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"Kitazawa-sensei, what about my training?" Sasuke asked as Naruto left.
"I'll teach you a new Lightning Release Ninjutsu." Kitazawa's eyes lit up. "An S-rank technique: Lightning Release: Kirin."
Naruto had earned the title "Dragon of Konoha" because of the Konoha Dragon God. If Sasuke mastered Kirin, he might be called the "Kirin of Konoha."
"Come with me." Kirin was too explosive to be taught inside the academy. Sasuke followed eagerly—he was about to learn an S-rank lightning release.
After an hour of direct instruction, Kitazawa had a shadow clone carry on the teaching. He then traveled to the Land of Snow and brought Kurenai back. Though she had returned to Konoha, she couldn't resume classes at the Ninja Academy yet—she had to prepare for Konoha's first movie.
April came. The Genius Class finished their final exams and went on vacation.
On the second day of break, in Konoha Hospital, Sasuke lay on the operating table with his eyes closed. Outside the operating room, Fugaku, Mikoto, and Itachi waited. They were concerned, but their trust in Kitazawa and Tsunade kept panic at bay—after all, the two finest medical-nin in the world were overseeing the procedure. Even if the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan failed to awaken, Sasuke would not be harmed.
[Current Mission: Help Uchiha Sasuke awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.]
[Mission Reward: Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Kitazawa read the three lines and let out a relieved breath. Sasuke hadn't opened his eyes yet, but with the system mission marked complete, the surgery was effectively a success.
He blinked subconsciously and felt a slight increase in his ocular power—no new abilities, just a subtle strengthening. His thoughts drifted to the Rinnegan: without relying on system missions, he'd likely need to gather the chakra of the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra to awaken it—and doing that would probably draw the attention of the Six Paths Sage.
"This Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan is truly miraculous."
"It's probably a power hidden within the bloodline," Kitazawa mused after a moment's thought.
Tsunade gave up trying to puzzle it out. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was notoriously difficult to recreate—Sasuke had been lucky to receive Shisui's eyes. For non-Uchiha, such a thing was out of the question. Tsunade suspected this would be the only Eternal Mangekyo surgery she performed in her lifetime.
"Tsunade-sensei, you should head back to the Hokage office first," Kitazawa said after a pause. "Leave things here to me."
"Alright." Tsunade peeled off her gloves and smiled. "Walk me to the Hokage office."
"My pleasure," Kitazawa offered his hand.
Because the procedure involved the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, only the two of them had been present for the surgery. Sasuke was still unconscious, so there was nothing more to worry about. Tsunade took his hand, and they left for the Hokage Office.
"See you next time." Kitazawa kissed her lightly and returned to the operating room, took a seat, and waited for Sasuke to wake.
Half an hour later Sasuke sat bolt upright. His eyes were bandaged and felt dull beneath the wraps.
"You just finished surgery; you need to rest for a while before the bandages can be removed," Kitazawa told him.
"So, did I awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?" Sasuke blurted, unable to hide his hope.
"If all goes well, it's already a success," Kitazawa replied with a smile.
"Great... Hiss!" Sasuke's words cut off into a sharp exhale as a wave of pain hit him.
"Occasional discomfort occurs right after fusion; this is normal," Kitazawa explained.
Sasuke nodded, tamped down his excitement, and let out a long breath. With the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, his chances against Naruto had improved dramatically. He hadn't really fought Naruto last semester—partly because he'd spent so much time learning the Mangekyo and partly because the final exam's team battle had rules that prevented him from going all out. He could have challenged Naruto one-on-one, but he had chosen to wait until he awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and became a contractor of Ryūchi Cave before doing so.
When Kitazawa opened the door, Mikoto hurried in and rushed to Sasuke's side. Itachi, calm as ever, immediately asked, "Lord Kitazawa, how is Sasuke's condition?"
"He has already awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan," Kitazawa answered. "The bandages can be removed in half a month."
"Thank you, Lord Kitazawa," Itachi said, a rare smile touching his face. Fugaku, who had been standing nearby, almost laughed aloud with joy; he held himself back only because they were in the operating room and Kitazawa was present, though his expression shone. Very few knew about the Rinnegan, but to Fugaku the Eternal Mangekyo was the pinnacle of the Uchiha. For Sasuke to reach it at eleven meant he was bound to surpass the clan's limits—and move closer to becoming Hokage.
"Kitazawa-sensei, can I practice Lightning Release: Kirin during this time?" Sasuke asked eagerly.
