Kitazawa and Ino had agreed to meet at 9 AM.
After finishing his Anbu duties, it wasn't even 8:30 AM. He left the office and walked towards his home.
Just like the last time he went out on a mission, Kurenai also accompanied them. After all, leaving her alone at home would be quite boring.
Before Kitazawa even entered the house, he saw the door next door suddenly open. He instinctively stopped and met Tsunade's gaze.
"Aren't you going to the Land of Waves?" Tsunade leaned against the door, arms crossed, and asked.
"Departing at 9 AM." Kitazawa explained, "I just went to Anbu."
Tsunade immediately understood. He must have returned home for Kurenai.
"Be careful on your way." Tsunade was silent for two seconds, then said, "It's almost time; I'm going to the Hokage Office for work."
Without waiting for Kitazawa's reply, she turned and left, leaving him with a graceful figure.
"Lady Tsunade, wait for me!"
Shizune closed the door, greeted Kitazawa, and then quickly picked up Tonton and chased after her.
Just then, Kurenai appeared at the doorway. She had just heard sounds outside the door, so she came out to check.
"I just happened to run into Tsunade-sensei and Shizune-senpai." Kitazawa walked forward and asked with a smile, "Why haven't you changed your clothes?"
Kurenai was still wearing last night's yukata. It was pure white with pink flowers, dignified yet a bit cute.
A yukata is a simple form of kimono. It can be worn for bathing or as casual summer attire.
"I haven't left yet, no need to rush." Kurenai shook her head and said.
At home, she preferred loose nightgowns or yukatas.
"Shall I help you get dressed?" Kitazawa looked her up and down and asked.
"What are you thinking?" Kurenai glared at him and said, "We need to go to the Ninja Academy at nine o'clock, and now there's only half an hour left."
She understood Kitazawa's strength. Half an hour seemed too rushed.
"I wasn't thinking, you were." Kitazawa patted her buttocks and asked, "Am I the kind of person who doesn't consider the time?"
Kurenai's body trembled, her gluteal muscles tensing. She pouted and said, "Who told you to ask such an easily misleading question?"
"Come on, come inside with me." Kitazawa grabbed her hand and said, "Don't waste time, let's go after you've changed."
The two entered the room.
"Are you sure you want to help me get dressed?" Kurenai asked with a smile.
"Why ask that? It's just changing clothes, what's the big deal?" Kitazawa reached out and took off her yukata.
The yukata fell to the floor, and her snow-white body came into view.
Kitazawa's mouth twitched. Kurenai was only wearing a yukata.
Fortunately, he was no longer the Kitazawa he once was; this temptation was nothing.
"Don't move around." Kitazawa picked up the red-sleeved white top she usually wore.
"First, tie the bandages." Kurenai sat on the edge of the bed and lifted her fair, slender legs.
Seeing this, Kitazawa put down the clothes and picked up her bandages. He reached out, and the bandages wrapped around her shapely thighs.
Kitazawa focused intently on her thighs, careful not to let his peripheral vision catch too dark a scene.
"Thank you." Kurenai stood up and extended her arms.
Kitazawa picked up the clothes and helped her put them on.
After she changed, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Next time, he couldn't help her get dressed; it was too much of a test of his self-control.
Taking clothes off was simpler; he didn't have to think too much.
Kurenai looked at him with a half-smile.
"Let's go, what are you still smiling about?" Kitazawa slapped her thigh, and the flesh on her leg jiggled, looking elastic.
"I'm laughing at how reserved you were just now." Kurenai nudged him and said.
"I advise you to say less." Kitazawa said with a slight smile, "Lest you suffer tonight."
Kurenai's expression stiffened, and soon two blushes appeared on her face.
Although she wanted to retort, the facts were undeniable. If she kept talking, however arrogant she was now, she would be just as pathetic later.
Kurenai obediently followed behind him. The two soon arrived at the Ninja Academy.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Ino quickly ran over. Besides her, there were also Kiba and Tenten.
Kitazawa nodded, then looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others. They were also gathered on the Training Ground.
"Let's go." Kitazawa didn't go up to disturb them and turned to walk out.
"I hope this time I can meet a Ninja who is evenly matched, so I can have a good fight!"
