Hokage's Office.
"Kitazawa, your three students gave me quite the surprise," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a broad smile.
Kitazawa immediately got it. The old man had clearly been peeping again—using his crystal ball to watch Kabuto and the others fight. He shot a glance at the orb on the desk. Once Tsunade became Hokage, he really ought to confiscate that thing; leaving it with Hiruzen was a hazard.
"I remember you said you were only acting as a temporary squad leader this once?" Hiruzen tapped his pipe.
"Mm," Kitazawa nodded.
"Your three students are standouts among their peers in both talent and strength, and their coordination is excellent," Hiruzen said slowly. "I think this squad should be kept."
Kitazawa blinked—surprised, but it made sense. The team's potential was huge. Splitting them wouldn't ruin anything, but when geniuses work with geniuses, you get chemistry. In team battles they were practically unstoppable; the three complemented one another.
Yakushi Kabuto, with his quick, flexible mind, provided plans and strategy. He was also a medical-nin and a wind user—doubling as healer and fire support. Uchiha Izumi had the Sharingan—she could both fight and control. Aburame Torune could scout and fight, and his nano-poison bugs raised the squad's ceiling, giving them the ability to take on stronger foes.
It was a complete, powerful configuration. In Hiruzen's eyes, once they matured, they could take on many high-difficulty missions—a clear win for Konoha.
"My idea is to have you continue as their leader," Hiruzen added after a pause. "If you don't want to, we'll switch to Kakashi."
Kabuto, Torune, and Izumi were still very young. To realize their potential, they needed a top-tier leader. Kitazawa was the first choice—not just because he was strong, but because he'd found and assembled them.
Without him, Hiruzen wouldn't have known Root was hiding gems like Kabuto and Torune. Same with Izumi—her previous squad was fine, but her current performance far surpassed it. The obvious explanation: without two drag-along teammates, she could finally go all out.
Kitazawa fell into thought. His plan had been simple: give Kabuto a push and clear a system mission. Once Kabuto made chūnin, he could let go; chūnin can form their own teams for jobs.
But Hiruzen wanting to keep the squad left him torn. Unlike a typical jōnin leader, he had a day job—teaching at the Academy. He could lead, sure, but he wouldn't have that much time to run missions with them—maybe weekends at best.
Right then, three lines popped up in front of his eyes:
[Your performance in the Chūnin Exams has impressed the Hokage. He grants you a special license to be a squad leader.]
[Current Mission: Lead your squad to complete 90 D-rank missions within one month and make a name for yourselves.]
[Reward: Lightning Release: Chidori.]
[Accept?]
You really are a "geni… genius system," huh.
Seeing the first line, Kitazawa couldn't help roasting it. What performance? From start to finish, it was Kabuto, Torune, and Izumi doing the work—he'd just been a spectator. Yet in the system's eyes, he was the MVP?
Then he saw the reward and, well, he took it back. He apologized for speaking too soon. Lightning Release: Chidori—the most famous lightning jutsu in the original.
First because Kakashi created it; second because Sasuke used it all the way to the finale, then developed a whole series from it: Chidori Current, Chidori Sharp Spear, Six Paths: Chidori, and so on.
"Since that's your decision, Hokage-sama, I'll accept," Kitazawa said, snapping back to the moment.
He had plenty of chakra now and would only have more later. If he got too busy, he could have shadow clones teach class while he took the squad on missions. And once the three reached jōnin, the squad could be disbanded—four jōnin bundled together would just be wasteful. Given their talent, he figured it wouldn't take many years.
"Much appreciated, Kitazawa," Hiruzen said, smiling with satisfaction.
With the matter settled, Kitazawa didn't linger. He said goodbye and returned to the Anbu base. Kabuto, Torune, and Izumi were still there. After the exam, you don't instantly become chūnin—there's procedure. He arrived just as they finished registering.
"Kitazawa-sensei," the three hurried over when they saw him.
"I just saw the Hokage," Kitazawa said with a smile. "He had high praise for you."
They didn't react much. Kabuto and Torune were from Root, and Izumi was an Uchiha—they weren't like other kids who idolized the Hokage.
"There's one more thing," Kitazawa went on. "Our squad will continue, with me as your leader."
