diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvserver/client_raft_test.go b/pkg/kv/kvserver/client_raft_test.go
index 437d5936c766..370b617b5dd7 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvserver/client_raft_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvserver/client_raft_test.go
@@ -4656,11 +4656,11 @@ func TestTracingDoesNotRaceWithCancelation(t *testing.T) {
 
 type disablingClientStream struct {
 	grpc.ClientStream
-	disabled *atomic.Value
+	disabled func() bool
 }
 
 func (cs *disablingClientStream) SendMsg(m interface{}) error {
-	if cs.disabled.Load().(bool) {
+	if cs.disabled() {
 		return nil
 	}
 	return cs.ClientStream.SendMsg(m)
@@ -4681,12 +4681,16 @@ func TestDefaultConnectionDisruptionDoesNotInterfereWithSystemTraffic(t *testing
 	defer stopper.Stop(ctx)
 
 	// disabled controls whether to disrupt DefaultClass streams.
-	var disabled atomic.Value
+	var disabled, disabledSystem atomic.Value
 	disabled.Store(false)
+	disabledSystem.Store(false)
 	knobs := rpc.ContextTestingKnobs{
 		StreamClientInterceptor: func(target string, class rpc.ConnectionClass) grpc.StreamClientInterceptor {
-			if class == rpc.SystemClass {
-				return nil
+			disabledFunc := func() bool {
+				if class == rpc.SystemClass {
+					return disabledSystem.Load().(bool)
+				}
+				return disabled.Load().(bool)
 			}
 			return func(
 				ctx context.Context, desc *grpc.StreamDesc, cc *grpc.ClientConn,
@@ -4697,7 +4701,7 @@ func TestDefaultConnectionDisruptionDoesNotInterfereWithSystemTraffic(t *testing
 					return nil, err
 				}
 				return &disablingClientStream{
-					disabled:     &disabled,
+					disabled:     disabledFunc,
 					ClientStream: cs,
 				}, nil
 			}
@@ -4731,8 +4735,13 @@ func TestDefaultConnectionDisruptionDoesNotInterfereWithSystemTraffic(t *testing
 	defer tc.Stopper().Stop(ctx)
 	// Make a key that's in the user data space.
 	keyA := append(keys.SystemSQLCodec.TablePrefix(100), 'a')
+	// Split so that we can assign voters to the range and assign all three.
 	tc.SplitRangeOrFatal(t, keyA)
-	desc := tc.AddVotersOrFatal(t, keyA, tc.Targets(1, 2)...)
+	tc.AddVotersOrFatal(t, keyA, tc.Targets(1, 2)...)
+
+	// We need a key in the meta range that we can add voters to. This range can't be split.
+	keyLiveness := append(keys.NodeLivenessPrefix, 'a')
+	tc.AddVotersOrFatal(t, keys.NodeLivenessPrefix, tc.Targets(1, 2)...)
 	// Create a test function so that we can run the test both immediately after
 	// up-replicating and after a restart.
 	runTest := func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -4744,44 +4753,31 @@ func TestDefaultConnectionDisruptionDoesNotInterfereWithSystemTraffic(t *testing
 		// Wait for all nodes to catch up.
 		tc.WaitForValues(t, keyA, []int64{1, 1, 1})
 		disabled.Store(true)
-		repl1, err := store.GetReplica(desc.RangeID)
-		require.Nil(t, err)
-		// Transfer the lease on the range. Make sure there's no pending transfer.
-		var lease roachpb.Lease
-		testutils.SucceedsSoon(t, func() error {
-			var next roachpb.Lease
-			lease, next = repl1.GetLease()
-			if next != (roachpb.Lease{}) {
-				return fmt.Errorf("lease transfer in process, next = %v", next)
-			}
-			return nil
-		})
 
-		// Use SucceedsSoon to deal with rare stress cases where the lease
-		// transfer may fail.
-		testutils.SucceedsSoon(t, func() error {
-			return tc.TransferRangeLease(*repl1.Desc(), roachpb.ReplicationTarget{
-				NodeID:  roachpb.NodeID(lease.Replica.StoreID),
-				StoreID: lease.Replica.StoreID})
-		})
 		// Set a relatively short timeout so that this test doesn't take too long.
 		// We should always hit it.
 		withTimeout, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 20*time.Millisecond)
 		defer cancel()
-		err = db.Put(withTimeout, keyA, 2)
-		require.True(t, testutils.IsError(err, "deadline exceeded"), err)
-		// Transfer the lease back to demonstrate that the system range is still live.
-		testutils.SucceedsSoon(t, func() error {
-			return tc.TransferRangeLease(desc, roachpb.ReplicationTarget{
-				NodeID:  roachpb.NodeID(lease.Replica.StoreID),
-				StoreID: lease.Replica.StoreID})
-		})
+
+		// Write to the liveness range on the System class.
+		require.NoError(t, db.Put(withTimeout, keyLiveness, 2), "Expected success writing to liveness range")
+
+		// Write to the standard range on the default class.
+		require.ErrorIs(t, db.Put(withTimeout, keyA, 2), context.DeadlineExceeded,
+			"Expected timeout writing to key range")
+
+		// Write to the liveness range on the System class with system disabled to
+		// ensure the test is actually working.
+		disabledSystem.Store(true)
+		require.ErrorIs(t, db.Put(withTimeout, keyLiveness, 2),
+			context.DeadlineExceeded, "Expected timeout writing to liveness range")
+		disabledSystem.Store(false)
 
 		// Heal the partition, the previous proposal may now succeed but it may have
 		// have been canceled.
 		disabled.Store(false)
 		// Overwrite with a new value and ensure that it propagates.
-		require.NoError(t, db.Put(ctx, keyA, 3))
+		require.NoError(t, db.Put(ctx, keyA, 3), "Expected success after healed partition")
 		tc.WaitForValues(t, keyA, []int64{3, 3, 3})
 	}
 	t.Run("initial_run", runTest)