"Konan."
Kitazawa put the scroll away and said, "After class, have Itachi come to my office."
"The one at the Anbu base?"
Konan nodded, then asked.
Right now, Kitazawa had three offices: one in the Hokage Tower, one at the Anbu base, and one at the academy.
They just happened to match his three positions: Hokage's secretary, Anbu commander, and vice-principal of the Ninja Academy.
"Yeah."
Kitazawa waved a hand to say goodbye, then headed back to the training field.
He continued guiding Haku's Ice Release while simultaneously cultivating Yang Release Chakra Mode.
The day went by quickly.
When school was over, the members of the Advanced Class wrapped up their training and headed home.
Kitazawa went to the Anbu base.
When he opened the door, he saw Uchiha Itachi sitting on the sofa waiting for him.
Konan wasn't there—or rather, she was hiding in the shadows. She only showed herself when Kitazawa was alone.
"Kitazawa-sama,"
Uchiha Itachi hurriedly stood up and greeted him.
"Kept you waiting, Itachi."
Kitazawa smiled. "I read through the scroll you sent this morning. It was very detailed."
"I was just doing what I should," Itachi replied calmly.
"There's one more thing I need your help with."
Kitazawa sat down across from him. "I thought it over, and I trust you the most with this job."
"I won't betray your trust, Kitazawa-sama,"
Itachi said seriously, nodding.
"It's still about Yomi."
Kitazawa took out the medical forbidden jutsu scroll for Body Revival and laid out his plan.
The reason he'd picked Uchiha Itachi was because Itachi had a Mangekyō Sharingan and didn't need to worry about being exposed.
If Yomi did notice something was off, Itachi could always force things forward with his Mangekyō.
But in Kitazawa's view, with Itachi's abilities, tricking a guy like Yomi would be child's play.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sama."
Itachi accepted the mission without further questions.
He had already guessed Kitazawa's goal was to help release Mōryō.
Mōryō had previously caused serious damage to the Land of the Demons and the surrounding countries. Under normal circumstances, it shouldn't be let out again.
But Itachi believed Kitazawa would never endanger Konoha. There had to be a deeper purpose behind this.
"Keep me posted on any progress Yomi makes,"
Kitazawa reminded him.
"Understood."
Itachi picked up the scroll and left the office.
[Current Mission: Stir up the ninja world and successfully help Yomi release Mōryō.]
[Reward: Wood Release: Great Spear Tree.]
[Accept mission?]
Kitazawa remembered that Wood Release: Great Spear Tree was the only Wood Release technique Shimura Danzō had used in the original story.
Was the system hinting he was about to become the second "Scapegoat Kage"?
Still, picking up a free Wood Release jutsu wasn't a bad deal.
Wood Release: Great Spear Tree was a Wood Release technique that worked for both offense and defense.
It used the right arm to grow a massive tree that could act as a shield or wall, while also having terrifying offensive power.
Once the door closed, Konan appeared again.
Kitazawa snapped back to reality and patted the sofa beside him.
Seeing this, Konan walked over and sat down next to him of her own accord.
"How are things lately in the Land of Rain?"
Kitazawa leaned sideways and rested against her shoulder.
A faint fragrance drifted over.
"Going smoothly," Konan said, not minding his closeness, and started talking about the rainwater business in the Land of Rain.
After two months of work, Akatsuki had opened two transport routes.
The first was an aerial route, handled by summoned beasts.
The second was an underground pipeline network overseen by Biwa Jūzō.
Normally, when it came to transporting water through underground pipes, you'd have to worry about things like elevation and terrain.
But chakra was a cure-all—Jūzō and the other Water Release users could use chakra to pull the water along.
In fact, they were also in charge of filtering the rainwater.
Rainwater looked clear, but it still had plenty of impurities.
With Water Release, they could refine it into relatively clean drinking water.
"I've got a suggestion," Kitazawa said after listening. "Build a brand around the water."
"Water can have a brand?"
Konan blinked in surprise.
