Konoha Village Gate.
"Thanks."
After Kitazawa finished signing out with the two gate guards, Kotetsu and Izumo, he turned and walked out.
"I've already picked the fastest and safest route," Kurenai said with a bright smile, waving a scroll. "Just follow me. We won't run into any trouble."
"Yes, Captain Kurenai," Kitazawa chuckled.
"You're the Special Jōnin now—you should be the one leading."
Kurenai gave him a side-eye.
"Does it really matter who's in charge?" Kitazawa shrugged.
"Whatever. Not arguing with you."
Kurenai put the map away and called out, "Let's go."
With a graceful leap, she zipped into the Forest of Death, hopping between branches with ease.
Land of Grass bordered Land of Fire to the northwest.
They spent the whole day traveling and finally reached the border.
"We'll cross into the Land of Grass tomorrow."
Kurenai looked ahead toward the endless open plains.
"If you want to see the real endless prairie, we'll need to go deep into the country," Kitazawa reminded her.
"I know." Kurenai nodded. "Let's rest here tonight. Gotta stay sharp for tomorrow's mission."
"No need to stress. Kenichiro's only a Chūnin."
Kitazawa unsealed a scroll and started setting up their tent.
"You've been teaching at the Academy too long—you've forgotten the shinobi rulebook," Kurenai said, serious. "During a mission, you stay alert. Never underestimate anyone."
"Please enlighten me, Kurenai-sensei," Kitazawa replied, raising a hand mockingly. "Let's go over the rules inside the tent."
"…There's only one tent?"
Kurenai blinked.
"We keep things simple on missions."
Kitazawa winked. "What? You nervous?"
"There are sleeping bags. What would I be nervous about?"
Kurenai kicked off her shoes and stepped inside barefoot.
"Let's eat first," Kitazawa said, setting up a small low table.
"I packed lunch boxes."
Kurenai sat cross-legged and placed two bentō boxes on the table.
"Tastes amazing as always."
Kitazawa took a bite of the chicken cutlet and smiled.
"Of course it does."
Kurenai smirked. "You're lucky to eat my cooking—you better appreciate it."
"You're totally right."
Kitazawa grinned. "I'll repay the favor after we eat."
"…Repay how?"
Her smile froze. Her imagination instantly ran to weird places.
"You'll find out soon."
Kitazawa chuckled. "Why are you so tense?"
"I'm not tense."
Kurenai raised a leg and gave his knee a swift kick with her foot. "Does this look tense to you?"
"Of course not," he said smoothly.
Dinner didn't last long.
Kurenai looked calm, but her clenched fists said otherwise.
"Want to wash up?"
Kitazawa packed the lunch boxes. "There's a river nearby. I spotted it earlier."
"No one bathes during a mission," Kurenai said after a pause. "Washing your feet at most."
"Then let's go wash our feet. And maybe our faces."
He nodded. "I brought towels."
"Sure."
She didn't say no.
They walked to the river, pulled off their shoes, and dipped their feet into the cool water.
"So, about that repayment?"
Kurenai asked, trying to sound casual.
"What kind of repayment do you want?"
Kitazawa glanced over—her eyes were pretty, but he caught a flicker of unease.
"That's your problem to figure out, not mine," she said, sitting up straighter.
His gaze traced down her face, lingered briefly on her body, and rested on her long, pale legs.
Kurenai felt his stare.
She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say—her legs tensed instinctively.
"We've been walking all day. Let me massage your legs," he offered, holding out a towel.
She let out a breath of relief she didn't even know she was holding.
"If you're not happy, I can switch spots," he teased.
"No need to switch," she replied a little too fast.
She lifted her leg. Droplets rolled down her smooth skin.
After drying it off with the towel, her thigh looked soft and clean again.
"Let's head back."
Back in the tent, she didn't wait—she plopped her feet right on Kitazawa's lap.
"If your massage sucks, I'm gonna be disappointed," she said with a grin. "And don't think I don't know what you're up to, you perv."