"You can practice, but you cannot use the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan," Kitazawa replied.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." Sasuke was restless at the thought of spending half a month idle—especially with Naruto's strength rising so fast. He couldn't afford to fall behind.
After the Uchiha Fugaku family left, Kitazawa went straight to find Orochimaru and, without difficulty, picked up the Ryūchi Cave contract scroll. Orochimaru didn't care much for Ryūchi Cave, so he surrendered it easily. Kitazawa paused for a moment and casually wrote his own name on the scroll. In theory a shinobi can sign contracts with every kind of summoning beast, but most summons are of little use—only the beasts from the Three Great Sage Regions truly matter. There was a caveat, though: the Three Great Sage Regions had an unspoken rivalry and would rarely accept the same contractor.
As the saying goes, strength could resolve anything. Kitazawa tucked the scroll away. He planned to visit Ryūchi Cave with Uchiha Sasuke once Sasuke recovered; Manda wasn't the only unruly snake there, and Kitazawa meant to deal with them all at once so they wouldn't be a problem in future battles.
After a moment's thought he went to the Ninja Academy. Even in the holidays the Genius Class students were training.
"Hinata." Kitazawa's gaze fell on Hyuga Hinata, who was practicing Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.
Hinata jogged over, stopped, exhaled, and looked at him expectantly.
"Would you like to become a contractor for Shikkotsu Forest?" Kitazawa reached out, patted her head, and asked.
"Eh?" Hinata's pupils constricted—she knew exactly what being a Shikkotsu Forest contractor meant and was stunned that Kitazawa had chosen her. She had expected Sakura, Karin, or other medical-trained students. Her surprise quickly flushed into excitement; another thought occurred to her. Did this mean Kitazawa considered her a true student? The teacher-student bond mattered a great deal in the shinobi world.
"What? You don't want to?" Kitazawa chuckled.
"I do!" Hinata hurriedly nodded. "But it's not just you." Kitazawa then called over Neji, Karin, Shion, and Sakura Haruno. Hinata realized she'd misunderstood and, though briefly disappointed, felt her fighting spirit ignite—Kitazawa's true students weren't decided yet, and she'd have to earn the place.
"I'll take you all to the Forest of Death." Using the Flying Thunder God, Kitazawa teleported the six of them to a clearing in the Forest of Death. "Write your names." He produced the Shikkotsu Forest contract scroll and handed it to Hinata. "Okay!" She opened it, smiled when she saw Kitazawa's name already there, and quickly wrote hers beside it. Passing the scroll to Neji, they proceeded round-robin until all five had signed.
"I will now teach you the Summoning Technique," Kitazawa said, taking back the scroll. The Summoning Technique itself wasn't difficult—like the Three basic jutsu, it was a ninjutsu many could learn; the real challenge was finding a powerful summon. The five picked it up quickly. "Hinata, you do the summoning." Kitazawa designated her.
Hinata set her face in earnest concentration, formed the hand signs carefully, bit her thumb, and pressed it to the ground.
Bang!
Smoke erupted and a giant slug appeared. It was her first time summoning—and in front of Kitazawa—so she had gone all out. Seeing the massive slug, she could not hide a thrill; the others felt it too, and Sakura actually jumped. This was a summon from one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
"This is the summoning beast of Shikkotsu Forest, the Slug; its true name is Katsuyu." Kitazawa introduced it. "You can address it as Lady Katsuyu."
"Lady Katsuyu." The five called out in unison. "Lady Katsuyu, these are my five students." Kitazawa named them for Katsuyu, who replied in a gentle voice, "Hello, everyone."
If this had been Ryūchi Cave or Mount Myōboku, they likely wouldn't have accepted five new contractors all at once. Katsuyu—and Shikkotsu Forest—were different: she had a calm temperament and was the only slug in the forest, often bored since Kitazawa and Tsunade seldom used her. Five new contractors at once promised more outings and variety.
Hinata blinked, confused by the polite address; Sakura and the others were surprised too—summons from the Three Great Sage Regions should be stern or temperamental, not so gracious.
"Lady Katsuyu is just like that; you can each use your own way of addressing her." Kitazawa smiled.
The five exchanged looks.
"I will now introduce Lady Katsuyu's abilities to you." Kitazawa pinched Hinata's cheek and continued: Katsuyu's offensive power is limited to Sticky Acid; nearly all her other abilities are supportive. For Hinata and Neji the key gifts are Katsuyu's immense network and vision-sharing. For Sakura and the others, Katsuyu provides remote healing and the Slug Technique—which is especially important. Tsunade once used Katsuyu's clones to heal all the shinobi of Konoha by herself; in terms of healing, Katsuyu's power is unrivaled.
