Tsunade sat in the Hokage's chair, feeling a strange sense of unreality.
She had never intended to become Hokage—yet somehow, she had ended up in that position.
Thinking about it, everything had begun with Kitazawa's concept of the Psychological Medical Ninja.
It had sparked her interest and brought her back to Konoha Village. As a result, she hadn't been able to leave—and now she had become the Hokage.
Should she blame Kitazawa? There was no need.
Tsunade realized she didn't have much resistance to the idea anymore. Since things had come to this, there was no point in complaining.
She was already Hokage—she couldn't run away from it, and could only serve for a while.
"Hokage-sama," Kitazawa reminded her. "You should issue another announcement to confirm your status as Acting Hokage."
"You handle it." Tsunade glanced at him casually.
"Then I'll go notify the Anbu," Kitazawa said after a brief pause.
Normally, such an announcement should be made directly by the Hokage, but since Tsunade had said so, Kitazawa could only run the errand on her behalf.
"Kitazawa." Tsunade suddenly realized her earlier instruction was inappropriate.
She smiled and asked offhandedly, "Do you want to be the Anbu Commander?"
The Anbu reported directly to the Hokage, and the position of Commander was one of the most critical in the village.
This was evident from those who had held the role before—Yamato, Hiruzen's eldest son, and Kakashi—all trusted confidants of their Hokage.
"Didn't you ask me to be the Hokage's Assistant before?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
"With your abilities, being the Hokage's Assistant would be a waste. The Anbu Commander position suits you better," Tsunade replied.
After spending so much time with Kitazawa, she had come to understand his nature well—meticulous, capable, and most importantly, unflinching when decisive action was needed.
If compared to Danzo, Kitazawa was a Danzo who hadn't been corrupted and still held his principles.
"It's possible, but I still have to teach classes," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought.
"Still have to teach classes?" Tsunade asked in surprise.
"The Genius Class is the future of Konoha Village," Kitazawa replied seriously. "Whether for personal reasons or for the village's future, I must continue teaching."
The personal reason, of course, was to trigger system missions and strengthen his bonds with his students—but from Tsunade's point of view, it seemed like pure devotion to his pupils.
That loyalty and sense of responsibility only made her respect him more.
"The Anbu Commander doesn't need to go on frequent missions, so you'll have plenty of time to teach," Tsunade said generously. "When I need you for something, I'll notify you."
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade."
For Kitazawa, this was the best possible outcome. He had long planned to build his own force—and as Anbu Commander, he could now begin doing so legitimately.
Although the Anbu reported directly to the Hokage, there was nothing wrong with cultivating a few trusted subordinates of his own.
[The host has become the Anbu Commander and should have subordinates loyal to him.]
[Current mission: Cultivate four trusted subordinates.]
[Mission reward: Improved Curse Mark: Caged Bird.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa was momentarily stunned.
It was unexpected for a system mission to trigger at such a time, but even more surprising was the reward.
The Curse Mark: Caged Bird was a sealing technique used by the Hyuga Clan to protect the Byakugan. Those marked with it were considered members of the Branch Family, while the Main Family avoided the curse.
It served two purposes: one, to destroy the Byakugan upon death to prevent its theft; and two, to allow the Main Family to punish or even kill Branch members.
A mark born of good intentions had become a tool of control.
But what was the Improved Caged Bird Curse Mark?
From the system's description, it seemed the new version might be used on his loyal subordinates—but his subordinates wouldn't have the Byakugan.
Could it be similar to the Curse Tongue Eradication Seal once used by Root?
Kitazawa couldn't guess, so he stopped trying. He would find out when the mission was done.
The task's difficulty was moderate. Cultivating true loyalty was never easy.
He suddenly noticed that a quarter of the mission progress had already been completed.
A trusted subordinate? Who could that be? Was it Kurenai?
She was the only one who seemed to fit. When the system had triggered her mission to learn the Chakra Enhanced Strength, it had referred to her as his subordinate.
