Kitazawa, Kosuke, and Kakashi returned to the office immediately after lunch.
The idea of modifying the Medical Forbidden Technique: Body Revival Technique had just come to him, and he had even chosen to forgo his lunch break.
Kitazawa sat in his office chair and took out a pen and paper.
The Medical Forbidden Technique: Body Revival Technique was a system reward, so his proficiency was already maxed out.
He also possessed master-level Chakra Form Transformation and skilled-level Yang Release Chakra Nature Transformation, so even a forbidden Ninjutsu might be successfully modified.
However, Kitazawa still underestimated its difficulty. An entire afternoon passed, and he made no substantial progress. But he wasn't in a hurry.
As an S-Ranked Ninjutsu, it naturally wouldn't be easy to modify successfully.
Medical Ninjutsu had existed for over a thousand years, and to this day, no Medical Ninjutsu for limb regeneration had appeared in the Ninja World.
This alone showed the difficulty of the task.
Kitazawa glanced at the time and then went to the school's Training Ground.
Just sitting there was useless; he might as well do what needed to be done, and perhaps inspiration would suddenly strike.
Kitazawa continued practicing Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, while also having a Shadow Clone follow Kosuke to learn Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
It was another uneventful afternoon. After school, Kitazawa went home.
But to his surprise, Tsunade had already returned and was waiting for him at the door.
"Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa walked forward to greet her.
Tsunade didn't answer; she merely stood with her arms crossed, staring at him.
Kitazawa glanced left and right, feeling a pressure almost like the weight of her presence.
What was going on? He didn't remember offending Tsunade recently.
"Do you know Shikkotsu Forest?" Tsunade was silent for two seconds, then asked.
"It's one of the three legendary Sage Regions for Summoning Animals." Kitazawa's heart stirred as he replied.
Could it be that Tsunade intended for him to become a contractor for the Slug?
"Contract Ninja can summon Summoning Animals through the Summoning Technique." Tsunade slowly continued, "But a few Summoning Animals can summon contract Ninja through the Reverse Summoning Technique."
Kitazawa was slightly pleased, quickly understanding.
The Reverse Summoning Technique was used by the snakes, toads, and Slugs of the three Legendary Sage Regions for Summoning Animals in the original work.
Undoubtedly, it not only saved a lot of travel time but also could save one's life at critical moments.
"Sign your name on this." Tsunade took out a huge scroll.
"Is this Shikkotsu Forest's contract scroll?" Kitazawa blinked.
"Yes." Tsunade explained, "If you encounter Danzo when you're out one day, let the Slug reverse summon you away."
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa naturally wouldn't refuse.
Slug Katsuyu was the true name of Shikkotsu Forest's main Summoning Animal.
It's worth mentioning that Shikkotsu Forest is different from Ryuchi Cave and Mount Myōboku; this Summoning Sage Land has only one Summoning Animal — the Slug Katsuyu.
In the original work, Katsuyu's body was incredibly large, and even Tsunade and Sakura together couldn't summon its full form.
Compared to Ryuchi Cave and Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest's Slug is considered a support-type Summoning Beast.
First, the Slug can split into countless smaller Slugs.
Second, these smaller Slugs can share vision, enabling Chakra transmission and information transfer.
Third, Contract Ninja can perform long-distance healing through the Slug.
Fourth, contract Ninja can achieve large-scale area healing through countless smaller Slugs — the ultimate Medical Ninjutsu.
Of course, in addition to its support abilities, the Slug also has combat capabilities.
First, its huge size can crush many enemies.
Second, it can attack enemies with corrosive fluid, which can dissolve anything upon impact. In the original work, Orochimaru considered it a special attack capable of killing him.
Kitazawa opened the contract scroll and found many names.
After all, the three Legendary Sage Regions for Summoning had existed for over a thousand years. They existed even before Ninja appeared in the Ninja World.