After spending so long at Kitazawa's side, she had already come to understand what "brand" meant.
The Heart of the Ocean Jewelry shop in Konoha was a perfect example of brand effect.
"Of course it can."
Kitazawa gave an example. "Look at Konoha—soft drinks sell really well."
"You mean you want us to sell soda to the Land of Wind?"
Konan thought for a moment and asked.
"Just selling drinking water is enough,"
Kitazawa shook his head.
"Will that even work?"
Konan sounded doubtful.
She just couldn't picture people actually paying for drinking water.
"Sure it will—as long as you package it right. You can't say it's just rainwater from the sky."
Kitazawa chuckled. "You say it's spring water from the mountains, rich in minerals, refreshing and good for your health."
Konan fell silent, deep in thought.
"On top of that, there's another option,"
Kitazawa said, reaching out to remove her mask.
"What option?"
Konan's amber eyes fixed on him.
"The Land of Wind has vast deserts. People die of thirst there every day."
Kitazawa said casually, "You can use the summoned beasts to set up airborne shops—just fly one route a day across the desert."
Konan's eyes lit up.
People on the brink of death in the desert would gladly hand over all their savings for drinking water.
And the cost to Akatsuki would be almost nothing.
As for the summoned beasts, Pain could bring them out through the Animal Path.
"Selling rainwater in bulk to the nobles of the Land of Wind can make money, sure—but not as much as selling it directly," Kitazawa concluded. "Over time, they'll probably try to push the price down. Once you build your own brand, you won't have to rely on them."
"Mm."
Konan nodded, then said, "I'll take a day off and head back to Akatsuki tomorrow."
"The sooner you go and come back, the better,"
Kitazawa said, handing her Anbu mask back and standing up. "I'm heading home. See you next time."
Konan held the mask and watched him leave the office.
When she lowered her gaze, she found herself thinking again about the suggestion Kitazawa had just made.
"How does he know so much?"
Her interest in him only grew.
The sense of novelty Kitazawa brought her surpassed anyone else.
Vacations always flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was May, and the Advanced Class was starting a new term.
Kitazawa didn't go to handle this semester's enrollment. He left it to Iruka Umino.
He saw the Advanced Class students every day, after all—there wasn't any real sense of reunion.
For the students, the biggest piece of news was the graduation of Inuzuka Hana and a few others.
But even after graduating, they could still join the Advanced Class training, so it didn't change much.
First day of the new term, Monday.
Hokage's office.
Kitazawa raised his hand and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Tsunade's voice came from inside.
"Tsunade-sensei."
Kitazawa pushed the door open and stepped in.
He glanced around and saw that only Tsunade was in the office.
In the past, Shizune would be with Tsunade almost all day long, but ever since becoming Hokage's secretary, she spent most of her time on paperwork.
"Oh, it's you."
Tsunade stretched lazily and asked, "What's up?"
"I've mastered Yang Release Chakra Mode."
Kitazawa said with a smile, admiring the stunning lines of her stretch.
"Oh?"
Tsunade immediately sat up straight. "How is it?"
"About like what we discussed last time,"
Kitazawa replied. "When I activate Yang Release Chakra Mode, my chakra roughly doubles."
Put simply, his chakra had now reached a frightening thirty cards or so.
"You already had a lot of chakra, and now it's doubled. There are probably only a handful of people in the entire ninja world who can beat you in chakra alone."
Tsunade chuckled. "Should I just retire right now?"
"Tsunade-sensei, don't joke like that."
Kitazawa shook his head.
He hadn't even become Hokage yet—how could Tsunade retire?
"I can't even say it as a joke now?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
In truth, even if she really wanted to step down, no one could stop her.
But as Hokage, she had to think things through.
The biggest problem was that she hadn't been in the position very long.
If she suddenly retired, it would unsettle Konoha and might be misinterpreted by other villages, tempting them to make trouble.
On top of that, all the shinobi and clans who had gained authority thanks to Tsunade would fight her on it.
After all, a new Hokage meant a fresh reshuffling of power.
