On the ninja academy training grounds.
Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto stood side by side.
The other students from the Advanced Class formed a ring around them, watching.
"Sasuke, let's go!" Naruto thrust out his hand and shouted, "Yang Release: Rasengan!"
Yang chakra surged out, forming a blue Rasengan in his palm.
"…"
Sasuke's mouth twitched.
He'd told Naruto more than once not to yell out the name of the jutsu, but it never helped.
"Yin Release: Rasengan!"
Sasuke spread his fingers. Yin chakra spun and compressed like mad, and a green Rasengan finally took shape in his palm.
"On the name of youth—this time it'll work for sure!" Naruto declared with burning enthusiasm. "Supreme Ultimate Rasengan!"
Sasuke raised his hand with a blank expression.
Above their heads, the Yin Rasengan and Yang Rasengan collided—and began to merge.
"This is bad!" Naruto suddenly realized the two streams of chakra were surging around wildly like raging currents.
"Move!" Sasuke's pupils shrank as he barked the warning.
They both snapped their hands back and vanished in a Body Flicker, splitting left and right.
Boom!
The Yin Rasengan and Yang Rasengan detonated midair.
The resulting chakra gale blasted outward like a violent wind.
"That power is terrifying," Kiba Inuzuka said.
"Woof! Woof!" A small white puppy at his feet barked along.
"What's Akamaru saying?" Choji Akimichi asked, chewing on chips.
"He says it's definitely scary," Kiba translated.
"If it's this strong even when it fails, wouldn't it be way worse if it succeeds?" Tenten said with a sigh.
"Hmph. Too bad I can't use Yang Release: Rasengan," Haruno Sakura muttered. "If I could, with my teamwork with Sasuke-kun, we'd have mastered it ages ago!"
"As if it's that easy," Ino Yamanaka shot back. "That's an S-rank composite technique!"
"You two get along so well—maybe you'll learn it someday," Yakumo Kurama said with a gentle smile.
"No chance!" Ino and Sakura said in unison.
Even though one of them specialized in Yin and the other in Yang—and in theory they could learn it—neither was willing to admit it.
"Thank goodness Sasuke and Naruto won't end up on the same team in the squad battle," Kiba said in relief. "If they became teammates, who the hell could stop that Supreme Ultimate Rasengan?"
"Don't just casually say something that terrifying," Shikamaru Nara complained.
Kaguya Kimimaro let out a quiet sigh inside.
Sasuke and Naruto were improving far too quickly—there was no way he could catch up.
And honestly, it wasn't just the two of them. Yakumo and Neji and the others were already stronger than him too.
He couldn't help wondering whether he'd even get another chance to serve as temporary captain in the next team match.
Neji Hyuga, on the other hand, looked calm.
Ever since learning the World-Ending Arrow, his mindset had shifted a little.
Kitazawa wouldn't let him use it, but that technique had still caused his strength to spike dramatically.
"Alright—everyone, go train," Kitazawa clapped his hands. "Shion, you stay."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," the students answered, then scattered to their own practice.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Shion walked up to him. "What did you need me for?"
"I saw you've gotten very proficient with the Fire Sealing Method, so today I'm teaching you a new sealing technique," Kitazawa said with a smile. "It's called the Four Limbs Weighting Seal."
Shion had already learned four sealing techniques. Four Limbs Weighting Seal would be her fifth.
Once she learned it, her system task would be able to clear smoothly.
"I'll demonstrate once first."
Kitazawa raised a hand and formed seals.
Shion immediately felt as if a mountain had pinned down her arms and legs—she couldn't move at all.
A crushing pressure hit, and her body toppled toward the ground against her will.
Kitazawa casually released the Four Limbs Weighting Seal and steadied her back to her feet.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Shion said, letting out a breath without thinking.
The feeling of losing control of her limbs was not pleasant.
But after experiencing it firsthand, she didn't need him to over-explain—she already understood exactly what the Four Limbs Weighting Seal did.
Kitazawa continued explaining for another half hour.
Once she had the gist, he formed a shadow clone and had it keep teaching her.
By noon, Kitazawa wrapped up his Flying Thunder God training.
He'd only taken a few steps when he paused.
"Kitazawa-sama."
Uchiha Itachi appeared before him.
