"When?" Kitazawa came back to his senses and asked.
"You agreed?" Konan felt surprised.
"Do you wish for me to refuse?" Kitazawa chuckled and asked.
"That's not what I meant." Konan shook her head and said, "The time is set for next Monday, and the location is the Valley of the End."
"Valley of the End? He certainly picked a good spot." Kitazawa could roughly guess the reason Kakuzu chose the Valley of the End.
One could only say he still couldn't forget Senju Hashirama and Wood Release.
Kitazawa was actually curious about the battle between Kakuzu and Senju Hashirama in his previous life.
In the original story, it was only mentioned briefly, not in detail, but there were many circulating speculations.
For example, Kakuzu merely threw a Kunai from eight hundred li away and then ran, without actually fighting. Or perhaps he only fought one of Senju Hashirama's Wood Clones.
Kitazawa thought the latter was more likely. Because with Senju Hashirama's strength, Kakuzu wouldn't have been able to escape at all, unless it was a Wood Clone.
"Thank you," Konan said sincerely.
Kitazawa and Kakuzu had never met; his agreement to spar was clearly out of consideration for her. Otherwise, there was no need for him to agree to a spar with no benefits.
"It's nothing." Kitazawa knew she had misunderstood, but he didn't explain. He walked over, reached out, and pinched her face.
Konan looked at him with her clear, cold eyes, but she didn't stop him.
"Is there anything else?" Kitazawa withdrew his hand and walked toward the sofa.
"The Akatsuki Organization member you're sparring with is named Kakuzu, skilled in Five Elements Ninjutsu and Compound Ninjutsu." Konan thought for a moment and reminded him.
"Are you hoping I win?" Kitazawa sat on the sofa, looked at her, and asked with a smile.
"He can't beat you." Konan sat beside him, shook her head, and said.
After she witnessed Kitazawa's great battle with Moryo, she knew that few people in the Ninja World could be his opponent.
Although Kakuzu was very strong, he was still just a Ninja in the end.
"Since you think he can't beat me, why did you tell me his information?" Kitazawa grabbed her wrist, his gaze falling on her slender fingers.
The amber nail polish was very conspicuous. Kitazawa remembered that Akatsuki Organization members seemed to have a habit of wearing nail polish.
No, it shouldn't be a habit. He felt it was more like a unified behavior.
For example, Uchiha Itachi didn't wear nail polish before joining the Akatsuki Organization.
"I…" Konan was at a loss for how to answer for a moment.
"I'm going to take a nap." Seeing this, Kitazawa didn't ask her any more questions, and with a turn, he rested his head on her lap.
Konan reached out her hands and gently massaged his forehead. But as she stared into Kitazawa's eyes, complex emotions were revealed.
Two in the afternoon.
Kitazawa brought Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji to the Land of Demons' envoy's temporary residence in Konoha Village.
"Lord Kitazawa." Shion walked out. Behind her was Taruho.
"Priestess-sama." Kitazawa nodded and said, "This afternoon, these three will be your guides. Just tell them wherever you want to go."
"Thank you!" Shion finally couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, "Then let's go now!"
"Let the children go play." Kitazawa stopped Taruho and said.
Taruho hesitated for two seconds, nodded, and didn't follow. He had watched Shion grow up and knew she had never gone out to play before.
"Just call me Shion!" Shion revealed her childish nature, skipping and jumping down the street, very excited.
"Shion, are you interested in youth?" Naruto gave a thumbs-up and said, "I can take you to the place where we usually train our power of youth!"
He was referring to the Training Ground where Might Guy trained him and Rock Lee.
"Naruto." Neji quickly stopped him and said, "Let's go to the Hokage Rock first, so Shion can get to know the past Hokage of our Konoha Village."
"I agree with Neji's suggestion." Sasuke immediately said.
"Okay!" Shion agreed without much thought.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and returned to the Ninja Academy.
He had already told Neji in advance to bring Shion to the Ninja Academy once they were done touring, so he just needed to wait.
[Current Mission: Help Shino Aburame cultivate Kikaichu with Lightning Release resistance.]
[Mission Reward: Increase your own Lightning Release damage resistance by 10%.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
The three lines of text that suddenly appeared made Kitazawa stop.
Had Shino Aburame's Kikaichu mutation experiment succeeded? Kitazawa glanced at the system prompt and then turned to another Training Ground.
After a few steps, he bumped into Shino.
"Teacher Kitazawa?" Shino was startled and said, "I was just looking for you."
"Are these the Lightning Release Insects?" Kitazawa looked at the Kikaichu in his hand and asked.
"Mm." Shino nodded and said, "The Lightning Release Insects, like the Kikaichu of fire, are divided into two types: one for three seconds, and one for five seconds."
"Congratulations, Shino." Kitazawa said with a smile, "Now all that's left is the last type, Kikaichu with Earth Release resistance."
"This is all thanks to Teacher Kitazawa." Shino Aburame said humbly.
[Current Mission: Help Shino Aburame cultivate Kikaichu with Earth Release resistance.]