Kiba grinned and said. He wanted to try the Fang Over Fang that Kitazawa taught him. He had practiced it for so long but hadn't used it yet.
As for Jonin or anything, it was best not to encounter them; after all, they weren't Sasuke and Naruto. If they couldn't win, it would affect their practical exam scores.
"Not all countries have Ninja." Tenten shook her head, shattering his fantasy.
"The Land of Waves has no Ninja?" Kiba's eyes widened, and he asked, "Then what are we going there for?"
"Kitazawa-sensei's chosen mission naturally has its reasons." Ino mimicked Kitazawa's tone, shaking her head, "See, you're just too impatient."
"This student of yours is so cute." Kurenai couldn't help but laugh.
"Teacher Kurenai, I think you're very right." Ino heard this and poked her head out from behind Kitazawa.
"Don't talk so much during the mission, go register." Kitazawa raised his hand, tapped her head, and said.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Ino stuck out her tongue and ran towards the two Konoha gatekeepers.
After registering, they left Konoha Village. The Land of Waves is in the sea on the southeastern border of the Land of Fire.
After leaving the Forest of Death, they sped up. By dusk, they arrived at the seaside.
Just like the last time they went to the Land of Water, Kitazawa took out the small boat he had prepared in advance.
"How come we haven't even encountered a single bandit on this entire journey?" Kiba sat on the boat and complained.
"That means we're lucky," Tenten replied.
"But if there's no combat, will we get high scores on our practical exam?"
Kiba no longer harbored thoughts of surpassing Uzumaki Naruto, but he also wasn't slacking off like Shikamaru Nara. He would try to get as high a score as possible.
"It's not just combat that gets you high scores," Kitazawa glanced at him and said.
"What other ways are there?" Kiba asked impatiently.
"Your mission this time is infiltration and intelligence gathering," Kitazawa said unhurriedly. "The target is Gato, the wealthy merchant who controls the shipping in the Land of Waves."
Although he had already learned about Gato's situation through Anbu, as the team leader, he couldn't let Ino and the others come for nothing.
Infiltration and intelligence gathering are essential Ninja skills, and there are corresponding courses at the Ninja Academy.
"Gato has hired many rogue Ninja and samurai," Kitazawa reminded them. "Once you are discovered, you will be surrounded, and it will be very dangerous then."
Kiba's eyes lit up, and he became excited. His Secret Technique wasn't afraid of large numbers of people.
As for rogue Ninja and samurai, at most, they would have Chunin-level strength. After all, if they truly had Jonin-level strength, they wouldn't have fallen to this state.
"My Secret Technique is suitable for infiltration and intelligence gathering." Ino raised her chin, full of confidence, and said, "Watch me work!"
"I have a way too," Tenten smiled proudly and said. "I previously contracted a Ninja Hound."
Ever since Kitazawa suggested she could go the summoning beast route, she had been looking for many summoning beasts. After careful selection, she settled on a Ninja Hound.
Although it couldn't compare to the Shiromari (chameleon) in strength, it could be useful in areas like perception, reconnaissance, and tracking.
"A Ninja Hound?!" Kiba suddenly raised his voice and asked.
As a member of the Inuzuka Clan, he should have a Ninja Hound, but he hadn't found one yet.
Now, suddenly hearing that Tenten had a Ninja Hound, he immediately felt a strange sensation, as if someone had beaten him to it.
"Wait, I'll summon it." Tenten bit her thumb and pressed it on the ship's deck.
With a bang, from within the smoke, a white Ninja Hound appeared.
Kitazawa instinctively took a look. This Ninja Hound's size was similar to Akamaru when he was young.
"Its name is Gekkou, and it's female," Tenten introduced. "Its sense of smell is very keen, so if you ever lose anything, you can ask it for help."
"That name definitely sounds like something you'd come up with," Ino couldn't help but laugh.
"Darn it!" Kiba said enviously. "I want my Ninja Hound too!"
"Aren't there many Ninja Hounds in your Inuzuka Clan that you like?" Ino asked, puzzled.
