After having lunch with Hinata Hyuga and the others, Kitazawa returned to the Hokage's office.
There was a jōnin meeting tomorrow, and he still had a lot to prepare.
Besides that, there was one more thing he needed to do: improve the Reanimation Jutsu.
Kitazawa had already mastered the Reanimation Jutsu through the system.
But the original version had quite a few flaws.
For example, if the resurrected dead person also knew the Reanimation Jutsu, they could break free of the caster's control on their own.
Of course, there were ways to patch that weakness.
The caster could use White Zetsu and Hashirama Cells to strengthen control over the reanimated.
Kitazawa wanted to research an improved Reanimation Jutsu because he planned to summon Uchiha Madara.
After that, he could use Madara to tell Nagato the truth—especially about the death of Nagato's parents.
The original story claimed they were killed by two Konoha jōnin, but Kitazawa suspected it was far more likely Madara had been manipulating things behind the scenes.
[Current Mission: Become the Sixth Hokage.]
[Mission Reward: Mastery-level Fire Release chakra nature transformation.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa paused, slightly stunned.
So much had been happening lately that he'd forgotten this system mission was still there.
At this point, he had mastered all seven chakra nature transformations at the mastery level.
He instinctively clenched his fist.
He didn't feel any change inside his body.
[Host has collected mastery-level seven-nature chakra transformations and now qualifies to use Truth-Seeking Orbs.]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
Just qualifies?
He'd thought it would reward him Truth-Seeking Orbs directly.
But whatever—he had plenty of time now. He could try synthesizing them himself.
The afternoon passed quickly.
The next day, 9:00 a.m.
The conference room in the Hokage Tower was already packed—every jōnin in Konoha had arrived.
After all, this was the first jōnin meeting since Kitazawa became Hokage.
No doubt, Konoha was about to undergo a lot of changes because of it.
People like Uchiha Fugaku and Hiashi Hyuga were especially excited.
After all, Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga had become Kitazawa's students.
Others were nervous—like Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
In fact, ever since the Hokage Secretariat had been established, their authority had already shrunk a lot.
Even so, they still didn't want to retire.
Because once they retired, they'd lose all their power.
The door opened, and Kitazawa walked in.
Behind him followed Shikaku Nara and Shizune.
"Hokage-sama."
Uchiha Fugaku and the others all stood up to greet him.
"Please, sit."
Kitazawa smiled back.
After everyone sat down, he swept his gaze across the room.
Among Konoha's upper leadership, only Sarutobi Hiruzen and Tsunade hadn't come.
Which was understandable—they were both retired now.
"Now we'll begin the jōnin meeting," Kitazawa said evenly. "First item: abolish the position of Hokage Advisor."
The room fell silent.
They all knew a new Hokage would make waves, but no one expected his first move to be this fierce.
Ever since the role was created, the Hokage Advisor had held enormous authority—second only to the Hokage.
To abolish it outright left them stunned.
"You can't abolish it!"
Koharu Utatane shot to her feet on instinct.
"Hokage-sama, why are you abolishing the position of Hokage Advisor?"
Homura Mitokado asked immediately after.
"Because Konoha no longer needs it. The Hokage Secretariat is enough."
Kitazawa's expression remained calm.
"The Hokage Advisor position has made outstanding contributions to Konoha for many years. It is not the same as the Secretariat!"
Homura said in a low voice.
"Once it's abolished, it will be."
Kitazawa glanced at them and said, "My patience is limited. I'm not interested in arguing with you. We vote."
Homura and Koharu instantly felt a chill run through them.
A dangerously oppressive presence swept past them—gone in a flash.
There was no need to guess where it came from.
They immediately thought of the late Shimura Danzō.
Kitazawa wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen—he truly would kill.
And the worst part was, he was even stronger than Hiruzen, nearing the "God of Shinobi" Senju Hashirama of the past.
"I agree!"
Hiashi Hyuga was the first to raise his hand.
"I agree as well!"
Uchiha Fugaku and the others raised their hands one after another.
Kitazawa lifted an eyebrow.
That saved a lot of time.
He'd been ready to bring out a ballot box, but Hiashi and the others simply voted by show of hands.
Homura and Koharu hesitated, wanting to speak, but in the end they didn't dare say a word.
"Second item: Maruboshi Kosuke will serve as vice principal of the Ninja Academy."
With the outcome settled, Kitazawa moved on.
Fugaku and the others were momentarily taken aback.
Kosuke becoming vice principal didn't surprise them.
Kitazawa had previously been the academy's vice principal, but after becoming Hokage, he automatically became its principal.
That left the vice principal position vacant, so someone had to fill it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen would've been the most suitable choice, since he still taught the Advanced Class.
But he was also the Third Hokage—and he had retired from the academy principal position in the first place.
