"Kabuto, go. Now."
Kakashi's voice was low, calm, and decisive. He flicked both hands, sending a flurry of shuriken toward the enemy.
"You think it's that easy?"
The Iwagakure squad leader smirked. "Nobody leaves alive. Take them all down!"
Earth Style: Rock Fist!
Stone surged over his arms as he punched forward, turning his fists into solid rock.
Kakashi's shuriken clanged off uselessly, scattering in the air.
Without hesitation, Kakashi pulled his short blade and slashed straight at the enemy's wrist.
The Iwa captain's eyes widened—the cut landed, fast and clean.
Even with his arm encased in stone, he felt the sting.
"You're no rookie…"
He immediately went on the defensive.
Earth Style: Moving Earth Core!
He retreated, forming hand signs as the ground beneath Kakashi rumbled.
Before Kakashi could move, a massive stone pillar shot up beneath him, launching him into the air.
He frowned and activated his Sharingan.
"An Uchiha?"
The captain's face betrayed genuine surprise.
Everyone in the ninja world knew the Uchiha's reputation for dominating one-on-one battles.
Then, something clicked—
"Wait… only one eye. You're Hatake Kakashi—the Copy Ninja!"
There was no mistaking the legend. With that Sharingan and silver hair, Kakashi's identity was unmistakable.
The captain's smirk disappeared. He straightened up, fully alert.
Fighting Kakashi wasn't something he could take lightly.
Kakashi glanced quickly toward Kitazawa and Kabuto—and paused.
Kabuto was handling himself well against three Chūnin, even if he was slightly outmatched.
But Kitazawa—he was trading blows with two Jōnin and holding his own.
So he wasn't bluffing. The guy's not just strong—he's a beast.
Kakashi didn't dwell on it. He dove back into the fight.
First priority: take out the enemy captain, then help the others.
…
Thirty Seconds Earlier
Right after Kakashi made the first move, Kitazawa and Kabuto were surrounded.
The five remaining Iwa ninja instinctively split the battlefield.
Kitazawa got sandwiched between two Jōnin, front and back.
Kabuto drew three Chūnin—they clearly didn't think he was that dangerous.
To be fair, they weren't wrong. Without Orochimaru's training yet, Kabuto was only mid-tier.
Earth Style: Earth Spear!
The younger Jōnin formed hand signs and launched stone spears.
At the same time, the older one behind Kitazawa drew a katana and slashed for his head.
Leaf Body Flicker!
Kitazawa vanished in a storm of leaves.
Both attacks missed.
"Stay sharp!" the younger Jōnin warned as they shifted into a back-to-back stance.
Wind Style: Vacuum Shuriken!
Two spinning wind shuriken sliced through the air toward them.
"That way! You take him!"
The older one intercepted with his katana, chakra flaring as he cut the wind shuriken out of the air.
Body Flicker!
The younger Jōnin blinked forward—right into Kitazawa's face.
Earth Style: Rock Fist!
He threw a punch, grinning—
—but a single feather floated down in front of his eyes.
His mind blurred.
Genjutsu?! Since when—?!
In the corner of his vision, he caught sight of a second Kitazawa in the distance.
He used a Shadow Clone during the flicker?
Panicked, he tried to dispel the genjutsu, but—
Too late.
Rasengan!
Kitazawa slammed the chakra sphere straight into the Jōnin's chest.
Clothes tore, flesh exploded—he screamed.
Kitazawa didn't let up. As the Rasengan hit, his other hand slashed a shuriken across the man's throat.
Blood sprayed.
The Jōnin dropped, eyes still wide.
He assumed Kitazawa was a wind-type specialist. He never saw the genjutsu coming.
That lack of intel cost him his life.
"No way…"
The older Jōnin's face turned pale.
From blocking the Wind Shuriken to his partner's death—less than three seconds had passed.
"Nice work!" Kabuto let out a shaky breath.
He'd honestly thought he was going to die when they got surrounded.
But Kitazawa's power completely flipped the situation.
"Seriously?!" The Iwa captain was stunned.
That guy was still a Jōnin, even if not top-tier—he got taken out instantly?
This wasn't a skirmish anymore. It was a slaughter.
And Kitazawa—where the hell did he come from?
"Was that the Rasengan?" Kakashi was even more shocked.
That jutsu belonged to Minato—the Fourth Hokage. His own teacher.
Why does Kitazawa know it?!
No time to process. The fight wasn't over.
The older Jōnin regrouped fast—two Shadow Clones popped beside him.
He dashed in, katana blazing with chakra.
Wind Style: Vacuum Shuriken!
Kitazawa reacted instantly, tossing another spinning shuriken.
One clone raised a wall to block it, while the other launched Kitazawa skyward.
Perfect positioning for the real body to move in.
Blades slashed from every direction—
—but Kitazawa popped into smoke. Another clone.
"That was a clone too?!"
The Jōnin had assumed the Rasengan-wielding Kitazawa was the real one.
But the actual one had just used Temple of Nirvana.
"Shit!"
He turned—too slow.
Eight Gates, First Gate: Open!
Kitazawa blasted toward him like a missile.
The first three gates were still controllable—he could use ninjutsu with them open.
The Jōnin saw the Rasengan forming again—too close. Too fast.
It struck dead center.
He screamed in pain—but didn't die immediately.
His two clones, furious, fired back:
Earth Style: Earth Spear!
Stone spikes exploded from the ground.
Leaf Body Flicker!
Kitazawa darted away, formed hand signs, and spat fire—
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!
Three fire dragons surged forward, heat distorting the air, shockwaves booming behind them.
One clone vaporized instantly.
The other dodged—barely.
But the real body? Engulfed.
