gently.

"Thank you." Hinata felt an unfamiliar sense of lightness. All the weight she had been carrying seemed to drain out with her tears, leaving behind a quiet joy.

"Let's go. Time for class." After finishing breakfast, Kitazawa stood up.

"Okay." Hinata obediently followed.

The bell rang.

"Before we begin, I have something to announce." Kitazawa stood at the podium and smiled. "In early June, our class will be having a friendly match against Class A of the second grade."

The classroom instantly erupted in noise.

"Class A of the second grade? That's Neji's class, right?"

Choji's eyes widened. "Then we're definitely going to lose. No way we can beat them."

"Don't be so defeatist!" Inuzuka Kiba slammed the table. "How can you say that before we've even fought?"

"You don't know how strong Neji is." Ino frowned, looking unsure. "He's even more famous than Sasuke—he's a real Hyuga prodigy."

"There's no student more talented than Sasuke!" Sakura clenched her fists. "Sasuke will beat him for sure!"

"I'll defeat him," Sasuke spoke up suddenly.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's eyes sparkled—it was the first time Sasuke had spoken to her.

"Hyuga Neji isn't just a rumor," Shikamaru said seriously.

At the mention of Neji, Hinata stiffened. Her courage, which had been building up, seemed to shrink again.

"Hey!" Naruto stood up and shouted with confidence, "We've got Kitazawa-sensei!"

Upon hearing that, Hinata instinctively turned to look at Kitazawa. The smile on his face instantly reassured her.