Wednesday Morning — Ninja Academy Training Grounds
Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shikamaru Nara had all gathered together.
"Wait, even Sasuke's here?"
Naruto scratched his head. "You done with your secret training?"
"Not yet," Sasuke replied coolly.
Genjutsu was tough—everyone knew that. Thankfully, he had Itachi as a mentor, and the chakra control drills Kitazawa had them do earlier were helping a lot. Progress was good, but he wasn't there yet.
"Naruto, don't you think there's something off about Kitazawa-sensei lately?" Ino asked.
"Huh?" Naruto looked blank. "What do you mean?"
"You're wasting your time asking him," Sasuke cut in.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto frowned. "I'm smart, okay? Even Kitazawa-sensei said I'm picking up jutsu fast!"
"Relax, Naruto," Ino rolled her eyes. Then she turned to Hinata. "You noticed first. Tell us."
Hinata stiffened a little, then said seriously, "Kitazawa-sensei hasn't brought me breakfast the past two days."
"Maybe he's just been too busy?" Shikamaru offered, arms folded.
"He's never forgotten before," Hinata said quietly. She didn't mention the other clue—he hadn't patted her head either.
"I believe Hinata," Ino nodded. "I've felt it too. Sensei's been… colder."
"Totally," Sakura chimed in. "He was way stricter with my medical jutsu training this week."
"I noticed something too!" Kiba said, slapping his palm. "His lectures haven't been nearly as clear."
He used to understand everything. Now? Half of it went over his head.
"Sounds like someone's pretending to be him," Sasuke said, tone serious.
He hadn't planned on leaving the house while training, but the second he heard something was up with Kitazawa, he rushed over. And from the sound of it, they were right—something was wrong.
"No way…" Sakura shivered.
"This is Konoha," Shikamaru said thoughtfully. "I doubt anything happened to him. Maybe he's just on a mission."
"Then why would they need a body double?" Ino frowned.
"Not enough intel," Shikamaru sighed. "I can't draw a conclusion."
"What's to think about?" Naruto clenched his fists. "We grab the guy, make him talk, and find out where Kitazawa-sensei is!"
Everyone stared at him.
"W-What? Is that a bad idea?"
"I actually think it's solid," Kiba grinned. "Seven of us? No way we lose."
"We're all elite, after all!" Naruto added proudly.
"In that case… Shikamaru?" Ino asked the team's strategist.
"It's reckless," Shikamaru admitted, "but yeah—it might work."
"Then let's go with it," Sasuke said, standing up. "We're wasting time."
"Sasuke-kun's right!" Sakura nodded.
"We'll set up an ambush in the grove near the man-made lake," Shikamaru said, planning quickly. "Ino and I will pin him down first. The rest of you jump in after."
"Let's move out!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist. "Operation: Rescue Kitazawa-sensei—starts now!"
…
They reached the grove and got into position. A few minutes later, Kitazawa finally showed up, yawning and looking annoyed.
But the moment he stepped into the grove, his eyes sharpened. He'd sensed the trap.
Huh… what's going on here?
He noticed the setup but kept a poker face.
Shadow Imitation Jutsu!
Shikamaru's hands flashed through seals, and his shadow shot forward, slithering along the trees until it caught Kitazawa.
"Got him!" Shikamaru grinned. "Ino!"
Mind Body Switch Jutsu!
Ino didn't wait—she raised her hands and launched the mental attack.
But right before it hit, Kitazawa casually stepped forward—just enough to dodge.
"What the hell?"
Shikamaru broke into a sweat.
He's dragging my shadow along with him—how strong is this guy?
"I— I can't hold him much longer…"
"Watch this!" Naruto suddenly jumped out of cover. "Leaf Whirlwind!"
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered, facepalming.
Everyone else grimaced too. Naruto had just given away their position.
He's not Minato… but he's definitely Kushina's kid, Kitazawa thought, then threw a clean punch at the charging Naruto.
"I've got him!" Sasuke dashed in and caught Naruto mid-air.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Hinata rushed in and attacked without hesitation.
But Kitazawa smiled calmly. With his longer reach, he intercepted—his palm meeting hers just before contact.
Hinata's whole body went numb.
She tried to retreat, but her muscles jerked instead. What—?
Her eyes widened. Her limbs weren't listening.
Body Pathway Derangement.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Sasuke put Naruto down and immediately formed hand signs, blasting a massive fireball at the enemy.
Kitazawa flinched slightly—then snapped the shadow bind and launched a chakra-infused punch.
The fireball shattered on impact like glass.
"No way…" Sasuke was stunned.
"Alright, warmup's over. Now," the man clapped, "who's gonna explain what's going on?"
The kids looked at each other, defeated. None of them had even used their trump cards—Sasuke hadn't activated his Sharingan, Naruto hadn't used clones—but it didn't matter. They couldn't win.
"You're not Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said, still frozen in place.
"Oh? So you figured it out."
The man walked up and dispelled the Body Pathway Derangement on her. "What gave me away?"
Everyone started blurting out reasons—forgotten breakfasts, being too strict, boring lectures.
Kitazawa blinked. Seriously? Those were the red flags?
He couldn't help twitching. Is this what it takes to be a ninja school teacher now?
Because the truth was—this "Kitazawa"… was actually Tsunade.
She had sent an Anbu to cover for Kitazawa, but it flopped hard. The guy didn't know medical ninjutsu, couldn't use Rasengan, and had no idea how to handle Gentle Fist. So Tsunade had to step in herself.
