Morning came quickly.
After breakfast, Kitazawa dismissed the Wood Release: Four Pillar House with a single seal.
The entire wooden residence vanished in an instant, leaving only bare sand behind.
Tenten and the others stared, impressed for what felt like the hundredth time.
That jutsu was absurdly convenient.
"From here on, we'll be in the Land of Wind," Kitazawa said, stepping ahead of the group. "We may run into Sunagakure shinobi. Neji, Hinata—you two will handle detection."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," the Hyuga cousins replied.
"I'll help too!"
Tenten formed hand seals and summoned her Ninken.
With two Byakugan users and a tracker hound, it was nearly impossible for anyone to sneak up on them.
They crossed the border from the Land of Fire and headed toward Takumi Village.
At first, the path still had patches of green, but three hours later the world faded into endless dunes.
The temperature climbed sharply, and the desert winds started whipping up sand.
"Stay behind me," Kitazawa said.
Chakra flowed from his body, forming an invisible barrier that diverted the sandstorm around them.
Ordinary shinobi would never waste chakra like this on travel.
But Kitazawa had chakra to spare—and students to protect.
"Kitazawa-sensei is seriously too incredible…"
Tenten whispered in awe.
The others nodded.
Surprisingly—or perhaps thanks to good fortune—they did not encounter a single Suna patrol.
By sunset on the second day, the spires of Takumi Village finally appeared.
A shadow flickered before them.
"Lord Kitazawa." Itachi appeared soundlessly.
"How is the situation?" Kitazawa asked.
"All according to plan," Itachi replied. "The Four Celestials have not realized we discovered their fraud."
"Good." Kitazawa nodded. "Rest tonight. We'll deal with them tomorrow."
The four students looked both relieved and exhausted.
Two days of traveling—most of it under harsh desert sun—had worn them down.
"Please follow me," Itachi said. "I've arranged lodging."
He led them to a quiet courtyard on the edge of Takumi Village—isolated, spacious, and safe from prying eyes.
Kitazawa glanced around with approval.
"Itachi… you really are dependable."
Itachi only bowed lightly.
"Tomorrow at nine," Kitazawa continued, "invite the Four Celestials here."
This area was empty—perfect territory for a confrontation, if one became necessary.
"Yes, Lord Kitazawa," Itachi said immediately.
Kitazawa then turned to his four students.
"You should rest and prepare. If negotiations fail, we'll be fighting."
The way their eyes sharpened showed they understood.
Itachi walked through the entrance openly.
"Who are you?"
A group of Takumi shinobi quickly surrounded him.
"I am a Konoha Anbu," Itachi said calmly. "Lord Kitazawa has arrived. He requests an audience with your village leaders regarding the matter of ninja tools."
The moment the name "Kitazawa" was spoken, the entire hall stirred.
Takumi Village traded ninja tools with all Five Great Nations—they knew exactly who Kitazawa was.
"Please wait here."
One of the shinobi hurried upstairs.
He entered the office where the Four Celestials were waiting.
Two women—Kujaku and Ryuugan, wielders of the Peacock Twin Swords and the Dragon-Eye Retractable Sword.
Two men—Suiko and Hōki, bearers of the Wireless Hole Armor and the Light Sword.
"What did you just say?"
Kujaku's expression darkened.
"You mean that Kitazawa? The student of Fifth Hokage Tsunade?" Hōki asked sharply.
"Is there any other Kitazawa in Konoha?" Suiko muttered, face growing pale. "The tools aren't finished yet… and now he suddenly appears. Could it be—"
He didn't finish, but the implication was clear.
"Let's not panic," Ryuugan said, though unease flickered in her eyes. "There's no proof they've discovered anything."
Kujaku exhaled slowly, calming herself.
"We've kept everything secret. There's no reason Konoha should know."
"And even if they did?"
Ryuugan scoffed. "At worst, we return the materials. Konoha won't dare touch us—they rely on our ninja tools."
Hōki nodded.
"As long as we keep our composure, we lose nothing. They can't afford to alienate Takumi Village."
"It's just a shame we couldn't unveil our ultimate weapon yet," Ryuugan added bitterly. "If we had it ready, Konoha wouldn't be acting high and mighty."
"Enough," Kujaku said. "We'll meet him."
The four straightened their clothes, forced relaxed smiles, and followed Itachi out.
They would soon learn Kitazawa hadn't come for negotiation…but judgment.
A moment later, the Four Celestials saw the man they had been dreading—Kitazawa.
"Lord Kitazawa,"
Kujaku stepped forward with a polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Welcome."
Kitazawa didn't bother with small talk.
"How are my four bows coming along?"
"Two are already complete, and the remaining two will be finished within half a month."
Kujaku answered smoothly.
"Good. Let me see the finished ones."
"Of course."
She said with confidence, convinced her craftsmanship—and her deception—were flawless.
Kujaku unrolled a storage scroll and produced two bows.
The bows were a sleek gray-black, cold and elegant. At first glance, flawless.
