Tsunade wasn't surprised that Kitazawa could defeat Rōshi.
After all, the Kitazawa of today was simply too strong.
Whether it was conventional ninjutsu like Water Release or special bloodline abilities such as Wood Release, either one alone was already capable of posing a fatal threat to the Four-Tails Jinchūriki.
And that wasn't even mentioning his mastery of the Flying Thunder God and Sage Mode.
The former made him almost untouchable in battle.
The latter enhanced every aspect of his combat ability—taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu alike.
Still…
Watching Kitazawa defeat Rōshi in less than a minute felt almost unreal to Tsunade.
This was the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, after all.
Tsunade had faced Jinchūriki before.
Even someone as powerful as her found them incredibly troublesome opponents.
And she certainly wasn't the only one.
Even the Kage of the Five Great Villages would struggle to suppress a Jinchūriki easily.
The reason was simple—
Jinchūriki possessed monstrous chakra reserves.
In the ninja world, sheer chakra volume often translated directly into overwhelming combat advantage.
And yet…
Kitazawa had defeated Rōshi effortlessly.
He hadn't even used Wood Release.
Tsunade's first thought after watching the battle was almost absurd.
'Was that really the Four-Tails Jinchūriki?'
But the partial Tailed Beast transformation Rōshi displayed could not be faked.
There was no doubt about it.
He truly was the Four-Tails Jinchūriki.
Which meant there was only one explanation.
Kitazawa's strength had far exceeded even Tsunade's expectations.
In fact, she suspected that among the Five Great Villages, Kitazawa might already be the strongest ninja alive.
But alongside the shock—
There was also pride.
Kitazawa was her student.
And more importantly, he was a shinobi of Konoha.
With someone like him protecting the village, Konoha would stand strong like the Hokage Rock.
The idea of another "God of Shinobi" appearing in the world no longer felt like an impossible dream.
At the pace Kitazawa was growing stronger…
He might truly one day rival Senju Hashirama himself.
[Current Mission: Defeat the Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi]
[Mission Reward: Lava Release Chakra Mode]
[Mission Complete. Reward Issued.]
Kitazawa nodded slightly.
Thinking back on the battle, defeating Rōshi so quickly actually made sense.
After all, he had used Sage Art: Wind Release — Rasenshuriken.
Since Rōshi hadn't fully transformed into the Four-Tails, it was only natural that his partial tailed-beast form couldn't withstand such a devastating technique.
If anything—Kitazawa had already shown restraint.
Otherwise, Rōshi might not have survived at all.
As the system transmitted the information for Lava Release Chakra Mode, another idea suddenly surfaced in Kitazawa's mind.
A technique from the same family as Sage Art: Wind Release Rasenshuriken—
Sage Art: Lava Release Rasenshuriken.
In the original history of the ninja world, Naruto had used that very technique to sever the core of the God Tree.
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
When he had time, he could probably research the technique himself.
After all, he had already mastered Lava Release and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
All that remained was to combine them.
"Tsunade-sensei, why are you spacing out?"
Kitazawa waved a hand in front of her face.
Tsunade blinked and came back to her senses.
"Your Sage Mode… is much stronger than Jiraiya's."
She shook her head with a quiet sigh.
Kitazawa grinned.
"Probably because my talent is better."
He even gave her a playful wink.
Tsunade nodded seriously.
"I think so too."
Kitazawa glanced at the unconscious Rōshi lying nearby.
"So… should we head back?"
Tsunade looked at the sky, then smirked.
"We've been out for less than half an hour. I'm not going back just to bury myself in paperwork again."
Her lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Let's spend the day enjoying ourselves."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
"Where to? The casino?"
Tsunade laughed.
"You really do know me."
She stepped closer, rose onto her toes, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
With a teasing gaze, she added softly,
"Take me there… and tonight I'll give you a reward."
Kitazawa felt his heartbeat skip.
Well. If she was putting it like that—
What reason did he have to refuse?
"I'll teleport you straight to the Konoha Casino with Flying Thunder God," Kitazawa said after a moment of thought.
"Then I'll take Rōshi back to the ANBU."
"Alright," Tsunade nodded.
Then she added quickly,
"Just don't let Shizune know. If she finds out I skipped work to gamble, she'll nag me for days."
"You can count on me."
Kitazawa walked over to Rōshi and crouched down.