Kitazawa glanced at it; he only recognized two names: Senju Hashirama and Tsunade. In the original work, it was never directly mentioned that Senju Hashirama was a contractor of Shikkotsu Forest, because he never summoned the Slug.
Thinking about it, it made sense — he was too strong, strong enough to end battles without needing a Summoning Animal.
After Kitazawa signed his name, he closed the contract scroll and returned it to Tsunade.
"Try summoning the Slug." Tsunade put away the contract scroll.
Kitazawa nodded, formed hand signs, bit his thumb, and pressed it to the ground.
With a bang, a white-bodied, blue-backed mollusk-like creature appeared in the smoke. Kitazawa hadn't used too much Chakra, only summoning a Slug about half the size of a human.
"Lady Tsunade—?"
The Slug Katsuyu noticed Kitazawa, and its gentle voice was immediately filled with doubt. It had already realized that it wasn't Tsunade who had summoned it this time.
"His name is Kitazawa." Tsunade proactively introduced, "He is Shikkotsu Forest's new contract Ninja."
"I see." The Slug Katsuyu's pleasant voice rang out again. "Lord Kitazawa, I am Katsuyu. You can just call me by my name."
"Lord Katsuyu." Kitazawa immediately responded.
Among the three Legendary Sage Regions for Summoning, Ryuchi Cave's snakes have the worst temper, while Shikkotsu Forest's Slugs are the most friendly.
They not only refer to all contractors as 'Lord' but are also diligent, never demanding sacrifices or prices. Powerful, obedient, and with a pleasant voice, they are simply models among Summoning Animals.
"You two get to know each other briefly first." Tsunade waved her hand. "Kitazawa, when you have time, let Katsuyu take you for a tour of Shikkotsu Forest."
"Alright." Kitazawa greeted Katsuyu, then dispelled the Summoning Technique.
"Regarding Danzo, have Itachi keep an eye on him." Tsunade pondered for a moment and added.
"I understand." Kitazawa smiled. "Even if we don't say anything, the Uchiha Clan will keep a close watch on Danzo."
"That's called reaping what you sow." Tsunade shook her head.
"Lady Tsunade, what do you think of the Uchiha Clan?" Kitazawa asked with some curiosity. "I heard that the Second Hokage-sama had a famous saying, 'The Uchiha are inherently evil.'"
"Indeed, but he was referring to the Sharingan." Tsunade paused. "The Uchiha are ultimately Konoha's Uchiha. As long as they don't cause trouble, I have no objections."
Kitazawa nodded upon hearing this.
It was just as he had guessed; Tsunade's attitude toward the Uchiha Clan was closer to Senju Hashirama's than to Danzo's.
"Do you have anything else?" Tsunade put down her hands, ready to go inside and rest.
"Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa thought of modifying the Medical Forbidden Technique: Body Revival Technique and said, "I have some questions I'd like to ask you."
Although he had already learned most of Tsunade's abilities except for the Yin Seal, he was still far behind her in experience.
"Come inside and talk." Tsunade pushed open the door and walked into the living room.
"Kitazawa, have some tea." Rina Uzumaki poured Kitazawa a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you." Kitazawa accepted the tea, took a sip, then sat opposite Tsunade and began asking questions.
"Why are you asking these things?" After answering two questions, Tsunade felt confused.
"I want to create a Medical Ninjutsu for limb regeneration." Kitazawa didn't hide it and spoke directly.
"Limb regeneration?" Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then said, "That's impossible."
As the most accomplished Medical Ninja in the Ninja World, she had naturally tried to create a Medical Ninjutsu for limb regeneration, but all attempts had ended in failure.
"I think it's worth a try." Kitazawa didn't tell her about the Medical Forbidden Technique: Body Revival Technique, as it was too shocking.
The Medical Forbidden Technique: Body Revival Technique came from a movie. Movies were theoretically not part of the main series, so many overpowered Ninjutsu appeared in them.
"Alright." Seeing his persistence, Tsunade didn't say anything more.
