Temporary encampment of Sunagakure in the Land of Rivers.
Of course, it had already become Konoha's temporary encampment.
Kabuto Yakushi handled the cleanup, and Kitazawa didn't take part.
He set up a tent and walked inside.
[Current Mission: Defeat the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.]
[Mission Reward: Magnet Release: Gold Dust.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa raised a hand.
The ground shuddered violently, and the gold dust hidden beneath the earth surged up in full.
He suddenly thought of Tsunade.
If she mastered Magnet Release: Gold Dust, she'd probably spend every day trying to "mine," then turn around and lose it all at the casino.
The thought made him laugh.
He hadn't seen Tsunade in a few days. He actually missed her—especially the comfort of being close to her.
He figured he could head back tomorrow.
Tonight, though, he still had to wait for Kabuto's post-battle report.
Just then, footsteps sounded.
Kurenai Yuhi walked in.
"Are you done with everything?"
Kitazawa patted his thigh as he asked.
"I don't really have anything to be busy with."
Kurenai stepped up and sat down on his lap.
"Then I'll give you something to keep you busy tonight."
Kitazawa slid a hand to her hip and said with a grin.
Kurenai froze for a second, then rolled her eyes once she realized what he meant.
Still… it had been days since they'd had a quiet night together. During the war, it wasn't the time to waste energy—if the enemy attacked, things would get awkward fast.
But the war was over now. They could finally relax.
Kurenai straightened, her ruby-like eyes fixed on him.
A faint sheen of emotion gathered in them.
Kitazawa smiled, leaned in, and kissed her soft lips.
Kurenai immediately kissed him back, intense and unrestrained, her cheeks flushing as she clung to him.
The night passed in a blur of warmth, breathless closeness, and lingering affection.
Much later, Kurenai finally closed her eyes, curled against Kitazawa's chest, and drifted off to sleep.
Kitazawa lifted a hand and gently brushed her hair.
Lowering his gaze, he could see her pale shoulder and smooth back.
And with their bodies pressed together, he could feel how soft her skin was—almost youthful in its tenderness.
Right then, Konan stepped in.
She'd taken off her shoes. Her bare feet padded over the carpet without a sound.
Kurenai was exhausted and sleeping deeply, so she didn't notice.
Kitazawa looked up at Konan.
Konan took out a scroll and offered it to him.
He didn't take it immediately.
He carefully eased Kurenai down, then got dressed.
While he did, Konan bit her lip, a flicker of longing passing through her eyes.
Kitazawa stepped out of the tent.
Konan followed.
"Kabuto sent this?"
Kitazawa asked casually.
"Yes."
Konan nodded. "I saw you were busy, so I stopped him for you."
"Good girl."
Kitazawa reached out and patted her head.
Then he opened the scroll.
It summarized Konoha's gains from this battle, divided into two categories.
One was "things"—various ninja tools and supplies.
The other was "people"—the captured Sunagakure shinobi.
Kitazawa wasn't interested in the supplies.
He quickly flipped to the section on prisoners.
Kabuto had sorted them by genin, chūnin, and jōnin.
Genin and chūnin were listed only as numbers.
Jōnin had specific names.
Every familiar Sunagakure name was there:
Chiyo, Ebizō, Rasa, Baki, Kankurō, Temari, and more.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say Sunagakure existed in name only.
Kitazawa closed the scroll.
He was about to return to the tent when he realized he'd forgotten something.
The Land of Wind.
Sunagakure had submitted to Konoha—but the Land of Wind itself hadn't.
"Konan, call Kabuto over."
Kitazawa said, the thought clicking into place.
With the shinobi world in turmoil, this was the best possible time to take control of the Land of Wind—or even the Five Great Nations.
It was practically something he could do on the side.
[Current Mission: Control the Five Great Nations.]
[Mission Reward: Sacrificial Compassion Pill Refining.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa stared at the three lines of text that appeared and let out a small, surprised sound.
He instinctively searched his memory.
A moment later, recognition surfaced.
Sacrificial Compassion Pill Refining—like Paper Crane Body Flicker—was one of Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's abilities.
