A new day.
Kitazawa awoke from his sleep.
He sat up and yawned.
Last night, he had spent hours discussing new jutsu with Tsunade and Kurenai, but they hadn't reached any concrete results.
The reason was simple: after creating three jutsu capable of diagnosing psychological conditions, the next step would be a jutsu that could actually treat mental disorders.
Even Tsunade wouldn't be able to come up with such a jutsu in just a few hours.
If it were Kitazawa, once he reached that point, he would move on to helping Yakumo develop her kekkei genkai.
But in Konoha, the system of medical-ninja for psychological care wasn't designed for just one person.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade wanted universally applicable psychological medical jutsu.
For example, jutsu like Word Therapy, Truth Spit Technique, and Illusionary Mind Technique.
In other words, the fourth jutsu they were about to create ideally needed to serve the purpose of activating Yakumo's kekkei genkai.
Easier said than done.
Fortunately, they had plenty of time to work on it in parallel:
improving Yakumo's abilities while researching similar jutsu.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow and quickly got dressed.
"Good morning, Kitazawa."
Kurenai, wearing the same red dress from last night, stood at the doorway, her delicate face bright with a smile.
"Up this early? Have you eaten?"
Kitazawa stepped aside, asking politely.
"No."
Kurenai entered and stood by the genkan, removing her shoes.
Kitazawa's gaze fell to her feet.
He noticed she wasn't barefoot like yesterday—today she wore black stockings.
In the morning sunlight, the black fabric clung to her fair skin, emphasizing the smooth curves of her legs.
"What are you looking at?"
Kurenai walked past him.
"Why the black stockings today?" Kitazawa asked, feigning innocence with a grin.
"What I wear is my choice," she huffed lightly. "I'm hungry. I want your ramen."
"I'll make it right now," Kitazawa said, walking a few steps before turning back. "I mean, the black stockings suit you—they look stunning."
Kurenai blinked in surprise, then smiled.
A woman dresses to please herself, but it seems she had dressed to please him, and now the compliment went both ways.
"Just that this guy's tastes are far less serious than he appears," Kurenai thought, shaking her head.
But she wasn't a shy teenage girl; she had no problem with this playful teasing.
"Come eat."
Minutes later, Kitazawa brought out two bowls of ramen.
"When's your Special Jonin exam?"
Kurenai lowered her head, sipping the soup, a trace of oil marking her lips.
"At eight in the morning, at the ANBU training grounds."
Kitazawa answered.
"Of course, it's a test specially arranged by the Hokage. Only a select few get this treatment," Kurenai remarked, impressed by the mention of ANBU.
Normally, Special Jonin exams aren't held at ANBU grounds—the only explanation was Hiruzen's special approval.
"I may be taking advantage of being a teacher, but also the Hokage values Naruto highly," Kitazawa admitted.
Kurenai, having witnessed the Nine-Tails incident, was among the few who knew Naruto's true identity.
"That's not true," she said. "The Hokage is always fair. If you didn't have the skill, he wouldn't help."
"Too bad genjutsu isn't considered in the Special Jonin evaluation; otherwise, you would have been promoted already," Kitazawa smiled.
"But you don't need to rush. With your strength, you'll become a Jonin sooner or later."
"I'll take your words as a blessing," Kurenai said, smiling. "Alright, no more flattery. Let's eat and head to the ANBU grounds."
"This isn't flattery. It's the truth," Kitazawa corrected.
"Then who will become a Jonin first, you or me?" Kurenai asked, winking.
"Doesn't matter who goes first," Kitazawa replied, sidestepping the potentially dangerous question.
Kurenai rolled her eyes, clearly not satisfied, but didn't press further.
In fact, she already had her answer: based on what Kitazawa had demonstrated so far, he was on par with her—and most importantly, he hadn't even shown his full strength.
Soon, she would see his true power.
The Special Jonin exam was straightforward:
Assess notable talents, such as teaching or interrogation.
Kitazawa had been an exceptional teacher for three consecutive years.
Assess combat ability.
Special Jonin rank was between Chunin and Jonin, reserved for elite Chunin.
The exam for the first type involved reviewing records; for the second, it involved a direct battle with a Special Jonin.
After breakfast, Kitazawa and Kurenai headed to the ANBU base.
Two masked ANBU operatives awaited them at the training grounds.
One of them was someone Kitazawa knew: Haru.
"Kitazawa," Haru introduced directly. "This is your examiner, Hayate Gekkō. You just need to spar with him."
"Mo—cough cough," Hayate Gekkō began, only to be seized by a violent coughing fit.
Kurenai frowned.
Is this really an ANBU? He looks like he could die at any moment.
Kitazawa, however, remained calm.
In the canon, Hayate Gekkō had a notable role and had even served as a Chunin exam proctor.
Unfortunately, in Shippuden, his story ended poorly—he died.
He also had a beautiful girlfriend, Uzuki Yugao.
Kitazawa recalled his abilities.
Without a doubt, he was a genuine Special Jonin, far above a typical Chunin.
He excelled in Konoha-style swordsmanship, with his secret technique, Dance of the Crescent Moon, rated a stunning A-rank.
Even Jonin rarely mastered A-rank jutsu.
He also possessed the invisibility technique Transparency Jutsu, perfect for reconnaissance.
"Please."
Kitazawa wasted no words and stood in the center of the training ground.
Hayate Gekkō noticed his confidence, raising an eyebrow, but he didn't care—he'd never heard of Kitazawa.
Normally, a skilled Chunin in Konoha would have some reputation.
For instance, Kurenai—her genjutsu was widely known among ninjas.
But Kitazawa? Who was he, and why was the Hokage giving him a Special Jonin exam?
Hayate Gekkō narrowed his eyes and, using a flash step, charged at Kitazawa.
He intended to strike hard against this "favoritism" candidate.
And if he lost, he'd be nothing more than a stepping stone.