All things considered, Kosuke was chosen as vice principal.
What surprised Fugaku and the others was that after abolishing the Hokage Advisor position, there was no new post—and no new head of the Secretariat.
That meant Shikaku Nara and Shizune's authority and status would rise sharply.
And Kitazawa, without any "advisor" restraining him, would become the most powerful Hokage in history.
"Third item: establish an Engineering Department, to be headed by Hyuga Hōmon."
Kitazawa didn't give them time to react before continuing.
Hiashi Hyuga froze for a beat—then his face lit up with excitement.
He didn't even know what an Engineering Department did, but if Hyuga Hōmon was in charge, that meant it would become a Hyuga-run department.
Of course, that was an exaggeration.
After all, even the Konoha Police Force was no longer exclusively Uchiha.
But no matter what, the Hyūga would finally have their own department.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Hyuga Hōmon stood up, visibly thrilled.
His strength was respectable, but among jōnin he wasn't exactly elite.
Normally, it would be hard for him to reach the upper levels of Konoha's hierarchy.
Who would've thought a gift would drop from the sky and let him leap straight into heading a department?
Fugaku and the others didn't need to say anything—everyone could feel the envy.
After today, the Hyūga's power and status in Konoha would surge.
"The Engineering Department will focus on 'engineering ninjutsu,'" Kitazawa explained, introducing the concept.
Simply put, it meant ninjutsu used for the economy, production, and transportation.
For example, Earth Release could be used to build roads, and Wood Release could be used to construct houses.
As for why the Hyūga would oversee it—naturally, it was because of the Byakugan.
The Byakugan was basically a ruler built into the body. Used in engineering, it would eliminate a lot of hassle.
When Kitazawa finished, everyone exchanged looks.
To them, the purpose of learning ninjutsu was combat.
They'd never even heard of "engineering ninjutsu."
But they weren't stupid—they understood what it could be used for.
They just couldn't help wondering: was it really necessary to have ninja serve civilians like this?
"Fourth item: establish an Economics Department. For now, Uzumaki Rina will be in charge."
Kitazawa thought for a moment, then continued.
The purpose of founding an Economics Department was to take over Konoha's businesses—or rather, the jewelry and casino operations he had created.
And later, if he brought the Land of Fire under his control, it could manage even more businesses.
Beyond that, there were also Akatsuki's water trade and silver jewelry business.
This Economics Department was something Kitazawa came up with on the spot.
The most suitable person to lead it was Kakuzu.
But Kitazawa had previously assigned Kakuzu as deputy commander of Anbu.
That could be changed.
Now Kitazawa planned to put Kakuzu in charge of the Economics Department, and have Nagato oversee Anbu.
At that point, Anbu could also add an oversight and inspection function.
In the original story, Nagato's goal in carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan was to use the tailed beasts to intimidate the shinobi world into peace.
In the future, he could use Anbu to eliminate anything that threatened peace in the shinobi world.
"All other departments will remain as they are for now."
Kitazawa paused, then said, "If you have any questions, ask them now."
The room immediately fell silent.
As ninja, they found it baffling—whether it was the Engineering Department or the Economics Department.
But they didn't dare object.
First, Kitazawa had just become Hokage. Opposing him now would be courting death.
And with his youth and overwhelming power, they couldn't outlast him, and they definitely couldn't beat him—so they could only obey.
Most importantly, none of this actually harmed their interests.
Second, there were precedents already: the Science Department and the Film Department.
The Science Department had been established after Orochimaru returned.
Its main mission was research into scientific ninja tools and broader technological development—like the most iconic example, network technology.
The Film Department had only been established recently.
It was headed by Kurenai Yūhi, producing all kinds of movies and TV dramas.
Later it expanded into publishing, newspapers, and online media as well.
Third, new departments meant new power.
Even if these two departments didn't sound like "ninja work," they still came with authority and status.
A lot of clans and ninja were already planning to get into them early and seize the initiative.
"If there are no questions, we'll adjourn."
Kitazawa stood. "Hyuga Hōmon and Uzumaki Rina, come to my office."
After saying that, he left the conference room.
Hōmon and Rina hurried after him.
"Hōmon."
After entering the Hokage's office, Kitazawa casually took out a scroll.
Hyuga Hōmon immediately accepted it with both hands.
"This is the plan I wrote for the Engineering Department. Just follow it."
Kitazawa gave his instructions.
Engineering ninjutsu was completely unfamiliar to most ninja.
Drawing on knowledge from his previous life, Kitazawa had given Hōmon some practical directions.
Right now, Konoha didn't really need engineering ninjutsu yet.
Its true purpose was to transform the shinobi world.
In any case—start preparing.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Hōmon let out a quiet breath of relief.
He truly had no idea what the Engineering Department was supposed to do.
With Kitazawa's scroll, at least he wouldn't be groping in the dark.
