Kitazawa's performance in the ninja academy was anything but outstanding. Uchiha Itachi graduated at the age of seven, while he barely managed to graduate at thirteen.
Uzumaki Naruto became the savior of the world at seventeen. At the same age, Kitazawa was still struggling to become a Chunin.
In this ruthless Ninja world where people kill without blinking an eye, Kitazawa was the embodiment of mediocrity—a ninja with no talent, no bloodline, and no backing.
To survive, he chose to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy. That decision turned into five long, uneventful years.
"Another peaceful day in Konoha," Kitazawa muttered as he stood by the window.
It was the academy's annual opening day. The courtyard below was bustling with activity—new students, parents, chatter.
Kitazawa glanced at the student roster in his hand. One by one, familiar names appeared:
Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba…
"Five years… I finally waited long enough for the story's main characters to arrive," Kitazawa sighed internally.
Now, only two major disasters remained in his foreseeable future: Orochimaru's Konoha Collapse Plan and Pain's invasion.
The former didn't involve the academy, so it wasn't much of a concern. The latter, however, was far more troubling as Nagato's Shinra Tensei had nearly leveled the entire village.
Kitazawa's plan was simple—request leave and run before that happens. He could estimate the timeline based on when Naruto and the others enrolled.
Just as he was deep in thought, a crisp "ding" echoed in his mind.
[Host detected: Over six years old and successfully enrolled. Conditions Met.
Activating the Strongest Hokage Training System.]
Hearing it, Kitazawa froze.
After waiting twenty-one years, the system finally arrived—ironically at the moment he had given up all hope. "Why is my system so late?"
Wait… enrolled? At six years old?
"System… are you broken?" he asked in disbelief.
[Main mission: Dominate the Konoha Ninja Academy and become the strongest graduate.]
Wait—what?
It's nice that the system finally arrived, but… how was he supposed to graduate again? Was he supposed to time-travel backward?
[~ To dominate the academy, you must first win over your classmates.
Current mission: Gain the initial approval of your classmate, Uzumaki Naruto.
Reward: Fire Style – Great Fireball Jutsu. ~]
[Accept mission?]
Kitazawa was speechless. He wasn't Naruto's classmate. How was he supposed to do that?
If he applied to re-enter the academy as a student, Hiruzen would probably summon a medical ninja to check if he'd lost his mind.
Kitazawa massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Still, there was no punishment for refusing or failing the mission, so…
"People can't always be this unlucky, right?" With no better option, he accepted the task.
He put down the roster and left the office. As he stepped onto the schoolyard, vulgar whispers filled the air:
"Don't go near him. He's a monster."
"Stay away. He's dangerous."
"I don't get why the Hokage even let him attend school."
Kitazawa's eyes fell on a small boy with messy blond hair, sitting silently on a swing. His head was lowered, isolated in a crowd full of disdain.
You're really something, Kitazawa thought. Daring to pick on a child with a nuke inside him—aren't you afraid he'll remember your face?
Ignoring the crowd's judgmental stares, Kitazawa walked up to him.
Naruto looked up at the approaching footsteps and met Kitazawa's calm black eyes—eyes without a trace of hostility.
"What's your name?" Kitazawa asked gently.
Gaining Naruto's initial approval wasn't difficult. In his world, only two people ever showed Naruto real kindness: the Third Hokage and Iruka.
"M-My name's Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto felt a warmth he hadn't felt before. His eyes brightened.
"What's your name?" Naruto asked back.
"Kitazawa."
"Nice to meet you, Kitazawa-senpai!"
"Don't call me that," Kitazawa said with a twitch. "Call me sensei."
"Sensei?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Are you the teacher of Class 1A?"
"That's right," Kitazawa nodded.
"Awesome! I'm in Class 1A too!" Naruto cheered.
"I'll take you to register," Kitazawa said, patting his shoulder.
"Thank you, Sensei Kitazawa!" Naruto jumped off the swing, but after a few steps, he hesitated. The stares were still there. Judging. Disgusted.
Even Kitazawa seemed to be affected by them now.
"I… I can go register by myself. You don't need to trouble yourself."
"If you care too much about others' eyes, you'll become their prisoner," Kitazawa said without looking back.
Naruto stood frozen, staring at Kitazawa's back. He didn't fully understand—but part of him did.
"Come on," Kitazawa said, curling his fingers to beckon him.
Naruto snapped out of it and hurried after him.
---
Class 1-A.
The moment Naruto stepped inside, the room fell silent. Every eye locked onto him, including Iruka Umino.
Naruto instinctively lowered his head but remembered Kitazawa's words and stood tall.
"Iruka," Kitazawa said with a friendly tone.
"Kitazawa-senpai," Iruka replied, trying to suppress his inner conflict.
His parents had died in the Nine-Tails incident, and Naruto—its vessel—had been branded a monster. Naturally, he harbored resentment.
"This is Uzumaki Naruto, a first-year student of Class A. Register him."
Iruka hesitated but complied. He filled out the roster and handed Naruto his textbooks and class schedule. Once done, Kitazawa led Naruto to the school gates.
"Tomorrow is the first day of school. Don't be late," Kitazawa said.
"Yes! Thank you, Sensei Kitazawa!" Naruto beamed.
"See you tomorrow." Kitazawa waved.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, closely watched by Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Anbu. Kitazawa couldn't show too much interest.
Thankfully, he was a teacher, not a Uchiha. Otherwise, he'd have already committed 'suicide' with eight kunai to the back.
"Goodbye, Sensei Kitazawa!" Naruto ran off joyfully.
[Mission complete. Reward granted.]
A flood of knowledge surged into Kitazawa's mind. In an instant, he had fully mastered the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, from beginner to expert.
Kitazawa's expression changed dramatically. This system might be late, but it had a conscience.
"What are you smiling at so happily?" a voice asked suddenly. Kitazawa turned to look.
Not far away stood a tall, curvy woman with long hair and bright ruby-red eyes that sparkled under the sunlight. A soft smile graced her face.