Tuesday
After breakfast, Kitazawa went directly to the training ground of the Ninja Academy.
Since it wasn't time for class yet, only a portion of the students had arrived — but Kosuke and Kakashi were already there early.
"Kosuke-senpai, Kakashi." Kitazawa walked forward to greet them.
"Kitazawa." Kosuke looked at him and said with a sigh, "To be able to kill Kurosuki Raiga at such a young age, you are truly a formidable young man."
It was the first time Kitazawa had heard someone call him young. But considering Kosuke's age, he was indeed young.
"Kosuke-senpai, you flatter me. I still have a lot to learn." Kitazawa asked curiously, "How did you know I killed Kurosuki Raiga?"
"It was announced by Hokage-sama," Kakashi interjected, explaining.
Although he was a bit surprised that Kitazawa had killed Kurosuki Raiga, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Last year, he and Kitazawa had teamed up to escort Kabuto, and during that mission, they had fought several Iwagakure ninja. At that time, he already understood Kitazawa's strength; he was definitely at jōnin level.
Of course, Raiga's strength far surpassed that of the Iwagakure ninja. It could only be said that Kitazawa had progressed too quickly. But for someone chosen by Tsunade, it was quite normal.
"So that's it." Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, roughly understanding Sarutobi Hiruzen's intention in making the announcement.
How to put it? It was a good thing. Although becoming famous would make him an easier target for enemies, fame would subtly increase his status and influence in Konoha Village.
The three chatted for a while, and soon it was nine o'clock. They stopped chatting and, leading their respective study groups, began training.
Kitazawa routinely checked the students' progress. After confirming there were no issues, he left two shadow clones to guide them.
As the main body, he went to the artificial lake at the academy to practice Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.
Time slowly passed.
As the afternoon was nearing dismissal, three lines of text appeared before Kitazawa's eyes:
[Current Mission: Learn four Water Release Ninjutsu within the third semester.]
[Mission Reward: Proficient-level Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Upon seeing this, Kitazawa couldn't help but let out a breath. He had finally completed this mission.
With proficient-level Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation, he would be able to learn Water Release Ninjutsu faster — and he was one step closer to learning the Five Release Great Combo Technique.
But Kitazawa didn't plan to continue learning Water Release Ninjutsu because he still had a system mission to learn four Earth Release Ninjutsu this semester.
He had already learned Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, and he only needed three more Earth Release Ninjutsu to complete the mission.
After a moment of thought, he decided to learn Earth Release: Earth Replacement first. Kitazawa didn't choose randomly.
In his opinion, while learning offensive Earth Release Ninjutsu was good, he had already learned many offensive techniques. Simply put, offensive Earth Release Ninjutsu would only be icing on the cake and wouldn't play a decisive role.
However, Earth Release: Earth Replacement was different. It was a supportive and defensive Earth Release Ninjutsu, suitable for preserving one's life.
Its effect was to control ground matter to form a replacement, allowing the caster to substitute their body when attacked by an enemy. Whether used for defense or evasion, it was very useful.
Since it was almost time for dismissal, Kitazawa did not continue training. He thought for a moment and then went to his ninja squad's training area. Yesterday, he had already equally distributed the 1.2 million ryō he received to Yakushi Kabuto and the others. Coming over now was mainly for the mission.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto and the two others stopped their training immediately upon seeing him.
"Remember to continue taking on missions when you have time," Kitazawa reminded them. "As before, if you encounter any troublesome missions, come find me."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto and the two others replied in unison.
Just as Kitazawa was about to speak, he saw a familiar figure suddenly appear.
"Hokage-sama requests your presence," the Anbu ninja Haru said directly.
Kitazawa couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Was it about Kurosuki Raiga? But hadn't everything been thoroughly explained two days ago?
"I understand, thank you." Kitazawa didn't dwell on it if he couldn't figure it out; he would know once he met him.
After he finished speaking, Haru disappeared on the spot.
