Part Time Teacher in Konoha

"Sasuke‑kun."

Yamanaka Ino trotted over to greet him.

Uchiha Sasuke acted as if he hadn't heard her, concentrating completely on keeping chakra gathered under his feet.

Ino, seeing she was being ignored, said nothing more and looked toward Hinata Hyūga.

Hinata was already standing sideways on the trunk, suspended a few meters up. Her face was all seriousness, and her short blue‑black hair hung straight down.

The sight stirred Ino's competitive spirit—

If Sasuke won't acknowledge me, I'll be the first to finish this tree‑climbing exercise.

With that thought she focused chakra into her soles and started up the trunk.

Kitazawa, watching for a while, showed a trace of surprise: among the three, Hinata's chakra control was clearly the best.

Because of the Byakugan?

Members of the Hyūga clan use the Byakugan to see chakra circulating inside an opponent, then strike tenketsu with Gentle Fist to cut the flow.

Once struck, the target can't use chakra, becoming a normal person—helpless.

To hit those points, the Hyūga must understand chakra extremely well.

Sasuke, while a genius, was a little behind in chakra control; in the original story even Haruno Sakura finished the tree‑climbing sooner than he did.

Just then Ino squealed and fell.

Kitazawa stepped forward and caught her.

Holding her soft body, he felt as if he were cradling a life‑size figurine.

"Thank you, Kitazawa‑sensei," Ino gasped, still shaken.

"No problem."

Kitazawa bent down and set her on her feet.

" … ?"

Sasuke glanced over, a question mark on his face:

I fell yesterday—why didn't you catch me?

Is a guy supposed to tough it out or what?

"H‑Hinata can climb that high?"

Ino, now steady, looked up in amazement as Hinata neared the treetop.

A second later Hinata wobbled and dropped.

Ino froze, embarrassed, sticking out her tongue—she'd really only meant to praise her.

Kitazawa reacted instantly and caught Hinata as well.

"Th‑thank you," Hinata said, cheeks pink.

"If you feel you can't hold on, jump down early—don't force it," Kitazawa said, patting her head.

Boom!

Before anyone could lament the girls' falls, Sasuke was the next to crash down.

"I'm fine," he said, facing the three pairs of eyes. Suppressing his embarrassment, he brushed off the dust and started climbing again.

Even if he'd ignored Ino and Hinata, he still felt the pressure—an Uchiha must never lag behind.

Ino and Hinata rejoined the training.

Kitazawa watched, offered pointers, and occasionally caught one of them when they slipped.

Time flowed on, and the class bell rang.

"You three finish this last run, then you're done. I'll go inform the others," Kitazawa said, then walked back to the field.

"Kitazawa‑sensei!" Uzumaki Naruto ran over, beaming. "I hit the moving target!"

"Nicely done." Kitazawa glanced at the target area: not a bull's‑eye, but hitting it at all in one period put Naruto ahead of most students.

"Heh‑heh!" Naruto grinned.

"Class is over. Head home safely," Kitazawa clapped. "Dismissed!"

"Bye, Kitazawa‑sensei!" the students shouted, sprinting off.

If you're not eager to bolt after school, something's wrong.

"Sensei, what'll we do in next combat class?" Naruto asked.

"Physical training," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought.

"Running?" Naruto's eyes lit up.

"There'll be running," Kitazawa answered, puzzled. "You like running?"

"I'm going to be the fastest ninja in the world!" Naruto declared, fist clenched. "Then I can surpass the Fourth Hokage!"

"I see," Kitazawa nodded—Naruto had probably heard about Minato Namikaze from the Third.

[Your lifelong rival, Uzumaki Naruto, challenges you to the physical‑training session. You graciously accept.]

[Current mission: take first place in the physical‑training class.]

[Reward on completion: Leaf Strong Whirlwind.]

[Accept?]

Kitazawa let out a quiet "huh"—it was practically a free reward; as teacher he'd be joining the training anyway.

Wasn't my lifelong rival supposed to be Sasuke? How did it become Naruto?

"See you tomorrow," Kitazawa said, parting from Naruto and heading back to the tree.

Even from a distance he noticed something wrong: Ino was pale, leaning on Hinata. Her left foot touched the ground, her right was slightly raised.

"I'm okay," Ino said first. "I just twisted it coming down."

"Sit. I'll treat it."

Kitazawa came over. "Sasuke, Hinata—you two head home."

"No need—ah!" Ino inhaled sharply at the pain.

"Alright, don't force it."

Kitazawa helped her sit. "I'm pretty good with sprains and bruises."

Back when he was a genin, med‑nins were scarce; a four‑man squad might have none, so you learned to treat minor injuries yourself.

"Thanks," Ino yielded.

After hesitating a few seconds, she removed her shoe.

Kitazawa poured bruise ointment into his palm and took her ankle—her foot was so delicate it fit easily in one hand. He bowed his head and gently rubbed the medicine into her smooth skin.

Ino's gaze settled on him.

That thought surfaced again—if only he were my age… then Sasuke could go to Sakura.

"All done. When you get home, see a medical ninja—it'll heal faster," Kitazawa advised, withdrawing his hand.

"Mm." Ino pushed aside her wandering thoughts. "Thank you, Kitazawa‑sensei."

"I'll carry you back."

Kitazawa turned around.

Ino blinked, picked up her shoe, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Lying on his back, she thought Sensei really is a nice guy.

Kitazawa, unaware he'd received yet another "nice‑guy card," carried her to the Yamanaka Flower Shop and set her down.

"Kitazawa‑sensei," Ino said with a smile, shoes in hand, "see you tomorrow."

~~~

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