Either way, it was a free quarter of progress.
"You should call her Hokage-sama," Shizune said with a cheerful smile.
The happiest person about Tsunade becoming Hokage wasn't Kitazawa—it was Shizune.
Because now, she could finally stop wandering the ninja world.
After all, with Tsunade as Hokage, she wouldn't be gambling all over the continent anymore—and Shizune wouldn't have to live a life of constant debt collection.
"You can keep your original titles," Tsunade said, waving her hand. "I'm more used to it."
"Me too," Shizune agreed with a nod.
"Shizune, you'll be the Hokage's Assistant and help me with village affairs," Tsunade said.
"Okay," Shizune replied without hesitation.
She had already guessed this would be her new role—and even if it weren't, she would still remain by Tsunade's side.
"Kitazawa, the twelve Anbu ninja who were with Danzo today are for you to handle."
Tsunade paused and added, "After they leave the Anbu, remember to recruit new Anbu to fill the vacancies."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Kitazawa thought to himself, Isn't this an opportunity to cultivate trusted subordinates? There were suddenly twelve Anbu member vacancies.
However, he hadn't yet decided who to choose as his trusted subordinates. After all, his social circle was all at the Ninja Academy.
But Sasuke and the others were too young to join the Anbu. At most, Kabuto could be considered a candidate.
"For now, that's all. The appointments of other people will wait until I officially become Hokage," Tsunade thought for a moment and said.
"Hokage-sama," Kitazawa thought of Danzo and asked, "How should Danzo's body be handled?"
"Just find a place to bury him," Tsunade said indifferently.
"He still has the Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan on him," Kitazawa reminded her.
"I had forgotten about that." Tsunade frowned upon hearing this.
Logically, the Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan should be returned to their rightful owners.
But Kotoamatsukami made her feel uneasy. What if a villain from the Uchiha Clan obtained Kotoamatsukami?
"These are your spoils of war. Keep them for now," Tsunade pondered for a long time and said. "We can discuss it with the Uchiha Clan when they come forward."
Kitazawa probably understood what she was thinking upon hearing this. Kotoamatsukami indeed sounded too intimidating.
In the original work, the reason Danzo so decisively ambushed Uchiha Shisui was because he heard about the effects of Kotoamatsukami.
"Mm." Kitazawa nodded.
If it were him, he wouldn't return Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan to the Uchiha Clan either. After all, the Uchiha Clan occasionally produced one or two ninja with unstable minds.
As for the latter part of Tsunade's statement, it was unlikely to happen.
Because only Itachi knew that Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan was on Danzo, Itachi most likely wouldn't ask for them.
Kitazawa was thoughtful. Keeping them was fine; he could give them to Sasuke later, and it might allow him to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
In the original work, transplanting another person's Mangekyo Sharingan could awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
The closer the blood relation, the higher the success rate. Conversely, a lower blood relation was also possible, but the success rate was extremely low.
Kitazawa had the system, so he wasn't worried about not being able to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan himself.
Of course, if he really couldn't, he would find a way to use them for himself. In short, he would deal with it later.
"When you have the Anbu issue the announcement, include Shizune's new position as well," Tsunade suddenly remembered something and reminded him.
Once the announcement was made, Shizune could officially take office. As for her being Hokage, it still required three procedures.
The reason why Kitazawa's position wasn't announced was simple: he was Anbu. Ninjas who join the Anbu need to maintain secrecy, including the Anbu Commander.
However, since the Anbu Commander is a high-ranking official of Konoha Village, a few people would eventually know over time.
"You've worked hard today. After you issue the announcement, go back and rest," Tsunade sighed and said. "I still have things to do."
She had just become Hokage, and many tasks were waiting for her to handle. Besides that, she also had to meet with ninja from various departments to understand their situations.
Kitazawa couldn't help her with these matters. After all, it was the Hokage's work, and he couldn't do it on her behalf.
