The practical exam wrapped up.
Iruka Umino announced the Advanced Class's written-exam rankings. As for the practical rankings, those will be finalized after this weekend's mission and posted next week.
"There are still nine students who didn't join this round of the practical," Kitazawa told the class. "Go home and get ready. Meet here tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke answered along with the others—Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba were the loudest by far. They'd been itching to go out on a mission.
"Kitazawa," Sarutobi Hiruzen reminded him, "keep a close eye on Naruto."
Naruto was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. If Hiruzen were still Hokage, he would never have allowed Kitazawa to take him on a mission. But with Tsunade in charge and her approval already given, he couldn't press it further.
"I understand," Kitazawa said, then handed Hiruzen the scroll for Limb Regeneration. With Hiruzen's skill and talent, he didn't need hand-holding—same with Tsunade, really. Still, teaching them would save time, and with his and Tsunade's relationship, there was no need to overexplain.
After dismissing the students, Kitazawa returned to the Anbu base. As soon as he stepped into his office, he saw Konan sitting on the sofa, reading an itemized herb bill. Because Hiruzen was present earlier, Kitazawa hadn't let her accompany him to the Academy.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought," Konan said when she noticed him.
"Out of cash, Akatsuki?" Kitazawa asked with a light smile.
"We still have some," Konan said, putting the bill away.
She wasn't lying. Akatsuki had been around for a long time, and its members were all first-rate shinobi; they'd accumulated plenty of funds. But those funds were earmarked for the Eye of the Moon Plan. If they spent too much treating Nagato's legs, it would impact that plan. Konan had been thinking about how to make more money.
Kitazawa didn't press. He wasn't exactly flush with cash himself.
He rubbed his chin. Making money really did need to move up the agenda. If Konan came up short, it would also give him leverage.
An idea hit him: Aburame Shino's mutated kikaichū that could breathe underwater. Konoha would soon be negotiating with Kirigakure; he could request a stretch of sea for those aquatic kikaichū to scout. A partnership with the Aburame clan might work. Ideals aside, the core of the shinobi trade was money—if there was profit, the Aburame wouldn't refuse.
By noon, Kitazawa headed home—at Kurenai Yuhi's request the night before. She hadn't told him why.
"You're back? Then let's eat," Kurenai said, stepping out of the kitchen in an apron.
"It's already noon and you still won't say what this is about?" Kitazawa asked, walking up, slipping the apron off for her.
"It's nothing big," Kurenai said, lips quirking. "I signed up for the jōnin evaluation yesterday."
"Did you pass?" Kitazawa blinked, curious.
"No—my evaluation is this afternoon," she said, taking his hand toward the table. "After we eat, we'll go see Tsunade-sama together."
"Nervous?" Kitazawa teased.
"I am not!" Kurenai hip-checked him, then shot back, "Why would I be nervous when I'm nine-tenths sure of passing?"
"Really?" Kitazawa slid a hand from her hem up to her chest. "Your heart's beating faster than usual."
"As if," Kurenai glared.
"Or maybe I misread it," Kitazawa said straight-faced. "You've got a thicker layer of—uh—padding there."
"What 'pad—'" She caught herself mid-word, yanked his hand away, and huffed, cheeks warm. "Eat. Properly."
Kitazawa chuckled and behaved himself.
After lunch, they headed to the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama," Kurenai bowed slightly. "I'm here for the jōnin evaluation."
"Mhm," Tsunade nodded—then looked straight at Kitazawa.
"…?" Kitazawa frowned. Why look at me?
"Kurenai, I know what you can do," Tsunade said with a small smile. "But we still have to follow procedure. Kitazawa will be your chief examiner."
"Eh?" Kurenai's eyes went wide.
"Me?" Kitazawa tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What exactly am I testing?"
He had a feeling Tsunade was doing this on purpose.
"Kurenai's team-lead ability was proven in the last war," Tsunade said. "Evaluate her combat strength."
"All right," Kitazawa thought it over. Not a bad setup—if he was chief examiner, he could ease up where appropriate.
"Let's use a nearby training ground," Tsunade said as she stood. "And you—do take this seriously."
Kitazawa just shot her a look. Tsunade shot one back—her eyes saying, Respect your teacher.
Kurenai missed the silent exchange. For all her earlier bravado, she really was nervous now; a true jōnin's status in Konoha wasn't something a chūnin could compare to. She also didn't want to fall too far behind Kitazawa. Still, having him as examiner did take the edge off.