"You don't understand," Kiba sighed inwardly and said. "The Inuzuka Clan's Ninja Hounds are not ordinary Ninja Hounds; they must achieve the state of man and dog becoming one."
"But I don't think you need a Ninja Hound right now," Tenten blinked and said. "I see you can perform Secret Techniques by yourself."
"That's true," Kiba chuckled and said. "I have Kitazawa-sensei to thank for that."
Time passed in their casual conversation.
"Is that the Land of Waves?" Kiba stood up, pointing to an island not far away.
The island was very large, stretching as far as the eye could see, and many buildings were faintly visible on it.
"Mm." Kitazawa nodded, then asked, "How was your rest?"
"I've rested well. I can take on three people by myself now!" Kiba held up three fingers and said.
"Then let's start the mission," Kitazawa reminded them. "You need to first find Gato's location, then infiltrate his home and search for valuable intelligence."
"Do we not need to look for specific intelligence?" Ino pondered for a moment before asking.
"Whoever can find Gato Shipping Company's employee data first will receive extra points," Kitazawa thought for a moment and said.
"That'll definitely be me!" Kiba waved his arm and declared. "Let's go!"
"Wait for us!" Ino and Tenten quickly caught up to him.
"Kurenai, follow them secretly," Kitazawa watched them and said. "I'll go to the neighboring island to find the Aburame Clan's underwater exploration team."
In the original storyline, Gato hired Zabuza and Haku to assassinate Tazuna. Since the story hasn't reached that point yet, it's unlikely there will be any Jonin. After all, hiring a Jonin as a long-term bodyguard is very expensive.
Moreover, according to Ninja rules, Ninja are not allowed to attack non-Ninja, especially Daimyo, nobles, and wealthy merchants.
In the original storyline, Zabuza, even as a rogue Ninja, endured Gato's provocations repeatedly. It wasn't until his dying breath that he dragged Gato down with him.
Of course, not all Ninjas adhere to the Ninja code. In the original storyline, there were instances of Ninja attacking Daimyo. However, these were mostly in smaller nations.
The Daimyo of the Five Great Nations are protected by the Five Great Villages, and ordinary Ninja would not dare to attack them.
In short, this Ninja World has its own unique rules—although, from Kitazawa's perspective, it was quite strange.
"Alright." Kurenai vanished from the spot.
Kitazawa waved his hand casually. Propelled by Chakra, the small boat beneath his feet headed east.
Ten minutes later, an island appeared before him.
This island was much smaller than the Land of Waves, deserted, with only a few wooden huts built by the underwater exploration team.
Before Kitazawa even reached the shore, two Aburame Clan Ninja wearing white robes appeared.
"Kitazawa-sama." Upon recognizing Kitazawa, they immediately bowed and called out.
"How are things?" Kitazawa asked as he walked.
"Kitazawa-sama, my name is Aburame Muta." After introducing himself, Aburame Muta said, "We have already conducted one exploration, but we haven't found anything yet."
Kitazawa nodded.
In the original storyline, Aburame Muta was a Special Jonin with very few appearances, killed by Deidara during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
"Kitazawa-sama, please come in."
After inviting him inside, Aburame Muta opened a map and said, "This is a map of this sea area."
There was a small circle on the map, indicating the area explored by the underwater exploration team. Kitazawa estimated that they hadn't even explored one-thousandth of the area.
"There's pressure at the bottom of the sea, and it's very deep, so the area we can explore each day is limited."
Aburame Muta glanced at his expression and said cautiously.
"I understand." Kitazawa thought for a moment and said, "I happen to be free today. Gather the others, and I'll give you a hand."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sama."
Although Aburame Muta was puzzled, he still complied. Soon, the entire underwater exploration team was assembled.
Kitazawa scanned them; he didn't recognize any of them. Shibi Aburame had already returned to Konoha since he was the clan head.
"Let's go!" Kitazawa was the first to board the ship.
This ship belonged to the underwater exploration team, a medium-sized vessel that could accommodate up to twenty people at once.
Soon, they arrived at the designated sea area. Aburame Muta looked at Kitazawa.
He still hadn't figured out how he intended to help them explore the seabed. After all, Kitazawa wasn't an Aburame Clan Ninja and didn't possess Parasitic Water Insects.
