After April began, the temperature rose quite a bit, but the air was still pleasantly cool.
Kitazawa sat out front of the tent with Kurenai, Kabuto, and the others, enjoying the breeze while they ate dinner. They'd just finished an A-rank mission.
"Hard to believe we've been fighting for almost two weeks," Kitazawa mused, even as the system streamed Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work and Wind Release: Pressure Damage into his mind.
"It's my first time cranking out ten high-level missions in half a month," Kurenai said around a bite of fried shrimp. "Nonstop high-intensity combat is exhausting—body and mind."
"But you've all come a long way," Kitazawa chuckled. "Your battlefield sense and your jutsu proficiency—both have jumped."
"That's true." Kurenai clenched a fist with a small hum. "At this point your average Mist chūnin—or even genin—I can one-punch them."
With Monster Strength and the Rasengan under her belt, her power had more than doubled. Once the war ended, the jōnin exams wouldn't be out of reach.
"You've all performed well lately, and you've just about mastered what you've learned," Kitazawa said, looking at Kabuto and Uchiha Izumi. He paused, then smiled. "So today I'm going to teach you a new jutsu."
"What is it?" Kabuto's eyes lit up. After so much fighting, he'd felt his current Wind Release toolkit hitting its limits—new technique? Perfect timing.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage," Kitazawa said. "It's a B-rank on paper, but it hits a lot harder than a typical B-rank."
"How come I've never heard of that Wind Release?" Kurenai asked, puzzled.
"It's not a Konoha technique," Kitazawa improvised smoothly. "I picked it up from an enemy while on a mission."
Chances were slim they'd ever run into Kakuzu. And even if they did, no one was likely to make a fuss; at his current rank and standing he could use almost anything short of a few forbidden techniques. That's why he'd dared to use Lightning Release: Chidori and the Supervibrato Lightning Release Swords against Ringo Ameyuri.
Besides, lots of jutsu look similar—if anyone asked, he could always claim it as an original. In fact, leaning into a "Tobirama-style jutsu creator" persona was looking smarter by the day.
"How is that 'stealing'?" Kurenai teased with a smile. "That's called spoils of war."
She was blatantly biased—but not wrong. If you can learn an enemy's technique mid-fight, that's your skill. Look at Kakashi, "Copy Ninja" of Konoha, with a thousand techniques to his name.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto said, pleased but trying not to overdo it. He already knew several B-rank Winds—Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere, for example, could exceed normal B-rank power.
Izumi glanced at Kitazawa, curious what she'd get to learn.
"For you: Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work," Kitazawa said, meeting her gaze and repeating the same cover story. It was nominally B-rank, but in Kakuzu's hands it hit like an A.
"I'm teaching you two these because they combine into a composite technique," he added with a grin.
"Composite ninjutsu?" Kabuto and Izumi both looked startled. They knew enough to know those hit far above their parts—edging toward bloodline-limit territory.
"Composite Ninjutsu: Blazing Wind Wild Wave," Kitazawa said with a nod. "A real A-rank composite. It can threaten even jōnin."
"Thank you, Sensei!" Kabuto straightened, energized. Pressure Damage by itself might feel similar to Vacuum Great Sphere—but paired with Intelligent Hard Work it was a different beast, a true squad finisher.
Izumi smiled too. Even with her two-tomoe Sharingan and elite-chūnin level, their team drew high-difficulty missions; she often felt short on firepower. With Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work, she could help handle special jōnin and even jōnin.
Aburame Tokune looked a touch envious—but he knew himself. Kitazawa wasn't snubbing him; he was just too young, his foundation behind Kabuto's and Izumi's. Still, the recent battles had toughened him up; give it time and he'd get there.
Kurenai said nothing. She hadn't fully mastered Monster Strength yet; no need to rush new techniques. One step at a time.
"We'll take tomorrow off from missions. I'll teach you Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work (Zukokku) and Wind Release: Pressure Damage (Atsugai) first," Kitazawa decided. They'd done ten straight days of high-difficulty work—A-rank at minimum. He could keep going, but Kurenai and Izumi were worn out; they needed a breather. Few squads fought at that tempo day after day.
