The dust and smoke finally settled.
The Valley of the End was left in ruins.
Even the statues of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had been destroyed by more than half.
Madara looked at Hashirama's statue and couldn't help letting out a sigh.
He'd lost—completely—at the Valley of the End again.
Last time, he had revived using Izanagi.
But this time, there was no Izanagi for him. In fact, he was already in a state of death.
After all, Edo Tensei wasn't true resurrection.
"Madara-senpai."
Kitazawa walked up to him.
Nagato followed close behind, looking at him as well.
"What's your relationship with Senju Hashirama?"
Madara's gaze fell on Kitazawa as he asked.
Kitazawa paused slightly.
That was… a hard question to answer.
He knew what Madara was thinking—that he must be a Senju.
But that wasn't actually the case.
Still, given his relationship with Tsunade now, calling himself a Senju wasn't exactly wrong either.
"I'm his grandson's generation," Kitazawa thought for a moment and replied.
Tsunade was Hashirama's granddaughter.
So saying "grandchild" wasn't wrong at all.
"I see."
Madara didn't doubt him. Instead, he praised him, "Getting to fight you means I didn't come here for nothing."
"You flatter me, Madara-senpai."
Kitazawa thought to himself: As expected of Uchiha Madara—he really had that warlord's presence.
"Nagato, I'll tell you everything from beginning to end, right now."
Madara accepted his loss and began explaining the schemes he had set in motion around Nagato.
He mentioned Nagato's parents.
He hadn't killed them with his own hands, but he had planted suggestions in the minds of nearby Konoha jōnin, pushing them to murder them.
He even brought up Yahiko.
It was White Zetsu and Black Zetsu who fanned the flames in secret, helping Hanzo capture Konan and kill Yahiko.
Because if Yahiko didn't die, Nagato would never fall into darkness.
And a Nagato who had fallen into darkness was much easier to control.
"That's the whole story."
After finishing, Madara added, "I've told you what you wanted to know. Now release Edo Tensei."
The Eye of the Moon Plan had already failed. He'd also lost to Kitazawa—staying any longer would only be humiliating. Better to return to the Pure Land.
Nagato snapped back to himself and released Edo Tensei.
Madara vanished.
The Valley of the End became quiet again.
Nagato stood there blankly.
He'd already suspected it—but even so, learning the truth still hurt.
And he had no way to take revenge now.
Because Uchiha Madara was already dead.
"Let's go back."
Nagato took several deep breaths, forced down his emotions, and said.
The past was the past.
Now, he needed to keep moving forward for Yahiko's dream—and bring peace to the ninja world.
Kitazawa nodded.
After everything Nagato had been through, he'd finally grown.
From now on, he would truly become a shinobi of Konoha.
Flying Thunder God was activated.
Kitazawa and Nagato returned to the Hokage Tower.
"Nagato," Kitazawa reminded him, "have Anbu notify the Engineering Department to repair the Valley of the End."
"Understood."
Nagato nodded and headed toward the Anbu headquarters.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and walked into the Hokage Tower.
"Hokage-sama."
Ninja greeted him along the way.
Only when he reached the Hokage's office did things finally quiet down.
But it couldn't be helped—that was the price of being Hokage.
Compared to the power the Hokage held, that price was negligible.
"Hokage-sama."
Konan walked up to him and said, "Umino Iruka came by earlier. This scroll is for you."
Kitazawa reached out, slipped his hand into her tight skirt, gave her thigh in black stockings a firm squeeze, and only then took the scroll.
The contents were simple: a reminder that tomorrow he was to attend the Ninja Academy's opening ceremony and give a speech.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
He didn't really like giving speeches, but at an opening ceremony, he had to say something.
And at that moment, he suddenly realized the advantage of the Will of Fire.
In a setting like this, talking about the Will of Fire was the easiest option.
With an idea in mind, Kitazawa took out a blank scroll.
He planned to write a speech draft.
But as he wrote, his mind began running hot—overheating, needing to cool down.
He looked at Konan.
Konan understood him perfectly. She immediately crouched down.
Her red lips were soft and warm, perfectly contrasting with her cool, detached expression.
A new day—September 1st.
The Ninja Academy was unusually lively.
Partly because it was the first day of school.
And partly because of Kitazawa.
Many parents had heard Kitazawa would be there, so they stayed to attend the opening ceremony.
9:00 a.m.
Kitazawa stepped onto the stage and began his speech.
Konan stood not far away, quietly watching him.
Yūhi Kurenai and Hatake Kakashi weren't there—they had their own work.
Besides, they weren't Academy teachers anymore, so there was no need for them to attend.
