After April began, the weather turned warmer, though the evening breeze still carried a trace of spring's coolness.
Kitazawa, Kurenai, Kabuto, and the others sat outside their tent, enjoying a simple dinner after completing another A-rank mission.
"Hard to believe it's already been two weeks of nonstop fighting," Kitazawa sighed, checking the new jutsu granted by the system—Fire Release: Intelligent Hardwork and Wind Release: Pressure Damage.
"This is my first time doing ten high-level missions back-to-back in half a month," Kurenai groaned, taking a bite of fried shrimp. "I feel like I've been fighting in my sleep lately."
Kitazawa chuckled. "You've all made remarkable progress. Combat experience, ninjutsu control—everything's improved faster than I expected."
Kurenai clenched her fist, a spark of pride lighting her eyes. "Now I can take out a Hidden Mist Chūnin with a single punch."
She wasn't exaggerating. Since learning the Strength of a Hundred Seal and the Rasengan, her strength had grown to a level rivaling most Jōnin candidates.
Kitazawa smiled approvingly. "You've all done well. And since you've just about mastered your current ninjutsu…"—his gaze shifted to Kabuto and Izumi—"…I'll teach you something new."
Kabuto's tired eyes immediately lit up. "What kind of ninjutsu, Sensei?"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage," Kitazawa said. "It's classified as B-rank, but its power is closer to A-rank."
Kurenai blinked. "Never heard of that one. Is it from Konoha?"
"No," Kitazawa replied easily. "I picked it up from an enemy on a mission once."
The others didn't question it—he often made up such stories. With his position and reputation, no one would doubt him even if he used forbidden-level jutsu.
Kurenai laughed softly. "That's not stealing, that's collecting spoils of war."
Kitazawa smirked. "Exactly."
Kabuto nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Sensei."
Then Kitazawa turned to Izumi. "You'll learn Fire Release: Intelligent Hardwork. Both jutsus complement each other perfectly."
"Together, they form a compound jutsu—Blazing Wind Riot," he continued. "It's an A-rank combination attack strong enough to threaten even elite Jōnin."
Kabuto's eyes widened. "That's… incredible."
Izumi smiled quietly, the fire of determination returning to her gaze.
As they discussed, Torune looked on enviously but said nothing—he knew he still needed time to catch up.
Kitazawa nodded in approval. "You've all earned a day's rest tomorrow. We'll start training on these new jutsus afterward."
That night, when the camp finally quieted down and both entered their tent.
Kurenai stretched and let out a deep sigh. "I swear, I haven't relaxed properly in days."
Kitazawa gave her a teasing look. "We're off duty tomorrow. That's as close as you'll get."
She shot him a half-smile. "Then don't you dare disturb me while I'm trying to relax."
Kitazawa chuckled, leaning back. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Kitazawa took out a summoning scroll.
Bathing during wartime was very inconvenient.
After all, enemies might appear while one was bathing, which would be life-threatening.
Kitazawa had considered this situation and made preparations in advance.
He opened the summoning scroll and took out a bathtub.
After placing the bathtub, he formed hand signs.
His Chakra nature transformed into water, quickly filling the bathtub two-thirds of the way.
Kitazawa reached out and put his hand into the water.
His Chakra changed from Water Release to Fire Release, and a scorching aura emanated, quickly warming the cold water.
"Thank you." Kurenai stepped into the bathtub.
The moment Kitazawa looked up, his gaze landed on Kurenai—completely unguarded before him.
"You really are a bad guy," she muttered, dipping her legs into the warm water.
"You're acting a little different today," Kitazawa said, raising an eyebrow.
"Seeing how hard you've worked these past two weeks," Kurenai replied calmly, "I figured I'd give you a reward."
Kitazawa chuckled softly. "My Kurenai really is the best."
"Of course," she replied with a confident smirk, flexing her legs under the water.
"When we get back to the village, I'll make sure you get rewarded every day," Kitazawa teased.
"That won't be necessary," she quickly crossed her arms, her tone turning serious. "We're ninja. We should stay focused on training."
Kitazawa laughed at her sudden shift. "What happened to the fearless Kurenai I know?"
"I'm not scared!" she turned her head away, her cheeks slightly red. "I just think… I should train harder so I don't fall too far behind you."
"Come on in," Kitazawa beckoned with a grin. "It's cold out there."
After a moment's hesitation, Kurenai finally stepped into the tub. The warm water rippled as she sank in beside him.
"It's nice to steal a moment of peace like this," Kitazawa sighed.
Kurenai gave a quiet hum in agreement, biting her lip slightly as steam curled around them.
Kitazawa couldn't help but smile at her expression and gently pulled her closer.
"Slow down," Kurenai murmured, though her voice lacked conviction.
