"Jugo."
Kitazawa looked at him. "Your issue is your special constitution—the Sage Transformation."
Jugo's first thought was: how does he know I have a special constitution? Then he figured Orochimaru or Guren must have told him.
"Your constitution is a double-edged sword. It boosts your power, but it also makes you lose control," Kitazawa said evenly. "My idea is to have you receive the Curse Mark of Earth."
"I don't need it," Jugo explained. "When I take in too much natural energy and go berserk, I automatically enter Curse Mark Level Two."
"I'm not talking about the original Curse Mark of Earth." Kitazawa shook his head. "I want to add multiple limiters."
"Limiters?" Jugo looked confused.
"Simply put, I want you to use the Curse Mark while staying rational."
The spark came from the Eight Gates. Kitazawa planned to modify the Curse Mark into an Eightfold Curse Mark of Earth. If only the first three "gates" were opened, they wouldn't affect Jugo's temperament or emotions.
Open all eight, and you'd get Berserker Jugo. He could also add a failsafe: if someone forcibly pushed to the eighth stage, an auto-seal would trigger to prevent killing.
He came up with this Eightfold Mark to build a Curse Mark Corps for Konoha. Orochimaru had lowered the implantation mortality rate; Kitazawa would lower the loss-of-control rate in use. That would make a sizable Konoha Curse Mark Corps feasible.
"Really?" Jugo's face lit up.
Even Kaguya Kimimaro's expression flickered. He knew how much Jugo hated his constitution. Once he lost control, he became a mindless killer—that left him adrift. If this could be solved, it would be like being reborn.
"Of course," Kitazawa said with a smile. "You just combine the Curse Mark of Earth with sealing techniques."
[Current Mission: Modify the Curse Mark of Earth.]
[Reward: Curse Mark of Heaven.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa arched a brow and accepted. Orochimaru had already offered him a Curse Mark of Heaven, but he'd have to study it himself—and Kitazawa didn't trust him. What if he'd tampered with it? What the system gave was the only thing he truly trusted.
"I don't understand sealing," Jugo admitted.
"You don't need to." Kitazawa chuckled. "Before that, I'll teach you Leaf-Style Taijutsu."
When Jugo wasn't using his special constitution, he was basically a standard taijutsu fighter—Leaf-Style fit him.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." This time Jugo meant it. He hadn't acknowledged Kitazawa before; they had no ties. But Kitazawa was still trying to solve his problem—that made Jugo see him in a new light.
"My shadow clone will teach you," Kitazawa said, forming another clone.
Jugo followed it to an open patch of ground and started practicing Konoha-Style.
"Kimimaro, you're the strongest here. As for Shikotsumyaku, I don't have much to say," Kitazawa said, meeting his gaze.
"I'll train the bone-style on my own," Kimimaro replied calmly. Kitazawa might be powerful, but he didn't have Shikotsumyaku, so he couldn't teach it. In fact, Orochimaru couldn't either—Kimimaro had taught himself.
"Mm." Kitazawa nodded. "Have you noticed anything off with your body?"
"What's wrong with my body?" Kimimaro asked, puzzled.
As expected, Kitazawa thought. Neither Kimimaro nor Orochimaru had realized the existence of the Shikotsumyaku-related kekkei genkai disease yet. It was too rare, and Kimimaro hadn't shown symptoms.
By the time it was discovered, it would be too late to cure, only suppress. With any illness, early vs. late treatment is a world apart. Even cancer can be cured if caught early. Kekkei genkai disease should be similar. Treat it now, and there was hope.
"When we fought, I noticed some disharmony in your body," Kitazawa said, dead serious. In truth, he hadn't; it was just a pretext.
"...?" Kimimaro opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Kitazawa was Tsunade's student—an authority in medical ninjutsu. If he said there was a problem, there probably was.
"We won't know specifics until tests are done," Kitazawa smiled. "Don't worry—the best med-nin in the shinobi world are in Konoha."
Kimimaro nodded. That part wasn't a lie. Even in Otogakure he'd heard of Tsunade and Kitazawa.
"Come on—let's go to the hospital."
Kitazawa could examine him with medical ninjutsu, but Konoha Hospital's equipment was more precise.
"Okay." Kimimaro had never imagined that after trading blows with Kitazawa, he'd end up being told he had an issue. Still, it was good news. If he was going to be Orochimaru's vessel, he couldn't allow any problems with his body.