Kitazawa stood on the boat, forming hand signs. Under the pull of the Chakra, the seawater spread to both sides.
"This is...?" Aburame Muta's eyes widened. He had already guessed what Kitazawa intended to do.
Not just him, but the other Aburame Clan members also reacted, showing expressions of shock. They hadn't failed to think of this method; they simply lacked the ability to do it.
It should be said that very few people in the entire Ninja World could achieve it.
Konan, hidden in the shadows, also had a flash of surprise in her eyes.
Forcibly parting the sea not only required extremely high Water Release mastery but also an immense amount of Chakra.
Konan remembered that Kitazawa was a commoner Ninja, without any special bloodline. How could he have so much Chakra?
However, compared to Kitazawa, she was more curious about the underwater exploration team. What was Konoha Village building an underwater exploration team for?
She didn't immediately think of making money. This was the mindset of traditional Ninja, and she was no exception.
"Use all the insects!" Aburame Muta shouted.
Now that the seawater was parted, the other Kikaichu could also be used. In an instant, an overwhelming swarm of Kikaichu surged toward the seabed.
Kitazawa watched them, wondering if he would be lucky enough to discover some special resources today.
---
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves—
A very luxurious compound.
Ino and Tenten hid in a corner, waiting.
At their feet was the Ninja Hound named Gekkou. A moment later, it spoke, "Kiba-sama is approaching."
As it finished speaking, an excited Kiba appeared before them.
"How was it?" Ino asked impatiently.
"With me, the great one, in charge, there's definitely no problem!" Kiba pulled out a teacup and said, "This is the teacup Gato drank from!"
Gekkou walked forward and sniffed it. After memorizing the scent, it immediately used the Chakra.
In an instant, all places in the courtyard with the same scent became known to it.
"Gato's information must be in those hidden places." Tenten reminded, "Gekkou, discriminate carefully."
"Mm." Gekkou nodded and said, "Follow me."
Led by it, the three went through several twists and turns, finally finding Gato's data room.
"As expected of Kitazawa's students, truly clever." Kurenai, observing from the shadows, praised them.
Although the real credit for this infiltration and intelligence gathering belonged to the Ninja Hound.
Just then, Kurenai's eyebrow twitched. A crisp ringing of bells sounded.
"Not good!" Kiba's face changed dramatically, and he exclaimed, "I fell for a warning trap!"
He had intended to retrieve the documents from the bookshelf but hadn't realized there was a transparent warning wire in front of it. When he touched it, the bells rang.
He had been careless—too happy—and forgotten to check.
"Go!" Ino said without hesitation.
"We've been discovered!" Gekkou quickly said, "The outside is full of people now!"
"There's only one way now: to break out." Kiba took a deep breath and said, "I'll go out first."
It was his mistake that they were discovered, so he wanted to make up for it as much as possible.
"It's fine, at worst I'll summon the Shiromari (chameleon)." Tenten dispelled her Summoning Jutsu, making Gekkou disappear.
It was a support-type Ninja Hound, not skilled in combat.
Ino and Kiba felt relieved upon hearing about the Shiromari (chameleon). They had almost forgotten that Tenten also had this incredibly fierce summoning beast—
Hellhound! Kiba's massive body crashed through the door.
"What?" Gato's guards were stunned when they saw the Hellhound.
Fang Over Fang!
The Hellhound's three heads rose, and it opened its massive mouths. Chakra gathered in its throat, transforming into three gigantic Chakra blasts.
"Quickly, get out of the way!" someone shouted.
But just then, Tenten leaped up, unrolling a scroll on the rooftop. A dense shower of Ninja tools rained down.
Ninja Art: Myriad Flowers Jutsu!
Ino burst out from the left side of the Hellhound. Countless petals flew toward Gato's guards—exploding tags were mixed among them.
Screams erupted. In one encounter, Gato's guards lost more than half of their personnel.
Kurenai, who had intended to intervene, stopped again. Because she realized that Ino, Tenten, and Kiba could handle it.
Kurenai secretly thought that Kitazawa shouldn't have given them an infiltration mission—directly charging in and going all-out would have saved more time.
She looked around and quickly found Gato.