A new day, Tuesday.
While teaching Class 2-A, Kitazawa kept a close eye on Neji.
On the surface, Neji looked the same as ever. But every now and then, a flicker of doubt and struggle showed between his brows.
After class, Neji didn't come see him. Kitazawa wasn't worried. Things like this couldn't be resolved overnight.
After checking the training grounds, he headed to the Academy's lake.
Sasuke and Hinata's training was progressing smoothly. They didn't need his guidance for the moment.
Just as Kitazawa began preparing his Wind Style training, a thought suddenly struck him. He turned to look at Sasuke.
He had been so focused on Hinata's mission that he almost forgot, he still had another mission:
Help Uchiha Sasuke defeat Neji in exchange for a one-tomoe Sharingan. To Kitazawa, the Sharingan and Byakugan were the same, they couldn't be used openly for now.
But just because he couldn't use them now didn't mean he couldn't use them later. Once one reached a certain level, the rules of the Uchiha and Hyūga clans became meaningless.
But that wasn't the key point. His system was called the Strongest Hokage Training System.
Who was the "strongest"? Not Madara, not Hashirama.
The Ōtsutsuki.
The fact that the rewards were the Sharingan and Byakugan told him everything.
Sooner or later, he would gather every bloodline and ninjutsu, transforming himself from a mere human into something beyond.
In other words, the Sharingan was a must.
But there was a problem:
Could a Sasuke who had just awakened his Sharingan defeat Neji?
Kitazawa wasn't sure. But it wasn't impossible.
Neji was only seven years old, no, eight now.
Neji's birthday was July 3rd. Today was September 2nd.
"Sasuke."
Kitazawa called him over. If everything went as predicted, Neji would begin training under him soon.
And once that happened, Neji's strength would increase even faster. Which would make Sasuke defeating him even harder.
So before Neji's special training began, Sasuke needed some of his own.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Sasuke stopped training and walked over.
"You watched Hinata and Neji's spar yesterday. What did you think?"
"Their strength is good. But with some time, I can beat them with my Sharingan."
Sasuke's calm voice carried confidence.
"My Sharingan already sees through all their movements."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. No wonder Sasuke didn't act yesterday, he was analyzing them.
"But there's a problem."
Kitazawa smiled.
"What if they improve again during that time?"
"…"
Sasuke had not thought of that. Even one or two more strikes of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms would be troublesome.
He couldn't allow himself to lose because of that.
"Kitazawa-sensei, what should I do?"
"You need to use another strength of the Sharingan."
Kitazawa said slowly.
"Genjutsu."
Genjutsu might be overshadowed in the late game, but early and mid-game?
It was one of the most lethal weapons. And in the original timeline, Sasuke hardly used genjutsu at all.
He fought more like Madara, preferring ninjutsu. The one who made real use of genjutsu was Itachi.
Besides personality, Kitazawa suspected another reason:
The massacre prevented Sasuke from learning Sharingan-based genjutsu.
"But the one-tomoe Sharingan can't cast genjutsu directly."
Sasuke frowned.
"It can assist it."
Kitazawa wasn't surprised. What Sasuke meant was the high-level eye-contact genjutsu, the kind that could later control tailed beasts.
What Kitazawa meant was something else:
Genjutsu cast using the Sharingan.
Like Demonic Illusions: Shackle Stakes.
Or Illusion Technique: Unknown Fire.
Normal ninjas couldn't use these techniques even if they learned them, because they didn't have the eyes.
"I get it!"
Sasuke's eyes lit up.
"I'll go home and have Father and Brother teach me!"
Kitazawa wasn't sure what he was happier about:
Finding a way to defeat Neji.
Or spending more time with Fugaku and Itachi.
Probably both.
It was a win-win.
It was strange, but Kitazawa felt a sense of satisfaction. He was changing the fate of characters from the original story, by himself.
"Starting today, you don't need to come to school."
Kitazawa said after thinking.
"When you finish your training, I'll arrange a match with Neji."
"Huh? Why Neji and not Hinata?"
Sasuke asked.
His logic was simple:
A genius should always aim for the strongest!
"They're similar in strength."
Kitazawa said casually.
"You'll spar with Hinata in the monthly exams."
"I understand."
Sasuke nodded. If both Hyūga geniuses lost to him, the Uchiha Clan's name would shine again. He would start by defeating Neji, and settle last semester's loss.
"I'm heading home then, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Sasuke waved goodbye and ran off. He never expected Fugaku and Itachi to personally teach him right after summer vacation.
He was excited.
"Why are you back so early today?"
Mikoto asked when she saw him. It was still two hours before noon.
"Kitazawa-sensei sent me back!"
She trusted Kitazawa more than anyone, Sasuke knew it.
"Then he must have given you something important to do."
"What is it?"
"He wants me to learn genjutsu from Father and Brother!"
"Learn so much?"
Mikoto spoke softly.
"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
Learning both fire-style and genjutsu at his age was a lot. But since Kitazawa had said so, she didn't stop him.
"Don't worry!"
Sasuke puffed out his chest.
"I awakened my Sharingan at age six! I'm a super genius!"
He always wanted to catch up to Itachi. Now he finally surpassed him in one area: Sasuke awakened his Sharingan at six. Itachi awakened his at eight.
Naturally, this made him somewhat arrogant.
"Don't get impatient."
Mikoto rubbed his head.
"You worked hard to become first in the class."
Sasuke grimaced. Especially after watching Hinata and Neji yesterday.
"Your brother should be back by noon today."
Mikoto changed the subject.
"Really?"