That finally drew a response. Kabuto froze, then smiled. His original goal, like Kitazawa's, had been to make chūnin—not necessarily to form a permanent team. But Torune and Izumi satisfied him; keeping the squad genuinely pleased him.
Izumi was happy too, but for a different reason: she felt she'd fulfilled Uchiha Mikoto's request and could now help ease the pressure on the clan—or on Itachi.
Torune's feelings were simpler: Kitazawa had saved him and was strong, so he qualified to lead. If it were someone else, he'd have quit and waited for Aburame Shino to graduate to team up.
"You've been fighting all morning. Go rest. Come to the Academy tomorrow," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," the three answered in unison, then headed home.
Uchiha compound.
"I wonder if Izumi and the others passed the chūnin exam," Uchiha Mikoto said anxiously after a sip of water.
"With their strength, it should be no problem," Uchiha Itachi replied calmly.
"Mm." Mikoto nodded. "I hope their squad doesn't disband too quickly."
Kitazawa was close to Tsunade. Izumi becoming his student added another thread tying the Uchiha to Tsunade. The catch was that the squad had been formed temporarily.
Itachi glanced at Mikoto. He understood—and shared—her hope. It was good for Izumi and good for the clan. If it didn't work out, well, there was still Sasuke.
"I'm back!" The door opened and Izumi's voice rang out.
"Izumi, how'd it go?" Itachi asked first.
"I'm a chūnin now!" Izumi said, beaming.
"Congratulations," Itachi said warmly.
"And our squad is now permanent!" she added.
"That's wonderful!" Mikoto couldn't help blurting out. Itachi felt some of the weight lift off his shoulders. With Izumi and Sasuke both connected to Tsunade through Kitazawa, once she became the Fifth Hokage, the Uchiha's situation would improve dramatically.
Even with Danzo and Root pressing them, it wouldn't be a big deal. For a moment, Itachi let himself imagine that future—an unprecedented outlook for the clan.
…
Friday.
After breakfast, Kitazawa headed to the Academy and found Kabuto, Torune, and Izumi already waiting. Others—Sasuke, Hyūga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, and the rest—were there too.
"Sasuke," Kitazawa said, splitting off a shadow clone. "Train with him."
He planned to schedule Sasuke vs. Naruto for next Monday—the last mock battle. Finals—or rather, the student council selection practicals—weren't far off.
And there was another reason: Naruto's Rasengan training was nearly finished. If he didn't set the match now, Sasuke would lose his last chance.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke answered, face cold. If not for the crowd, he probably would've given a wry smile—the special training was brutal. But it had upsides: over the past few days, Kitazawa had dissected Naruto's strength down to the last detail. Sasuke was convinced he'd win the next bout. He knew Naruto now—inside out.
"Come with me," Kitazawa told his squad, leading them to the mission hall.
"Going straight to jobs?" Kabuto asked, surprised. He'd expected some team training first.
"You're strong enough," Kitazawa said after a pause. "But since you only just formed up, you still need to build chemistry. Doing missions is a great way to do that."
"Agreed," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. "I think we can take B- and A-rank missions."
It wasn't bragging; he honestly felt they could handle jōnin-level work.
"Give us twenty-seven D-rank missions," Kitazawa told the clerk at the counter.
His system mission required ninety D-ranks in a month—at least three a day. Better to grab a week's worth at once.
"Huh?" Kabuto gaped. Izumi looked blank. D-rank missions are the lowest—no fighting, no enemies; mostly cat-catching, weeding, and odd jobs. Even if not B or A, Izumi figured, at least C, right?
"Sorry, by the rules you can only take one at a time," the clerk said after a beat.
Kitazawa frowned. His plan was to have Kabuto, Torune, and Izumi each do one D-rank per day. If all three worked the same D-rank together, it'd be a huge waste of time.
"Please wait." Without giving the clerk a hard time, he went upstairs to knock on Hiruzen's door. If you've got pull and don't use it—that's the real waste.
"Kitazawa," Hiruzen said when he saw him. "What is it?"
"It's like this…" Kitazawa explained the problem.
"Why D-ranks?" Hiruzen asked, puzzled.
