May 1st, Thursday.
The breeze over Konoha carried the scent of early summer.
Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja Academy with Kurenai Yuhi by his side.
Yesterday, the midterm rankings for the Genius Class were announced.
First place—
Uchiha Sasuke.
For someone who had been relentlessly overwhelmed by Naruto in daily combat training, it was rare, hard-earned good news.
Kitazawa had once worried Sasuke might crack under the pressure.
Instead—
The more brutally he was defeated, the fiercer his fighting spirit burned.
True to the Uchiha name.
If anything, Kitazawa now worried about the opposite problem—
that Sasuke's obsession might delay the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan rather than accelerate it.
Still…
He chose to trust the thousand-year reincarnation bond between Indra and Asura.
Some destinies did not need to be forced.
Classes had not yet begun.
Kitazawa and Kurenai joined Hiruzen and the other instructors near the training grounds.
Among the seven practical teachers, only Kakashi and Tenzo remained characteristically quiet, listening from the side.
"Kitazawa," Hiruzen asked casually, "will this semester's final exam still be team battles?"
He asked because Kitazawa had altered the format once before.
"Unless something unexpected happens, yes," Kitazawa replied after brief consideration.
Unless the system interfered, there was no reason to change it again.
"Team battles are good in theory," Kosuke added thoughtfully. "But Naruto's squad is too dominant. It creates imbalance."
"That's true." Hiruzen nodded.
Chen hesitated. "Should Naruto's team sit out? Though… that wouldn't be fair."
Kitazawa's lips curved slightly.
"I have a better idea."
They all looked at him.
"Mutual restrictions."
"Restrictions?" Chen blinked.
"For example," Kitazawa explained calmly, "if Naruto's squad faces Sasuke's squad, Sasuke can prohibit Naruto's team from using multiple shadow clone jutsu. In return, Naruto can impose one restriction on Sasuke's team."
Kurenai's eyes lit up. "That's clever."
Hiruzen nodded slowly. "Balanced… but strategic."
Kosuke smiled faintly.
On the surface, it sounded fair.
In reality, it was deeply tactical.
Banning multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu would dramatically reduce Naruto's battlefield control.
Banning the same technique from Sasuke would do almost nothing.
"And," Kitazawa continued, "we'll define a permissible range of restrictions."
"You're worried someone might ban Chakra entirely?" Kurenai asked.
"Exactly."
A faint chuckle went around.
"We'll draft a list," Kitazawa proposed. "The seven of us will outline acceptable restriction categories for the top twenty-one students. Later, we'll finalize them together."
Hiruzen nodded. "Agreed."
Then Kurenai raised another concern.
"One restriction might not be enough to balance Naruto's squad."
Kitazawa responded instantly.
"Each team has three members. Each team may impose up to three restrictions. However—any one person may only be restricted by a maximum of two."
Hiruzen stroked his chin.
"Won't that severely weaken certain teams?"
"Yes," Kitazawa admitted calmly. "That's why we define the scope carefully."
There was a brief silence.
Then Hiruzen sighed softly.
"In teaching philosophy… you truly are exceptional."
Kitazawa only smiled modestly.
In truth, he was borrowing logic from competitive drafts in another world.
9:00 AM.
Kitazawa left behind a shadow clone to oversee matters and prepared to depart for Shikkotsu Forest to continue cultivating Sage Mode.
Halfway there, he paused.
Konan.
He changed direction and appeared at the ANBU base.
He pushed open the office door.
Konan was sitting quietly on the sofa.
"When did you return?" he asked.
"Last week," she replied calmly. "When you didn't come back, I waited here."
He had given her a week off before departing for Hidden Star Village.
But after traveling across the Ninja World to leave Flying Thunder God marks and escorting Shion to the Land of Demons—
He had been delayed another week.
Kitazawa walked over.
He pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her forehead.
"You've worked hard. Next time, don't wait. Missions are unpredictable. I'll come find you."
Konan lowered her gaze slightly.
