"Here's six hundred thousand ryo." Kakashi handed Kitazawa a bankbook.
"Thank you." Kitazawa took the bankbook, then remembered something and asked, "Why is it six hundred thousand ryo? Shouldn't a portion be submitted to Konoha?"
After a mission is completed, the reward is usually split into two. Konoha Village takes a small portion, and the remaining reward belongs to the ninja squad.
"Anbu ninja don't need to." Kakashi shook his head and said.
"No wonder so many people want to join the Anbu." Kitazawa was slightly startled.
"With your strength, you only need to tell Hokage-sama, and you can join the Anbu." Kakashi Hatake for a moment and added, "I can also introduce you."
"No need." Kitazawa smiled and refused. "I prefer to be a teacher at the Ninja Academy."
"Why?" Kakashi asked, puzzled. In his opinion, for Kitazawa to be so powerful and yet become a teacher was a complete waste.
"No reason." Kitazawa blinked. "If I had to say why, it's a hobby—just like you enjoy reading Make-Out Paradise."
"I don't know what Make-Out Paradise is, don't talk nonsense." Kakashi's expression changed, and he quickly spoke.
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Kitazawa said indifferently. "The next time I meet Jiraiya-sama, I'll help you urge him to finish the manuscript."
"Are you very familiar with Jiraiya-sama?" A glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes as he asked.
"I don't know him," Kitazawa said righteously. "But I know Lady Tsunade."
"..." Kakashi twitched his lips.
I also know Lady Tsunade. Besides, if Lady Tsunade found out about the contents of Make-Out Paradise, wouldn't she beat Jiraiya-sama to death?
"You still have to wait for Lady Tsunade, so I won't disturb you. Let's do a mission together again if there's a chance." Kakashi stood up and left the Anbu office.
"He really leaves without any fuss." Kitazawa shook his head.
The current Kakashi Hatake—not yet changed by Team 7—was still in a reclusive state. It was already quite rare that he could chat so much with him.
Kitazawa closed his eyes.
He had previously obtained the Infinite Darkness Jutsu under the guidance of the Anbu ninja, Haru. Like the Rasengan, it could only be memorized on the spot; no scrolls were allowed to be taken out.
"It's completely incomparable to the Infinite Darkness Jutsu given by the system." Kitazawa stood up and walked to the window.
He wondered how First Year Class A was doing; although he had only been away for five days, he still missed his students quite a bit.
A few minutes later, the door was pushed open, and Tsunade walked in, looking annoyed.
"Is there anyone in Konoha Village who dares to provoke Lady Tsunade?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Besides Danzo, who else could it be?" Tsunade plopped down on the sofa, snorted lightly, and said, "But he's more frustrated than I am, so it's a bit of a relief."
"There's no need to waste a good mood on someone like Danzo." Kitazawa smiled and comforted her.
"You're right." Tsunade looked at him, her lips curving slightly. "Being a teacher like you is really tough, huh?"
"It truly was troublesome for that Anbu ninja." Kitazawa understood after a moment's thought.
"How could any Anbu ninja replace you?" Tsunade crossed her arms. "I taught your classes for two days."
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa immediately said, "I'll treat you to a drink another day."
"It's a deal then!" Tsunade's eyes lit up. "When the time comes, I want to drink the most expensive sake in Konoha Village!"
"Alright, no problem." Kitazawa readily agreed. Anyway, he had gained a lot from this mission, so he didn't care about the cost of a drink.
"Go to class now." Tsunade smiled. "Early this morning, your students ran to ambush me because they were looking for you."
"Huh?" Kitazawa was momentarily stunned. Are kids these days that brave?
"It seems you really are a good teacher." Tsunade paused. "Your students also surprised me greatly."
Naruto learning Rasengan, Sakura learning Medical Ninjutsu, and Hyuga Hinata learning Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
If they had already graduated, she wouldn't be so surprised, but they were all only six or seven years old.
"Their talents are indeed very good." Kitazawa recovered and asked, "Has Lady Tsunade taken an interest in anyone?"
"They are your students, I'm not interested." Tsunade stood up and said meaningfully, "Being a teacher is too troublesome, it's not for me."
