Tuesday.
When the Genius Class students arrived at the Ninja Academy's Training Ground, they found a group of uninvited guests.
"Why are there so many Medical Ninjas?" Kiba asked, looking puzzled.
"Are they here to give us a physical examination?" Naruto's eyes widened as he said with resistance, "I don't want any shots!"
"If you're afraid of shots, how can you become Hokage?" Sasuke said coolly, hands in his pockets.
"I'm not scared!" Naruto immediately retorted stubbornly. "I'm super strong, I don't need any shots!"
Sasuke's mouth twitched. He really couldn't refute that statement. Naruto's body was much stronger than his—no, to be more precise, it was practically inhuman.
"It has nothing to do with us," Sakura stated the truth. "They're all here to see Kitazawa-sensei."
"Is Kitazawa-sensei sick?" Naruto's expression immediately changed as he asked.
"Use a little of your brain," Shikamaru grumbled. "What kind of illness requires so many Medical Ninja? And Kitazawa-sensei is a Medical Ninja himself."
"Oh, right, Shikamaru's right." Naruto scratched his head and said.
"You definitely won't guess," Sakura smiled mysteriously. "They're here to attend Kitazawa-sensei's class, just like us."
"Class?" Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, and the others all showed surprised expressions.
"Could it be related to Limb regeneration?" Shikamaru asked thoughtfully.
"You're good at everything except being too smart; it really takes away from my sense of accomplishment," Sakura pouted.
"That's not difficult," Shikamaru explained. "Kitazawa-sensei's Limb regeneration technique has become widely known throughout Konoha Village these past two days."
"Indeed," Yakumo chimed in. "Yesterday after school, I went sketching on the easternmost side of Konoha Village, and I heard people discussing it the whole way."
"As expected of Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto said with admiration. "I want to create a Ninjutsu that the whole village will talk about, too!"
"Don't even think about it; it's impossible," Sasuke snorted lightly.
"Creating miracles is what youth is all about!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up.
"I can definitely do it!"
"This is youth!" Rock Lee said excitedly. "Naruto, I support you!"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Tenten crossed her arms. "Let's skip this topic." She was afraid that Naruto and Rock Lee would get too excited and start crying in each other's arms again.
"Kitazawa-sensei is here!" Hinata, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke.
Everyone subconsciously looked toward the school gate.
A moment later, Kitazawa came into view. But just as they were about to go greet him, Yakushi Nono and the others got there first.
"Kitazawa-sama." A group of Medical Ninjas surrounded him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. You'll have class in the Genius Class classroom today." Kitazawa thought for a moment.
The Genius Class students only had theoretical lessons on Mondays. All other classes were training on the Training Ground, so the classroom wasn't needed.
Limb Regeneration is an S-rank Medical Ninjutsu. His plan was to teach theory for a week, and then let Yakushi Nono and the others start hands-on learning.
"You all go ahead; I'll be there shortly." Kitazawa needed to greet the Genius Class students.
"Follow me," Yakushi Nono took the lead.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" As soon as they left, Naruto and the others ran over.
"Good morning." Kitazawa greeted them with a smile and casually reached out to pat Hinata's head. She had been quick-witted and managed to get the closest spot to him.
"Kitazawa-sensei, will you continue to teach us?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"Of course." Kitazawa guessed his thoughts and explained, "This Medical Ninja training class is only temporary, lasting at most six months."
As long as one Medical Jonin learned the Limb Regeneration Ninjutsu, he could confidently be a hands-off manager.
"That's good." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. The others also felt relieved.
They had grown accustomed to the feeling of their strength rapidly improving under Kitazawa, and they didn't want a different teacher.
Of course, it wasn't just about strength, but also trust and affection.
"Kitazawa!" Kosuke's voice rang out. Compared to before, there was a newfound sense of enthusiasm.
"Kosuke-senpai." Kitazawa looked him over.
It seemed that regaining his left leg had a significant impact on him. But it was all positive, making him feel reborn. This was even more evident when compared to Kakashi next to him.
"Alright, everyone, class is starting." Kitazawa clapped his hands and said.
Naruto, Sasuke, and the others each found a spot and began their training.
"Kakashi." Kitazawa walked over and asked, "How is your Lightning Release: Kirin progressing?"
"It's going quite smoothly." Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "It should be completed this week."
"Congratulations," Kitazawa said with a smile. "S-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu are truly rare in the entire Ninja World."
"It's thanks to you," Kakashi said with a calm expression.
"I didn't do anything; I just said a few words." Kitazawa patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be so modest."
Kakashi was slightly startled. He looked at Kitazawa's gesture and felt a long-lost emotion.
"I'll be teaching in the Genius Class classroom. If you need anything, come find me." After telling him this, Kitazawa went to the Genius Class classroom.
Yakushi Nono and the others had already found their seats and were waiting. There were also a few bored Medical Ninjas flipping through the Genius Class textbooks.
"Kitazawa-sama." Upon noticing Kitazawa, they immediately sat up straight.