After forming several hand seals, he treated the injuries caused by the Rasenshuriken.
Once the treatment was complete, he placed several sealing techniques onto Rōshi's body.
Even if Rōshi woke up, escaping would be impossible.
Moments later, Kitazawa activated the Flying Thunder God.
The three of them appeared directly inside Konoha's casino district.
The instant they arrived, Tsunade dashed toward the gambling tables without a second thought.
Kitazawa watched her disappear into the crowd before shaking his head with a faint smile.
Then he grabbed the unconscious Rōshi and vanished again.
This time, he appeared inside the ANBU Headquarters.
He located Antelope and handed Rōshi over to her.
"For now, keep him locked up," Kitazawa instructed.
"As for what to do with him… we'll decide tomorrow."
"Kitazawa."
Konan suddenly appeared in front of him.
Kitazawa, who had been about to head toward the Konoha Casino, immediately cut off the chakra he had been gathering. He walked over to her instead.
"Why aren't you in the office?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"I saw you through the window, so I came over," Konan replied calmly.
She spent most of her time in Kitazawa's office—either sitting on the sofa or occupying his chair. Today she had been sitting at the desk beside the window.
Seeing him outside had simply been a coincidence.
"Is something wrong?" Kitazawa asked as he gently placed a hand against her cheek.
"No."
His hand slowly moved lower, slipping beneath the edge of her clothing. His fingers brushed across her smooth lower abdomen, pausing at the ring set in her navel.
Konan didn't react. She simply stood there, watching him with her usual cool, unreadable expression.
Meeting her gaze, Kitazawa suddenly felt like teasing her a little.
After a brief thought, he changed his plans.
Tsunade was completely absorbed in gambling anyway—she certainly wouldn't notice if he returned to the casino a bit later.
Kitazawa withdrew his hand, took Konan by the wrist, and led her toward his office.
Once inside, he closed the door and sat casually on the sofa.
Konan immediately understood his intention.
She knelt in front of him.
Tilting her face upward, her crimson lips parted slightly, revealing neat white teeth.
Kitazawa gently patted her head and closed his eyes.
After a while, a refreshed Kitazawa finally arrived at the Konoha Casino.
As expected, Tsunade didn't care in the slightest that he had arrived late.
Her entire focus was locked on the gambling table.
Kitazawa sat beside her, falling into quiet contemplation.
He was considering what he might exchange Rōshi for with Iwagakure.
Dust Release?
It was certainly powerful—but its activation was slow, and learning it would require time and effort. It wasn't particularly necessary for him.
Besides, Ōnoki would never hand over Dust Release, even if it meant risking conflict.
To Iwagakure, Dust Release was as strategically valuable as Wood Release was to Konoha.
As for Lava Release, there was no need to negotiate for it. Now that Rōshi had been captured, they could simply hand him over to Konoha's Interrogation Division or Analysis Team.
Extracting the corresponding techniques would only be a matter of time.
After thinking it through, Kitazawa realized that Iwagakure didn't really possess anything that could significantly boost his current strength.
In the end, he gave up on the idea.
Negotiations and exchanges were better left to someone like Shikaku anyway.
Instead, Kitazawa pulled out a scroll.
The technique recorded on it wasn't ordinary ninjutsu but Sage Art: Myōjinmon.
Among the many sealing techniques in the ninja world, Myōjinmon could easily be considered one of the strongest.
Only a handful of sealing techniques—such as the Adamantine Sealing Chains—could rival it.
Of course, it was also extremely difficult to master.
"What are you looking at?"
Tsunade's voice suddenly broke his train of thought.
"Sage Art: Myōjinmon," Kitazawa replied casually.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"You're starting to resemble my great-grandfather more and more."
Hearing that technique mentioned inevitably reminded her of Senju Hashirama.
Kitazawa glanced up at the clock on the wall.
"You're not gambling anymore? Should we head back?"
Tsunade scoffed.
"It's only been half a day. There's no way I'm going back to work already."
Her eyes shimmered mischievously.
"Let's go to a private room."
Private rooms in the Konoha Casino were like miniature casinos themselves.
Some were filled with gambling machines, others with private tables.
They were usually reserved for guests who wanted to gamble quietly with friends or family.
"Alright," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.
Judging by the look in Tsunade's eyes, he already had a good idea what she had in mind.
Apparently, one form of entertainment wasn't enough—she wanted two at the same time.