Half an hour later, Kitazawa finished and stepped down.
"Hokage-sama."
Konan came up and handed him a bottle of water.
"Thanks."
Kitazawa took a sip, then walked over to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Umino Iruka, and the others.
After chatting with them for a while, he left the Academy.
After all, he didn't recognize a single student in the new intake.
[Current Mission: Help Uchiha Sasuke awaken Complete Susanoo.]
[Mission Reward: Amaterasu.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
So Sasuke had learned Yin Release Chakra Mode.
Only then would he have enough chakra to activate Complete Susanoo.
Kitazawa returned to the Hokage's office.
Sitting behind the Hokage's desk, he stretched lazily and began reading the documents on the table.
In less than half an hour, he finished them all.
How to put it?
All small matters.
That was true for Konoha—and for the entire ninja world.
Right now, it was the calm before the storm.
The Five Great Villages were quietly preparing for the Fourth Great Ninja War, so everything felt unusually peaceful.
Kitazawa suddenly thought of the Fire Daimyō.
That was the one unstable factor.
When the Fourth War began, it was entirely possible the Fire Daimyō would panic that Konoha couldn't fight four nations alone—and end up dragging them down.
"Konan, go bring Uchiha Itachi."
Kitazawa called out.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Konan changed clothes and left.
Not long after, Itachi pushed the door open and walked in.
"Itachi," Kitazawa looked at him and asked, "what do you think about the Land of Fire?"
Itachi froze slightly.
He had never thought about that question.
But since Kitazawa asked, he needed to answer.
"It's Konoha's employer," Itachi said after a moment's thought.
"Calling it an employer isn't wrong," Kitazawa smiled, then asked, "why are ninja so powerful, yet still constrained by an employer who can't even tie up a chicken?"
Itachi went blank.
What did that mean?
Did Kitazawa want to break away from the Land of Fire?
"I'm giving you a mission," Kitazawa continued. "Go control the Fire Daimyō."
Itachi's pupils contracted sharply.
Not breaking away—but controlling the Fire Daimyō?
That was unprecedented.
Even in the chaotic Warring States era, it was the daimyō who governed the country, not the ninja.
So why would Kitazawa do this?
"Many ninja want peace," Kitazawa saw his confusion and asked casually, "but why do the great ninja wars keep happening anyway?"
Itachi thought for a while, then shook his head.
He didn't know the answer.
"The cause of the ninja wars isn't the villages," Kitazawa explained. "It's the countries behind them. We're not fighting for villages."
Itachi stood there, stunned, instinctively sinking into thought.
So… if you controlled the Five Great Countries, the Five Great Villages would stop fighting?
For him, it was a completely new angle.
But it wasn't his fault.
Even people like Jiraiya and Nagato, limited by the era, never looked beyond the villages to the nations.
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
Itachi took a deep breath and said.
"Don't let anyone else notice for now," Kitazawa reminded him after thinking a moment.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Itachi bowed slightly, then turned and left.
With that done, Kitazawa resumed training his Yin–Yang Release techniques.
Mid-September.
Time came to September 15th.
The Hyūga clan compound.
Normally calm, Hyūga Hiashi looked anxious.
He watched Hyūga Hinata and Hyūga Neji, pacing back and forth.
Only when Kitazawa appeared out of thin air did he hurry forward.
"Hokage-sama!"
Hiashi greeted him immediately.
Kitazawa nodded and walked up to Hinata.
He placed a hand on her forehead.
Chakra flowed from his palm into her eyes.
"It worked perfectly," Kitazawa said with a smile.
Hiashi finally let out a breath, then his face lit up with excitement.
By comparison, Hinata was even calmer.
Kitazawa reached out and removed the bandages for her.
Hinata sensed the brightness.
She didn't open her eyes right away—she squinted for a while, then slowly opened them.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Looking at him, Hinata's lips curled upward without thinking, her heart bubbling with joy.
"Try your Tenseigan," Kitazawa patted her head and reminded her.
Hinata's eyes trembled.
The white of her eyes turned dazzling, glowing with a violet light.
Kitazawa also removed Neji's bandages.
When Neji activated his Tenseigan, it shone blue.
Which made sense.
Neji had awakened it using Ōtsutsuki Toneri's chakra.
In the original story, Toneri's Tenseigan was blue.
Hinata's was violet because her ocular power came from that massive violet Tenseigan.
Kitazawa nodded.
Good.
One violet, one blue—easy to tell apart.
[Current Mission: Help Hyūga Neji and Hyūga Hinata awaken the Tenseigan.]
[Mission Reward: Ōtsutsuki bloodline concentration +30%.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa looked at the three lines of text and casually suppressed the turmoil in his chakra.
