Kitazawa snapped out of it and set down the Hozuki Castle file.
He'd already decided how to handle it, so that matter could rest for now.
He kept flipping through the other folders.
Nothing worth noting—things were fairly calm across the ninja world.
Going by the original timeline, nothing major would happen until the Akatsuki launched the Eye of the Moon Plan.
In between, there was the joint Chūnin Exam by Sand and Konoha, and the Konoha Crush.
But both of those were really set in motion by Orochimaru impersonating the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Now that he'd returned to the Konoha, the only thing that might still happen was the joint Chūnin Exam.
Then again, maybe not.
After Kitazawa finished the paperwork, he headed to the Hokage's office.
He raised a hand to knock, then remembered Tsunade was probably taking her afternoon nap, so he simply turned the handle.
He walked in. Instinctively, his eyes went to the Hokage's desk—empty—then slid to the couch.
Tsunade was lying on her side, sleeping soundly.
She'd shrugged off her tea-green jacket, revealing a sleeveless top.
Because she was on her side, gravity had tugged the top downward; the fabric was pulled tight and looked like it might slip any moment.
"Why didn't you knock?"
Tsunade opened her eyes and met his.
With her level of skill, even asleep she noticed the moment he came in.
"If it were you, you wouldn't knock—you'd kick the door in."
Kitazawa blinked and said it straight.
"If you dare to kick the door, I'll dare to kick you."
Tsunade shot him a look.
"Double standards, huh."
Kitazawa dropped onto the sofa across from her. "As Hokage, aren't you supposed to be fair and impartial?"
"Fair and impartial is whatever I say it is."
She sat up with a snort. "I'm the Hokage."
"So the moment you become Hokage you automatically learn that line."
He'd originally wanted to say "the moment you become Hokage you turn shameless," but he valued his life and changed course.
"Didn't you teach me that?"
Tsunade suddenly laughed, beaming at him.
Kitazawa paused—right, he had.
Back when they were dealing with the two Hokage advisors, he'd told Tsunade exactly that.
Only difference now: the "no kicking doors" rule had gotten an epic upgrade.
"I didn't teach it so you could use it against me."
He grumbled.
"You're the one interrupting my nap."
She yawned. "Well?"
"Then keep sleeping."
Kitazawa paused. "As an apology, I can offer a lap pillow."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed; she stared at him.
"You'd be the first to enjoy it," he said solemnly.
"You came here just for that?"
She reached up and smoothed her hair, mussed by the nap.
"I do have business."
Kitazawa smiled. "But no matter how big the thing is, you need proper rest before dealing with it. A nap is essential."
"Then get over here."
Tsunade patted the couch.
Kitazawa blinked, then moved to sit beside her.
Tsunade rested her head on his thigh, lying on her side and gazing toward the window.
His eyes dropped again to that taut, precarious top.
"What is it?" she asked, eyes closed, casual.
"Anbu found the Land of the Sea is researching something they call an 'Ultimate Summoning Beast.'"
Kitazawa explained, "I'm worried it'll blow up on them, so I'm planning to take the students out there tomorrow and turn it into a mission."
Tsunade said nothing.
Technically, that was the Land of the Sea's business and Konoha shouldn't interfere, but several major crises in shinobi history had been sparked by small nations.
The classic examples were the Box of Ultimate Bliss from the Grass Village and Mōryō from the Land of Demons.
The box had supposedly been opened long ago, and rumor had it Grass nearly ended up ruling the ninja world.
Because of that rumor, Grass split into two factions: the "Seeds of Grass," who were hawkish and wanted to open the box again to restore the village, and the "Flowers of Grass."
Rumors ruin people.
The reality behind the story was likely that opening the box released Satori, which caused massive damage.
Satori's abilities were no joke.
As for Mōryō of the Land of Demons, that thing was an otherworldly fiend with an undying army.
It once waged war on the Land of Demons; all five great villages sent aid, and in the end the shrine maiden Miroku sacrificed herself to seal it.
In the movie where Naruto "dies," it was released again.
Konoha sent Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Neji, and Rock Lee to help.
After a series of events, with the shrine maiden Shion's help, they sealed it again.
Kitazawa considered telling Tsunade about the Box of Ultimate Bliss, then heard the rhythm of steady breathing.
He glanced down and shook his head.
She was already back in dreamland.
Even with the Yin Seal to regulate her body, she still lazed around napping all day.
Hokage really wasn't a job she wanted.
If Shimura Danzo knew, he'd claw his way out of the Pure Land to scold her for not appreciating the position.
Kitazawa closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch.
He didn't sleep. Instead, with a thought, he opened his system.
The mission panel listed everything he hadn't cleared yet.