"I had nothing else to do."
Her voice was soft—but there was unmistakable warmth in it.
For a brief moment, the noise of the Shinobi World felt very far away.
Konan lifted her gaze, those calm, beautiful eyes locking onto his.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Kitazawa reached out and gently stroked her head, fingers brushing through her soft blue hair.
Konan was not a ninja of Konoha. In this village, she had no real position—no official duty, no clear purpose.
Until the day he fully brought the Akatsuki under his control, she would remain in the shadows.
The Hokage's secretary.
ANBU commander.
Either role would suit her perfectly.
But not yet.
"How is the Akatsuki?" Kitazawa asked quietly, his hand sliding down to cup her cheek.
"Stable," Konan replied. "Nothing unusual."
After a brief pause, her lips parted slightly—and she lightly bit his index finger.
Kitazawa's pupils flickered.
A bold idea surfaced in his mind.
Would she agree?
He hesitated only a moment.
With Konan's personality… she probably would.
He leaned down and whispered two soft sentences into her ear.
Konan froze.
A faint blush spread across her pale cheeks.
Under his expectant gaze—
She nodded.
"Konan," Kitazawa said evenly, as if nothing unusual had happened, "I need to draft something."
"Mhm."
He moved to his desk, sat down, and took out paper and a pen.
This morning, he had discussed restriction rules for the Genius Class team battles with Hiruzen and the other instructors. Now he needed to formalize them.
Just then—
The pen slipped from his fingers and rolled beneath the desk.
Kitazawa didn't bend down.
Konan quietly stepped forward, lowered herself, and crawled beneath the desk to retrieve it.
She looked up at him.
"Thank you," he said softly, stroking her hair again.
Konan said nothing.
the hand that suddenly rested on his thigh was achingly familiar. He didn't look down. He didn't have to.
Her touch was delicate. Fingers, cool and sure, traced the seam of his trousers, a silent inquiry that sent a jolt straight to his groin.
He heard the faint, almost imperceptible rasp of a zipper being lowered, and the sudden rush of cool air against his heated flesh made him inhale sharply.
Then, her mouth was on him. It was a soft, wet heat that stole the breath from his lungs and scattered every coherent thought from his mind. Her tongue was a masterful instrument, swirling around the head of his cock before taking him deeper; the slow, deliberate suction was maddening. He stared blindly at the report, the ink blurring into meaningless shapes. His hips lifting subtly to meet her, a silent encouragement she understood without a word.
Then he forced himself to relax and brought his thoughts under control.
He focused his gaze on the blank sheet before him and calmly took out a second pen.
After a brief pause, he wrote three names:
Uzumaki Naruto.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Kurama Yakumo.
Among the many prodigies of the Genius Class, these three stood distinctly above the rest.
In previous Team Battles, first place had almost always belonged to one of their squads.
Kitazawa's breathing grew slightly uneven.
A stray thought flashed through his mind—
A 37-degree warmth really was… warm.
He shook his head sharply and forced himself to concentrate.
One by one, he began drafting Naruto-related restriction conditions.
Time passed.
Two full hours later—
Konan puffed her cheeks slightly.
"You… are you finished?" Kitazawa asked.
She shook her head silently.
She reached for the water glass on the table and drank the entire contents in one smooth motion, her throat moving gently.
Not a drop remained.
Kitazawa blinked, faintly surprised.
"You've worked hard," he said quietly. "Take the afternoon off."
Konan's expression remained composed.
She stood and left without another word.
The door clicked shut.
Kitazawa leaned back in his chair.
Perhaps it was time to accelerate the process of fully absorbing the Akatsuki.
He rubbed his forehead.
Getting head for that long had left him slightly dizzy.
But soon, his mind steadied—calm, clear, almost sagelike.
By afternoon, the restriction list was complete.
He set down the pen and used the Flying Thunder God to head for Shikkotsu Forest.
Sage mode was approaching its final, most delicate phase—
Balancing chakra with natural energy, then fusing them into perfect harmony.