More importantly, he could actually do the job and avoid being blamed.
If he lost the department head position, the Hyūga would never forgive him.
"Rina-san, the Economics Department will be headed by Kakuzu, but his identity is special, so it won't be made public for now."
After Hōmon left, Kitazawa looked at Uzumaki Rina and spoke.
He planned to wait until Akatsuki was incorporated into Konoha before revealing Kakuzu.
Along with him, Nagato, Konan, and the others would be brought into the open.
If he revealed Kakuzu now, many people in Konoha wouldn't trust him.
After all, Kakuzu was an Akatsuki member.
And Akatsuki was about to attack Konoha.
Only once Akatsuki was thoroughly defeated would it be easier for Kakuzu and the others to gain trust.
"So that's how it is."
Uzumaki Rina nodded.
She honestly didn't want to be responsible for any Economics Department.
Just the finances office alone was already enough to keep her scrambling.
"Sei."
Kitazawa called out.
"Hokage-sama."
An Anbu ninja named Sei stepped in from the doorway.
"Rina-san, go with her to meet Kakuzu."
Kitazawa instructed. "In the early stage of setting up the Economics Department, help out for now. After two months, you won't need to handle it anymore."
Kakuzu was in an unfamiliar place. Just recruiting members for the Economics Department would give him a headache.
With Rina helping, it would save a lot of trouble.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Uzumaki Rina agreed.
Then she followed Sei toward Anbu.
Kitazawa tapped the surface of his desk with his fingers.
There was something he was genuinely torn about.
That was retrieving Namikaze Minato's soul—and the other half of the Nine-Tails, the Yin Kurama—from inside the Shinigami's belly.
His dilemma was what to do with Yin Kurama.
Normally, he should handle it the same way as the original story—let Yin and Yang Kurama merge back into one.
But Kitazawa felt that was a waste, or at least unnecessary.
In the original story, Yin and Yang Kurama had to merge because Naruto needed to fight someone even stronger: Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
But now, because of Kitazawa's butterfly effect, Kaguya couldn't be unsealed.
And even if she were, it would be him fighting her—not Naruto.
Kitazawa had a new idea.
Give Yin Kurama to Uchiha Sasuke.
He could've given it to himself, but he had the system—he didn't need it. His chakra would eventually become limitless anyway.
And he didn't like stuffing things into his own body—Nine-Tails included.
Besides, there was another reason.
If Naruto gained Yin Kurama, his strength would surge far beyond Sasuke's.
Since Kaguya wouldn't need them to deal with her, the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't appear.
That scene from the original story—where the Sage of Six Paths gave chakra to Naruto and Sasuke—would never happen.
Without the six-tomoe Rinnegan, and with Naruto gaining Yin Kurama, the gap between them would grow enormous.
By the time he reached that thought, Kitazawa had more or less decided.
He returned to his senses and began processing the documents on his desk.
Time moved into the afternoon.
After lunch, Kitazawa went to see Orochimaru.
He told him to prepare the Living Corpse Reincarnation, then use the Reaper Death Seal to summon the Shinigami.
As for the timing, it would be next month.
They would summon the Shinigami after defeating Akatsuki.
Kitazawa planned to deal with Nagato personally, so he wouldn't need Naruto or Sasuke to step in.
After giving Orochimaru those instructions, he went to Training Ground One.
Training Ground One had now become the exclusive training ground for his three students.
There was no helping it—Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuga all trained with too much destructive force.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hinata saw him and jogged over.
Kitazawa raised a hand and patted her head.
"Kitazawa-sensei, is there a mission?"
Naruto asked eagerly.
"Not for now."
Kitazawa shook his head.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Sasuke walked over and greeted him calmly.
"I came today to assign you new training."
Kitazawa smiled, meeting all three of their gazes.
"What new training?"
Naruto's eyes lit up.
Sasuke looked at Kitazawa too, curiosity rising.
"Your new training is to become a perfect jinchūriki and master Nine-Tails Mode," Kitazawa replied.
He only had two system missions left.
One was to incorporate Akatsuki into Konoha.
The other was to help Naruto become a perfect jinchūriki.
And the reward for that mission was especially generous—20% of Senju Hashirama's bloodline.
Even if it was only 20%, Hashirama's absurd chakra would cause his chakra to skyrocket in an instant—rivaling a tailed beast.
But that mission was also troublesome.
In the original story, becoming a perfect jinchūriki and mastering Nine-Tails Mode was summed up in one sentence: Kurama was moved and won over.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was what Naruto got after he beat Kurama and could use all of Kurama's chakra.
But reaching Nine-Tails Mode required complete reconciliation with Kurama.
On that point, Kitazawa couldn't really help much.
But Minato could.
In the original story, Minato reconciled with Yin Kurama inside the Shinigami's belly, and after being reanimated he could use Nine-Tails Mode.