"Begin!" Tsunade called from the edge of the field.
Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty!
Kurenai flung out a storm of petals. As they eddied around Kitazawa like water, she vanished. A sharp rush of wind sounded overhead—Kurenai came diving in, both legs scissoring down.
Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!
Kitazawa flicked his wrist, feeding wind chakra into a kunai until it became a short blade, then slashed up at her.
Kurenai reacted fast, kicking at his right hand. The kunai flew loose; she rotated, swept her left knee in an arc, and drove it forward. Kitazawa raised an arm to block.
Monster Strength!
Using his forearm as a post, Kurenai threw a straight punch. Kitazawa met it with one of his own.
Their power collided. Kurenai shuddered and was blasted backward. In raw strength, she was no match.
She flipped, landed, and flew through hand seals.
Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!
Kitazawa's vision blanked for an instant—vines wrapped him tight. From the tree above, Kurenai dropped a kunai straight toward him.
Kitazawa dispelled the genjutsu. His hands blurred—water coalesced into a dragon to Kurenai's left.
Kurenai's pupils tightened. She snatched her kunai back and sprang away—but the water dragon curled midair and chased.
Rasengan!
Seeing she couldn't dodge, she drove straight in. The Rasengan smashed into the dragon's head, bursting it into spray.
Ninja Art: Profusion of Flowers!
Relieved, Kurenai scattered another cloud of petals. This time, Kitazawa broke the illusion immediately—only to find four sealing tags glowing around him after two steps.
A Sealed Binding Formation—four talismans to restrict movement.
"Hiding the seal tags in the petals?" Kitazawa clocked it at once.
"I'm very clever, you know!" Kurenai grinned, using the brief bind to rush him.
Wind Release: Rasengan!
With wind added, the sphere's edge turned razor-keen.
Kitazawa flicked a hand and shredded the talismans—but Kurenai was already on top of him.
Leaf Great Whirlwind!
His kick smashed into her wrist; the Wind Release: Rasengan veered off.
Ranshinshō!
Kitazawa slid in close and tapped a palm into her abdomen. Kurenai reflexively tried to correct the Rasengan's path—but her right hand did the exact opposite and slammed it into the ground.
A thunderous bang—earth erupted.
Kitazawa caught Kurenai and hauled her clear of the blast.
"What was that jutsu?" Kurenai stared, stunned. Her limbs wouldn't obey her at all. In the original story, Kabuto could adjust quickly after being hit by Ranshinshō; she clearly couldn't.
"Ranshinshō—Body Pathway Derangement," Kitazawa said. "Don't move yet. Your motor nerves are scrambled. If you try to move your hand, your foot might go instead."
He patted her twice in quick succession, and Kurenai felt control returning to her arms and legs.
She glanced toward Tsunade, nervous. "Hokage-sama… did I pass?"
The standard wasn't "defeat Kitazawa," but whether her performance satisfied Tsunade.
"Your genjutsu, wind release, and taijutsu are solid—and you've learned sealing arts. Congratulations: you're a jōnin," Tsunade said with a nod. Kurenai's showing had surprised her a bit, especially the Sealed Binding Formation and Wind Release: Rasengan.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Kurenai said, eyes shining.
"Kitazawa, take her to register," Tsunade said, then headed back to the office.
"Yes!" As soon as Tsunade left, Kurenai threw her arms around Kitazawa. He patted her back. "With your ability, this was a matter of time."
"Still… actually becoming jōnin feels amazing," Kurenai said, grinning up at him.
"It does," Kitazawa smiled. "Let's get you registered—and pick up your jōnin flak jacket."
"Let's go!"
Kurenai released him, grabbed his hand, and practically dragged him toward the Hokage Building. The remaining steps were simple; in under half an hour, everything was done.
"The final step is posting the public notice," Kitazawa said. "You don't need to do that part."
"Then I'm heading home. I'll wait for you there," Kurenai said, stroking the flak jacket like a treasured prize.
"Get ready—we're going to the Land of Rivers together tomorrow," Kitazawa reminded her.
"Mm." Kurenai nodded and left.
Kitazawa's afternoon plan was Wood Release training first, then Limb Regeneration surgeries at Konoha Hospital. With the tally of disabled shinobi complete, his schedule had gotten packed; he needed to carve out time for operations. Once Tsunade and Yakushi Nonō mastered Limb Regeneration, he'd finally get to breathe.
