Kitazawa went to the backyard of Kurenai's house.
The ground was pitted all over—signs of her chakra-enhanced strength training.
"Why are you back so late today?" Kurenai stopped practicing, wiped the sweat from her brow, and asked.
"There was a last-minute jōnin meeting," Kitazawa said, and gave her a quick rundown.
"What?" Kurenai hurried up to him without hesitation. "I'm going too!"
"It'll be dangerous," Kitazawa said, uncertain.
"You'll protect me, won't you?" Kurenai paused, clenched her fists, and added, "Besides, I've gotten a lot stronger. I won't hold you back!"
Seeing the resolve on her face, Kitazawa finally agreed. The battlefield was dangerous, but it was also a great place to temper oneself.
"When do we leave?" Kurenai asked, expression turning serious. She spoke lightly, but she didn't take war lightly. She'd fought in the Third Shinobi World War; in terms of battlefield experience, she had more than Kitazawa.
"Not sure yet—we're waiting on Tsunade-sama's orders. Probably within the next two days," Kitazawa said.
"Tsunade's leading?" Kurenai's eyes lit up. "Then we're sure to win!"
Tsunade's reputation in Konoha was sky-high; many shinobi trusted her. Kurenai was no exception.
"Mm." Kitazawa ruffled her hair. "After lunch, let's go stock up on ninja tools and explosive tags."
On the battlefield, tools and tags burn fast. Unlike missions, you often don't get much rest, and having enough tools and tags lets you conserve chakra. Kitazawa had saved up for a long time without a big spend—now he finally had an excuse.
By sunset, Kitazawa and Kurenai returned home. They'd bought quite a haul that afternoon: tools, tags, and various long-keeping rations.
"You cook," Kitazawa said as something occurred to him. "I'll go ask Tsunade-sama about the situation."
"Okay." Kurenai headed for the kitchen.
Kitazawa went next door and knocked.
"Good evening, Kitazawa," said Shizune as she opened the door.
"Shizune-senpai." Kitazawa followed her into the sitting room.
At a glance he saw Tsunade asleep, slumped over the table, documents spread everywhere. A war—even a shinobi war—was never simple. Beyond combat units, there were intel, sensory, medical, and logistics divisions. All of it fell under the frontline commander—Tsunade.
"Give it a minute," Shizune whispered. "She's been at it non-stop since she got back from the Hokage's office."
"Got it," Kitazawa nodded.
He tiptoed closer and sat. His gaze drifted over her rumpled blouse—just a hint, but eye-catching enough. He looked away and casually picked up a dossier in front of him: intel on Mist jōnin—names, connections, preferred jutsu. Some entries were detailed, others just a line or two. Must depend on how famous they were, he thought.
After a moment, Tsunade's lashes fluttered and she blinked awake. She sat up, yawned, and, seeing Kitazawa, froze for a beat.
"Tsuna—" Kitazawa had barely said a word when he felt a kick. He glanced down at her bare, pale foot.
…What was that supposed to mean?
"This is your fault—I'm buried because of you," Tsunade grumbled, glaring at him.
"Anything I can do to help?" Kitazawa asked at once. He did bear some responsibility for this.
"I'm hungry. I want dinner," Tsunade said, abruptly changing tack after a few seconds of staring.
"I'll cook right now," Kitazawa said, momentarily stunned, then stood and headed for the kitchen.
Tsunade watched him until he disappeared, then turned back to the files, spacing out a little. She didn't quite know how she'd ended up here. She'd come back to the village for money, that was all. But events had sprinted beyond her control—somehow she'd found herself on the road to the Hokage's seat.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune came out a moment later, exasperated. "Why'd you make Kitazawa cook? He's a guest."
"Why can't he cook? He's your kouhai anyway," Tsunade said offhandedly, coming back to herself.
"You planning to take him as a student?" Shizune asked, surprised.
"Mm." Tsunade was quiet for two seconds, then nodded. Things had come to this point—if she didn't take him as a student, it wouldn't make sense. Even Danzo had called him her student at the jōnin meeting.
"So I finally get a proper kouhai… wait, he's already stronger than me." Shizune's smile froze; suddenly it didn't feel as exciting.
"His talent's higher than yours," Tsunade stretched lazily. "It's normal he surpassed you."
"Maybe, but as the senpai, it still feels like pressure," Shizune sighed.
"You'll get used to it," Tsunade chuckled.
"When are you going to tell him?" Shizune asked.