"Tsunade-sensei."
Kitazawa took out a scroll. "This is the jutsu scroll for Yang Release Chakra Mode."
Tsunade opened it and read through it.
"When do you have time?"
Kitazawa asked, watching her.
"This afternoon," Tsunade thought for a moment. "I'll try to finish my work this morning."
"Okay."
Kitazawa nodded. "With your talent, it shouldn't take you very long to learn."
"Why does that sound so weird?"
Tsunade looked up. "What's wrong with that sentence?"
"What's wrong? What's weird about it?"
Kitazawa met her gaze, a little confused.
"It sounds like you're my teacher or something,"
Tsunade said with a pout.
"You can call me sensei if you want. I don't mind," Kitazawa coughed lightly.
"Do you want me to kick you out?"
Tsunade clenched her fist, her tone full of threat.
"I was just talking," Kitazawa said seriously. "Tsunade-sensei, I have nothing but the utmost respect for you."
"…"
In her mind, that deep kiss flashed before Tsunade's eyes.
Where exactly is your "respect," huh?
She cut the thought off quickly, forcing that heart-stirring image from her mind.
"We'll start learning Yang Release Chakra Mode tomorrow," Tsunade said, closing the scroll. "I'll read through it today."
"Then I'll come by tomorrow afternoon,"
Kitazawa nodded.
After saying goodbye to Tsunade, he went to the Anbu base.
"Konan."
Kitazawa walked into the office. "Any updates from Itachi?"
"Yes."
Konan took out a scroll. "This is the latest intel."
"Read it to me," Kitazawa said, lying down sideways on the sofa and using her thighs as a pillow.
Konan opened the scroll and began to read.
Uchiha Itachi's work was, as always, extremely thorough.
He had recorded Yomi's Dark Medicine experiments in detail.
How to put it... Dark Medicine had some useful ideas, but for Kitazawa personally, it wasn't that valuable.
The key piece of intel was that, after receiving the Body Revival forbidden jutsu, Yomi had made a breakthrough and was now very close to success.
As for the exact timing, Itachi hadn't written it down—likely because Yomi himself had no idea.
In the original story, Yomi's strength was fairly ordinary, just on the level of a standard jōnin.
For him, Body Revival was extremely difficult.
Luckily, what he needed was to borrow from and integrate the technique, not fully master it, which is why he'd managed to progress.
If he really tried to learn it outright, it would probably take him a year or more.
Kitazawa wasn't in a hurry.
He had plenty of time; if Yomi dragged things out, it didn't bother him. By the time he stepped into the spotlight again, his Wood Release would be more than just Nativity of a Sea of Trees.
Now that he'd learned Yang Release Chakra Mode, his next target was Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu.
Among Hashirama's advanced Wood Release techniques, Wood Dragon was one of the simpler ones.
Of course, even the "simpler" ones were still S-rank.
In Hashirama's hands, Wood Dragon could pin Kurama, the Nine-Tails, in place so it couldn't move.
Kitazawa's chakra was still far short of Hashirama's.
He didn't expect to suppress Kurama, but suppressing Mōryō shouldn't be a problem.
Second day of the new term, Tuesday.
Kitazawa and Kurenai Yuhi at the academy.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Maruboshi Kosuke, Master Chen, and Hatake Kakashi were already there, chatting with the Advanced Class students.
At nine in the morning, the Advanced Class split up to find their respective teachers and began their daily training.
Kitazawa stood in place watching.
Since it was a new term, he wanted to check on everyone's progress and adjust their training accordingly.
"Shikamaru," Kitazawa called after observing for a while.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Nara Shikamaru walked over to him.
"I see your Shadow–Neck Binding Technique is already very polished. You're ready for the next secret technique," Kitazawa said.
"Can I learn something other than clan jutsu?"
Shikamaru thought for a moment, then asked.
"Why?"
Kitazawa was curious.
"I've already learned four of our clan techniques. That's enough for now," Shikamaru replied.