Kitazawa brought Kimimaro to Konoha Hospital and found Yakushi Nonō to explain the case.
"A kekkei-genkai disease?" Nonō said in surprise. "I've heard of them, but this is my first time seeing one."
"Schedule a full workup," Kitazawa said after a pause. "I'll go get Tsunade-sama."
He left the hospital.
"Kimimaro, this way," Nonō said with a gentle smile.
Kitazawa headed to the Hokage's office. Tsunade and Shizune were there. After he explained Kimimaro's situation, both came with him to the hospital. Shizune was a med-nin too, and a never-before-seen kekkei-genkai illness piqued her interest.
When Kimimaro finished his tests and came out, he saw Tsunade, Kitazawa, Shizune—and a whole crowd of med-nin—and froze. It had originally been just those three.
Someone must have leaked the words "kekkei-genkai disease." With Tsunade there as well, every free medic came to rubberneck, and here they were.
Kimimaro wasn't dumb. Even he could tell this wasn't some ordinary illness. What kind of disease drew this many med-nin? For someone who feared nothing, a twinge of anxiety crept in. If it was too serious and he couldn't be Orochimaru's vessel, that would be devastating.
"They're just here to gawk. Don't overthink it," Kitazawa said, trying to reassure him. With a lineup like this, a weaker-nerved shinobi might have cried on the spot—dozens of med-nin consulting together was practically a send-off.
"..." Kimimaro fell silent. With a scene like this, did reassurance even matter?
Time ticked by. The door opened and Nonō came out, handing the chart straight to Tsunade. Kitazawa leaned in to read with her. It was indeed a kekkei-genkai disease, but only in its early stage.
Such diseases are hereditary and tied to one's bloodline limit. In Kimimaro's case, it stemmed from Shikotsumyaku. Put simply, overusing it would cause problems with his bones—gradual failure and collapse.
In the original timeline, the Curse Mark of Earth he received only accelerated the illness. The reason was simple: the mark boosted his power and let him draw out Shikotsumyaku more easily—for example, forcing out the ultimate technique, Dance of the Clematis: Flower, in Level Two.
After reading, Tsunade passed the report to the next medic and stood there thinking. Kitazawa didn't interrupt; clearly, she was working through treatment options.
Kitazawa suddenly thought of Uchiha Itachi—he seemed to have a kekkei-genkai illness too. In his case, it felt intentional.
In the original, he was set on dying and wanted to pass his eyes to Sasuke, which led to chronic overuse. Under normal usage, the Mangekyō Sharingan shouldn't trigger such disease.
Kimimaro's condition likewise came from overusing Shikotsumyaku. Kitazawa stroked his chin. When Itachi eventually revealed his Mangekyō, he could bring him in for a joint consult.
"Where do we even start with this?"
"It's a headache."
"Can a bloodline-based disease really be cured?"
The other med-nin murmured as they finished reading.
Kimimaro's mouth twitched. Could they not discuss this somewhere out of earshot?
"Alright, since you're all here, each of you draft a treatment plan and turn it in next week," Tsunade said, waving them off. "Back to work now."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." The med-nin dispersed.
"Tsunade-sama, what do you think?" Nonō asked.
"I've got some ideas for a treatment plan, but I need more research," Tsunade said. "Luckily we caught it early—it's not especially severe."
Kimimaro exhaled in relief. If the top med-nin said it wasn't severe, it wasn't.
"As expected of Tsunade-sama," Nonō said softly. "I still don't have a clue."
"You and Shizune, submit plans too," Tsunade smiled. "A rare kekkei-genkai illness is good training for you."
"Then why doesn't Kitazawa have to write one?" Shizune asked, spotting the gap.
"He's… busy," Tsunade said after a beat. "If he has time, he can hand one in."
"Got it, Sensei," Kitazawa said with a blink. He turned to Kimimaro. "For now, ease up on the Curse Mark. Use it again after you're better."
Kimimaro nodded. He rarely used the mark unless he faced an opponent he couldn't beat. The Advanced Class looked solid, but not enough to force him into the curse state.
"During the monthly exam, you can use it," Kitazawa added.
Real talk: even with the mark now, Kimimaro wasn't the same terror who went toe-to-toe with Gaara and Rock Lee in the original—he was six or seven years younger. Even with the mark, he was roughly elite chūnin level. Kitazawa figured Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yakumo Kurama all had a shot.
