Since it was already late, Kitazawa decided against visiting Tsunade that night. He still needed to come up with a convincing excuse first.
The next day—Friday—arrived.
As usual, Kitazawa left two Shadow Clones to oversee the Genius Class's training while he himself headed toward the Artificial Lake at the Ninja Academy.
Having recently mastered Earth Flow Wall, he shifted focus to Water Release. Only one Water Release assignment remained unfinished, but the jutsu choices left to him were both A-rank jutsus: Great Waterfall jutsu and Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
Kitazawa chose the former. The chakra drain was lighter, and in essence, it was Water Release's version of the Great Fireball jutsu. Where fire formed a blazing sphere, this produced a massive sphere of water—lethal in size and force, more like a falling waterfall than a simple blast.
He trained for half an hour before noticing someone approach.
"Kitazawa, I didn't expect you to be so skilled in Water Release," said Kosuke, walking forward with genuine surprise. "And at such a high level, no less."
Since Kitazawa was practicing an A-rank Water Release, it implied he'd already mastered the lower ranks. At the very least, he was Chunin-level in this nature release. Once he succeeded, he would stand firmly at the Jonin level in Water Release.
"Kosuke-senpai, you flatter me," Kitazawa replied with a smile. "Is there something you needed? Trouble with teaching?"
Kosuke shook his head. "It's about choosing disciples. After two weeks of observation, I've found two students worthy of inheriting my Water Release and swordsmanship."
"Oh?" Kitazawa asked with interest. "Which two?"
"Sakura Haruno and Uchiha Sasuke."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. Unexpected—but not unreasonable.
Sakura possessed both Earth and Water affinities, and her chakra control ranked among the top of the Konoha 12. With that natural talent, she was well-qualified to learn Water Release. As expected of one of the story's heroines, fortune seemed to favor her—but it was also her raw ability speaking.
Sasuke, meanwhile, was obvious. His path in the original tale had heavily leaned on kenjutsu, carrying the Kusanagi at his hip after defecting from Konoha. Though he'd later refine his swordsmanship under Orochimaru, Kosuke's Leaf Style was the perfect foundation.
"Still, Kosuke-senpai," Kitazawa mused, "formally taking them as disciples might be tricky. Sakura might agree, but Sasuke almost certainly won't."
Kosuke only chuckled. "I don't need the title of squad leader, and I ask for nothing in return. If they're willing to learn, that's enough."
"Fair enough." Kitazawa nodded. "I'll call them over."
He sought out Kakashi first, whispering Kosuke's intentions. Kakashi then turned to Sasuke, who had just finished practicing Lightning Release chakra transformation.
"Sasuke," Kakashi called.
"Kakashi-sensei. Kitazawa-sensei." Sasuke wiped his brow, glancing between them.
Kakashi had been planning to introduce him to low-level Lightning Release jutsus, but after consulting Kitazawa, he'd decided otherwise. Sasuke wanted something to rival Naruto's Rasengan. In that case, Kakashi had settled on teaching him Chidori. But Sasuke's chakra control would need to improve further first.
"Kosuke-senpai wants to teach you Leaf Style Swordsmanship," Kitazawa explained. "Interested?"
"But I'm already focused on Lightning Release," Sasuke frowned. He wanted power, not sword drills.
"Don't underestimate Leaf Style Swordsmanship," Kitazawa countered smoothly. "Kosuke-senpai created an S-rank kenjutsu—Leaf Style: Willow. It blends swordplay with genjutsu."
That hit the mark. Sharingan, fire, and genjutsu were Sasuke's strongest suits.
"S-rank?" Sasuke's eyes brightened. "Then I'll learn it."
"You're so mercenary." Kitazawa flicked his forehead.
Sasuke scratched his head with a sheepish grin—an expression that made Kakashi blink. That look was far too familiar, more Obito than the usual brooding Uchiha heir.
Kitazawa then fetched Sakura.
"I'll do it!" she said immediately, no hesitation. After all, she had long complained that medical ninjutsu never counted in monthly exams, leaving her no chance to shine. Water Release could change that—and give her a way to outshine Ino again.
With both students agreeing, Kitazawa led them to the Artificial Lake.
"Address him properly," he instructed.
"Kosuke-sensei," Sasuke and Sakura said in unison.
"Good, good, good!" Kosuke laughed, clearly delighted.
Kitazawa didn't leave. Instead, he decided to use this chance to learn Leaf Style Swordsmanship himself.
A familiar message appeared before his eyes:
[As a genius, one should possess extraordinary learning ability.]
[Current Task: Master Leaf Style Swordsmanship without receiving direct instruction from Maruboshi Kosuke.]
[Reward: Crescent Moon Dance.]
Kitazawa was taken aback. Why not Leaf Style: Willow? Perhaps learning the style inherently included Kosuke's creation, but the system wanted him to discover it on his own. Crescent Moon Dance was no consolation prize—it was another deadly kenjutsu, known only to Gekkō Hayate and Uzuki Yūgao in the original timeline.
Naturally, Kitazawa accepted.
Meanwhile, Kosuke got straight to teaching. He began with the basics: for Sakura, Water Release: Water Bullet jutsu, a C-rank starter jutsu. For Sasuke, the fundamentals of Leaf Style swordsmanship.
Kitazawa quietly formed another Shadow Clone to study the sword style from a distance, while he himself resumed practicing Great Waterfall jutsu.
Kosuke didn't seem to mind. After all, Kitazawa was Tsunade's disciple. If he wanted to learn Leaf Style Swordsmanship, he could have easily gone through her or Hiruzen.
