The sun had already set, but the sky was still glowing with daylight.
Ever since July rolled around, days in Konoha had stretched out longer, and the heat had cranked up a notch too.
On his way home, Kitazawa grabbed three popsicles and picked up the pace.
Well—not his home exactly. He was heading to Kurenai's place.
"Open up, Kurenai!"
He pushed open the door, walked straight into the living room, and popped a popsicle right into her mouth.
"You could've told me you were getting popsicles," she mumbled, pulling it out with a frown. "You ruined my lipstick."
Kitazawa paused, glancing down instinctively.
The translucent ice had two pink lipstick prints on it.
His eyes slowly traveled upward, landing on her lips—soft, glossy, and glowing under the lights with a bold, vibrant red.
"Ah, my bad," he scratched his head. "I didn't want it to melt, so I just… didn't notice you had lipstick on."
"Next time, think first," she shot him a look.
"I thought lipstick was edible," Kitazawa blinked playfully.
"Well, technically it is, but—mmph!"
He cut her off with a kiss.
She sighed internally but didn't resist.
Their lips parted after a few seconds.
"If you don't get that last popsicle to Yakumo, it's gonna melt for real."
Kurenai smacked her lips and reminded him.
"Your lipstick tastes pretty good, though," Kitazawa muttered thoughtfully.
"Too bad it was one of my favorites," she grumbled. "You owe me."
"No problem," he said immediately. "Next time I'll get you a whole set—one shade for every day of the week."
"This was supposed to be punishment. Why does it sound like a reward for you?" she narrowed her eyes. "Are you some kind of perv?"
"How am I a perv?" he defended. "I just thought it'd be fun to go shopping with you."
"Yeah, sure. Like I'm buying that."
She snorted and kicked him lightly with her smooth, white foot. "Go! It's melting!"
"Okay, okay, I'm going!"
Kitazawa headed upstairs and handed the popsicle to Kurama Yakumo.
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei."
She gave it a quick lick, and her whole body shivered from the chill.
"How's your body holding up?" Kitazawa asked, taking a bite of his own.
"Much better, thanks to Tsunade-sama's treatment," she smiled. "I think I'll be back to moving like a normal ninja in no time."
"Glad to hear that," Kitazawa said, a bit emotional.
At least this was one good thing he'd done.
If things kept going this way, Yakumo would never follow the original timeline—no killing her parents, no nearly killing Kurenai.
"I wouldn't be here without you, Sensei."
She looked at him seriously.
She knew full well that Tsunade only treated her because of Kitazawa. It wasn't about her bloodline. It was because he came up with the idea of mental health-focused medical ninja—and that's what got Tsunade back to the village.
"Come on, it's not that big a deal."
Kitazawa waved it off. "So, what do you want to do once you're fully recovered?"
"I want to go back to school," she answered without hesitation. "Just going to class like everyone else… that's always been my dream."
"Then you're back next semester," he nodded. "No question."
In the original storyline, Yakumo turned dark because her parents wouldn't let her attend school. They made her give up on becoming a ninja.
[Strong Transfer Student Yakumo Kurama is Returning! You must protect your #1 rank!]
[Current Mission: Learn 5 Genjutsu during Summer Break.]
[Reward: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.]
[Accept?]
A system message popped into Kitazawa's view. His pupils tightened.
Wait—Bringer-of-Darkness?!
An A-rank jutsu created by Tobirama Senju, specifically to counter the Uchiha's Sharingan. It plunged the enemy into total darkness, stealing their vision completely.
In the original timeline, Tobirama used it—via Edo Tensei—during the Konoha Crush. Even the Third Hokage couldn't fight back once it hit; he had to wait until the caster lost visual contact.
Aside from Mangekyō-level dojutsu, Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was one of the most dangerous genjutsu out there.
Not just a Sharingan killer—this thing wrecked regular ninja too.
It was insanely useful.
Of course, the better the reward, the harder the task.
The Ninja Academy followed a three-term system. Summer break was just one month long.
And while Kitazawa had top-tier chakra control, he hadn't mastered Yin Release—the key to illusion techniques.
Learning five genjutsu in one month… yeah, that was gonna be a grind.
But not impossible.
He looked over at Yakumo. She was a total goldmine.
Only two quests so far, and both came with massive rewards—one B-rank genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, and now an A-rank one.
Up until now, Kitazawa only had two A-rank jutsu in his arsenal: Chakra Scalpel and Rasengan. Maybe Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms could be counted too.
"What's wrong, Sensei?" Yakumo tilted her head, confused.
"Oh, nothing," he smiled. "Everyone in Class 1-A's been missing you."
"Really?" she asked, surprised. "I barely went to class this semester. I didn't even learn everyone's names."
"Of course. Who could forget the girl who beat prodigy Neji Hyuga?"
"I only won because of my bloodline…"
"So what?" Kitazawa shrugged. "You've got a bloodline. So does Neji."
"…Fair enough," she said after a pause.
Sure, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan was way more famous.
But the Kurama clan's kekkei genkai came with brutal side effects and was ridiculously hard to awaken.
If Tsunade hadn't intervened, Yakumo's future would've been bleak.
That's why the Kurama clan never made it to the level of the Uchiha or Hyuga.
"Well, I'll let you get back to your painting."
Kitazawa finished his popsicle and went downstairs.
"What took you so long?" Kurenai asked, not looking up. She had a mirror in one hand, lipstick in the other, reapplying her makeup. Her popsicle was long gone.
"Had a little chat with her," he said casually. "Told her she's going back to school next term."
"Oh, by the way—Shizune came by earlier," Kurenai said, tone shifting. "She said to meet her at Konoha Hospital."
"Konoha Hospital?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. "Wait, is Shizune-senpai doing surgery?"