After all, it would be hard to explain if Hiashi and the others noticed.
"Neji."
After studying the two pairs of Tenseigan for a moment, Hiashi couldn't help saying, "Spar with me right now."
He couldn't wait to see how strong the legendary Tenseigan truly was.
Neji instinctively looked at Kitazawa.
"Go ahead," Kitazawa said, taking Hinata by the wrist and stepping back.
Neji walked to the center of the courtyard and faced Hiashi.
"Careful, Neji!"
Hiashi activated his Byakugan and rushed forward, striking with both palms.
He moved at extreme speed—afterimages formed in the air.
But in Neji's eyes, it was slow.
He easily dodged the twin strikes and counterattacked immediately.
The two engaged in close-range combat with Gentle Fist.
The longer they fought, the more shocked Hiashi became.
Because he was losing ground—he was being suppressed by Neji.
Yet in terms of Gentle Fist technique, Hiashi's mastery should have been higher.
After all, he was decades older.
But Neji had the Tenseigan, and its dynamic vision completely outclassed the Byakugan.
Every move was seen through.
"Neji—does the Tenseigan have other abilities?"
Hiashi pulled back, excitement in his voice.
"It does."
Neji nodded.
After awakening it, he'd received some information.
Chakra Sphere!
Neji raised a hand.
A glowing sphere flew from his palm toward Hiashi.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
Hiashi immediately sent out an invisible shockwave.
But the moment the shockwave touched the sphere, it was drawn in—and the sphere accelerated instead.
"What?"
Startled, Hiashi hurriedly tried to dodge.
But in that instant, Neji's eyes flashed.
An invisible gravitational pull wrapped around Hiashi.
Hiashi's face changed as his body was dragged uncontrollably toward the chakra sphere.
At the critical moment, he used Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
But the instant his palms struck, he felt his chakra being drained.
He hesitated—and the chakra sphere pinned him in place.
Seeing that, Neji quickly pulled the chakra sphere back.
"Excellent!"
Hiashi couldn't help praising, "As expected of the Tenseigan!"
Neji had only just awakened it, yet he could already defeat Hiashi.
Once he got used to it, he would definitely surpass him completely.
The same would be true for Hinata.
And Hiashi was genuinely happy.
Because the Hyūga finally had two top-tier powerhouses.
Of course, he knew it was all thanks to Kitazawa.
"Hokage-sama!"
Hiashi bowed deeply. "Thank you for helping the Hyūga clan!"
"It's nothing," Kitazawa shook his head, then added, "Neji and Hinata—get familiar with the Tenseigan first. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei."
Neji and Hinata answered in unison.
"I'll be going. See you next time."
Kitazawa smiled, then vanished.
Hokage's office.
When Konan saw him, she handed him a document.
Kitazawa opened it and glanced through.
Iwagakure had successfully built a second chakra cannon.
Kitazawa wasn't surprised.
Iwa's overall strength wasn't inferior to Kumo's.
It was normal for them to build one that quickly.
Kirigakure and Sunagakure, on the other hand, were lagging behind.
Especially Kiri—they didn't have the money, and were forced to borrow from Iwa and Kumo.
Kitazawa set the document down and tapped the Hokage's desk.
Konan immediately leaned over it.
Her black-stockinged legs straightened, hips raised.
The tight skirt formed a beautiful curve.
Kitazawa wrapped an arm around her waist.
For them, this was routine.
Because at night, Kitazawa belonged to Tsunade and Yūhi Kurenai.
Only during the day could he be with Konan.
So whenever there was no work, the two of them would "discuss" things right there in the Hokage's office.
Time passed slowly.
September ended, and Konoha began to feel the chill of winter. The temperature dropped quite a bit.
But it didn't affect Kitazawa.
Because he had the Yin Seal.
The Yin Seal could regulate his condition—including warmth and cold.
And the Yang Seal he developed from the Yin Seal had similar effects.
When the first snow fell, Konoha reached December.
December was the end of the year.
Many people were already preparing for the New Year ahead of time.
But the liveliest place was the Hyūga clan.
Because December 27th was Hinata's birthday.
And Hinata's status was completely different now.
As the student of the Sixth Hokage, Kitazawa, her birthday couldn't be treated casually.
Morning.
Snow was still falling outside the window.
"Wow!"
Hanabi beamed. "Sis, you're so pretty!"
Because it was her birthday—and the New Year was near—Hinata wore a white kimono today.
"If you had long hair, this kimono would suit you even better," Hanabi tilted her head and said.
"Then I'll grow it out," Hinata replied softly as she patted her head.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!"