After greeting them, Kitazawa went to the Anbu Office.
"Kitazawa?" A familiar voice rang out.
Hearing this, Kitazawa looked at the Anbu sitting in the Anbu Office. He had already recognized that it was Asuma Sarutobi.
After the civil strife among the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire ended, he returned to Konoha Village and was assigned to the Anbu by Sarutobi Hiruzen. Kitazawa remembered that he was currently the Anbu Vice Commander.
With his Jonin strength, plus his identity, it was normal for him to be the Anbu Vice Commander.
"Why are you here?" Asuma asked with a smile. "Are you here to see me? Or do you need my help with something?"
"Captain Asuma," Haru, who was behind Kitazawa, spoke up. "Lord Kitazawa has been appointed as the Anbu's Commander by Hokage-sama."
"Ah?" Asuma's eyes widened, and he asked, "Why did the Old Man make you the Anbu's Commander?"
It wasn't that Kitazawa wasn't qualified to be the Anbu's Commander. During the war between Konoha Village and the Hidden Mist Village, he had achieved numerous merits and was considered outstanding among many Jonin.
Asuma thought that after Tsunade became Hokage, Kitazawa would become something like a Hokage's assistant.
At that time, he would be the Anbu Commander and manage Konoha alongside Kitazawa, which would also be a good story.
But who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, Kitazawa would become his direct superior? This made him feel very subtle.
"Just now, Hokage-sama has already made Lady Tsunade the acting Hokage," Haru continued.
Because it had just happened, Asuma didn't know about it.
"What?" Asuma was stunned by the two explosive pieces of news, freezing on the spot.
"Let's work together more in the future," Kitazawa extended his hand and said with a smile.
"This is truly... beyond my expectations." Asuma recovered and shook his hand, saying with emotion.
Kitazawa had risen too quickly, reaching the position of Anbu Commander in less than two years. Compared to him, Asuma felt that he had wasted a lot of time.
However, he couldn't feel jealous. After all, Kitazawa's current strength already far surpasses his.
"I'm here to coordinate Anbu's work and to take care of two things," Kitazawa withdrew his hand and explained.
"Haru, you can go and busy yourself," Asuma said proactively. "I'll take care of Kitazawa here."
"Yes." After a slight bow, Haru turned and left.
His role in the Anbu was similar to that of a Hokage's guard or assistant. His daily job was to wait outside the Hokage's office for orders.
Although the Hokage had now changed to Tsunade, his duties temporarily remained unchanged.
"I'd like to see the files of all Anbu members first," Kitazawa thought for a moment and said.
"Please sit down first; I'll get them for you now," Asuma replied, pointing to the sofa.
"Alright, thank you." Kitazawa sat on the sofa and began to wait. Not too long after, Asuma reappeared and handed him a document.
"Dismiss these twelve Anbu members." Kitazawa found the Anbu ninja that Danzo Shimura had brought today.
"Okay." Asuma glanced at it and wasn't surprised. These Anbu were all former Root members.
Connecting this with the recent news about Danzo's assassination attempt on Tsunade and subsequent death, he could easily guess the cause and effect.
"Besides them, are there any other Anbu members who were formerly from Root?" Kitazawa asked, looking at the list.
He wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen—he wouldn't reuse these former Root members.
"No, just these twelve," Asuma said, shaking his head.
"Alright, then go and issue the announcement now."
Kitazawa's gaze fell upon the name Tenzo. Tsunade didn't seem to know about Tenzo's existence yet.
He planned to mention this to her tomorrow—and while he was at it, he could also ask her for Wood Release ninjutsu. He would use the excuse of wanting to experiment with a Bloodline Limit.
On one hand, he wanted to learn Wood Release ninjutsu himself; he already possessed the Wood Release ability, but no corresponding techniques.
On the other hand, when the time was right, he could reveal his Wood Release, claiming he had synthesized it himself.
