Wednesday morning.
Ninja Academy training ground.
Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, and Shikamaru gathered together.
"How did Sasuke-kun even come?" Naruto scratched his head and asked, "Is your secret training over?"
"Still some left," Sasuke said calmly. Genjutsu is widely recognized as difficult. Fortunately, he had Itachi's guidance, and Kitazawa's previous Chakra control training had also been effective.
Although it was going smoothly, it still required time.
"Naruto, don't you think Kitazawa-sensei has a problem?" Ino retorted.
"Huh?" Naruto asked blankly, "What problem?"
"You're wasting time asking him." Sasuke shook his head and said.
"Hey! What do you mean?" Naruto immediately said, somewhat displeased, "I'm very smart! Even Kitazawa-sensei praised me for how fast I learn Ninjutsu!"
"Naruto, calm down."
Ino glanced at him, then looked at Hinata, and said, "Hinata, you tell them, after all, you were the first to notice the problem."
"Mm." Hinata tightened her small face and said seriously, "For the past two days, Kitazawa-sensei hasn't brought me breakfast."
"Could it be that he was too busy and forgot?" Shikamaru crossed his arms, pondering as he asked.
"Kitazawa-sensei has never forgotten before." Hinata hesitated but didn't mention another piece of evidence. That was, Kitazawa hadn't patted her head these past two days.
"I believe Hinata." Ino nodded and said, "I also feel that the recent Teacher Kitazawa has a problem; he doesn't feel gentle enough."
"Indeed." Sakura echoed, "Kitazawa-sensei has been very strict when teaching me Medical Ninjutsu these past two days, much stricter than last week."
"I also discovered a problem!" Kiba suddenly slapped his palm and said, "The lessons this Kitazawa-sensei teaches aren't as easy to understand as before."
Previously, he could completely understand Kitazawa's lessons, but these past two days, he'd only understood bits and pieces.
"It seems someone has disguised themselves as Teacher Kitazawa," Sasuke said in a deep voice.
He had originally been focused on training at home, but as soon as he heard it involved Kitazawa-sensei, he rushed over. Now it seemed there really was a problem.
"Could it be..." Haruno's body trembled, and she had a bad premonition.
"This is Konoha." Shikamaru pondered and said, "Teacher Kitazawa won't be in trouble; maybe he's on some special mission."
"But what kind of mission requires finding someone to impersonate Teacher Kitazawa?" Ino frowned and asked.
"Too little information, I can't analyze it either," Shikamaru said helplessly.
"What's there to analyze?" Naruto clenched his fists and said, "We just need to catch him and ask him about Kitazawa-sensei's whereabouts!"
The remaining six people instinctively looked at him.
"Is... is there a problem?" Naruto became nervous under the gaze of the six people.
"I think that's a good idea." Kiba immediately said excitedly, "Seven against one, can we still not win?"
"We are all top-notch geniuses!" Naruto, seeing Inuzuka Kiba agree, said excitedly.
"Shikamaru, what do you think?" Ino threw the question to the smartest Nara Shikamaru.
"Although it sounds reckless, it is indeed direct and effective," Shikamaru said thoughtfully.
"Then let's use this method." Sasuke stood up and said, "We can't waste any more time."
"Sasuke-kun is right!" Sakura quickly echoed.
"We can ambush him in the small woods leading to the Artificial Lake." Shikamaru briefly assigned the tasks, "At that time, Ino and I will control him first, and then you guys go."
"Let's go!" Naruto waved his arm and said, "The mission to rescue Teacher Kitazawa officially begins!"
The seven quickly arrived at the small woods. After waiting for a few minutes, Kitazawa arrived late.
He yawned, a look of reluctance on his face. Upon entering the small woods, Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, already sensing the ambush by Sasuke and the others.
What's going on? Although Kitazawa felt strange, he remained calm.
Shadow Imitation Technique!
Shikamaru observed the situation in the small woods and immediately formed hand signs. His shadow trembled violently, suddenly coming to life.
