In Kitazawa's view, Combined Ninjutsu is basically a stand-in for kekkei genkai.
There are two types of kekkei genkai. One is an organ mutation, like the Sharingan or the Byakugan. The other comes from fusing chakra natures—for example, Wind Release plus Water Release fusing into Ice Release.
Combined Ninjutsu also mixes two or more elemental releases, but the combination is clearly weaker than true fusion.
Kitazawa remembered that in the original series, Sarutobi Hiruzen used Combined Ninjutsu more than anyone. His trump card was the Five-Style: Five Release Great Combo Technique—unleashing Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth, and Wind at once for a devastating, world-level barrage.
Kitazawa felt he could learn that Five-Style: Five Release Great Combo Technique too—on the condition he became Tsunade's student.
He came back to his senses and sank into thought again. This mission was a little tricky: a higher-rank assignment specifically aimed at boosting the squad's name. By Konoha's standards, anything B-rank and up counts as "higher rank," but rank wasn't the point here—publicity was.
Did that mean taking down a jonin? Outside of wartime, missions involving jonin opponents aren't easy to find. Most are infiltrations into enemy villages—too risky for his squad; one slips inside enemy lines and you're surrounded. Best would be a jonin operating alone.
"Come find me at the Academy tomorrow," Kitazawa decided. "We'll go to the Mission Hall together and pick a higher-rank job."
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei."
Yakushi Kabuto and the other two didn't linger and headed out.
Kitazawa gave the training students a last once-over, saw nothing amiss, and went to the empty Forest of Death outside the village.
Lightning Release: Chidori.
He formed seals and thrust out his right hand. A harsh crackle rose—like a thousand birds crying. Lightning flickered and sheathed his hand in an instant. He opened his two-tomoe Sharingan and shot forward. A heartbeat later he stood before a distant tree. Chidori struck; the trunk jolted and split with deep cracks, spiderwebbing outward and charring everything they crossed.
He withdrew his hand, glanced at the tree he'd bored through, and nodded. Chidori's two hallmarks are speed and penetration—plus Lightning's natural paralysis. Rasengan, being non-elemental, doesn't have those traits, though its straight-on impact is a bit greater. Either way, with shinobi's high-offense, low-defense builds, taking a Rasengan or a Chidori unguarded means a crippling wound at best.
After testing Chidori, he returned to the Academy's artificial lake to practice Water Release: Instant Water.
The sun dipped; dusk set in.
"That's it for today," Kitazawa clapped. "Head home and rest."
"Bye, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, and the others waved and turned to leave. He glanced their way—they were all heading out together today, even Hyuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, and Karin. He looked away, paid it no mind, and left the Academy.
At the gate, his brow twitched—someone was watching him. He smiled and kept on toward Kurenai's place.
Moments later, a head—Nara Shikamaru —peeked over a nearby wall. "Kitazawa-sensei's gone!"
The wall wobbled and Akimichi Choji popped up.
"Get down!" Shikamaru said quickly. "That wall's about to collapse!"
"Oh." Choji dropped back to the ground.
"Shikamaru!" came Naruto's voice. "We're over here!"
"We're coming now." Shikamaru hopped down. "Let's go, Choji."
They hadn't joined the winter special training, so they were waiting by the gate. Seeing Kitazawa had given them a scare—thankfully, he hadn't noticed them.
"Shikamaru," Naruto said, a little regretful, "it's a pity you didn't come train with us. We've got new drills now."
"Not a pity, not a pity!" Shikamaru shook his head fast. "Just don't mention me in front of Kitazawa-sensei!"
He'd bartered this winter break by placing top-ten in finals—no way he was doing special training. Over his dead body.
"You can dodge this winter, but not next term," Ino said with a sweet smile.
"Next term's problem can wait till next term," Shikamaru shrugged. "Besides, I can practice Yin Release nature transformation at home."
"You're not wrong, but my training isn't Yin Release nature work anymore," Ino said, hands on hips, completely sure of herself. "Next term, you won't be my match."
Shikamaru blinked. Over the last two terms they'd sparred several times; he won about sixty percent of the time. Nara techniques suit solo combat better than the Yamanaka arts. What new training gave her that confidence?
The curiosity sprang up—and he snuffed it out. Priority one was enjoying winter break. If Ino beat him up later, that'd be future-him's problem.
