Kitazawa quickly arrived at the Uchiha clan compound.
His appearance drew many gazes, but only that. Most Uchiha were calm; only the hardliners were truly dangerous.
Those radicals, pressured by Shimura Danzō and obsessed with the Hokage seat, were already considering forcefully seizing the title.
As for Uchiha Fugaku, his portrayal in the "original timeline" was that of a wavering fence-sitter, never decisive. He stalled the hardliners until he could no longer hold them back, then agreed to rebellion… only to surrender the moment Uchiha Itachi confronted him.
Moments later, Kitazawa spotted Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
They stood in the courtyard, both with one-tomoe Sharingan activated, clearly doing one-on-one instruction.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Sasuke noticed him first and greeted him.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Itachi also nodded politely, same words, but his tone was that of a guardian speaking to an instructor.
Being stared at by two Sharingan made Kitazawa's skin crawl. He could easily imagine the pressure of being watched by an entire group of them.
Similar to the Sharingan… was the Byakugan. Every time he visited the Hyūga clan, he was practically pelted by those blank white eyes.
"Sasuke, today's training ends here."
Itachi gently patted his little brother's head, then walked over and said, "Kitazawa-sensei, please come in."
He raised a hand and opened the door first.
"Thanks."
Kitazawa nodded. Itachi's manners were impeccable.
"Father! Kitazawa-sensei is here!"
Sasuke raced into the living room, full of excitement. These past two days he had been trembling with joy: Not only had he awakened the Sharingan, but he also gained unprecedented approval from Fugaku. Double happiness.
Even more shocking, Fugaku and Itachi were now devoting serious effort into teaching him how to use the Sharingan, something that had never happened before.
Previously, they always claimed "too much work, too many duties," leaving Sasuke to train alone.
Like the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, Fugaku taught him for a short while, then never bothered again.
"Clan Head Fugaku."
Kitazawa called out proactively.
"Kitazawa, welcome."
Fugaku stood up slowly. "You've helped Sasuke greatly. I owe you thanks."
"I'm his teacher. It's my duty."
Kitazawa smiled lightly.
Fugaku didn't fully buy it. After learning how Sasuke awakened his Sharingan… well, it was a method he had never heard of before. Eye-opening, to say the least.
But no matter what, awakening was awakening, and Sasuke was only six years old.
"Please sit."
Fugaku gestured. "Itachi, bring tea."
"Thank you."
Kitazawa sat opposite Fugaku.
Itachi soon placed a cup of hot tea in front of him.
"You two go help Mikoto in the kitchen."
Fugaku waved Itachi and Sasuke away. Itachi understood, Fugaku wasn't dismissing him, only Sasuke. Too young to hear the truth about Sharingan awakening.
"Kitazawa," Fugaku said once they were gone, "why did you help Sasuke awaken his Sharingan?"
Last night, after hearing from Mikoto that Kitazawa had grown close to Tsunade, he couldn't help becoming vigilant. After all, Tsunade's identity was far too influential.
Could Tsunade be sending Kitazawa as a messenger to the Uchiha?
Not impossible. The Uchiha were in a turbulent period, if Tsunade stepped in, the entire political landscape of Konoha would shift.
"It was Sasuke's request."
Kitazawa answered without hesitation.
He couldn't say "system mission," nor "Tsunade ordered me."
"Then why did Lady Tsunade tell you the emotional-stimulation principle behind Sharingan awakening?"
Fugaku frowned.
"I heard it accidentally during an eye-related surgery."
Kitazawa said casually, then added with a smile:
"If the Uchiha want Lady Tsunade's help, I can relay the message."
He had already guessed Fugaku's thoughts, so he simply pushed the situation in that direction. Tsunade would see it as natural; she wouldn't suspect him.
Fugaku inwardly nodded. As expected. He never believed Tsunade returned to Konoha without ambition. If she truly wanted nothing, why come back, and stay this long?
"Thank you for informing me."
Fugaku smiled, now more certain of his own deduction:
Tsunade must be waiting for the best price. Being Hokage was not just about strength, it was about politics.
He began thinking deeply. The Uchiha were in an awkward position, external pressure from Danzō, internal pressure from the hardliners. Rebellion wasn't what he wanted; the odds of victory were too slim.
