"Kitazawa-sensei!"
After the meeting ended, Uzumaki Naruto immediately went looking for Kitazawa.
Uchiha Sasuke and Inuzuka Kiba followed right behind him.
"Do you guys need something else?" Kitazawa looked at them and asked.
"The graduation exam doesn't have any real combat," Naruto said bluntly. "I want to spar with Sasuke. I want you to be the referee."
"I see." Kitazawa paused, then said, "Just the two of you sparring is kind of boring. Why don't you all do it together?"
"I'm in!" Yamanaka Ino immediately agreed. "Perfect chance for me to spar with Sakura too!"
Haruno Sakura curled her lip.
Ever since Ino became the Two-Tails jinchūriki, their sparring matches had mostly been Ino's wins.
But not every time.
Because Sakura had already learned the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
With that, plus monstrous strength and Water Release, she wasn't much weaker than Ino now.
"I've got no objections either!" Rock Lee gave a thumbs-up. "The last dance of our youthful student days—just thinking about it gets my blood boiling!"
"Where are we sparring?" Nara Shikamaru asked curiously. "A place like that isn't easy to find."
They were still normal shinobi.
But if Sasuke, Naruto, and Hyuga Hinata went all out, it would definitely be earth-shattering.
Anywhere in the ninja world, they could probably carve out multiple landscapes like the Valley of the End.
"Inside the God Tree Game," Kitazawa thought for a moment. "I'll open up a dedicated arena for you."
"That's awesome!" Naruto said excitedly. "In the God Tree Game, we can go all-out!"
Over the past five years, the God Tree Game had swept the entire ninja world.
And he knew the biggest advantage: no matter how badly you got hurt, once you returned to reality, you'd be perfectly fine.
Which meant they could fight without holding back—going so far as to overload the Eight Gates if they wanted.
"I'll have Gaara, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara join too," Kitazawa said with a light laugh. "We'll call it the Ninja World Youth Martial Arts Tournament."
"Set the date for May 1st—two months from now."
Because of his butterfly effect, Sasuke and Gaara had never participated in a joint Chūnin Exam.
This Youth Martial Arts Tournament in the God Tree Game could count as making up for that missing storyline from the original.
Sasuke and the others all agreed.
But most of them knew their participation in this so-called tournament was basically just a formality.
The real highlight would be the battles involving Sasuke and Naruto.
"When the time comes, I'll have the God Tree Game's players come watch too," Kitazawa added.
Naruto and the others grew even more excited.
The game's players were shinobi with chūnin- and jōnin-level strength, numbering in the tens of thousands.
This would undoubtedly be the biggest grand 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 looked at the three lines of text that suddenly appeared and couldn't help letting out a small "Huh?"
His first thought was that the system was acting up again—mistaking him for Sasuke and the others' classmate.
But on second thought, the mission wasn't difficult.
He could just wait until the tournament crowned a champion, then come up with some excuse to spar with that person.
And the champion would almost certainly be either Sasuke or Naruto.
Kitazawa's gaze quickly shifted to the reward.
The Jōgan came from Boruto. It sounded mysterious, but in reality it was basically an enhanced version of the Ōtsutsuki clan's Byakugan.
It had two abilities.
The first: what the Byakugan perceives is in black and white, but what the Jōgan perceives is in full color.
For Kitazawa, that was pretty useless.
But the second ability was very good.
The Jōgan could see the final destination or landing point of space-time ninjutsu transfers.
For example, if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya used Yomotsu Hirasaka, Kitazawa would be able to see where she would ultimately appear.
Or take Uchiha Obito's Kamui—
with the Jōgan, Kamui's surprise-attack potential would be completely crippled.
"As for the Ninja World Youth Martial Arts Tournament, we'll talk about it again in two months," Kitazawa reminded them. "Your job right now is to get familiar with your new work as soon as possible."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke and the others answered at once.
"Alright. Go get busy," Kitazawa said, waving them off.
People like Sasuke and Naruto had to travel far—to the former Konoha Village, Kumogakure, and other places—to work.
But now that teleportation arrays were widespread, distance didn't really cost much time anymore.
