Help Ino Yamanaka
A new week.
A practical lesson for First-Year Class A. Kitazawa stood on a cherry tree branch, flicking his fingers continuously. With each movement, chakra-infused leaves shot out like kunai.
Because the leaves were infused with chakra, their speed was tremendous. In the blink of an eye, they crossed a three-meter distance.
Just as one was about to fly past, a delicate little hand snatched it from the air.
The hand belonged to Hinata. After a week of training, she had become quite skilled.
Hinata moved deftly in the narrow space, collecting the leaves one by one. She only stopped when the leaves stopped appearing.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata panted slightly and asked, "Is the training over?"
"Rest for five minutes." Kitazawa praised, "You've lasted half an hour. You're improving steadily."
Hinata's rosy face brightened with a gentle smile at his words.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" At that moment, Uchiha Sasuke's voice rang out.
"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Kitazawa jumped down from the tree.
"I did it!" Sasuke exclaimed, holding up an empty glass in triumph.
"Congratulations." Kitazawa took the glass. "Your hard work is paying off."
Sasuke trained not only during class but in every spare moment. His efforts rivaled those of Naruto and Rock Lee. With talent and diligence, it was no surprise—He had completed the second stage of chakra nature transformation.
"Try using Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique," Kitazawa said. "If nothing goes wrong, you should reach your brother's level."
"Really?" Sasuke clenched his fists in anticipation.
"Your chakra transformation is sufficient. Just focus your chakra and unleash it at maximum output." Kitazawa nodded.
While Uchiha Itachi was stronger overall, he wouldn't have invested this much time into perfecting the Great Fireball Technique. He simply had too many jutsu.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke took a deep breath, formed seals swiftly, and released all his chakra.
In an instant, a massive fireball, nearly eight or nine meters in diameter, erupted forward.
"Hahaha!" Sasuke laughed in excitement. "I finally surpassed my brother!"
Kitazawa only shook his head. He didn't ruin Sasuke's moment. At least he was happy now.
Kitazawa thought about the upcoming friendly match with Second-Year Class A. In terms of ninjutsu power, Sasuke was now a guaranteed win.
Forget second years—even sixth-year students rarely used anything beyond the Three Basic Techniques.
As for Hyuga Neji, though his Gentle Fist was practical, it couldn't match the flashy impact of a massive Fireball.
"Thank you, Mr. Kitazawa!" Sasuke composed himself and said gratefully. Though he once looked down on Kitazawa as just an average Chunin teacher, his opinion changed completely.
"Class is ending soon. Since you're done, head home early." Kitazawa saw through Sasuke's thoughts and said it directly.
Sasuke turned and ran without another word. Exactly what he wanted. He couldn't wait to show Uchiha Fugaku and Itachi.
Kitazawa watched him go. He wasn't worried Sasuke would slack off after reaching this milestone. After all, he was a proud Uchiha—first place was an obsession. He wouldn't let Naruto or anyone else surpass him.
"Teacher Kitazawa, let's continue training!" Hinata stood up, inspired by Sasuke's progress.
"Alright." Kitazawa patted her head and leaped back onto the tree.
The sun began to set, painting the horizon with a golden glow.
---
Meanwhile, Sasuke jogged home. He didn't even return greetings from Uchiha clan members on the way.
"Dad!" He shouted the moment he stepped into the courtyard.
"What's with the impatience?" Uchiha Fugaku came out, frowning.
"Sorry," Sasuke scratched his head, then beamed. "But look at this!"
He quickly formed seals and unleashed a massive fireball.
Uchiha Fugaku was momentarily stunned. A trace of surprise flickered in his eyes. Such a powerful Fireball Technique—at just six years old?
"As expected of my son," Fugaku nodded, satisfied. At this moment, Sasuke reminded him of Itachi—brimming with potential to become Hokage.
Sasuke held back his joy, but the smile on his face was unstoppable.
---
Back at school, the end-of-class bell rang.
Kitazawa said goodbye to Hinata and the others and headed home.
At that moment, three lines of text appeared before him:
[Current Task: After Uchiha Sasuke's Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique surpasses Itachi, use your own Fire Style to surpass him.
Task Reward: Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation.]
[Task Completed. Reward Issued.]
Kitazawa blinked. Did he miss a step?
He hadn't even surpassed Sasuke with the Fireball Technique. How was the task completed? But regardless, it was a jackpot.
As he absorbed the reward's information, it was as if he had spent decades mastering Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation.
Sitting on the sofa, Kitazawa contemplated how to trigger Sasuke's next mission. After some thought, he decided to observe two more days of practical training.
Since a friendly match with Second-Year Class A was approaching, he planned to hold an in-class combat competition. From the results, he would choose five students for final training.
Kitazawa thought of Hinata again. He wondered when she would finally awaken her Byakugan.
---
The next day, Tuesday.
After breakfast, Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja Academy. To his surprise, besides Hinata, Yamanaka Ino was waiting in his office.
"Teacher Kitazawa! Help me!" Ino rushed forward and grabbed his hand like she'd found her last hope.
"What's wrong?" Kitazawa asked, confused.
"I don't want to do homework anymore!" Ino groaned dramatically.
Kitazawa blinked, then recalled the rule he had set earlier. During water-walking training, whoever got hit by the most kunai had to do double homework.
Haruno Sakura, the heroine of the original story, had better chakra control. As a result, Ino's homework had doubled every day.
Kitazawa was about to lift the punishment when three lines of text suddenly appeared:
[Current Task: Help Yamanaka Ino defeat Haruno Sakura in water-walking training.
Task Reward: Master-level Chakra Control.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes lit up. This reward was incredibly tempting.
Chakra control was essential for every ninjutsu—nothing could be more useful.
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