"Everyone here?" Kiba cut in.
"Sasuke and Sakura aren't here yet," Karin said, scanning around.
"I already told them," Shikamaru said. "They should be here soon."
Sasuke hadn't started special training yet, so he was home today. Sakura's routine hadn't changed—interning at the hospital and studying medical ninjutsu.
"We haven't called three others," Shino Aburame adjusted his glasses. "Kabuto-senpai, Izumi-senpai, and Torune."
Those three formed a ninja squad under Kitazawa, so the kids counted them as their own.
"Sorry, I forgot," Naruto scratched his head.
"It's fine," Shino volunteered. "Wait here—I'll go get them."
"Ino!" Sakura's excited voice rang out. Ino glanced up and immediately understood why—Sakura stood with hands full of energy, and beside her, hands in pockets, was Uchiha Sasuke. They must have met on the way.
"What's today's plan?" Sakura asked. "Didn't we already decide on the birthday present?"
"We're going to the shopping street together to buy it," Ino said. "After we buy, we'll decide how to give it to Kitazawa-sensei."
"Why not just give it to him on his birthday?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"We will, but we need to keep it under wraps to maximize the surprise," Ino said. "We'll iron out the details once everyone's here."
It wasn't long before Shino appeared with Yakushi Kabuto and the others.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kabuto said mildly. "I figured most of you haven't eaten, so I brought snacks."
"Thanks, Kabuto-senpai!" Naruto cheered, grabbing takoyaki.
"It's nothing—just a few coins," Kabuto said as he handed things out. "Let's hit the shopping street."
Shikamaru rubbed his chin. With Kabuto's arrival, he'd somehow become the backbone of the group. Not a bad thing—he was older and more experienced. Following his lead would save time.
"I scoped out the shopping street while I was on a mission," Kabuto said as they walked. "There are two excellent gift shops: good prices, full selection."
Uchiha Izumi and Aburame Torune traded looks. When did he do that? And on a mission, no less?
"Kabuto-senpai, are you doing the same missions as full-fledged ninja?" Naruto asked, suddenly more interested in missions than gifts.
"That's right," Kabuto smiled. "The paying kind—from the Mission Hall."
"Do you run into really strong enemies?" Naruto asked, eyes bright. Kiba, Karin, and the others looked at Kabuto too, all curious about real ninja life.
"That depends on the rank," Kabuto said, giving them a quick rundown of the five mission ranks.
"I see," Naruto scratched his head. "I thought we could take higher-rank jobs right after graduation."
"No genin starts with higher-rank missions," Kabuto chuckled. "By Konoha rules, you begin with D-ranks."
"Is there a way to take higher-rank missions early?" Naruto blurted.
"If your strength is exceptional, you might break the rules," Kabuto said after a moment's thought.
"Great!" Naruto burned with fighting spirit. "I'll get strong and aim to take higher-rank jobs the day I graduate!"
"We're here. Let's try this gift shop first," Kabuto said, stopping.
"Let's go!" Naruto charged in—only to be blocked by a middle-aged man wearing a scowl.
"Wait! Brat, you can't come in."
Naruto froze. He'd spent so much time around Sasuke and the others, he'd forgotten how the villagers still shunned him.
"Why not?" Kabuto stepped up, voice cool. "Since when do you bar customers at the door?"
"I'm the owner. I can refuse service," the man snorted. "Move along unless you want me to throw you out!"
"Kabuto-senpai, we…" Naruto tugged at Kabuto's sleeve.
"Sasuke, turn around," Kabuto said, taking a breath.
Sasuke glanced at him, then—without asking—turned so the Uchiha crest on his back was visible.
"He's the Uchiha clan's second son," Kabuto prompted.
"You… are you threatening me?" the owner asked, body shivering at the sight of the fan crest. The Uchiha ran Konoha's Police Force and were known for rigidly enforcing the rules. The villagers hated them for it—and feared them.
"This isn't a threat. If you open your doors, you accept customers—and you just insulted one," Kabuto said evenly. "By the rules, I can notify the Police Force."
"That's right," Sasuke added, catching on. "I can call them right now."
"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" Sweat sprang to the man's brow. "Customers, please—come in!"
"That it?" Kabuto arched a brow.
"I'll give you a discount!" the owner gritted his teeth. "Thirty percent off—everything!"