After all, creating a Medical Ninjutsu for limb regeneration was a good thing. Even if it wasn't successful, it would still increase a lot of experience and knowledge.
After talking for two hours, Kitazawa got up and returned home.
---
The time came to Friday, and the first week after the first monthly exam was coming to an end. Nothing major had happened this week.
Danzo had returned to the Shimura Clan after Root was disbanded. He hadn't caused trouble or shown his face, appearing very quiet.
But Kitazawa knew he must be looking for a suitable opportunity. After all, Tsunade had always stayed in Konoha Village, so he couldn't do anything yet.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Tenten ran over, her face full of smiles. "I've learned the Manipulating Shuriken Technique!"
"Congratulations." Kitazawa wasn't surprised.
The Manipulating Shuriken Technique itself wasn't very difficult, and with Tenten's extreme proficiency in shuriken throwing, it was normal for her to master it so quickly.
"I'll teach you another new Ninjutsu — the Shadow Clone Technique." Kitazawa's ultimate goal was to teach her the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
But the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique was an A-Ranked Ninjutsu, and it wouldn't be easy for her to learn.
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Tenten suddenly thought of something and took out a scroll.
Kitazawa opened the scroll and saw that it contained one hundred explosive tags. He immediately felt a subtle sensation.
Explosive tags were very expensive, ranging from three hundred to two thousand ryō depending on their effect. And the explosive tags Tenten gave were clearly the most effective kind.
"I'll demonstrate the Shadow Clone Technique first." Kitazawa thought for a moment and accepted the explosive tags.
After all, the Ninjutsu he taught was also quite valuable — especially the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, which couldn't be bought with money.
After spending half an hour teaching Tenten the Shadow Clone Technique, Kitazawa went to Yakumo.
"Teacher Kitazawa." Yakumo immediately stopped her training and greeted him.
"Your Konoha Whirlwind is already very proficient, but just learning one Taijutsu isn't very useful; Taijutsu needs to be a complete set."
Kitazawa lightly coughed. "Today I'll teach you Konoha-Style Taijutsu."
After another half hour of teaching, he arrived at the school's Artificial Lake.
Time slowly passed.
The sun set, and it was time for school to end.
"Teacher Kitazawa." Sasuke stopped Kitazawa, who was about to leave school.
"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Kitazawa looked at him.
Currently, Sasuke was learning Kosuke's Konoha-Style: Willow. Because it was an A-ranked swordsmanship, it would be difficult for him to learn it in a short time, so it must be something else.
"My brother gave me two swordsmanship techniques yesterday, but he said he's been very busy lately and doesn't have time to teach me."
Uchiha Sasuke took out a scroll. "He told me to give these two swordsmanship techniques to you, and then you can teach me."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
He didn't remember the Uchiha Clan having any swordsmanship — only an Uchiha-Style Swordsmanship similar to Konoha Style Swordsmanship.
Kitazawa opened the scroll and couldn't help but be surprised.
Strictly speaking, these were not the Uchiha Clan's swordsmanship, but Uchiha Shisui's swordsmanship: Uchiha-Style: Blazing Sword Meteor and Uchiha-Style: Gale Sword.
These two swordsmanship techniques were not purely swordsmanship; like Konoha-Style: Willow, they incorporated Chakra nature.
Konoha-Style: Willow incorporated Genjutsu, while Uchiha-Style: Blazing Sword Meteor and Uchiha-Style: Gale Sword incorporated Fire Release.
The effect of Uchiha-Style: Blazing Sword Meteor was to inject Fire Release into the Ninja blade, forming a blade of flames.
And Uchiha-Style: Gale Sword added the Body Flicker Technique and a blade of flames that could detach from the Ninja blade on top of that.
Kitazawa looked at the contents of the scroll and fell into thought. It was a bit strange. Why would he learn it first and then teach it to Uchiha Sasuke?
It was clearly an intentional gift of these two swordsmanship techniques to him. The only possibility was that the Uchiha were bribing him or thanking him.
