Time slipped quietly into October.
A faint chill had already settled over Konoha Village, carrying with it the first hints of winter. The air had grown noticeably colder.
Yet the Ninja Academy's training grounds remained lively as ever.
The students of the Genius Class trained with relentless focus, the sounds of combat drills and ninjutsu echoing across the field.
Compared to previous years, their dedication had grown far more intense.
After all—
Once the coming year passed, most of them would graduate and officially become shinobi.
Although they had already experienced aspects of ninja life—such as performing missions—they were not yet truly independent ninja.
And after graduation…
Finding instructors as formidable as Hiruzen, Kitazawa, Kosuke, or Kakashi would be nearly impossible.
Standing quietly on the edge of the training field, Kitazawa observed Neji and Hinata.
His mind drifted into thought.
After months of training, their World-Ending Arrow had become quite refined.
What they lacked now was real combat experience.
After all, a technique powerful enough to rival a Tailed Beast Ball could hardly be fired casually during training.
Kitazawa found himself pondering two key questions.
First—
Should he allow them to use World-Ending Arrow in an actual battle?
Firing such a technique randomly would be wasteful. Ideally, it should be used in a situation where it could produce real strategic value.
Second—
What should he teach them next?
They could continue developing new archery techniques, or they could shift focus toward Gentle Fist, perhaps learning Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven.
At that moment, Kitazawa suddenly remembered a system mission.
Its reward had been Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands.
The mission requirement—
Create a new generation of the Konoha Sannin.
Thinking about it carefully, Kitazawa realized the timing might already be right.
At present, Sasuke and Naruto clearly met the qualifications.
Sasuke was on the verge of awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Naruto could already perform a partial Tailed Beast transformation.
Simply put—
Their strength was already comparable to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru at the time those three first received the title of Konoha Sannin.
As for the third member…
There were many possible candidates.
With their World-Ending Arrow, both Neji and Hinata qualified.
Yakumo was another possibility.
Her genjutsu abilities were practically on par with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
If the team composition required a medical ninja, then Sakura, Karin, or Shion would all be suitable.
Because they specialized in medical ninjutsu, their combat requirements could be slightly lower.
Most people believed medical ninja lacked combat ability.
Across the entire ninja world, fewer than five individuals were both elite medical ninja and top-tier fighters.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
Too many choices could sometimes be troublesome.
Still…
He could start building their reputation first.
The fastest method would be simple.
Have them defeat a famous shinobi.
For example—
Naruto, who could already partially manifest the Nine-Tails, could easily defeat a well-known ninja.
With Kitazawa's support and publicity, Naruto's reputation would skyrocket overnight.
Similarly, once Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, the same strategy could be used.
Once all three candidates gained enough fame—
The idea of a new-generation Konoha Sannin could naturally emerge.
And if someone like Tsunade publicly praised them…
The title would quickly gain recognition across the ninja world.
"Hinata."
Kitazawa snapped back to reality and called out.
"Neji."
"Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said, arriving first.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Neji followed shortly after.
Kitazawa nodded slightly.
"Your World-Ending Arrow has reached a sufficient level. We can pause its training for now."
He reached out and gently patted Hinata's head.
"When the opportunity arises, you'll fire it in real combat."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Neji replied calmly.
Hinata looked up at him.
"Sensei… what should we learn next?"
"Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven."
Kitazawa explained patiently.
"Although you specialize in archery, Revolving Heaven will compensate for your weakness in close range ninjutsu."
In historical records, this technique had once been praised as an absolute defense, capable of repelling nearly any physical attack.
Of course—
Anything labeled "absolute defense" rarely remained absolute forever.
Still, against the vast majority of ninja, Revolving Heaven remained extremely reliable.
Only monsters on the level of Uchiha Madara could break through it with ease.
"Take a week off," Kitazawa said after a moment of thought.
"Return once you've mastered Revolving Heaven."
"Understood," Hinata nodded.
"You're dismissed."
Kitazawa lowered his hand.
After the two Hyuga siblings left, he prepared to find a quiet place to continue his own training.
