After the deal with Orochimaru was completed, Kitazawa went to find Uchiha Itachi.
The task he assigned to Itachi was very simple: monitor Orochimaru and regularly report on the progress of the artificial humans.
After finishing his discussion with him, Kitazawa left the Hokage Building and returned to the ANBU Base.
The moment he stepped into the office, Konan appeared before him.
Kitazawa reached out and pinched her face before walking toward the desk.
He opened a blank scroll and placed it on the table.
Aside from the artificial humans, the deal with Orochimaru also included the Chimera Technique.
The Chimera Technique originated from Hiruko. Hiruko had once been a peer of Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, but he lacked talent.
To make up for this deficiency, he developed the Chimera Technique. Its effect was to forcibly merge with others' Bloodline Limits—up to five types.
In the original story, Hiruko fused Storm Release, Dark Release, Steel Release, and Swift Release.
For the fifth Bloodline Limit, he chose Kakashi's Sharingan, but was ultimately defeated by Naruto and the others.
Hiruko was no longer in Konoha Village.
Like Orochimaru, he had been discovered conducting illegal human experiments while researching forbidden techniques and was branded a rogue ninja.
Kitazawa had originally wanted to assign the task of finding Hiruko to Uchiha Itachi, but Itachi was currently tied up monitoring Orochimaru.
After a moment of thought, he wrote down the names of eight ninja from two ANBU squads.
Kitazawa had no intention of personally retrieving the Chimera Technique.
First, he did not need to go out on missions during the Final Exams. Second, although the Chimera Technique sounded powerful, it was actually quite lackluster.
However, it suited Orochimaru well, since he could use it on his artificial humans.
After writing down the names, Kitazawa rolled up the scroll.
He walked to the door and handed it to a nearby ANBU ninja, instructing him to notify them.
Once the door closed, Kitazawa turned and walked over to Konan, who was sitting on the sofa.
Konan subconsciously stood up.
Kitazawa met her cool gaze. After looking at her for two seconds, he lowered his head and lightly bit her rosy lips.
"How is the situation over at the Hidden Sand Village?" Kitazawa pulled her soft body into his arms and asked casually.
"No changes," Konan replied.
Kitazawa felt slightly relieved upon hearing this.
He reached out and gently stroked Konan's hair as he fell into thought.
The Hidden Sand Village still did not know that the Akatsuki Organization stood behind the Hidden Rain Village.
Although Hanzō had a great reputation, he was ultimately only one person—far from enough to keep the Hidden Sand Village wary forever.
If the Hidden Sand Village cooperated with the Hidden Mist Village, they might truly launch a war against the Hidden Rain Village.
Kitazawa silently reminded himself that he must master the Flying Thunder God Technique as soon as possible.
He snapped back to reality, his gaze drifting down to Konan's fair neck.
Kitazawa leaned forward, catching a faint fragrance.
Konan felt a warm breath brush against her skin. Her face flushed slightly, and she tilted her head, deliberately exposing her neck to him.
"I'm not some kind of vampire." Kitazawa couldn't help but laugh.
"What is a vampire?" Konan looked at him curiously and asked.
"It's a nocturnal monster that likes to suck the blood of beautiful women." Kitazawa patted her head as he explained.
"Are there such monsters in the ninja world?" Konan asked in confusion.
"No." Kitazawa said, "I read about it in a novel."
"I see." Konan nodded, then added, "I rarely read novels. I've only read—"
She stopped halfway, realizing something.
"Only read what?" Kitazawa asked, touching her face.
"I've only read one novel, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja," Konan said after thinking for a moment.
She had never mentioned it before because The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja was written by Jiraiya.
But on second thought, it was only a book—it wouldn't reveal that she, Nagato, and Yahiko had once been Jiraiya's students.
"I didn't expect you to like that book." Kitazawa guessed the reason for her hesitation and smiled. "That novel was written by Jiraiya-sama."
"I read it a long time ago. I didn't pay much attention to the author back then." Konan replied calmly.
"It's a good thing you didn't read the second novel written by Jiraiya-sama." Kitazawa chuckled.
"I haven't read it, but I've heard of it," Konan answered honestly.
