Kitazawa quickly arrived at the Uchiha Clan's residence. His appearance drew considerable attention, but it remained limited to curious stares.
Most members of the Uchiha clan were relatively moderate; the truly radical ones were the hardliners. Driven by Shimura Danzo's oppression and their own ambitions to seize the Hokage title, the hardliners were seriously considering the use of force.
As for Uchiha Fugaku, he was portrayed in the original story as a fence-sitter—indecisive.
He initially held back the hardliners, only to resort to rebellion when he could no longer restrain them. Yet, when facing Uchiha Itachi, he ultimately chose to surrender without resistance.
A moment later, Kitazawa spotted Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
They stood in the courtyard, each with a magatama Sharingan activated, seemingly engaged in a one-on-one lesson.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Sasuke noticed him first and turned to greet him.
"Teacher Kitazawa," Uchiha Itachi also acknowledged him.
Though he used the same form of address as Sasuke, it carried the weight of a peer-to-peer greeting.
Being stared at by two pairs of Sharingan was enough to make Kitazawa feel uneasy, as if needles were pricking at his back. He could imagine the pressure of being stared at by an entire room full of Sharingan.
The only similar experience was with the Byakugan—Kitazawa often endured intense stares whenever he visited the Hyuga clan.
"Sasuke, today's training ends here." Itachi patted Sasuke's head, then stepped forward and said, "Kitazawa-sensei, please come in."
He raised a hand and personally opened the door.
"Thank you," Kitazawa nodded in response.
Uchiha Itachi's manners were impeccable.
"Dad! Kitazawa-sensei is here!" Sasuke ran into the living room.
He had been in high spirits over the past two days. Not only had he awakened his Sharingan, but he had also received rare praise from Uchiha Fugaku.
It was a double dose of happiness. Even more, both Uchiha Fugaku and Itachi were now personally overseeing his Sharingan training.
This was a first. Previously, they would often excuse themselves with claims of being too busy. For instance, when learning Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, Uchiha Fugaku would give him brief instructions before leaving him to train alone.
"Chief Fugaku," Kitazawa called out.
"Kitazawa, welcome," Fugaku stood up and said calmly. "You've done much for Sasuke. I want to express my gratitude."
"I'm his teacher—this is my duty," Kitazawa replied with a polite smile.
Fugaku didn't fully believe that. After learning of Sasuke's Sharingan awakening, he had investigated the events in detail.
What he found was a first. It was the most unconventional, eye-opening process he'd ever seen—and it truly opened his eyes. Still, the outcome was what mattered.
Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan at the age of six.
"Please, have a seat," Uchiha Fugaku gestured. "Itachi, bring some tea."
"Thank you." Kitazawa took a seat on the sofa across from Fugaku.
Soon, Uchiha Itachi brought a steaming cup of tea and set it before him.
"Go help your mother in the kitchen," Fugaku added, waving a hand.
"Yes." Itachi understood. His father wasn't trying to send him away—but rather, Sasuke. That was fine. Sasuke was too young to grasp the full context behind the Sharingan awakening.
"Kitazawa," Fugaku asked once both sons were gone, "why did you help Sasuke awaken his Sharingan?"
After hearing from Mikoto the night before that Kitazawa was close to Tsunade, Fugaku became cautious.
Tsunade's identity was too significant to ignore. Fugaku even suspected she might be using Kitazawa to send a message to the Uchiha clan.
He wasn't paranoid—just wary.
The Uchiha clan was in a turbulent period. Any intervention from Tsunade could drastically reshape Konoha's power balance.
"It was Sasuke's request," Kitazawa answered calmly. He couldn't reveal that it was a system task, nor could he admit it was Tsunade's directive.
"Then why did Tsunade-sama tell you that the Uchiha need emotional stimulation to awaken their eyes?" Fugaku frowned and pressed further.
"She mentioned it casually while I was performing an eye surgery on a patient," Kitazawa said with a relaxed smile. "If you want to ask Tsunade-sama for help, I'd be happy to pass along the message."