But suddenly—
Three lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Current Mission: Fuse Five-Element Kikaichū]
[Reward: Hashirama's Wood Release]
[Mission Complete. Reward Issued.]
Kitazawa froze for a brief moment.
Kitazawa stopped in his tracks instinctively.
'Did Shino's mutation experiment succeed?'
He quickly checked his body from within but found no obvious change.
So… Hashirama's Wood Release really only differed from Yamato's in terms of chakra nature?
Kitazawa tugged at the corner of his mouth.
For a moment, he felt the mission reward had been completely pointless.
He had gained nothing at all.
Then—
New lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations. Host has acquired Master-Level Wood Release Chakra Nature Transformation.]
Kitazawa let out a small exclamation.
Well… in that case, the reward wasn't bad at all.
Previously, the abilities he had gained were single-element masteries—Lightning Release, Water Release, and so on.
But Wood Release was different.
It was a multi-element chakra nature.
This meant he could now comprehend and train Wood Release techniques at a dramatically faster pace.
In practical terms, learning Wood Release ninjutsu would become far easier for him.
That alone saved him an enormous amount of time.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
While he was still thinking about it, Shino quietly appeared in front of him.
In his palm rested a strange Kikaichū insect, its body covered in bizarre colors as though paint had been spilled across it.
"Congratulations," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.
"It's all thanks to you, sensei," Shino replied immediately.
Without Kitazawa's earlier suggestion, he would never have attempted the mutation experiment in the first place.
Kitazawa studied him for a moment.
"I think it's time for you to pause this line of research and begin studying your clan's secret techniques."
Shino tilted his head slightly.
"You mean…"
"Parasitic Giant Insect," Kitazawa said.
"You remember it, right?"
Shino nodded slowly.
"That technique exists, but its difficulty is extremely high. I've never attempted to learn it."
He wasn't surprised that Kitazawa knew about it.
As someone who held authority in Konoha's leadership, familiarity with clan techniques wasn't unusual.
"Your strength is already sufficient," Kitazawa said.
"You should give it a try."
He paused briefly.
"I'll give you a week off."
In the original, Parasitic Giant Insect was Shino's strongest technique.
The insects burrowed directly into the enemy's body and devoured their chakra from the inside.
Even the Ten-Tails' clones had been unable to withstand it.
"I understand, sensei." Shino nodded.
"I'll return to train immediately."
After watching Shino leave, Kitazawa walked deeper into the Forest of Death.
Originally, he had planned to continue training Sage Art: Myōjinmon.
But after receiving the new reward, he decided to switch his focus to Wood Release: Wood Golem.
After only a short period of practice—
He could already feel the difference.
His learning speed had clearly improved.
If mastering Wood Golem would previously have taken a full year, now it would likely take six months at most.
Another day of training soon passed.
After dismissing the Genius Class, Kitazawa left the Ninja Academy together with Kurenai.
"The midterm exams are coming up soon," Kurenai said as they walked.
"Are there any new arrangements this time?"
"None," Kitazawa replied with a shake of his head.
"Same as before. Just have them complete a mission."
As he spoke, he fell into thought.
Originally, he had planned to let Naruto defeat a well-known ninja as a stepping stone to fame.
But after thinking about it carefully…
He realized there were no suitable candidates.
Or rather—
The only suitable ones were all located within the Five Great Villages.
And during a time of peace, targeting them would create unnecessary trouble.
As for shinobi outside the great villages…
Most of them were simply unknown.
Even the members of the Akatsuki Organization had yet to become famous.
Although every Akatsuki member possessed terrifying strength, they had not yet made their presence known to the world.
Only after they began hunting Tailed Beasts would the Five Great Villages finally realize how many elite ninja had gathered under that organization.
Gradually, an idea formed in Kitazawa's mind.
'Wait until Akatsuki becomes famous…'
Then let Naruto and Sasuke defeat them.
That would be the perfect stage to elevate their reputations.
Once he reached that conclusion, Kitazawa stopped worrying about the midterm exam.