"Class is starting now." Kitazawa smiled and walked to the podium.
It was quite subtle that, apart from Kabuto, all the students were older than him.
It was now noon. According to the Ninja Academy's schedule, Kitazawa gave them a lunch break.
After leaving the classroom, he went to the Training Ground. The Genius Class students also entered their lunch break. At this time, they were sitting in twos and threes, eating lunch.
The liveliest group was Naruto, Hinata, Yakumo Kurama, Rock Lee, and others. The original Twelve Genin, plus Yakumo, Karin, and Inuzuka Hana—a total of fifteen people—gathered together.
"Kitazawa-sensei, come sit!" Ino saw him and immediately called out.
"Naruto, come find me after you finish eating." Kitazawa walked over and sat between Ino Yamanaka and Hyuga Hinata.
"Are you going to teach me a new Ninjutsu?" Naruto's eyes lit up as he asked.
"Of course not." Kitazawa shook his head and retorted, "You haven't even mastered your current Wind Release Ninjutsu; why would you learn a new one?"
"Then what is it?" Naruto asked curiously.
"I'll tell you after we eat." What Kitazawa wanted to talk about was naturally the Nine-Tails. But the existence of the Nine-Tails was not suitable for others to know.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Hinata handed him a bento box.
Kitazawa glanced at it. The presentation was exquisite; it was clearly made by Hinata herself.
"Thank you." Kitazawa gave her a smile. Hinata immediately happily picked up another bento box.
"I'm full!" Naruto was the first to finish lunch.
"Let's go then." After Kitazawa had eaten enough, he closed his bento box. Seeing this, Hinata took it from him. Kitazawa patted her head, stood up, and went to a nearby tree.
"Kitazawa-sensei, what do you want to tell me?" Naruto asked proactively.
"Do you know the Six Paths Sage?" Kitazawa pondered for a moment and asked.
"We learned in class that legend says he is the ancestor of us Ninja, who passed down Chakra and Ninjutsu." Naruto immediately replied.
"Correct." Kitazawa nodded and added, "What the books don't mention is that he had nine extremely powerful summoned beasts, which we call Tailed Beasts."
"Tailed Beasts?" Naruto thought for a moment. "This is the first I've heard of them. Are they very powerful?"
"It's not a question of whether they're powerful or not," Kitazawa replied. "For us, Ninja, Tailed Beasts are unconquerable beings."
"Even the Hokage can't defeat them?" Naruto asked, shocked.
"Hokage-sama can defeat them, especially First Hokage Hashirama Senju." Kitazawa then asked, "Do you remember the Battle of the End Valley I talked about in class?"
"That was the battle between First Hokage-sama and Uchiha Madara." Naruto nodded and said.
"But actually, there weren't just the two of them at that time; there was also the most powerful ninth Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails," Kitazawa explained.
"Uchiha Madara controlled the Nine-Tails and engaged in a great battle with First Hokage-sama, but he was utterly defeated."
"First Hokage-sama is so powerful!" Naruto exclaimed.
"That's why First Hokage-sama is called the God of Shinobi." Kitazawa paused, then asked, "Do you know where the Nine-Tails went?"
"I don't know." Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up. "Is it in our Konoha?"
"You guessed it right. Here's a candy for you," Kitazawa said, casually handing him a candy.
"Then where is the Nine-Tails? Can I see it?" Naruto asked with great interest.
"Inside you," Kitazawa replied.
"Huh?" Naruto was stunned by the words and asked in confusion, "What does 'inside me' mean?"
"Do you know why you're not afraid of genjutsu?" Kitazawa explained. "That's because the Nine-Tails inside you helps you break free from genjutsu."
"But... but..." Naruto was at a loss for words for a moment.
Kitazawa said nothing more, quietly waiting for him to digest the news.
"Why is the Nine-Tails inside me?" After several minutes, Naruto asked in confusion.
"Your parents put it there," Kitazawa said truthfully.
"What?" Naruto immediately became agitated.
"Kitazawa-sensei, do you know who my parents are?" He had asked Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Sarutobi always brushed him off with various excuses.
"I can tell you," Kitazawa paused, then said, "But you'll have to keep it a secret for a while and not tell anyone else."
Tsunade would only announce Naruto's identity at the next Jonin meeting. Leaking it now would not be good; rumors might fly.
"Okay!" Naruto stared at him with anticipation.
"Minato Namikaze," Kitazawa said slowly.
"That name... sounds so familiar." Naruto was stunned for a moment, scratched his head, and said.
"Fourth Hokage-sama," Kitazawa reminded him.
"What?" Naruto's pupils dilated, and he froze in place, muttering, "I'm Fourth Hokage-sama's son?"
"Your mother's name is Uzumaki Kushina," Kitazawa continued. "That's why your surname is Uzumaki."
"That's great!" Naruto suddenly said happily. "My parents are Konoha heroes!"
He had been disliked since he was a child. He had thought about this many times. Among the reasons he thought of was because of his parents.