If Tsunade became Hokage and helped the Uchiha resolve their current crisis, rebellion could be avoided entirely.
Ideally, an Uchiha should enter the upper echelons of Konoha… or even become a future Hokage candidate.
"Dinner is ready!"
Mikoto came out carrying dishes, followed by Sasuke with chopsticks and Itachi holding bowls.
"Please."
Fugaku gestured politely.
In his eyes, Kitazawa was no longer a mere Academy instructor, he was Tsunade's unofficial spokesperson.
The meal ended pleasantly.
Kitazawa benefited from Tsunade's reputation, but it wasn't false, he was half her student already.
And at this rate, it was only a matter of time before he became her formal disciple.
Upon leaving, Mikoto discreetly slipped him a scroll, a thank-you gift.
Kitazawa opened it outside the compound. As expected, a ninjutsu scroll, but not Fire Style.
Wind Style.
Sasuke had seen him use Wind Style before; it was normal Mikoto knew he had wind affinity.
He unrolled it… and his expression twisted.
Every Wind Style technique recorded was used by Shimura Danzō. Six in total. Two he already mastered: Vacuum Bullets and Giant Vacuum Bullets.
The other four:
Wind Style: Vacuum Wave
Wind Style: Vacuum Wave Barrage
Wind Style: Rotating Shuriken
Wind Style: Vacuum Blade
"Is this meant to disgust Danzō?"
Kitazawa chuckled.
Most likely an accident, but not impossible.
Even without Sharingan theft, the Uchiha could easily obtain these jutsu legally. They had contributed enough to Konoha to justify it.
"A Wind Style gift pack, huh? Not bad."
Mastering all six was enough to qualify as a Wind Style jōnin. Jōnin usually didn't master many jutsu, seven or eight per element was enough to handle most battles.
[You received Uchiha Mikoto's gift. As a genius, you cannot let it go to waste.]
[New Mission: Learn four Wind Style techniques before the end of the second semester.]
[Reward: Proficiency-level Wind Style Nature Transformation.]
[Accept?]
The sudden mission stunned Kitazawa.
But once he read it, he could only sigh: Good system!
He already had proficiency-level Yin and Yang Style nature transformations. Wind Style proficiency was obviously valuable.
It made him think of the Rasengan.
With Wind Style at that level, he could attempt Wind Style: Rasengan and Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
Especially Rasenshuriken, an S-rank behemoth. Even unfinished, it destroyed two of Kakuzu's hearts instantly.
One thing puzzled him: the deadline.
Why must it be before the second semester?
Was it because of the genjutsu mission?
His five-genjutsu mission deadline was the end of summer break. Perhaps the system feared he couldn't finish both simultaneously.
Kitazawa didn't mind. He understood this "idiot system" well: as long as the fourth Wind Style technique was learned within the second semester, the mission would complete.
And summer was full, genjutsu and medical ninjutsu training.
Time flowed steadily.
Third Week of Summer Break — Early August
The heat remained intense. After breakfast, Kitazawa walked to the Academy. On the lake, dozens of Narutos in green jumpsuits were running across the water. Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu truly was broken.
Because of the Nine-Tails' interference, Naruto's chakra control was terrible, but quantity became quality.
After two weeks of clone water-walking, his control had visibly improved. If he were older, as in the original story, he could create hundreds or thousands of clones.
Kitazawa touched his chin. To fix Naruto's chakra control, there were two paths:
Sealing reinforcement or Reconcile with the Nine-Tails.
But option one wouldn't work, Minato intentionally left a gap, wanting Naruto to learn to control the Kyūbi. If Hiruzen or Jiraiya wanted, they could have reinforced the seal long ago.
In the original timeline, Naruto succeeded through option two, but that was 6–10 years away.
Kitazawa could accelerate it, but he lacked the authority for now.
Once he officially became Tsunade's disciple, things would change. And maybe the system would trigger a mission… and missions meant rewards. He needed chakra more than anything.
"Naruto, come here."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei?"
"Hey, move! Sensei is calling me!"
"No, I'm the real one!"
A swarm of Narutos crowded around.
"What is it, sensei?"
