"You seriously don't get why Danzo's gotten so out of control?"
Tsunade didn't hold back at all.
Hiruzen felt a wave of embarrassment.
Can't she at least pretend to respect me in front of others?
"There's no doubt about it. Shimura Danzo's actions violate Konoha's laws."
Tsunade's tone was sharp and final. Then she looked him dead in the eye.
"So, old man—what are you gonna do about it?"
What else could he do?
The only real option was to handle it by the book.
If it had been someone else, Hiruzen might've tried to cover things up quietly with Danzo.
But not with Tsunade. Once she steps in, things need to be done properly. No exceptions.
Her status alone was enough to shake the entire village—no one could ignore her.
Hiruzen paused, suddenly stunned.
How long had it been since Tsunade last cared about anything in the village?
Did she finally get over her past?
No. Probably not.
She was only involved now because of her ties to Yakushi Nono and Kitazawa.
But no matter the reason, this was still her first time in years stepping back into Konoha politics.
And it just so happened to be about someone as high-ranking as Danzo.
Hiruzen fell into deep thought again.
"The situation's clear as day. Why are you still hesitating?"
Tsunade frowned.
"Don't tell me you're trying to protect Danzo."
"Of course not."
Hiruzen snapped out of it.
"As Hokage, I won't let anyone break our laws—no exceptions."
"Good."
Tsunade huffed.
"Then make the arrangements."
"No, you do it."
Hiruzen smiled, clearly playing his own game.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"You led the investigation. You know the full picture."
Hiruzen's tone was calm and calculated.
"I'm giving you temporary command authority. You can mobilize the Anbu."
Tsunade blinked.
Then it hit her—this was a trap in broad daylight.
If she led the Anbu to act against Danzo, the whole village would know.
The entire shinobi world would hear whispers: "Tsunade's back. One of the Legendary Sannin has returned."
And during this power vacuum, people might even assume she's aiming for the Hokage seat.
"I don't have time. Pick someone else."
"No one else can handle it."
Hiruzen shook his head.
"Against Danzo and Root? They'd crumble."
"Then you go."
Tsunade frowned.
"I'm the Hokage. I've got too much on my plate."
He sighed.
"And… I'm getting old. Can't keep up like I used to."
Tsunade opened her mouth—then stopped.
She hated this part the most: the guilt card.
She might not always agree with Hiruzen, but… he was still her teacher.
"Fine."
She sighed in defeat.
"Hare."
Hiruzen called out, and an Anbu captain entered.
"Hokage-sama."
"From now until this is resolved, you follow Tsunade's orders."
"Yes, sir."
Hare looked surprised but didn't object. The Anbu only served the Hokage—but this was Hiruzen's direct order, and Tsunade's status made it unquestionable.
Watching all of this unfold, Kitazawa could only think:
Classic. Old. Fox.
Tsunade—someone so headstrong—had just walked straight into Hiruzen's setup.
But maybe it wasn't even a trap.
If anything, Danzo would probably love to fall into this kind of "trap" every day.
Is Hiruzen trying to retire? Kitazawa wondered.
He'd expected things to follow canon: Orochimaru attacks, chaos erupts, and only then do we get the Fifth Hokage.
But Tsunade returning early… that changed everything.
If she became Hokage now, Hiruzen might actually survive this timeline.
And Orochimaru? He might ditch his whole plan.
Or maybe not—after all, part of that plan was taking Sasuke.
Unless the Uchiha massacre never happens and Itachi never defects…
Kitazawa hoped it wouldn't happen.
Sasuke was his student.
If Sasuke defected like in the original, that'd be a ton of side quests and rewards down the drain.
"Let's go. Anbu office."
Tsunade didn't wait.
She was all business—say yes, then go full speed.
The Anbu had an office inside the Hokage Tower, typically used by captains like Hare.
Seventy members total.
One commander, one deputy, and four squad captains.
Each squad had 17 shinobi, split into four teams.
(Uchiha Itachi was famously promoted to squad captain at just 13.)
Right now, the Anbu commander was Hiruzen's eldest son—Konohamaru's dad.
Konohamaru was still only two.
"I want Root's agent, Yakushi Kabuto. His exact location. Now."
Tsunade dropped into the office chair and issued her first order.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Hare hesitated.
"But if we track a Root agent, Danzo's going to find out fast."
Anbu and Root were both intel divisions.
Elite among elites.
But Root's soldiers were brainwashed, making them slightly more lethal.
"I know. Do it anyway."
Hare nodded and left.
"Danzo won't let me take Kabuto without a fight."
Tsunade massaged her temples.
