Chapter 457 - 457: New Roles|Ninja World Tournament
"See you tomorrow, Kitazawa-sensei!" After the graduation photos were taken, Sasuke and the others gradually left.
The training ground soon became quiet.
Kitazawa stood there for a moment, watching the departing figures, then slowly turned and walked toward the exit of the Ninja Academy.
"Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony," Kitazawa muttered to himself as he walked. "I should prepare a graduation gift."
This matter had already been decided. Since they were his students, it was only natural for him to give them something meaningful.
The Ninja Academy was now located in the Capital of the Land of Fire.
After five years of expansion and development, the Capital had already transformed into a massive metropolis.
Its prosperity was comparable to a top-tier city from his previous life. Tall buildings stood in rows, streets extended in all directions, and people moved about in an orderly flow.
Everything carried a sense of modern civilization.
Kitazawa walked down the bustling streets. His gaze swept across the surroundings, observing the various shops and pedestrians.
He did not rush. Instead, he considered what kind of gift would be most appropriate.
As he continued walking, his gaze eventually stopped. Ahead of him was a large shopping mall.
Without hesitation, Kitazawa stepped inside. The interior of the mall was spacious and well-lit.
Various stores were arranged neatly. Clothing, accessories, ninja tools, technology products—everything was available.
Kitazawa walked slowly through the mall.
After some searching, his eyes landed on a familiar place. Konoha Jewelry Store.
Kitazawa stopped in front of it. Among the wide array of displayed accessories, his attention settled on rings.
"Rings…" He nodded slightly.
Kitazawa stepped inside. He glanced at the displayed designs. Then he made a decision. "The graduation gift will be rings."
He called the store owner over and explained his requirements.
"The design should include the Ninja Academy… and the Genius Class. It must be unique."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Also… Embed Chakra crystals inside. And engrave a Space-Time Ninjutsu that can be used three times."
The owner's expression changed slightly.
Such a request was far beyond ordinary craftsmanship. But with Kitazawa's status and power, it was completely achievable.
"We will complete it overnight." The owner replied immediately.
Kitazawa nodded.
The matter of the graduation gifts was now settled. He turned and left the jewelry store.
Walking through the mall again, Kitazawa did not stop this time.
His objective had already been completed. Still, he observed the surroundings as he walked.
The lively atmosphere of the mall reflected the transformation of the Ninja World. From a war-torn era… to peace and prosperity.
After a while, Kitazawa used the Flying Thunder God Technique and instantly arrived at the Hokage Office.
Konan stepped out from behind the bookshelf.
Kitazawa raised his hand slightly.
Konan understood and silently knelt down.
---
The next day, Sunday.
Although students graduated from the Ninja Academy every year, this one was undoubtedly the most special.
Because most of the students had already gained significant reputations within the Ninja World.
Especially Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Hinata, and the others.
When Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja Academy, he saw many familiar faces. Most of the high-ranking ninja from Konoha Village and even the Land of Fire had gathered.
But that worked out perfectly. After the graduation ceremony, they could smoothly proceed to a high-level meeting.
"Congratulations on your graduation." Kitazawa walked up to Sasuke and the others. "These are your graduation gifts."
With a casual wave of his hand, numerous gift boxes appeared from Daikokuten's alternate dimension.
The gifts were distributed to everyone.
"A ring?" Ino opened hers, her eyes instantly lighting up.
The ring was silver in color, exquisitely crafted and elegant. On its surface were faint engravings: 'Ninja Academy Genius Class'—along with Ino's name.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up, grinning brightly. "This is a gift full of youth!"
The others also expressed their gratitude one after another.
At nine in the morning, the graduation ceremony officially began.
Iruka served as the host.
He could be said to have achieved a perfect life—married to a beautiful wife and now serving as the vice-principal of the Ninja Academy.
After waiting for a moment, Kitazawa stepped onto the platform to deliver the customary speech.
It consisted mainly of blessings for their future and a few plans for what lay ahead. Once finished, his role in the ceremony was complete.
He stepped down, found Konan, and instructed the Anbu to notify Fugaku and the others to gather in the conference room after the ceremony.
Of course, Sasuke, Hinata, and the others were included.
Kitazawa remained where he was, waiting for the ceremony to conclude. At eleven in the morning, the graduation ceremony came to an end.
Those notified by the Anbu began making their way toward the conference room.
Kitazawa followed shortly after. Today's agenda contained only one item: the assignments for Sasuke and the others.
In simple terms, all of them received promotions—though each would serve as a deputy.
Naruto joined the First Ninja Division to assist Kitazawa.
Sasuke joined the Second Ninja Division to assist Uchiha Fugaku.
Neji joined the Third Ninja Force to assist Hyuga Hiashi.
Shikamaru and Choji joined the Fourth Ninja Division to assist Nara Shikaku.
Karin joined the Finance Department to assist Uzumaki Rina.
Yakumo joined the Film and Television department to assist Kurenai.
Shion and Sakura joined Konoha Hospital to assist Yakushi Nono.
Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Jugo joined the Cursed Seal Squad to assist Anko Mitarashi.
Ino and Hinata, as expected, joined the Konoha Secretariat.
Some had already been part of these departments before, but this marked a complete elevation in their status.
Hiashi and the others understood clearly that, in just a few years, they would be replaced by this new generation of graduates.
And yet, they held no resistance. Because the ones who would inherit their positions were all deeply connected to them.