"This time, that was fast," Kitazawa said, surprised.
He'd assumed Utakata would take a long time to track down—he'd even been prepared to delay the midterm exam.
"Good luck," Itachi answered. "I ran into Kirigakure Anbu, and I learned Utakata's location from them."
"I see." Kitazawa nodded.
In the original chain of events, Naruto and the others met Hotaru because they stumbled into a fight between Kirigakure Anbu and Utakata.
"Kitazawa-sama—this is information on Shiranami, and Utakata's location." Itachi produced a scroll.
"Good work." Kitazawa took it, then asked, "Did you clash with the Kirigakure Anbu?"
"No. I only used my Mangekyō Sharingan to control one of their Anbu," Itachi said after a brief pause. "Besides that, I also fed them false guidance so they'd miss him."
"You handled it well." Kitazawa raised an eyebrow in approval. "Handing things to you really does save me trouble."
Running into Kirigakure Anbu was an unexpected incident.
Kitazawa couldn't have predicted it.
But Itachi had guessed his intentions and made the best possible choice—truly the perfect "useful professional."
"Go get some rest."
After Itachi left, Kitazawa opened the scroll and read.
The top half was Shiranami's dossier.
He'd once been a genius of the Tsuchigumo Clan, but he coveted their forbidden technique and killed his own father—the one guarding it.
After that, he left the Tsuchigumo and struck out on his own, building a small shinobi organization.
But it was nowhere near something like the Akatsuki. Aside from him, the others were limited in ability—more like bandits than anything.
Beyond his background, the dossier also noted he excelled at Earth Release.
The bottom half was a map marking Utakata's location.
Kitazawa glanced once, rolled the scroll up, and headed for the Hokage Tower.
On the way, he stopped by a nearby izakaya and packed up lunch.
"Tsunade-sensei."
Kitazawa pushed the door open and entered the Hokage's office.
"That smell… it's familiar." Tsunade sniffed, her eyes lighting up. "Did you buy tender chicken?"
"You're not from the Inuzuka Clan—how is your nose that sharp?" Kitazawa walked over to the coffee table and set down the food.
"The stronger you are, the sharper your senses become—and I'm a medical ninja," Tsunade said, licking the corner of her mouth. "If I couldn't smell it from this close, that would be a serious problem."
"Fair." Kitazawa handed her a pair of chopsticks.
"Great flavor… shame there's no alcohol." Tsunade popped a piece of chicken into her mouth, looking satisfied.
"How's work been lately?" Kitazawa asked, taking his own chopsticks.
"How do you think?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Don't talk about work when I'm happy."
"The Advanced Class midterms are coming up," Kitazawa said with a smile. "I've got a mission here. Want to come with me?"
"What mission?" Tsunade blinked and looked at him. "If it's a normal mission, Shizune won't agree to me leaving the village."
"This one—Shizune won't have any reason to stop you," Kitazawa said confidently.
"Oh?" Tsunade's interest rose immediately.
As Hokage, she normally didn't leave the village unless it was something major—like war.
But the only current conflict was between Amegakure and Sunagakure, and that was minor skirmishing.
A mission involving the Fire Daimyō might qualify—last time she went out, she'd traveled with Kitazawa to the Fire Capital.
But now the Land of Fire and Konoha were calm. There was no need for her to meet the Daimyō.
"Utakata," Kitazawa prompted.
"…What Utakata?" Tsunade didn't react at first.
"The Six-Tails jinchūriki, Utakata," Kitazawa said with a mild smile. "Anbu found his trail."
Tsunade froze mid-motion.
She frowned, thinking.
If Konoha and Kirigakure were at war, she'd order Kitazawa to seize Utakata without hesitation.
But they weren't.
They were allies.
"Normally, we should notify Kirigakure," Kitazawa said casually.
"You've got another plan," Tsunade said at once.
"Kirigakure may be our ally, but we don't have to hand them freebies," Kitazawa replied calmly. "We use Utakata to negotiate a deal."
"You mean capture him alive?" Tsunade murmured. "That's… doable."
"Since you agree, we leave tomorrow," Kitazawa said, unsurprised.
As Hokage, Tsunade would choose what benefited Konoha most.
An "ally," in the end, was just ink on paper. Among the Five Great Villages, there were no true friends.