[Mission Reward: Increase your own Earth Release damage resistance by 10%.]
[Do you accept?]
An unsurprising mission. Kitazawa chose to accept. Perhaps gathering five types of resistance would lead to the birth of a special ability.
"Regarding Kikaichu with Earth Release resistance, do you have any ideas?" Kitazawa came back to his senses and asked.
"My idea is to improve the Kikaichu's defense," Shino replied.
"That is indeed one approach, but I think another approach might be better." Kitazawa said with a smile, "Let the Kikaichu have the ability to move stealthily underground."
In the original story, there were no Kikaichu capable of burrowing underground.
However, in an official game, there was a skill called Secret Technique: Insect Swamp. Its effect allowed Kikaichu to dive beneath the ground, transforming the target's footing into a swamp of insects.
Shino Aburame was stunned, then his eyes suddenly widened. If such Kikaichu truly existed, it would mean their stealth capabilities had evolved to an entirely new level.
Whether used for reconnaissance or surprise attacks, the power would be immense.
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Shino said with rare excitement.
"Thank me when it succeeds." Kitazawa formed hand seals, created a Shadow Clone, and said, "You and my Shadow Clone can go conduct the experiment."
In the Ninja Academy, only he, Hiruzen, and Kakashi knew Earth Release.
At most, Kiba could be added, but he only knew Earth Release: Earth Fang Bullet, which wouldn't help Shino Aburame.
Kitazawa returned to the Training Ground where his study group trained.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Ino immediately ran over to him.
She hugged his arm, tilted her head up, and blinked her eyes repeatedly, as if trying to act cute.
"What's wrong?" Kitazawa asked with a helpless smile. "Did you lose to Sakura?"
"No way!" Ino quickly shook her head.
"Then what is it?" Kitazawa asked curiously.
"I learned Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!" Ino said with a bright, proud smile.
"Not bad." Kitazawa nodded. "You now possess Chunin-level strength in Genjutsu."
"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Ino said happily.
"You can pause your Genjutsu studies for now; I'll teach you the Konoha-Style Body Flicker Technique first," Kitazawa said after thinking for a moment.
"That's great!" Ino's eyes lit up.
Kitazawa lectured her for half an hour, then created a Shadow Clone to continue teaching her. He himself found a spot and began studying Wood Release: Wood Transformation Technique.
Time passed during training.
By the final class of the day, Shion and Naruto finally returned to the Ninja Academy.
"Priestess-sama." Kitazawa walked forward and asked, "How do you feel about the Ninja Academy?"
"It's lively and full of energy." Shion thought for a moment.
She left out the part that it was far better than the Land of Demons—so much so that she didn't want to leave.
"You and Naruto are about the same age; are you interested in enrolling?" Kitazawa asked with a light smile.
[Current Mission: Persuade Shion to join the Genius Class.]
[Mission Reward: Half Card of Chakra Limit.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa felt surprised. This mission's reward was the rare Chakra limit. Was it because of the powerful Priestess Power hidden within Shion?
Kitazawa chose to accept. It was practically a free reward— and it also confirmed one thing: Shion could trigger system missions.
And if one mission could be triggered, then more would certainly follow.
"Eh?" Shion immediately exclaimed.
This suggestion was completely unexpected. At most, she had thought of staying in Konoha for a little while—she had never imagined becoming a student at the Ninja Academy.
But the idea appealed to her, and a conflicted look appeared on her face.
"But I am the Priestess of the Land of Demons." Shion sighed. "I cannot leave the Land of Demons for long periods."
"Your thinking is flawed." Kitazawa shook his head.
"The Land of Demons needs a powerful Priestess, and you can only grow stronger faster at the Konoha Ninja Academy."
"The Land of Demons has the Priestess's Legacy…" Shion hesitated.
She had seen Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, and others' performance and knew the Ninja Academy was indeed strong—especially with Kitazawa as a teacher.
But she hadn't fully mastered the Priestess's Legacy yet. Taruho and the others would not agree to her staying for that reason.
"Does your Priestess's Legacy teach Sealing Jutsu?" Kitazawa asked.
From the original story, both Miroku and Shion only knew Sealing Jutsu and no other Ninjutsu. That made sense—the Priestess's sole role was to seal Moryo.
"Mm." Shion nodded.
"Then let me ask you: now that Moryo is gone, who are you going to seal by learning Sealing Jutsu?" Kitazawa asked.
"Eh?" Shion froze in astonishment. That single question left her speechless.
"You possess great power that was originally meant to seal Moryo, but now that Moryo is gone, you should use that power to protect the Land of Demons," Kitazawa said calmly.
Shion fell into deep thought.
The Land of Demons had no Ninja, and the Priestess's Legacy only taught Sealing Jutsu. If she truly wanted to grow stronger, Konoha was undeniably the best choice.
And most importantly… she wanted to join the Genius Class.
In the Land of Demons, she had no peers. She had grown up alone in the Priestess Shrine with no children her age to talk to.
"I'll go discuss it with Taruho and the others," Shion said.
Kitazawa's reasoning felt solid enough to convince them.