---
"Kitazawa-sensei!" After the meeting ended, Naruto immediately sought out Kitazawa, his voice brimming with energy.
Sasuke, Kiba, and the others followed closely behind.
"Is there anything else?" Kitazawa glanced at them calmly and asked.
"The graduation exam didn't have a practical combat section." Naruto got straight to the point, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "I want to spar with Sasuke. Please be the referee."
"I see." Kitazawa paused briefly before speaking again. "It's not very interesting if it's just the two of you sparring. Why don't you all do it together?"
"I think that's a great idea!" Ino immediately agreed, her tone lively. "I can take this chance to spar with Sakura!"
Sakura curled her lip slightly. Ever since Ino became the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, she had been winning most of their spars.
However, she didn't win every single time. Because Sakura had now mastered the Yin Seal.
Combined with her Monstrous Strength and Water Release, her power was not much inferior to Ino's.
"I have no objection either!" Rock Lee gave a passionate thumbs-up. "The final dance of a student's youth... just thinking about it makes my blood boil!"
"Where will we spar?" Shikamaru asked, his tone curious yet thoughtful. "A suitable venue will be hard to find."
They were still considered normal ninja. But when Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata fought, the scale would inevitably be earth-shattering.
No matter where they were in the Ninja World, their battle could easily reshape the land into something resembling the Valley of the End.
"Inside the god tree game." Kitazawa thought for a moment before answering. "I'll open up a special arena for all of you when the time comes."
"That's great!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "We can go all out inside the God Tree Game!"
Over the past five years, the god tree game had swept across the entire Ninja World like a rising tide.
He understood very well that its greatest advantage was this—no matter how severe the injuries sustained inside, one would return to reality completely unharmed.
That meant they could fight without restraint, even pushing techniques like the Eight Gates beyond their natural limits.
"Let Gaara, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara join as well. Let's call it the Ninja World Youth Martial Arts Tournament." Kitazawa chuckled softly as he added, "We'll set the date for May 1st, two months from now."
Due to the ripple effect of his actions, Sasuke, Gaara, and the others had never taken part in a joint Chunin Exam.
This Ninja World Youth Martial Arts Tournament within the god tree game could be seen as a way to make up for that missing chapter of the original story.
Sasuke and the others all agreed upon hearing this.
However, most of them understood clearly that their participation in this so-called tournament was merely for formality.
The true highlight would be the inevitable clash between Sasuke and Naruto.
"I'll have all the players of the god tree game come to watch when the time comes," Kitazawa added.
Naruto and the others grew even more excited.
The players within the god tree game were ninja with the strength of Chunin and Jonin, numbering in the tens of thousands.
This would undoubtedly become the grandest event the Ninja World had ever seen.
[Current Mission: Take first place in the Ninja World Youth Martial Arts Tournament.]
[Mission Reward: Jōgan.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa let out a faint exclamation of surprise as he looked at the three lines of system notification that suddenly appeared before him.
His first thought was that the system was malfunctioning again, treating him as if he were one of Sasuke's classmates.
But after a moment of reflection, he realized that this mission was not particularly difficult.
He could simply wait for the tournament winner to be decided and then find a reason to spar with them afterward.
And that winner would inevitably be either Sasuke or Naruto.
Soon, Kitazawa shifted his attention to the reward.
The Jōgan—from Boruto—sounded mysterious, but in essence, it was an evolved form of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's Byakugan.
It possessed two distinct abilities. The first: while the Byakugan perceived the world in black and white, the Jōgan perceived it in full color.
To Kitazawa, this ability was practically useless. But the second ability… was far more valuable.
The Jōgan could see the final destination—the exact landing point—of Space-Time Ninjutsu.
For instance, if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya used Yomotsu Hirasaka, Kitazawa would be able to see precisely where she would emerge.
Or consider Uchiha Obito's Kamui, with the Jōgan, its sneak attack capability would be completely nullified.
"We'll talk more about the Ninja World Youth Martial Arts Tournament in two months," Kitazawa reminded them calmly. "For now, your task is to become familiar with your new positions as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!" Sasuke and the others responded in unison.
"Alright, everyone—get to work." Kitazawa waved his hand dismissively.
Ninjas like Sasuke and Naruto would need to travel to places such as the former Konoha Village and the Hidden Cloud Village for their duties.
Fortunately, teleportation arrays had already been widely established. Despite the vast distances, travel would require little time.
After Sasuke and the others departed, only Ino and Hinata remained behind.
Both of them served as Hokage Secretaries and were headed in the same direction as Kitazawa.
"I'll take you to the Hokage Secretariat." Kitazawa activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the blink of an eye, the three of them arrived at their destination.
The Hokage Secretariat was an enormous office space. Just like in his previous life, every ordinary secretary had their own desk and computer setup.
"The one in the middle is Shizune-senpai's office. The rooms on the left and right are yours—choose whichever you like." Kitazawa led them to the section adjacent to the main secretariat.
"I'll take this one." Ino pointed decisively to the office on the left.
"There's no real difference between the two offices." Kitazawa paused briefly before continuing, "Go find Shizune-senpai first. She'll assign your work."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata replied obediently, her expression serious.
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei!" Ino waved cheerfully, a bright smile on her face.
Kitazawa watched as the two of them entered Shizune's office before heading back toward the Hokage Office.
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