"You really are suited to be Hokage," Tsunade said, curling her lips with clear satisfaction.
"I'll take that as praise—not you calling me shameless," Kitazawa joked.
"It's praise," Tsunade said with a grin. "A Six-Tails jinchūriki should fetch a very good price."
"How we negotiate is up to you," Kitazawa said, then added, "But there's one set of information we must get."
"What information?" Tsunade asked, curious.
"Do you know why Utakata defected?" Kitazawa didn't tease it out—he explained the entire cause and effect to her.
"There's really a method like that?" Tsunade looked genuinely stunned when he finished.
"According to Anbu's investigation, it exists," Kitazawa said honestly. "But whether it truly lets a jinchūriki survive extraction… we don't know."
"Whether it works or not, we need it," Tsunade sighed. "If I'd known about that earlier… maybe Kushina wouldn't have died."
Uzumaki Kushina had died because the Nine-Tails was ripped from her.
"The past can't be changed," Kitazawa said, looking at her. "But we can plan for the future. If it really works, Konoha's jinchūriki will have an extra layer of protection."
"…Yeah." Tsunade nodded.
"After we finish eating, I'll go see Shizune," Kitazawa said with a light laugh. "It's the Six-Tails jinchūriki. Taking a few extra days is normal."
Tsunade's eyes brightened.
She instantly caught his meaning and gave him an approving look.
"This time I'm going to spend several days at the casino!" Tsunade clenched her fist, swearing it.
"Outside casinos aren't as fun as Konoha's," Kitazawa said blandly.
"That's easy," Tsunade waved it off. "We'll just sneak back into Konoha then."
"That actually sounds hilarious," Kitazawa couldn't help laughing.
"What's hilarious about it?" Tsunade asked, not processing it immediately.
"The Hokage sneaking back into Konoha. How is that not funny?" Kitazawa countered.
"…"
Tsunade went speechless.
Once he said it out loud, it did feel weird.
Before becoming Hokage, she could stroll back openly.
After becoming Hokage, she had to sneak back—what kind of Hokage was that?
No, really, it was Shizune.
Tsunade shook her head. She hadn't noticed it before, but ever since becoming the Hokage's secretary, Shizune had turned extremely serious and responsible.
"I'm going to see Shizune."
After lunch, Kitazawa stood and headed for the Hokage Secretary's office.
He opened the door and saw Shizune sorting documents.
Her hands moved like lightning, filing everything into neat categories.
"Kitazawa?" Shizune looked up, surprised.
"Shizune-nee," Kitazawa said straight to the point. "I'm here to request leave on Tsunade-sensei's behalf."
"Why is it always you coming to request leave?" Shizune tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"Coincidence. All coincidence," Kitazawa cleared his throat. "Anbu found the location of Kirigakure's Six-Tails jinchūriki, Utakata."
"You and Tsunade-sama plan to go capture him?" Shizune's gaze sharpened, her tone turning serious.
If they were just notifying Kirigakure, there'd be no need to request leave.
And Utakata was Kirigakure's missing-nin—on paper, Konoha could capture him.
"Yeah," Kitazawa nodded.
"Alright." Shizune thought briefly. "Be careful. Go quickly and come back quickly."
"Relax," Kitazawa said. "It's just the Six-Tails. He's not a match for me and Tsunade-sensei."
"That's true," Shizune felt more at ease.
After all, Kitazawa and Tsunade had once defeated Yagura Karatachi—the Fourth Mizukage and Three-Tails jinchūriki.
And now they were even stronger than back then.
"Shizune-nee, you can start drafting the terms for a trade with Kirigakure," Kitazawa reminded her. "When we return, we'll send someone to notify them."
"Good." Shizune perked up.
A Six-Tails was certain to bring Konoha a hefty profit.
"Then I won't interrupt your work. See you next time."
After wrapping up, Kitazawa returned to the Hokage's office.
It was lunch break. Tsunade was already sprawled on the sofa.
She had zero Hokage dignity—one leg slanted, her foot dangling in the air, gently swinging.
"Settled?" Tsunade asked without opening her eyes, hearing footsteps.
"Shizune-nee agreed," Kitazawa said, walking up.
From where he stood, his gaze naturally drifted down—her loose posture made her clothes sit askew, emphasizing her mature, striking figure.