One misstep would result in petrification.
One success would mean transcendence.
A week later.
Kitazawa gathered again with Hiruzen and the other instructors to review the restriction proposals.
Many entries overlapped.
Others required debate.
"For example," someone suggested, "restricting Hinata from using the moon-chasing bow."
"Unacceptable," Kitazawa said immediately.
That would cripple her entirely.
However—
"Restricting Explosive Arrows is acceptable," he added calmly. "It tempers power without nullifying her identity."
The discussion continued.
Then—
A familiar system notification appeared in his mind.
[Current Mission: Teach Haku five Water Release Ninjutsu.]
[Mission Reward: Master-level Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Issued.]
Kitazawa's eyes flickered.
Unexpected.
Haku had successfully learned Water Release: Water Blade Slash.
The reward—master-level Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation—flowed into him like a tide.
It didn't directly increase raw strength.
But its implications were vast.
He now possessed master-level transformation in the following:
Water Release.
Lightning Release.
Yin Release.
Yang Release.
Only Wind, Earth, and Fire remained.
If he gathered all seven…
Would something akin to truth-seeking orbs become possible?
An intriguing thought.
Later, at the Academy training grounds—
"Kitazawa-sensei," Haku said respectfully, "I've mastered the water blade slash."
"Good," Kitazawa nodded. "Today, I'll teach you a new technique."
"Water Release: Thousand Water Dragon Jaws."
Haku's eyes brightened.
"Before that," Kitazawa added, "you must learn single-hand seals."
Single-hand seals were rare.
Few ninjas could master them.
In the original era, Haku had been one of them.
Advantages:
Surprise attacks
Multitasking in combat
Disadvantages:
Slightly slower execution compared to two-handed seals
But in combination with Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals—
Thousand Water Dragon Jaws would become terrifying.
He didn't originally know the technique.
But with master-level Water Release transformation—
Reverse-engineering it was trivial.
July arrived.
Heat pressed down on Konoha.
Summer break approached.
Inside the ANBU office—
Kitazawa reached out and gently stroked Konan's cheek.
Her face looked thinner.
Her eyes are slightly pale.
After a long moment, she stood silently and left the room.
Kitazawa remained seated, staring at the ceiling.
When he finally exhaled, he opened the window to let fresh air in.
Then—
The Flying Thunder God activated.
In a blink—
He vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already standing beneath the dense canopy of the Forest of Death.
"Sage Mode."
Kitazawa brought his palms together.
A surge of natural energy flooded his body—perfectly balanced, perfectly controlled.
Dark pigmentation spread around his eyes like elegant ink, sharpening his features and deepening his gaze.
Power.
Overwhelming, tranquil, absolute power.
A satisfied smile curved across his lips.
Today was the genius class's final exam of the semester. Since it was only a theoretical test, he had slipped away to Shikkotsu Forest at dawn to continue his training.
After an entire morning—
He had finally mastered Sage Mode completely.
No instability.
No imbalance.
No risk of petrification.
Perfect harmony.
He had returned to Konoha intending to test its limits, but an unexpected "interruption" from Konan had delayed him.
Now—
It was time.
Under Sage Mode, chakra fused with natural energy became Senjutsu chakra.
Senjutsu could be roughly divided into two categories.
The first is enhancing existing techniques with Senjutsu chakra.
The classic example—
Sage Art: Rasengan.
The second: entirely new sage techniques.
Such as Yakushi Kabuto's Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation or Sage Art: White Shock Technique—unique to Ryūchi Cave.
Or the Sage techniques of Mount Myōboku, like Frog Kata.
At present, Kitazawa technically knew none of them.
But that didn't mean he couldn't create them.
He raised his hand.
Senjutsu chakra gathered in his palm, rotating in an irregular, violent pattern.
He exhaled softly.
If the Rasengan were A-rank—
Then Sage Art: Rasengan was unquestionably S-rank.