Now, both Minato and Kushina's consciousness existed inside Naruto's seal space, so they could help him.
"Stand still."
Kitazawa's consciousness entered the seal space inside Naruto.
Only after discussing it with Minato and Kushina did he return.
"How to become a perfect jinchūriki—your parents will help you with that."
Kitazawa patted Naruto's shoulder.
"I understand, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto nodded hard.
"Sasuke, your new training is to awaken a Complete Body Susanoo."
Kitazawa turned to Sasuke.
"I… my chakra isn't really enough."
Sasuke hesitated, then admitted it.
In the end, he was still too young. Even with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he still couldn't activate a Complete Body Susanoo.
In fact, the original story was the same.
Sasuke only unlocked Complete Body Susanoo after awakening the Rinnegan.
"I'll teach you Yin Release Chakra Mode. It can increase your chakra."
Kitazawa smiled.
[Current Mission: Help Uchiha Sasuke awaken Complete Body Susanoo.]
[Mission Reward: Amaterasu.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa froze for a moment. He hadn't expected to trigger a new system mission.
But the reward was good—one of Sasuke's original Mangekyō Sharingan techniques.
Even if Amaterasu didn't look great in the original story, it was still a Mangekyō Sharingan dōjutsu.
"Yin Release Chakra Mode?"
Sasuke instantly grew excited.
He knew about Yang Release Chakra Mode.
Chōji Akimichi had made a name for himself in the graduation exam precisely because he learned Yang Release Chakra Mode.
If Sasuke learned Yin Release Chakra Mode, he could close the chakra gap between himself and Naruto.
"Follow my shadow clone and learn it."
Kitazawa formed hand seals and created a shadow clone.
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei."
Sasuke followed the clone to an open patch of ground.
"As for you, Hinata—I'll teach you a formula that can quickly restore the Moonchaser Bow."
Kitazawa pinched Hinata's cheek.
During the graduation exam, she used the World-Ending Arrow, which severely injured the Gō energy inside the Moonchaser Bow.
Under normal circumstances, for Satori to recover its Yin Release power, it would need Hinata to feed it chakra.
But that would be very inefficient.
Fortunately, Shinnō had researched a special formula for the Zero-Tails.
It allowed the Zero-Tails to absorb the darkness deep within people's hearts to grow its Yin Release power.
And fundamentally, Satori and the Zero-Tails were the same—both Yin Release monsters.
This formula worked for it too.
As he taught, Kitazawa also thought about Hinata's next stage of training.
To be honest, she had already reached a bottleneck—her ceiling.
Yin Release Chakra Mode, bow-type secret techniques, the Byakugan, and Gentle Fist… under normal circumstances, that was already everything she could learn.
If she wanted something beyond "normal," then it was the Tenseigan.
Kitazawa glanced up at the sky. He needed to find time to go to the moon.
She was one of the New Konoha Sannin, after all.
Hinata couldn't lag too far behind Sasuke and Naruto.
Even if it wasn't for her sake, Kitazawa still had to retrieve the Tenseigan.
Leaving it on the moon was such a waste.
And besides, the moon's only survivor, Ōtsutsuki Toneri, would still kidnap Hinata in the future and attempt to destroy the shinobi world.
Kitazawa stroked his chin.
He'd go after finishing the mission of incorporating Akatsuki into Konoha.
After all, that massive Tenseigan on the moon was still a serious threat.
After teaching Hinata, Kitazawa planned to find Yamanaka Ino and teach her Yin Release Chakra Mode as well.
He activated the Byakugan and quickly located their team.
Kitazawa headed toward the Sarutobi clan's district.
A short while later, he reached a training ground.
Shikamaru Nara, Chōji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka were training there.
More precisely, the three of them were fighting Sarutobi Asuma.
After watching for a bit, Kitazawa understood.
Asuma was teaching them coordination.
Thinking about it, that made sense—aside from teaching teamwork, there wasn't much else he could teach them.
He specialized in Fire Release and Wind Release.
And Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino couldn't inherit his Fire or Wind Release.
"Pause training for now," Asuma said quickly when he noticed Kitazawa.
Truthfully, under the three of them attacking together, he was already about to collapse.
If they kept going, he'd lose and it would look ugly.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino sprinted over to Kitazawa like an arrow.
"Asuma," Kitazawa looked at him and said, "I'm going to teach Ino and Shikamaru a new jutsu. It'll take some time."
Both the Nara clan and the Yamanaka clan secret techniques were Yin Release, so the two of them could learn Yin Release Chakra Mode.
As for whether they could actually master it—that depended on them.
"It's fine. Go ahead and teach."
Asuma's mouth twitched.
He was starting to realize that as their squad leader, he was basically completely useless.
~~~
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