Kitazawa and Kabuto left the Hokage Building after receiving their Jonin vests.
Becoming a Jonin was naturally not as simple as just receiving a Jonin vest, but Konoha Village would handle the remaining matters, so they didn't need to worry — such as updating ninja files and notifying the entire village of the birth of a new Jonin.
"Kabuto, are you planning to stay with our squad, or lead your own team?" Kitazawa stopped and asked.
At the Jonin level, there was no need for a squad leader, as all Jonin could be squad leaders. Moreover, having two Jonin in one ninja squad was somewhat wasteful.
Fortunately, Konoha Village had no mandatory rule to split them up — just like Kakashi, who became a Jonin but still followed Minato Namikaze.
"I'll stay," Kabuto said without hesitation. "I want to learn more Ninjutsu from Kitazawa-sensei."
"Alright." Kitazawa nodded. "You are still young; there's no need to rush into leading your own team."
"Mhm." Kabuto breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He had thought Kitazawa was asking him to leave the ninja squad.
"Then go train." Kitazawa waved his hand. "When there's a suitable high-difficulty mission, I'll take you guys to do it."
"Okay." Kabuto didn't ask further and turned to walk towards the Ninja Academy.
Kitazawa watched him leave and then thought of Shinno. As the antagonist in the movie, Shinno's strength was not bad.
In his normal state, he had the level of a Special Jonin, and after using Zero-Tails Chakra and his medical forbidden Ninjutsu like Regeneration Techniques, he could reach the Elite Jonin level.
It was uncertain who would win if Kabuto's three-man team plus Kurenai faced him. Of course, adding Kitazawa, it shouldn't be a big problem.
After all, Shinno's medical forbidden Ninjutsu had side effects and couldn't be maintained for too long.
It was just finding him that was troublesome. But it wasn't impossible; if the monk runs away, the temple remains. They could first locate the Land of the Sky and then wait for him.
Kitazawa stroked his chin. He could go to the Anbu later to ask Itachi for help.
As for now, he was eager to test his Senju Chakra Mode. Kitazawa headed north, arriving at the northernmost training ground.
After confirming that no one was around, he activated his Senju Chakra Mode.
Instantly, Kitazawa felt the Chakra within him become incredibly active. He pondered for a moment and immediately formed hand seals.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! Kitazawa leaned back and exhaled a large fireball. The large fireball flew into the sky and quickly disappeared.
A hint of excitement flashed in Kitazawa's eyes. From forming the hand seals to exhaling the large fireball, the time he used was reduced by one-third compared to usual.
Is this the effect of increasing Chakra control efficiency? Kitazawa pondered and then extended his hand again.
Rasengan! In an instant, a highly compressed ball of Chakra hovered in his palm.
"Indeed!" Kitazawa calculated the time; it was also reduced by one-third. But the Rasengan was already seal-less, and reducing it by another third made it an instant Ninjutsu.
Kitazawa couldn't help but exhale. All Ninjutsu being reduced by one-third would give him a huge advantage in battle.
Coupled with his many Ninjutsu, enemies unfamiliar with his information could easily be instantly killed by him — the so-called first-sight kill.
Kitazawa suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued to experiment. After all, the Senju Chakra Mode had three effects.
Kitazawa looked left and right and came to a tree. He clenched his fist and threw a punch. With this punch, he didn't use any techniques or Taijutsu.
With a bang! The tree trembled violently, then snapped in half and fell backward.
A look of surprise appeared on Kitazawa's face. His casual punch was actually equivalent to half of a Chakra Enhanced Strength?
Konoha Whirlwind! Kitazawa kicked out. Under his immense strength, the half-tree shattered into four or five pieces.
Kitazawa couldn't help but click his tongue. The effect of increased power output was clearly not limited to his hands. Thinking of this, Kitazawa directly sat down.
Power surged out, forming a butt print on the ground. Kitazawa stood up again, his face full of excitement. This meant that every part of his body could possess terrifying output.
