It was Thursday. The Genius Class had their second monthly exam.
Kitazawa arrived at the Ninja Academy after breakfast.
He had been practicing Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu for the past two days. However, he wasn't very satisfied with his progress; it was too slow.
Kitazawa planned to use the Three-Tomoe Sharingan's ability to copy Ninjutsu to accelerate his learning. But using the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in front of Konoha Village Ninja would be hard to explain.
Furthermore, Anbu had been looking for Obito recently, and if he exposed himself now, Hiruzen would inevitably become suspicious.
After some thought, Kitazawa decided to emulate Kakuzu. He would take on bounty missions at the underground black market — also known as the exchange office — on weekends.
For example, this Saturday, he planned to find an Iwagakure Ninja to test his skills.
"Good morning, Teacher Kitazawa!" With a faint, refreshing scent, Ino appeared before him.
"Good morning." Kitazawa snapped out of his thoughts and asked with a smile, "Why are you alone today? Where are Shikamaru and Choji?"
"I went to the flower shop, so I didn't go with them," Ino replied.
"What did you go to the flower shop for?" Kitazawa asked as he walked.
"I asked my mom to prepare the flower petals I'll need for my Ninjutsu tomorrow." Ino waved her small fist and said, "This time, I'm definitely going to defeat Sakura!"
"Your strength is a bit greater than Sakura's." Kitazawa pondered for a moment and reminded her, "You just need to be careful of her Water Release: Water Formation Wall."
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Ino sped up and blocked his path.
But she didn't stop walking; instead, she walked backward, facing him, her golden ponytail swaying.
"Does Water Release: Water Formation Wall have any weaknesses?" Ino asked with an expectant look.
"What's wrong?" Kitazawa couldn't help but laugh, raising his hand to tap her forehead, and asked, "Do you want me to help you cheat?"
"Sakura has seen my Ninjutsu many times, but I haven't seen her use Water Release: Water Formation Wall." Ino blinked her eyes and said, "This is me gathering intelligence on my opponent in advance."
"Then I'll perform Water Release: Water Formation Wall for you." Kitazawa mused for a moment and said, "As for the weaknesses, you'll have to find them yourself."
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Ino's face lit up with a brilliant smile upon hearing this.
Upon arriving at the Ninja Academy, Kitazawa led her to the Training Ground. Today was the written exam, so there weren't many students on the Training Ground.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" Kitazawa stood still, forming hand signs.
A stream of water appeared out of nowhere, and after circling him, water walls rose around him.
"Is it an all-around defense?" Ino bit her finger, lost in thought.
"How is it?" Kitazawa dispelled the Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
"It feels very troublesome." Ino said with a troubled expression, "No wonder Sakura is so confident."
"Think about it carefully." Kitazawa patted her head and said, "No Ninjutsu is invincible."
"Mm." Ino said nonchalantly, "I'll think about it this afternoon. For now, let's hurry to the school."
After she finished speaking, she pulled Kitazawa and walked towards the Genius Class classroom.
"Ino, why did you come with Teacher Kitazawa today?" Tenten asked curiously.
"I met him on the way." Ino's eyes darted around, and she said, "I asked Teacher Kitazawa for advice on how to defeat Sakura."
"Eh?" Sakura's eyes widened suddenly, and she said, "That's not fair!"
"Hmph, just wait to admit defeat!" Ino said triumphantly, holding onto Kitazawa's arm.
"Teacher Kitazawa isn't that kind of person!" Sakura glanced at Kitazawa and said with certainty.
"You actually couldn't be fooled?" Ino's smile froze, and she pouted, saying.
"How scary." Shikamaru shook his head and said, "To use psychological warfare for a monthly exam."
"I think that's very youthful!" Rock Lee gave a thumbs up, his teeth gleaming as he spoke.
"Has Naruto not arrived yet?" Kiba looked left and right and said, "Without his echoing, I'm still a bit unaccustomed."
"If you can get used to something like that, then you're not far from being doomed," Shikamaru complained.
"Naruto probably overslept." Kitazawa glanced at the time and said, "There are still ten minutes."
"He must have trained too late last night." Kiba guessed.
