As soon as Inuzuka Kiba reached the academy training field, he found Nara Shikamaru lying on the ground with his hands pillowed behind his head. He saw this scene every morning.
"Shikamaru, if you can sit you won't stand, and if you can lie down you won't sit," Kiba griped, shaking his head.
"I'm conserving my energy," Shikamaru replied blandly.
"Conserving energy? You're just slacking," Yamanaka Ino cut in without mercy.
"Feels like the only person who can handle Shikamaru is Kitazawa-sensei," Akimichi Chōji said with a goofy grin.
"Here's hoping Kitazawa leads your team for finals this time," Kiba added, half teasing, half blessing.
He'd had a rough time the last mission under Kitazawa—got caught in a trap and was forced to re-study trap-making from scratch.
"Don't say something that scary!" Shikamaru bolted upright, glanced around, and only sighed in relief after confirming Kitazawa hadn't arrived yet.
"You dare complain about Kitazawa-sensei?" Ino planted her hands on her hips and glared.
"I'm not complaining," Shikamaru coughed, trying to explain. "Kitazawa-sensei told me to learn Shadow–Neck Binding Technique. I still haven't mastered it, so I'm embarrassed to see him."
"I've completely mastered Fang Bullet," Kiba said, eyes bright. "When Kitazawa-sensei gets here, I'm asking if there's a new secret technique I can learn!"
"Jealous you've got a new jutsu on deck," Tenten sighed. "My Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique feels like it'll take forever."
"Too much," Kiba rolled his eyes. "That's an A-rank jutsu! I should be the one jealous of you!"
"True," Aburame Shino adjusted his glasses. "That's the same tier of treatment Sasuke and Naruto get."
Tenten scratched her cheek, a little sheepish—she hadn't meant to brag. The technique suited her, but the difficulty was too high, and she had another problem: not enough chakra.
"Everyone just follow Kitazawa-sensei's plan," Inuzuka Hana said with a smile.
"Kitazawa-sensei's arrangements will be right," Hyūga Hinata echoed.
Just then, two green blurs sprinted toward them.
"I win!" the first blur—Uzumaki Naruto—skidded to a stop.
"As expected of my eternal rival!" Rock Lee braked hard, clenched his fists, and declared, "I've lost to you once again!"
"Lee, this is youth!" Naruto flashed a thumbs-up; his teeth sparkled.
Ino, Tenten, and the others simultaneously facepalmed. The scene was a little too full of "youth."
"Full of energy," Maruboshi Kosuke remarked as he and Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped onto the field together.
"..." Hiruzen's mouth twitched—headache incoming. This was energy overdone. If Naruto actually became Hokage one day, what would Konoha look like? He couldn't imagine it.
"Gramps Third!" Despite just finishing his morning run with Lee, Naruto was still bursting with energy.
The others greeted Hiruzen and Kosuke one after another.
Nine o'clock in the morning. Kitazawa stepped into the academy right on the dot—only to find someone else had cut it just as close.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Uchiha Sasuke called.
"How'd you two end up together?" Kitazawa glanced at Hatake Kakashi, curious.
"I took him out for morning training," Kakashi said. "Taught him Chidori Current while we were at it."
"Rare to see you this invested," Kitazawa chuckled. The laid-back, checked-out Kakashi was fading; he was starting to resemble the Kakashi who later led Team 7.
"Just happened to be free," Kakashi replied casually.
The three of them walked out to the field.
"Sasuke, head over there first," Kitazawa said after a look.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Sasuke turned and joined Naruto and the others.
"Lord Third. Kosuke-senpai," Kitazawa greeted.
"Morning, Kitazawa," Kosuke answered with a smile. Ever since his left leg recovered, his spirits had been much better; he practically glowed with health. Kitazawa half-suspected it was the White Zetsu cells… or maybe it was just a good mood—joy puts a shine on people.
"Finals are coming up. Let's sort the teams," Kitazawa said after the small talk.
"I'll keep leading Naruto," Hiruzen said. "The other two students can change."
"I want Sasuke," Kakashi added after two seconds' thought. "I can keep coaching his Lightning Release during the mission."
"Same reason—I'll take Sakura," Kosuke chimed in.
"Got it. We'll go with that," Kitazawa nodded. It didn't matter much either way—with only four instructors, everyone would be led by someone.
Before training, Kitazawa faced the prodigy class. Naruto, Sakura, Ino, and the others looked expectant.
"Team One: Uzumaki Naruto, Akimichi Chōji, and Inuzuka Hana," Kitazawa announced evenly. "Led by Lord Third."
