Just as Uzumaki Naruto was being driven back step by step by Kurama, two surges of chakra suddenly appeared.
They dropped down to Naruto's left and right, taking shape as a young man and a young woman.
Naruto glanced over instinctively—and froze.
Not long ago, Kitazawa had taken him to Rōran, used the Dragon Vein to travel back into the past, and helped him reunite with his parents.
His memories were supposed to be erased afterward, but in the end, thanks to Kitazawa's persuasion, they were preserved.
So Naruto recognized them instantly: Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
His first thought was that Kurama had killed him—otherwise, how could he be seeing his parents, who were already dead?
But he quickly realized something was off.
Because Kushina let out a furious shout, and several golden chains burst from her body, binding Kurama tightly in place.
"Naruto! Now!"
Minato's voice rang out immediately after.
Naruto snapped back to his senses.
He didn't know what was happening, but Kurama was restrained by Kushina—this was the best chance he could ask for.
Naruto braced himself and yanked hard, dragging Kurama's chakra out.
Kurama raged helplessly, but no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free of Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
A moment later, Naruto's face lit up with joy.
His chakra and Kurama's chakra merged together.
That meant he'd successfully seized Kurama's chakra.
In other words, he now had the ability to use Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
But for him, the focus right now wasn't Nine-Tails Chakra Mode—it was Minato and Kushina.
"Dad, Mom—why are you here?"
Naruto rushed over, asking excitedly.
Minato and Kushina both jolted in surprise.
They hadn't expected Naruto to recognize them immediately.
After the Rōran Dragon Vein trip, their memories had been sealed away, so they had no idea Naruto still retained his.
And besides, they were only residual chakra within the sealing space—they couldn't see what was happening outside.
"If you want to chat, it can wait."
Kitazawa appeared inside the sealing space.
Minato and Kushina exchanged a look, but neither of them had any impression of him.
After all, when they were alive, Kitazawa had still been just an ordinary ninja.
"I'm Kitazawa—Naruto's teacher."
Kitazawa raised a hand. "Naruto can tell you about me later."
Their confusion only deepened.
They were about to speak when their expressions suddenly changed—surprise flashing across their faces.
Two terrifyingly vast torrents of chakra surged from Kitazawa's palm.
It felt familiar—almost like their own chakra.
Before they could fully process it, the two streams flowed into their bodies.
Their forms, which had looked like they were about to disperse, instantly became far more solid.
As top-tier jōnin, they understood right away.
Kitazawa was using his chakra to let them remain for longer.
Gratitude aside, they were stunned.
Because this wasn't something simple.
Otherwise, in the original story, they wouldn't have faded so quickly.
They could have just had Naruto sustain them with chakra—or if Naruto couldn't, they could've asked any other Konoha ninja.
"You can exist for a month now. After a month, I'll just give you more chakra, and you can continue."
Kitazawa pulled his hand back.
"How do you know this so clearly?"
Minato narrowed his eyes, puzzled.
The moment Kitazawa appeared, he fed them chakra—as if he'd known all along.
And his strength… was unlike anything Minato had ever seen.
Just this method of sustaining their existence already seemed beyond even the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Kitazawa-sensei is insanely strong!"
Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "He's about to become the Sixth Hokage!"
"You two talk."
Kitazawa had the self-awareness to step aside. "I won't interrupt your family reunion. If you want to know anything, just ask Naruto."
"Thank you, Kitazawa."
Minato blinked, then spoke with genuine gratitude.
"Thank you!"
Kushina followed immediately.
Without Kitazawa's chakra, they might not have had even ten minutes with Naruto.
Kitazawa nodded and withdrew from Naruto's sealing space.
Flying Thunder God activated.
He brought Naruto back to the Forest of Death.
The moment Kitazawa steadied himself, three lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Current Mission: Help Uzumaki Naruto unlock Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.]
[Mission Reward: Uzumaki Clan bloodline.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa's spirits surged.
He'd been looking forward to the Uzumaki bloodline.
He stood still, feeling the changes inside his body.
The most obvious was the increase in chakra.
"About five 'cards' worth of chakra?"
His first reaction was that it felt a bit low, but thinking it through, it made sense.
The Uzumaki bloodline the system rewarded was a standard Uzumaki bloodline.
Kushina and Naruto, on the other hand, were special even among the Uzumaki.
And five cards of chakra was already a lot.
After all, Hatake Kakashi was an elite jōnin.
He only seemed low on chakra because the Sharingan dragged him down.