Any ordinary mission would suffice.
Time passed quietly.
By the time December arrived, Konoha experienced its first heavy snowfall of the year.
North of the Forest of Death, an open field lay blanketed in white.
Standing alone in the snow, Kitazawa formed a series of hand seals.
An immense surge of chakra erupted from his body.
The falling snow was swept violently into the sky.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive red torii gate descended from above, slamming into the ground with overwhelming force.
The earth trembled as it embedded itself deep into the soil.
This was—
Sage Art: Myōjinmon.
The crimson torii resembled the sacred gates found at shrine entrances.
Kitazawa slowly exhaled.
After such a long period of training…
He had finally mastered the technique.
Myōjinmon had two main applications.
One version summoned a single torii gate, aimed directly at the opponent's head to seal them.
The second version summoned multiple torii gates, sealing the enemy's entire body.
In the original, Hashirama had once summoned several of them simultaneously to suppress all ten tails of the Ten-Tails.
Kitazawa waved his hand lightly.
The torii gate dissolved instantly.
Now that he had mastered Sage Art: Myōjinmon, he could fully focus on training Wood Release: Wood Golem.
In terms of sheer power, that technique ranked second only to Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands among all Wood Release techniques.
Tsunade's earlier comment suddenly came to mind.
He really was becoming more and more like Hashirama.
Thinking about it was almost absurd.
Even with the advantage of his system, it had taken him this long to reach this level.
In truth—
Hashirama sometimes felt more like the true protagonist of the ninja world than Naruto or Sasuke.
If not for the existence of the alien Ōtsutsuki Clan, Hashirama might have stood forever at the absolute pinnacle of the ninja world.
Still…
Kitazawa himself also carried Ōtsutsuki blood.
Shaking his head, he dismissed the wandering thoughts.
Then he turned and walked deeper into the Forest of Death to continue training.
Before he even reached the Forest of Death, Kitazawa sensed a familiar surge of chakra.
Kyuubi's chakra.
It was roaring through the air like a raging tide.
A moment later, he arrived at the battlefield and saw Naruto and Sasuke locked in fierce combat.
The sight before him was… overwhelming.
Naruto stood at the center of the field while hundreds of Shadow Clones swarmed across the hills like a moving army.
Sasuke was being forced back step by step, barely keeping up as he fought his way through the endless assault.
Kitazawa couldn't help but think of a phrase.
'The beauty of overwhelming numbers.'
Sasuke himself was already a stat monster by normal standards.
Unfortunately for him—
He had run into someone even more outrageous.
Normally, the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura were supposed to be evenly matched, with Indra's line holding a slight edge.
But the Ashura lineage had produced two absolute anomalies.
Senju Hashirama.
And now—
Uzumaki Naruto.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I wonder when Sasuke will awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan…"
From what he could sense, Sasuke had already reached the limit of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
The breakthrough could happen at any moment.
Of course—
Kitazawa hoped it would happen sooner rather than later.
He still had a system mission waiting.
Once Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the mission reward would be his.
"Hopefully before the New Year," Kitazawa murmured.
After watching for a moment longer, he withdrew his gaze, found a quiet place nearby, and began training without interrupting the battle.
December 15th.
The Genius Class held its end-of-semester Final Exams.
The format remained unchanged—
Restricted Team Battles.
In the end, Naruto's squad once again claimed victory.
With the exams concluded, winter break officially began.
For most ninja in Konoha, however, the break itself wasn't the highlight.
The real celebration was New Year's.
It was practically the only time during the year when shinobi could truly relax.
On the first day of winter break, Kitazawa quietly climbed out of his warm bed.
He headed toward the Academy alone.
As for Kurenai…
She was still asleep.
After all, she had been thoroughly exhausted the previous night.
Which was precisely why Kitazawa's occasional late-night visits to Tsunade had remained undiscovered for so long.
Ahem.
Soon, Kitazawa arrived at the Academy training grounds.
He had come because several students' training plans needed to be updated.