"So I don't get to team with Sasuke this time? What a shame," Naruto said, scratching his head.
Sasuke felt a flicker of regret, then let it go. He saw this as a chance to surpass Naruto. The first time they'd teamed up, they tied for first; the second time, they slipped to second. To be fair, on that Sand mission Naruto had outperformed him—but the real problem was that Sasuke never got the chance. Naruto and his clones rushed in and encircled the Sand team. Sasuke couldn't even "last-hit" anyone, let alone rack up points. This time, without Naruto on his team, he could fully display his skills and take first place.
"Teaming with Naruto—nice," Chōji said, satisfied.
"Looks like this mission will be easy," Hana smiled. With Hiruzen and Naruto, it sure felt like a carry.
"Team Two: Hyūga Neji, Yamanaka Ino, and Haruno Sakura," Kitazawa continued. "Led by Kosuke-senpai."
"Eh?" Ino and Sakura blurted at the same time.
"Why isn't my teammate Sasuke?" Sakura asked when she recovered.
"Why is my teammate Sakura?" Ino blurted on reflex.
"What do you mean by that?" Sakura shot her a glare. "You have a problem with me?"
"Hmph, I'm just worried you'll hold me back!" Ino snapped right back.
"Who's holding who back is still up in the air!" Sakura said, full of confidence. "My Water Release is way beyond yours now!"
"So what?" Ino put her fists on her hips, smug. "I've got the genjutsu Kitazawa-sensei taught me—do you?"
"Frightening," Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head.
Neji felt a headache forming. As expected, those two would probably bicker nonstop during the mission.
"Team Three: Uchiha Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Tenten," Kitazawa cut in, halting the Ino–Sakura spat. "Led by Kakashi."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed a fraction. Lee and Tenten… With their strength, they weren't a threat to him; he could go all out and shine. And with Kakashi leading—a familiar mentor—chances for him would be there.
The only nuisance was Lee's habit of chanting "youth" all day, just like Naruto. Hard to stomach. Sasuke had worn a green unitard once upon a time, but after awakening his Sharingan he swore to cut ties with "youth" for good—otherwise he'd keep remembering that mortifying day.
"Wait—that's not right!" Shikamaru's face suddenly changed. Three teams announced and none included him—plus none of the leaders was Kitazawa. Could it be…?
The thought made him twitchy.
"Team Four: Hyūga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru," Kitazawa said with a smile. "Led by me."
Done for. Shikamaru went stock-still. The assignment he least wanted had happened—and both teammates were strong. He could already foresee a very troublesome mission.
Great! Hinata clenched her small fists in delight—she would be with Kitazawa again. Shino was quietly pleased too, if not overly so; he wasn't picky about teammates.
"Those are the teams for finals," Kitazawa said after finishing all six lineups. "Training starts now."
Kakashi and Kosuke departed with their study groups, leaving only Kitazawa's students—and Hiruzen as well.
"Kiba," Kitazawa called.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Kiba ran over, barely containing himself. "Are you going to teach me a new secret technique?"
He knew how precisely Kitazawa tracked everyone's progress and tailored training. If Kitazawa called him out, it meant he'd nearly mastered Fang Bullet.
"Yes and no," Kitazawa smiled.
"What's that mean?" Kiba blinked.
"The secret technique is an advanced form of Fang Bullet called Earth Fang Bullet," Kitazawa explained. "But you're not qualified to learn it yet. You need to train Earth-nature chakra transformation first."
"Got it," Kiba said at once. "Then I'll learn that!"
He liked Fang Bullet; adding Earth Release would only make it stronger.
"What would you say are the traits of Earth Release chakra?" Kitazawa led him off the field to an open patch.
"Sturdy—a strong defense," Kiba thought a moment and answered.
"Good. That's one of them," Kitazawa nodded. "Besides sturdiness, there's suppression."
"Suppression?" Kiba looked puzzled.
"Earth ninjutsu balances offense and defense. Defense is the 'sturdy' part. Offense is suppression," Kitazawa said slowly. "You change the hardness, mass, or terrain of earth and rock to pin the enemy down."
Kiba's face lit with understanding.
"Sturdiness and suppression usually target the enemy," Kitazawa went on. "For the user, Earth Release has another utility—moving underground."
"Which trait does Earth Fang Bullet use?" Kiba asked after thinking it over.
"Most jutsu don't fit neatly into only one trait," Kitazawa said, shaking his head. "Earth Fang Bullet leverages both sturdiness and suppression—and you spit three massive boulders."