By that logic, if the average Uzumaki had four or five cards of chakra… that was downright monstrous.
Combine that with powerful sealing techniques, and it wasn't hard to see how a single clan could found an entire country.
[Congratulations, Host has obtained Uzumaki Clan special abilities: Vitality Healing and Mind's Eye of the Kagura.]
[Vitality Healing: By biting yourself, you can restore your own or another person's chakra and injuries.]
[Mind's Eye of the Kagura: Close your eyes and open the mind's eye to sense everything nearby.]
Kitazawa clenched his fist instinctively.
No question—this was an insane profit.
Five cards of chakra was already huge, but compared to Vitality Healing and Mind's Eye of the Kagura, it barely mattered.
Especially Mind's Eye of the Kagura—hands down one of the strongest sensory techniques in the ninja world, with a range even larger than an ordinary Byakugan.
The only pity was that he didn't get Adamantine Sealing Chains.
But that was fine—he could learn it.
Konoha had a ninjutsu scroll for Adamantine Sealing Chains.
And even without it, it could awaken naturally.
In the original story, Karin used it instinctively without anyone teaching her.
But for Kitazawa, Mind's Eye of the Kagura was even more useful than Adamantine Sealing Chains.
First, he already had Wood Release and the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—his suppression of tailed beasts wasn't inferior to Adamantine Chains.
Second, Mind's Eye of the Kagura could detect White Zetsu.
White Zetsu wasn't particularly strong, but it hid in the shadows, and Kitazawa didn't like that.
Now, with Mind's Eye of the Kagura, White Zetsu would be dragged from the dark into the light—no matter what it tried to do, Kitazawa would know.
He could respond in time and avoid getting blindsided.
Thinking that, Kitazawa immediately clapped his hands together and entered Sage Mode.
Sage Mode enhanced sensory perception.
Combined with Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he refused to believe White Zetsu could stay hidden.
Kitazawa closed his eyes and activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
In the next instant, he had a complete grasp of the situation across the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
Just as he expected.
There were White Zetsu agents lurking in Konoha.
They didn't dare approach monsters like Kitazawa or Tsunade, but using other shinobi to gather information on the village was more than enough.
Kitazawa thought for a moment and decided not to capture them right now.
No need to startle the snake.
He'd wait until Akatsuki made a move two months from now.
Besides, he already had their positions—he could grab them anytime. No rush.
On top of that, going to the Hidden Rain to find Konan would be much safer now.
Before, he only appeared in Konan's room because he feared being spotted elsewhere by White Zetsu.
Then he thought of Black Zetsu.
If Sage Mode plus Mind's Eye of the Kagura could spot White Zetsu, then in theory it should be able to detect Black Zetsu too.
If it really could, he wouldn't have to worry as much about being ambushed.
Kitazawa glanced at Naruto.
Naruto was standing there dazed, his consciousness still inside the sealing space, talking with his parents.
Kitazawa looked away and glanced at his own arm.
Besides Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he'd also gained Vitality Healing.
That ability was, frankly, just as broken as Mind's Eye of the Kagura in its own way.
In the original story, even Tsunade—nearly cut in half—could recover by biting Karin.
Now Kitazawa didn't just have Uzumaki blood, but also Senju blood.
In terms of constitution, he was leagues beyond Karin.
So in theory, his Vitality Healing would be even more terrifying.
He might not need it himself, but others might.
It could serve as an emergency measure.
Still, he didn't test how ridiculous it was yet.
After all, it required biting himself.
If he really wanted to test it… he could wait until night and have Yūhi Kurenai bite him.
After thinking it over, Kitazawa walked off to the side and started studying his Susanoo.
Naruto's chat with his parents probably wouldn't end anytime soon—they'd have a lot to talk about.
Kitazawa casually set up a barrier around the area, then activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo.
In an instant, cold, sinister chakra exploded upward, forming an armored giant.
This was the complete Susanoo.
Kitazawa had always had one question:
Why did Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo have the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror?
While everyone else's Susanoo didn't—just a pair of standard greatswords and an offensive ability like Yasaka Magatama.
Time passed slowly.
Two hours later, Kitazawa dismissed Susanoo.
Because Naruto had woken up.
"Naruto."
Kitazawa walked over.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto was beaming. "Thank you!"
"It's nothing."
Kitazawa shook his head, then asked, "Can you use Nine-Tails Chakra Mode now?"
"How do I use it?"
Naruto asked sheepishly.
"Draw out all of Kurama's chakra."
Kitazawa thought for a moment. "Like your partial tailed-beast transformation earlier."