"We're going in," Kabuto said, waving the group forward.
Sasuke's eyes widened. Was the Uchiha name really this handy? For a moment, he truly felt the clan's prestige. Chin high, he strode in like he owned the place.
"Kabuto-senpai, you're amazing!" Naruto beamed.
"Seriously," Kiba echoed. "A few words and the owner gave us a discount."
"It's not me—it's the Uchiha," Kabuto smiled.
"Of course—the Uchiha!" Sakura grinned. "Who in Konoha doesn't know the Uchiha?"
Sasuke couldn't help the upward tug of his lips.
"Ahem," Shikamaru cut in. "Let's start shopping."
He'd watched the whole thing and found Kabuto terrifyingly adept at borrowing force—leveraging power to the hilt.
Everyone started browsing—well, not everyone. Hinata and Sasuke didn't, because their gifts were… special.
The next day came in a blink.
Early that morning, Kitazawa heard a knock. At the door stood Uzumaki Rina.
"Kitazawa-sensei," she said, holding out a scroll. "Tsunade-sama asked me to give you this."
Kitazawa opened it, skimmed, and felt a jolt of joy. A sealing-techniques scroll—three basic seals he didn't know yet: the String Light Formation, the Finger Carving Seal, and the Sealed Binding Formation.
[Current Mission: Master three sealing techniques over winter break.]
[Reward: Evil Sealing Method.]
[Accept?]
His brows lifted—an unexpected bonus. The Evil Sealing Method is a step above Tsunade's three basics, a B-rank sealing jutsu that locks down a target's chakra flow through a curse-seal formula. In the original, Kakashi used it to suppress the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Sasuke.
"There's another scroll," Rina said, producing a second one. "Tsunade-sama asked you to pass this to the Hokage."
Kitazawa unrolled it—and froze. It was that Emotion Substitute technique. Tsunade had classified it A-rank; its effect was swapping emotions. In short, you could turn excitement into sorrow in an instant, or vice versa. Bluntly named "Emotion Substitute Technique," it was essentially a Yin Release secret art.
Kitazawa felt it would be very useful in combat too—flip a killing-intent-filled enemy into another emotion, catch them off guard, and seize the initiative. The issue, as with Yamanaka techniques, would be landing the hit.
"Did Tsunade-sama say anything else?" he asked, closing the scroll.
"She said you and Yakumo should see her every Saturday and Sunday starting next weekend," Rina said after a two-second pause. "Don't look for her at other times—she'll be at the casino."
"As expected of Tsunade-sama." Kitazawa shook his head, smiling. "Got it. Thanks for making the trip, Rina-san."
At least Tsunade's hemophobia treatment was finally on the schedule.
After breakfast, he headed to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke and Uchiha Mikoto were already waiting; Fugaku and Itachi were not.
"Sorry to trouble you, Kitazawa-sensei," Mikoto said warmly.
"Bye, Mom." Sasuke waved and followed Kitazawa. "Sensei, what jutsu are we learning?"
"Lightning Release: Chidori," Kitazawa said.
"Huh?" Sasuke blinked. "But I can't use Lightning Release."
"You have Lightning affinity," Kitazawa said, producing chakra paper. "If you don't believe me, test it."
"I actually have Lightning?" Sasuke stared, amazed, as the paper reacted to his chakra.
They soon reached the Academy.
"Kitazawa," said Kakashi, walking up from the gate—wearing the classic jonin vest.
"Sasuke, let me introduce you," Kitazawa said. "This is Hatake Kakashi, our class's new ninjutsu teacher."
A new teacher? The name sounded awfully familiar…
"He wants to test your ability," Kitazawa added.
"If you can't pass my test, you don't qualify to be my student," Kakashi said, expressionless.
"…?"
Sasuke caught the scent of a kindred spirit—and immediately felt annoyed. He was an Uchiha, third place in the whole school's combat matches. How was he not qualified to be your student? Just an Academy teacher—don't get cocky.
"I was thinking the same," Sasuke shot back—implying that if Kakashi couldn't pass his test, he wasn't qualified to be Sasuke's teacher.
Kakashi's brow lifted. Plenty of personality—just like his old teammate, Uchiha Obito, brimming with confidence.
Kitazawa looked up at the sky. It really was a bright, cloudless day.