After all, with Root disbanded, the Uchiha Clan was the Ninja clan that benefited the most.
It must be said that these two swordsmanship techniques chosen by Uchiha Itachi solved his urgent problem. Adding Konoha-Style Swordsmanship, he could become a Special Jōnin just in swordsmanship.
"I'll teach you after you learn Konoha-Style: Willow." Kitazawa put away the Ninjutsu scroll.
"Mm." Sasuke nodded. He was a child after all, and didn't think much of it, still believing that Uchiha Itachi was genuinely busy.
However, Itachi was indeed very busy recently — busy raiding Root's homes.
Kitazawa returned home. He sat on the sofa, vaguely smelling the aroma coming from the kitchen. It smelled like tempura.
He thought about it and took out the swordsmanship scroll given by Sasuke. He planned to take some time to learn these two swordsmanship techniques first.
After all, he couldn't waste the Chakra blade given by Hinata.
"I feel like this blade needs a name." Kitazawa stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Let's call it Zangetsu (Slaying Moon)."
Not long after, Kurenai, wearing an apron, emerged from the kitchen. After setting down the dishes, she asked, "What are you looking at?"
"Swordsmanship," Kitazawa replied as he put away the scroll.
"You really learn everything." Kurenai tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "How come I never saw you this talented before?"
"This is what you call having great potential that no one knew about," Kitazawa said casually.
At this point, whether he hid his abilities or not was no longer important. His identity was already clear, and aside from marveling at his talent, no one would suspect anything. At most, they would call him a late bloomer.
"Dinner!" Kurenai's face suddenly flushed as she spoke irritably.
Kitazawa watched her run back to the kitchen, puzzled. What was there to blush about?
"Here." Kurenai reappeared, carrying bowls and chopsticks.
"Thank you." Kitazawa accepted the chopsticks and asked, "How's your training with Chakra Enhanced Strength coming along?"
"Still the same, no progress," Kurenai admitted, sounding a bit frustrated.
"Don't be discouraged. It's normal for it to be difficult to learn." Kitazawa picked up a fried shrimp for her and added, "Tomorrow at noon, come with me to the Mission Hall to take a mission."
"Okay." Kurenai nodded. She knew Kitazawa and Yakumo had to visit Lady Tsunade in the morning, so she wasn't surprised about going to the Mission Hall at noon.
After dinner, Kitazawa continued pondering the two swordsmanship techniques Sasuke had given him.
He planned to learn Uchiha Style: Blazing Sword Meteor first because it was simpler. Its principle was similar to Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken—both involved injecting chakra into ninja tools, except one was a shuriken and the other a blade.
Uchiha Style: Gale Sword, when combined with the Body Flicker Technique, was essentially a composite ninjutsu.
In terms of difficulty, it was naturally much higher. If Blazing Sword Meteor was B-rank in learning difficulty, then Gale Sword was A-rank.
---
The next day, Saturday.
Kurenai slept in as usual. Kitazawa had eaten and arrived at the next door with Yakumo.
"Kitazawa-sensei." It was Karin who opened the door, smiling. "Yakumo-chan."
"Where's Lady Tsunade?" Kitazawa reached out and patted her head.
"She's not up yet," Karin replied. "Aunt Shizune has already gone to wake her."
"Then we'll wait for her." Kitazawa wasn't surprised; he was used to it. How to put it? Leaving aside her strength, Tsunade was full of bad habits. But big is beautiful.
"Karin, how's your Sealing Art: Fire Sealing Method progressing?" Having nothing to do, Kitazawa inquired about Karin's studies.
"I can perform it smoothly now," Karin replied.
"Good, you're making fast progress." Kitazawa thought for a moment, then took out a scroll. "This is the next sealing technique you need to learn—String Light Formation."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." Karin accepted the scroll.
"I'll teach you next week in class," Kitazawa added.
Just then, footsteps sounded. Kitazawa instinctively turned his head and saw Tsunade, barefoot, probably just waking up.