Chakra Enhanced Strength! Kitazawa punched the ground.
In an instant, a huge crater formed with him at the center.
Kitazawa's eyes lit up. The power of his Chakra Enhanced Strength was already close to Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength.
"Next are recovery and self-healing abilities."
Kitazawa hesitated for a moment, then took out a kunai and made a cut on the back of his hand. Blood appeared, but the wound healed at a visible speed, returning to normal after three seconds.
Kitazawa nodded in satisfaction. This recovery and self-healing ability indeed had a hint of Senju Hashirama's seal-less healing.
The so-called seal-less healing refers to the body's ability to automatically recover from injuries without needing to form hand seals.
Besides Senju Hashirama, Karin and her mother also had similar abilities.
But clearly, Kitazawa's Senju Chakra Mode's self-healing and recovery abilities were still far behind Senju Hashirama's.
Even so, it was enough to play a good role in battle — especially in those evenly matched, drawn-out battles. Whoever had stronger recovery and self-healing abilities would gain an advantage.
"Finally, the duration of the Senju Chakra Mode." Kitazawa stood in place, feeling the rapid depletion of Chakra within him.
The stronger the Ninjutsu, the greater the consumption. In Kitazawa's opinion, this Senju Chakra Mode was somewhat similar to the Eight Gates — but it was a safer Eight Gates.
Time passed by minute by minute. Three minutes later, Kitazawa's body trembled, and he exited the Senju Chakra Mode.
He subconsciously shook his head, feeling dizzy and disoriented, with nine-tenths of his Chakra already consumed.
"Three minutes is not bad." Kitazawa took a few deep breaths as the uncomfortable sensation gradually faded.
Although it had only been three minutes, during that short span, his power had risen to a level comparable to Tsunade's.
In the entire ninja world, how many people could withstand Tsunade's full-power attacks for three minutes?
In short, Kitazawa had gained a tremendous advantage this time. The Senju Chakra Mode truly lived up to the difficulty of collecting 70% of the Senju bloodline.
He couldn't help wondering what other abilities he might gain once he reached 100%.
After tidying up the area, Kitazawa headed toward the Hokage Building. As for the tree he had used, it had simply reached its natural end — and with Konoha's abundance of trees, it didn't matter.
He arrived at the Anbu office. Itachi wasn't there, but Kitazawa's reputation had grown so much that most of the Anbu immediately recognized him and went to call Uchiha Itachi for him.
"Itachi, there's something I need your help with," Kitazawa said directly. "I hope you can help me locate the old site of the Land of the Sky."
Itachi agreed without hesitation. It wasn't the first time he had helped Kitazawa — last time, he had even assisted in searching for the Land of Heads.
"Thank you," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"It's nothing," Itachi replied calmly. "Finding a place isn't difficult at all." Searching for a location was far easier than tracking down a person.
"How is your Uchiha clan doing lately?" Kitazawa asked, suddenly remembering.
"The situation is very good," Itachi said, his face unusually relaxed. "Since Root was disbanded, there's been no external pressure."
Kitazawa had actually wanted to ask about Obito, but Itachi's answer indirectly told him what he needed to know — Obito hadn't appeared or approached him.
"Without external pressure, you still have to watch out for internal problems," Kitazawa reminded him.
"With me here, I won't let them cause trouble," Itachi answered seriously, assuming Kitazawa was speaking on Tsunade's behalf.
She had never liked the Uchiha hardliners, or rather, didn't want them stirring up trouble.
Kitazawa nodded. He still believed the same principle: in the original timeline, Itachi had massacred the clan to prevent rebellion — if people were dead, they couldn't rebel.
But now, with less pressure from Root, the number of hardliners should be far lower than before. As long as Danzo didn't interfere, the Uchiha massacre was unlikely to happen. The only remaining hidden danger was Obito.