Sasuke brightened immediately. So easy to manipulate. Mikoto smiled.
Noon came.
"I'm home."
Itachi stepped inside, and paused. Because Sasuke was there. He normally ate lunch at school.
"Brother!"
Sasuke said directly:
"I want to learn genjutsu!"
"Aren't you learning fire-style?"
Itachi blinked, then smiled.
"Genjutsu is harder, you know."
"I'm not afraid!"
Sasuke raised his chin.
"I'm an Uchiha! Of course I can learn it!"
"That's true."
Itachi nodded.
"But learning must be done one step at a time."
He was worried, like Mikoto.
"If I don't learn genjutsu, I can't beat Neji and Hinata."
Sasuke muttered.
"So that's why."
Itachi understood.
"They even learned Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
Sasuke added.
"That's why I want to prove the Uchiha are the strongest!"
"It doesn't matter which clan is strongest."
Itachi said calmly.
"You're classmates. It's just sparring."
Sasuke didn't understand that at all.
He only wanted one thing:
To win.
"Alright. I'll teach you."
Itachi smiled.
"I also know some Gentle Fist, so I can teach you how to counter it."
…
At a quiet corner of the Academy,
A huge group of Naruto's classmates were gathered. All excited.
Kitazawa glanced at them, then ignored them.
He pulled out a shuriken and infused it with Wind Style chakra. The shuriken spun, Wind chakra wrapped around the blade like an invisible razor.
It embedded itself deep into a nearby tree, carving a dent.
"With only basic Wind-style transformation, progress really is slow."
He missed the feeling of learning medical ninjutsu and genjutsu at lightning speed.
But Wind-style was different. Even with master-level chakra control, B-rank and A-rank techniques weren't easy.
After all, even now, Kurenai hadn't fully mastered Genjutsu: Infinite Darkness Jutsu.
As for Sasuke and Naruto?
They were exceptions. The protagonist halo combined with talent let them grow into heroes by seventeen.
In reality, most seventeen-year-old ninjas were barely genin or chunin. Even talented ones like Kurenai.
Kitazawa shook off the thought and resumed training. He had plenty of time. Enough to learn four Wind-style jutsu.
Afternoon.
He paused and headed to his office. After practicing all day, his chakra was nearly spent. But he couldn't just rest.
He still had work to do, drafting a proposal for a student council. He planned to model it off the student councils from his original world.
Of course, with some proper Konoha flavor. Like the Will of Fire. And Hiruzen wasn't stupid.
He'd immediately understand:
The student council was a miniature Konoha. Whoever became council president would have a natural advantage in future Hokage succession.
After all, those who joined would include heirs of major clans and outstanding commoners. So Hiruzen would probably want Naruto to be president.
But Kitazawa had a plan. He didn't suggest establishing it outright.
Instead:
Implement it as a trial. If successful, make it permanent. If not, abolish it. During the trial, Kitazawa would serve as acting president.
Two days passed quickly.
Friday.
Sasuke's absence didn't cause a stir. Only Naruto and Sakura asked about him. When they learned he was undergoing special training, they dropped it.
A knock sounded.
Kitazawa looked up from his paperwork. Tsunade entered. Kitazawa realized she had learned to knock.
He stood and followed her to the sofa.
"I've investigated Nonō's situation fully."
Tsunade said, settling onto the couch.
"What do you mean?"
Kitazawa asked.
"You were right."
Tsunade pursed her lips.
"Danzo used the orphanage to force Nonō to work for Root."
"If it were only the orphanage, we could turn it over to the Hokage."
Kitazawa replied.
"It's not just the orphanage."
Tsunade frowned.
"He recruited talented orphans into Root. Many died during internal tests."
The original story mentioned those tests. Root members killing each other, only the survivors advanced. That was how Sai's brother died. It was Shin's sacrifice that let Sai pass.
And it was because of Shin that Sai regained emotions and eventually joined Team 7.
"The most outstanding child was Yakushi Kabuto, Nonō's adopted son."
Tsunade continued.
"He's no longer in Konoha. Only Danzo and Root know where he is."
Root was inhuman. They wouldn't talk.
"We have to locate Kabuto first."
Kitazawa said.
"Root is still Anbu. According to the rules, Anbu has authority to investigate."
"Hm-hmm."
Tsunade stretched and stood.
"In the end… we still need the old man."
Hiruzen was the Hokage. Even Tsunade couldn't move against Danzo without him. With Hiruzen, they could eliminate trouble once and for all.
"Let's go."
Kitazawa said.
"You're coming, of course."
Tsunade shot him a look.
"You're the one who started all this."
"Lady Tsunade, you'll protect me, right?"
Kitazawa blinked.
"I would never dare oppose Danzo."
"Oh?"
Tsunade laughed.
"Then why meddle in Nonō's affairs?"
"Because of you."
Kitazawa answered seriously.
"In the entire Leaf, only you can fight Danzo besides the Hokage."
"Enough flattery."
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"You're trusted by the old man. Danzo won't dare touch you."
"I trust you more."
Kitazawa said calmly.
"You really dare say that."
Tsunade muttered.
Soon, they reached the Hokage's office.
"Did the two of you develop a new jutsu?"
Hiruzen asked.
"No."
Tsunade casually tossed a scroll onto his desk.
"We're here to talk about Danzo."
Hiruzen blinked, then opened the scroll. It documented everything regarding the orphanage and Nonō.
"Danzo is this bold?"
Hiruzen frowned. The orphanage belonged to Konoha, not Root. Danzo had overstepped. And his coercion of Nonō and Kabuto… was unforgivable.