She wasn't wearing her tea-green haori, only a sleeveless top. As she walked, the fabric undulated, revealing skin whiter than snow.
"You're here?" Tsunade stretched. Her sleeveless top seemed even more precarious.
"Lady Tsunade, good morning." Kitazawa struggled to avert his gaze.
"I'll eat first. Then we'll do the treatment after I finish eating." Tsunade glanced at him, unconcerned by his wandering eyes
It was another morning of hemophobia treatment.
"Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa looked at her leaning against him and said, "I plan to go on a mission today."
"A mission?" Tsunade asked with her eyes closed. "Do you need me to go with you?"
"No need." Kitazawa shook his head. "Lady Tsunade can monitor Danzo in Konoha."
"Okay." She sat up. "If he makes a move, I'll stop him."
"As long as it's not Danzo himself, I can easily handle anyone else," Kitazawa said with a smile.
Tsunade didn't doubt him. She was well aware of Kitazawa's current strength—he could instantly kill anyone below jonin, and he was formidable even among jonin.
Besides, she still had hemophobia, and if they truly encountered a battle, she might even become a liability.
"If you have any problems, you can contact Katsuyu," she instructed.
"Understood." Kitazawa stood, bid farewell, and left.
Back home, Kurenai was already awake and practicing Chakra Enhanced Strength. In addition, Kabuto, Aburame Torune, and Uchiha Izumi had also arrived on time.
"Let's go. We're heading to the Mission Hall," Kitazawa said, extending his hand.
Kurenai stepped forward and took it.
---
Hokage Building – Mission Hall.
Even though it was Saturday, there was still a constant stream of people, many ninja. After all, ninja didn't really have weekends.
Once a mission was accepted, especially a high-difficulty one, it could take months or even half a year to complete. Rest was nonexistent. However, no one would complain about resting during a mission.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto said as he looked at the mission board on the wall. "Are we taking an A-rank mission this time, or an S-rank mission?"
"A-rank or B-rank is fine," Kitazawa replied.
His goal was simply to go to the Land of Rivers and, coincidentally, encounter Kurosuki Raiga. With the title of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, any mission would become S-rank at that point.
Kabuto was puzzled but didn't ask further. He had developed the habit in Root of obeying superiors, and the team leader also counted as one.
Kitazawa's gaze swept over the missions on the wall. Most locations were in the Land of Fire, with only a few outside it. Missions involving the Land of Rivers were even rarer. Fortunately, his requirements weren't high; a B-rank mission would suffice.
"This one it is." Kitazawa reached out and took down a B-rank mission.
This mission had been issued by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, requiring them to eliminate a rogue ninja who had fled to the Land of Rivers.
Of course, this ninja was not from one of the Five Great Villages. There were many shinobi outside the Five Great Villages in the ninja world, such as those from the Fire Temple in the Land of Fire.
It was simply unknown why this particular ninja had offended the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. But Kitazawa didn't need to know the reason—he only had to kill the target and bring back the body.
"Isn't this mission a bit too simple?" Kurenai asked in confusion.
For one Special Jōnin and four Chūnin to travel all the way to the Land of Rivers for a single Chūnin-level target seemed like a waste of time.
"This way we can handle the mission and practice ninjutsu at the same time," Kitazawa replied casually, offering an excuse.
"Okay." Kurenai thought about it and decided that this approach wasn't bad.
"Let's go."
After Kitazawa received the mission, the group headed out of the village. Leaving the Forest of Death behind, they began running.
The Land of Rivers bordered the Land of Fire to the west. By nightfall, they had reached the border of the Land of Fire, not far from their destination.
"Let's rest here," Kitazawa instructed. "Kabuto, you three set up the tents."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto immediately began organizing. "I'll set up one tent. Torune and Izumi, you two set up the other."
Normally, they would pitch a single tent. After all, sleeping together in sleeping bags was safer, and they could react faster if they encountered enemies.
But Kabuto, mindful of Kitazawa's relationship with Kurenai, had chosen to set up an extra tent.