"If you're interested in novels, I have some stories I can tell you," Kitazawa said casually.
"Okay."
Konan replied, not taking it too seriously. She had only read one novel and wasn't particularly obsessed with them.
But since Kitazawa wanted to tell her stories, she was willing to listen and wouldn't refuse.
"Good girl." Kitazawa leaned down and kissed her again, then said, "I'm going to train now. If anything comes up, you can find me at the nearby Training Ground."
Konan nodded. She didn't look away until Kitazawa had left and the door closed behind him.
---
A month passed in the blink of an eye. After entering December, Konoha Village welcomed its first snowfall.
After breakfast, Kitazawa and Kurenai arrived at the Ninja Academy.
Some students in the Genius Class were chatting, while others had already begun training.
"Kitazawa-senpai." Iruka walked over quickly.
"You guys talk." Kurenai waved her hand and headed toward the Genius Class students.
"These are the test papers for the Final Exams." Iruka paused, then asked, "When is the date for the Final Exams set?"
"December fifteenth," Kitazawa answered after a moment's thought.
Because one Monthly Exam had been skipped, this final exam was moved up slightly.
But that worked out well—it freed time for his birthday on the twenty-first.
"The test papers look fine." After finishing his review, Kitazawa handed the papers back to Iruka Umino.
[Current Mission: Teach Shion five Sealing Techniques within one year.]
[Mission Reward: Five Elements Seal.]
[The host has completed the mission; reward issued.]
Three lines of text suddenly appeared.
Kitazawa glanced at them, then turned to look at Shion.
It had to be said—her talent in Sealing Techniques was truly exceptional to have mastered five so quickly.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Once she learned the Evil Sealing Method, he could arrange for her to study Medical Ninjutsu as well.
"Go ahead and get busy." After greeting Iruka, Kitazawa walked toward Shion.
He spent half an hour explaining the Evil Sealing Method to her, then left behind a Shadow Clone to continue guiding her.
At nine in the morning, classes officially began for the Genius Class.
Kitazawa took Naruto to the Forest of Death.
After nearly two months of chakra control training, Naruto could now successfully climb to the top of the Wood Dragon.
"Today, I will teach you how to use Kurama's chakra." Kitazawa stopped and said.
The current Naruto has entered the first stage of being a Jinchuriki, which is borrowing chakra.
The second stage is a semi–Tailed Beast transformation, forming a Tailed Beast cloak and manifesting a corresponding number of tails.
But Naruto is different from other Jinchuriki—his partial Tailed Beast transformation can be divided into two stages.
That is because the number of his tails does not manifest all at once.
For example, when Utakata enters a partial–Tailed Beast transformation, he directly manifests six tails, corresponding to the Six-Tails Saiken.
In the original story, Naruto only had four tails when fighting Orochimaru; it wasn't until his battle with Pain that he manifested six, and then eight tails.
Simply put, every time he manifests an additional tail, his strength explodes.
Kitazawa planned to have him capable of using one tail within these two weeks.
This would also mark the completion of the first stage of borrowing chakra.
In the original story, Naruto actually skipped this stage and went straight into partial–Tailed Beast transformation.
There was no other way—Kurama's chakra was simply too vast. But now, they could begin from the very first stage.
First, because Naruto is still young.
Second, because Kurama is willing to cooperate.
A week later.
As usual, Kitazawa finished breakfast and headed to the Ninja Academy with Kurenai Yuhi.
But just as they stepped outside, an ANBU ninja wearing a mask appeared before them.
"Then I'll head out first." Seeing this, Kurenai left on her own accord.
After all, she was not an ANBU ninja.
"Kitazawa." Konan took out a scroll and said, "Antelope asked me to hand this to you."
Kitazawa had already guessed the contents of the scroll because he had assigned the mission of capturing Hiruko to Antelope.
He opened the scroll and saw that it was indeed the Chimera Technique.
After reading it carefully, he couldn't help but furrow his brows. This Chimera Technique was even more evil than he had anticipated.
He had thought it was a fusion ninjutsu, but it turned out to be a body-merging technique.