"I'm just helping you relax."
He caught both of her feet in one hand.
"Yeah, right. You really think I'd buy that? You—ah!"
Before she could finish, Kitazawa started tickling the soles of her feet.
"Stop it!"
Kurenai squirmed. Her small feet curled instinctively, drawing a line from her toes to her thighs. Her toes clenched tight as she laughed and whimpered.
"You're being loud. You'll attract enemy ninjas."
Kitazawa stopped and smiled.
"You're blaming me?!"
She kicked at him—but he caught her again.
"I'm going to sleep!"
Kurenai panicked. "No more massages!"
"Okay, okay. Real massage this time."
Kitazawa gently pressed her instep.
Kurenai glared, but let him continue.
"You're seriously gorgeous and adorable," he said.
"…What's with the random compliment?"
She pouted. "Like I'd forgive you just because you butter me up."
"It's not flattery. It's the truth."
"…Then massage properly."
She smiled slightly.
"Move closer," he said after a while. "I'll do your thighs next."
She shifted and rested both legs across his lap.
Kitazawa's hand slid up her thigh. It was smooth and soft.
"Massage, not grope!"
She turned red and smacked his shoulder.
He cleared his throat and massaged properly.
Kurenai turned her face away, lashes trembling. The sensation creeping up her leg made her face heat up more.
"We've got work tomorrow. That's enough. Sleep."
She pulled her legs back—slightly shaky—and slipped into her sleeping bag.
Kitazawa set his bag beside hers and crawled in.
Kurenai's face was flushed, her eyes tightly shut.
He leaned in and kissed her softly.
She opened her eyes—but didn't pull away.
"Good night," he whispered.
"…Mm."
She closed her eyes again.
Kitazawa smiled to himself.
He knew exactly where they stood now. Just needed the right time and place to take it further.
…
The Next Day
They crossed into the Land of Grass.
Half an hour in, the massive plains stretched before them.
"Kenichiro's supposed to be in the capital," Kurenai said after taking in the view. "We should plan a strategy."
"No need," Kitazawa said casually. "Let's just head there and find him."
She thought about it for a second, then nodded.
No point in overcomplicating things for a Chūnin-level opponent.
Another thirty minutes, and they reached Land of Grass's capital.
"You stay here. I'll find him using sensory ninjutsu."
Without waiting, Kitazawa leapt onto a nearby rooftop.
The mission scroll had a picture of Kenichiro, but not his location. Just that he'd been seen in town.
Byakugan!
Veins flared around his eyes as his vision turned pure white.
He quickly locked onto the chakra signatures of local ninja—only seven in total.
He and Kurenai moved through them one by one until they found their target.
"Konoha ninja?!"
Kenichiro's face went pale the second he saw them.
He drew his sword and charged Kitazawa—
But vines shot up and bound his legs.
A tree grew out of the floor—Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death!
By the time Kenichiro realized it was an illusion, it was already too late.
He felt a sharp pain in his head—then blacked out.
"…That's it?"
Kurenai, who'd been itching to help, blinked in disbelief.
She hadn't even lifted a finger after all that travel.
But it wasn't that Kenichiro was weak—Kitazawa was just that strong.
"Guess we need an A-rank mission next time," she muttered.
"Mission completed without trouble—what's not to like?"
Kitazawa didn't mind.
His real goal wasn't Kenichiro—it was Karin and her mother.
But getting to Grass Village unnoticed would be tricky.
"Let's move."
Kitazawa hoisted Kenichiro. "If we hurry, we can get back to Konoha tonight."
The mission was to capture him alive—not bring back a corpse. Though if they had no choice, that was allowed—it would just hurt their performance rating.
"Got it," Kurenai nodded.
Because of their unconscious captive, they avoided main roads, took a narrow path, and scaled a corner of the wall to get out of the capital.
Beyond the walls, the grasslands stretched on.