First—
The four newest members of the Genius Class.
Moegi and Udon had finally mastered the Three Basic Techniques and Konoha-style Taijutsu.
They could now begin chakra control training.
Meanwhile, Hanabi and Konohamaru had already completed their chakra control stage.
It was time for them to learn actual ninjutsu.
Hanabi would naturally begin with Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
As for Konohamaru—
He would study the Sarutobi Clan technique, Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning.
Next came Haku, Chino, and Hotaru, who were focusing on Water Release.
Haku and Chino would learn Water Release: Instant Water.
Hotaru would train in Water Release: Water Blade Slash.
Finally—
Kurama Yakumo and Yamanaka Ino.
Kitazawa grouped them together because he intended to teach them Super Beast Imitating Drawing.
Although the technique looked similar to Water Release techniques, it was fundamentally a Yin Release secret technique.
For Yakumo, the technique was an obvious fit.
In fact, Super Beast Imitating Drawing shared some similarities with Illusion Technique: True Life.
However, it had one major advantage—
Speed.
The technique could be drawn and activated instantly during battle.
There was simply no downside to learning it.
As for Ino—
While her artistic skills weren't quite on Yakumo's level, she possessed strong talent for Yin Release techniques.
Super Beast Imitating Drawing would greatly enhance her combat versatility.
Both offensively and as support.
When combined with Shikamaru and Choji, her effectiveness within the team would increase dramatically.
While Kitazawa was organizing these thoughts—
He suddenly sensed a burst of extremely violent chakra nearby.
He glanced toward the source.
There stood Rock Lee.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
"Is that… the Eight Gates?"
Only the First Gate had opened.
But even so—
For Lee, it was an enormous step forward.
In a sense, he now had a real chance of catching up to Neji and Shino.
And if he could one day open the Eighth Gate…
He might even rival Naruto or Sasuke.
Still, Kitazawa only glanced once before losing interest.
After all, Lee's instructors had always been Might Gai and Chen.
Normally, Naruto should have trained in the Eight Gates alongside Lee.
But compared to that—
Becoming a Perfect Jinchūriki offered far greater potential.
Of course, learning the Eight Gates wouldn't hurt.
Naruto could always pick it up later if he had spare time.
Kitazawa called Hanabi, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon over and began instructing them in their winter training.
After completing their lessons, he started heading toward the Forest of Death.
"Kitazawa."
A familiar voice suddenly called out.
Konan appeared in front of him.
"You needed me?" Kitazawa asked, stopping.
"I'll be returning to the Land of Rain for a while," Konan replied.
Kitazawa was slightly surprised.
"Has something changed in the war with Sunagakure?"
The conflict between the Hidden Rain Village and Sunagakure had been closely monitored by Konoha's ANBU.
He received reports on the situation almost every day.
So far, however, the war had remained a stalemate.
Both sides were clashing, but only within limited borders.
"No," Konan said, shaking her head.
"I don't know the details either."
"I see…"
Kitazawa thought for a moment.
"The New Year is coming soon anyway."
He nodded.
"I'll give you a month off. Come back after the holiday."
By now, the two of them understood each other extremely well.
Only the final step in their relationship remained.
Since Konan wanted to visit home, Kitazawa saw no reason to deny her some leave.
"Thank you."
Konan gave a small nod.
"Want me to escort you to the Land of Rain?" Kitazawa asked with a chuckle. "I've already mastered the Flying Thunder God. It'll save you quite a bit of time."
Konan naturally knew this.
After all, she had been by his side the entire time he learned it.
When she first discovered that he had mastered the legendary space–time technique, even she had been stunned.
"…There's no need."
Konan hesitated briefly before shaking her head.
"It won't take me long to fly back."
In truth, she was worried.
If Nagato or White Zetsu happened to notice Kitazawa's presence, explaining things would become impossible.
"Alright then."
Kitazawa didn't insist.
"Go and come back soon."
"Mm."
Konan responded softly before turning away.
When the bright sky gradually faded into endless drizzle, she had already arrived in the Land of Rain.