Time passed, and soon the school day came to an end.
"If you're free this weekend, you can come find me," Kosuke said casually.
Now that he was a full-time Academy instructor, he no longer took missions, which left him plenty of free time.
"Okay, Kosuke-sensei!" Sakura replied brightly—then immediately glanced at Sasuke. If he went too, she'd have a chance to spend time with him outside of class.
"I'll see," Sasuke answered vaguely.
Sakura's eagerness came from a different place. Between regular classes, swordsmanship, and the complex path of medical ninjutsu, she constantly felt short on time. Extra training with Kosuke was a rare opportunity to catch up.
Sasuke, however, didn't need it. Leaf Style Swordsmanship came naturally to him, and weekends were better spent learning from Itachi and exploring the depths of Sharingan and genjutsu.
On the training ground, Kitazawa dismissed his class with a cheerful, "See you next week."
The students bolted off, buzzing with excitement for their two days of freedom.
Kitazawa sighed inwardly. If only the ninja world had the internet—he could've killed time with a few games. Instead, he glanced at the setting sky and turned toward the casino. He'd already devised a plan to deal with Danzo, which meant finding Tsunade was the next step. And at this hour—five o'clock sharp—she was guaranteed to be gambling.
Konoha only had a handful of casinos, and Kitazawa quickly tracked her down. Tsunade sat at a table, face dark, with "I lost" practically stamped across her forehead. Shizune stood nearby, Tonton in her arms, wearing an anxious expression.
"Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa greeted.
"Kitazawa? What are you doing here?" Tsunade's sharp tone softened the moment she recognized him.
Shizune blinked in surprise. That wasn't the Tsunade she knew. Normally, losing everything meant dragging her into a heated argument over gambling money. But this time, Tsunade's demeanor was strangely… calm.
"Lady Tsunade, I came to ask you something." Kitazawa hesitated, then smiled. "But there's no rush. You can finish your game first."
"No need. I've already lost everything." Tsunade stood up, brushing it off. "Let's talk at home."
Shizune nearly dropped Tonton. This was too straightforward. The Tsunade she knew never gave up so easily.
Back at Tsunade and Shizune's residence, the sannin kicked off her heels, collapsed onto the sofa, and exhaled deeply. The cushions flattened beneath her weight.
Kitazawa sat opposite her, forcing himself to focus on her face.
"Speak," Tsunade said, rolling onto her side, eyes narrowed in lazy curiosity.
"Yesterday, I performed surgery with Nonō-senpai on a patient at Konoha Hospital," Kitazawa began. "His name was Shigaraki Tanuki—a Root researcher."
Tsunade's gaze sharpened.
"He was badly injured, the result of an explosion. But before reaching the hospital, he'd already received treatment from Root's medical-nin."
"What kind of treatment?" she asked immediately.
"The kind meant to erase evidence," Kitazawa replied evenly. "Danzo doesn't want us knowing what caused that explosion."
Tsunade crossed her arms, her voice edged with meaning. "Root has its secrets. But the old man's patience isn't infinite—we can't keep poking Danzo."
Kitazawa understood her implication. Unless this secret was significant, Hiruzen wouldn't intervene—and Tsunade couldn't act rashly.
"Still, I found traces." Kitazawa leaned forward. "Biological tissue. To be precise—cellular residue."
"Cells caused an explosion?" Tsunade frowned. "Impossible."
"I thought the same," Kitazawa admitted.
But Tsunade's thoughts had already raced ahead. A chill crept into her chest. She remembered Hashirama Senju's body—her grandfather's cells, brimming with terrifying vitality even after death. Konoha had once tried Wood Release experiments, using his tissue. All volunteers had died, and Hiruzen had ordered the project shut down.
But Danzo… he would never stop.
Hashirama's cells, swollen with chakra, could easily trigger uncontrolled growth—violent, explosive reactions.
Her fists clenched. Desecrating her grandfather's body was beyond unforgivable.
"I'm going to demand answers from the Hokage," she declared, rising to her feet.
Kitazawa stiffened. "What did you figure out, Lady Tsunade?"
She paused. For a moment, he wondered if she'd shut him out. But after two seconds of silence, she sighed.
"…I can tell you."
She waved Shizune, Rina, and Karin out of the room, then met Kitazawa's eyes.
"This begins with my grandfather, the First Hokage. Do you know of Wood Release?"
"Of course," Kitazawa answered solemnly. "The whole world knows."
"Precisely why Konoha wanted to reclaim it," Tsunade explained, her tone heavy. Slowly, she revealed what she knew of the failed experiments.
Kitazawa arched an eyebrow. So she was unaware of Orochimaru's deeper involvement. That, too, made sense—she hadn't been in Konoha when it happened, and Orochimaru's true crimes weren't public knowledge.
"This Shigaraki Tanuki may have been researching Hashirama's cells under Danzo's orders," Kitazawa suggested.
Tsunade nodded grimly. "That's what I think too."
But suspicion wasn't proof.
Kitazawa leaned in. "I don't think confronting the Hokage yet is wise. Without evidence, it's just speculation. We should investigate Shigaraki Tanuki first."
"Root will have hidden him well," Tsunade muttered, rubbing her temples. "Even an elite jonin would struggle."
"I have someone in mind," Kitazawa said. "Uchiha Itachi."
Tsunade raised a brow. "At his age?" She knew Itachi was a genius, even leading an Anbu squad at thirteen, but still—this was no mission for a child.
"He'll manage," Kitazawa said with quiet confidence.
Tsunade studied him for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, she smiled.
"Alright. I'll trust you."
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