Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't give a long speech—he said two sentences, then turned and left.
Hyūga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, and the others walked him to the school gate.
Kitazawa didn't go along; he still had school matters to handle.
Although Hiruzen had told him to drop by the Hokage's office when he had time, Kitazawa's thoughts were much like Tsunade's.
Hiruzen had come all this way just to say those two lines—clearly to set things up, or rather to pave the way for Tsunade.
Kitazawa guessed the main reason was that Tsunade had agreed to treatment for her hemophobia. Hiruzen knows her well: once she "compromises," she's already made up her mind. All he needed to do was give her a push in advance.
And honestly? Kitazawa was happy to see him do it. The sooner Tsunade becomes Hokage, the better for him. From another angle, if Hiruzen steps down on his own, he also avoids the "dies in battle" ending from the original story.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and looked at the students. Winter break started tomorrow; the moment the Student Council selection match was over, most of them bolted like prisoners just released, vanishing without a trace. A few, however, stayed behind—Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino, Hyūga Neji, and Hyūga Hinata among them.
Partly, they had things they wanted to discuss with Kitazawa. Partly, they were waiting to go home with their parents after those parents finished seeing Hiruzen off.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Uchiha Sasuke reached him first.
"Sasuke, congratulations on awakening the two-tomoe Sharingan," Kitazawa said, patting his shoulder.
"…"
Sasuke fell silent. He'd wanted the two-tomoe Sharingan for so long—so why didn't it feel like happiness now that he had it?
"Kitazawa-sensei, I want to defeat Naruto," Sasuke said after a deep breath, coming straight out with it.
"Have you thought about why you lost to him this time?" Kitazawa countered.
"It was the Rasengan," Sasuke answered without hesitation.
As expected, Kitazawa thought.
In his view, Naruto's biggest headache isn't the Rasengan but the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
The Rasengan hits hard, but it can't be thrown; to land it, you have to get in close. Naruto used shadow clones as cover to force the close range.
Without Multiple Shadow Clones, slipping past a Rasengan with the Body Flicker Technique wouldn't be hard. Beyond the Rasengan, Multiple Shadow Clones plus a volley of thrown tools are a pain as well—and if those thrown tools ever become long-range ninjutsu, that's even scarier.
But Kitazawa didn't correct Sasuke's "wrong" diagnosis—because that answer was perfect for triggering a new task.
"I can teach you a jutsu that's no worse than the Rasengan," he said with a smile.
"Really?" Sasuke's eyes widened despite himself, a trace of doubt in his voice. The Rasengan, after all, was an A-rank jutsu created by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
"Of course it's real."
As he spoke, three lines of text flashed before Kitazawa's eyes:
[Current Mission: Help Uchiha Sasuke learn Lightning Release: Chidori.]
[Reward: Lightning Release: False Darkness.]
[Accept?]
No surprise there, and the reward was solid. False Darkness hurls multiple lightning bolts that form a great spear of lightning to attack the target.
It's not a Konoha technique, but one used by Takigakure defector and Akatsuki member Kakuzu. Although False Darkness is a B-rank jutsu, its power isn't inferior to Chidori.
"Go rest for two days. I'll let you know when it's time," Kitazawa said, coming back to himself.
At the moment, he didn't actually know Chidori. Besides, Chidori was Hatake Kakashi's original technique. If Kitazawa taught it to Sasuke behind Kakashi's back and Kakashi found out, that would be a headache—so he'd need to "launder" the process a bit. Fortunately, the system mission hadn't said he had to personally teach Sasuke Chidori, which left room to maneuver.
"Okay." Sasuke was anxious, but since Kitazawa had said as much, it wasn't his place to press.
"Your dad and brother are here. Head home with them," Kitazawa said, noticing Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi and giving a reminder.
"…"
Sasuke hesitated, worry on his face. His performance in the spar had been poor—first losing to Naruto, then to Yakumo Kurama—an embarrassment for the Uchiha. The thought of facing Fugaku and Itachi made him balk.
"They won't blame you," Kitazawa said with a soft chuckle.
Sasuke looked up at him. Seeing the certainty in his eyes, he hesitated two seconds, then stepped forward.
"Sasuke, you were wonderful today!" Uchiha Mikoto pulled him into her arms, stroking his hair and speaking gently.
"But…" Sasuke faltered.
"Awakening a two-tomoe Sharingan at seven," Itachi cut in with a smile. "In that respect, you've already far surpassed me."
"Let's go home," Fugaku said after a beat. "You did very well this time. Tonight we'll invite Yashiro and the others to celebrate."