He had already seen through Fugaku's intentions. So, he chose to play along.
When dealing with powerful figures, resistance only aroused suspicion. Better to offer compliance—on the surface. As for Tsunade, even if the Uchiha truly asked her for help, she would likely accept without blaming Kitazawa.
After all, there were very few people in Konoha who could realistically support the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Fugaku thought silently to himself. Just as he expected. He didn't believe Tsunade had no interest in the Hokage position.
If she were truly indifferent, why had she returned to the village? Why had she stayed so long?
"Thank you for letting me know," Fugaku said with a faint smile.
He felt he had successfully guessed Tsunade's intention. She was likely just waiting for the right offer. After all, being Hokage wasn't about strength—it was about influence.
The Uchiha clan was currently in an awkward and delicate position.
With Shimura Danzo pressuring them from the outside and hardliners pushing from within, his role as clan leader had become a difficult balancing act.
To be honest, Fugaku had no desire to go to war with Konoha. The chances of losing were simply too high. If Tsunade were to become Hokage and could help the Uchiha clan out of their predicament, then there would be no need for rebellion.
Of course, the ideal scenario would be for a member of the Uchiha clan to enter the upper ranks of Konoha's leadership—or even be considered for the position of next Hokage.
"Come and eat!"
Uchiha Mikoto emerged from the kitchen, carrying dishes in both hands. Behind her followed Sasuke with chopsticks in hand, and Uchiha Itachi holding a bowl.
"Please," Uchiha Fugaku said politely.
To him, Kitazawa's role had shifted from a simple ninja school teacher to someone who might represent Tsunade's voice.
The dinner that followed was enjoyable for both host and guest.
Kitazawa benefited from Tsunade's influence, no doubt. But he truly was half her student—that wasn't a lie. And from the way things were developing, becoming Tsunade's full apprentice seemed inevitable.
At the end of the meal, Uchiha Mikoto handed Kitazawa a scroll.
She didn't specify what it was, only mentioning that it was a thank-you gift for helping Uchiha Sasuke awaken his Sharingan.
After leaving the Uchiha compound, Kitazawa opened the scroll. As he had expected, it was a ninjutsu scroll—but not for Fire Style. It was for Wind Style.
Since Sasuke had seen him use Wind Release before, it wasn't surprising that Mikoto had learned he possessed Wind-affinity chakra.
Kitazawa glanced over the scroll, and a strange expression crossed his face. The techniques listed were all those used by Shimura Danzo—six Wind Style ninjutsu in total.
Kitazawa had already mastered two of them: Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere and Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere.
The remaining four were: Wind Style: Vacuum Wave, Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves, Wind Style: Rotating Shuriken, and Wind Style: Vacuum Blade.
"Are you trying to disgust Shimura Danzo on purpose?" Kitazawa couldn't help but laugh.
Of course, this was likely just incidental. Leaving aside the Sharingan, the Uchiha clan could easily have obtained these Wind Style techniques through legitimate channels.
They had shed blood and made countless contributions to Konoha.
"A Wind Style gift pack? Not bad at all," Kitazawa mused, stroking his chin.
Mastering these six jutsu would be enough to qualify as a Wind Style Jonin. In reality, a Jonin didn't need to master a wide array of jutsu.
Seven or eight well-rounded techniques within one element were usually enough to deal with most combat scenarios.
[You've accepted a gift from Uchiha Mikoto, mother of Uchiha Sasuke. As a genius, you naturally must not waste it.]
[Current Mission: Master four Wind Style ninjutsu before the end of the second semester.]
[Mission Reward: Master-Level Wind Style Chakra Nature Transformation.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa was momentarily stunned by the sudden prompt. After reading the task, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration: "What a great system!"
He already possessed master-level Yin and Yang chakra transformation, so acquiring Wind Style mastery would be a significant addition to his arsenal.
Kitazawa suddenly thought of the Rasengan. With master-level Wind chakra transformation, he could attempt to develop the Wind Style: Rasengan, and even the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
The latter, an S-rank jutsu, was extremely powerful. When Naruto first used it at 50% completion, it destroyed two of Kakuzu's hearts instantly.