Kitazawa wasn't surprised by this at all. Although Tsunade had changed somewhat now, the change wasn't significant, far less thorough than what Naruto's talk-no-jutsu and death-no-jutsu brought about in the original work.
"I'm leaving." Tsunade waved her hand and left the Anbu office.
Upon returning to the Ninja Academy, Kitazawa immediately headed straight for the training ground.
"Kitazawa-sensei?" Hinata saw him, her face lighting up with surprise, and she quickly scurried over.
Shikamaru and Ino also stopped their training. As for Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kiba,
they were training elsewhere.
"Hinata." Kitazawa reached out and patted her head.
This was real! Hinata's lips curved upwards, feeling very happy.
"Wait." Ino scrutinized him for a moment and asked suspiciously, "Are you Kitazawa-sensei?"
"If it's not me, is it Lady Tsunade?" Kitazawa raised his hand, flicked her forehead, and asked, "Whose idea was it to ambush Lady Tsunade?"
After speaking, he looked at Shikamaru.
"It wasn't me!" Nara Shikamaru quickly shook his head.
This familiar feeling, these devilish eyes—they're back. They're all back. This must be Kitazawa-sensei.
"It was Naruto's suggestion," Ino said sheepishly. "But we all agreed, so we acted together."
"No wonder." Kitazawa nodded. That certainly sounded like something Naruto would do.
"So, Naruto was the first to notice something was wrong?" Kitazawa asked, somewhat surprised. After all, Naruto had always given him the impression of being careless.
"No." Ino replied, "Hinata discovered it first."
Kitazawa instinctively looked at Hyuga Hinata.
"Um... he didn't bring me breakfast." Hinata's face flushed, and she explained in a low voice.
Kitazawa couldn't help but laugh. So that was the reason?
"Alright, continue training." Kitazawa clapped his hands and said.
---
After Tsunade left the Hokage Building, she didn't go to the casino, but instead came to Konoha Hospital.
"Lady Tsunade." Yakushi Nono quickly stood up to greet her.
"Am I disturbing you?" Tsunade glanced at Kabuto and asked.
"Of course not." Yakushi Nono shook her head and said gently, "Lady Tsunade, you've come at a good time. I was just discussing Kabuto's future with him."
"I came to tell you that neither of you needs to return to the Root anymore. Just stay at Konoha Hospital at ease." Tsunade smiled upon hearing this and said.
Both Yakushi Nono and Yakushi Kabuto were considered extremely skilled in Medical Ninjutsu. Especially the latter, at a young age of fifteen, he had already mastered the Healing Jutsu.
Of course, Tsunade had learned this information by reviewing Kabuto's Root files previously.
"Lady Tsunade." Kabuto hesitated for a few seconds and said, "I don't want to be just a Medical Ninja."
He was worried that Danzo would target them again. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tsunade; it was that he understood Danzo, and if there was an opportunity, he definitely wouldn't let them go.
While Medical Ninjas were good, they lacked combat ability.
"Is that so?" Tsunade thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll have Hokage-sama arrange an excellent team leader for you."
It was no exaggeration to say that a Medical Ninja like Yakushi Kabuto would be highly sought after by all Ninja squads. There was no helping it; Medical Ninjas were simply too scarce.
"I want to follow Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto stated his idea.
He had personally witnessed Kitazawa fighting two Jonin from Iwagakure, and Yakushi Nonou had just given him a thorough explanation.
"Kitazawa?" Tsunade's face showed surprise. She truly hadn't expected Kabuto to want to become Kitazawa's disciple.
"Then you'll have to ask him; I can't make that decision." Tsunade changed the subject and said with a smile, "However, Kitazawa is more than capable of being your teacher."
"I understand." Kabuto nodded.
Tsunade chatted with them for a few more moments, then eagerly rushed off to the casino.
"Director, should we go find Kitazawa-sensei now?" Yakushi Kabuto asked.
"At this time, Kitazawa is teaching." Yakushi Nono shook her head and said, "He comes to Konoha Hospital to study Medical Ninjutsu after school every day, so we just need to wait."
---
Time slowly passed.
Soon, it was dusk.