"Then I'll be going, Itachi," Kitazawa said, preparing to leave.
"One more thing," Itachi added. "I just received a notice — a Jonin meeting will be held at 2 p.m. this Friday."
"Another big event?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow curiously.
"This concerns you," Itachi replied. "A ninja envoy from Hidden Mist Village will arrive in Konoha next Monday."
"I see." Kitazawa thought to himself.
Why had the Hidden Mist only decided to move now? They seemed unconcerned about Kurosuki Raiga and Lightning Blade: Kiba.
Raiga's death might not matter, but Kiba — as a symbol of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist — had to be recovered.
Could this be related to Obito? Kitazawa frowned slightly, then dismissed the thought. Why would Obito care about Raiga's life or death?
Although he couldn't pinpoint the reason yet, Kitazawa stayed alert and resolved to watch carefully.
What if Obito had slipped into Konoha disguised among the Hidden Mist delegation?
After bidding farewell to Itachi, Kitazawa returned to the Ninja Academy.
It wasn't yet noon, and the Genius Class was still training. His gaze swept over the students and finally settled on Ino.
Her Ninja Art: Myriad Flowers looked nearly mastered, which didn't surprise him. After all, that technique was essentially a ninjutsu tool-throwing style, only with flower shuriken.
Kitazawa fell into thought. What ninjutsu should he teach her next? A sudden realization struck him — he had been thinking in the wrong direction.
The fact that Ino could learn Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos and Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty showed she had a natural talent for genjutsu.
He could simply teach her illusions. Genjutsu also suited her role in the Ino–Shika–Cho formation, where control was her primary function.
"Ino," Kitazawa called.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Ino ran over at once.
"Why are you so happy?" he asked, noticing her bright smile.
"Because Kitazawa-sensei calling me definitely means there's a new ninjutsu to learn," she said confidently, brushing a strand of golden hair from her forehead.
"Would you be disappointed if I said no?" Kitazawa teased.
"What's there to be disappointed about?" she replied, tilting her head. "Then why did Kitazawa-sensei call me?"
"To teach you a new technique," Kitazawa said, tapping her forehead. "It's called Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."
"Genjutsu?" Ino blinked in surprise. She had expected another custom-made ninjutsu like before.
"Mm." Kitazawa stepped back. "I'll demonstrate."
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"
An invisible ripple spread outward. Ino froze; her pupils widened, and fear flashed across her small face.
Fortunately, Kitazawa released the genjutsu after only a second. Even so, Ino clutched her chest, startled.
"I saw Sakura breaking off our friendship," she breathed.
"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique makes people see the most terrifying scene in their hearts," Kitazawa explained.
"Is that so?" Ino snorted softly, lifting her chin. "Breaking off friendship with Sakura isn't what I'm most afraid of!"
"Then what are you afraid of?" Kitazawa asked playfully.
"Afraid… Kitazawa-sensei leaving our class!" Ino's eyes darted about as she spoke playfully.
"That depends on your performance," Kitazawa replied with a slight smile.
"I'll work hard!" Ino nodded quickly.
After spending half an hour teaching her the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, Kitazawa headed to the school's artificial lake. Just as he was about to practice Earth Release: Earth Replacement, a dull rumble of thunder reached his ears.
Looking up, he saw dark clouds gathering not far away, faint flashes of lightning surging within them.
He pondered for a moment, then walked toward the source.
In a secluded corner of the Ninja Academy, Kakashi stood staring up at the thunderclouds, deep in thought. Kitazawa's eyes instinctively flicked to Kakashi's three-tomoe Sharingan.
Normally, Kakashi kept it covered under his forehead protector, but today it was exposed.
"How's the situation?" Kitazawa asked, glancing up at the storm overhead.
"Lightning Release: Kirin has reached the lightning-drawing stage," Kakashi answered calmly. "Drawing lightning isn't difficult; the challenge is channeling it all down at once."