Kitazawa took them.
Not as heavy as expected.
He examined the exterior—perfect.
But appearances were meaningless.
Chakra flowed quietly from his palm into the bow.
Instantly, he felt it—
The chakra transmission wasn't smooth.
It crawled through the bow instead of rushing like lightning.
And worse, there were snags at both ends.
The unmistakable feeling of impurities.
"Why," Kitazawa asked softly, bow in hand, "were other materials mixed in?"
Kujaku's heartbeat spiked—but her face didn't crack.
"Lord Kitazawa must be mistaken. We added nothing."
"Is that so?"
Kitazawa flicked a document toward her.
A very familiar document.
Kujaku caught it—and froze.
Every moment of their embezzlement and corner-cutting was recorded in detail.
"Lord Kitazawa," Kujaku said stiffly, closing the document, "we can compensate."
Ryuugan and Hōki looked shaken, but stayed silent.
There was no salvaging the lie.
All they could do was bow their heads.
Kitazawa smiled.
"How about this…"
He gestured to the four students beside him—Kurama Yakumo, Hyuga Neji, Hyuga Hinata, and Tenten.
"These children are third-years at the Ninja Academy."
Kujaku and the others blinked in confusion.
"And conveniently, you are also four."
Kitazawa continued, smile widening.
"So—why don't you spar? If you win, I'll forget this little incident."
The Four Celestials stiffened.
"You insult us?"
Kujaku snapped, expression dark.
"Even if Konoha is one of the Five Great Nations, Takumi Village is not to be trifled with."
Ryuugan said coldly.
"Arrogant!"
Suiko shouted.
"I alone can crush your four brats!"
Hōki said nothing, but his tightening grip on his sword spoke volumes.
"I never joke."
Kitazawa stepped back.
"Begin."
"Very well! If you insist on sending your students to their deaths, don't blame us!"
Kujaku roared.
She unsheathed her Peacock Twin Swords.
A single swing—
Shrrrraaa!
A barrage of wind blades exploded toward the four children.
Ryuugan, Suiko, and Hōki did not even move.
To them, Kujaku alone was more than enough.
Hyuga Neji and Hinata?
Eight-year-olds?
Laughable.
But then—Yakumo tossed out a painted scroll.
Wind blades shredded it instantly—and the splattered chakra swelled into a towering water wall.
"What—?"
Kujaku blinked.
She had no time to process.
Horror Illusion.
Yakumo's voice whispered into her mind, and the world twisted.
"Now!"
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
Hinata and Neji struck simultaneously.
BOOM!
Two invisible shockwaves slammed into Kujaku's torso.
Blood sprayed.
The sheer pain snapped her out of the Genjutsu—just in time to be launched backward, limbs limp.
"Kujaku!"
Ryuugan rushed in and caught her.
"How… how is this possible…?"
Suiko stared, stunned.
"Kujaku lost instantly… to children?"
Hōki's face went pale.
Had he walked into a Genjutsu himself?
They had all known the Genius Class was formidable.
But this was beyond expectation.
This was terrifying.
Yakumo flicked out another scroll.
"Careful!"
Suiko charged forward this time.
He swung his meteor hammer straight at the scroll—and lightning exploded from it.
"Thunder?"
He spread his arms.
His armor vibrated, absorbing the lightning.
Tenten stepped forward.
"Then try this!"
She unfurled a massive storage scroll.
A rainstorm of weapons—kunai, shuriken, blades—poured down toward Suiko like a metal hurricane.
Suiko leapt back in alarm.
His armor could absorb chakra—not actual steel.
A swirl of blue-white light shot in from the side.
"Move."
Ryuugan's cold voice echoed.
Her Dragon-Eye Sword burst into three whip-like dragons of chakra.
They twisted together, smashing aside the barrage of weapons.
Hōki finished a rapid string of hand seals.
Two green beams shot from his sword—straight at Tenten.
Neji flashed in front of her.
Both palms struck.
Thud!
The beams shattered apart.
"Watch out for his Gentle Fist!"
Kujaku gasped weakly.
"Don't let him touch you!"
But Ryuugan was already advancing.
She thrust her sword forward, the three blue-white dragons spiraling toward Neji.
Neji struck one with his palm—and frowned immediately.
It didn't disperse.
The dragons weren't pure chakra—they were reinforced by something else.
"Neji!"
Tenten acted instantly.
"Tool Manipulation—Binding Meteor!"
An iron chain shot out, coiling around the three dragons and halting them mid-air.
Neji didn't retreat.
He advanced with a burst of chakra from his legs—
and struck directly at Ryuugan.
Ryuugan's face paled—her sword was entangled by Tenten's chain.
She had no defense.
Fortunately, at that critical moment, Suiko lunged in front of Ryuugan.
Neji's palms struck his armor.
A split second later, Neji felt his chakra being devoured.
He withdrew instantly, face unreadable.
"Think you can run?"
Suiko sneered, raising his meteor hammer for a crushing blow.
