"Hokage-sama."
With permission granted, Kitazawa stepped into the Hokage's office.
"So it's you, Kitazawa."
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced up and asked, "Tsunade didn't come today?"
"Tsunade-sama is still working on a new jutsu."
Kitazawa paused, then explained, "I'm here today about the student council."
"For the quiz-bowl event?" Hiruzen took a pull from his pipe and asked.
He kept tabs on Uzumaki Naruto every day, so of course he knew about the student council.
"Hokage-sama always sees three steps ahead."
After that bit of flattery, Kitazawa said, "The council is ready to receive you. We hope you can attend tomorrow."
"You wrapped prep in a week—fast work."
Hiruzen chuckled. "As a sponsor of the Will of Fire Club, I should definitely go join the fun."
"Sasuke and Naruto have been hoping you'd come. If they see you tomorrow, they'll be over the moon," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"You've taught them well. Naruto's performance in the Will of Fire Club has really pleased me," Hiruzen said bluntly.
He'd always thought Naruto was a bit too brash—careless, even.
At this rate, the boy might've grown into a shinobi who could fight but couldn't do much else.
Now it seemed Naruto was rough on the outside, careful on the inside.
When planning the council's first event, he did everything himself and nailed it.
As the saying goes: see the child at three, know the person at seven.
Maybe Naruto really could become the second Minato Namikaze.
Right now Konoha was in an awkward generational gap. More precisely, most of the senior leadership had issues.
Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were all getting on in years.
Jiraiya was always away searching for the Child of Prophecy, Orochimaru had defected, and only Tsunade remained—still struggling with hemophobia.
Thankfully, Kitazawa had proposed the idea of psychological medical-nin; otherwise, who knows what would've happened with Tsunade.
Kakashi Hatake had withdrawn into himself, Asuma Sarutobi had left the village, Might Guy was… well, Might Guy, and Kurenai Yuhi and the others weren't strong enough yet.
But with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha's rise, Hiruzen saw hope.
At least the new generation was already showing its edge.
"How's Tsunade doing?" Hiruzen asked, following that train of thought.
"Tsunade-sama agreed to let me treat her hemophobia."
Kitazawa hadn't reported this earlier. He'd planned to tell Hiruzen after the treatment was done, but since the Hokage asked, he answered honestly.
"Truly?" Hiruzen's hand trembled around the pipe, and the question slipped out.
Honestly, he hadn't held out much hope that Kitazawa could pull it off.
He knew Tsunade—she wasn't someone easily persuaded.
If it were that simple, it wouldn't be Kitazawa doing it.
"That's what Tsunade-sama said herself," Kitazawa replied, face serious.
"If you can cure Tsunade's hemophobia, Konoha will reward you very generously," Hiruzen promised with a smile.
That wasn't an empty promise.
If Tsunade got over her hemophobia, she wouldn't wander the world anymore; she'd stay in Konoha.
The village would have the best medical-nin in the shinobi world—and a Hokage successor.
At home, that would steady hearts. Outside, it would deter would-be schemers.
In short, the benefits were enormous.
And as the one who made it happen, Kitazawa would not be treated stingily.
Besides, he'd likely become Tsunade's student—Hokage-lineage all the way. Keep the riches in the family.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Kitazawa meant it. He wanted Tsunade's recovery even more than Hiruzen did—because once she became Hokage, he'd have a powerful backer.
Hiruzen was fine, but he wasn't Tsunade.
With business finished, Kitazawa left the Hokage's office and headed to the Ninja Academy's artificial lake.
Kiba Inuzuka, who had been waiting, hurried over.
After a week of hellish training, he'd basically mastered water-walking and could move on to the next phase: researching clan secret arts.
Kitazawa had dangled that carrot a week ago, and Kiba had been itching ever since.
He wanted to make a splash like Naruto—pull off the perfect comeback, and ideally surpass him.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Kiba produced a scroll. "This is an Inuzuka-family transformation secret."
Kitazawa took the scroll and unfurled it.
A glance was enough to spot the problem: two secret techniques were recorded, but both were incomplete.
He thought for a moment and got it.
He was an outsider; to keep him from learning Inuzuka secrets, parts had been deliberately omitted.
Not that he'd planned to learn them—he didn't even have a ninken.
If he were to contract a summoning beast, it'd be the slug from one of the Three Great Sage Regions—Katsuyu.
Fight, heal, support—way more useful than a ninken.
Even with parts missing, what remained was clear enough.
He studied the scroll, mulling it over.
Two techniques: Beast Human Clone, and Human Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf.
The former turned the ninken into a human.
The latter turned the human into a ninken and fused the two together.