Its effect was to absorb a target's chakra and refine it into pills that could increase one's own chakra.
Honestly… it was absurdly powerful.
Because in the shinobi world, techniques or items that raised your chakra capacity were incredibly rare.
Even Kitazawa could use something like that.
In the original story, pill refining was basically a must-have ability for the Ōtsutsuki.
It was exactly how many of them could grow stronger without obvious limits.
In theory, the chakra gained from it had no upper bound.
Kitazawa immediately thought of the Ōtsutsuki who would descend on the shinobi world in the future.
When the time came, turning their chakra into pills—whether he took them himself or gave them to Tsunade and the others—would mean explosive growth in strength.
He also wouldn't need to worry about Tsunade and the others' lifespan.
With Ōtsutsuki chakra, longevity would become nearly endless.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto appeared in front of him soon after.
"I've got a task for you."
Kitazawa smiled. "Take this opportunity and go control the Land of Wind."
Kabuto blinked.
For most shinobi, that kind of assignment would be earth-shattering.
But Kabuto wasn't most shinobi.
After the initial surprise, he accepted calmly.
Because in his heart, there was only Konoha—and Nono Yakushi and the people he cared about.
"When you get back to Konoha, have a thorough talk with the Sunagakure shinobi."
Kitazawa thought for a moment, then added, "Bring them under Konoha. If any insist on dying before they submit… then kill them."
Even though Sunagakure had been wiped out as a fighting force, there would inevitably be a few stubborn loyalists who would rather die than yield.
Kitazawa actually respected that kind of resolve.
But different paths couldn't be forced together.
Keeping them alive would do Konoha no good.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto nodded.
"It's late. Get some rest and work tomorrow."
Kitazawa glanced at the night sky and spoke offhandedly.
Kabuto bowed slightly and left.
Kitazawa stretched, ready to return to his tent.
After all, Kurenai was waiting.
But when he noticed Konan, he felt he couldn't just walk away.
"Come here."
Kitazawa opened his arms.
Konan hurried over, and he pulled her into an embrace.
"Let's do things a different way today."
Kitazawa said suddenly, smiling.
Konan tilted her head to look at him, silent.
With a casual wave, Kitazawa lifted them into the air.
They flew farther and farther until everything on the ground blurred into indistinct shapes.
Konan realized what was happening.
She clung to him like an octopus.
High in the sky, with nothing to stand on, she could only keep her balance by holding tightly to him, so she wouldn't fall.
Kitazawa watched her breathless, flushed reactions and spent a beautiful night with her.
The next morning.
Kitazawa opened his eyes and saw Kurenai still asleep.
He smiled and gently stroked her lovely face.
Not long after, Kurenai woke up.
Now that she had the Yin Seal, she didn't get overwhelmed as easily as before—she no longer needed to sleep in until late.
"Kurenai, are you going back to Konoha next, or coming with me as a spectator?"
Kitazawa asked.
"I'll go back to Konoha."
Kurenai hesitated a moment before answering.
She'd been on missions nonstop, fighting Sunagakure shinobi, and mentally she was tired of bloodshed. She didn't want to watch more fighting.
"Alright."
Kitazawa nodded. "I'll send you back in a bit."
"No."
Kurenai refused. "I'll go back with Yakumo and the others."
Kitazawa didn't push it.
They got dressed.
After breakfast, Kabuto led the Fourth Division and officially set out to return to Konoha.
Kitazawa watched them go.
Konan appeared beside him soon after.
Last night she'd floated in midair for a full hour before returning to the tent to rest.
"I'll take you to the Land of the Moon first."
Kitazawa took Konan's hand and used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the next instant, they arrived at Konoha's temporary encampment in the Land of the Moon.
"I'm going to Konoha."
Kitazawa released her hand. "Wait here."
Konan nodded.
Kitazawa vanished.
When he steadied himself again, he was already inside Tsunade's room.
He looked at Tsunade on the bed.
She was still asleep. With each breath, her nightclothes rose and fell.
Kitazawa walked to the bedside and slipped into her arms.