It doesn't merge the Bloodline Limit itself; instead, it merges the user with the ninja who possesses that Bloodline Limit.
This immediately reminded Kitazawa of Yakushi Kabuto in the original story.
Kabuto had transplanted the cells of the Sound Four to obtain their abilities. This Chimera Technique shared some similarities with that method.
It might be worth trying if used for cloning. Perhaps an artificial human with five Bloodline Limits could be created.
While cloning technology is unethical, whether to use it is one matter—whether to possess it is another.
That was also why he wanted to give the Chimera Technique to Orochimaru.
"Thanks for the trip, Konan." Kitazawa casually put away the Chimera Technique.
Konan didn't speak, merely looked at him.
"Go back and rest." Kitazawa patted her head and said with a smile.
"Okay." Konan looked away and turned to leave.
Kitazawa continued toward the Ninja Academy.
[Current Mission: Help Shino Aburame breed Kikaichu with Earth Release resistance.]
[Mission Reward: Increase self Earth Release damage resistance by 10%.]
[The host has completed the mission; reward issued.]
Kitazawa subconsciously stopped at the gate of the Ninja Academy. Did they finally succeed in experimenting and producing Earth Release mutant Kikaichu?
Shino had researched two types of Earth Release mutant Kikaichu.
One increased the Kikaichu's own defense, allowing them to withstand Earth Release ninjutsu.
The other, developed at Kitazawa's suggestion, was a type of Kikaichu that could move freely underground.
Without a doubt, the latter mutant Kikaichu was far more useful. Should they next research Yin Release and Yang Release mutant Kikaichu?
Kitazawa suddenly had an idea, thinking of the Chimera Technique he had just obtained.
What would happen if the Chimera Technique were used to merge five types of mutant Kikaichu into one?
[Current Mission: Synthesize the Five Release Kikaichu.]
[Mission Reward: Senju Hashirama's version of Wood Release.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa couldn't help but be stunned.
The mission reward was actually Senju Hashirama's version of Wood Release?
But after the surprise faded, he realized the catch. The reward looked extremely generous, but in reality, it wasn't quite so.
The greatest difference between Yamato's version of Wood Release and Senju Hashirama's version lies in chakra.
Although Kitazawa currently possesses Yamato's version of Wood Release, he can already use high-level techniques like Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique.
That is because his chakra reserves far surpass Yamato's.
Theoretically speaking, he already possesses the conditions for Senju Hashirama's version of Wood Release.
Still, the mission reward was acceptable—it could be considered icing on the cake.
"Kitazawa-sensei." After entering the Ninja Academy, Aburame Shino took the initiative to approach him.
He extended his hand, showing off the mutant Kikaichu that could burrow underground—the Earth Parasitic Insects.
"Raising five types of mutant Kikaichu is quite troublesome."
Kitazawa said with a smile, "We can synthesize the five types of mutant Kikaichu into a single ultimate Five Release Kikaichu."
"Is that possible?" Shino was startled and subconsciously showed a look of doubt.
"I have a forbidden technique called the Chimera Technique that can help you." Kitazawa patted his shoulder and said, "I'll explain it in detail after class starts."
Nine o'clock in the morning.
After spending half an hour teaching Haku a new Water Release ninjutsu—Water Release: Heavenly Weeping—Kitazawa went to find Shino.
The two of them began the fusion experiment of the Five Elements Kikaichu.
---
The date soon moved to December 15th.
The students of the Genius Class welcomed the final exam of the semester.
Inside the Forest of Death.
Kitazawa stood in place, gazing at a tree a thousand meters away.
In the next second, chakra surged forth, and he vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing in front of the tree.
Kitazawa looked at the Flying Thunder God mark on the trunk and subconsciously smiled.
After such a long period of study, he had finally mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Although it was only the most basic version.
He still hadn't learned techniques like Flying Thunder God Technique: Second Step or Flying Thunder God Technique: Guiding Thunder yet.
However, these two ninjutsu were merely variations derived from the Flying Thunder God Technique. As long as he mastered the base technique, he could learn them quickly.