"Huh?" Sasuke stared in surprise. Clan-wide celebrations like that were usually reserved for New Year or major events.
"What is it? Any problem?" Fugaku said evenly. "I am the clan head."
He wanted a celebration not only because a two-tomoe Sharingan at seven was extraordinary, but also to warn the restless elements in the clan. Now that they had new hope, there was no need to resort to rebellion.
"No," Sasuke said after a pause, shaking his head.
Then he remembered what Kitazawa had just told him. So it was true: not only was he not scolded, he was praised—and they were even throwing a celebration for him. He couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips, joy welling up and washing away the gloom of those two losses.
Just then, Fugaku and Itachi glanced at him, then at each other, both slightly stunned—Sasuke's Yin Release had just ticked up a little. It was tiny, but eye-opening nonetheless.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" As soon as Sasuke left, Kiba and the others crowded over.
"You really are amazing, Sensei," Yamanaka Ino said with genuine admiration. "Just a few words and Sasuke's back to normal."
They hadn't approached him earlier because Sasuke's gloomy face had been intimidating.
"It was nothing," Kitazawa said with a smile. "I just told him that if he joins the winter-break special training, he'll get stronger."
"I want in!" Ino blurted.
"Me too!" Kiba declared.
"Me, me, me!" Naruto bounced up and down.
Then Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyūga, and Neji Hyūga all raised their hands.
"It's great that you all want to join," Kitazawa said, shifting tone, "but not everyone needs to train with me."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto scratched his head.
"Kiba, why do you want the training?" Kitazawa asked, turning to him instead of answering directly.
"I want my hellhound to be more offensive!" Kiba shot back at once.
"Figured as much," Kitazawa said. He waited a moment—no new task triggered—then asked, "Doesn't your Inuzuka clan already have a secret technique for that?"
"What secret technique?" Kiba blinked.
"Fang Over Fang," Kitazawa said.
Kiba's face lit with recognition. Fang Over Fang transforms the ninken into a humanlike form; the two "ninjas" become a tornado and attack together. Kiba didn't have a ninken, but he did have shadow clones, so he could skip the prerequisite.
"Your winter-break training is to go home and learn Fang Over Fang," Kitazawa concluded.
"Got it! Thanks, Sensei! Then I'll get going—see you next term," Kiba said, then headed off with Inuzuka Tsume and Inuzuka Hana.
"As for the rest of you, come find me at school in a couple of days," Kitazawa said after thinking it over. Over the break, they'd all have some kind of new training; there was too much to explain on the spot. And with the parents who'd seen Hiruzen off filtering back, it wasn't the time to keep everyone any longer. As for triggering new tasks—no rush; what should come would come.
"Big sis!" Hyūga Hanabi's voice piped up.
Kitazawa glanced over instinctively. She stood beside Hiashi, all rosy-cheeked and adorable.
"I… I'm going now, Sensei," Hinata said, giving a small farewell before going to Hiashi and Hanabi.
"Bye, Sensei!" Naruto, Ino, and the others waved and headed home. The once-lively Academy suddenly grew quiet.
"What are you standing around for like a dummy?" a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Aren't I waiting for you?" Kitazawa turned, smiled at Kurenai, and asked.
"You noticed me already?" Kurenai asked with a grin.
"No," he said, blinking. "But I knew you'd be waiting."
In truth, he'd noticed her long ago.
"Then let's go home," she said after a brief pause, stepping up to take his hand.
They left the Academy together.
"Kakashi and Guy are the same as ever," Kurenai said with a small, amused smile. "At first Kakashi was saying he'd do a better job teaching Naruto—but later, well…"
Kitazawa listened to her anecdotes, but his thoughts drifted afar.
[Current Mission: A thunderclap from a clear sky—select the top students to form a Student Council and become its president.]
[Reward: Gain Lightning affinity and master-level Lightning-nature chakra transformation.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
The semester-long task Kitazawa had labored over finally wrapped up at this moment—and the reward was worth the wait.
With Lightning affinity, he became a rare all-elements shinobi. More importantly, he'd gained master-level Lightning-nature transformation.
So far he had two masteries: chakra control and chakra shape transformation. Now he finally had a third—no less valuable than the other two. With master-level Lightning nature, he'd leapt to the level of an elite Lightning-style jōnin—even if he didn't know a single Lightning jutsu yet.
He rubbed his chin. In a way, he was turning into a Kakashi 2.0: Sharingan, seven natures—becoming Konoha's "second technician" wouldn't be a stretch.