The real one pushed through.
"Water-walking training ends now."
Kitazawa said. "I'm teaching you the Rasengan."
"YES!"
Naruto's face lit up.
"No more falling into the lake! My youth can finally ignite again!"
"Move aside, I'll be first!"
"I'll master it first!"
His clones all shouted at once.
Kitazawa's eye twitched. Why did shadow clones need independent personalities?
"Quiet!"
They froze.
"Good. All of you will practice together."
"Hey! Shut up and listen to Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto controlled the crowd.
"The Rasengan has three training stages. Let's begin with the first."
Kitazawa unsealed a scroll and took out water-filled balloons.
"Naruto, hand them out."
"Everyone line up! One each!"
Three minutes later, the balloons were distributed.
"Condense chakra in your palm, inject it into the balloon, and rotate the water until the balloon bursts."
Kitazawa demonstrated, pop!
"That's stage one."
"Sounds easy."
Naruto scratched his head.
"Watch me!"
"My youth is exploding!"
"I'll burst mine first!"
The clones all tried… and failed.
Kitazawa watched for a while, none even reached entry level. Learning this years earlier than canon was much harder.
But with Shadow Clones and time, they would get there.
"You work on it. If you have questions, ask me."
Leaving Naruto to practice, Kitazawa walked to Hinata.
"Naruto looks lively today."
Hinata giggled softly.
"You want to learn Shadow Clone too?"
Kitazawa teased. "A dozen Hinatas would be adorable."
"I-I'll learn it later…"
Hinata's eyes drifted, but she shook her head.
"I must first master Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
"You've mastered the first six strikes."
Kitazawa patted her head. "By the end of summer, you might reach ten."
"R-Really?"
Hinata's eyes sparkled.
Neji had always been the prodigy… she never thought she could catch up.
"Mm."
Kitazawa switched tones.
"But after summer, Neji's progress will be unpredictable."
Neji had mastered the first six strikes in his first semester. He would definitely train during break, but self-study couldn't compare to direct instruction from Kitazawa and Hiashi.
"I'll do my best!"
Hinata clenched her fists.
"Good. Let's begin."
Kitazawa nodded in satisfaction. Her personality was soft but strong, gentle yet determined.
He genuinely liked teaching her.
After lunch, Kitazawa left a shadow clone and returned to Kurenai's house. In just nine days, he had mastered two genjutsu:
A-rank Nirvana Temple Jutsu
D-rank Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu
He needed only one more.
"Kuren—"
He swallowed the word "sensei."
Tsunade and Shizune were also there.
Unusual. That meant…
"Did you complete the new jutsu?"
Kitazawa asked immediately.
"I had a burst of inspiration at the casino this morning," Tsunade yawned lazily, "and created it when I got home."
Kitazawa twitched. Casino inspiration? Meaning, you lost money and needed an escape technique?
"As expected of Lady Tsunade. You easily accomplish what others can't."
Kitazawa praised sincerely.
"You're not bad either."
Tsunade smirked. "Shizune tells me you've started learning the Chakra Scalpel?"
"Yes."
Kitazawa nodded.
After mastering the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, Shizune had begun teaching him the Chakra Scalpel, even though the system had already taught him both.
"So fast?"
Kurenai stared in disbelief.
Kitazawa learned genjutsu and medical ninjutsu simultaneously, at shocking speed.
Did he have no bottlenecks?
Was learning ninjutsu as easy as drinking water for him?
She thought of her own slow genjutsu training… and felt crushed.
"Don't mind it. You'll get used to it."
Shizune patted her shoulder, fellow sufferers.
She could already feel herself being downgraded from "senior apprentice" to "junior apprentice" soon.
"So how effective is the new genjutsu?"
Kitazawa returned the conversation to the topic.
"It's similar to Yakumo's Nightmare Realm, creating a genjutsu world and dragging the target inside."
Kurenai explained.
"But strong shinobi can break out quickly, so at best it's B-rank."
Yakumo's Nightmare Realm could trap even a genjutsu jōnin; Kurenai's new jutsu was weaker but still formidable.
"Then let me name it."
Kitazawa's eyes lit up.
"How about Mirror Flower, Water Moon?"