Flying Thunder God Technique: Second Step was the classic move—first throwing a Flying Thunder God kunai, then using it to teleport in and strike with a Rasengan.
As for Flying Thunder God Technique: Guiding Thunder, it involved using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport people or objects—even something as massive as a Tailed Beast Ball.
Kitazawa thought for a moment, then created a Shadow Clone. He intended to test the maximum range of his Flying Thunder God Technique.
The Flying Thunder God Technique is a spatial transfer, and its maximum distance depends on the user's chakra.
"Go to the northernmost part of Konoha Village." Kitazawa gave the instruction.
Although Konoha is called a village, its actual area is enormous—no smaller than the capital of the Land of Fire. It is, in truth, a vast city.
Kitazawa wanted to see if he could move freely throughout the entirety of Konoha Village.
He remained where he was. A few minutes later, the Shadow Clone's memories returned to him.
Kitazawa immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The scenery before him shifted in an instant as he moved from the southernmost Forest of Death to the northernmost mountain peak connected to the Hokage Rock.
Sensing the chakra consumption in his body, Kitazawa couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Even without activating Yang Release Chakra Mode, he could already move freely throughout Konoha Village using only his normal chakra reserves.
Undoubtedly, things would be far more convenient in the future.
Based on this distance calculation, once he activated Yang Release Chakra Mode, he could even teleport all the way to Sunagakure at full power.
How should he put it? His mobility was simply invincible.
No ninja village could withstand a powerhouse like Kitazawa suddenly raiding their home base.
Although Minato Namikaze also possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique, his conventional strength was noticeably lower, and his attack methods were relatively limited—mainly relying on the Rasengan.
Kitazawa, however, was different.
He could teleport straight into Sunagakure, unleash Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique, and then vanish immediately afterward.
Even without causing an enormous uproar, the destruction would rival the devastation of a Nine-Tails rampage.
Kitazawa suddenly thought of Sage Art Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands.
If he activated Sage Art Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands and then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport the Senju Kannon Statue…
That would be unbelievably sneaky. Just imagining that scene was terrifying.
Besides that, once he mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique: Guiding Thunder, he could bring others along with him.
With that thought in mind, Kitazawa walked toward Konoha Village.
After entering the village, he left Flying Thunder God Marks in several places he frequented.
A Flying Thunder God Mark cannot be erased unless the object it is engraved on is moved or completely destroyed.
Before long, Kitazawa arrived at the Hokage Building.
He casually placed a Flying Thunder God Mark in a concealed spot near the entrance.
"Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa pushed open the door and walked into the Hokage Office.
"What do you need?" Tsunade glanced at him briefly, then lowered her head and continued reading the documents.
"I've learned the Flying Thunder God Technique," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Really?" Tsunade looked up subconsciously, her heart trembling as she asked.
Kitazawa didn't answer. Instead, he walked over and left a Flying Thunder God Mark on the Hokage's desk.
He then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the entrance of the Hokage Building—before instantly using it again to return to the Hokage Office.
Watching him vanish and reappear, Tsunade immediately believed that he had truly mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Her mood suddenly became complicated.
On one hand, she felt happy for Konoha Village.
With Wood Release combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique, Konoha was now practically invincible.
On the other hand… she had promised Kitazawa that once he learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, she would give him a special reward.
"Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa looked at her and asked, "What is the special reward?"
"I'll give it to you on your birthday next week." Tsunade bit her lip as she spoke.
Being asked about it so suddenly, she simply wasn't mentally prepared yet.
"Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to go back on your word, are you?"
"Am I the kind of person who breaks promises?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I said I'd give it to you, so I will."
Kitazawa blinked.
Have you ever kept your word? There's still a whole box of IOUs at your house.
But it was only a few days—he could afford to wait.
"Then, since the special reward is delayed, how about a supplementary reward?" Kitazawa pressed his luck.
"You're a high-ranking official of Konoha. Why are you so improper all day long?" Tsunade snapped.
"I'm merely making reasonable demands within the regulations of Konoha Village," Kitazawa replied without changing his expression.
Tsunade twitched the corner of her mouth. This guy really was thick-skinned.
"Come here." Tsunade beckoned to him.