Once inside the private room, Tsunade immediately walked over to a slot machine.
Then, without hesitation, she lifted one leg and sat directly on Kitazawa's lap.
After adjusting her posture for a moment, she began playing.
Kitazawa wrapped his arms around her, helping adjust the weight of her heavy assets.
As the machine's cursor spun rapidly, Tsunade's body swayed slightly in rhythm.
Time passed.
Gradually, the sunlight outside began to fade.
At some point, Tsunade had turned around so her back faced the machine.
She wrapped her arms around Kitazawa's neck, pulling him close as moans and grunts filled the room.
Eventually, the excitement faded into comfortable exhaustion.
"Heading back?" Kitazawa finally asked when things quieted down.
"Not yet."
Tsunade leaned against him, her voice slightly lazy.
"I'm tired. I want to sleep."
"At least take a shower first," Kitazawa said after thinking for a moment. "I have a room here."
Using the Flying Thunder God, he instantly teleported them there.
Tsunade glanced around the room.
"Not bad."
Kitazawa picked her up and carried her toward the bathroom.
After they finished showering, the two of them slipped beneath the covers.
"Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa said with a small smile as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Goodnight."
Tsunade shifted slightly, resting her head against his chest.
Breathing in his familiar scent, she slowly closed her eyes.
Before long, she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
The next day arrived.
Kitazawa slowly opened his eyes, feeling a soft yet heavy weight pressing against him.
Looking down, he saw Tsunade sitting upright beside him.
Warm sunlight streamed through the window, and the air carried the unmistakable heat of midsummer.
'Right… it's summer vacation.'
After another lovemaking session, the two of them eventually arrived at the Hokage Building.
Tsunade wasted no time. The moment she stepped into her office, she immediately dispatched ANBU to Iwagakure with a clear message—come to Konoha if they wanted to ransom their Jinchūriki.
Seeing that there was nothing for him to do there, Kitazawa left for the Ninja Academy.
Another day had begun.
Iwagakure — Tsuchikage Building
Ōnoki snorted coldly as he finished reading the intelligence report in his hand.
"Rōshi used to argue with me every other day," he muttered. "Now he goes out and gets himself captured. I'd like to see how he plans to face me after this."
"You can't really blame Rōshi-senpai," Kitsuchi said with a sigh. "After all… Konoha now has Kitazawa, the Wood Release ninja."
Ōnoki fell silent for a moment.
"Konoha has changed," he said slowly. "In the past, they wouldn't have dared do something like this."
Kitsuchi nodded grimly.
"With Wood Release back in their hands, Konoha now has the foundation to act boldly."
"The threat they pose is growing larger and larger."
Ōnoki quickly regained his composure.
Although the capture of the Four-Tails Jinchūriki angered him greatly, anger alone could not change reality.
At present, Iwagakure could not defeat Konoha on its own.
Not unless other hidden villages joined the fight.
"So how should we respond?" Kitsuchi asked.
Ōnoki let out a heavy sigh.
"The Jinchūriki cannot be lost."
"We retrieve Rōshi first," he said. "Any retaliation against Konoha can wait."
"Understood."
Kitsuchi nodded and left the Tsuchikage's office.
The following day, Iwagakure's response arrived in Konoha.
Kitazawa wasn't surprised when he heard the news.
With Rōshi in Konoha's custody, Iwagakure simply couldn't act recklessly.
If Konoha chose to kill the hostage, the Four-Tails would take several years to revive after dying.
And even then, its rebirth location might not necessarily be within the Land of Earth.
That uncertainty alone would ignite fierce competition among the hidden villages.
Soon afterward, Iwagakure's diplomatic envoys set out.
Only three days after sending their reply, the delegation arrived in Konoha.
The shinobi leading the negotiations was Kitsuchi, Ōnoki's own son.
Kitazawa, however, did not involve himself in the matter.
Instead, he devoted his time to training and pleasure.
Time passed quickly, and soon the calendar turned to September.
The new semester for the Genius Class officially began.
September 2nd — Tuesday.
Kitazawa and Kurenai arrived together at the Ninja Academy.
A new semester meant new training plans.
After reviewing each student's progress, Kitazawa began adjusting their training accordingly.
The first student he evaluated was Kurama Yakumo.
She had already mastered the Konoha Body Flicker Technique and could now begin learning new ninjutsu.