He had to admit, these two were a great fit—almost certainly chosen by Kiba's parents.
"I've got a rough idea."
Kitazawa rolled up the scroll. "I'll teach you the Shadow Clone Technique first."
"Got it!" Kiba brightened, visibly excited.
"You don't have Naruto's chakra reserves. Since you're just starting, split off one shadow clone, tops," Kitazawa cautioned.
"Only one?"
Kiba thought of Naruto's shadow clones carpeting the landscape and twitched at the corners of his mouth.
Just the numbers alone showed how huge the chakra gap was.
He was starting to wonder if Naruto was the child of a tailed beast—though he'd never heard of tailed beasts having kids.
"Any questions?"
Half an hour into the explanation of the Shadow Clone Technique, Kitazawa checked.
"I've got it all!" Kiba said confidently. "You explained it so clearly, Sensei—I'll nail it on the first try!"
He formed the seals.
With a poof, another Kiba appeared in the smoke—and immediately toppled over. He was missing a leg.
"Ahem… well, at least it's a person."
Kiba dispelled the clone, embarrassed.
"No rush. Take your time."
Kitazawa chuckled. "I'll leave a shadow clone here. Ask him if anything comes up."
He formed seals again, deliberately slower than usual, and cast the Shadow Clone Technique.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you're the best!" Kiba piled on the praise at once.
"Watch him, and practice Water Release while you're at it," Kitazawa told his clone, then turned to leave.
Shadow Clone wasn't hard, but at Kiba's level it would take a week.
That week was perfect time for Kitazawa to think about how to modify the Inuzuka secrets.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
At the training grounds, Kabuto Yakushi ran up the moment he saw him. "I've learned Wind Release: Vacuum Shuriken."
"In that case, I'll teach you a new Wind Release today."
Kitazawa already knew his progress from the system, so he wasn't surprised.
"Thank you, Sensei."
"Today's technique is Wind Release: Vacuum Blade. It's somewhat similar to Wind Release: Vacuum Shuriken."
Kitazawa drew a kunai. "You infuse wind-natured chakra into the kunai to make it far deadlier."
"I see." Kabuto nodded.
Wind Release: Shuriken meant throwing shuriken—basically a special kind of tool use.
Vacuum Blade, though, treated the kunai like a short sword rather than a simple tool.
Of course, you could still throw it as a tool.
"Give it a try."
As with Shadow Clone, Kitazawa spent half an hour explaining Vacuum Blade.
Kabuto took out a kunai—then hesitated, uncertainty on his face.
"What is it?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
"Sensei, there's something I'd like your help with," Kabuto said after a deep breath.
"Why so serious?" Kitazawa asked, surprised. "Something difficult?"
"I want to take the Chūnin Exams," Kabuto said gravely.
"You're not a chūnin already?" Kitazawa was taken aback.
"I grew up in Root. I never took Konoha's chūnin exams."
He paused, then added, "Strictly speaking, I'm not even a genin."
"Fair point."
Kitazawa frowned. "With your ability, the exams should be a cakewalk. What's the holdup?"
"You need a supervising jōnin to register you, and two teammates," Kabuto admitted. "I don't have either."
Most shinobi he knew were Root. Since leaving, he couldn't find two genin in all of Konoha to form a squad.
He'd asked Nonō Yakushi, but as head of the hospital she was busy and couldn't leave her post.
After thinking it through, Kabuto decided Kitazawa was the best choice.
He'd taught for years, so surely some of his students had already become genin.
[If you're a genius, you should make chūnin early and make a splash.]
[Current Mission: Lead Kabuto Yakushi to finish first overall in the Chūnin Exams as a squad.]
[Reward: Hydrification Technique.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa stared at the four lines floating before his eyes, baffled.
Seriously, System—are you an idiot?
I'm already a special jōnin—why would I go take the Chūnin Exams?
And you already issued a mission for the special jōnin assessment—did you forget?
He frowned.
To be fair, the reward was excellent.
The Hydrification Technique was the Hozuki clan's Water Release secret from Kirigakure—
turn your body into liquid.
In that state, you basically ignore physical attacks and can infiltrate or ambush.
Most people don't pay attention to a puddle, after all.
What he lacked, besides chakra, were defense and life-saving moves.
Hydrification was the perfect insurance—short of running into Lightning Release, you were practically unkillable.
But how was he supposed to take the Chūnin Exams?
No matter how well he knew Hiruzen, there was no way the Hokage would let him sit them.
It would break Konoha's rules.
Wait!
A lightbulb went off.
The mission said to lead Kabuto to finish first as a squad—what if he was the supervising jōnin?
Whether that counted or not, this was his only shot. Might as well try.
The system was an idiot anyway.