"He's talented and so diligent, that's why Naruto can get first place," Ino said admiringly.
"Last time, Sasuke-kun was first!" Sakura immediately corrected her.
"This time too," Sasuke said calmly.
"Ah ah ah!" Naruto's voice rang out.
A green whirlwind rushed into the classroom at an extremely fast speed.
"Did I... did I arrive late?" Naruto asked, panting.
"The exam is already over, Naruto," Shikamaru said with a pained expression.
Naruto froze on the spot.
Sasuke couldn't help but shake his head. How could he even believe something like that?
"Alright, everyone, take your seats. The exam is about to begin." Kitazawa patted Naruto's shoulder and said.
"It hasn't started?" Naruto immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Shikamaru and asked with dissatisfaction, "You actually lied to me?"
"I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen for lunch." Shikamaru chose the simplest solution.
Kitazawa distributed the test papers row by row, in order.
When the bell rang, everyone picked up their pens and began answering the questions.
Kitazawa didn't take this opportunity to practice Ninjutsu on the Training Ground this time. He sat at the front of the classroom, took out paper and pen, and began researching his limb regeneration Medical Ninjutsu.
Time slowly passed.
Two hours flew by in the blink of an eye.
"Everyone, stop writing." Kitazawa stood up and scanned the room; the students' expressions were all very interesting and varied.
He smiled and collected all the test papers. "Tomorrow at nine AM, the practical exam will be held on the Training Ground. Remember not to be late."
Kitazawa returned to the office with the test papers.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
As before, Kitazawa created nine Shadow Clones. Together, the ten of them graded the papers, and soon all thirty were finished and ranked.
Kitazawa glanced at the rankings. They were roughly the same as last time—only Shikamaru had dropped from first place to tenth.
Sakura, Hyuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuga Hinata had each moved up one spot.
"The key is still the practical exam," Kitazawa murmured as he stood up and stretched.
For this month's practical exam, he had two system missions—one for Ino and one for Uzumaki Naruto.
He had taught them everything he could; the rest was up to their performance. Overall, it shouldn't be a big problem.
Kitazawa closed the door and left the Ninja Academy. But after only a few steps, he saw Tsunade, Nara Shikaku, and the Hidden Mist Village ninja delegation team. His eyebrows involuntarily twitched.
Although the negotiations between Hidden Mist Village and Konoha Village were because of him, he hadn't inquired about their progress. He hadn't expected to coincidentally encounter the Hidden Mist delegation's departure today.
Kitazawa thought for a moment and then followed them.
At the Konoha Village main gate, Suikazan Fuguki spoke in a deep voice. "Konoha Village's overbearingness—Hidden Mist Village has noted it. We'll come back to challenge you when we have the chance."
No matter what price they offered, Konoha Village simply wouldn't give them Lightning Blade: Kiba. He had originally planned to negotiate for two more days, but yesterday an Anbu sent by Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, had told him to drop it.
Since it was the Mizukage's order, he could only obey and made a concession, taking away only Kurosuki Raiga's corpse. But Konoha Village's performance these past two days had left him with a deep impression—and unwillingness.
"Konoha will always welcome it." Tsunade smiled faintly, not taking his words to heart.
"Let's go!" Suikazan Fuguki leaped, quickly disappearing into the Forest of Death. The other Hidden Mist ninja followed him.
"It's finally over. It wasted so much of my time," Tsunade muttered, revealing her true nature. "Next time, whoever wants to go can go!"
Nara Shikaku and the others could only pretend not to hear.
"You can go back." Tsunade knew complaining to them was useless. She waved her hand dismissively.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Nara Shikaku and the others bowed slightly and turned to leave.
"You've worked hard, Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa said as he stepped forward.
"Do you have anything to do this afternoon?" Tsunade asked, glancing at him. She had noticed Kitazawa following behind them for a while.
"Nothing," Kitazawa paused, "but if you're asking me to accompany you to the casino, I—"
"You what?" Tsunade grabbed his wrist, her beautiful eyes wide. "I haven't been to the casino for days because of you. You should compensate me!"