He had sparred with quite a few classmates in the Advanced Class.
In his view, his biggest issue was that he didn't have any real way to fight back before he set his techniques up—or rather, he had a hard time buying time.
The only somewhat useful jutsu he'd learned recently was the Leaf Body Flicker.
Kitazawa nodded slightly.
He had to admit, Shikamaru had a very clear understanding of himself.
Kitazawa's first instinct was to teach him a defensive jutsu.
But all his defensive techniques were Earth, Water, or Wood Release.
Did Yin Release have any defensive techniques?
Kitazawa fell into thought.
Then something occurred to him: a secret technique from one of the movies, used by Shikamaru himself—Shadow Style.
It wrapped the user in shadow as protection.
The name "Shadow Style" sounded too much like a bloodline limit, though, so he planned to rename it Shadow Wall.
"Does your clan have any defensive shadow techniques?"
Kitazawa asked Shikamaru.
In the original story, Shadow Style had only ever been used by Shikamaru in a movie.
He figured the Nara clan didn't actually have this jutsu—but he asked just to be sure.
"No," Shikamaru shook his head. "Because most of the time, the Akimichi clan protects us."
"Then I have an idea—use shadow to form a protective wall around you," Kitazawa explained. "Like Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall or Water Formation Wall."
Shikamaru's eyes lit up.
A Shadow Wall was exactly what he needed to cover his weaknesses.
"I'll call you back in a few days," Kitazawa said, planning to create the jutsu.
Again, with his mastery of Yin Release nature transformation, and since Shadow Wall wasn't some A- or S-rank secret technique, it wouldn't be hard to make.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Shikamaru said gratefully.
Next, Kitazawa called Jūgo over.
Last time, he'd taught him Leaf Great Whirlwind; this time, it was Leaf Strong Whirlwind.
After Jūgo came Inuzuka Kiba.
On the basis of Earth Release: Fang Bullet, Kitazawa had created a new jutsu: Earth Release: Continuous Fang Bullets.
Earth Release: Fang Bullet had Kiba in his Three-Headed Hellhound form spit out a giant stone.
But Continuous Fang Bullets worked more like Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet—spitting out a rapid series of smaller stones.
After teaching Kiba, Kitazawa moved over to the other groups.
He soon reached Master Chen's group.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
Master Chen was teaching Naruto and Rock Lee the "Leaf Dragon God."
Kitazawa thought it over and decided not to interfere.
Leaf Dragon God was a bit early for them, sure—but unlike the Eight Gates, it wasn't something they couldn't learn at all.
Kitazawa then walked over to Kakashi's group.
Today, Sasuke wasn't working on Lightning Release—he was practicing swordsmanship.
"Is that the Hatake sword style?"
Kitazawa guessed to himself.
This sword art was completely different from Konoha's standard taijutsu style—every move was swift, precise, and lethal, like a top-tier assassin.
That matched the Hatake style passed down from Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake.
"I really wonder what'll become of Naruto and Sasuke in the future," Kitazawa murmured, then finished his rounds and found an empty spot to practice Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu.
The morning went by quickly.
After lunch, Kitazawa headed back to the Hokage's office.
"How are you planning to teach me?"
Tsunade asked with a smile.
"The end goal of Yang Release Chakra Mode is full-body activation," Kitazawa replied. "So we'll start with your hands."
Tsunade stretched her hands out as he spoke.
"I'll help you get a feel for it first," Kitazawa said, then took her hands in his.
"...?"
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched.
So are you planning to "help" with other parts too?
She felt like Kitazawa was just looking for an excuse to take advantage of her.
"Focus. Quiet your mind."
Kitazawa's expression turned serious.
He slowly channeled chakra into her hands.
If it were Lightning Release chakra, he'd never dare try this.
Chakra from different shinobi tended to repel each other.
But Yang Release chakra was different by nature—very gentle.
Tsunade immediately felt a change in her hands.
Her cells came alive, her chakra reacted rapidly, and her skin grew even whiter and smoother.
~~~
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