"The first announcement is about the appointments of Lady Tsunade and Senior Shizune," Kitazawa continued. "The second announcement is that the Anbu will recruit new members, and interested ninja can apply."
He intended to cultivate his own confidants in these twelve vacant positions.
But twelve was too many—three would be about right. For the remaining vacancies, the best method was open recruitment.
The Anbu's recruitment process was relatively simple. As long as one's strength was sufficient and their background or family history was clean, they could join.
"What is Shizune's position?" Asuma asked curiously.
"Hokage's Assistant," Kitazawa replied.
"I see." Asuma nodded upon hearing this.
It was normal for Shizune to be the Hokage's Assistant. But Kitazawa becoming the Anbu's Commander was something he hadn't expected at all.
Asuma sighed inwardly. From today onwards, Kitazawa and his positions had completely reversed.
The student of the acting Hokage Tsunade, the Vice Principal of the Ninja Academy, and the Commander of the Anbu—these three identities combined already surpassed his own.
With Sarutobi Hiruzen's retirement, his status as the Hokage's son wasn't as valuable anymore.
Now it seemed Kurenai had indeed made the right choice. Although Asuma had already given up on Kurenai long ago.
"That's all for now," Kitazawa said with a smile. "I still have classes, so I'll have to trouble you to handle Anbu matters mostly."
"It's my duty," Asuma paused and said. "Then I'll go and issue the announcements now."
"Mm."
After he left, Kitazawa put away the files on Tenzo, also known as Yamato. He would need them when he met Tsunade tomorrow.
Kitazawa stood up and stretched. Although the Anbu was important, as its Commander, he didn't need to worry about the daily operations. He was only responsible for major decisions.
Overall, being the Anbu Commander wouldn't take up too much of his time.
Kitazawa stroked his chin. The System had already identified Kurenai as his subordinate. Should he let her join the Anbu?
But Asuma was also in the Anbu, so that might make things awkward.
Kitazawa pondered for a moment and decided to maintain the status quo for now.
Kurenai should continue cultivating and studying at home. When there was a mission, he could simply bring her along.
If one day Kitazawa became Hokage, he could indeed make her the Hokage's Assistant.
Kitazawa left the Anbu office and returned home.
"Eh?" Kurenai was surprised to see him. "Didn't you go to the Capital of the Land of Fire with Lady Tsunade?"
"Didn't you receive the news of Danzo's death?" Kitazawa countered.
"What?" Kurenai was instantly shocked. She had been practicing Wind Release: Rasengan at home all day and hadn't gone out.
"It's like this." Kitazawa recounted to her what had happened that morning.
"It's good that Danzo died!" Kurenai clenched her fists. "I wish I had known—I would have gone with you to beat him up!"
Although she knew she couldn't defeat Danzo.
"You're truly adorable," Kitazawa couldn't help but smile.
"Since you've become the Anbu Commander, I'll benefit too!" Kurenai put her hands on her hips proudly.
"If you work hard to improve your strength, you might even get a position," Kitazawa said, pinching her cheek.
"I'll be able to master Wind Release: Rasengan right away!" Kurenai declared with confidence.
"Then let's make a bet," Kitazawa said with a smile. "If I create a medical ninjutsu for limb regeneration first, you'll grant me one request."
"What kind of perverted request is it this time?" Kurenai rolled her eyes.
"A normal request," Kitazawa said calmly. "If you learn Wind Release: Rasengan first, I'll grant you one request too."
"Alright then!" Kurenai said, full of fighting spirit. "I'm sure I'll win!"
After speaking, she ran off to practice Wind Release: Rasengan again.
Kitazawa also returned to his room, continuing to refine the medical ninjutsu for limb regeneration.
While they were busy, the news of Tsunade becoming the acting Hokage spread throughout Konoha Village.
Everyone was surprised—but not overly so. This news was nowhere near as explosive as the death of Shimura Danzo.