The only thing that puzzled Kitazawa was the time constraint. Why before the end of the second semester?
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Could it be related to the Genjutsu task?
That mission required him to master five Genjutsu by the end of summer vacation. It seemed this system was quite considerate—allowing for staggered progression instead of overloading all at once.
Kitazawa wasn't concerned.
Based on his understanding of this oddly considerate system, as long as he mastered the fourth Wind Style jutsu before the second semester ended, the reward would be his.
And truthfully, this summer vacation was already packed—he had to study both Genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu.
---
Time passed steadily amid the training.
It was now the third week of summer vacation. August had arrived. Though the heat had eased slightly, it was still scorching.
Kitazawa, as usual, ate breakfast and made his way to the ninja academy.
By the artificial lake, several Naruto in green jumpsuits were training. The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was truly remarkable.
Although Naruto's chakra control was terribly affected by the Nine-Tails, the sheer volume of practice led to progress. After all, quantity transforms into quality.
Over the past two weeks, dozens of Naruto clones had been training nonstop, and his chakra control had significantly improved. It was just a shame he was still too young.
Had he been a teenager like in the original story, he could have summoned hundreds—or even thousands—of clones at once.
Kitazawa stroked his chin thoughtfully. There were two main ways to solve Naruto's chakra control issues:
1. Sealing Techniques,
2. Reconciliation with the Nine-Tails.
But the first method wouldn't work. The Nine-Tails' interference was intentional, left that way by Minato Namikaze.
He hadn't sealed the Nine-Tails completely, leaving a gap so Naruto could gradually learn to harness its power. Otherwise, with the knowledge of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and others, the seal would have been reinforced long ago.
In the original timeline, Naruto succeeded through the second method—learning to reconcile with the Nine-Tails over time. But that only happened after graduation, six to ten years later.
Kitazawa believed he could help Naruto begin that process early. But he still lacked the necessary status.
Though he already had Sarutobi Hiruzen's trust, he wasn't yet a high-ranking official of Konoha. Once he officially became Tsunade's student, he could attempt it.
Ideally, he could trigger the relevant quest. If that happened, the reward would most likely be chakra. And right now, chakra was exactly what he lacked the most.
"Naruto, come here," Kitazawa called out.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you're looking for me?"
"Don't push! Let me through!"
"Hey! I'm the real one—Kitazawa-sensei's calling me!"
A crowd of Narutos rushed over, surrounding him from all sides.
"Kitazawa-sensei, what do you want to talk to me about?" The original Naruto pushed past his shadow clones and made it to the front.
"That's enough of the Water Surface Walking training," Kitazawa said as he looked at him. "I'm going to teach you the Rasengan now."
"Awesome!" Naruto shouted excitedly.
"Finally! No more falling into the water every day! That doesn't ignite my youth at all!"
"Teacher Kitazawa, I'll go first—my youth burns the brightest!"
"Obviously, I'm the strongest!"
His shadow clones echoed his excitement, babbling in unison like a chorus of Narutos.
Kitazawa couldn't help but twitch his lips. Why do shadow clones have to retain their original's personality?
"Silence!" Kitazawa raised his hand. "All of you are learning together."
"You heard that? Quiet down and listen to Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto quickly began organizing his clones.
"Rasengan training is done in three stages. We'll begin with the first one."
Kitazawa unsealed a summoning scroll and took out the water-filled balloons he had prepared. "Naruto, pass these around."
"One each! Line up!" Naruto took three minutes to distribute the balloons to all his clones.
"Focus your chakra into your palm and slowly inject it into the balloon. Rotate the water inside until the balloon bursts."
Kitazawa demonstrated as chakra surged through his palm. The balloon popped immediately. "This is the first stage."
"Looks simple enough," Naruto said, scratching his head.
"Watch me!"
"My youth is about to explode!"
"I'll be the first Uzumaki Naruto to pop this balloon!"
Before the original could even start, the clones were already experimenting.