"Grass Village should be close. I'll send a Shadow Clone to grab lunch."
After walking for ten minutes, Kitazawa casually brought it up.
"No need for that," Kurenai replied. "My bentō's fine."
"It's cold now. Not as good."
Kitazawa grinned. "Besides, we're out here—don't you want to try some local food?"
"…Fine."
He made a hand sign and spawned a Shadow Clone.
The clone took off toward Grass Village while they continued on foot.
Their pace was slow with Kenichiro in tow.
By midday, they stopped in a clearing to rest and eat.
"Your clone taking a while," Kurenai said, glancing at Kenichiro—who'd woken briefly before Kitazawa knocked him out again.
"Probably. But this isn't wartime—Grass won't dare lay a finger on us," Kitazawa said.
"And if anything goes wrong, I'll know immediately."
"Makes sense."
She stared at him quietly.
"…Why're you staring at me like that?"
Kitazawa waved a hand in front of her face.
"Oh, so you can stare but I can't?" she grinned.
"I mean, if you want a better look, I can take my shirt off."
"Pervert."
She shot him a glare.
"You're the one staring. How is this my fault?"
He gave her thigh a light slap.
"…Unbelievable."
She looked away, unsure how to deal with this shameless man.
Right then, a burst of wind announced the clone's return.
"Lunch is in here," the clone said, dropping a summoning scroll.
Kurenai opened it and pulled out the food.
Kitazawa dispelled the clone and read its memories.
It had infiltrated Grass Village using transformation jutsu and eventually found Karin and her mother—who were clearly being hidden.
It had tracked a wounded Chūnin and found them.
Mission accomplished. Time to report to Tsunade.
Maybe rescuing them would trigger a new quest.
"Did your clone run into anything weird?"
Kurenai noticed the change in his expression.
"Yeah. He ran into a red-haired kunoichi."
"Red hair? That's rare."
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Why did she stand out?"
"In the ninja world, red hair usually means Uzumaki. Not always—Scorpion from Akatsuki had it too."
"She had bite marks all over her arms and legs."
"…What the hell?"
Kurenai's face darkened.
"If someone has enough chakra, you can siphon it… that way."
"What?! That's disgusting!"
She looked sick. The image of that girl being used like that made her furious.
"Red hair, huge chakra reserves—I think she's from the Uzumaki clan."
Kitazawa said quietly, "And you know the Uzumaki were once our allies."
"…Yeah. This needs to go straight to the Hokage."
Kurenai nodded firmly.
The Uzumaki clan was gone, but the alliance was never broken.
And Konoha owed them for failing to protect them.
They finished lunch, picked up Kenichiro, and hit the road again.
By nightfall, they made it back to Konoha.
It was late, but the Hokage Tower still had staff on duty.
They dropped Kenichiro off, then went home.
"Home sweet home. I'm so dead tired."
Kurenai kicked off her shoes and flopped on the couch.
They hadn't stopped all day aside from lunch.
"Get some rest."
Kitazawa glanced at her perfect figure and resisted the urge to smack her butt.
"See you tomorrow."
She looked at him as he left. Her mind wandered back to that foot massage.
"…Jerk," she muttered, face warming up.
Kitazawa looked up at the night sky. It was too late to see Tsunade now—she'd definitely be asleep.
…
The Next Morning
Monday.
Kitazawa showed up early at Tsunade and Shizune's place.
He knocked.
Moments later, Shizune opened the door in a nightgown.
Kitazawa gave her a quick once-over—not bad, even if modest.
"Kitazawa?"
Shizune blinked fully awake. "Sorry—I just got up, haven't changed yet."
"It's fine. That nightgown suits you."
"Th-thank you."
She hesitated. "Is something wrong? You're here so early."
"I need to talk to Tsunade-sama. Urgent."
"She's still asleep," Shizune said after a pause, stepping aside. "Come in—I'll wake her."
"Thanks, Senpai."
Kitazawa stepped in, slipping off his shoes.
~~~
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