At its core, Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was still a form of partial tailed-beast transformation.
"I'll try."
Naruto nodded.
He took a deep breath and immediately borrowed Kurama's chakra.
Boom!
Golden chakra burst out of his body.
But instead of forming tails like his earlier partial transformation, it wrapped around his entire body.
His hair spiked upward into two horn-like shapes. Six magatama appeared around his collar. His whole body gleamed gold.
Naruto clenched his fist instinctively, feeling endless power.
With a thought, his body vanished like a beam of light.
In the original story, once Naruto activated Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, his speed rivaled the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Right now, he could absolutely inherit Minato's title—Konoha's "Yellow Flash."
"So strong!"
Naruto appeared again right in front of Kitazawa, practically vibrating with excitement.
Kitazawa suddenly thought of Uchiha Sasuke.
Before Naruto mastered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Sasuke still had a real chance.
Especially since his Mangekyō ability, Amenotejikara, could give him an edge.
But now it was hard to say.
Because Nine-Tails Chakra Mode compensated for Naruto's speed.
It wasn't space-time ninjutsu, but it might as well have been.
And besides speed, everything else was boosted too.
Still, Sasuke wasn't completely without hope.
Amenotejikara, as a space-time technique, had the potential for the weak to defeat the strong.
There was still a difference between space shifting and pure high-speed movement.
And Sasuke had also awakened Susanoo.
Kitazawa shook his head.
At the end of the day, Kurama was simply too powerful.
And even this Nine-Tails Chakra Mode still wasn't "perfect jinchūriki" level.
At this point, Senju Hashirama's famous line really did seem spot-on.
With the caveat that Kurama plus a jinchūriki was absurd; without a jinchūriki, Kurama wasn't quite as scary.
Which was understandable.
Kurama's own control over his chakra was extremely crude.
In that respect, Kurama was arguably even worse than Shukaku.
"For the next while, you're going to get used to Nine-Tails Chakra Mode."
Kitazawa instructed him.
Chakra Mode was just a mode—it needed to be combined with various ninjutsu and senjutsu to unleash its full power.
In the original story, Naruto used things like chakra arms, Rasengan Barrage, and mini Rasenshuriken variants.
"Got it, Kitazawa-sensei."
Naruto nodded.
"If anything confuses you, ask your parents first."
Kitazawa chuckled.
And as soon as he said it, he realized Sasuke might be in even worse shape than he'd expected.
Because Naruto now effectively carried two teachers with him at all times.
In theory, Minato and Kushina could guide him whenever they wanted—even in the middle of a fight.
Kushina aside, Minato's combat experience was absolutely among the best in Konoha.
After all, he'd carved his way to victory through the harshest battlefield of all: the Third Great Ninja War.
The sun sank toward the horizon.
The Advanced Class students ended their day of training and headed home.
Kitazawa also said his goodbyes to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, then left the Ninja Academy.
Before, he usually walked back with Yūhi Kurenai, but lately she'd been swamped with work in the film department and hadn't been coming to the academy.
Kitazawa didn't interrupt her or try to help.
After all, once he became Hokage, Kurenai's workload would only grow—letting her train up now wasn't a bad thing.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
July 15th—the Advanced Class faced their graduation exam.
Notably, the graduation exam was combat-only. There was no written test.
Early morning, not yet nine o'clock, spectators began filing into the Konoha arena.
Especially the parents of the Advanced Class students—attendance was basically mandatory.
Like Uchiha Fugaku, Hyūga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, Aburame Shibi, and others.
Since the exam hadn't begun yet, they chatted casually.
They weren't discussing who would take first place.
They were discussing team assignments.
Without question, they all wanted their children to become Kitazawa's students.
Meanwhile, the Hokage's office was equally lively.
Kitazawa, Yūhi Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi, Mitarashi Anko, and the other seven jōnin selected as team leaders were all present.
"These are the student profiles for the teams you'll be leading."
Tsunade gestured toward seven scrolls on her desk.
Everyone took a scroll in order.
Kitazawa took his, but didn't open it.
He already knew his three students inside and out.
"If you have questions, ask."
Tsunade said casually.
When Kurenai opened her scroll, she paused slightly.
Her three students were no joke—especially Kurama Yakumo, whose strength even surpassed hers.
"Hokage-sama, who's Naruto's team leader?"
Might Guy asked curiously.
The student he wanted most was obviously Naruto—along with Rock Lee.
Now that Lee was already his student, he wanted to know who Naruto had been assigned to.