Konan descended from the clouds.
Looking down at the familiar country beneath her feet, a strange sense of distance rose in her heart.
After spending so long in Konoha, where the seasons shifted clearly from spring to winter—
Returning to this land of endless rain suddenly felt unfamiliar.
And yet…
No matter what changed, the Land of Rain was still her home.
Soon she arrived at Amegakure.
Konan landed lightly atop one of the village's towering metal structures.
This return had been requested directly by Nagato, through White Zetsu.
But in truth—
She still didn't know the reason.
"Konan."
Entering the tower, she soon saw Nagato.
Or rather—Pain.
Without saying a word, Pain simply handed her a scroll.
Konan felt a flicker of doubt.
She glanced briefly at him before unrolling it.
The moment she read the contents, her expression sharpened slightly.
The scroll recorded the profits from two businesses:
The water trade.
And the silver jewelry trade.
"This came from Kakuzu," Pain said calmly.
"Judging by the numbers, both businesses are performing very well."
Konan slowly lowered the scroll.
"…Why show this to me?"
"The funds required for the Eye of the Moon Plan are nearly complete." Pain raised his hand slightly.
"We can begin next year."
He paused before continuing in a cold voice.
"It is time for the ninja world to know…"
"…that a god has descended."
Konan's pupils shrank slightly.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the scroll.
For years, she had devoted herself to the Eye of the Moon Plan without hesitation.
Yet at this moment—
A rare sense of unease surfaced in her heart.
Once the plan began, the Akatsuki Organization would stand against the entire ninja world.
Including—
Konoha.
Which meant that one day…
She and Kitazawa would inevitably become enemies.
"We will start with Sunagakure." Pain continued calmly.
The prerequisite for the Eye of the Moon Plan was simple.
The revival of the Ten-Tails.
In other words—
The Gedo Statue, the empty shell of the Ten-Tails, had to absorb the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts.
And the process had to follow the correct order.
Starting with—
One-Tail Shukaku.
Of course, Sunagakure's competition in the water trade had also irritated him.
Previously, since the plan had not yet begun, he had tolerated their actions.
But now—
There was no longer any need for restraint.
Sunagakure would become the first target.
"Konan."
"After the New Year, summon every Akatsuki member back to Amegakure."
Pain continued, "We will hold a meeting to assign the Tailed Beast capture missions."
"…Understood."
Konan nodded instinctively.
"The Nine-Tails…"
"I will capture it personally."
Pain spoke as if the matter had already been decided.
There were two reasons.
First—
The Nine-Tails was far too powerful.
Few Akatsuki members could confidently defeat its Jinchūriki.
Second—
Nagato had a personal score to settle with Konoha.
Konan's heart tightened.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
She couldn't bring herself to persuade Nagato otherwise.
The only thing that comforted her slightly—
Was that Kitazawa possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Even if Konoha were destroyed…
He would still be able to survive.
"My legs have already recovered."
Deva Path Pain looked at her calmly.
"Kitazawa made no move against me."
"You don't need to return to Konoha."
Konan froze.
"What is it?"
"Do you still have unfinished business in Konoha?"
Deva Path Pain asked, somewhat puzzled.
Konan quickly regained her composure.
"I've almost confirmed the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"I only need a little more time to verify it."
Her expression remained calm.
"How long?"
"Half a year at most."
Her voice was steady.
Pain thought for a moment before nodding.
"That should be enough."
The identities of Jinchūriki were closely guarded secrets in every hidden village.
Only a handful of people knew them.
Moreover, some Jinchūriki had already left their villages and wandered the world.
And even after locating them—
Capturing them might still fail.
Taking half a year was entirely reasonable.
"Once you confirm the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's identity, leave immediately."
Deva Path Pain warned.
"Once the Eye of the Moon Plan begins, the Akatsuki will become enemies of the entire world."
"Remaining in Konoha will be dangerous."
"I understand."
Konan nodded.
"Don't worry."
"If danger appears, White Zetsu will warn me in advance."
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