"Good. Just wake me tomorrow," Tsunade exhaled.
"Mhm," Kitazawa nodded.
"Why are you still staring?" Tsunade opened her eyes.
"Am I not allowed?" Kitazawa asked, putting on a serious face.
"If you stand there, how am I supposed to nap?" Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"We could nap together," Kitazawa blinked.
Tsunade wordlessly clenched her fist—her meaning was obvious.
"Tsunade-sensei—then I'll go. See you tomorrow," Kitazawa immediately corrected himself.
Tsunade huffed and closed her eyes again.
The door shut.
Kitazawa left the Hokage's office, checked the sky, and headed for the Anbu base.
There was still plenty of time before afternoon class. He planned to take a nap.
"Kitazawa."
Konan removed her Anbu mask and stood.
Kitazawa walked up and lightly pinched her cheek, then sat on the sofa and patted his thigh.
Konan stepped forward, sat on his lap with her legs together, and leaned into his chest.
"I'm going to nap," Kitazawa said, holding her soft, warm body.
"Okay," Konan nodded. "I'll wake you later."
Kitazawa closed his eyes and drifted off.
Konan watched his face, gradually getting lost in it.
Afternoon came.
Kitazawa woke up to Konan's cool, beautiful face right in front of him.
He leaned in slowly, her skin filling his vision.
Konan bit her lip. Her red lips parted slightly, a hint of pink visible.
Kitazawa took the invitation, sealing her mouth with his.
Only after a blush spread across her cheeks did he let her go.
Kitazawa gave her a light pat on the hip.
Konan took a breath, stood up, and stepped out of his embrace.
"You don't have to follow me this afternoon," Kitazawa said, ruffling her hair as he turned and left.
When he reached the academy, he found Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others and brought up moving the practical exam earlier.
Since there was precedent, they didn't object and agreed.
"Before afternoon class begins, I'm announcing something: the midterm practical exam has been moved up. It starts tomorrow," Kitazawa said, pausing. "Now I'll go over the team assignments."
"Sasuke!" Naruto said excitedly after Kitazawa finished. "We're on the same squad again—this is youth!"
"This has nothing to do with youth," Sasuke said, his mouth twitching.
"Why not me?" Sakura demanded, clearly unhappy.
Ino hesitated, wanting to say something.
She also wanted to be on Kitazawa's team, but that wish hadn't come true.
Then again, the odds of being his teammate twice in a row were low—she'd have to wait for next time.
Hyuga Hinata felt about the same.
A little disappointed, but she could accept it.
"Looks like this mission will be easy," Karin said with a smile.
With Sasuke and Naruto as teammates, she didn't think there'd be much for her to do.
"Not necessarily," Shikamaru warned. "With those two on your team, the mission is definitely going to be hard. Brace yourselves."
"Tomorrow at 9 a.m.—don't be late," Kitazawa clapped his hands. "Now start training."
The afternoon flew by.
After school, Kitazawa left the academy with Kurenai Yuhi.
"Why move the practical exam up so suddenly?" Kurenai asked curiously. "Did you get another urgent mission?"
"Yeah," Kitazawa replied. "We're going to capture the Six-Tails jinchūriki, Utakata."
"A jinchūriki?" Kurenai's eyes widened. "Then what are Sasuke and the others going to do?"
"They have a different assignment," Kitazawa said with a smile. "They're geniuses among geniuses, but I'm not sending them to fight a jinchūriki."
"That's fair," Kurenai said, then asked, "Are you confident? Should we bring more people?"
"What kind of question is that?" Kitazawa raised a hand and gave her a playful pat on the hip. "Why are you doubting my strength now?"
"I'm worried about you, and you're blaming me?" Kurenai bumped her hip against his thigh as retaliation.
"You don't need to worry. Tsunade-sensei is coming with me," Kitazawa said, stopping. "To make it up to you, I'll carry you home."
"There are too many people on the road," Kurenai said, tempted but still refusing.
"I can avoid them," Kitazawa said lightly.
"Fine." Kurenai immediately moved behind him.
She hopped up, wrapping her long legs around his waist and pressing close to his back.
Kitazawa felt the soft warmth against him.
He steadied his mind, reached back to support her, and walked forward.