"Kitazawa."
Tsunade answered.
Guy said nothing more.
Kitazawa was about to become the Sixth Hokage—no matter how socially clueless Guy could be, he wasn't going to snatch his student.
And with Lee as his student to inherit the Eight Gates, he was already satisfied.
"Hokage-sama."
Kakashi thought for a moment, then asked, "Who's Sasuke's team leader?"
His three students were all excellent, but not having Uchiha Sasuke still felt like a regret.
Because Sasuke was the one student who could truly inherit all of Kakashi's techniques.
"Kitazawa."
Tsunade smiled.
Kakashi sighed internally and let it go.
But thinking carefully, he understood Tsunade's logic.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
His teammates and team leader mattered a great deal.
Sasuke had been Naruto's rival since the day he entered school—their bond ran deep.
And Kitazawa… went without saying. The future Sixth Hokage. No one fit better.
"If there are no other questions, then it's decided."
Tsunade waited a moment, saw no one else speaking, and concluded.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Asuma Sarutobi and the others replied in unison.
"Remember to attend the Advanced Class graduation exam today. Once it ends, we'll announce the team assignments."
Tsunade paused. "Alright. You may leave."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Asuma and the others turned and left, until only Kitazawa remained.
"Do you need something?"
Tsunade looked at Kitazawa.
"No."
Kitazawa shook his head. "It's almost nine. I'll wait for you—we'll go to the arena together."
"Works for me."
Tsunade stretched lazily and leaned back in the Hokage chair, all the earlier authority gone in an instant.
Kitazawa's eyelid twitched.
He walked up, bent over, and buried his face into her chest, right up against her necklace.
Tsunade's breath hitched, but she didn't push him away.
She reached out and cradled the back of his head.
Kitazawa said nothing, just feeling the soft pressure against both sides of his face.
His vision was filled with nothing but dazzling white skin.
Nine in the morning.
Under Iruka Umino's lead, the Advanced Class students arrived at the Konoha arena.
"Whoa—so many people!"
Naruto shouted in amazement.
"Yeah, there are a lot of spectators."
Kiba Inuzuka said, brimming with spirit. "Gotta show out today!"
"A lot of jōnin are here."
Neji Hyūga swept his gaze around.
"Every jōnin I know is here. Feels like half the village's jōnin showed up."
Ino Yamanaka said in shock.
"Konoha arena used to be exclusive to the Chūnin Exams."
Shikamaru Nara explained. "Using it for a graduation exam is a first."
"Tch, but the Chūnin Exams are for genin and chūnin-level fighters."
Tenten complained. "Advanced Class students aren't just genin- or chūnin-level."
"I think Naruto's team should just skip the graduation exam entirely."
Tayuya added.
"If you skip the graduation exam, you can't participate in team assignments."
Shino Aburame adjusted his glasses.
"I hope I can be on a team with Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura Haruno clasped her hands together and prayed.
"At least you still have a choice."
Ino sighed. "My teammates are definitely Shikamaru and Chōji."
"Well, you are the new generation of Ino–Shika–Chō."
Kiba laughed. "I hope my team leader is Kitazawa-sensei."
"Isn't Kitazawa-sensei about to become the Sixth Hokage?"
Tenten asked curiously. "Will he still lead a team?"
"It probably doesn't affect anything."
Shikamaru considered it briefly.
Hearing that, Hinata Hyūga instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes, nerves rising.
There were a lot of Advanced Class students—her odds of becoming Kitazawa's student weren't high.
"Do you guys have no requirements for teammates at all?"
Yakumo Kurama asked softly.
"As long as they don't drag me down."
Sasuke Uchiha replied calmly.
"Sasuke-kun, I definitely won't drag you down!"
Sakura said immediately.
But for some reason, the moment Sasuke heard that, he felt like there was no way she'd end up on his team.
"No matter who your teammates are—it's a choice of youth!"
Naruto gave a thumbs-up.
While they chatted, four jōnin from the barrier team ran to the four corners of the Konoha arena.
Very soon, a purple barrier rose up.
This was at Kitazawa's request.
The Advanced Class students weren't officially graduated yet, but many of them already had strength comparable to jōnin.
Once they started fighting, it would be easy to endanger the audience.
When the barrier was complete, Kitazawa and Tsunade appeared in the spectator stands.
"Hokage-sama."
The nearby ninja hurriedly stood to greet them.
"I'll go down first."
Kitazawa leapt into the arena.
He was the referee—and also the emergency rescue.
~~~
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