"We have to move faster than him. Get to Kabuto before Root does."
"Got someone in mind?" Kitazawa asked.
"Someone strong. Anti-tracking skills. Infiltration. Best match in Anbu is Hatake Kakashi."
Kitazawa nodded.
Just then, four glowing lines appeared in his vision:
[A genius like you doesn't belong locked in a school. You should be making your mark on Konoha.]
[Current Mission: Safely escort Yakushi Kabuto back to Konoha.]
[Reward: Yin Healing Wound Destruction.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
A quest? With that reward? Yes please.
That was a powerful A-rank medical jutsu—used by Kabuto in canon. It could heal predicted injuries in real time, effectively nullifying most damage.
Neither Tsunade nor Shizune had ever learned it.
He didn't even hesitate—he accepted.
There was risk, sure—but it was manageable.
With his current power and Kakashi's backup, even if they ran into someone like Ōnoki, they could still escape.
And he trusted the system.
If the reward was "just" an A-rank healing jutsu, the threat level wouldn't be Kage-tier.
If they ever offered him a Rinnegan or something? Then yeah, he'd start writing a will.
"Tsunade-sama, let me go too."
Kitazawa snapped back to reality.
"You?"
Tsunade looked confused.
"You're not Anbu. What would you even do?"
"I can throw Danzo off."
Kitazawa said calmly.
"If Kakashi leaves the village, Root will notice. But if I take him out as my student, we're just two nobodies heading off campus."
"Wouldn't that make it even more obvious?"
He grinned.
"Have Kakashi transform into a student. We walk right out the front gate. So obvious, no one will question it."
Tsunade hesitated again.
Danzo would never expect her to send an academy teacher to save Kabuto.
"You don't think I'm strong enough, right?" Kitazawa read her thoughts.
"…Honestly, yeah."
Tsunade nodded.
"You're great with medical ninjutsu—but that's not combat."
"Well, I'm decent with genjutsu, Wind Style, Fire Style…"
He coughed.
"Also, I learned Rasengan. And Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Tsunade fell silent.
It was starting to sound very plausible.
Danzo wouldn't even see it coming.
"Wanna test me then?" Kitazawa said.
"Let's spar. You'll get a feel for what I can do."
"You're confident, huh?"
Tsunade cracked her knuckles.
"Alright. Let's go—before the intel comes back."
…
They arrived at the nearby training field.
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," Tsunade said with a smile that somehow felt… dangerous.
Did I do something to offend her? Kitazawa winced.
Sure, Tsunade was a top-tier medical ninja, but everyone knew her true terror came from her superhuman strength. In the original timeline, even Uchiha Madara's Susanoo couldn't withstand her punches.
"Here I come, Kitazawa."
Tsunade's lips curled slightly—and then she vanished.
Boom—!
A split-second later, a fist appeared in front of Kitazawa's face, carrying crushing force and pressure.
But just before it connected, Tsunade froze.
She glanced down. Her legs were wrapped by roots—illusionary ones.
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion – Tree Binding Death.
Tsunade clicked her tongue, formed a quick seal, and broke free from the illusion effortlessly.
Shing!
She tilted her head just in time to see a spinning shuriken flying at her.
Wind Style: Vacuum Shuriken!
With barely a movement, she countered—flicking her wrist and releasing a dozen steel shuriken that knocked the wind-imbued projectile out of the air with a metallic barrage.
She surged forward, fist cocked back.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Kitazawa formed seals fast. He hurled more shuriken, now wreathed in flame. A sea of fire-tipped projectiles lit up the sky and rained toward her.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
Tsunade stomped hard—so hard the ground cracked open, and a burst of stone and debris erupted, smashing through the flaming barrage midair.
Boom!
The firestorm broke apart instantly.
Body Flicker!
Tsunade burst through the wall of fire and smoke, charging straight at Kitazawa again.
But when she arrived—
There wasn't one Kitazawa.
There were five.
"Multi Shadow Clone… clever."
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Two Kitazawa clones came in from the sides with synchronized spinning kicks.
Tsunade didn't even flinch. She stepped in, launched a counter with both fists, and—
BOOM! BOOM!
The force shattered their legs mid-air. They evaporated in twin bursts of smoke.
"Still got three."
One Kitazawa on the left began forming seals—
"Wind Style: Vacuum Spheres!"
He became a wind turret, firing a rapid series of compressed wind bullets from his mouth like a machine gun.
Meanwhile, the other two had circled behind her, both forming Rasengans in their hands.
Triple attack.
