"How can I be sure you'll really set it free?"
Though moved, Kubisaki Kōza wasn't ready to trust Kitazawa blindly.
"My strength is your guarantee."
Kitazawa arched a brow and formed hand seals.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
He turned and aimed at the masses of flesh belonging to the Shiromari that were battling Hinata, Ino, and Tenten in the distance. To show Kōza what he could do, he went all out.
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted. Flames roared skyward, bathing everything in stark light.
An instant later, three enormous fire dragons swept a sea of fire across the chameleon's flesh, swallowing it whole. The entire castle—really the chameleon's transformed body—thrashed under the scorching heat. Low, pained howls boomed without end.
Hinata, Ino, and Tenten stood before the inferno, faces slick with sweat and awe. The towering blaze felt like the mouth of hell.
"Enough! Enough!"
Eyes wide, Kubisaki Kōza shouted, "Stop! If you keep burning it, it will die!"
He'd known many ninja in life, but he'd never seen a Fire Release with power like this. With strength like Kitazawa's, he could have simply killed the chameleon; he didn't need Kōza's help. That was why he believed him—if he didn't, the chameleon would die right here.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
At Kōza's plea, Kitazawa flashed through seals. A dragon of water appeared from thin air, plunged into the sea of flames, and doused it. Steam billowed out in waves. Even so, the chameleon's insides had been badly burned.
Fortunately, Kitazawa knew medical ninjutsu. He split into nine shadow clones; ten of him worked in tandem to treat Shiromari. When they finished, he realized with surprise that he had just completed another high-difficulty operation. That made eight; he was one away from earning a medical forbidden technique.
"Thank you," Kōza exhaled in relief.
"It's nothing," Kitazawa said with a small smile. "Can you tell me where the contract scroll is now?"
"Go straight along this corridor, then take the fourth room on the left at the end," Kōza replied, bowing deeply. "I'm counting on you."
He had lingered as a ghost because he couldn't bear to see the chameleon keep guarding him forever. He'd tried and failed to persuade it; fifty years had passed in this place. Kitazawa's arrival had finally given him a chance to see his wish fulfilled. Once the chameleon left, he himself would pass on to the Pure Land.
"We'll treat it well," Kitazawa said. With Tenten's personality, the chameleon wouldn't suffer—if anything, she had the money to spoil it rotten.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you're amazing!" Ino beamed, starry-eyed.
"Kitazawa-sensei has always been amazing," Hinata added, trying to keep her composure despite her excitement.
"That's enough flattery. Let's go get the contract scroll." Kitazawa stepped forward and flicked Hinata's forehead. She cupped the spot and shot Ino a tiny grin—Ino didn't notice, hurrying to follow.
Perhaps because of that Fire Release earlier, the chameleon didn't interfere again. They reached the room with the contract scroll without incident. It wasn't hidden at all—just lying openly in the center of the room.
Kitazawa unrolled it. Names covered the parchment: the chameleon's masters through the ages—among them, Masashi Kishimoto.
"Tenten, sign your name," he said, stepping aside.
"Sensei…" Tenten hesitated. "A summon this valuable should be yours."
"Valuable as it is, it's still not on the level of the Three Great Sacred Lands," he said with a smile. "I've got a better summon in mind."
Tenten blinked. The three summoning sacred lands hadn't been famous before, but thanks to the Legendary Sannin, every Konoha ninja knew about them now—the toads, snakes, and slug clashing with the salamander was part of Sannin lore.
She stopped protesting, stepped up, signed, and sealed the scroll away.
Rumble!
Kubisaki Castle began to quake. Since the "castle" was the chameleon itself, Tenten's contract caused it to drop the transformation.
"Careful!" Kitazawa grabbed Hinata's and Ino's hands. A moment later, the main doors yawned open to a passage leading outside.
"Go!"
The four of them leapt out—and at once a blinding white light spread in all directions. The castle vanished in the glow, replaced by a colossal chameleon.
"Whoa!" Tenten gasped. Kitazawa had warned them it was huge, but seeing it in person was still overwhelming.
Kitazawa sized it up. It was only a bit smaller than a typical tailed beast—about twenty meters tall.