As for genjutsu, she had nearly reached her limit due to the overwhelming strength of her bloodline ability.
After some thought, Kitazawa decided to teach her Shadow Exchange Jutsu.
This was a Yin Release secret technique with exceptional survival capabilities—perfect for someone like Yakumo.
More importantly, the technique had been created by Kitazawa himself, not the Nara Clan, so there were no restrictions preventing him from teaching it.
The second student was Tayuya.
She had already mastered Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.
In fact, she had learned most of the genjutsu available at her level. The remaining ones were mostly A-rank techniques, which were extremely difficult.
After considering it, Kitazawa decided to teach her the Konoha Body Flicker Technique as well.
For a genjutsu specialist, high mobility was invaluable.
The third student was Chino.
She continued focusing on Water Release, specifically training in Water Release: Water Bullet Technique.
The fourth student was Hotaru.
Like Chino, she continued studying Water Release, this time practicing Water Release: Heavenly Cry.
Then there were the four newest students:
Hyuga Hanabi, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Kazamatsuri Moegi, and Ise Udon.
They had enrolled back in March, meaning they had trained for about half a year.
Among them, Hanabi and Konohamaru had already mastered the Three Basic Techniques and Konoha-style Taijutsu.
However, Moegi and Udon were still lagging slightly behind, so they continued focusing on foundational training.
For Hanabi and Konohamaru, Kitazawa decided to begin chakra control and refinement training.
Once they completed that stage, he would begin teaching them ninjutsu.
With the plan finalized, Kitazawa began instructing the class.
After half a day of training, he left behind a shadow clone to continue supervising the students.
His real body headed toward the Forest of Death.
There, the combat training between Sasuke and Naruto was already in full swing.
Kitazawa watched silently for a while.
Soon, he noticed Naruto's rapid progress.
It wouldn't be long before Naruto mastered partial tailed beast transformation.
After that stage would come full tailed beast transformation.
Under normal circumstances, only a Perfect Jinchūriki could achieve that level.
However, Naruto's case was somewhat unique.
In the original history, Naruto gained a special form after partial transformation—
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
In this form, golden chakra cloaked his entire body. His hair rose upward like horns, and six tomoe markings appeared around his collar.
Within this mode, Naruto could freely wield Kyuubi's chakra and even sense malice.
But even that state did not make him a Perfect Jinchūriki.
Only after Naruto and Kurama fully reconciled would he reach the true form—
Nine-Tails Mode, also known as Kurama Mode.
Watching the training battlefield, Kitazawa narrowed his eyes slightly.
At the rate Naruto was progressing…
He would likely achieve a partial Tailed Beast transformation even sooner than Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and began training Sage Art: Myōjinmon.
Aside from Myōjinmon, he also planned to alternate his training with Wood Release: Wood Golem.
This was an extremely advanced Wood Release technique—essentially an evolved form of Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique.
The reason was simple.
The wooden golem created by the technique carried a Wood Dragon coiled around its neck, making the two techniques function as one.
As for its combat power—
There was only one way to describe it.
It could directly rival a Perfect Susanoo.
At its peak, the wooden giant could catch Kurama's Tailed Beast Ball with one hand… and throw it back.
The sun slowly dipped below the horizon.
Another day passed.
Kitazawa dismissed the Genius Class students for the evening and prepared to head home with Kurenai.
But the moment he stepped out of the academy gates, he saw someone waiting.
Konan.
"I'll head back first," Kurenai said after glancing at the ANBU-masked woman. She turned and left quietly.
"Shikaku Nara came by earlier," Konan said as she stepped forward.
She handed Kitazawa two scrolls.
"He asked me to give these to you."
Kitazawa casually took one of them and opened it.
Inside were the finalized negotiation details with Iwagakure regarding the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi.
The negotiations had lasted an entire month.
The final version had been confirmed earlier that day.
Unsurprisingly, every clause favored Konoha.
At the very end of the scroll, Shikaku had added a short note.
The signing ceremony would take place tomorrow at 9:00 AM.
Kitazawa skimmed the document before opening the second scroll.
This one listed the Lava Release techniques Rōshi had mastered.
There were six in total.
Kitazawa nodded slightly.
Every one of them had appeared in historical records.
Their power was quite respectable.
However, he was currently focused on mastering Sage Art: Myōjinmon and Wood Release: Wood Golem.