"Because Kabuto and Torune come from Root. They didn't go to school. They don't understand the Will of Fire," Kitazawa said seriously. "I want them to earn the villagers' recognition through these D-ranks and integrate into Konoha."
Hiruzen blinked. Not the answer he expected—but… brilliant.
"That's a good approach," he said, genuinely impressed. The more he looked at Kitazawa, the more he liked what he saw. The perfect ambassador for the Will of Fire! Not only did he teach the Academy kids about it; he'd also thought carefully about non-Academy kids like Kabuto and Torune.
"You can take multiple missions within your capabilities," Hiruzen said after a pause. "I'll write you an authorization."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kitazawa exhaled inwardly. To move Hiruzen, you sell him on the Will of Fire—fight fire with fire.
"Hello, here's the Hokage's authorization," Kitazawa said back at the mission hall, handing the writ to the clerk.
"Uh…?" The clerk was stunned. In under three minutes, he'd produced a Hokage's writ? What was their relationship?
"Since the Hokage signed off, yes, you can take more," the clerk said quickly after reading it.
"Thanks," Kitazawa nodded.
"Names and ranks for your squad members," the clerk said, pen poised. "I need to register you before issuing missions."
"Got it," Kitazawa answered honestly.
"You're Kitazawa?" the clerk said, surprised.
"You know me?" Kitazawa asked.
"You saved a lot of people at Konoha Hospital—word's gotten around," the clerk said respectfully, handing over a stack of mission scrolls.
"Thanks." Kitazawa hadn't realized he already had a bit of a reputation in the village.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto asked as they left the Hokage building, "why take so many D-ranks?"
"To train the Shadow Clone Technique," Kitazawa said after a beat, grabbing a handy excuse.
"You mean we'll use shadow clones to do the jobs?" Kabuto froze, then nodded in sudden understanding. "As expected of you, Sensei—what a training method."
"…," Kitazawa's mouth twitched. Okay, maybe Kabuto was over-interpreting—but he wasn't wrong; that was exactly the plan.
"Torune, Izumi—I'll teach you Shadow Clone," Kitazawa said, glancing at Kabuto. "Kabuto, you already know it, so I'll teach you Multi Shadow Clone."
Even though Multi Shadow Clone is forbidden, he could teach it now—he was their official leader, and squad leaders could teach their students whatever ninjutsu they deemed fit. Kabuto had restraint; he wouldn't abuse it.
"Yes, Sensei," Kabuto replied immediately.
"Split these among the three of you," Kitazawa said, handing over the scrolls. "Only one requirement: finish them within a week."
Light flashed across Kabuto's lenses as he nodded, thinking. A week was tight, but doable for them.
"Give me the scrolls first," Kabuto said. "I can map the shortest route based on the mission details and save you time."
Hearing that, Kitazawa relaxed. With Kabuto handling logistics, he could truly be a hands-off boss.
"After you finish each day's missions, come to the Academy if you've got time," he added, clapping Kabuto on the shoulder. "You're the oldest—when I'm not around, you're in charge."
"Yes, Sensei," Kabuto said without hesitation. In his mind, this was nothing. Back when he was a spy, his jobs were all dancing on a knife's edge—one misstep meant death.
Time jumped to Monday. As Kitazawa expected, the squad had no trouble learning jutsu and clearing missions in parallel. For at least a month, he wouldn't need to babysit them. His focus stayed on the student council selection practicals—but first, today's Sasuke vs. Naruto spar.
"I've got an announcement," Kitazawa said on the training field. "The student council selection practical is set for December 15. Which means you have eight days."
"Eight days, huh?" Inuzuka Kiba clenched his fists, feeling the pressure. He had to fully master the Hellhound in time to shine—and he'd heard Kitazawa had invited his parents to watch.
"Eight days is plenty! I'm taking first!" Naruto was thinking about his Rasengan.
"Not that easy. You'll taste defeat today," Sasuke said, calm but unusually sure of himself—so confident it surprised everyone.
"To help you prep better for the student council picks, we're cancelling the interim test—for today only. This is the last one," Kitazawa said. "Over the next eight days, I'll tailor your training to each of you."
~~~
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