"...?" Kimimaro froze. Did Kitazawa really think someone in the class could beat him even with the Curse Mark? Impossible. He'd always seen himself as the genius among geniuses. Even Orochimaru called him the perfect vessel. He didn't believe anyone his age was stronger.
[Current Mission: Keep Kaguya Kimimaro out of the top three in the next live-combat exam.]
[Reward: 20% Shikotsumyaku.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes narrowed. This one had some difficulty. Kimimaro probably wouldn't take first, but top three felt very likely.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin. He had to accept—the reward was Shikotsumyaku. Keeping Kimimaro out of the top three meant three people had to beat him.
Yakumo Kurama was basically a lock; her Mangekyō-tier illusion bloodline could even make Orochimaru eat dirt. Naruto should be fine too—his chakra reserves were absurd, and his rapport with Kurama was getting better. Even with the curse mark, Kimimaro wouldn't out-chakra him.
The only big question mark was Sasuke. Still, he should be able to win. With genjutsu, Lightning Style, Fire Style, and sword work combined, he wasn't inferior to Kimimaro—though there was always some chance of an upset.
Kitazawa pondered. Sasuke was at a bottleneck; a sudden leap wasn't likely. Either give him a curse mark too, or help him awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan.
But at Sasuke's current age, triggering three tomoe was tough—where would he find the emotional shock? Public humiliation in a green bodysuit probably wasn't enough; he'd already been through that once.
[Current Mission: Help Uchiha Sasuke awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan.]
[Reward: Featureless Sharingan Activation.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa let out a small "oh?" Did "featureless activation" mean he could use Sharingan abilities while his eyes still looked normal? If so, that was a delightful surprise. Three-tomoe Sharingan hardly needed an intro—copying jutsu, reading movements, casting genjutsu without seals.
Especially that last one: if his eyes stayed normal after activation, no one would guard against his illusions. In theory, he could land first-encounter kills on most opponents.
If there was a featureless Sharingan, could there be a featureless Byakugan later? Maybe even a Sharingan-Byakugan fusion down the line?
Kitazawa shook his head—no point thinking that far ahead. Getting Sasuke to three tomoe wasn't hard—if he were thirteen. The snag was he was only seven—five years too soon, with gaps in foundation and all the rest.
Even with guidance from Kitazawa and Kakashi, the sticking point was still emotional stimulus.
"Kitazawa, take Kimimaro back for now. I'll notify you once I finalize a treatment plan," Tsunade said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He nodded and returned to the academy with Kimimaro.
"Given your current state, as long as you don't overuse Shikotsumyaku, it won't worsen," Kitazawa said after a moment of thought. "In training, cap your uses—at most ten times a day, no more than ten minutes each."
"Understood, Kitazawa-sensei." After all this, Kimimaro had a new respect for him.
"Go train," Kitazawa said, then looked over at Jugo and Tayuya. They couldn't absorb theory yet, but they were serious about training. After what they'd lived through in Otogakure, they knew only getting stronger kept you alive.
After watching a while, Kitazawa headed to Kakashi's study group on the neighboring field. His gaze settled on Uchiha Sasuke. In his mind, Sasuke was still at Chidori and Chidori Current. What had he learned this summer?
Kitazawa raised a brow—Lightning Style: Twin Chidori. Chidori was one hand; Twin Chidori used both. Power and lethality both stepped up.
"You can add a ranged Chidori," Kitazawa thought, spotting Sasuke's shortcoming. He stepped forward.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Sasuke stopped training. Kakashi looked over as well.
"I just thought of a new application for Chidori," Kitazawa said bluntly. "Use it at range—Lightning Style: Chidori Senbon."
He raised his hand, gathering a mass of chakra. Lightning flared; shrill birdsong filled the air. At a thought, he drew the lightning into finer strands, then snapped his arm—the rays shot out like a storm of senbon.
It was Kitazawa's first time using Chidori Senbon. His mastery of chakra control, shape transformation, and lightning nature made it possible. He already knew Chidori and Chidori Current, and Chidori Senbon wasn't especially hard.
"Good idea," Kakashi nodded in approval.
Sasuke's eyes lit up. He lacked ranged tools—more precisely, fast ranged tools. He had Fire Style, but its launch speed couldn't match Lightning. Chidori Senbon patched that hole.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Sasuke said quickly. Sometimes the simpler a thing is, the easier it is to miss—that's why creator-type shinobi are rare.
With Chidori Senbon, he felt his odds of beating Naruto and the others tick up a few more notches.
~~~
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