"Lady Katsuyu, thank you for today. See you next time." After Kitazawa finished, he let Katsuyu return to Shikkotsu Forest. As for Sage Mode, it wasn't time for Hinata and the others to learn it yet. Kitazawa judged—though it wasn't in the original story—that they likely lacked the aptitude for Sage Mode; after all, even Sasuke didn't have it. Still, there was no harm in trying. When he had the time, Kitazawa could teach them; if they managed to learn it, their strength would leap forward.
"If you encounter danger while out in the future, you can summon Lady Katsuyu."
Kitazawa reminded them, then dismissed the students back to the Ninja Academy.
Half a month passed in a blink.
One early morning Kitazawa arrived at the Uchiha compound. Today was the day Sasuke's eye bandages would come off. He stepped up to Sasuke and carefully unwound the cloth from his eyes. Fugaku and the other relatives watched with eager faces.
As the bandages fell away and Sasuke's eyes adjusted to the light, he immediately activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. The three tomoe spun, reforming into a six-pointed star; into that base a four-pointed windmill pattern soon embedded itself. Fugaku and Itachi needed no explanation from Kitazawa—they could already feel the difference. Compared to the ordinary Mangekyō, this was more intoxicating and far more potent.
Sasuke clenched his fist, aware of the surge in his ocular power. If he used Amanoiwato again, the chakra boost would rise from two times to three.
"Congratulations, Sasuke," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Sasuke replied, practically buzzing with excitement. He wanted nothing more than to find Naruto and duel him right away.
"Adapt for two days first, then I'll take you to Ryūchi Cave," Kitazawa advised.
Sasuke blinked in surprise, then lit up. Naruto had summoned a beast from Mount Myōboku; Sasuke going to Ryūchi Cave would even the tally. Fugaku and Itachi exchanged a look. They both understood what Ryūchi Cave represented—and why Kitazawa might be taking Sasuke there. Beyond gaining power, it raised the possibility of Sasuke becoming contracted to Ryūchi Cave and maybe even joining the ranks of Konoha's Sannin. The thought brought a pleasant flush to their faces.
"Let me check your condition," Kitazawa said, placing a hand over Sasuke's eyes. Chakra flowed from him, circulating through Sasuke's body.
"From the looks of it, everything is normal." Kitazawa nodded. "If you encounter any problems, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke answered at once.
A knock sounded at the door. An Uchiha standing there announced, "Kitazawa-sama, an ANBU ninja is looking for you."
"The business here is finished, so I'll be leaving first. No need to see me out," Kitazawa bid Fugaku and the others farewell.
"Kitazawa-sama." Haru bowed slightly as Kitazawa rose. "Hokage-sama wants you to go to the Hokage office immediately."
Kitazawa nodded and used the Flying Thunder God.
"This is the intelligence we just received." Tsunade handed him a scroll as he arrived at the Hokage office. Kitazawa unrolled it and read. The Akatsuki had struck again—Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure, had been captured. That left only the Two-Tails, Seven-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails free. The Two- and Eight-Tails were in the Hidden Cloud; the Nine-Tails, in Konoha; and the Seven-Tails—Fu—in Takigakure.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin. The Akatsuki's next obvious target would be Takigakure. Kumo and Konoha were tougher nuts to crack and would demand a collective Akatsuki force; Takigakure was a small village of average strength. Its remoteness made it easy to defend and hard to assault, but Kakuzu hailed from Takigakure and would know how to find it. He was a likely candidate to be sent.
Kitazawa was also a little surprised Fu hadn't been taken yet, but the reasons were clear enough: the Akatsuki were working in order, and they were stretched thin—Kakuzu was busy.
Tsunade produced another scroll. "Takigakure has requested help. Their leader, Shibuki, asks we send someone to protect the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki."
Kitazawa felt a tug of opportunity. The Akatsuki would almost certainly dispatch Kakuzu—his reputation for capturing Jinchūriki and dealing in the black market made him dangerous.
"The best way is to bring the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki back to Konoha Village," Kitazawa considered aloud. Konoha couldn't station nin everywhere in Takigakure indefinitely, and defending it properly would require someone to go there personally.
"Shibuki probably won't agree," Tsunade said. A Jinchūriki is both a village's taboo and its ultimate weapon; handing one over to another village was unlikely.
"I'll go there personally," Kitazawa said casually.