"Sounds awesome!" Kiba said, fired up.
"Then let's start Earth-nature chakra transformation," Kitazawa said, crouching to scoop up a handful of soil. "Begin by changing how hard the dirt is."
He demonstrated. With Earth chakra infused, the loose soil compacted into a hard clod. He handed it to Kiba.
"Whoa, that's solid!" Kiba squeezed hard, but the clod didn't deform at all.
"Once you can make dirt this hard, you can try learning Earth Fang Bullet," Kitazawa said with a grin. "Go for it."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!" Kiba got right to work.
Since it was Kiba's first day training Earth-nature transformation, Kitazawa left a shadow clone with him and went off to practice Five Release Great Combo Technique. If anything came up, he could always ask Hiruzen on the spot. At his current pace, he figured he could master it within half a month.
In the afternoon he headed to the Anbu base. On the training grounds, Haku was working on chakra control—tree-walking. Haku's progress was fast; he'd already learned chakra extraction and the Three Basic Techniques.
Watching him, Kitazawa mused: time to bring Ice Release into the mix. It was early, but Haku's Ice Release was hereditary—in other words, he already "had" Ice Release; he just hadn't learned Ice jutsu.
Back when his father and the villagers tried to kill him, Haku had unconsciously used Ice Release to kill them. If the Ice were a synthetic combo, it wouldn't be this simple; he'd have to master both wind and water.
The first jutsu Kitazawa thought of was Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome—condensing an oval wall of ice from ambient moisture, as hard as stone. He already knew Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall and Water Release: Water Formation Wall; he could use those defensive jutsu to teach the idea behind Ice Rock Dome.
With that decided, he returned to his office to write the method onto a scroll for Haku.
Four days flew by. Friday afternoon, with one class left before dismissal, Kitazawa planned to swing by the mission desk at the Hokage Tower to pick a mission for Saturday for Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru.
An Anbu suddenly appeared.
"Kitazawa-sama," the operative bowed slightly. "We've purchased the two medicines."
Kitazawa frowned. Missing an ingredient would drastically weaken the formula.
"Find out the source of them," he said after a moment. If they couldn't buy it, they'd try their luck at the origin.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sama." The Anbu vanished.
Kitazawa decided to hold off on the mission desk. Once he knew the source, he'd take a mission nearby and kill two birds with one stone.
Anbu efficiency was high. In under half an hour he had the answer: the powder came from Iwagakure in the Land of Earth. Azure Rock Powder is simply the ground dust of a special type of rock—formed by a natural process somewhat like "lightning-struck wood."
The Land of Earth, as its name implies, is full of rocky mountains; Iwagakure is ringed by peaks and easy to defend. The powder is found in the high mountains around the village.
The reason they couldn't buy it: Iwagakure didn't sell. It was precious, used to brew secret medicines that enhance Earth-style shinobi. In the original story, the most famous secret medicine was the Akimichi clan's tri-colored pills—green, yellow, and red.
Especially the red chili pill: only after taking it do you understand why the Akimichi are the "butterfly" in Ino–Shika–Chō. It slims the user drastically, multiplies their strength a hundredfold, and their chakra manifests as butterfly wings.
"Looks like I need to pay Iwagakure a visit," Kitazawa mused, rubbing his chin. He debated whether to bring Hinata and the others per plan. He realized he was thinking about it wrong—they could still go on a mission, but there was no need to drag them to Iwagakure.
Better to have Kurenai lead the students while he and Konan hunted the powder. Konan could fly; he'd mastered seven chakra natures. Even if he ran into the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, he could still get away.
"Konan," Kitazawa called.
Konan appeared at once.
"You heard him just now?" Kitazawa asked.
Konan nodded.
"Good. Come with me to Iwagakure. I'll take the students on a mission at the same time," Kitazawa said with a small smile.
Konan blinked, then agreed quickly.
"Nine tomorrow morning. No need to show yourself—shadow us," Kitazawa added. "Once we reach the Land of Earth, I'll signal you."
"Mhm." Konan said no more.
The next day, Saturday, Kitazawa and Kurenai ate breakfast and headed to the mission desk. They planned to find a job in the Land of Earth—and set up a little "lesson" for Shikamaru. Normally, Land of Earth missions would go to Iwagakure, but not always; even in the original story, Naruto and the others did missions in the Land of Wind.
After looking over the board, Kitazawa chose an escort mission.
[As the future Hokage, you should properly spur your subordinates.]
[Current Mission: Change Nara Shikamaru's lazy personality.]
[Reward: Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique.]
[Accept?]
~~~
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