"After the war," Tsunade said, eyes narrowing. "I have a feeling he might make a name for himself in this war."
"His strength is already there—he just needs the chance," Shizune agreed.
Tsunade nodded, though she kept one reason to herself: with her hemophobia, Kitazawa would have to handle many things. Over time his presence would loom large—he might even become the next Namikaze Minato. That would suit her fine: he'd share the load; she could happily slack off. Even as Hokage someday, she could hold the post for two years and make a speedy exit.
By now, Tsunade knew the next Hokage would almost certainly be her—unless she resigned as frontline commander and left Konoha immediately. But… she couldn't. Since she couldn't, she would go with the flow; when the time came, there'd be no other choice anyway.
"Go call Kurenai to eat with us," Tsunade said.
"Right away," Shizune replied, picking up Tonton and heading out. Kurenai had already cooked, but she couldn't refuse Tsunade's invitation; her food would have to wait for tomorrow.
Half an hour later, six people sat around a big table.
"Rina, you and Karin will stay in Konoha," Tsunade instructed. "If Danzo comes looking for trouble, go to the old man for help."
"Okay," Uzumaki Rina answered immediately. She knew herself—she'd be no help on the battlefield; better to stay home and look after Karin.
"Kitazawa, Kurenai—you'll be attached to the staff office with me," Tsunade said, glancing at Kitazawa. "I'll assign you tasks as they come."
The battlefield was deadly, but if there was a relatively safer place, it was beside the commander, deep within Konoha's lines and most heavily defended.
"Get ready over the next two days. Once the Mist make a move, we march," Tsunade said, lifting her chopsticks. "Let's eat."
After dinner, Kitazawa and Kurenai went home.
"Good thing we've got Tsunade-sama. Otherwise we'd be in extreme danger out there," Kurenai said, slipping off her shoes, her bare feet sinking into the carpet.
"It's still dangerous at her side," Kitazawa said, stepping up to hug her from behind. "Don't get complacent."
"I know." Kurenai wriggled her waist and bumped him with her hip. "While there's time, I'm going to train."
"So diligent?" Kitazawa asked, surprised.
"I don't have your talent," Kurenai huffed.
"What are you working on? I'll join you." Kitazawa gave her a playful swat.
"No need," Kurenai refused. "Go do your thing." She knew he'd been researching limb-regeneration medical ninjutsu lately.
"All right," Kitazawa said, then lowered his head and gave her fair neck a light nip.
Kurenai shivered. Images fluttered through her mind, but she held back; she didn't want to be the "bad" woman in Kitazawa's teasing.
Kurenai headed outside, and Kitazawa returned to his room. He'd planned to practice Earth Release—he still had a quest to learn four Earth techniques before the third term ended, and only a month remained—but he decided to leave that pressure to Mist shinobi.
The battlefield was chaotic enough that he could activate his three-tomoe Sharingan and copy enemy jutsu. Mist ninja focused on Water Release, but there were Earth techniques too. Water Release was on his list as well—in fact, all five natures were. Too bad the three-tomoe Sharingan couldn't copy kekkei genkai, or he'd save himself a ton of time.
He sat at his desk and took out pen and paper. After all this time, his research into limb-regeneration medical ninjutsu had finally reached the entry level. He figured he could crack it in two or three months.
He didn't know how much time had passed when there was a knock.
"I've run you a hot bath. Go wash up," Kurenai said, stepping in. Fresh from her shower, she carried the scent of soap.
"Wait for me," Kitazawa said, setting down his pen with a meaningful look.
"I'm not letting you get handsy!" Kurenai shot back, cheeks flushing.
Kitazawa chuckled and went to the bath. Kurenai took a deep breath and sat on the bed, nerves taut as she waited. They knew each other well by now, but every night still felt new to her, and she couldn't help looking forward to it.
Time trickled by. Fully focused, Kurenai glanced up instinctively.
"Where do you want to start?" Kitazawa closed the door and came over.
Kurenai met his eyes, panicked a little, and turned away, not daring to look. A heartbeat later, she bared one elegant shoulder on her own.
"Your skin's whiter than snow," Kitazawa murmured at her ear, praising her.
Kurenai answered with a soft hum. Kitazawa kissed down along her neck; her body softened at the tingling sensation. She lay back without thinking and wrapped her arms around his head. Kitazawa's vision filled with white. Kurenai's lips parted; her long legs pressed against him. He said nothing and simply kept kissing.
"K-Kitazawa…" Kurenai's heart fluttered; her face burned.