Kitazawa's return didn't cause much of a stir. Most students only found Kitazawa, disguised as Tsunade, a bit strange, but didn't think too deeply about it.
Only Naruto and Hinata realized the problem and took action.
After school, Kitazawa arrived at Konoha Hospital. He pushed open the door and saw an uninvited guest in his office.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto stood up, smiled gently, and bowed, saying, "Thank you for saving me and the Director."
"You're welcome." Kitazawa felt that his demeanor was very similar to Yakushi Nono, with a kind and amiable feeling.
Thinking carefully, the original Yakushi Kabuto in the Chunin Exams was indeed harmless, deceiving Uzumaki Naruto and the others completely.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto took a deep breath and said, "I have an impertinent request."
"What?" Kitazawa couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"I want to ask you to teach me Ninjutsu," Kabuto said with a serious expression.
"...?" Kitazawa's face was full of question marks. What's going on? The future big villain wants to become his disciple? Is it that exciting?
Kitazawa was surprised, yet also felt it was within expectations. After all, he could be considered Kabuto's savior.
It's just, should he take him as a disciple?
Kitazawa waited for a few seconds, and seeing no new mission triggered, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. But thinking about it carefully, it was normal.
The system believed he was only six years old and hadn't even graduated, so it naturally wasn't time to take disciples yet.
"I am a Ninja Academy teacher, and for now, I don't plan on becoming a squad leader." Kitazawa pondered for a moment and said, "But if you want to learn Ninjutsu, I can teach you."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's enough that you're willing to teach me."
"What Ninjutsu do you want me to teach you?" Kitazawa paused and said, "I guess it's not Medical Ninjutsu."
Although his current Medical Ninjutsu level was already very high, it still couldn't compare to Yakushi Nono.
"I want to learn Wind Release and Water Release." Yakushi Kabuto explained, "These are my innate two Chakra natures."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow, recalling the content of the original work. Kabuto hadn't used Wind Release, but he had used quite a bit of Water Release.
For example, during his fight with Uchiha Itachi, he used Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique and Water Release: Water Dragon Technique.
Besides that, what he used most was Orochimaru's snake-style secret techniques. But in the current situation, it would be difficult for him to encounter Orochimaru again.
Kitazawa was thoughtful.
In that case, it would be a waste of Kabuto's research capabilities. However, he currently had no way to solve it.
"I'll teach you Wind Release first." Kitazawa thought for a moment and said, "Meet me at the Ninja Academy training ground at 8 AM tomorrow."
[Your genius reputation has spread in a small circle. Faced with Yakushi Kabuto, who came to admire you, you are willing to teach without discrimination.]
[Current Mission: Help Yakushi Kabuto learn three low-level Wind Release Ninjutsu.]
[Mission Reward: Earth Release.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa let out a soft "hmm." Taking a disciple didn't trigger a mission, but he unexpectedly triggered one here.
Earth Release? Of the seven natures, he already possessed five, only lacking Lightning and Earth.
This mission wasn't too difficult.
Yakushi Kabuto could learn so many Medical Ninjutsu, which meant his chakra control ability was extremely strong. Learning three low-level Wind Release Ninjutsu should be very quick.
Kitazawa was thoughtful. He discovered a small pattern in how the system triggered missions. Missions were divided into two types: one related to him and one related to others.
And for missions related to others, that person had to be an important character from the original work, not necessarily his students.
"I just finished surgery." Yakushi Nono appeared at the door.
"Director." Kabuto immediately said, "Kitazawa-sensei has already agreed to me."
"Then you must listen to Kitazawa-sensei." Yakushi Nono looked at Kitazawa and said very seriously, "I won't say anything extra. If you need anything in the future, just come to me."
Her entire life had been threatened by Danzo, and now she had truly gained freedom for the first time.
Not only that, Tsunade and Kitazawa also helped her solve her worries, so she no longer had to worry about the Konoha Orphanage's funding.
"You're being too kind, Yakushi Nono-senpai." Kitazawa smiled and didn't refuse.
A favor from an excellent Medical Ninja was still very valuable. And most importantly, Nono's adopted son was Yakushi Kabuto, the future big villain.