"Not having to walk feels amazing," Kurenai said, resting her chin on his shoulder with a smile.
"Does it?" Kitazawa blinked. "Then do you want to not walk tonight too?"
"What do you mean?" Kurenai froze. "Are we going somewhere tonight?"
"Nowhere," Kitazawa said after a beat. "You'll understand soon."
"You're being weird." Kurenai couldn't be bothered, closing her eyes.
She clearly had never heard a song called "Never Set."
Not long after, they arrived home.
Kitazawa opened the door and entered.
"Put me down," Kurenai patted his shoulder.
Kitazawa crouched a little and let go.
Kurenai's feet touched the floor. She was about to head into the living room when he caught her hand.
She turned back, puzzled.
In a swift step, Kitazawa moved in front of her and lifted her into his arms.
"You—what are you—"
Kurenai stopped mid-sentence as realization hit.
Her clothes fell to the floor, and she let out a muffled sound, clinging to him tightly.
Her pale, long legs tensed and relaxed, her toes curling and uncurling.
"You… you jerk," Kurenai said, cheeks flushed, taking a deep breath as she scolded him.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to walk tonight?" Kitazawa shot back with a pained grimace.
"I—when did I say that?" Kurenai demanded, trying to hold herself together.
"You definitely forgot. It's fine—I'll help you remember," Kitazawa said, his hands settling at her slim waist.
Kurenai trembled with indignation at his shamelessness.
She glared at him—then, soon enough, her protests dissolved into breathless, jumbled words, and she ended up agreeing with the very thing she'd insisted she never said.
The lively night eventually came to an end.
A new day—morning.
Kitazawa opened his eyes.
In his arms, Kurenai looked exhausted, eyes shut, her rosy lips slightly parted.
He could feel her breathing and the gentle rise and fall of her skin.
He leaned in and breathed in at her neck, catching a faint, sweet scent.
Kitazawa placed a hand on her forehead.
Pale green chakra flowed in.
A moment later, Kurenai's body relaxed, a comfortable expression settling on her face.
Kitazawa fell into thought.
Once he was strong enough, could he help Kurenai learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal?
It had so many benefits.
And he couldn't just watch Kurenai grow old.
If only he could implant jutsu directly the way the system did—then she wouldn't have to learn the hard way.
Maybe someday, it really would be possible.
Kitazawa shook his head, tossing aside the stray thoughts.
"Morning," Kurenai said as she woke.
She sat up, stretched, and looked refreshed.
Kitazawa, meanwhile, quietly appreciated the smooth lines of her fair, beautiful body.
If he didn't have a mission today, he absolutely would've kept her from "walking."
"It's already eight! Get up!" Kurenai glanced at the wall clock, her face changing as she hurriedly got dressed.
"We still have an hour. We'll make it," Kitazawa said as he got out of bed. "I'll make breakfast."
After they ate, they reached the academy with exactly ten minutes to spare before 9 a.m.
Kurenai shot Kitazawa a glare and went to find her students.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto called out warmly.
"Come with me," Kitazawa nodded, leading them toward the Hokage Tower.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Naruto said, looking around in confusion. "Are we going the wrong way?"
"No," Kitazawa replied. "There's one more person joining this mission."
"Who?" Naruto asked.
"You'll see in a second," Kitazawa said with a smile.
The four of them quickly arrived at the Hokage Tower.
Before they even went inside, Tsunade appeared in front of them.
"Granny Tsunade?" Naruto blurted out reflexively.
"Hokage-sama," Sasuke and Karin said at the same time.
"During missions, you address by title!" Tsunade glared at Naruto.
"Granny Tsunade, you're coming with us?" Naruto asked, recovering.
"It's me," Tsunade said, her mouth twitching as she gave up on correcting him.
Sasuke and Karin both looked surprised.
"If Granny Tsunade is coming, then this mission is definitely S-rank!" Naruto said excitedly.
Tsunade looked at Kitazawa.
She didn't understand why he'd brought Sasuke and the others.
"Your mission is different from ours," Kitazawa said, shaking his head. "To put it simply, this is two missions."
"Two missions?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
"This is their mission. Bringing you for it would just waste your time," Kitazawa said.
"Kitazawa-sensei, then what's our mission?" Karin asked.