Hanabi ran to the door and opened it.
When she saw who it was, her face immediately filled with surprise.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hinata quickly adjusted her kimono and hurried forward.
"A birthday gift for you."
Kitazawa took out a gift box.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata said shyly. "You didn't have to come in person."
"This gift is better handed to you personally," Kitazawa explained. "It's a pair of gauntlets I made."
Hinata instinctively opened the box.
A white pair of gauntlets lay quietly inside.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you're amazing!"
Hanabi exclaimed.
One look and she could tell they were extraordinary—she could faintly sense a dangerous aura.
She'd been to plenty of ninja tool shops, but it would be hard to find something more impressive.
And on top of that, they were made by Kitazawa himself.
In Hanabi's eyes, his image grew even more towering.
Even though he'd already felt omnipotent before.
In truth, these gauntlets were created using Yin–Yang Release.
Even though Hinata mainly used the Moonchaser Bow now, she still used Gentle Fist occasionally.
"Next time it's your birthday, I'll give you a pair too," Kitazawa said, lifting a hand to pinch Hanabi's cheek.
"Deal!"
Hanabi's eyes lit up. "Kitazawa-sensei, you can't take it back!"
"I'm the Hokage. I don't go back on my word," Kitazawa said, flicking her forehead.
With his level of strength, making two gauntlets with Yin–Yang Release was nothing.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Hanabi said happily.
"I won't disturb you. I'll come back tonight," Kitazawa said, not lingering, and turned to leave.
Hinata's birthday banquet was in the evening.
There was no need for him to wait there all day.
As the sun set…
Kitazawa pushed open the door and walked into Konoha's casino.
Even after work hours, it was packed.
He went straight upstairs.
Upstairs, it was much less crowded.
He swept his eyes around and quickly spotted Tsunade sitting at a slot machine.
Kitazawa walked up behind her.
He reached out and wrapped his arms around her soft, full body.
"There are other people here!"
Tsunade glared at him.
"Relax. They won't notice us," Kitazawa said with a smile.
They were already tucked away in a corner—and he'd casually set up a barrier.
"Stop messing around!"
Tsunade let out a muffled groan.
Kitazawa's hands were already "relieving pressure" from her clothes.
"Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa reminded her calmly, "we still have Hinata's birthday banquet tonight."
"Isn't it not even dark yet?" Tsunade pouted. "I'm playing one more hour."
"Then I'll play one more hour too," Kitazawa said with a straight face.
"…"
Tsunade grabbed his wrist.
If he kept this up, there was no way she could keep playing the slot machine.
"Let's go to the Hyūga clan!"
Tsunade stood up, stomped on his foot, and said.
Kitazawa smiled and didn't mind.
He followed Tsunade out of the casino.
The Hyūga compound already had plenty of guests.
After all, Hinata wasn't who she used to be.
And many people knew Kitazawa would come, so they all showed up for her birthday banquet.
Hiashi welcomed everyone.
Because even the weakest guests were special jōnin.
Jōnin came one after another to show goodwill—an obvious benefit to the Hyūga.
When Kitazawa and Tsunade reached the entrance, Hiashi was already waiting outside to greet them.
After exchanging pleasantries, they entered the courtyard.
"Over here!"
Kurenai spotted them and waved.
Kitazawa and Tsunade walked over.
Besides Kurenai, Shizune, Sarutobi Asuma, Hatake Kakashi, and others were there too.
Kitazawa glanced around.
Not far away he saw Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, and Konohamaru.
"You're the Hokage—you should sit at the head table," Tsunade reminded him.
By "head table," she meant the table where Fugaku and the other clan heads sat.
"I'm the Hokage. I can sit anywhere," Kitazawa said casually.
"Suit yourself," Tsunade said. She wasn't the type to care about rules.
She stopped trying to persuade him and casually picked up the sake on the table to smell it.
Her eyes brightened, and she nodded in satisfaction.
This was good stuff.
"Tsunade-sama…"
Shizune said instinctively, "try not to drink too much."
"Don't tell me what to do," Tsunade said, nudging Kitazawa. "If I get drunk, he'll carry me home."
"…"
Shizune was left speechless.
Before long, Hinata's birthday banquet officially began.
And Tsunade drank to her heart's content—until Kitazawa carried her back.
A new day arrived, and the New Year holiday began.
Kitazawa's New Year plan was simple: spend a few days having fun with Tsunade, Kurenai, and Konan.
But unfortunately, his plans were disrupted the very next day.
Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure jointly issued a public demand for the tailed beasts.
If Konoha refused, they would immediately start the Fourth Great Ninja War.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!