Kitazawa's eyes lit up, and he hurried over.
Before he could even steady himself, Tsunade pressed his head straight into her bosom.
A soft sensation spread across his face, and he subconsciously took a deep breath—his lungs filling with a faint fragrance.
At that moment, he received the same treatment as her necklace.
Unfortunately, less than a minute later, Tsunade pushed him away.
"All right. I still have work to do." Seeing his dissatisfied expression, Tsunade couldn't help but give him a kick.
"Okay. Thank you, Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa said solemnly.
Tsunade glanced at him but said nothing, picking up the documents on her desk once more.
Kitazawa left the Hokage Office and headed to his own office at the ANBU Base.
He looked left and right, then quietly left a Flying Thunder God Mark inside the drawer of his desk.
Kitazawa lifted his head and met Konan's gaze. With a thought, he beckoned to her.
Konan walked toward him.
Kitazawa stood up, leaned forward, and buried himself in her bosom.
Konan's body subconsciously stiffened.
She could feel Kitazawa's warm breath against her chest, and a faint blush quietly spread across her fair face.
But she didn't push him away.
She somewhat stiffly wrapped her arms around his head until she quickly adapted and regained her composure.
Kitazawa thought to himself that Konan was indeed more obedient.
However, as the Hokage, Tsunade was even more deserving of the phrase "broad-minded."
Though Konan wasn't bad either.
Kitazawa lifted his head, his vision returning to normal. He gently touched Konan's face and then headed toward the Ninja Academy.
The theory exam for the Genius Class was nearing its end.
Kitazawa didn't disturb them; after all, Iruka would be the one grading the papers.
He left a Flying Thunder God Mark on the Ninja Academy's training ground and another in his own office, then disappeared from the spot.
Kitazawa returned to the Forest of Death. Although he had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, this was only the beginning.
Only after mastering Level Two and Guiding Thunder could he truly say he had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kitazawa casually took out a kunai. He engraved the Flying Thunder God Mark onto it.
Everyone's Flying Thunder God Mark is different.
Senju Tobirama's was a pattern-style formula, while Minato Namikaze's was a character-style formula.
Kitazawa also used a character-style formula—but it consisted of only a single character: "North."
The most critical part of the Flying Thunder God Technique: Second Step wasn't following the kunai, but unleashing the ninjutsu the instant he arrived at the destination.
Minato used the Rasengan. Because the Rasengan is a seal-less ninjutsu, it can strike the enemy as fast as possible.
If one had to weave hand signs after arriving, they would be noticed by the enemy, losing the element of surprise.
Compared to Minato, Kitazawa had many more ninjutsu options.
For example, Sharingan genjutsu, Byakugan: Pressure, and Bloodline Limit techniques like Shikotsumyaku.
Besides those, Chakra Enhanced Strength was also an option. At full power, its might would be even greater than a Rasengan.
After thinking it over, Kitazawa decided to first master the Flying Thunder God Technique: Second Step, combined with Chakra Enhanced Strength.
The next day arrived.
On the training ground of the Ninja Academy.
"I didn't expect this final exam to be individual battles," Tenten said with surprise written all over her face.
"It's probably because new students joined our class." Shikamaru glanced at Shion, Chino, Hotaru, and the others as he made his guess.
"It looks like our rankings are going to change again." Ino agreed with Shikamaru's assessment.
"Even without them, the rankings would've changed," Kiba said proudly. "Now that I have Akamaru, my rankings will definitely rise again."
"Don't get happy too soon!" Tayuya snorted. "You're not the only one making progress!"
"The new students are also quite strong—especially Chino's Ketsuryūgan, which is comparable to the Sharingan."
Ino had fought Chino in the arena before and knew her strength well.
"She definitely can't compare to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura immediately retorted.
"I am indeed not as good as Sasuke." Chino smiled as she spoke.
She had been in the Genius Class for a long time and already understood everyone's strengths through daily training.
Recently, Sasuke had been practicing the Yin–Yang Rasengan with Naruto.
Its power was so great that Chino knew she absolutely couldn't defeat them—even without needing to exchange blows personally.