Kitazawa lifted his head, slipped his hands to her waist, and, with a gentle lift, switched their positions. Kurenai swung a leg over and sat across his lap, looking down at him. He didn't speak—just smiled, eyes encouraging. Kurenai pouted. Again? Couldn't a grown man take the initiative? He was much stronger than she was, after all. Helpless, she set her small hands on his abdomen.
The night passed without words.
The next day, they trained while waiting for Tsunade's orders—their tools were already bought. By afternoon, Shizune appeared before them.
"Shizune-senpai," Kitazawa said, dropping from a tree. Kurenai had been training; he'd been working on limb regeneration.
"Tsunade-sama wants you at Konoha's main gate right now," Shizune said bluntly. "You'll lead the supply convoy out first. She'll depart with the main force tomorrow."
"Understood," Kitazawa said, arching a brow.
"Time's tight, so I'll skip the details—read this scroll," Shizune said, handing it over.
"Mm." Kitazawa took it. "We'll head out now."
Shizune nodded and left. Kitazawa gathered Yakushi Kabuto, Aburame Torune, and Uchiha Izumi, then went with Kurenai to the village gate. Plenty of shinobi were already waiting. He recognized the two leading them: Aburame Shibi and Shiranui Genma—the former, the Aburame clan head and a jōnin (and Shino's father); the latter, a special jōnin and former bodyguard to the Fourth Hokage.
"Kitazawa-sama," Shibi greeted.
"No need for that—just Kitazawa," he said, startled by the honorific and waving it off.
"During wartime we go by position," Shibi explained. "You're our captain now, so '-sama' fits."
Behind him, Genma felt a wave of unreality. Last year, Kitazawa had still called him "senpaj"; now he was serving under Kitazawa. Life turned fast. Still, he knew Kitazawa's status wasn't just thanks to Tsunade—it was his strength, especially after he'd killed Raiga Kurosuki of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen not long ago.
Watching Kitazawa chat easily with Shibi, Kurenai felt like she was dreaming. Before, she'd recognized how far his strength had come; now she felt his standing. Without her realizing it, Kitazawa had become someone out of her league. Good thing she'd had an eye for talent early.
"Enough small talk—let's move," Kitazawa ordered after a brief exchange.
The convoy set out for the southeastern border of the Land of Fire, carts loaded mainly with food, medicine, and tools. They used wagons because storage scrolls were too expensive and the load was too large; unless it was an emergency, wagons were standard. Kitazawa recalled how, in Boruto's time, lightning-powered railcars would make this much easier.
They traveled in silence. The Aburame handled perimeter security—their kikaichū could detect any ninja approaching the convoy. Kitazawa unrolled Shizune's scroll. It described the Mist's latest movements: that very morning, four thousand Mist shinobi had set out, with Ao as commander and Suikazan Fuguki as his deputy.
That was close to an all-out deployment. A normal Mizukage would never be so reckless—but this one was under Uchiha Obito's control. If Elder Genshi and others hadn't argued, the Mist might have fielded even more.
Kitazawa closed the scroll. The situation was grave. Even standing still, four thousand Mist shinobi would take a long time to cut down—never mind that fighting near the coast favored them and their Hidden Mist Technique.
As Kitazawa expected, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, hadn't come to the front, which complicated his quest. The group left Konoha and headed toward the southeastern border. On foot, shinobi could make it in about a day, but wagons were slower. By the following night, Tsunade's main force had caught up. The two groups linked up and, since it was late, made camp on the spot.
"Tsunade-sama," Kitazawa said, entering her tent.
"Good work, Kitazawa," Tsunade said, lying on a carpet and waving him over.
"Wasn't much—smooth all the way, didn't even run into an enemy," Kitazawa said, sitting cross-legged. From his angle, her top fell to either side; the lines beneath looked… springy.
"I just got intel—the advance unit got ambushed and took heavy losses," Tsunade said, rubbing her brow. "The Mist's Hidden Mist Technique makes surprise attacks a breeze."
"What do you have in mind, Tsunade-sama?" Kitazawa asked. "Starting off badly will hit our morale."
"You're right," Tsunade said, sitting up. "These past two days, the Hyuga have put a lot of work into this map of the offshore islets." She produced a map marked with three red dots. "These three islands are the Mist advance force's bases. If we wipe out even one, we can swing the momentum."
[Current Mission: Win Konoha's first victory of the war.]
[Reward: Supervibrato Lightning Release Swords.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa couldn't help marveling at how many opportunities war created—three quests in just three days.