Coupled with Sarutobi Hiruzen's evasiveness, he truly believed he had found the reason: his parents had wronged Konoha Village. But now it seemed that was not the case.
"Then why do they all call me a monster?" After asking, Naruto suddenly had a flash of insight. "Is it because of the Nine-Tails?"
He had heard Sarutobi Hiruzen tell the story of Minato Namikaze. It was because of the Nine-Tailed's rampage that he died.
Now the Nine-Tails was inside him. Naruto vaguely understood the whole story.
"Hmm," Kitazawa thought for a moment and said, "This matter should be blamed on Danzo; he stirred up trouble, making the villagers mistakenly believe you were the Nine-Tails' incarnation."
He then proceeded to tell Naruto about the various evil deeds committed by Shimura Danzo.
"How hateful!" Naruto's face flushed with anger upon hearing this.
Because of Danzo, he had been misunderstood for so many years, and he had only now learned who his parents were.
Kitazawa reached out and patted his shoulder. At this point, making Danzo take the blame was the only way.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had already retired; there was no need to drag him out again. And most importantly, Naruto had a good relationship with him. Exposing it would only make Naruto feel worse.
Danzo was already dead and could not refute it. It truly echoed the saying that sometimes the dead are more useful than the living.
"Now that Danzo is dead, Tsunade-sensei has decided to reveal your true identity, which, if nothing unexpected happens, will be next week," Kitazawa said in a deep voice. "Naruto, no one will treat you like before anymore."
"I..." Naruto was overwhelmed by a flood of information, feeling a mix of complex emotions and a blank mind.
"I know you can't accept it in a short time," Kitazawa looked at him and said, "Take your lunch break first, and tomorrow we'll talk about the Nine-Tails."
Naruto subconsciously nodded and walked absentmindedly towards Sasuke and the others.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sasuke was the first to notice his abnormality.
"I... I'm fine," Naruto shook his head.
"If you don't want to talk, then don't!" Sasuke pouted. He rarely cared, but he got a perfunctory response from Naruto.
"Why do you look so down?" Kiba slung an arm around his shoulder and said with a smile, "This isn't like you."
"Yeah," Akimichi Choji added, "We're all friends. If you have any problems, tell us and we'll help you solve them."
"Don't worry, it should be fine," Shikamaru looked him over twice and said. "Kitazawa-sensei called him over; nothing serious would happen."
"Hmm!" Naruto snapped out of it, looked at everyone, very touched, and immediately said, "I'm really fine!"
Whether he was the Fourth Hokage's son or not, he had a group of friends who cared about him.
Besides, having a Hokage dad sounded pretty cool. The only pity was that he had never seen him; he had only seen him on the Hokage Rock.
"That's good," Rock Lee gave a thumbs-up and said, "Whatever difficulties you encounter, youth will solve them!"
"That's right!" Naruto cheered up and said with a smile, "Youth can't lose its fighting spirit!"
"It's fine, everyone continue eating," Ino said, relieved at the sight.
After the lunch break, classes resumed. Kitazawa's main body went to the Hokage Office to learn the Yin Seal, and his Shadow Clone returned to the Genius Class classroom.
The sun set. Tuesday's classes came to an end. Kitazawa returned to the Ninja Academy and dispelled his Shadow Clone.
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sama!" The Medical Ninja of Konoha Hospital left one after another.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto stood at the door, waving excitedly. Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. After all, he was a child; emotions came and went quickly.
"Kitazawa-sensei, tell me about the Nine-Tails inside me!" Naruto asked impatiently.
"After the Six Paths Sage died, the Nine-Tails became a wild summoned beast, until it was controlled by Uchiha Madara," Kitazawa smiled and said. "After it was defeated by First Hokage-sama, it was sealed."
"Sounds a bit tragic," Naruto was stunned for a moment.
He had originally thought this most powerful Tailed Beast would have some earth-shattering deeds, but that was it?
"The place where the Nine-Tails was sealed is inside you," Kitazawa paused and said. "You are the third person to carry the Nine-Tailed; the previous one was your mother, Uzumaki Kushina."
"I see," Naruto's face showed a sudden realization.
He had been quite resistant at first, but once he heard that his mother had also been like this, it wasn't so difficult for him to accept.
After all, it was like a son inheriting his mother's legacy. In a sense, it was also the only connection between him and his mother in this world.
"Although the Nine-Tails caused trouble a few times, it was never of its own volition," Kitazawa looked at him and said. "If you can, you might even become friends with it."
"Friends?" Naruto remembered the Nine-Tails repeatedly breaking him out of genjutsu. "That doesn't sound bad."
"And if you get familiar with it, you can borrow its power," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Perhaps with its help, you can become the strongest Hokage in history."
"Really?" Naruto's eyes widened. His dream was to become Hokage, and a Hokage who surpassed all previous Hokage.
"But wasn't the Nine-Tails defeated by First Hokage-sama?" Naruto suddenly thought of something and asked skeptically, "How could it possibly help me become the strongest Hokage?"
The next second, he felt his body shake. Red Chakra surged out, shimmering in front of him.