But—Hinata blurred beside him, palms already poised.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty–Four Palms!
Her hands struck like falling snow, tapping Suiko's exposed arms at lightning speed.
"Tch—!"
Ryuugan and Hōki hadn't expected Hinata to appear so suddenly.
They moved to intervene, but it was already too late.
Twelve strikes landed before Suiko even registered what was happening.
His arms went numb; the meteor hammer slipped from his fingers and crashed onto the ground.
Neji dashed in next, eyes sharp.
Another Sixty–Four Palms—but aimed at Suiko's legs.
In less than a heartbeat, all four limbs went dead.
Suiko toppled backward like a felled log.
"Suiko!"
Hōki roared, drawing his light sword.
Two emerald beams exploded toward Neji and Hinata.
Ryuugan prepared to follow up—until she heard a vicious shhk-shhk-shhk slicing through the air.
She turned—and saw Tenten blanketing her with a hailstorm of Ninja tools.
Ryuugan clicked her tongue.
Her three chakra dragons twisted back into the dragon-eye sword as she retreated, parrying shuriken and kunai in rapid succession.
Meanwhile, Neji and Hinata easily dodged the green beams.
"Neji! Hinata!"
Yakumo called out.
A painted scroll fluttered from her hand.
Horror Illusion.
Hōki's movements froze. His eyes glazed over.
"Now."
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty–Four Palms!
Neji and Hinata struck simultaneously.
Hōki's chakra halted instantly; he collapsed without resistance.
Kujaku watched in disbelief as two of their strongest fighters were taken down in seconds.
How—?
How did Hōki and Suiko lose so fast?
Ryuugan, now alone, gripped her sword tightly as the four prodigies closed in around her.
These weren't "Ninja Academy children."
They were monsters.
"We surrender!"
Kujaku's strained voice echoed from afar.
Ryuugan gritted her teeth.
Pride warred with reality—but in the end, she lowered her sword.
Yakumo, Hinata, Neji, and Tenten turned toward Kitazawa.
"Itachi."
Kitazawa's voice was calm.
"Have them reforge the Ninja tools."
"Yes, Lord Kitazawa."
Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kujaku, Suiko, and Hōki—already defeated—fell under its sway instantly.
Even Ryuugan, though uninjured, couldn't resist the Mangekyō.
Kitazawa walked forward and healed their injuries.
Soon, they were back on their feet—pale but unharmed.
"How long will it take," Kitazawa asked gently, "to reforge one bow at full speed?"
"Th-three days!"
Kujaku answered immediately.
"So fast?"
She hurried to explain.
"Because two bows were already completed. The impurities… were mixed only at both ends. If the whole village works through the night, we can finish one in three days."
Kitazawa nodded.
"Itachi, the rest is yours. Quietly take control of Takumi Village—but make sure no other village notices."
That was the plan.
Takumi Village would continue supplying ninja tools like normal, undisturbed.
Only later—after war or betrayal—would Kitazawa pull the strings.
"Yes, Lord Kitazawa," Itachi said.
Kitazawa turned to his four students.
"Mission complete. Well done."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"All four of you receive full marks."
Tenten's face lit up.
"I—I got full marks too?!"
Neji clenched his fists, heart burning quietly.
If Shikamaru and Sakura didn't get perfect scores, first place was his again.
Hinata and Yakumo looked calm—they had long grown used to perfect evaluations.
"We'll remain in Takumi Village for three days," Kitazawa added.
"Kitazawa-sensei,"
Tenten raised her hand, eager.
"Will you be using a bow now too?"
"The bows are for Hinata and Neji."
Kitazawa said.
Hinata already knew—and Neji had suspected for a long time.
Kujaku delivered the first properly reforged bow made from the Box of Paradise.
The remaining three would take half a month.
Kitazawa unsealed the scroll containing Satori.
As the Yin Release monster was absorbed into the bow, its dull, ashy surface brightened—shimmering like a glossy, black gemstone.
Before, it had looked like something pulled from a coal pile.
Now, it radiated power.
"So beautiful…"
Hinata whispered, eyes wide.
"Try it."
Kitazawa said.
Neji, Yakumo, and Tenten all leaned forward unconsciously.
Hinata nodded firmly.
She activated the Byakugan, locking onto a tree eight hundred meters away.
She drew the bowstring.
The entire bow trembled violently—
Yin Release chakra flowing into her grasp.
A translucent arrow formed from thin air.
Hinata released.
The arrow vanished.
CRACK.
The distant tree split cleanly down the middle, pierced straight through.
"So fast?!"
Neji exclaimed.
He hadn't even seen the arrow move—and his Byakugan wasn't active.
"The Genius Class rankings will change again…"
Tenten whispered breathlessly, eyes sparkling.
She wanted that bow.
Desperately.
But Hinata had earned it—and at least Tenten had her new light sword.
Yakumo glanced at her own weapon, the dragon-eye sword, quietly satisfied.
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