"AAAGH!!"
Flames devoured him—clothes, hair, skin, all turned to charcoal.
He dropped screaming—and didn't stop burning.
"That's… terrifying fire jutsu." Kabuto turned in disbelief.
He'd seen a lot—but this was on another level.
"No—"
The Iwa captain watched his second Jōnin get erased.
Less than a minute had passed since the battle started. Two Jōnin down.
Who the hell IS this guy?!
"He's using Eight Gates too?" Kakashi was stunned—but it explained everything.
Rasengan. Eight Gates. Fire, wind, genjutsu. And he's just a nobody?
Even an elite Anbu wouldn't know all of this.
Honestly, Kakashi thought, if I fought him without intel, I might have lost too.
Now's my chance.
The captain was shaken—Kakashi vanished underground.
"Earth Style doesn't work on Iwa ninja!"
Recognizing the setup for Headhunter Jutsu, the captain jumped—
Boom!
Kakashi burst up behind him, right arm cloaked in white-hot lightning.
Even in full daylight, it was blinding.
The captain's face drained of color.
Kakashi dove in with full killing intent, blade aimed straight for the heart.
At the last second, the captain raised his arms—earth armor coated his body—
—but the Lightning Blade carved through them like paper.
Both arms fell away, blood arcing through the sky.
The captain gasped in horror.
Kakashi didn't say a word.
He pulled his short blade and drove it straight through the man's heart.
They hit the ground together.
Kakashi landed on his feet.
The captain didn't.
"Run!"
The three Chūnin bailed instantly, leaving Kabuto behind.
Kakashi raised his hand—his short blade flew out and nailed one through the back.
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!
Kitazawa spat a rapid volley of flames that exploded into a flower-like pattern midair.
When the fire cleared—three bodies lay on the ground.
"We're… alive."
Kabuto finally let himself breathe.
He had been outmatched. But with backup like this?
Kakashi—the living legend.
And Kitazawa—no fame, but no less deadly.
Kabuto assumed he was Anbu.
But Kakashi knew the truth: Kitazawa was just a ninja academy instructor.
With this power? As a schoolteacher? What a waste.
Kitazawa unrolled a scroll and sealed all six enemy corpses inside.
Three Jōnin. Three Chūnin. No casualties on their side.
In peacetime, that kind of kill-count was unheard of.
The bodies would be perfect for intel extraction—especially for the Yamanaka clan.
No scrolls on them though. Shame—he could've picked up some Earth techniques.
He shut the scroll and reflected.
This was his first real Jōnin battle. And yeah… advanced ninjutsu made the difference.
Everything he used—Rasengan, Shadow Clones, Eight Gates, Genjutsu—were A-rank and up.
As long as he avoided monsters like Tsunade or Bloodline-limit freaks, he'd be fine.
Kakashi didn't stop him from collecting the loot. Kitazawa was the official team leader.
And suddenly Kakashi felt awkward—he'd tried to take charge earlier, thinking Kitazawa couldn't handle it.
But clearly, Tsunade had chosen the right man.
"We can't stay here. Iwa'll send reinforcements once they realize what happened."
Kitazawa stored the scroll. "We need to reach Land of Fire fast."
"Yeah." Kakashi nodded.
Kitazawa turned to Kabuto—and raised an eyebrow.
Kabuto was healing himself with Mystical Palm.
Kakashi blinked.
This kid already knows that jutsu? He's a medical genius.
Then again—he was Root.
Danzo always threw prodigies into the fire pit.
"Let me help." Kitazawa stepped forward and summoned green chakra.
Kabuto froze.
He knows medical ninjutsu too?!
Who was this guy?
Once the healing was done, they kept moving.
By nightfall, they'd finally crossed into Fire Country.
"We'll camp here tonight." Kitazawa sat down, exhaling deeply.
They'd fought a full Jōnin battle and hiked all day. Even he felt drained.
Kabuto flopped to the ground—his body had long reached its limit.
"Pakkun, keep watch." Kakashi summoned his hound.
Kitazawa glanced over, thoughtful.
A summon like that's actually pretty handy…
He thought of Tsunade's summon—Katsuyu of Shikkotsu Forest.
One of the Three Sacred Lands, alongside the Toads of Mount Myōboku and the Snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
Each linked to sage techniques and power boosts.
[Mission: Escort Kabuto Yakushi safely to Konoha.]
[Reward: Yin Healing Wound Destruction.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Already? Kitazawa blinked.
They weren't even home yet.
Had Iwa called off the pursuit?
Either way—it was a win. He'd gained a strong defensive healing jutsu. Useful in future fights.
…
Three Days Earlier — ANBU HQ
Yakushi Nonō stared at Tsunade, utterly confused.
She'd just finished packing for a mission when two ANBU operatives intercepted her.
"Mission canceled, Nonō."
Tsunade crossed her arms. "And you're done working for Danzo."
Nonō's eyes widened.
It felt like a dream—she'd wanted out of Root for so long, but now that it was happening, she was stunned.
"Tsunade-sama… the orphanage, and Kabuto—"
"I've already spoken to the old man," Tsunade said. "The orphanage is now under Konoha's direct management. Funding's secured."
"As for Kabuto—I've sent Kakashi and Kitazawa to bring him back."
"Kitazawa?" Nonō echoed.
She knew Kakashi. Everyone did.
But Kitazawa?
"You've got him to thank for all this," Tsunade said with a small smile, then explained everything.
Nonō's mouth hung open.
All this—from one casual suggestion about going to the Land of Earth?
And Kitazawa had really gone that far—for her?
All she'd done was mentor him a little. A few surgeries together.
A few tips in medical ninjutsu.
And he'd done all this…?
~~~
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