There were plenty.
His gaze landed on Kimimaro's system mission.
He probably wasn't getting first place in this month's exam; next month he'd need to throw Kimimaro a high-difficulty mission so the kid could shine.
He shifted to Yamanaka Ino's mission: defeat Sakura once.
He sank into thought.
Right now Ino was a bit like an earlier-version Kurenai—good at genjutsu.
But Sakura's chakra control was excellent; she could dispel illusions fast, and with Water Release on top she had the edge.
Genjutsu is Yin Release, but Yin Release isn't only genjutsu.
An idea struck him.
He'd modify the Mind Body Switch Technique.
Normally, you focus spiritual energy and fire it from your fingertips so your soul enters the target and controls them.
But what if you skip the control and make it an attack?
Just cut off the second half of Mind Body Switch and keep the spiritual projectile—turn it into a shock blast.
Worth a try.
He'd planned to teach Ino some other jutsu, but not everyone had Naruto-grade talent.
Ino excelled at Yin Release; sticking to Yin Release techniques would be the fastest route. Other ninjutsu weren't a great fit.
The system had already given him Mind Body Switch, so the mod wouldn't be hard.
He wasn't trying to produce an S-rank Yin technique—C or B-rank would do.
Sasuke's system mission and the "defeat Satori" mission could be bundled after the Box of Ultimate Bliss appeared.
The rest were mostly jutsu reworks:
Modify the forbidden Medical Technique: Body Activation; modify the Cursed Seal of Earth; teach Haku three Ice Release techniques.
Beyond those, treat Nagato, form a "New Legendary Sannin," cultivate trusted aides, help Naruto perfect his Jinchūriki state… a whole list.
Half an hour later, Tsunade sat up and stretched.
"Not going back to sleep?" Kitazawa asked.
"That's enough. Oversleeping's no good—this isn't nighttime."
She shook her head.
"Then I'll get going. See you next time."
He stood.
As for the Box of Ultimate Bliss, he'd wait for Itachi Uchiha's report before bringing it up.
"Mm."
She watched him leave.
When the door clicked shut, she curved a smile and headed for the Hokage's desk.
Kitazawa had barely stepped out of the Hokage building when he stopped.
He'd spotted two familiar figures.
Hinata Hyuga and Ino Yamanaka were sitting side by side on a tree branch, looking toward the Hokage building.
What were they up to?
For a moment he wasn't sure.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino saw him, hopped down at once.
Hinata followed, landing and hurrying after her.
They ran up to him.
"You were waiting specifically for me?"
Kitazawa smiled as he put it together.
"Kurenai-sensei said you'd be here," Ino said.
They'd gone by Kitazawa's place first, but he wasn't home; Kurenai told them he was at the Hokage building, so they waited in the tree by the door.
"What's up?"
"I want to beat Sakura!"
Ino clenched a small fist.
"And you?" Kitazawa looked at Hinata.
"Me too," Hinata blurted.
"Eh?"
Ino blinked. "But haven't you already beaten Sakura?"
Hinata realized what she'd said and flushed scarlet.
"I… I mean… I… I want to go further," she stammered.
"That's Hinata for you."
Ino didn't overthink it and praised her. "Already top five and still pushing to improve."
Hinata's face went even redder.
She ducked her head, pinched her hem, and fidgeted.
Ino had come to ask Kitazawa for a new special-training regimen to defeat Sakura.
Hinata's real goal was to have Kitazawa lead her squad in the next monthly exam.
They'd run into each other on the way and came together.
Now that Ino misunderstood, Hinata felt terribly embarrassed.
Kitazawa couldn't help laughing.
He could basically guess why Hinata had come.
Ino's interruption had sent the conversation in a strange direction.
"New training starts next week," Kitazawa decided. "For the next two days, don't think about it—just finish your mission."
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino's eyes lit up.
That was exactly why she came, and she'd gotten what she wanted.
Hinata froze—she was getting new training too?
But as a Hyuga, what could she learn beyond Gentle Fist?
She hadn't even fully mastered Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
"Head back and rest."
Kitazawa reached out and patted Hinata's head.
"Bye, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino waved with a grin.
Hinata wasn't as outgoing.
She murmured a greeting, then turned away reluctantly.
Watching her go, Kitazawa looked thoughtful.
He'd already planned Ino's training back in the Hokage's office.
Hinata showing up was a surprise.
He hadn't intended to set new training for her, but since she brought it up, it gave him an idea.
Strictly speaking, the idea came from Orochimaru.
Of the Sound Five, only Kimimaro and Tayuya were in the Konoha now.
Of the other three, there was Kidomaru—the spider-style specialist who could produce sticky gold.