"Do you know the Tsuchigumo Clan?" Kitazawa countered.
"No," the three of them said together, shaking their heads.
Tsunade paused, remembering what she knew about the Tsuchigumo.
"The Tsuchigumo Clan are allies of Konoha. Recently, they produced a missing-nin named Shiranami," Kitazawa said casually. "Your mission is to deal with him and the group he formed."
"Is he strong?" Naruto asked eagerly.
"A pretty capable Earth Release jōnin," Kitazawa considered.
"Perfect!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "Kitazawa-sensei, you can leave it to us!"
"No time to waste. Let's move," Kitazawa said, then instructed, "You and Sasuke handle perimeter security."
"Got it, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto answered, then turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, let's—"
"No interest." Sasuke cut off Naruto's chanting and walked ahead.
"Wait up!" Naruto chased after him.
"Was it the Tsuchigumo Clan that contacted you?" Tsunade asked casually as they walked.
"No," Kitazawa explained. "I just noticed Utakata was near their territory, so I investigated a bit."
"I thought it was a commission from them," Tsunade said, then asked again, "How are things with the Tsuchigumo Clan right now?"
"Terrible. Including Shiranami, they only have four members left," Kitazawa shook his head.
"It's gotten that bad?" Tsunade looked genuinely taken aback.
She hadn't expected the Tsuchigumo to have fallen so far—this was a shinobi clan that had once been known during the Third Great Ninja War.
"I think we should invite the Tsuchigumo Clan to move into Konoha," Kitazawa suggested.
"Would they agree?" Tsunade asked, thinking.
In their current state, it would be hard for them to protect their forbidden technique, Fury.
If that technique leaked out, it could become a threat to Konoha too.
Letting them live in Konoha would clearly be safer.
And if they stayed long enough, they would naturally become a Konoha clan.
"The forbidden technique is the reason," Kitazawa said.
He knew their priorities well. The Tsuchigumo valued Rage Hair Heaven above anything.
And Hotaru intending to take Utakata as a teacher meant they already understood they were on the brink of extinction.
"Then we'll try," Tsunade nodded. "When the time comes, I'll go in person."
"With you stepping in, there won't be any problem," Kitazawa said with a soft chuckle. "And we're bringing a gift, too."
Tsunade paused, then understood.
The "gift" was Shiranami.
The Tsuchigumo lived not far from the Land of Fire, within the Land of Rivers.
Shiranami was holed up in a mountain in the Land of Rivers, living like a bandit and surviving on robbery.
By nightfall, the group arrived in the Land of Rivers.
"Wood Release really is convenient," Tsunade said with a smile, looking at the wooden house that rose from the ground.
"Tsunade-sensei, pick a room," Kitazawa blinked. "If you don't mind, you can share a room with me."
Tsunade stepped on his foot and walked inside.
That was a very clear "no."
Kitazawa chuckled, not surprised.
After dinner, Sasuke and Naruto went back to practicing their combo technique—Supreme Ultimate Rasengan.
Karin took out a fish and practiced the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique.
"Karin's talent might even be better than Shizune's," Tsunade said after watching from the rooftop for a while.
"She's from the Uzumaki Clan. More chakra, and more suited to medical ninjutsu," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought.
"Mhm." Tsunade looked away and dropped into a chair. "How's your Flying Thunder God going?"
"Should have it down before New Year," Kitazawa said after brief consideration.
"Good." Tsunade smiled in satisfaction. "Once you master Flying Thunder God, Konoha's strength will rise again."
Flying Thunder God wasn't just "a jutsu"—it had massive strategic value.
Konoha winning the Third Great Ninja War, without exaggeration, owed a great deal to Flying Thunder God.
Namikaze Minato had no bloodline limit, yet with Flying Thunder God he could turn the battlefield upside down.
So what about Kitazawa, who had Wood Release?
For a moment, Tsunade even found herself anticipating the next great war—
But she quickly pushed that thought away. No war was always best.
"It's a shame your Sage Mode hasn't progressed much," Tsunade said, feeling regret.
Wood Release plus Flying Thunder God was already terrifying.
But it couldn't compare to Wood Release, Sage Mode, and Flying Thunder God.
Hashirama Senju plus Tobirama Senju—that was true invincibility.