With Yakushi Nono's promise, Kitazawa also didn't have to worry about Yakushi Kabuto betraying him.
---
The night deepened.
It was another night of learning the Healing Jutsu.
Kitazawa and Shizune left Konoha Hospital.
As soon as the door opened, Kitazawa saw Kurenai standing gracefully.
Shizune looked left and right, suppressed her gossipy heart, and without saying anything, walked into the living room.
"When did you get back?" Kurenai stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the door, her legs straight.
Although her tone was calm, Kitazawa still detected a hint of complaint.
"I came back this morning." Kitazawa walked forward, put his arm around her waist, and said, "Sorry."
Kurenai Yuhi was slightly startled. With Kitazawa being so considerate, it was hard for her to get angry again.
"Next time you go out on a mission, remember to tell me in advance." Kurenai lifted her leg, stepped on him, and said.
"This time the mission was urgent, so I didn't have time." Kitazawa wrapped his fingers around her soft hair and whispered, "Next time we have a chance, let's go on a mission together."
"That's more like it." Kurenai suddenly glared at him, grabbed his wrist, and said, "Lady Tsunade and Shizune are here, don't touch me inappropriately!"
"So if they're not here, it's okay?" Kitazawa's left hand felt the curve of her waist and hips as he asked with a smile.
"De… depends on your performance." Kurenai's face turned red, she pushed him away, and ran off after speaking.
Kitazawa blinked, not reacting for a moment. Did she just agree?
Kitazawa came back to his senses, closed the door, and walked into the living room. Tsunade, Kurenai Yuhi, and Shizune were all sitting side by side on the sofa.
Kitazawa's gaze subconsciously swept over their bare feet. Truly… each had their own charm.
"You all chat, I'm going to learn Ninjutsu." Kitazawa greeted them and walked upstairs.
The new Ninjutsu Tsunade was researching a Jutsu related to emotional transference. He couldn't help at all, so he didn't bother to waste time.
"What A-rank Ninjutsu did you swap for today?" Tsunade suddenly thought of something and asked.
"Infinite Darkness Jutsu," Kitazawa replied.
"..." Tsunade subconsciously looked up at him.
Last time he chose Rasengan, this time he chose Infinite Darkness Jutsu — he really knows how to pick.
Kurenai, on the other hand, was confused. He only chose Infinite Darkness Jutsu now, so how did he know this Genjutsu before?
Kurenai realized that Kitazawa had many secrets. But luckily, she had enough time to slowly explore them.
"Lady Tsunade, are you planning to make another bet with me?" Kitazawa asked with a smile.
"No bet." Tsunade refused without hesitation.
Kitazawa felt a little regretful, but said nothing more, going to the rooftop to learn his Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken.
---
A new day, Thursday morning.
Naruto arrived at the Konoha Village gate as usual.
"Naruto, good morning!" Might Guy showed his sparkling teeth and said, "For youth!"
"For youth!" Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee said in unison.
The two great Konoha gatekeepers not far away exchanged glances, feeling like they had witnessed some "Youth Cult."
"What a shame, Sasuke isn't here." Might Guy said with a nostalgic expression, "Even an Uchiha wearing a green jumpsuit — that's true recognition of our youth!"
"When he finishes his training, I'll bring him over!" Naruto said with a bright smile, "He'll definitely be happy to continue training with us!"
Because he remembered how Sasuke laughed wildly in a green jumpsuit on the day of the eating contest — he was so happy.
"Excellent!" Might Guy waved his hand and said, "Start running now, let's burn our youth together!"
After an hour of morning jogging, Naruto arrived at the Ninja Academy training ground.
But to his surprise, someone was there even earlier than him, and he didn't recognize this person.
"Hello, my name is Yakushi Kabuto." Kabuto noticed him and extended his hand proactively.
Naruto, on the other hand, was surprised. This person's attitude towards him was actually normal; he didn't dislike him like others.
Could it be that he didn't know he was the famous monster?
"I know you, you're Uzumaki Naruto." Yakushi Kabuto smiled gently and said, "You're very impressive — you can use Taijutsu and Shadow Clone Technique, and you even got first place in the practical exam."
Naruto's eyes lit up. I've decided to make him my friend!