After dinner, Kitazawa and Kurenai returned to their tent.
"I worked up a sweat today—help me bathe?" Kurenai asked, cheeks slightly flushed.
"We're this close and you still blush?" Kitazawa teased, catching the look on her face.
"Whose fault is it you always 'abuse your authority' to take advantage of me?" she shot back, rolling her eyes.
"So…still want that bath?" he asked, smiling.
"Yes." She huffed, then undid her clothes. They fell in a soft pile, revealing the black mesh underlayer beneath—semi-transparent, hugging fair skin and tracing elegant lines.
"Well? Don't just stare," Kurenai said, giving him a light kick as she unwound the bandage from her thigh, a perfectly toned leg coming into view.
Kitazawa looked away, then pulled out a summoning storage scroll. Bathing on campaign was a hassle—an enemy could attack mid-wash. He'd planned ahead. He unsealed a wooden tub, set it down, and formed hand signs. Chakra shifted to Water Release, filling the tub two-thirds full; then to Fire Release, heat rippling into the water until it turned pleasantly warm.
"Thanks." Kurenai lifted her long leg and stepped in. Kitazawa, unabashed, took in the scene.
"Will you wash me?" she asked, ruby eyes shimmering.
"Mm. Rest your right arm on the rim," he said gently. He squeezed out cleanser and smoothed it from her hand up to her shoulder, rinsed, then moved to the left.
"Front," he said, eyes dipping to her collarbone and chest. Blushing, Kurenai stood; water beaded down pale skin from collarbone to waist before disappearing below. Kitazawa's hands moved with care, lathering and rinsing.
Watching his focus, Kurenai's blush deepened; her steady breathing slipped out of rhythm, a hazy look in her bright eyes.
"Hey, I'm washing. What are you thinking about?" Kitazawa asked, amused.
"I—I'm not!" she said, snapping back to herself.
"Turn around," he said with a small laugh. She did, offering a smooth, elegant back. He gave her hip a playful tap, then scrubbed her back clean.
"D-done yet?" she asked after a few minutes.
"Don't you want to soak a bit longer?" he asked, puzzled.
"That's enough. I'll wash you," she said, glancing down, shivering, then looking away.
"Then step out first," Kitazawa smiled. She climbed out without dressing, waiting by the tub. He refreshed the water and stepped in.
"Aren't you going to start? Why are you just standing there?" he asked. Kurenai shot him a look, then—after a breath—perched on the rim. He looked up and, for a heartbeat, was caught by the view.
"Naughty," she murmured, sliding both legs into the water.
"You're a little different today," he managed, breath hitching.
"You've worked hard these past two weeks. Consider this a little reward," she said, having decided to be bold, and now oddly calm again.
"My Kurenai really is the best," he said, leaning back, admiring those long, graceful legs.
"Of course." She wiggled nimble toes, pleased with herself.
"When we get back, I'm going to 'reward' you every day," he grinned.
"That won't be necessary," she said, face tightening as she folded her arms. "We're shinobi. Training comes first."
"Aren't you the one who fears nothing?" he laughed at her quick pivot.
"I—I'm not afraid," she said, turning away. "I just think I should train more, so you don't leave me in the dust."
"Come in. It's cold outside the tub," he said, beckoning. She parted her legs slightly and stepped in, bare feet touching the bottom.
"Stealing a hot bath in the middle of all this…really is nice," Kitazawa exhaled.
Kurenai only hummed, biting her lip. Seeing that sweet, sultry expression, he couldn't help sliding an arm around her waist.
"Wash—slowly," she protested, half-serious.
"It's a rare treat. We should take our time," he said, blinking playfully.
Time slipped by. After a thorough wash, they curled up together and drifted off. Another quiet night. Though the war raged, neither side's main camp had been pulled into it.
A new day. Kitazawa woke on schedule. Kurenai still slept—she'd been through a lot the night before. He let her rest, ate breakfast, and began teaching Kabuto and Izumi. Aburame Tokune trained his clan's secret arts on his own. With no mission, the day felt peaceful—no different from Konoha: train, and train some more.
On the following day, Kitazawa and Kurenai reined things back in—burning stamina before a mission wasn't smart. But before Kitazawa could go to Tsunade for new orders, an Anbu appeared.