Kitazawa watched for a moment and realized none of them had made any progress yet. Learning a jutsu so many years earlier than in the original story was clearly a challenge.
Thankfully, there was still plenty of time.
Some techniques, including those involving shadow clones, could be mastered through sheer practice.
"Practice on your own. If you get stuck, come ask me." Kitazawa instructed and then made his way over to Hinata.
"Naruto looks so energetic," Hinata said softly, having witnessed the chaos earlier.
"Want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique too?" Kitazawa smiled. "I bet a bunch of Hinatas would be adorable."
"I… I'll learn it later." Hinata was clearly tempted but replied seriously, "I want to focus on mastering the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms first."
"You've already mastered the first six palms. I estimate that by the end of summer, you'll be able to unleash ten palms in a single burst." Kitazawa gently patted her head. "Last semester, Neji wasn't even close to where you are now."
"Really?" Hinata's eyes lit up in surprise.
Hyuga Neji had always been a genius far beyond her reach. She never imagined she'd catch up, even a little.
"Absolutely," Kitazawa affirmed, then shifted the topic. "But once this summer ends, it's hard to say how much he'll improve."
Neji had already learned the first six palms by the end of the first semester. He was surely practicing over the summer, too. But learning by oneself and learning under guidance were worlds apart.
Neji's progress wouldn't compare to Hinata's, who was receiving training from both Kitazawa and Hiashi Hyuga.
"I'll do my best!" Hinata responded with renewed determination. "Let's begin."
Seeing his encouragement work, Kitazawa nodded in satisfaction. He admired Hinata's personality—fragile on the surface, but deeply resilient. She was willing to suffer and persevere through hardship without complaint.
After lunch, Kitazawa left behind a shadow clone and returned to Kurenai's house.
In two weeks—or more precisely, one week and two days—he had already learned two genjutsu techniques.
One was the A-rank Nirvana Temple Jutsu, and the other was the C-rank Sly Mind Affect Jutsu. Now, he needed just one more to complete his mission.
"Kurenai…" Kitazawa stepped into the living room, swallowing the word "Sensei" before finishing.
Because seated there, besides Kurenai-sensei, were also Tsunade and Shizune. The unexpected gathering made him pause for a moment.
"Did you complete the new ninjutsu?" Kitazawa asked bluntly.
"I had a flash of inspiration at the casino this morning. When I came back, I completed the technique," Tsunade said, yawning lazily.
Kitazawa's mouth twitched slightly. A flash of inspiration at the casino? Did you get inspired after losing all your money?
"As expected of Tsunade-sama. You managed what none of us could," Kitazawa praised sincerely.
"You're not too bad yourself," Tsunade said with a faint smile, glancing at him. "Shizune tells me you're already working on the Chakra Scalpel?"
"Yes." Kitazawa nodded.
After mastering the Delicate Illness Extraction Jutsu, Shizune had begun teaching him the Chakra Scalpel. Thanks to the system, he had already mastered both medical ninjutsu.
"That fast?" Kurenai looked stunned.
Kitazawa was studying both genjutsu and medical ninjutsu at the same time and progressing at a speed that defied logic.
Did he not have any limit? Was learning ninjutsu as easy as breathing for him? Comparing his speed to her own in genjutsu training, Kurenai felt a wave of disbelief.
"It's okay. You'll get used to it," Shizune said, patting her on the shoulder with a sympathetic smile. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before she was demoted from senior sister to junior.
"So, how effective is this new genjutsu?" Kitazawa asked, lightly coughing to get back on topic.
"It's somewhat similar to Yakumo's Kekkei Genkai of turning Illusion into reality," Kurenai explained. "It creates an illusory world and pulls the target into it."
She paused for a second before adding, "But it can be broken by powerful shinobi. It's probably a B-rank genjutsu."
Even a genjutsu Jonin would have difficulty escaping Kurama Yakumo's illusion, let alone dispelling it.
"Then I'll name it," Kitazawa said suddenly, "How about Kyōka Suigetsu(Mirror Flower, Water Moon)?"
--
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)