Kitazawa immediately thought of Kurosuki Raiga's Lightning Blade: Kiba. With it to draw lightning, the effect would be doubled, and Kakashi could devote more focus to controlling all of it.
"Do you know about Lightning Blade: Kiba?" Kitazawa asked.
"One of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist," Kakashi replied after a pause. "Isn't it in your possession?"
"I had it reforged into two conventional ninjutsu blades," Kitazawa explained. "I'm planning to give the extra blade to you or Sasuke."
"I don't need it," Kakashi said instinctively, startled by the offer.
"Each of the Seven Ninja Swords has its own unique function," Kitazawa said with a smile. "The function of Lightning Blade: Kiba is to draw lightning."
Upon hearing this, Kakashi was immediately tempted. That function perfectly suited Lightning Release: Kirin.
"Didn't you say you also wanted to give it to Sasuke?" he asked with his usual dead-fish eyes. "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to take his blade."
"It's not really taking it," Kitazawa replied, shaking his head. "Sasuke doesn't need this blade at his current stage; you can use it first."
Right now, Sasuke couldn't even perform a Lightning Release jutsu, let alone learn the S-rank Kirin. It would probably take him years.
Besides, Lightning Blade: Kiba wasn't unique — there were other swords like the Lightning Cutter.
Kitazawa could always find one for Sasuke later. In the original timeline, Sasuke had used the Lightning Cutter anyway.
In fact, Konoha possessed a sword very well suited to Lightning Release users: the Sword of the Thunder God, the legendary personal weapon of Senju Tobirama.
The only question was whether it was still in the village. In the original story, a rogue Konoha ninja named Aoi Rokusho had stolen it.
"Thank you," Kakashi said at last after two seconds of silence.
"Don't thank me yet. Lightning Blade: Kiba is still being reforged," Kitazawa replied, spreading his hands. "For now, you'll still have to figure out how to complete the S-rank Lightning Release: Kirin yourself."
"Then what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked.
"Just checking on you." Kitazawa patted his shoulder. "Keep up the good work. I'm going to train; call me if you need anything."
"…" Kakashi felt both amused and exasperated. But all in all, Kitazawa was a good man — much like Might Guy.
---
Time passed to Friday.
"Kakashi, let's go. Time for the Jonin meeting," Kitazawa said, walking forward.
"You all train on your own; we'll be back in two hours at most," Kakashi instructed his Lightning Release and Earth Release students before glancing at Kitazawa.
"Kōsuke-senpai, are you coming?" Kitazawa asked after a moment's thought.
Although Kōsuke was technically a Genin, those who knew him understood he possessed Jonin-level strength.
"You two go ahead. An old man like me won't join the excitement; training with the children is more fun," Maruboshi Kōsuke said with a chuckle.
After more than a month of teaching, he had completely fallen in love with his role at the Ninja Academy — especially since he had found students like Sasuke and Sakura who could inherit his ninjutsu.
"Alright then," Kitazawa replied and said nothing more. He and Kakashi headed toward the Hokage Building's conference room.
They weren't particularly early. Many Jonin had already arrived, including Tsunade, Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, and Nara Shikaku.
Tsunade was present as Konoha's judicial representative, so it would have been inappropriate for her not to attend.
"Kakashi! Kitazawa!" Might Guy immediately stood up and waved at them.
"Kitazawa." Just as Kitazawa was about to approach, he heard Tsunade's voice.
"I'll go find Might Guy," Kakashi said, glancing at him, and walked off.
Kitazawa instead went to sit on Tsunade's left. His action immediately drew the eyes of many ninja — especially the heads of the major clans.
There were unwritten rules about seating in the conference room. Kitazawa had only recently become a Jonin, and although he was vice principal of the Ninja Academy, he technically wasn't qualified to sit in the first row.
However, since it was Tsunade's arrangement, no one said anything. They merely formed their own interpretations about the relationship between Kitazawa and Tsunade.
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