"It's been a while since we've had a proper bath," he replied with an easy grin. "Might as well make it last."
Time passed quietly. The tension between battle-worn shinobi gave way to rare calm. By the time they finished and lay down to rest, the world outside their tent had gone completely still.
It was another rare, peaceful night.
Though war raged between the Hidden Mist and Konoha, neither main camp had moved against the other in recent days.
When dawn arrived, Kitazawa awoke on time as always. Kurenai was still asleep beside him—she had clearly been exhausted the night before.
He didn't wake her. After breakfast, he began training Kabuto and Izumi, while Torune practiced the Aburame clan's secret jutsus on his own.
For once, the camp was quiet. No missions. No alarms. Just training and the steady rhythm of village life at the front lines.
By the next day, Kitazawa and Kurenai had settled back into their usual discipline. They both knew better than to exhaust themselves before a new mission.
But before Kitazawa could even approach Tsunade to request their next task, an Anbu appeared.
"Kitazawa-sama," the masked shinobi said respectfully. "Lady Tsunade requests your entire team's presence."
Kitazawa's brow arched slightly. Usually, Tsunade summoned him alone. This time, it seemed serious.
"It must be an important mission," Kurenai said, already reading the situation.
"Most likely." Kitazawa stood, fastening his gear. "Let's find out."
The five of them made their way to the main tent.
Inside stood a familiar figure in Anbu attire.
"Itachi?" Izumi's eyes brightened in surprise.
"It's been a while, Izumi," Itachi greeted calmly without turning.
"You recognized him just from his back?" Kurenai teased. "You two must be close."
Izumi flushed, while Itachi remained impassive.
"Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa greeted respectfully, shifting his attention to the commander.
Tsunade rubbed her temples, clearly troubled. "A certain problem has been giving us headaches. Suikazan Fuguki's unit has been conducting repeated hit-and-run raids nearby."
Kitazawa frowned. "You haven't sent a counter-squad?"
"I have," Tsunade sighed, "but none succeeded. His team retreats the moment they sense danger. We can't pin them down."
"What about the Hyuga clan?" Kitazawa asked.
"They've tried. But each time, the enemy uses Hidden Mist jutsu to vanish. Even the Byakugan struggles to see through that much chakra-infused mist."
Kitazawa nodded slowly. "A clever tactic. Fight when you can win, run when you can't… classic Mist style."
"Other teams have failed," Tsunade said, her gaze steadying on him. "But what about you? Do you have confidence?"
She wasn't exaggerating—among the Konoha shinobi present, few could match Kitazawa's consistency in results.
"I'll try," Kitazawa replied after a brief pause.
His Byakugan purity was at thirty percent—stronger than even the Hyuga clan's. Even through chakra mist, he could still perceive movement clearly enough to track an enemy.
[Current Mission: Stop or eliminate Suikazan Fuguki.]
[Mission Reward: +40% Chakra capacity increase.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes gleamed. Of course he would accept.
Suikazan Fuguki—one of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen—was a formidable opponent. A reward double that of defeating Ameyuri Ringo was nothing to scoff at.
"Fuguki's team is slippery," Tsunade continued. "I'm assigning Itachi and an Anbu squad to assist you."
Kitazawa nodded. 'No wonder Itachi was here.'
With Itachi's power—especially that Mangekyō Sharingan Tsunade didn't yet know about—victory was almost guaranteed.
"Proceed carefully," Tsunade warned. "Your safety comes first."
"I understand."
"This is an S-rank mission," she concluded. "Itachi will brief you on the details."
Once dismissed, they stepped outside the tent.
"I didn't expect to work with you again," Izumi said, smiling faintly.
"Neither did I," Itachi replied softly. "I just returned from Konoha."
Kitazawa asked, "How's the Academy?"
"Business as usual," Itachi replied. "Sasuke's been asking when you'll return to teach."
Izumi blinked. "Sasuke actually asked about someone? That's… rare."
Itachi's lips curved slightly, though his tone remained calm.
"Tell us about Fuguki's team," Kitazawa prompted.
Itachi nodded. "They're four in total—all Jōnin-level."
Kitazawa's expression sharpened. "Is Kisame among them?"
"No." Itachi shook his head. "Just Fuguki and three others. One specializes in Earth Release—he locates suitable terrain for ambushes. Another uses Water Release and covers their retreats with Hidden Mist. The last is both a medic and a sensory-type shinobi."
"No wonder they're hard to catch," Kitazawa mused, rubbing his chin.
Itachi then spread out a map. "These are the areas where they've been sighted."
Kitazawa studied the marked locations. Their pattern was clear—every movement stayed close to the coastline, circling the left flank of Konoha's forward base.
A dangerous but predictable hunting ground.
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