Immediately, he felt that familiar, heavy softness.
"You came back this early because you don't want me to sleep, huh?"
Tsunade opened her eyes and looked at him.
But his face was buried against her—she couldn't see it at all.
"I missed you, so I came back."
Kitazawa said, voice muffled.
Tsunade paused—touched, but also helplessly amused.
She couldn't tell if Kitazawa missed her, or missed her embrace… or both.
"I heard Sunagakure surrendered?"
Tsunade asked, stroking his hair.
"Yeah."
Kitazawa answered. "Kabuto and the others are already on their way back."
"Things really are… different now."
Tsunade sighed.
In the previous shinobi wars, Konoha won—but paid a terrible price.
Only this time, the war felt almost easy.
Of course, she knew exactly why.
Kitazawa—and his students.
"I wonder what the shinobi world will look like in the future."
Tsunade smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."
"You'll see it."
Kitazawa said, breathing in her faint fragrance.
"Mm."
Tsunade paused, then remembered something. "Jiraiya came back a little while ago."
"Did something happen in the Hidden Rain?"
Kitazawa rubbed his cheek against her smooth skin.
"Not the Hidden Rain."
Tsunade shook her head. "He said the Great Toad Sage made a new prophecy."
"What is it?"
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, curious.
In the original story, by the later arcs, the Great Toad Sage's prophecies were basically all tied to Naruto.
But now everything had changed completely.
Naruto was still important, sure, but he wasn't the absolute core of the world anymore.
If the Great Toad Sage really could foresee the future, then the prophecy would naturally shift too.
"The Great Toad Sage said there's still a major crisis coming to the shinobi world."
Tsunade frowned slightly. "But what the crisis is… even it doesn't know."
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes.
There really was a major crisis ahead.
The Ōtsutsuki who would come hunting for Kaguya—Urashiki and the others.
"There are plenty of crises in the shinobi world."
Kitazawa said lightly. "Thinking about it now doesn't change anything. When it comes, we'll know."
"I think you're right."
Tsunade agreed.
She never truly believed in prophecies to begin with.
And with Kitazawa's existence, she felt even more certain—if there were really a "child of prophecy," they should've appeared back when Akatsuki was at its peak.
Now the world was on the verge of unification, and the so-called chosen one still hadn't shown up anywhere.
"Tsunade-sensei."
Kitazawa lifted his head. "Shouldn't you reward me?"
"Why would I reward you?"
Tsunade looked puzzled.
"Under my brilliant leadership, we successfully took Sunagakure. That's unprecedented."
Kitazawa blinked.
"Wasn't it Kabuto who took it?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
She already knew exactly what Kitazawa was angling for.
"I'm the Hokage."
Kitazawa said with a straight face.
"…"
Tsunade lifted a hand and tapped him on the head.
Then she sat up, settling her weight comfortably against him.
Kitazawa very quickly got the "reward" he wanted.
By noon, Kitazawa—looking thoroughly refreshed—left Konoha.
Even though the war with Sunagakure was over, the wars with Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure were still ongoing.
After taking a day to unwind, it was time for him to return to the battlefield.
He used Flying Thunder God and returned to Konoha's temporary encampment in the Land of the Moon.
Meanwhile, at Kumogakure's temporary encampment, a meeting was underway.
"Over the last few days, every ambush we organized has ended in failure."
Darui's advisor, C, spoke grimly. "That means Konoha has completely grasped our movements."
"Does the Byakugan really have that kind of range?"
The Fourth Raikage asked, face dark with anger.
"Hinata Hyūga is probably special."
Mabui analyzed. "In the past, no Hyūga has displayed a Byakugan with that kind of range."
"Sunagakure already lost. If we lose too, Konoha will unify the shinobi world."
C let out a long sigh.
"At this point, we can only rely on the chakra cannon."
Mabui said after a moment of silence.
"But with Hinata Hyūga's Byakugan watching everything, how can our chakra cannon possibly do anything?"
Samui asked, brows tightly knit.
"Heavenly Transfer Technique."
Mabui thought for a moment, then said.
~~~
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