"Kitazawa. Long time no see."
A pair of long, shapely legs wrapped in white bandages stepped forward as Yūhi Kurenai stopped in front of him.
"It hasn't been that long," Kitazawa replied. "We saw each other just last week."
His gaze briefly fell on the bandages around her hands.
Even in his previous life, he had always been curious—why did Kurenai wrap bandages around her thighs and arms?
"Kitazawa, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
A faint smile appeared on Kurenai's fair face.
Kitazawa was a little surprised.
Though both of them were chūnin, there were still clear differences among chūnin.
Kurenai possessed inherited techniques.
Her father was Yūhi Shinku, one of the few elite genjutsu jōnin in Konoha.
If Kurenai stood at the absolute peak of chūnin—half a step into jōnin territory—then Kitazawa was barely at the early stage.
"I recently took on a private student," Kurenai said with a troubled expression. "But she's extremely disobedient. I was hoping to learn from your experience."
Kitazawa's expression turned thoughtful.
In the original story, Kurenai would later become the jōnin instructor of Hyūga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba.
But she also had another student—Kurama Yakumo.
Yakumo possessed a rare genjutsu-based Kekkei Genkai, capable of turning illusions into reality.
Genjutsu belonged to Yin Release. When Yin chakra grew too powerful, it placed a heavy burden on the body, and Yakumo's health frequently deteriorated as a result.
For safety reasons, her parents refused to let her attend the Ninja Academy and instead hired Kurenai as a private tutor.
Yet Yakumo harbored an obsessive desire to become a ninja.
After repeated rejections, an entity known as Id—a monster born of distorted Yin chakra—took shape within her. Losing control, she ended up killing her own parents.
When the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sensed the danger Yakumo posed, he ordered Kurenai to eliminate the monster inside her.
"You've been rated the Ninja Academy's Outstanding Teacher for three consecutive years," Kurenai said, clasping her hands together and leaning forward slightly. "Please—help me out, old classmate."
Just as Kitazawa was about to speak, a familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Current Mission: Help your classmate Kurama Yakumo return to the Ninja Academy.]
[Mission Reward: Demonic Illusion — Tree Binding Death.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
This could trigger a mission too?
Still, there was no such thing as having too many tasks. He chose to accept.
"No problem," Kitazawa said. "I'm fairly confident when it comes to teaching."
"Thank you. With your help, I feel much more at ease," Kurenai said, patting her chest.
"Come find me after school tomorrow," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought. "I'll pass on some teaching experience then."
"Alright."
Kurenai nodded and laughed brightly. "I'll treat you to a drink tomorrow night."
"Gladly," Kitazawa replied without hesitation. "We're drinking until one of us drops."
"From childhood until now, you've never beaten me at drinking," Kurenai said smugly. "I'll probably be the one carrying you home again."
"That was then. This is now," Kitazawa retorted stubbornly.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Kurenai punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm heading off. See you tomorrow."
Watching her leave, Kitazawa couldn't help but shake his head.
He and Kurenai were practically childhood friends. They'd been classmates since the age of six—fifteen years of acquaintance already.
Aside from her, his classmates included Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.
Most of them, however, had died during the Third Great Ninja War. By now, grass had grown tall over their graves.
There was no doubt about it—Kitazawa was a transmigrator.
After leaving a comment under a Naruto fanfiction titled Lurking in Konoha, Working Part-Time as Hokage—
"Have you ever been a ninja? You're just making things up."
—he found himself in Konoha.
Both of his parents had been chūnin of the village, so at six years old, he was sent to the Ninja Academy.
Unfortunately, his talent was mediocre.
He barely managed to graduate at thirteen and became a genin—only to receive news of his parents' deaths soon after.
That was when Kitazawa truly understood how cruel reality was.
Charging at Uchiha Madara while shouting about bonds and friendship was something only protagonists could do.
He was cannon fodder among cannon fodder.
So he decisively switched careers and became a teacher.
At the Ninja Academy, Kitazawa mainly taught the Will of Fire and Konoha's history. Occasionally, he handled practical lessons—things like the Three Basic Techniques.
On top of the Will of Fire, he had even proposed the theory that "the Hokage is the sun, and the Hokage's grace can never be repaid."
Because of that—and because his teaching ability was genuinely solid—he had been chosen as Outstanding Teacher three years in a row.
After some thought, Kitazawa didn't return to the academy. Instead, he headed north.
With Umino Iruka handling registration, there was nothing for him to worry about.
"System, bring up my status panel," Kitazawa thought suddenly.
[Name: Kitazawa]
[Age: Six]
[Ninjutsu: Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, Transformation Technique, Body Flicker Technique, Wind Release: Gale Palm, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique]
[Evaluation: So-called geniuses merely stand at your threshold. You are a born ninja, destined to become the strongest.]
Kitazawa rolled his eyes.
He suspected the system was being sarcastic.
A twenty-one-year-old "genius ninja"? Say that out loud and the Uchiha clan would laugh for three days straight.
But when he saw the displayed age, he understood—
the system wasn't lying. It was simply running on a bug.
Kitazawa recalled a saying: If a bug can run, don't fix it.
At a training ground on the outskirts of Konoha, Kitazawa stopped and formed hand seals.
A massive amount of chakra gathered in his throat. As he exhaled—
A gigantic fireball, five or six meters in diameter, roared forth.
The air twisted. Scorching heat waves rolled outward.
Boom!
The fireball slammed into the ground, instantly charring everything black.
"…This system really isn't bad."
Kitazawa froze for a moment, then smiled in satisfaction.
The power of a ninjutsu depended on chakra reserves and mastery.
He had seen many ninja use the Great Fireball Technique, but none with this level of force.
Without exaggeration—if his chakra were sufficient, he wouldn't fall short even compared to Uchiha Madara.
This was the true value of maxed-out proficiency.
Hokage Office
Sarutobi Hiruzen unrolled a scroll.
It recorded Uzumaki Naruto's experiences for the day.
When he read about Kitazawa's interaction with Naruto, he fell into thought.
Soon, Kitazawa's file came to mind.
An unremarkable chūnin—but one with a unique understanding of the Will of Fire.
"He shouldn't know Naruto's true identity," Hiruzen murmured, nodding slightly.
When others avoided Naruto like the plague, Kitazawa treated him fairly. That alone showed he genuinely practiced the Will of Fire.
"I wonder what Naruto will learn from him."
A look of anticipation appeared on the Third Hokage's face.
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