Kitazawa nodded.
"Teacher Kitazawa, wait for me!" Shion instantly changed her form of address and ran out of the Ninja Academy.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and resumed training.
The bell rang. The students of the Genius Class finished their training and went home.
---
"Time to go home, Kitazawa." Kurenai walked over from another Training Ground, smiling as she spoke.
Just as Kitazawa was about to answer, three lines of text appeared before his eyes:
[Current Mission: Persuade Shion to join the Genius Class.]
[Mission Reward: Half a Card of Chakra Limit.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
It seemed Shion had already convinced Taruho and the others.
Kitazawa clapped his hands lightly, ending his training.
"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Kurenai asked in confusion.
Kitazawa walked up to her and told her about Shion joining the Genius Class.
"Is there something special about her?" Kurenai asked with curiosity.
"Her situation is similar to Yakumo's," Kitazawa replied.
"No wonder you want her in the Genius Class." Kurenai was startled. She had experienced firsthand how overwhelming Yakumo's power was.
"Besides that, her joining the Genius Class will also strengthen relations between Konoha and the Land of Demons," Kitazawa said casually.
"Mm." Kurenai nodded. That was easy to understand.
Shion was the Priestess of the Land of Demons—if she became a student of the Genius Class, the alliance between the two nations would be absolute.
"Teacher Kitazawa!" Moments later, an excited Shion ran up to them. "Taruho and the others agreed!"
"That's good. You can join the Genius Class tomorrow." Kitazawa nodded.
"Mm!" Shion beamed with joy.
"Do you know the purpose of the Bell you're wearing?" Kitazawa pointed at the bell on her chest.
"My mother, Miroku, left it for me." Shion blinked in surprise, then explained, "She said it would protect me at crucial moments."
"There's a Sealing Jutsu on this Bell." Kitazawa examined it. "If I'm not mistaken, it's a seal that suppresses power."
"What does that mean?" Shion asked blankly.
"Exactly what it sounds like," Kitazawa said. "It suppresses your power."
"But… I've never felt any special power in me." Shion looked puzzled.
"Take the Bell off," Kitazawa instructed.
Shion hesitated, then removed the Bell. Instantly, a terrifying power surged out of her body.
Shion panicked and quickly put the Bell back on.
She stared at her hands, stunned. That power was absurdly strong—yet she had never known she possessed it.
Kurenai's expression shifted as well. That pressure made even her feel suffocated.
If converted into Chakra, it was dozens—no, hundreds—of times greater than her own reserves.
Kurenai let out a long breath. These children… the sheer number of geniuses left her speechless.
Kitazawa stroked his chin.
In the original story, Moryo's power and the Priestess's power were said to originate from the same source.
He had assumed the Priestess's power was Yin Release, like Moryo—but now it seemed to be something else entirely.
Yang Release.
If Moryo was Yin Release and the Priestess was Yang Release, then "same origin" must refer to mutual creation and mutual restraint.
No wonder the Priestess could seal Moryo.
If Shion wielded Yang Release, she could walk a path similar to Karin's: Sealing Jutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu.
The Genius Class currently lacked Medical Ninja—only Karin and Sakura had that specialty. Adding Shion would help balance things.
"Your mother gave you that Bell because you couldn't control this power," Kitazawa explained.
There was another reason: the Land of Demons had no Ninjutsu besides the Sealing Jutsu for Moryo.
Miroku had no way to handle Shion's immense power, so she chose the simplest solution—seal it.
"I see…" Shion murmured, finally understanding.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll begin Chakra control training." Kitazawa patted her head.
Like Yakumo, Shion was born with immense power. She didn't need to learn how to refine Chakra—she simply had to learn how to use it.
In a sense, she was similar to Naruto as well.
"See you tomorrow," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Goodbye, Teacher Kitazawa!" Shion turned and left, skipping with excitement.
"If she matures, the geniuses in the Genius Class will have an even harder rival," Kurenai said as she watched Shion disappear.
"That's a good thing." Kitazawa held her hand. "Pressure creates motivation."
"Although you have a point, I'm glad there wasn't a Genius Class back in my time."
Kurenai shook her head.
She never had lofty ambitions—becoming a capable wife and mother was enough for her.
"Kurenai, do you remember when I said I'd find a Summoning Beast for you?" Kitazawa asked, gently stroking her smooth hand.
Even though Kurenai didn't seek power, she was his woman—he would strengthen her as much as possible.
"You found a Summoning Beast suited for me?" Kurenai's eyes brightened. "What kind is it?"
"It's called a Giant Clam. It can use Genjutsu." Kitazawa replied.
"A Summoning Beast that uses Genjutsu?" Kurenai asked in shock. "Where did you find it?"
"I haven't found it yet." Kitazawa shook his head. "It belonged to the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu."
"…?" Kurenai froze mid-step.
"Even though Hōzuki Gengetsu is dead, his Summoning Beast is still alive," Kitazawa said with a smile. "The only question is—do you dare use it?"
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Kurenai regained her composure. "If you dare give it to me, then of course I dare use it."