Hinata Hyuga gave up thinking. Her mind was in a daze, filled only with a warmth and peace of mind she had never felt before.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally came to her senses. Hinata took two steps back like a startled rabbit. Once steady, she lowered her head, her face red as if it was about to steam.
"So cute," Kitazawa smiled. "Wait for me a moment."
He turned and walked north, soon stopping. In front of him was the scarf Toranosuke had discarded. The white scarf lay half-buried under fallen leaves, covered in dust and far from its original cleanliness.
Kitazawa frowned slightly. If it were just dirty, it wouldn't matter—but there were also several tears along the fabric.
He bent down and picked it up.
[Current task: Help your classmate Hyuga Hinata retrieve her scarf.]
Task reward: Konoha Whirlwind.
The host has completed the task. Reward issued.]
Konoha Whirlwind was a taijutsu move developed by Might Guy.
Kitazawa's eyes lit up with an idea. He'd been worrying about where to learn a C-rank ninjutsu—and now he had an answer.
He would find Might Guy. Taijutsu was a form of ninjutsu too, and theoretically didn't require chakra attributes.
Kitazawa had considered learning genjutsu from Yuhi Kurenai, but without the Yin attribute, his progress would be too slow.
His mission required him to master C-Rank Jutsu faster than Sasuke. Genjutsu didn't suit that timeline—but taijutsu did. Especially now that he had Konoha Whirlwind.
His new goal was to learn its advanced version—Konoha Great Whirlwind—from Might Guy.
The difference? Just one extra spinning movement.
"Hinata." Kitazawa looked at the scarf. "This one's too damaged. I'll buy you a new one."
"Huh?" Hinata blinked, then quickly shook her head. "No... there's no need!"
"Consider it an apology—for deciding something on your behalf," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Apology?" Hinata asked, puzzled.
"Toranosuke challenged you to a one-on-one match in a month, and I accepted for you," he explained.
"Me? Beat him?" Hinata's voice trembled. "I... I can't..."
"Why say that before even trying?" Kitazawa squatted and looked at her eye-to-eye. "Hinata, you're stronger than him. You just don't know how to stand up for yourself."
Hinata stared at him blankly.
At that moment, four lines of text appeared in Kitazawa's field of vision.
[Unity is strength. As a class monitor, you should help classmates bullied by others.
New task: Help your deskmate Hyuga Hinata defeat Toranosuke.
Task reward: Water Style: Water Wave.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes. This system really dished out random rewards—taijutsu, fire style, water style...
But the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. This was the "Strongest Hokage Training System."
To surpass past Hokage, one had to master all types of ninjutsu—even Kekkei Genkai.
"It's okay. I'll train you personally for the next month," Kitazawa said, folding up the ruined scarf with a smile.
Hinata nodded, her cheeks glowing red.
"I'll walk you home." Kitazawa took her small hand, and the two left the forest.
"Goodbye, Teacher Kitazawa." Hinata stood at her doorstep, watching him leave.
Only when he disappeared did she reluctantly step inside.
Kitazawa went to the commercial district and bought a similar white scarf before returning home. He opened the door and started setting up the grocery store.
"Teuchi-san, send me a bowl of char siu ramen!" he called out to Ichiraku Ramen nearby.
"Coming right up!" A voice quickly responded.
Kitazawa sat behind the counter, propping his chin on his hand. He was thinking about how to approach Might Guy.
But after a few seconds, he realized it was pointless to overthink it. With Might Guy's personality, you didn't need a reason. Just say the magic word: Youth.
"I'm coming in, Brother Kitazawa." A cheerful voice called out.
A girl in a white chef's uniform entered—it was Ayame, Teuchi's daughter.
"Thanks," Kitazawa said, taking the bowl of char siu ramen.
"You're welcome." Ayame smiled, sneaking a couple extra glances his way before leaving. Like Yamanaka Ino, she was a fan of good looks in the original timeline.
Kitazawa finished his meal, returned the bowl, and paid. When he came back to the store, someone was already there.
Yuhi Kurenai was leaning against the counter. Her long legs were straight, and her shapely figure stood out. Arms crossed and smile soft, she looked like a serene painting under the dim evening sun.
"Yuhi-sensei, what would you like to buy? I'll give you a discount." Kitazawa smiled as he walked over.
"Then I'll take a bottle of soda," Kurenai replied, picking one up.
"A bottle of soda doesn't compare to the breakfast you gave me, so take it as a gift," Kitazawa said casually.
"Thank you." Kurenai took a sip, then said, "I just returned from the Kurama clan."
"Did the advice I gave help?" Kitazawa asked curiously.
"A bit," Kurenai nodded, then sighed. "But the real issue isn't me—it's Yakumo."
"She's not good at genjutsu?" Kitazawa asked, already knowing the answer.
"Not that she's not good—she's too good," Kurenai explained. "Her body can't handle her own genjutsu talent."
"I see..." Kitazawa thought for a moment. "Then how about teaching her taijutsu?"
"Impossible," Kurenai shook her head. "She was born weak. She can't handle it."
"That's troublesome." Kitazawa frowned.
In the original timeline, the solution was to eliminate the Yin monster Ido within her. But now, Ido hadn't fully awakened.
"Better to redirect than suppress." Kitazawa offered, "Let me try teaching her taijutsu."
In the original, Ido was born because Yakumo's parents and Kurenai kept her from becoming a ninja.
"That's too much trouble—no need," Kurenai refused. "Besides, I can teach her taijutsu myself."
"It's not trouble. We're friends. And technically, she should've been my student." Kitazawa smiled. "I've been a teacher for five years—I know how to adapt lessons to physical limitations."
"But you still have work. When would you have time to teach her?" Kurenai blinked.
"That's easy—let her attend classes at the academy."
"Classes?" Kurenai hesitated. "Her parents won't agree, and her body can't keep up."
"She doesn't need to attend everything. I'll have her join only practical sessions."
Kurenai fell silent. Today, she had followed Kitazawa's advice—approaching Yakumo as a friend, not a mentor.
And during their talk, she learned of Yakumo's true dream: to become a ninja.
Maybe… letting her go to school wasn't the wrong choice.
"When you're free, come with me to the Kurama clan," Kurenai finally said.