The reason Lady Tsunade represented Konoha Village in negotiations with the Hidden Mist Village was that Kitazawa had killed Kurosuki Raiga and taken Lightning Blade: Kiba. If he hadn't taken Kiba, they wouldn't have been negotiating for so long.
Kitazawa instinctively tried to break free, but couldn't budge—Tsunade's strength was considerably greater than his.
"All right." Kitazawa thought for a moment and agreed. After all, he did bear the primary responsibility.
"Let's go!" Tsunade's eyes lit up. "Before Shizune realizes, let's go to the casino now!"
"Aren't you eating lunch?" Kitazawa asked, his mouth twitching.
"Go buy two lunch boxes," Tsunade ordered, releasing his hand. "If you run, you'll face the consequences!"
"How would I dare?" Kitazawa smiled. "Besides, I'm a man of my word."
"I'll wait for you at our usual spot," Tsunade said, her expression softening.
After watching her leave, Kitazawa pondered for a moment before returning home. Buying lunch boxes seemed wasteful; he had food at home anyway, so he might as well make two portions.
"You're back? I'll go make dinner now," Kurenai said, standing up.
"I'm eating out," Kitazawa explained. "Lady Tsunade asked me to bring two meals to the casino."
"Are the negotiations with the Hidden Mist Village over?" Kurenai asked, immediately understanding.
"Mm." Kitazawa walked toward the kitchen.
Kurenai followed him, picked up an apron, and tied it around Kitazawa's waist.
"I'll go get the lunch boxes," she said gently, perfectly playing the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
After the meal was prepared, Kitazawa took the two lunch boxes to the casino.
Tsunade sat at a gambling table, intently watching the dealer's movements.
"Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa said as he walked over and sat beside her. "Eat first."
"I don't have time," Tsunade replied without turning her head. "Feed me."
"Lady Tsunade, how can you say such things?" Kitazawa complained.
"Why not?" Tsunade said righteously. "I'm your teacher, after all."
"If you put it that way, then of course it's fine." Kitazawa picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a fried shrimp, and brought it to her mouth.
Tsunade's red lips parted slightly, biting the fried shrimp and rolling it into her mouth with her tender red tongue. Kitazawa watched the scene and thought of the phrase "a feast for the eyes."
"Damn it!" Tsunade's expression suddenly changed, her delicate face filled with annoyance. "How did I lose again?"
Kitazawa shook his head. It was impressive that she hadn't given up after losing for so many years.
"Open your mouth," Kitazawa said, picking up a rice ball.
Tsunade's face was gloomy as she took a big, fierce bite. Kitazawa was startled—he felt like she could bite off his fingers along with it. Fortunately, she wasn't that savage yet.
Time slowly passed.
As expected, Tsunade lost for another entire afternoon. The two of them walked out of the casino.
"Suikazan Fuguki is a bit strange," Tsunade suddenly said, recalling something. "He was so firm a few days ago, but today he's completely different."
Kitazawa frowned slightly.
Could it be because of Uchiha Obito? He controlled Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, so he could naturally order the Hidden Mist Village ninja delegation.
An ominous premonition surfaced in Kitazawa's mind.
In the original work, Obito abandoned the Hidden Mist Village because Ao discovered the truth of Yagura's control with his Byakugan.
But now Ao hadn't discovered it yet, and Obito was severely injured. In extreme anger, he could do anything — even make the Hidden Mist Village and Konoha Village go to war.
"Forget it, it's just the Hidden Mist Village," Tsunade said indifferently.
The Hidden Mist Village's power was already weaker than Konoha's, and with the Bloody Mist policy over the years, it had weakened even further. She didn't think the Hidden Mist Village had the guts to do anything.
"Mm." Kitazawa nodded.
When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth. Even if war really broke out, he wouldn't be afraid.
Ending the war wouldn't be difficult — he just needed to let the Hidden Mist Village ninja know that Yagura was being controlled. Perhaps he could even trigger a few system missions and earn a quick buck.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune appeared, holding Tonton, and questioned, "Did you go to the casino again?"
After the Hidden Mist Village–Konoha negotiations ended, Tsunade had asked her to stay in the meeting room to organize documents. As a result, the organizing had lasted all afternoon.