"So you want me to be your temporary squad leader?" Kitazawa asked, coming back to himself.
"Mm." Kabuto nodded. "And if any of your former students are genin, I was hoping you could recommend them."
"I get it now."
Kitazawa understood why Kabuto came to him.
He did have a number of former students who were genin now, but they were all pretty ordinary.
That's the shinobi world—bloodline and talent rule.
His previous students were average; without bloodline or talent, even the best teacher can't forge monsters.
Kabuto was strong, but the Chūnin Exams are taken as a squad.
Kitazawa worried his students would hold him back.
If they didn't finish first, he'd fail the mission.
He sighed inwardly.
If only he could bring Kurama Yakumo and Naruto Uzumaki—first place would be trivial.
But they were still Academy students, not even genin, let alone eligible.
"When's registration for the exams?" Kitazawa asked after a brief think.
"December first," Kabuto replied.
That jogged Kitazawa's memory.
Konoha did hold chūnin exams at year's end every year.
These exams were for Konoha's own shinobi only—no other villages involved.
The joint Chūnin Exams in the original story were a special case: part spectacle for the daimyō and nobles of Fire and Wind, and brutally hard.
Tons participated, and in the end only Shikamaru Nara made chūnin.
If that were the standard, Konoha would have almost no chūnin at all.
"Alright, I'll help you," Kitazawa said with a nod. "As for your teammates, I'll pick them and bring them to meet you."
"Thank you, Sensei." Kabuto let out a breath.
"You're already far beyond an average chūnin, but don't get complacent," Kitazawa warned. "There's still half a month—try to master Vacuum Blade before the exams."
"Yes, Sensei."
Kabuto raised his kunai and began practicing.
Kitazawa stepped back, offering pointers while thinking about who could round out the team.
Kabuto carrying two weaklings risked losing first place.
To be safe, Kitazawa wanted another solid genin.
Problem was, capable genin were rare.
Many had already taken the exams and become chūnin—like Itachi Uchiha.
He should've been classmates with Hana Inuzuka, but he was already in the Anbu.
A thought struck Kitazawa: Torune Aburame in Root—he definitely hadn't taken the exams.
He was about Shino's age, and his nano-poison insects made him practically unbeatable among ordinary shinobi.
Too bad in the original, he ran into Obito Uchiha, got sucked into Kamui, and later was used by Kabuto as a sacrifice for Edo Tensei—terminal bad luck.
But prying someone from Danzō's hands wasn't easy.
The Aburame were a sizable clan, yet they still had to hand over Torune to Root.
The key was finding someone who could counterbalance Danzō.
There was only one candidate left in Konoha: Tsunade.
But Kitazawa felt he shouldn't be the one to ask—the Aburame clan should go to her.
If Tsunade helped them, and hinted a bit more at her willingness to take the Hokage's seat, the Aburame would probably pledge themselves on the spot.
He decided to start with Shino Aburame.
Normally, he should've been the one going to Root, with Torune taking his place.
No doubt Shino was the person who most wanted Torune pulled out of there.
"Kabuto, you're fine for now. I'll leave a shadow clone—ask him if you need anything," Kitazawa said, forming seals and dividing.
Lately he kept two clones out at all times—one at the lake, one at the training grounds.
"Okay, Sensei," Kabuto answered in passing, then returned to practice.
Kitazawa checked in on Hinata Hyūga, Ino Yamanaka, and the others, made sure their training was on track, and headed for Class 1-A.
Inside, Iruka Umino was teaching—flower arrangement, of all things.
Noticing Kitazawa, he set the students to free practice and came to the door.
"After class, send Shino to my office," Kitazawa said before Iruka could speak.
Iruka nodded.
Kitazawa returned to his office and got to work—double-checking tomorrow's Will of Fire Club event prep.
As student council president, if anything went wrong, it would be on him too.
Ten-odd minutes later, a knock came at the door.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Shino Aburame walked in, white coat and shades immaculate.
"Shino, what do you think about the last monthly exam rankings?" Kitazawa asked after a moment.
"My classmates are all very capable," Shino said honestly, a bit puzzled by the question.
"And are you satisfied with your own ranking?" Kitazawa pressed, watching him.
Shino froze.
Why ask that out of the blue?
In his view, cracking the top five was already incredibly hard.
Their class had prodigies like Hinata Hyūga, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Kurama Yakumo—talent and stats both off the charts.
They'd all received Kitazawa's special training, too.
"With the rank I have now, I've done my best. Going higher will be difficult."
He hesitated, then asked on his own, "Sensei… may I join your special training?"
Kitazawa arched a brow. Inwardly, he thought: now that's playing it right.
~~~
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