After Sasuke and the others left, only Yamanaka Ino and Hyuga Hinata remained.
They were both Hokage secretaries, so they were headed the same way as Kitazawa.
"Kitazawa-sensei, please give us a lift!" Ino clapped her hands together and bowed.
Hinata froze for a moment, then copied her.
With gravity pulling at her, her clothes immediately rose and fell with a noticeable sway.
Kitazawa glanced over instinctively.
Couldn't help it—auto-aim couldn't be turned off.
Kitazawa was already used to Tsunade, but these two had a different vibe.
Tsunade was the mature, voluptuous type, while Hinata was the "slender branches, heavy fruit" type.
"I'll take you to the Hokage Secretariat," Kitazawa said, using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The three of them quickly arrived at the Hokage Secretariat.
It was a massive office.
Just like in his previous life, every ordinary secretary had their own desk and a computer.
But Hinata and Ino were no longer ordinary secretaries.
"The office in the middle is Shizune-senpai's. The two on the left and right are yours. Pick one," Kitazawa said, leading them next door to the secretariat.
"I'll take this one," Ino said, pointing to the left office.
"The two offices are basically the same," Kitazawa paused, then said. "Go see Shizune-senpai first. She'll assign your work."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata replied, obedient and serious.
"See you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Ino waved, smiling brightly.
After watching them enter Shizune's office, Kitazawa turned and returned to the Hokage's office.
"Your Majesty."
When Konan saw him, she walked up in front of him.
Kitazawa reached out and patted her on the butt.
Then he looked toward Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
"Kaguya, I've got a task for you," Kitazawa said. "I need the route map from the Ōtsutsuki clan to the ninja world."
"What are you trying to do?" Kaguya's heart tightened as she spoke instinctively. "You're strong, but if you rush into the Ōtsutsuki clan, you'll only be walking to your death."
"I know that," Kitazawa said casually. "Relax. I'm not going to throw my life away."
He wanted the route map so he could ambush Momoshiki and the other two.
Kitazawa didn't know their exact arrival time, but it would probably be within the next twenty or thirty years.
In other words, chances were they were already on their way.
If the Ōtsutsuki clan were close to the ninja world, they wouldn't have waited until a thousand years after Kaguya ate the God Tree fruit to descend.
Kitazawa wanted to go after them proactively because of his "God Tree fruit" system mission.
The God Tree Game was wildly popular, but the chakra needed for the God Tree fruit was still far too much.
Kitazawa estimated that relying on the game alone would take at least a hundred years to gather enough.
By then, Momoshiki and the others would have already arrived.
So instead of waiting, he might as well strike first and set an ambush.
With Kitazawa's strength, holding off two Ōtsutsuki wouldn't be a problem.
As for the remaining one, Tsunade, Yūhi Kurenai, Sasuke, and Naruto could deal with them.
Four versus one against a standard Ōtsutsuki wouldn't be especially hard.
Or they could switch tactics:
Tsunade and Kurenai hold back two Ōtsutsuki, while Kitazawa quickly finishes the isolated one and then goes to help them.
Of course, the exact approach would depend on the situation when the time came.
Hearing that, Kaguya finally relaxed a little.
If Kitazawa died, she wouldn't be able to escape either.
After all, with her current strength, she couldn't defeat any single Ōtsutsuki.
"I'm off work," Kitazawa said. "Konan, if anything comes up, handle it for me."
Then he suddenly thought of something and vanished on the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already at the Konoha casino.
Kitazawa's gaze quickly locked onto Tsunade.
He'd just thought of something—
more precisely, something to prepare for, just in case.
That was: his child.
If, worst-case scenario, something went wrong when he intercepted Momoshiki and the others, at least having a child would mean leaving behind a bloodline.
Of course, that was really just an excuse to persuade Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa walked up.
"Why are you here? What is it?" Tsunade glanced at him and asked.
"It's something really important," Kitazawa said in a grave tone.
Tsunade couldn't help freezing slightly.
It had been a long time since she'd seen Kitazawa wear that expression.
"Let's go home and talk," Kitazawa blinked.
He wasn't lying—having a kid really was a very important matter.
