"Kitazawa, long time no see."
A slender leg wrapped in white bandages lifted slightly as Yūhi Kurenai stepped in front of Kitazawa.
"It hasn't been that long—we just saw each other last week."
Kitazawa's gaze settled on the bandages around her hands.
In his previous life he had always wondered why Kurenai wrapped both her thighs and hands in bandages.
"Kitazawa, I'd like to ask a favor of you," Kurenai said, a smile appearing on her fair face.
Kitazawa was a little surprised.
Although the two of them were both chūnin, there was still a gap between chūnin.
Kurenai possessed clan techniques.
Her father, Yūhi Shinku, was one of the few genjutsu jōnin in Konoha.
If Kurenai stood at the absolute peak of chūnin—half a step into jōnin—then Kitazawa was only at the entry level.
"I recently became a private tutor," Kurenai said with a troubled tone. "But my student is extremely unruly, so I wanted to pick your brain."
Kitazawa grew thoughtful at her words.
In the original story, Kurenai was the squad leader for Hinata Hyūga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka.
But she had another student—Yakumo Kurama.
Yakumo possessed a special genjutsu kekkei genkai that could turn illusions into reality.
Because genjutsu is a Yin‑Release art, her excessive Yin chakra frequently caused her body to break down.
For safety, her parents kept her out of the academy and hired Kurenai as a home tutor.
Yet Yakumo was obsessed with becoming a ninja.
After repeated refusals, a Yin‑Release monster named Ido was born in her heart, and in a loss of control she killed her parents.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, recognized the danger and ordered Kurenai to eliminate the monster inside her.
"You've been voted the academy's best teacher three years in a row," Kurenai said, clapping her hands and leaning forward slightly. "Please, old classmate—help me out!"
Just as Kitazawa was about to answer, a blue screen appeared before his eyes:
[Current Mission: Help your classmate Yakumo Kurama return to the Ninja Academy.]
[Reward: Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. A mission—out of nowhere?
But one can never have too many missions, so he accepted.
"No problem," he said. "I'm pretty confident in my teaching."
"Thanks! With your help I feel much better," Kurenai said, patting her chest.
"Find me after school tomorrow," Kitazawa added after a moment's thought. "I'll pass some teaching tips along then."
"Okay." Kurenai nodded, laughing brightly. "Drinks are on me tomorrow night."
"Sounds good," Kitazawa replied. "We drink till we drop."
"You've never beaten me at drinking since we were kids— I'll probably end up hauling you home again," Kurenai said smugly.
"That was then; this is now," Kitazawa retorted.
"I'll look forward to it," Kurenai said, giving him a playful punch. "See you tomorrow."
Kitazawa watched her leave and shook his head.
He and Kurenai were childhood friends, classmates since they were six—fifteen years of acquaintance.
Their classmates had also included Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and others.
Most of them died in the Third Great Ninja War; the grass on their graves must be three feet high by now.
There was no doubt: Kitazawa was a transmigrator.
After he left the comment "Have you ever even been a ninja? You're just making things up!" under the fan‑fic "Undercover in Konoha, Moonlighting as Hokage," he had found himself in Konoha.
Because his parents were both chūnin, he was enrolled in the academy at six.
Sadly, his talent was mediocre.
He barely graduated at thirteen and made genin—and then learned his parents had died.
That's when he grasped harsh reality:
Charging at Madara Uchiha shouting about bonds and friendship was something only protagonists could do.
He was cannon fodder among cannon fodder, so he resolutely changed careers and became a teacher.
Before that he had attended Tsunade's experimental medical‑ninja class—
—but he had no aptitude for medical ninjutsu either.
At the academy he mainly taught the Will of Fire and Konoha history.
Building on the Will of Fire, he put forward the theory: "The Hokage is the sun; one can never repay the Hokage's grace."
Because of that (and decent teaching skills) he had been voted the academy's top instructor three years running.
After pondering for a moment, Kitazawa did not return to the academy; he walked north.
With Iruka Umino handling enrollment, there was nothing to worry about.
"System, pull up my character panel."
Kitazawa thought silently.
[Name: Kitazawa]
[Age: 6]
[Ninjutsu: Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, Transformation Technique, Body Flicker, Wind Release: Gale Palm, Fire Release: Great Fireball]
[Evaluation: What people call 'genius' is merely the threshold to meet you. 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? Even Uchiha Madara would roar with laughter for three days.
But the panel listed his age as six—so the system wasn't lying, just running on a bug.
And as the saying goes: if a bug works, don't fix it.
…
Training ground on Konoha's outskirts.
Kitazawa stopped and formed hand seals.
A mass of chakra gathered in his throat; when he exhaled, a five‑to‑six‑meter‑wide fireball burst forth.
The air warped; searing heat sent waves rolling outward.
Boom!
The fireball slammed into the ground, scorching it black.
"This system's not half‑bad," Kitazawa muttered, then smiled in satisfaction.
The power of a jutsu depends on the user's chakra and mastery.
He had seen many ninjas cast the Great Fireball, but none with such force.
No exaggeration: if he had enough chakra, he wouldn't be inferior to Uchiha Madara.
That is the value of maxed‑out proficiency straight from the system.
…
Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi unrolled a scroll.
It recorded Naruto Uzumaki's activities for the day.
When he saw that Naruto had met Kitazawa, he fell into thought.
Soon, he recalled Kitazawa's file:
An unremarkable chūnin—but with unique insights into the Will of Fire.
"He probably doesn't know Naruto's true identity," Hiruzen murmured, nodding slightly.
While others treated Naruto like a plague, Kitazawa treated him fairly—proof he truly practiced the Will of Fire.
"I wonder what Naruto will learn from him…."
Expectations rose on Hiruzen's face.