"Why not Tsunade?" Kurenai asked without much thought. "With her skills, one surgery could save dozens."
She had no idea Tsunade had hemophobia and couldn't operate anymore.
"I'll go check it out. Want to come?"
"If it's about medical ninjutsu training, I'll just be in the way," Kurenai shook her head.
"All right. I'll be back soon."
He leaned in and gave her another kiss.
"I just put on fresh lipstick!"
"And you'll just have to do it again," he grinned and slipped out the door.
…
Although Kitazawa had lived in Konoha for twenty-one years, he rarely stepped foot in Konoha Hospital.
For one thing, he hardly ever got seriously injured.
And if it was just a scratch or bruise? He'd treat it himself. Slower, sure—but cheaper.
Konoha Hospital wasn't exactly a charity. Whether it was basic treatment or a night in a hospital bed, the fees were no joke.
He arrived at the hospital not long after.
From the outside, it looked similar to the hospitals from his previous life, just styled with more of that traditional architecture the village loved.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where Tsunade-sama is?" Kitazawa asked, stopping a young nurse at the front desk.
The nurse gave him a once-over, then replied, "She's in the director's office on the third floor."
Kitazawa nodded and headed upstairs.
Thanks to the clear nameplate on the door, he found the office easily.
He knocked politely.
"Come in," a soft, gentle voice called out from inside.
Kitazawa paused, slightly surprised.
That voice… it wasn't Tsunade. And it definitely wasn't Shizune either.
Puzzled, he pushed the door open—and found a woman he didn't recognize.
She had light blonde, slightly messy hair, glasses, and wore an outfit that almost looked like a nun's habit.
It only took a moment for Kitazawa to figure out who she was.
Nonō Yakushi—director of the Konoha Orphanage and once an elite operative in Root.
In the original story, she had tried to leave Root, but Danzo used the orphanage to blackmail her into staying.
And she had a very well-known foster son—Kabuto Yakushi.
Thanks to his ridiculous talent, Kabuto also ended up in Root.
Her ending? Tragic.
She'd known too much about Root's secrets, and Danzo eventually orchestrated a mission that forced her and Kabuto to fight to the death.
She died. Kabuto lost it and spiraled into villainy for good.
Wait—was that tragic showdown still in the future?
If Kitazawa remembered correctly, it happened the same year as the Uchiha Massacre. That would be next year.
Right now, Kabuto was probably undercover in Iwagakure.
And Nonō was likely to be sent there soon, if canon stayed on track.
"You are…?" Nonō asked, puzzled. She studied his face—if she'd ever seen him before, she would've remembered.
"That's Kitazawa," came Tsunade's lazy voice from across the room.
Kitazawa turned his head instinctively.
From his angle, all he could see were her bare feet resting on the armrest of the sofa—smooth, pale, and spotless.
Chakra really was a miracle tool.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Nonō Yakushi," she said with a warm smile. "Tsunade-sama was just talking about you. She said you've got a real gift for medical ninjutsu."
"Ah, I've heard about you, too," Kitazawa replied, laying on the charm. "They say you're the best medical ninja in Konoha—second only to Tsunade-sama."
"You flatter me," Nonō said calmly. "There are plenty of people here more skilled than me."
Her demeanor was as steady as ever—his compliments didn't rattle her in the slightest.
"All right, enough with the compliments," Tsunade sat up and cut in, clearly getting annoyed. "Where's Shizune?"
"She went to check on a patient. She'll be back soon," Tsunade replied.
"She's still doing surgeries?" Kitazawa asked curiously.
"She's helping you learn a new medical jutsu," Tsunade said as she flopped back onto the couch again, her body practically melting into it like a slug.
Everything clicked into place for Kitazawa.
So Shizune hadn't just gone to "check" on a patient—she was selecting one.
Up until now, he'd only been practicing on koi fish and frogs. This meant he was finally moving on to real patients.
He'd been training for half a month already, but everything so far had been low-tier—just C-rank or D-rank healing jutsu.
It looked like he was about to level up.
"Have a seat," Nonō said gently.
Kitazawa nodded and sat down on the couch.
His eyes wandered—Tsunade was stretched out opposite him, curvy and mature, looking like the definition of "lounge royalty."
So this was what people meant when they said someone looked best lying down.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, catching his stare.
Kitazawa instantly straightened his posture and looked away, dead serious.
Tsunade smirked faintly and looked elsewhere.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door.
Shizune walked in.
"Shizune-senpai," Kitazawa greeted, quickly standing up.
"Today I'm teaching you the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique," she said, nodding. "An Anbu operative was poisoned during a mission by a puppeteer from the Sand. You'll be observing the treatment."
Just as expected, Kitazawa thought.
Good thing this was a technique the system had already listed as a reward—it would save him some time mastering it.
"Shizune, take him to the OR," Tsunade said. "Nonō, if you've got nothing else on, go with them."
She didn't trust Shizune to teach without backup—not for something this critical. But since her hemophobia kept her off the operating table, Nonō was her stand-in.
"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Nonō said without hesitation.
After all, Tsunade was her superior, at least in name.
Kitazawa followed the two women into the operating room.
Lying on the table was a masked Anbu operative.
She had long purple hair cascading over the sides.
"Anbu rarely take off their masks due to security protocols," Shizune explained casually.
Kitazawa nodded.
But he was already pretty sure who this was.
Female. Anbu. Long purple hair. There was only one match—
Yugao Uzuki.
She was Gekko Hayate's girlfriend and a master of the Konoha-Style Kenjutsu.
Kitazawa's eyes fell to her stomach.
There was a long, clean cut across her abdomen. The skin around it had turned blackish-purple.
Definitely poisoned.
~~~
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