"No." Tsunade glanced at Kitazawa and said without changing her expression, "Kitazawa and I went to the Training Ground."
"That's right," Kitazawa said with a serious expression.
"Really?" Shizune asked with some suspicion.
"You don't believe me, but don't you believe Kitazawa?" Tsunade waved her hand. "I'm hungry. Let's go home and eat."
Left with no choice, Shizune didn't pursue the matter further.
"Kitazawa, ask Kurenai to come eat with us," Tsunade added.
"All right." Kitazawa nodded in agreement.
---
Night deepened.
In the Mizukage Building of the Hidden Mist Village, inside the Mizukage's office:
"Fuguki and the others are on their way back," Yagura said to Obito's back.
"Mm." Obito replied expressionlessly, "You will officially declare war on Konoha Village tomorrow."
"Yes," Yagura agreed without hesitation.
"You may leave," Obito said, waving his hand.
Yagura bowed slightly, then turned and left.
Once the door closed, Obito reverted to his original form — a completely pale White Zetsu. The current Obito was recovering from his injuries in the Land of Fire, so it was up to White Zetsu to convey orders to Yagura Karatachi.
Fortunately, the control of the Mangekyō Sharingan, as long as it wasn't released, was permanent. This was true even though Obito was severely injured.
And making the Hidden Mist Village and Konoha Village go to war was his gift to Konoha.
Although he knew very well that the Hidden Mist Village couldn't win, annoying Konoha Village was absolutely no problem — and it would allow him to vent his frustration.
Anyway, Obito had been playing around in the Hidden Mist Village for so many years and had had enough fun.
Coupled with his intention to focus his energy on the Akatsuki Organization and the Eye of the Moon Plan, the Hidden Mist Village could be abandoned.
---
The next day, Friday.
The second day of the monthly exam: the practical combat exam.
"Kosuke-sensei, Kakashi, good morning." Kitazawa arrived just in time. Kosuke and Kakashi had both arrived a step before him.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto, Kiba, and the others all greeted him.
"Everyone, stand in formation; the practical combat exam is about to begin," Kitazawa clapped his hands and said.
Iruka had already brought out the lottery box. The students of the Genius Class immediately stood in formation.
"First round, first match — Ino versus Sakura."
Kitazawa directly manipulated the draw, placing these two good friends together.
"Ino, come on!" Sakura clenched her fists, full of fighting spirit.
"Today, you're going to lose!" Ino put her hands on her hips, brimming with confidence.
"Times have changed." Sakura was also confident. "I've learned Water Release now; I'm no longer that medical ninja without combat ability."
"I learned ninjutsu from Kitazawa-sensei!" Ino snorted lightly.
"Kosuke-sensei is not bad either!" Sakura retorted.
Kitazawa watched the two little girls argue and couldn't help but smile.
The two walked into the center of the Training Ground, and after forming the Seal of Confrontation, the battle officially began.
"Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos!" Ino raised her hands, and a sky full of flower petals appeared.
Sakura's vision was obstructed, and she formed hand seals without hesitation. Just then, Ino appeared to her left, her flower shuriken stabbing out.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Water walls rose around Sakura. The flower shuriken got stuck in the water wall. Sakura immediately turned around, a kunai already in her hand.
But before she could throw it, Ino disappeared from her spot. Flower petals reappeared, swirling around Sakura.
Ino leaped up, descended from above, and jumped into the Water Formation Wall. This was the breakthrough method she had thought about all night.
Sakura instinctively threw a kunai.
Ino tilted her head, dodging the kunai while simultaneously throwing a punch.
Sakura was pushed back half a step by the punch; she gritted her teeth and lunged forward.
The two began close combat using Konoha-Style Taijutsu. They both used similar moves, and their engagement was basically evenly matched.
"Ninja Art: Hundred Flowers Chaos!"
After a brief struggle, Ino seized the opportunity to throw a large amount of flower petals.
Sakura instinctively formed hand seals — but it was already too late.
Ino held a ninja flower to her neck. She won because the two ninjutsu Kitazawa had given her didn't require hand seals; throwing petals was the activation of the genjutsu.
--
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)