[Current Mission: Help Tenten obtain a summoning beast.]
[Reward: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
The three lines popped up before Kitazawa's eyes, and he couldn't help his delight. The Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique—an A-rank ninjutsu developed by Sarutobi Hiruzen—splits a single shuriken into countless real ones, saturating a wide area. In short, it applies Multi Shadow Clone logic to a shuriken. Fitting, given Tenten's specialty—either way, it was a steal. In mass battles, its suppression power is tremendous.
"Tenten, put it away," he said, returning to the present.
"Right, Sensei." Tenten ended the summoning. The Shiromari dissolved into white light and vanished, returning to its home. Summons all have fixed home realms. Of course, places like Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave were unique; most other summons lived in more ordinary locales. The ninja cats who work with the Uchiha, for example, dwell in an abandoned quarter out in the wilds.
"Mission accomplished. Back to the village!" Kitazawa declared.
They retraced their steps and made it back to Konoha by nightfall.
"See you, Sensei!" Tenten waved and headed off first.
"Ino," Kitazawa called, handing her a scroll. "This is for you."
"What is it?" She opened it—and her eyes went wide at the words "Ninja Art: Moonlight Beauty."
"Thank you, Sensei!" she cried, barely containing her excitement.
"Study it for a couple of days. I'll teach you on Tuesday," he said with a grin.
"Mm!" Ino tucked the scroll away and skipped off. Kitazawa turned to find Hinata watching, a hint of envy in her eyes.
"K-Kitazawa-sensei…" she murmured, looking down as soon as she met his gaze.
"Master Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, and I'll teach you the next one," he said, giving her cheek a gentle pinch. "Head home."
"Goodbye, Sensei," Hinata said, reluctant to leave. It had only been two days, but she'd come to enjoy missions—no stifling clan rules, just freedom.
Kitazawa went home—and found the house empty.
"Still on that mission?" he mused, remembering he'd asked Kurenai to take his place on a mission with Uchiha Itachi. Most likely it was just far away. He yawned and headed for the bath. With an Anbu squad and Mangekyō Sharingan Itachi, trouble was unlikely.
The next day—Monday. A new week. It was mid-January and still bitterly cold.
Dressed and in the bathroom brushing his teeth, he suddenly saw three lines of text.
[Current Mission: Help Uchiha Izumi become a standout among chūnin.]
[Reward: Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Completed right away? He thought for a moment. Izumi must have awakened two-tomoe Sharingan; the system judged her strength sufficient. Under normal circumstances, two tomoe meant chūnin-class.
Good. Looked like this was a harvest week—first Shuriken Shadow Clone, now Mirror Heaven and Earth Change. Both were high-level techniques, especially the latter—summed up in two words: reflect. It can bounce any genjutsu without even forming seals—so long as the opponent is weaker. In other words, a perfect way to bully foes beneath you with their own illusions.
Because it was Monday, Kitazawa finished breakfast and went to practice Earth Release.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" a familiar voice called—Tenten.
"Tenten, aren't you supposed to be in class?" he asked, surprised.
"Here!" She thrust a bankbook at him. "Payment for the Shiromari!"
"It was uncontracted—no need to pay," he said, shaking his head.
"No!" she insisted. "I only have that badass summon because of you!"
"…All right." He wasn't one for fake modesty; he took the passbook.
"Thanks, Sensei!" Tenten waved and dashed off. Clearly she'd come just to drop off the money.
Smiling, he flipped it open—then froze. "Ten million ryō, just like that? Must be nice to be loaded."
With Tenten's ten million, his assets now topped twenty million ryō—not bad at all. To be fair, the Shiromari was worth it; there were only a handful of truly powerful summons in the shinobi world.
Time slipped by. In the afternoon, he sensed someone approaching and stopped training. He looked up to see a familiar figure.
"Welcome home," he said, stepping forward and slipping an arm around Kurenai's waist.
"That trip wore me out. You'd better make it up to me," she murmured against his chest.
"Where'd you go?" He bent, lifting her into his arms.
"The Land of Wind border." She shifted, kicking off her sandals; her long legs swung lightly over his forearm.