"It's time for dismissal. Your training for today ends here. You may go home." After greeting Kabuto and the two others, Kitazawa left the Ninja Academy.
He quickly arrived at the Hokage Building.
At the entrance, Kitazawa stopped because several people were gathered in front of the bulletin board.
Kitazawa leaned in to take a look, and the posted announcement was precisely about his ninja squad killing Kurosuki Raiga.
After reading it, he discovered a blind spot. The announcement stated "JōninKitazawa," not "Special Jōnin Kitazawa."
Kitazawa was thoughtful. It seemed that calling him over was to make him a jōnin.
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense; he had killed Kurosuki Raiga, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and if he were still a Special Jōnin, it would be truly unreasonable.
He went upstairs and entered the Hokage Office.
As soon as he entered, he saw the green jōnin vest placed on the Hokage Office desk. Indeed, his guess was correct.
"Kitazawa." Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke directly, "There was one thing I forgot to tell you before, and that is — from now on, you are promoted to jōnin."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kitazawa bowed slightly and then asked, "Do I need to take the jōnin exam?"
"Do you still need an exam? Killing Kurosuki Raiga is much harder than the jōnin exam." Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh as he spoke.
After he finished, he stood up, picked up the green vest, and handed it to Kitazawa.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kitazawa took the green vest and expressed his gratitude again.
"There's one more thing." Sarutobi Hiruzen sat down again and said, "This morning, news arrived from the Hidden Mist Village—they plan to send a delegation to Konoha."
"Are they trying to retrieve Kurosuki Raiga's body and his sword?" Kitazawa narrowed his eyes and asked.
"Indeed." Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe and reassured him, "But don't worry. If Raiga's sword was given to you, then it's yours."
Kitazawa was a little surprised.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was uncharacteristically firm this time—perhaps because they were dealing with the Hidden Mist Village rather than the Hidden Cloud.
However, the Hidden Mist was currently under Uchiha Obito's control. Kitazawa wasn't sure what might happen. But it didn't matter.
Because of the Bloody Mist era, the Hidden Mist had already become the weakest of the Five Great Villages. If it came to a fight, Konoha would surely win.
Moreover, the village's internal structure wasn't unified; many of its shinobi, led by figures like Mangetsu, Ao, and Mei Terumī, had long been dissatisfied with the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi's tyranny.
Kitazawa suspected that even if Ao hadn't discovered that Yagura was being controlled with his Byakugan, there still would have been rebellion or unrest.
"Konoha's goal for this negotiation is to exchange Kurosuki Raiga's body for a sum of money," Sarutobi Hiruzen continued. "But right now, we're still missing a negotiator."
"Hokage-sama wants me to go?" Kitazawa asked.
"Although Kurosuki Raiga was a rogue ninja, many in the Hidden Mist had ties to him. If you went, it might be seen as Konoha provoking them," Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "I want Tsunade to go."
"Given Lady Tsunade's personality, she'll most likely refuse." Kitazawa was stunned for a moment and spoke hesitantly.
He understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's intent—having Tsunade represent Konoha in negotiations with the Hidden Mist sent a very clear signal, especially to the various clans and shinobi of the village: Tsunade was rising in power, she was the next Hokage, and they should move to support her.
Kitazawa sensed a subtle shift. This Sarutobi Hiruzen, eager to retire, was completely different from the one he remembered.
"Hm. If I tell her, she'll probably refuse," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, his gaze falling on Kitazawa. "But if you tell her, it might work."
"…" Kitazawa's mouth twitched.
It was indeed like this. But considering his gains over the past two days, he decided to agree and give it a try.
"I'll await your good news." Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled.
With their discussion finished, Kitazawa left the Hokage Building.
He glanced at the green Jonin vest in his hand and, inexplicably, thought of Might Guy's green jumpsuit. Of course, the Jonin vest looked better—though not by much.