Tsunade read him instantly and, after thinking it over, agreed. As Hokage she could be flexible when it benefited Konoha and didn't cross major lines.
"Takigakure sent a jonin named Kegon," she added. "The situation is urgent. Go with him to Takigakure first."
"I'll send a Shadow Clone with him back to Takigakure, and I'll use the Flying Thunder God to rush over when needed," Kitazawa replied. He planned to wait two days to take Sasuke to Ryūchi Cave first, then head to Takigakure—but if the Akatsuki moved early, he would abandon the Ryūchi trip and leave immediately.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique really is convenient."
Tsunade couldn't help smiling—she had said it before, and she wasn't wrong.
"It certainly is," Kitazawa said with a blink. "Without the Flying Thunder God, it wouldn't be easy for me to get to your room at night."
"The Flying Thunder God Technique isn't meant for that!" Tsunade snapped, glaring.
"Then should I not use the Flying Thunder God Technique tonight?" Kitazawa shot back.
"Do you want to die?" She clenched her fist instinctively. "I'll properly teach you what it means to respect your teacher today!"
"I will definitely study hard tonight," he replied in a mock-serious tone.
Tsunade barked a laugh tinged with anger. "See you tonight."
He glanced at her and grinned suggestively. "You can kick me however you want tonight."
"Don't disturb my work!" Tsunade ordered, legs tensing. If this went on any longer, she would have to discipline him right there in the Hokage's office.
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa dropped the flirting and turned to go. He sent a Shadow Clone to follow Kegon back to Takigakure, then returned with his main body to the Ninja Academy.
Vacation was already half over; a new semester—the final year by academic count—was approaching. If nothing unexpected happened, Naruto and the others would graduate next March and likely make it in time for the Fourth Great Ninja War. Logically, with Konoha having brought the Akatsuki into the fold, there shouldn't be another great war.
But Kitazawa had no intention of returning the tailed beasts to the other villages—he was not Senju Hashirama. If the beasts stayed, the other villages would never let it go. The Fourth Great Ninja War would come, and he preferred a war he could win—both to trigger system missions and to push his strength beyond the Ōtsutsuki. After all, people like Ōtsutsuki Urashiki would one day descend on the ninja world.
Kitazawa shifted his attention to Akimichi Choji. Choji had been diligently studying the Akimichi clan's secret techniques and had learned almost everything except the Butterfly Mode. In the original timeline Choji first used that mode against Jirobo, relying on the clan's secret pills to convert stored fat into chakra and transform into a lean, powerful form—a method with terrible side effects that nearly killed him. Only during the Fourth Great Ninja War could he perform it without pills. Kitazawa couldn't teach Butterfly Mode, but he saw a more practical Ninjutsu for Choji: Yang Release Chakra Mode. The Akimichi ate and drank excessively because their chakra reserves were insufficient; a Yang Release boost could temporarily raise Choji's chakra so he wouldn't need to binge to fuel himself. After finishing with Choji, Kitazawa planned to go to the Forest of Death to finish learning Wood Release: Wood Golem—it was almost complete and should be mastered within a month.
On the third day, with Takigakure secure for the moment, Kitazawa took Sasuke to Ryūchi Cave. His approach was simple: summon a small snake, place a Flying Thunder God mark on it, send the snake into Ryūchi Cave, then use the Flying Thunder God himself.
"Is this Ryūchi Cave?" Sasuke asked, looking around in surprise. The cave was enormous—at a glance it was no smaller than Konoha Village.
A system prompt hovered:
[Current Mission: Conquer Ryūchi Cave.]
[Mission Reward: Ryūchi Cave Sage Art.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
The reward made him think of the two Sage Arts Yakushi Kabuto used in the original timeline: Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation, which could give life to inorganic matter and control things like rock, and Sage Art: White Rage Technique—a composite ability that blinded targets with light, deafened them with a piercing sound, and used air vibrations to numb bones and paralyze opponents. Kabuto had used those to get the upper hand on Itachi and Sasuke.
Of the Ryūchi Cave Sage Arts, the White Rage Technique was the most valuable.
He also considered a strategic opportunity: the system ordered him to conquer Ryūchi Cave—could he form a Summoning Beast unit? Even if the summoning beasts of the three great sage regions offered little to him directly, they would be a tremendous asset for most shinobi, including jonin. He would need to speak with the White Snake Sage. Originally he'd planned to let Sasuke handle Manda and the other snakes, but if he had to deal with the White Snake Sage personally, Kitazawa would have to step in.
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