Learning Lava Release ninjutsu would have to wait.
"Thanks," Kitazawa said as he rolled the scrolls up.
"You can get off work now. See you tomorrow."
"Mm."
Konan nodded briefly before vanishing in a flicker.
Kitazawa had no intention of attending the signing ceremony.
There was nothing for him to do there anyway.
He would simply be a spectator.
Rather than wasting time, he preferred to focus on training.
After all, by capturing Rōshi, he had thoroughly offended Ōnoki and Iwagakure.
Half a month later.
Forest of Death.
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted into the sky like a raging ocean.
Sasuke stared ahead in stunned silence.
Before him stood Uzumaki Naruto, his body engulfed in dark red chakra.
Four massive tails swayed behind him.
Sasuke felt something heavy settle in his chest.
This was supposed to be his combat training.
Yet Naruto had been the first to break through.
His strength had reached an entirely new level.
And the most frustrating part?
Naruto barely suffered during training.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was the one getting beaten down every single day.
His fists clenched instinctively.
The frustration in his heart reached its limit.
Three tomoe spun violently within his eyes.
His Sharingan trembled along with his emotions.
Kitazawa's gaze shifted toward him.
'Is it finally happening?'
For a brief moment, it looked like Sasuke's eyes might evolve.
But after waiting for a while—
They remained Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Kitazawa stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Was the emotional stimulus still insufficient?
Or was Sasuke's foundation lacking?
After thinking it over, the answer seemed obvious.
The emotional trigger simply hadn't reached the threshold yet.
In terms of strength and foundation, Sasuke had already surpassed his counterpart at the same age in the original timeline.
To put it another way—
His current strength was roughly comparable to when he trained under Orochimaru.
Meaning the Mangekyō Sharingan was already within reach.
If emotional stimulation was the only missing piece…
Then there was no need to worry.
After all—
Naruto was right there.
Kitazawa decided not to say anything to Sasuke.
Right now, Sasuke needed comfort.
But for the sake of pushing his emotions further, silence was the better choice.
Kitazawa shifted his attention back to Naruto.
In earlier history, Naruto had only unleashed Four-Tails during his battle with Orochimaru.
But now—
He had reached Four-Tails shortly after learning partial Tailed Beast transformation.
The reason was obvious.
Naruto had already built a positive relationship with Kyuubi much earlier.
And more importantly—
The Naruto of this timeline was simply stronger.
Just like Sasuke.
Kitazawa's teaching—and the Genius Class training system—had accelerated their growth dramatically.
In theory, if Naruto reached Eight-Tails, he would already possess enough power to defeat Deva Path Pain.
Of course—
He was still some distance away from that stage.
[Current Mission: Help Uzumaki Naruto achieve Partial Tailed Beast Transformation]
[Mission Reward: Chakra equivalent to one tail of Kyuubi]
[Mission Complete. Reward Issued.]
Kitazawa instinctively clenched his fist.
An enormous surge of chakra suddenly flooded his body.
For a moment, the sensation felt almost unfamiliar.
With this level of chakra, Kitazawa no longer needed to rely on Yang Release chakra mode to perform high-level Wood Release techniques.
Of course—
Sage Art: Wood Style – True Several Thousand Hands was still an exception.
The chakra required for that technique was practically limitless.
The system interface shifted again.
[Current Mission: Help Uzumaki Naruto achieve Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]
[Mission Reward: Uzumaki Clan Bloodline]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa paused slightly when he saw the new mission.
The appearance of the mission itself was expected.
But the reward…
That exceeded his expectations.
The Uzumaki Clan Bloodline?
He had originally assumed the reward would be something like 20% or 30% Uzumaki lineage, similar to how the Senju bloodline had been granted before.
But receiving the complete bloodline actually made sense.
After all, this mission would be extremely difficult.
It would likely take a long time to complete.
Still—
Kitazawa was very interested in the Uzumaki bloodline.
First, it would massively increase his chakra reserves.
Whether it was Naruto, Karin, or even Nagato, their chakra capacity was extraordinary.
Second were the special abilities tied to the bloodline.
Techniques like Kagura's Mind's Eye and the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
And finally—
The Uzumaki clan possessed incredible vitality.
Even after the Nine-Tails was extracted, Kushina had not died immediately.
If the tailed beast had been resealed into her at that moment—She might actually have survived.
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