"No wonder you were gone so long." He carried her into the living room. "Straight to bed?"
"Mm." She closed her eyes. "And don't try anything."
"You're exhausted. I'm not about to drain you any further," he chuckled, setting her down in her room. Her breathing soon evened out—fast asleep. He kissed her lightly and slipped out.
…
Tuesday came. Another practical session for the Advanced Class, but after a week of training they were on track and didn't need much from him.
He spent half an hour teaching Ino Moonlight Beauty, then took Haruno Sakura to Konoha Hospital. He only needed one more high-difficulty operation and hoped to get it done soon.
Even with Sakura staking out the hospital with him, there just weren't any candidates—until, in the downtime, he picked up Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.
Before long, good news arrived.
Thursday, 10 a.m.
Kitazawa and Sakura reached the hospital. They'd barely sat when Yakushi Nonō appeared. "Kitazawa, emergency surgery. With me," she said, brisk and urgent.
Emergency often meant high difficulty. "Sakura, grab the kit. Let's go," he said, following Nonō at once.
"Today's patient is from Root—name's Shigaraki Tanuki," Nonō said as they walked.
"A Root operative at Konoha Hospital?" Kitazawa asked, surprised.
"Normally, no," Nonō replied. "But his injuries are too severe. He had to come here." Root's med-ninja were capable, but the best in the village worked at this hospital.
"I'm guessing he's important," Kitazawa said, the name tugging at his memory.
"Correct. He's one of Root's top researchers," Nonō said.
Researcher—right. Shigaraki Tanuki was working on something called the Gozu Tennō. In short: implanting Hashirama cells into a summoning beast to cause a catastrophic explosion.
In the original canon, he succeeded, creating the Nue—a summon that absorbs chakra and, once charged, can self-detonate with devastating force.
So he must have blown himself up mid-experiment. Root's medics couldn't save him, so they brought him here.
"Danzō-sama is here as well," Nonō added.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow but didn't dwell on it. The three of them entered the operating theater.
"You?" Danzō Shimura scowled the moment he saw Kitazawa.
"Danzō-sama," Nonō said evenly, "he's Tsunade-sama's student. His medical ninjutsu surpasses mine." Two messages in one: he has backing—hands off; and if you drive him out, no one saves Shigaraki.
"If he dies under your care, you'll bear the consequences," Danzō warned after a pause.
Kitazawa ignored him and went to the table. One glance told him someone had already tampered with the body, erasing all traces of Hashirama cells. No surprise there.
He and Nonō began the operation. Time crawled. Night fell. At last, Shigaraki pulled through.
Danzō immediately had them removed from the room; with their ties to Tsunade, he wouldn't trust them for post-op. Root medics took over to re-examine the patient. Kitazawa and Nonō hadn't sabotaged anything—no reason to, and harming a comrade would only land them in hot water with Hiruzen.
[Current Mission: As the attending medical ninja, successfully complete nine high-difficulty surgeries.]
[Reward: Body Revival Technique.] (Probably changed)
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Back in the office, three lines appeared again. He drew a long breath—the data hitting his mind was explosive. Forbidden technique was no joke. Its effect: even if your body is torn into several pieces, it will reassemble and regenerate. Practically immortality—almost.
He thought of Hidan's "immortality," but this wasn't quite that. First limit: chakra. Body Revival consumes a massive amount; with his current reserves, he could barely use it once.
In the original story, Shinnō used it freely because he'd created the Zero-Tails, a pseudo–tailed beast that fed on human darkness. Combined with the Land of the Sky, it could unleash a blast on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Second limit: after reassembling, you're extremely weakened and need time to recover. There's a side effect too: shortened lifespan. The principle is accelerated cell division for rapid regeneration—and cells can only divide so many times.
Even so, it's a god-tier technique. When you're staring death in the face, who cares about shaving off a few years?
He refocused, thinking of Shigaraki Tanuki. There was an angle here—an opening to make sure Tsunade learned about the Wood Release experiments.
Officially canceled or not, Danzō hadn't stopped playing with Hashirama's cells. Even if they couldn't take him down outright, Tsunade being Tsunade wouldn't let him walk away unscathed.