The next day—Saturday.
After breakfast, Kitazawa and Kurenai arrived early at the Academy. Only Hyūga Neji was there; Sasuke and Naruto hadn't shown yet.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Neji greeted, then hesitated at Kurenai. What should he call her? He knew she and Kitazawa were dating, but they weren't married—"ma'am" felt wrong, and "auntie" would probably earn him a death glare. He couldn't exactly say "big sis," either…
"For this mission, Kurenai and I are both your squad leaders," Kitazawa said, saving him.
"Kurenai-sensei," Neji said quickly.
"Kitazawa-sensei, I'm here!" Naruto's excited voice rang out. Kitazawa turned to see him sprinting in hard.
"So full of energy," Kurenai couldn't help smiling. She'd met Namikaze Minato, but Naruto's personality was completely different. Aside from the blond hair, it was hard to connect them as father and son.
"Am I late?" Naruto puffed.
"No," Kitazawa shook his head. "You've got ten minutes till nine."
"Sasuke isn't here yet?" Naruto looked around, surprised.
"Sleeping in, maybe," Kurenai guessed.
"I doubt it," Naruto scratched his head. "He probably got held up."
"Sounds like you know him well," Kurenai said, smiling.
"That's the bond of youth!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "Sasuke's my rival for life!"
"I'm not," Sasuke interjected flatly.
"When did you get here?" Naruto spun, startled.
"Just now." Sasuke paused, then explained, "Breakfast at my house ran late."
It was tied to the Uchiha moving back to their old compound. They'd thrown a big celebration the night before. Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Yashiro, and the others had drunk themselves under the table. Sasuke hadn't drunk, but the cheers outside had kept him up.
"Good. You're not late," Kitazawa said, clapping once with a gentle smile. "This mission's tougher than usual, so Kurenai's joining our squad."
"How tough?" Naruto brightened. "An S-rank mission?!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Kitazawa flicked his forehead. "At your level, an S-rank would get you all killed."
"Try using common sense," Sasuke said coolly.
"Then what rank do you think it is, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"B-rank," Sasuke said without hesitation. An A- or S-rank wouldn't be handed to students. If it were C-rank, they wouldn't need an extra leader. B made the most sense.
"B is great too!" Naruto beamed.
"Close enough," Kitazawa nodded. "Our target is a missing-nin named Aoi Rokushō. He's jōnin level."
"Jōnin?" Sasuke froze; he'd expected, at most, a special-jōnin enemy. Neji looked shocked as well—his very first mission, and they'd be facing a jōnin? Even a rare Hyūga talent felt the pressure.
"Why would a shinobi betray Konoha?" Naruto's focus was… different.
"People are complicated," Kitazawa said. "Some die for Konoha. Some run from it."
"I don't get it," Naruto scratched his head. "Everyone in the village is so nice."
"You'll understand later." Kitazawa patted his shoulder. "Time to move. Aoi Rokushō won't wait for us."
"Are we leaving the Land of Fire, Kitazawa-sensei?" Naruto asked, eyes shining. "It'll be my first time outside Konoha."
"Our destination is the Land of Rivers," Kitazawa said. "South of the Land of Fire."
"What's it like there?" Naruto asked, eager.
"You'll see when we arrive," Kitazawa said.
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei." Naruto tamped down his curiosity.
"Pick up the pace—run," Kitazawa said as they cleared Konoha, suddenly accelerating.
"So fast!" Naruto yelped, rushing to keep up. Sasuke flashed past him with a Body Flicker and took the lead.
"Sasuke!" Naruto cried. "Let's have a youthful race—first to the Land of Rivers wins!"
Sasuke didn't answer—he just sped up.
"Neji," Kitazawa said, "you're on reconnaissance."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Neji replied steadily.
Night fell by the time they entered the Land of Rivers without incident.
"Ha! I won!" Naruto crowed.
"…" Sasuke's face darkened; he refused to engage.
"Don't waste stamina like that during a mission. Since it's your first offense, I'll let it go," Kitazawa said. "Neji performed well—plus two points."
"What?" Naruto's grin froze. In his excitement at doing a "real mission," he'd forgotten this was still a practical exam. Sasuke felt equally sour—not only had he lost the footrace, Neji had just earned bonus points. Talk about stumbling out of the gate.