Sakura was stunned for a moment. Seeing Chino admit it so directly, she found herself unable to say anything more.
"Aren't you all curious about what Naruto has been training lately?" Shino adjusted his glasses and asked.
Aside from occasionally practicing the Yin-Yang Rasengan with Sasuke, Naruto spent most of his time being taken to the Forest of Death by Kitazawa.
"It must be training filled with youth!" Rock Lee gave a thumbs-up and said enthusiastically.
"That's right!" Naruto chuckled. "You'll soon witness my passionate youth!"
Sasuke glanced at him. A bad feeling welled up in his heart.
Could Naruto have made progress again? But that shouldn't be possible.
While learning Yang Release: Rasengan and Yin–Yang Rasengan, could he really have mastered a third, even stronger ninjutsu?
"It doesn't matter." Shikamaru put both hands behind his head and said helplessly, "We can't beat you anyway."
"That doesn't include Sasuke-kun!" Sakura put her hands on her hips. "I think—"
"We'll only know who wins after we fight." Sasuke calmly cut her off before she could jinx him.
"Kitazawa-sensei is here!" Ino spotted him from afar and immediately waved excitedly.
Hinata turned to look when she heard that.
Kitazawa and Kurenai walked onto the training ground.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kakashi Hatake, Chen, and Maruboshi Kosuke had already arrived and were standing at the edge of the field, chatting.
"Kitazawa-senpai." Iruka stepped forward to greet him.
"Iruka, go ahead and draw the lots." Kitazawa nodded as he spoke.
There was no relevant system mission tied to this final exam, so he had no need to manipulate anything behind the scenes.
"Okay." Iruka walked toward the Genius Class students.
Kitazawa and Kurenai headed over to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, greeting each of them in turn.
The six of them stood by the edge of the training ground, watching Iruka Umino.
"First round, first match: Chino versus Haku." After drawing the lots, Iruka announced the matchup.
"Chino's Ketsuryūgan somewhat counters Haku," Maruboshi Kosuke commented.
"Actually, it's not that she counters Haku." Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled. "It's that the genjutsu of the Ketsuryūgan holds a significant advantage at this stage."
"After all, it's the Ketsuryūgan, which was just as famous as the Sharingan during the Sengoku period."
Chen didn't find it surprising at all.
"Hard to say." Kurenai favored Haku more. "Haku also has a Bloodline Limit—Ice Release."
"Neither of them lacks strength." Kitazawa looked at Chino and Haku and said, "Making it into the top fifteen won't be a problem."
"Speaking of which, shouldn't the Genius Class recruit another teacher?" Kurenai said thoughtfully. "Now we can completely form seven teams to participate in Team Battles and go out on missions."
"Correct." Maruboshi Kosuke agreed.
As teachers of the Genius Class, they understood their students' strengths very well. The new additions—Chino, Shion, and Hotaru—all had the ability to enter the top eighteen.
"I have the same thought." Kitazawa nodded, then asked, "Regarding a new teacher, do you have any recommendations?"
"It would be best if their strength is at the Jonin level," Kakashi replied.
Under normal circumstances, teachers at the Ninja Academy only needed to be Chunin.
But if a Chunin were assigned to the Genius Class, they probably wouldn't even make it into the top eighteen, let alone teach these geniuses.
"I think Guy could do it," Chen suggested.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Kakashi and Sarutobi Hiruzen changed slightly.
"Guy has the strength, but his personality isn't suited for being a teacher." Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed lightly as he spoke.
Having Naruto and Rock Lee follow the "Way of Youth" was already more than enough. If a few more joined, the future of Konoha Village would truly be bleak.
"Konoha Village has quite a few Elite Jonin, but most of them hold important positions," Kosuke said with a slight headache.
"Yamato." Kitazawa suddenly spoke.
"Yamato?" Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kakashi couldn't help but pause in surprise.
They were among the few who knew Yamato possessed Wood Release.
"Who is Yamato?" Kosuke and Chen looked confused.
"An ANBU Ninja, proficient in Earth Release and Water Release." Kitazawa paused, then added, "And also Wood Release."
"Wood Release?" Kosuke asked in shock.