Under his control, it silently approached Kitazawa along the shadows of the trees.
"Success!" Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Ino!"
Mind Body Switch Technique! Without needing Nara Shikamaru's reminder, Ino raised her hands and aimed them at Kitazawa.
An invisible mental shock was then launched.
But the next second, Kitazawa took two steps forward, just avoiding her attack.
"What?" Shikamaru immediately broke out in a sweat. This Kitazawa actually forcibly dragged his shadow to move.
"I... I can't hold on..." Shikamaru used all his might.
"Watch me!" Naruto stood up and shouted, "Konoha Whirlwind!"
"Idiot!" Sasuke couldn't help but complain.
Shikamaru and Ino, and the others all showed expressions of headache. Naruto's shout directly exposed their position.
"Doesn't look like Minato, but looks like Kushina." Kitazawa thought to himself, but looking at Naruto charging up, he didn't hold back and threw a punch.
"I'll save him." Sasuke took a swift step forward and caught Naruto, who had been sent flying.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!
Hinata rushed to Kitazawa's front and slammed her palms out without hesitation.
Kitazawa smiled faintly.
Taking advantage of his long reach, he struck first, hitting Hinata's hand with a palm.
Hinata felt her whole body go numb. She instinctively wanted to retreat, but instead retracted her palms.
What's happening? Hinata's eyes widened.
She felt her hands and feet lose control—no, more accurately, her motor nerves were in complete chaos. This was the Gentle Fist: Palm Bottom.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! Sasuke formed hand signs immediately after setting Uzumaki Naruto down. A massive fireball roared forward.
Kitazawa's body jolted, breaking free from Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique. He glanced at Sasuke's Great Fireball and punched straight into it. Chakra enveloped his fist, bursting with terrifying power.
The Great Fireball shattered instantly.
"How is that possible?!" Sasuke's pupils widened.
"Alright, we've fought—now, who's going to explain what's going on?" Kitazawa clapped his hands together.
Everyone exchanged glances, but after the recent clash, they all understood—there was no way they could win. Of course, Sasuke hadn't used his Sharingan, and Naruto hadn't used the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"You are not Teacher Kitazawa." Hinata stood still, not daring to move after being struck with Palm Bottom.
"So that's it." Kitazawa stepped forward, dispelling the Gentle Fist: Palm Bottom on her. "Did I give myself away somewhere?"
Everyone started talking at once.
Kitazawa was stunned—then surprised. Forgot to bring food… not gentle enough… bad at lecturing… so many complaints?
His mouth twitched. Is this really what a Ninja Academy teacher is supposed to be doing?
Kitazawa was, in fact, Tsunade. She had originally sent an Anbu ninja to impersonate Kitazawa, but problems appeared right away.
That Anbu ninja couldn't use Medical Ninjutsu, couldn't use the Rasengan, and couldn't perform the Gentle Fist.
At the time, Tsunade had found it absurd. You're teaching students Medical Ninjutsu, Rasengan, and even guiding Gentle Fist? Is that reasonable?
Even most Jonin team leaders couldn't teach so many things at once.
With no other choice, Tsunade had to take over herself. Among all the Anbu, only she could use Medical Ninjutsu and also guide both Rasengan and Gentle Fist.
But even so, she hadn't expected to still be seen through by the students of First Year Class A.
"Your Teacher, Kitazawa, is on a mission and should return today or tomorrow," Tsunade explained.
"Is that so?" Hinata finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why should we believe you?" Ino eyed her suspiciously.
Tsunade didn't bother answering—she simply dispelled her Transformation Technique.
"Lady… Lady Tsunade?!" Ino's eyes widened in shock.
"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura Haruno froze for a second, then lit up with excitement. Tsunade had always been her idol—so it was Tsunade-sama who had been teaching her the last two days?
Sakura felt as if she'd just been handed the greatest surprise of her life.
Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others quickly greeted her as well. Tsunade had visited Kitazawa before during a practical class, so they had all seen her before.
"Do you believe me now?" Tsunade chuckled.
Ino felt her cheeks heat up. Questioning her idol face-to-face? Her toes curled in embarrassment.
"You all get back to training." Tsunade didn't tease them further.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" The class responded in unison.
Though it was all a misunderstanding, being able to spar with—and meet—one of the legendary Sanin of Konoha had left them buzzing with excitement.
"Lady Tsunade." Just then, the Anbu operative Haru appeared. "They have completed the mission and returned to the Anbu."
"They" naturally referred to Kakashi Hatake and Kitazawa.
"They're quite fast," Tsunade said with a stretch, then sighed. "It's finally over. Being a Ninja Academy teacher is harder than I thought."
But then she reconsidered. No, it wasn't that teaching at the Academy was hard. It was that Kitazawa had been doing far too many extra things.
---
Konoha Village, Anbu Office
The appearance of Kitazawa, Kakashi, and Kabuto took Yakushi Nono by surprise.
She had been so worried these past few days that she hadn't even gone to work at Konoha Hospital, instead staying in the Anbu office day after day.
"Director!" Kabuto stepped forward, suppressing the excitement in his voice.
"You… you've changed so much." Nono reached out with a trembling hand.
It was no wonder she hadn't recognized Kabuto in the original events. Danzo, wanting to sever their emotional ties, had forbidden them from meeting.
She could only follow his growth through photographs—and before they met, Danzo had even swapped those out for altered ones.
Kitazawa tugged at Kakashi's sleeve, then turned and walked out.
Kakashi understood and followed. As he closed the door, Kakashi glanced back—his eyes showing a flicker of envy.
His own parents, teacher, and teammates had all been lost. Seeing Nono reunited with her son stirred memories of what he had lost.
Kitazawa noticed, but said nothing. Some things were better left unsaid.
The two waited in silence.
Not long after, familiar footsteps sounded—the clack of high-heeled sandals against the floor. Kitazawa turned his head and saw Tsunade approaching from a distance.
"Lady Tsunade." Kakashi's tone was as emotionless as ever.
"Why are you standing outside?" Tsunade asked with some curiosity.
"They are mother and son reuniting; we didn't want to disturb them," Kitazawa replied.
"Indeed." Tsunade nodded slightly and said, "In that case, come with me to see the Hokage."
Bang! Tsunade kicked open the Hokage's office door.
"Is the mission complete?" Hiruzen asked, his expression normal. Having the door kicked open so many times, he had long grown accustomed to it.
"Kitazawa." Tsunade waved her hand and said, "You report the mission."
"Yes." Kitazawa stepped forward and recounted the events of the past few days.
"You killed three Jonin and three Chunin from Iwagakure?" Hiruzen was surprised after listening.
"What's so strange about that?" Tsunade said casually. "Kakashi and Kitazawa are both elite Jonin; dealing with three ordinary Jonin isn't a big problem."
Kitazawa's strength had reached this point? Hiruzen realized he had made the mistake of judging by first impressions. But he couldn't be blamed. Mainly, Kitazawa's growth was too fast.
In Hiruzen's mind, he was first an excellent teacher, and only then a Jonin who had learned Ninjutsu like Rasengan.
"Alright, the mission is over. Take your Anbu back." Tsunade paused and said, "Also, keep Danzo in check. I don't want to see him targeting Yakushi Nono again."
"Don't worry, it definitely won't happen," Hiruzen guaranteed. He was, after all, the Hokage and could perfectly suppress Danzo in terms of power.
It was just that he had always turned a blind eye. Konoha Village was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and sometimes, irregular methods were needed.
What the Hokage found inconvenient to do, he entrusted to Danzo and his Root.
"I've designated this mission as S-rank," Tsunade continued. "If you have no objections, release the reward according to regulations."