Besides his webs, he could secrete a substance called sticky gold: highly malleable, but it hardened rapidly on contact with air.
He could shape that sticky gold into all sorts of ninja tools.
Including a bow—the Spider War Bow.
That bow gave Hyuga Neji a lot of trouble.
Even back when he first saw that arc, Kitazawa had a notion:
If you put a bow like that in Neji's hands, with the Byakugan, he'd get even more out of it.
Now that he was here, stronger, and had learned Gentle Fist himself, the idea seemed sound.
So why didn't the Hyuga use bows?
The problem was the bow itself.
With the same materials, a bow was nowhere near as practical as a kunai or shuriken.
By the time you'd drawn and loosed, the enemy's weapons were already in your face.
If you wanted to use a bow, it had to have high firing speed, high penetration, and high accuracy—like Kidomaru's.
A bow like that would be insanely expensive; even a rich clan wouldn't waste money outfitting everyone.
Outfitting just Hinata and Neji, though—that was doable.
The only real issue was materials.
Ideally you'd want something light and tough—and, best of all, a way to generate arrows on demand.
Lugging around a bundle of arrows is a pain, and swapping them mid-fight is asking for trouble.
Kitazawa clicked his tongue.
In theory, creating arrows on the fly wasn't realistic.
Unless you were like Kidomaru, with a special body that secretes sticky gold to mold into a bow and arrows.
But Yin Release can create form from nothing.
In other words, if you used Yin Release to make the arrows, as long as your Yin chakra was sufficient you'd have infinite ammo, anytime.
Yin Release brought him right back to the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
What if you dismantled the box and turned it into a bow?
In the original, even Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken slammed into the box without leaving a mark.
Then seal Satori into the bow and tap its Yin Release to spawn arrows.
"I'm a genius."
Kitazawa couldn't help praising himself.
Of course, theory is one thing; practice is another.
He'd have to wait until he actually had the box in hand.
If it was too tough to work and couldn't be forged into a bow, then forget it.
If it worked, though, Hinata's ceiling would be much higher than in the original.
[Current Mission: Forge two Yin-Release bows.]
[Reward: Master-level Yin-Release nature transformation.]
[Accept?]
The sudden system prompt made his brow lift.
Did that mean the idea had real legs?
It probably wouldn't be easy—the reward was generous.
Kitazawa headed home.
After a long night, it was already the next day—Saturday.
9:00 a.m.
On the academy's training field, twelve students were waiting.
Twelve students made four squads—the ones heading out on today's mission.
"Tayuya, didn't sleep well? You look wiped," Tenten asked, noticing her expression.
"I'm fine."
Tayuya curled her lip. "I just don't… never mind."
She'd spotted Kitazawa from a distance and swallowed the rest.
"Want some chips?"
Choji held out a bag.
"No thanks," Tenten said, shaking her head.
She'd just had breakfast and wasn't hungry.
"What flavor?" Tayuya picked one up.
"Barbecue," Choji replied.
"Why isn't there a chocolate flavor?"
Tayuya crunched a chip and asked.
"...?"
Choji's face was one big question mark. Heresy?
"Chips are better salty," Tenten cut in. "Sweet chips—I can't even imagine."
"You folks in Konoha are too conservative. Why can't they be sweet?"
Tayuya sniffed.
"What are you on about?"
Kitazawa stepped up and rapped her lightly on the forehead.
Tayuya bristled but swallowed it, falling quiet.
"This is Kurenai—just call her Kurenai-sensei," Kitazawa continued. "And Karin's coming with us too."
"Morning, Tenten, Choji—Tayuya."
Karin poked her head out from behind Kitazawa and smiled.
She'd only gotten the notice this morning.
It startled her, but getting to go out on a mission was nice—she hadn't left the village since Tsunade and Kitazawa brought her back.
"Let's move."
After the brief intro, Kitazawa led the way toward Konoha's gate.
"Kitazawa-sensei, what's our mission?" Tenten asked, following close.
"To the Summoning Island in the Land of the Sea," Kitazawa said offhand. "It's an island where lots of summoning beasts live."
"Summoning Beasts?"
Tenten lit up. "Can we make contracts with them?"
Tayuya perked up too.
Her three Doki were strong, but in the genius class they didn't stand out.
If she could get a powerful summoning beast, maybe she could climb the rankings again.
"You can, but they're not as amazing as you're imagining," Kitazawa said, tempering expectations. "If you find a good fit, you can sign a contract."
He remembered a massive eagle on that island.
In the original, that eagle carried off Might Guy; Yamato, Aoba Yamashiro, and Naruto chased it to the Summoning Island.
~~~
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