"There's actually another Wood Release Ninja?" Chen couldn't help but ask.
Kurenai was also greatly surprised.
However, since Kitazawa's Wood Release had already appeared first, even though they were startled, they quickly regained their composure.
"His Wood Release is far inferior to Kitazawa's." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and said, "Precisely because of that, he was kept in the ANBU."
The time had indeed come for Yamato's existence to be revealed. After all, Kitazawa had already drawn everyone's attention.
"Yamato was my junior back in the ANBU; his strength is quite good," Kakashi added.
He personally welcomed the idea of Yamato becoming a teacher for the Genius Class. After all, they were acquaintances.
"Then he is more than qualified to be a teacher for the Genius Class." Kosuke nodded.
"Once the practical exams are over, I will go notify him." Seeing this, Kitazawa finalized the decision.
In the original story, Yamato had served as a temporary leader for Team Seven. While not quite on the level of Kakashi, he was certainly not bad.
"Begin the battle!" Iruka's voice interrupted their conversation.
Water Release: Water Bullet Technique! Chino and Haku formed hand seals simultaneously.
Two streams of water collided in mid-air.
With the same ninjutsu, the power often depends on the user's chakra and their level of nature transformation.
Water splashed everywhere.
The two streams dispersed, favoring Haku's side.
In terms of mastery over Water Release, Chino was slightly stronger. After all, she had been studying Water Release longer than Haku.
Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals! Haku wasn't discouraged. He formed hand seals calmly.
After the initial probe, he brought out his true skill. Because he knew Chino possessed the Ketsuryūgan.
Snow-white ice mirrors appeared out of thin air, surrounding Chino.
Chino's heart jolted, and she immediately activated her Ketsuryūgan.
This was the first time she had ever seen Ice Release.
Haku's figure had already vanished. Chino scanned her surroundings but found nothing.
She couldn't help but frown, sensing that the situation was turning unfavorable.
"Chino has lost the initiative." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "In this battle, Haku's chances of winning are higher."
He had originally thought Chino's genjutsu would give her an advantage, but Haku hadn't given her any room to use it.
Under Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, Chino had no way to cast genjutsu.
After all, the Ketsuryūgan requires visual contact with the target to induce hypnosis.
"Chino lacks information." Maruboshi Kosuke hit the nail on the head.
"You can't blame Chino—she just joined and doesn't know enough about the students in the Genius Class," Kitazawa said casually.
The sound of wind breaking rang out.
Haku appeared on one of the ice mirrors and flicked both hands.
A large number of senbon shot out at tricky angles, sealing off Chino's surroundings.
Chino reacted quickly. Although the Ketsuryūgan's insight couldn't match the Sharingan, it far surpassed ordinary eyes.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Water surged around her, forming a cylindrical wall.
The Water Formation Wall, derived from Tobirama Senju, perfectly defended against Haku's senbon.
But it could only defend the sides.
A rain of senbon descended once more. This time, it came directly from above.
Haku had moved to an ice mirror positioned high in the air.
Water Release: Rain Hail!
Chino summoned a dense cluster of water droplets.
Under the assault of the senbon, the droplets immediately scattered apart.
Chino dispelled the Water Formation Wall and charged toward Haku without hesitation.
But she had only gone halfway when Haku vanished once again without a trace.
Chino came to a sudden stop and quickly formed hand seals. Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!
She unleashed her strongest Water Release ninjutsu so far.
A roaring water dragon surged forth and slammed into an ice mirror, causing it to tremble violently.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall! Haku formed hand seals, and a wall of water rose from the ice mirror.
Chino caught sight of him and instinctively turned to look. But before her genjutsu could activate, Haku vanished yet again.
Chino's expression turned ugly.
Without a doubt, she was at an absolute disadvantage. Failing to break the ice mirrors meant her Ketsuryūgan was ineffective.
And Haku, using the ice mirrors, could move unpredictably and steadily wear her down.
Seeing this, Kitazawa recalled the battle between Haku and Sasuke in the original story—the situation was almost identical.
If Naruto hadn't been enraged and triggered Kurama's Chakra back then, both he and Sasuke would have lost to Haku.