"I'll take it slow. I'll learn it someday," Kitazawa said casually.
Tsunade blinked, confused.
She didn't understand why he was so confident.
Given the current situation, he probably lacked the talent for Sage Mode—hence the lack of progress.
At least Katsuyu was patient and didn't mind time being wasted.
"Tsunade-sensei—if I master Flying Thunder God, what reward do I get?" Kitazawa asked with a grin.
Tsunade frowned instinctively.
With his strength and status, what reward could he possibly need?
In another year or two, even the Hokage seat would likely be his.
Then Tsunade thought of something—her gaze dipped for a split second.
She knew exactly what Kitazawa wanted from her.
She bit her lip, emotions churning.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally made up her mind.
They'd already come this far, after all.
"If you master Flying Thunder God before New Year," Tsunade said slowly, "I'll give you a special reward."
As soon as she said it, her heart jolted—an electric sensation running through her whole body.
[Current Mission: Accept Tsunade's special reward.]
[Mission Reward: Unknown.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa froze.
That triggered a system task too?
What kind of "special reward" was it?
And the task reward was unknown—now that was strange.
"I'm looking forward to that special reward," Kitazawa said, coming back to himself.
A dozen thoughts flashed through his mind, but he still couldn't pin down what it meant.
"There's still time. I'll train Flying Thunder God for a while," Kitazawa said, letting it go. "Tsunade-sensei, if you're tired, you can rest early."
"Don't mind me," Tsunade waved him off.
Once Kitazawa immersed himself in training, she propped her cheek on one hand and stared at him, lost in thought.
Night deepened.
At nine p.m., Kitazawa stopped training and sent Sasuke and the others to rest.
"Good night," Tsunade said, rising on her toes to kiss him once before turning and going into her room.
The next morning, Kitazawa woke on time.
He dressed and stepped out, finding Sasuke, Naruto, and Karin already waiting in the living room.
He glanced around, then went to Tsunade's room and knocked.
"You all got up this early?" Tsunade opened the door, leaning on the frame and yawning.
"You're the one who got up late," Kitazawa said, shaking his head.
Tsunade immediately shot him a glare.
"Looks like you're awake now," Kitazawa laughed. "We'll eat soon."
He turned and went to the kitchen.
An hour later, the five of them set off again.
Once they crossed deeper into the Land of Rivers, the Tsuchigumo territory was no longer far.
"First, we find Utakata," Kitazawa decided.
The Tsuchigumo wouldn't run, but Utakata might.
If he moved, they'd waste time searching again.
"Who's Utakata?" Naruto asked.
"Kirigakure's jinchūriki," Kitazawa answered.
Naruto and the others immediately looked startled.
Their understanding of jinchūriki came from the time Kitazawa and Tsunade defeated Yagura.
That story had spread widely through Konoha—especially because it involved Kitazawa—so they all knew it.
Naruto understood it even more deeply than Sasuke and Karin.
Because inside him lived the strongest tailed beast of all—Kurama.
"Utakata is strong. Don't interfere," Kitazawa said, then added, "But if Kirigakure Anbu show up, you can hold them back."
"No problem!" Naruto agreed instantly.
Sasuke nodded as well—he actually wanted to test himself against Kirigakure Anbu.
Karin had no particular opinion.
"Wait here a moment."
Kitazawa walked a short distance, then activated his Byakugan.
The next second, he spotted Utakata.
It couldn't be helped—Utakata's massive, near-limitless chakra blazed in Byakugan vision like a sun.
"His position hasn't changed. We go straight there," Kitazawa said as he rejoined Tsunade and the others.
"Perfect. I can finally test my Yang Release Chakra Mode," Tsunade said, her lips lifting as she clenched her fist.
She'd learned it, but never had the chance to use it.
First, she was Hokage and always busy.
Second, there were very few people strong enough to make her bring it out.
Utakata, the Six-Tails jinchūriki, fit that bill perfectly.
Under Kitazawa's lead, they quickly reached the destination.
Probably to avoid being discovered by Kirigakure Anbu, Utakata hadn't gone into any nearby town—he was living in a valley instead.
"You three watch from here," Kitazawa reminded them, then entered the valley with Tsunade.
They didn't bother hiding their presence.
After only a couple steps, a figure immediately emerged from a tent.
~~~
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