"What are you thinking about?" Kurenai noticed he'd zoned out. Seeing no one around, she twisted her waist and bumped him with her hip.
"I was thinking about how to get Kakashi to teach First Grade, Class A," he said, giving her a playful swat on the hip.
"Hm?" Kurenai frowned slightly. "Why would you think that?"
In her eyes, Kakashi would never teach at the Academy. He was the Fourth's student, a top-tier jōnin—putting him in a classroom was a waste.
"He's about to leave the Anbu and become a jōnin-sensei," Kitazawa said offhandedly. "His standards will be high; I figure only our class fits his tastes."
"I see," Kurenai nodded. "But it still sounds hard."
"It's not easy," he said, slipping an arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to the pale curve of her neck, "but it's not impossible."
"What are you doing?" she pushed him away. "We're not even home yet—don't start!"
"So once we're home, I can start?" he asked, dead serious.
"Still no! It's daytime!"
"Then I'll teach you a new sealing technique."
"That I'll take," Kurenai said, rising onto her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek before walking on.
"What are your plans for winter break?" he asked, grinning as he caught up.
"Not much," she said casually. "New Year's coming up. I don't feel like taking missions. I'll just stay home and study sealing."
"Unlucky for you—I'm planning to take my three students out on a mission," he said, glancing over. "I was going to ask you to come with us."
"With a setup like that, how could I say no?" she rolled her eyes. Besides, she wasn't used to being alone at home once he was gone.
"As expected of a beauty—even the eye-roll looks good," he said admiringly.
Kurenai blinked, then suddenly seemed to think of something; color rose to her cheeks and she quickened her pace.
"Why are you blushing?" he asked, having caught it anyway.
"It's nothing." She shooed the stray images from her mind, stepped up to the door, unlocked it, and performed the classic bent-over shoe removal.
Standing behind her, he admired the pert curve of her hips and her long, straight legs.
"You see this every day. Don't you ever get tired of it?" Kurenai asked, glancing back after changing her shoes.
"Of course not." He closed the door, cupped her face, and kissed her. She froze for a beat—caught off guard—but then responded with enthusiasm.
"Do we really have to wait until night?" he asked, eyeing her flushed lips, reluctant to stop.
"Aren't you tired after running around all day?" she said, face reddening as her breath hitched.
"Do you really not know whether I'm tired?" he said—and scooped her up.
"Y-you… pervert!" Kurenai's eyes went wide.
Her clothes fell to the carpet.
"And yet you didn't refuse," he said, amused.
"You—" she started, then went pale and instinctively clung to him. He'd taken a step forward, and with her completely off the ground, a jolt of fear was only natural.
"Relax. I won't drop you." One arm snug around her waist, the other supporting her hips.
Kurenai bit her lip; her toes curled without thinking.
He looked at her, then headed for the bedroom—slowly. It wasn't long before her face turned a deep red, sweat beaded on her brow, and her breathing grew quick.
"You look more tired than me," he teased, brushing the strands from her forehead.
Kurenai shot him a sultry side-eye and buried her face against his neck. Following the line of her hair down her smooth back led to the round sweetness of her peach-like hips. A tool from his past rural life suddenly came to mind: a stone mill.
Breathing in her scent, he carried her into the bedroom.
The next day came.
You know how it goes—plans can't keep up with changes. Kitazawa had meant to teach Kurenai a sealing technique in the afternoon, then head to the Hokage's building to see Hiruzen.
None of that happened. What can you do? The land of tenderness and soft, twining arms is hard to leave.
"Hokage-sama," Kitazawa said after breakfast, stepping into the Hokage's office.
"Yesterday's Student Council selection matches gave me a big surprise," Hiruzen said without preamble.
"All thanks to you, Hokage-sama," Kitazawa said modestly. "Without your approval, there would be no Student Council."
"The Academy students are Konoha's future," Hiruzen said with a broad smile. "With growth like this, you deserve great credit. After we talk, go pick up one A-rank jutsu."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kitazawa said at once.
Awarding an A-rank jutsu was generous. The Student Council itself might not be that useful; the real reason was Naruto and Sasuke's growth, which had pleased Hiruzen.
Kitazawa's first thought was to exchange for Lightning Release: Chidori.
Then he reconsidered—since Kakashi was around, there was no need to waste the pick; a Water Release might be better.
He also thought about sealing arts, but with Karin around, he could get those from Tsunade by an indirect route.
Honestly, if he asked Tsunade, he could obtain most jutsu. Still, since they weren't formally teacher and student yet, and he couldn't learn that much at once, better to take it step by step.
~~~
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