Once the tents were ready, the five of them gathered to eat.
"Later, set up some traps around the area to avoid encountering ninja from other villages," Kitazawa instructed, then paused. "I'll go to the Land of Rivers first to confirm the location of our mission target."
In truth, he wanted to find out whether Kurosuki Raiga was already at Katabami Gold Mine in the Land of Rivers. If not, it would just be a wasted trip.
"I'll go with you," Kurenai immediately offered.
"No need. It's more convenient for me to go alone."
After speaking, Kitazawa formed a series of hand seals. With a puff of smoke, a small slug the size of a house cat appeared.
"This is… Lady Tsunade's summoning beast?" Kurenai asked in surprise as she studied the creature.
Kabuto and the others also showed curiosity—after all, the Legendary Three Sage Lands of summoning beasts were legendary.
"Hello. I am Slug Katsuyu, Lady Tsunade's and Lord Kitazawa's summoning beast," the slug said politely.
"Lord Katsuyu can use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu," Kitazawa explained. "That way, I'll be able to return here quickly."
"I see." Kurenai nodded. "Then be careful alone."
"Okay." Kitazawa estimated the time and said, "Lord Katsuyu, use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu three hours from now."
The Land of Rivers was a small country. At his full speed, three hours would be enough to cover several laps. Moreover, when traveling alone, he could also activate his Byakugan.
"Understood, Lord Kitazawa," Katsuyu replied gently.
"Wait for me."
Kitazawa left the tent and activated his Byakugan a short distance away. With its purity now increased by 30%, its detection range had expanded to about seven kilometers.
In the original work, the pinnacle of sensory ninjutsu was the Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of Kagura.
Karin, upon her initial awakening, could sense over five kilometers, and later on, her range expanded to tens of kilometers. Seven kilometers was seven thousand meters—and it was a radius. Even for a ninja, that was no short distance.
Kitazawa didn't leave immediately but began scouting around the tent. After confirming there were no Root operatives or other ninja nearby, he felt relieved and crossed into the Land of Rivers.
He had prepared for this, having purchased a detailed map of the Land of Rivers. Katabami Gold Mine was clearly marked.
As he walked, Kitazawa recalled the plot from the original work. Kurosuki Raiga's death had been quite coincidental.
Because he wanted to mine, he forced nearby villagers into labor. Among them was Karashi, the son of Sansho Granny from the Curry of Life restaurant. However, Karashi had voluntarily joined the Kurosuki family.
After Rock Lee fainted during a long run, he was saved by Sansho Granny's Curry of Life, which triggered the mission to rescue Karashi. After that, Hyūga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto, Tenten, and Rock Lee had defeated Kurosuki Raiga.
Now, such a mission couldn't naturally be triggered, as the Kurosuki family hadn't yet been established.
However, Kitazawa was very curious about the taste of the Curry of Life. Judging from the original story, besides being deadly spicy, it seemed to have almost magical effects. Every time Rock Lee ate it, he became full of vigor, as though he had taken a secret medicine.
Just then, Kitazawa suddenly stopped.
In his Byakugan's vision, three terrifying chakra presences appeared. Three jōnin? No—there was one more, but its chakra was relatively weak, similar to a genin's. Two of the jōnin were locked in a fierce battle.
Kitazawa composed himself and approached while observing through his Byakugan.
A moment later, the appearances of the three jōnin were fully registered in his mind.
The good news was that Kurosuki Raiga was among them. His features were easy to recognize: long green hair and twin blades.
The bad news was that Kitazawa also recognized the other two jōnin.
One had blue-purple hair, amber eyes, light purple eyeshadow, delicate and beautiful features, and a piercing on her lower lip—Konan, one of the three founders of the Akatsuki Organization.
The other wielded an incredibly huge long sword—Biwa Jūzō, the first wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, the Seversword.
--
--
Show your support with Power Stones, guys!
If we make it into the top 20 rankings at the week's end, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)