Fortunately, it didn't need to be worn all the time. According to Konoha's rules, the green Jonin vest was only required on two occasions: when leaving the village for missions and during official meetings.
Kitazawa put the vest away.
Becoming a Jonin didn't immediately bring significant changes; a Jonin's status and authority were only truly reflected in critical moments for Konoha, such as during the Shinobi World War, where they had the right to command Chunin and Genin.
Kitazawa arrived at Tsunade's house.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Karin opened the door.
"Is Lady Tsunade in?" Kitazawa patted her head and asked.
"She just got back." Karin stepped aside. "Please come in."
Kitazawa walked into the living room and saw Tsunade sprawled on the sofa. She exuded an air of laziness, but her expression showed she was in a foul mood—most likely she had lost money again.
"Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa began, "I have some questions I'd like to ask you."
He didn't immediately mention that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted her to be the negotiating representative. Instead, he started by discussing the ninjutsu of limb regeneration.
"Kitazawa, have some tea." Shizune brought a cup of tea.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Shizune." Kitazawa placed the tea on the coffee table.
"I heard you killed Kurosuki Raiga?" Shizune didn't leave immediately but asked curiously.
"Yes." Kitazawa smiled. "Good luck."
"That's one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! How can it just be good luck?"
Shizune rolled her eyes at him.
"Just one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It's nothing special," Tsunade said indifferently.
"Lady Tsunade is right." Kitazawa agreed at once.
"Forget it. You two talk; I can't get through to you." Shizune was speechless.
She felt like a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves. Since when did powerhouses like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist become so insignificant?
After Shizune left, the two continued to discuss limb regeneration.
"That idea of yours is quite interesting." Tsunade suddenly sat up, lost in thought.
This was because Kitazawa had revealed some core details of the Medical Forbidden Technique: Body Revival Technique.
"Unfortunately, the side effects are too great." Tsunade rubbed her temples. "Sacrificing lifespan for limb regeneration—it's hard to say if it's worth it."
"This is a necessary sacrifice." Kitazawa took a sip of tea. "Limb regeneration itself goes against nature; it's impossible without paying a price."
"You have a point." Tsunade thought for a moment. "We can continue with this line of thought and figure out how to reduce the side effects later."
"Mm." Kitazawa suddenly thought of Obito.
During the Third Shinobi World War, half of his body was crushed by rocks. Uchiha Madara saved him and used Hashirama's cells to repair his body.
However, judging from the original events, it wasn't purely Hashirama's cells—White Zetsu was also involved.
After all, pure Hashirama cells were far too overbearing. Danzo and Orochimaru conducted countless experiments, and only Yamato miraculously survived; there's no reason Uchiha Obito could have withstood them.
Even Danzo's arm had to rely on Sharingan to suppress Hashirama cells.
And in the original work, White Zetsu, like Hashirama cells, had countless miraculous uses.
For example, when used as a sacrifice for Edo Tensei, it could better restore the summoned shinobi's power to what it had been in life.
Unfortunately, White Zetsu is almost impossible to find because its hidden abilities are far too abnormal—especially the Mayfly Technique.
This technique allows White Zetsu to merge with the earth, enabling it to move freely underground while completely concealing its presence.
"I didn't expect that you might actually be able to create a ninjutsu for limb regeneration."
Tsunade looked at him, feeling a sense of unreality.
Kitazawa was growing too fast; it felt surreal. If this continued, what more could she even teach him? Only the Yin Seal and Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Seal remained.
"It's Lady Tsunade's credit." Kitazawa said humbly, "Without Lady Tsunade's answers, I wouldn't have had this flash of inspiration or found a direction."
At the same time, an idea popped into his head: he had to eliminate Shinno. Shinno came from the Land of the Sky and was an enemy of Konoha.
Kitazawa couldn't explain the origin of the Medical Forbidden Technique: Body Revival Technique, so he could only claim it as a ninjutsu he created himself—but there was always the possibility of exposure.