"Kitazawa-sama," the ANBU said with a small bow. "Tsunade-sama requests your squad."
"Got it. We'll head over," Kitazawa replied, brows lifting. Tsunade usually called only him—summoning the whole team meant something important.
"Sounds like a major assignment," Kurenai said, catching on.
"Mm." Kitazawa stood. "We'll know when we get there."
The five of them entered Tsunade's command tent—and saw an Anbu already inside.
"Itachi?" Izumi said, delighted.
"Izumi. Long time," Uchiha Itachi turned and greeted her.
"You recognized him from just a back view?" Kurenai teased. "You two must be close."
Itachi didn't react much; Izumi, though, looked a bit embarrassed.
"Tsunade-sama," Kitazawa said, nodding to Itachi before facing her.
"We've got a problem," Tsunade said, rubbing her brow. "Fuguki Suikazan has been leading harassment raids nearby."
"No one sent to deal with him?" Kitazawa asked. Fuguki was strong, but hardly invincible.
"We have—but they keep coming up empty," Tsunade sighed. "That Mist squad bolts the moment things look bad. No one can pin them down."
"What about the Hyūga?" Kitazawa frowned.
"They throw up the Hidden Mist Technique every time they run," Tsunade said. "Byakugan doesn't help much when the field of view becomes one giant chakra fog."
"That is tricky," Kitazawa agreed. If they could win, they fought; if not, they fled. That squad had the right idea.
"Other teams can't manage it. You?" Tsunade asked, meeting his eyes. She had four thousand Konoha shinobi on the front, but almost none could be counted on to outmatch Kitazawa cleanly. After a week of failures, she had to hand the hard job to him.
"I can try," Kitazawa said after a beat. His Byakugan purity was thirty percent—stronger than the Hyūga's. Even through Hidden Mist, he could still make out some things.
[Current Mission: Stop or eliminate Fuguki Suikazan.]
[Reward: +2/5 of a Chakra-Cap card.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa blinked, then his eyes lit up. Definitely accepting. Fuguki was one of the stronger members of the original Seven Swordsmen; the reward was twice what he'd earned for taking down Ringo Ameyuri.
"Fuguki's squad is slippery," Tsunade said with a nod. "I'm assigning Itachi to lead an Anbu unit to coordinate with you."
So that's why Itachi was here. In that case…this was practically in the bag. Whatever Fuguki's lineup, it wouldn't outclass a Mangekyō Sharingan—though Tsunade didn't know Itachi had awakened it.
"Be careful," Tsunade added. "Your safety comes first."
"Understood," Kitazawa said, a bit taken aback by the concern.
"This is S-rank. Move out," Tsunade waved. "For their specifics, Itachi will brief you."
"We'll step outside," Itachi said with a small bow, then left the tent.
"Didn't expect to run a mission together," Izumi said once they were out.
"Me neither," Itachi said, then explained, "I just came from the village."
"How's the Academy?" Kitazawa asked.
"Business as usual," Itachi smiled. "Sasuke's asked me several times when you're coming back to teach."
"For Sasuke to ask that…he must really care about you, Sensei," Izumi said, surprised. She knew him as the quintessential cool Uchiha.
"Itachi, fill us in on Fuguki's squad," Kitazawa said, shifting gears.
"Four members, all jōnin," Itachi said quietly.
"Kisame among them?" Kitazawa's eyes narrowed. Four Mist jōnin was a top-tier team.
"No," Itachi shook his head, then detailed the lineup. Fuguki Suikazan—one of the Seven Swordsmen—handled swordplay. Of the other three: one Earth-Release jōnin who scouts for targets suited to ambush; one Water-Release jōnin specializing in Hidden Mist who fights and covers retreats; and a medic-sensor for healing and support.
"No wonder they're hard to catch," Kitazawa said, rubbing his chin, thinking. Would thirty-percent Byakugan be enough to lock them down?
"These are the places they've shown up," Itachi said, unrolling a map. Kitazawa glanced over it—the area was broad. Draw a line from the shoreline to Konoha's main camp, and their activity zone covered the left half near the sea.