She was the only one in the entire Anbu who could do all three.
And still, she'd been found out by a bunch of first-year kids.
"Your real teacher's on a mission," she said. "He'll be back today or tomorrow."
"Really?" Hinata finally relaxed.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Ino asked suspiciously.
Tsunade didn't answer. She just dropped the transformation.
"T-Tsunade-sama?!"
Ino gasped.
"Tsunade-sama!"
Sakura's jaw dropped—and then she lit up with excitement.
Her idol had been teaching her all along?!
Sasuke and the others quickly bowed. They'd seen her before during a practical combat class.
"Now do you believe me?" Tsunade smirked.
Ino turned beet red. Questioning your idol… in her face? Cringe overload.
"Back to training, kids."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" they all shouted.
Even though it started with a misunderstanding, they couldn't help but feel excited. They'd just sparred with one of the Legendary Sannin.
…
Later – ANBU HQ
Back at headquarters, Kitazawa, Kakashi, and Kabuto returned, much to the relief of Yakushi Nonō.
She'd been so worried she hadn't shown up to work at the hospital in days.
"Dean!"
Kabuto ran up, holding back tears.
"You… You've really changed," Nonō whispered, reaching out with a trembling hand.
It made sense she didn't recognize him. Danzo had kept them separated, only allowing photos—then swapped those photos with someone else.
Kitazawa tugged Kakashi's sleeve, then turned to leave.
Kakashi followed silently. At the door, he looked back—his eyes lingering on the reunited pair.
His own parents, teacher, teammates—they were all gone. Watching this hit him harder than he expected.
Kitazawa noticed but said nothing.
Sometimes, it's better that way.
…
Outside the Hokage's Office
Heels clicked on the floor—Tsunade approached.
"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi greeted as usual.
"Why are you two just standing around?"
"They're catching up inside. We didn't want to interrupt," Kitazawa explained.
"Fair enough. Come with me. Time to report to the Hokage."
She kicked the door open.
"Mission completed?" Hiruzen asked casually. He was used to the abuse by now.
"Kitazawa, your report."
"Yes, sir."
He walked forward and gave a full debrief.
"You took out three jonin and three chunin from Iwa?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"Why the surprise?" Tsunade said flatly. "Kakashi and Kitazawa are elite. Three average jonin aren't much."
Wait—Kitazawa's this strong already?
Hiruzen realized he was still thinking of him as a teacher first, not a combat ninja.
"Alright, mission's done. Call back your Anbu," Tsunade said. "Also—keep Danzo on a leash. I don't want him going after Nonō again."
"He won't," Hiruzen said. "I'll make sure of it."
He'd always turned a blind eye before—Danzo handled the dirty work the Hokage couldn't.
"I'm labeling this as an S-rank mission," Tsunade added. "Any objections?"
"No. That sounds right," Hiruzen agreed. "Payment: 1.2 million ryo."
"Fine by me."
Standard was 1 million. This was a bonus.
"Hokage-sama," Kitazawa pulled out a summoning scroll. "Six Iwa bodies."
"Excellent," Hiruzen nodded. "Good work."
Jonin corpses were valuable. With luck, they could extract secrets.
"In addition to the money, you're allowed to pick one A-rank jutsu," Hiruzen said. "Kakashi, Kitazawa—collect your reward at HQ."
"Yes, sir," Kakashi replied immediately.
Kitazawa realized this was Hiruzen's way of excusing them—he wanted a private word with Tsunade.
Still, a free A-rank technique? Win.
He planned to finally pick up Bringer-of-Darkness—it would've saved time against those Iwa jonin.
"Kitazawa," Tsunade said, "don't leave after claiming your reward. Wait for me at the office."
"Understood."
They both left the room.
…
A Few Minutes Later
"Alright, old man. Spill it. Don't waste my time," Tsunade said bluntly.
"You're still as impatient as ever…" Hiruzen sighed.
Knock knock.
"Danzo-sama is on his way," an Anbu reported.
"Got it. Dismissed."
After she left, Hiruzen smiled faintly. "He's probably here to raise hell."
"Heh. He thinks he has that kind of authority?" Tsunade scoffed.
Moments later, Danzo appeared.
"I'm filing a formal complaint against Tsunade," he said, cold and slow.
"Oh please."
Tsunade laughed. "You love twisting the truth, don't you?"
"Kabuto was a Root agent embedded in Iwa. You pulled him out. Years of groundwork—ruined."
"Didn't you sell his intel to Iwa yourself?" Tsunade shot back.
"Lies!" Danzo barked, slamming his cane. "I would never betray the Konoha!"
"Then answer me—were you the one who used the orphanage to control Nonō?"
"Control? I funded the orphanage. She worked for me willingly."
"Bullshit." Tsunade's eyes darkened. "The orphanage belongs to Konoha. Since when do you handle its budget?"
Hiruzen looked awkward. Technically, he was supposed to fund it—but Danzo had manipulated things so Root held the purse strings.
"This ends here," Hiruzen said finally.
He didn't want this digging up more of Danzo's mess.
"We'll let that slide for now," Danzo said. "But Kabuto is Root. He returns to Root."
"Kabuto's a medic. He stays with me," Tsunade said firmly. "He belongs in the hospital—not your basement."
"She's right," Hiruzen added. "We need more medics. Kabuto and Nonō won't be returning to Root."
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo's hand trembled on his cane.
The Hokage—his old ally—was siding with Tsunade against him.
~~~
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