"Okay." Tsunade didn't overthink it and immediately gave up gambling.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them were back home.
"So what's the important thing?" Tsunade asked proactively.
"No rush. Eat an orange first," Kitazawa said, peeling an orange and handing her a segment.
Tsunade paused. She didn't understand, but she still put it in her mouth.
In the next second, her mouth was sealed.
Tsunade couldn't help glaring at Kitazawa.
But the two of them still shared that sweet, juicy orange segment together.
A hazy look appeared on Tsunade's face.
But she remembered he still hadn't said what the important matter was, so she forced herself to stay awake.
"Say it," Tsunade said, taking a breath.
"In a bit," Kitazawa murmured, gently rubbing at her chest.
Tsunade's body went numb, and she softened again.
She lifted her head, rubbing her cheek against his.
Then she turned around, her full hips arching high.
Kitazawa immediately thought of a peach.
He wrapped both arms around her waist.
"How about we have a child?" Kitazawa bent down, resting his chin on her snowy shoulder, and asked.
"…?" Tsunade was startled by the sudden question. Her whole body shuddered, the plush, heavy curves of her figure rippling.
Kitazawa winced through a grin.
He hadn't expected the question to come with an "extra bonus."
"That's the thing," Kitazawa said, taking a few seconds to recover, his right hand pressing against her chest as he felt her heartbeat and explained his reasoning.
Hesitation showed on Tsunade's face.
It wasn't that she didn't want to—she was worried that their future child might ask about the relationship between them.
Because in her view, their relationship couldn't be made public.
But she didn't think for long before her head grew hazy.
In the end, Tsunade agreed to Kitazawa's request.
Kitazawa happily pulled her tight.
Tsunade turned her head and kissed him.
Her graceful body carved out an alluring curve—full hips, long legs, skin so pale it made Kitazawa dizzy.
In less than a week after "removing the restrictions," Tsunade smoothly completed the "mission."
And Kitazawa also found out ahead of time that his unborn child would be a daughter.
But he didn't play favorites.
A week later, Yūhi Kurenai became pregnant with his second daughter as well.
As for Konan, Kitazawa planned to wait a bit longer.
After all, she couldn't "go official" yet—he'd see if there was a chance later.
Besides, there was another reason: Konan wasn't strong enough yet.
Kitazawa planned to make an Ōtsutsuki clan pill for her.
That way, the child she gave birth to would have the best possible bloodline.
Time quickly reached the end of March.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Kitazawa looked up.
The door opened, and Hyuga Hinata walked in.
"Come here," Kitazawa said with a smile, beckoning her over.
Hinata hurried to his side.
Kitazawa looked at her soft, pale face and raised a hand.
He pinched her cheeks, squashing them flat.
Her lips parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of a pink tongue with a faint sheen.
"So cute," Kitazawa said, withdrawing his hand.
Hinata smiled shyly.
Then she remembered why she came and took out a document.
Kitazawa opened it and read.
It was from the Game Department.
The Game Department was newly established, mainly responsible for managing the God Tree Game.
Its nominal head was Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
To prevent her from abusing the position, Kitazawa had only let her hold the title.
The actual management of the department fell under the Hokage Secretariat—
more precisely, it was now handled by Hinata.
The document was simple.
The department had already prepared a suitable venue for the Ninja World Youth Martial Arts Tournament inside the game and had notified all players.
"Good work, Hinata," Kitazawa said, closing the document and looking at her.
"It's what I should do," Hinata shook her head.
"But I always reward and punish fairly," Kitazawa said, setting the document down and pulling Hinata into his arms.
Hinata's heart trembled, and her face instantly flushed.
Kitazawa's gaze dropped to her collar.
Because Hinata was so nervous, her breathing was quick, making the pale skin there rise and fall.
Kitazawa lowered his head and bit her soft, rosy lips.
Hinata felt dizzy and lightheaded, and soon she could only passively meet him in a fierce exchange of tongues.
But for her, that kind of kissing was still a bit too much.
She didn't last long before she fainted.
Kitazawa couldn't help shaking his head.
Looks like she needed special training.
But from another angle, taking it slow was pretty interesting too.