"Since it involved Jonin from Iwagakure, it should indeed be S-rank." Hiruzen thought for a moment and said, "As for the mission reward, it will be one million two hundred thousand ryo."
"Alright." Tsunade didn't say much.
The reward for a typical S-rank mission was one million ryo; this was an extra two hundred thousand ryo.
"Hokage-sama." Kitazawa took out a summoning scroll for storage and said, "These are the bodies of six Iwagakure Ninja."
"Very good." Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction and said, "You did well."
The three bodies of Iwagakure Jonin were indeed valuable. If they were lucky, they might even obtain Iwagakure's secrets.
"In addition to the one million two hundred thousand ryo mission reward, you are also granted a special privilege to choose one A-rank Ninjutsu."
Hiruzen Sarutobi instructed, "Kakashi, you and Kitazawa go to the Anbu now to claim the mission reward."
"Yes." Kakashi immediately responded.
Kitazawa realized that this was to send them away. Hiruzen and Tsunade likely had some confidential matters to discuss. But no matter what, gaining an A-rank Ninjutsu was a huge profit.
He planned to legitimize the Infinite Darkness Jutsu this time. If he could have used the Infinite Darkness during the fight with the Iwagakure Jonin, he was confident he could have ended the battle faster.
"Kitazawa, after you claim the mission reward, don't leave yet. Wait for me in the Anbu office." Tsunade remembered something and spoke up.
"Okay." Kitazawa paused slightly, then agreed. After speaking, he and Kakashi left the Hokage's office.
"Lord Third, if you have something to say, say it quickly. Don't waste my time," Tsunade said unceremoniously.
"You see, you…" Hiruzen suddenly stopped.
"Hokage-sama." The Anbu Ninja Haru knocked and entered, saying, "Danzo-sama will be here soon."
"I know. You can go now." Hiruzen waited for him to leave, then suddenly smiled and said, "Danzo is probably here to demand an explanation."
"Demand an explanation? Does he have the right?" Tsunade asked with disdain.
A few seconds later, Danzo Shimura appeared. He walked solemnly and unhurriedly to Tsunade.
"Hiruzen, I want to accuse Tsunade," Danzo slowly began.
"Accuse me?" Tsunade couldn't help but laugh, saying, "You really know how to twist facts."
"Kabuto is a spy I planted in Iwagakure from Root," Danzo said in a deep voice. "But Tsunade sent people to forcibly bring him back, which ruined Root's many years of effort!"
"Didn't you sell Yakushi Kabuto's information to Iwagakure?" Tsunade retorted.
"That's slander!" Danzo struck his cane, saying righteously, "I would never betray Konoha!"
"Then I ask you, was it not you who blackmailed Yakushi Nono using the orphanage?" Tsunade snorted coldly and asked.
"What blackmail?" Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly and explained, "I provided funds for the orphanage; Yakushi Nono voluntarily worked for me."
"Nonsense!" Tsunade's face darkened, and she asked, "The orphanage is a Konoha institution. When did it become your turn to provide funds?"
Hiruzen, hearing this, looked a bit awkward. Under normal circumstances, he should be allocating funds to the Konoha Orphanage. But after Danzo's interference, it became Root's allocation.
"Let's stop here with this matter," Hiruzen couldn't help but speak. He was worried that if they continued, more of Danzo Shimura's problems would be exposed. It would be troublesome if Tsunade pursued them.
"Let's not mention this matter for now," Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said. "Kabuto is a Root member. Since he's back in the village, he should return to Root."
"Kabuto is a Medical Ninja; he should be under my jurisdiction!" Tsunade said emphatically. "Konoha Hospital is more suitable for him than Root!"
"Tsunade is right." Hiruzen said seriously, "Medical Ninjas are already scarce. Neither he nor Yakushi Nono needs to return to Root."
"Hiruzen!" Danzo Shimura gripped his cane tightly, his body trembling slightly. His old friend, who was usually so lenient with him, was now teaming up with Tsunade to bully him?