Chino held on for another two minutes before finally admitting defeat in helpless resignation.
"The winner is Haku," Iruka announced.
The students of the Genius Class immediately began discussing the match.
"I feel like Haku has become so much stronger," Kiba said with a solemn expression.
He didn't know if his own attack power could break the ice mirrors. If not, he would probably suffer the same fate as Chino.
"Haku's progress is indeed astonishing," Yakumo agreed.
"This Ice Release ninjutsu is very powerful." Ino nodded. "If you get trapped by the ice mirrors, you're basically at a disadvantage."
"It's a complete counter to our control-type Secret Techniques." Shikamaru let out a sigh.
"My Summoning Beasts aren't afraid of him!" Tayuya said proudly.
Sasuke, Kimimaro, Neji, and the others remained calm. Because they were all confident they could break Haku's ice mirrors.
"Chino underestimated her opponent. She should have done like Sasuke-kun and used her Ketsuryūgan from the very start." Sakura analyzed.
"Correct." Shikamaru agreed. "The Ketsuryūgan's genjutsu is still very formidable."
"It's practically a crisis for us senior students!" Kiba scratched his head.
"The Genius Class doesn't distinguish between seniors and juniors," Tenten said with a smile.
Just then, Iruka announced the students for the first round's second match: Tenten versus Akimichi Choji.
The second battle ended even faster than the first. Tenten won easily using the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at her and thought of his summoning beast, Enma. Enma possessed an indestructible body and could transform into the Adamantine Staff.
Although Tenten had learned Enma's Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique and was skilled in the Summoning Technique, she wasn't a good fit for him.
Because her taijutsu was only mediocre.
Sarutobi Hiruzen favored Naruto more.
But how should he put it? Naruto didn't really need Enma—he already had Samehada.
Aside from Naruto, the remaining taijutsu-oriented students in the Genius Class were Rock Lee and Jugo, with Karin and Shion possibly joining them in the future.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't yet know who to give Enma to.
But he definitely had to pass it on, as he was getting old.
Besides the students in the Genius Class, he had another candidate: Konohamaru Sarutobi.
As for Asuma Sarutobi, it was already determined that he couldn't inherit Enma.
Konohamaru's birthday was December 20th; he would turn six in just a few days.
In other words, he could join the Genius Class next year. Then they could see if he was qualified to inherit Enma.
"First round, third match: Hyuga Hinata versus Hotaru," Iruka shouted loudly.
Although Hotaru also knew Water Release, she couldn't compare to Chino and Haku.
She only knew Water Release: Water Bullet Technique and Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
Hinata, on the other hand, used the Phantom Arc Arrow.
Hotaru reacted quickly, raising a wall of water in front of her.
But Hinata's Yin Release Arrow curved in midair, bypassed the water wall, and flew straight toward her.
Just as it was about to hit, Kitazawa appeared and carried her away.
"How can this arrow turn?" Sakura's eyes widened in confusion.
"This is the Phantom Arc Arrow that Kitazawa-sensei taught us," Neji replied. "Its effect is to control the direction of the arrow."
Sasuke, Kimimaro, and the others immediately felt a sense of pressure. An arrow that could change direction meant it was even harder to predict and defend against.
Hyuga Neji smiled faintly.
He thought to himself that there was an even more powerful World-Extinction Arrow. If they knew about it, their jaws would surely drop.
Neji even felt that in a true life-and-death battle, he could rely on the World-Extinction Arrow to defeat both Sasuke and Naruto.
"The winner is Hinata." Iruka paused, then continued without stopping. "First round, fourth match: Karin versus Shion."
Kitazawa couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
In his view, Karin and Shion were very similar. Both specialized in Sealing Techniques, and later they would both study Medical Ninjutsu and taijutsu.
Since Sealing Techniques weren't suited for direct combat, they relied on Konoha-style taijutsu to fight.
Ultimately, Karin's proficiency was higher, and she secured the victory.
With this, all three new students had completed their first round of battles.
Kitazawa estimated that Chino and Haku could make it into the top fifteen. But Shion and Hotaru would likely end up near the bottom of the top twenty-one.