Although Shinno and Tsunade never met in the original work, Kitazawa had no psychological burden about eliminating him.
Shinno was the main villain of the movie and had done nothing humane. For example, he imprisoned a large number of villagers to refine Dark Chakra.
In addition, he led the shinobi of Sky Village to attack Konoha, causing considerable casualties.
However, eliminating Shinno was not simple. According to the timeline of the original work, he should currently be in hiding, moving between various shinobi villages to learn their ninjutsu and forbidden techniques.
Even Konoha had not been spared. His Eight Gates and Zero-Tails techniques both came from Konoha.
"If you have any questions in the future, feel free to come to me." Tsunade lay back on the sofa.
Once the medical ninjutsu for limb regeneration succeeded, it would benefit thousands of Konoha's shinobi and villagers.
"I understand." Kitazawa cleared his throat and said, "Lady Tsunade, I have another matter I need your help with."
"Tell me." Tsunade glanced at him, feeling this was probably his true purpose.
"I killed Kurosuki Raiga, and the Hidden Mist Village will soon send a shinobi delegation to negotiate for his body," Kitazawa said evenly. "Hokage-sama hopes you can represent Konoha in negotiations with the Hidden Mist."
"No." Tsunade pouted. "Why doesn't he come to me himself?"
"I happened to be in his office, so he asked me to relay the message," Kitazawa replied.
"The old man is tricking you." Tsunade snorted. "He knows I definitely won't agree, so he sent you to try."
"Then what should we do?" Kitazawa followed her lead and asked.
"Wait." Tsunade suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Are you and the old man ganging up to trick me?"
"How would I dare?" Kitazawa quickly shook his head, retreating to advance. "If Lady Tsunade really doesn't want to go, then I'll go."
"Alright." Tsunade readily agreed.
"Ah?" Kitazawa's expression instantly stiffened.
"What? Is there a problem?" Tsunade laughed.
"I killed Kurosuki Raiga. If I go to see his former comrades, there might be a conflict." Kitazawa blinked. "Lady Tsunade is strong and has a great reputation; when they see you, they'll surely be scared out of their wits."
"They wouldn't dare kill you in Konoha," Tsunade stated with certainty.
"But my status isn't high enough." Kitazawa thought on his feet. "I'm just an ordinary Ninja Academy teacher."
"…" Tsunade wanted to complain, but didn't know where to start.
You call yourself an ordinary teacher? A teacher who can kill Kurosuki Raiga—how is that ordinary?
But on second thought, Kitazawa's status was indeed a bit lacking. His only presentable title was Vice Principal of the Ninja Academy.
If he also had the public status of being a student of one of the Sannin, that would be enough—but that status hadn't been made public yet, or rather, hadn't been officially confirmed.
"Alright, I'll go." Tsunade was silent for two seconds, then agreed.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If he really had to go, he wouldn't be afraid—but Sarutobi Hiruzen's chosen candidate was Tsunade, and it even concerned the position of Hokage. Kitazawa naturally hoped Tsunade would go, not him.
"When are the negotiations?" Although Tsunade found it troublesome, since she had agreed, she would do her best.
Besides, in this matter, Konoha had the upper hand, so negotiations wouldn't be difficult. Negotiating after a defeat—that would be the real ordeal.
"Next month." Kitazawa added, "The Anbu will inform you of the exact date."
"Mm." Tsunade waved her hand.
"Lady Tsunade, see you next time." Seeing this, Kitazawa stood up and turned to leave.
They had discussed the limb regeneration medical ninjutsu for two hours, and it was now seven in the evening.
Kitazawa thought about it and still went to the Hokage Building. If Sarutobi Hiruzen had already left work, there would still be an Anbu on duty who could relay the message.
But to Kitazawa's surprise, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in the Hokage Office. Is the Hokage really that busy?
"Haha! I was right about you after all!" Sarutobi Hiruzen burst into laughter after hearing him out.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)