Tsunade sidestepped the wind bullets like she was walking through rain, turned, and punched one Rasengan straight out of existence, sending its wielder flying with the remaining momentum.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
The second clone stumbled as he charged in. Tsunade grabbed him mid-motion and slammed him into the dirt, his Rasengan detonating in a crater beside him.
"That just leaves…"
She turned back to the Kitazawa still launching wind bullets.
He looked pale—clone feedback was catching up.
Tsunade grinned. "Found the real one."
She blurred forward and threw a punch.
BOOM!
He vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Another clone?"
She blinked—just as wind cut through the air behind her.
"Eight Gates: First Gate—OPEN!"
The real Kitazawa, previously kicked away, reappeared as a blur. His speed had more than doubled.
"Rasengan!"
He charged in, blue chakra spinning violently in his palm.
Tsunade's pupils shrank.
In a blink, she tilted her head, grabbed his wrist mid-swing, and slammed it downward.
BOOM!
The Rasengan exploded into the ground, sending dust and rock flying and leaving a crater the size of a small pond.
Tsunade released his wrist and took a step back.
"Alright. Sparring session ends here."
She smiled, a little breathless—but impressed.
"You're a lot stronger than I expected. You're definitely qualified for this mission."
Truth be told, she was shocked.
Kitazawa had seamlessly combined medical ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, Wind Style, Fire Style—even the Eight Gates.
It's been ages since I've seen such a versatile ninja, she thought.
If we're only talking about combat medics—he might be second only to me.
Medical ninjas usually needed a team to protect them—not because they were weak, but because most didn't have time to master anything else. Tsunade had thought Kitazawa was just a prodigy in healing—but now she saw it:
He was a ninjutsu prodigy, period.
He was more than qualified to become her student.
"Got it, Tsunade-sama."
Kitazawa exhaled.
Yeah… she's terrifying. That wasn't even her full power.
And honestly, he hadn't used his full power either.
He hadn't activated his Byakugan, used Gentle Fist, or any of his secret techniques.
If he had, maybe—just maybe—he could've caught her off guard.
But ninja battles are all about intel.
…
They returned to the Anbu office.
"Tsunade-sama."
Hare stepped in, handed over a scroll.
"Go get Kakashi," she instructed while unrolling it.
It showed Kabuto's exact location—in Iwagakure.
Tsunade gave the scroll to Kitazawa.
"Tsunade-sama."
Hatake Kakashi entered with his signature tired eyes.
He gave Kitazawa a brief, curious glance, but said nothing.
"You've got a mission."
Tsunade didn't waste words.
"You're teaming up with Kitazawa. Your job: extract a Konoha shinobi from Iwagakure."
"…?"
Kakashi didn't question the mission—but he definitely questioned the teammate.
Kitazawa? The academy teacher?
"It's been classified S-rank."
Tsunade added.
Kitazawa's eyes lit up internally.
S-rank? That's a huge buff to my résumé.
As a ninja, your mission history mattered.
More high-level missions = more trust, better opportunities, and easier promotions.
"Kakashi, if you've got questions, ask Kitazawa en route."
Tsunade waved them toward the door.
"Leave immediately."
"Understood."
Kitazawa paused.
"One thing—please assign an Anbu to impersonate me at the academy while I'm gone."
"You really do think of everything."
Tsunade nodded, pleased.
"I'll take care of it."
"Kakashi, I'll need you to transform into a six-year-old version of a student."
Kitazawa added with a grin.
Without saying a word, Kakashi formed the seal and transformed.
As Anbu, even if he thought the mission was weird, he obeyed without question.
Once they left, Tsunade's expression turned cold.
"Hare. Keep a close eye on Danzo and Root."
"They'll realize something's up very soon."
She could stall Danzo—but only partially.
Some of his agents would slip through.
Danzo had been building power for decades.
"Understood."
"If they make a move—bring Yakushi Nono to me immediately."
…
This wasn't Kitazawa's first mission outside the village.
Back when he was still a genin, he'd done a bunch—always nerve-wracking.
But this time?
He wasn't worried. He wasn't nervous.
This time, he was ready.
After checking in with the gate guards, he and Kakashi exited the village.
"Kitazawa."
As soon as they cleared the forest and left Land of Fire territory, Kakashi spoke.
"Once we're out of the Land of Fire, you follow my lead. No exceptions."
Kitazawa knew it wasn't about ego.
It was about his safety.
It also showed Kakashi didn't trust him yet—fair.
As far as Kakashi was concerned, Kitazawa was still just a classroom teacher.
But that version of me is long outdated, Kitazawa thought.
He just hasn't installed the update yet.
~~~
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