For most ninjas, that leap was enormous.
For him?
The difference was negligible.
Master-level chakra control.
Master-level shape transformation.
Soon, a Rasengan formed in his palm.
Its appearance hadn't changed much.
But the density, the pressure, the silence before iimpact were entirely different.
He stepped forward and drove it into the trunk of a massive tree.
Boom.
The impact point disintegrated into fine powder.
A heartbeat later, the entire tree split cleanly in two.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
At minimum—
three times the destructive force of a normal Rasengan.
And that was without pushing additional Senjutsu chakra into it.
His thoughts immediately turned to Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
In Sage Mode, its microscopic backlash could be neutralized.
More importantly—
It could be thrown.
Long-range. No recoil. No self-damage.
Terrifying.
And that was only the beginning.
Jiraiya's Sage Art: Goemon—an elemental compound ninjutsu.
Senju Hashirama's Sage Art, Myōjinmon, consists of crimson torii gates capable of suppressing even the Ten-Tails.
Kitazawa stroked his chin thoughtfully.
There were many paths ahead.
For now—
He would begin with refining the Sage Rasengan series.
The sun gradually dipped toward the horizon.
Seeing the light fade, he stopped training.
"Flying Thunder God."
Space twisted.
He vanished.
ANBU Base.
"Konan," Kitazawa called as he entered. "Has Iruka been here?"
She handed him a scroll without a word.
He opened it.
The Genius Class theoretical exam rankings.
Little had changed.
First and second place remained firmly in the hands of Nara Shikamaru and Sakura Haruno.
His gaze drifted lower—
until it found Hyuga Hanabi.
A new student.
Yet already within the top thirty.
Impressive.
At this rate, next year she will break into the top ten.
And when Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke graduated—
first place would likely be hers.
When that day came…
He would finally give her the Demon-Slaying Bow.
"There's another scroll," Konan said softly. "From Antelope."
Kitazawa's expression sharpened.
He opened it.
As expected.
Intelligence on the Four-Tails Jinchūriki—Rōshi of Iwagakure.
ANBU had located him in the Land of Birds.
Tracking had been difficult; he'd shaken them off several times.
But his current location was confirmed.
Kitazawa closed the scroll slowly.
For him—
An approximate area was enough.
With Byakugan and Flying Thunder God—
He could sweep the entire Land of Birds three times in under half an hour.
But tomorrow was the Genius Class Team Battle.
That came first.
Rōshi could wait.
A Jinchūriki rarely hid from confrontation.
Especially one as confident as Rōshi.
"You've worked hard," Kitazawa said, gently pinching Konan's cheek. "You can go home."
Then he left.
Hokage Office.
He entered after receiving permission.
"You're cutting it close," Tsunade said, looking at him from the sofa lying. "Another few minutes and I'd have gone home."
"Unexpected intelligence," he replied casually while resting his hand over her chest.
Tsunade rolled her eyes but didn't stop him.
"What intelligence?"
"The Four-Tails Jinchūriki. Rōshi. Located."
Her expression changed instantly.
"First the six-tails… now the four-tails?" she muttered. "What kind of luck do you have?"
There were only nine Jinchūriki in the world.
Yet he kept running into them.
Ridiculous odds.
"Because I have a goddess of luck," Kitazawa murmured, leaning down to kiss her.
She stood instinctively, looping her arms around his neck.
He felt the steady beat of her heart beneath his palm.
"What's your plan?" she asked after a moment, returning to her seat.
"The same as with Utakata," he said lightly. "Capture him and negotiate with Iwagakure."
Tsunade frowned.
"Iwagakure isn't Kirigakure. They won't be easy to pressure."
"True," Kitazawa said with a faint smile. "But he's still a Jinchūriki."
Tsunade snorted softly.
"That's true."
She leaned back in the Hokage's chair.
"They can make a deal."
Her gaze hardened.
"Or they can choose war."
A faint, confident smile tugged at her lips.
"Konoha won't be afraid."
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