"Being a teacher isn't half bad," Kurenai said with a small laugh as she watched the looks on Naruto and Sasuke's faces.
"Who can tell me what a shinobi should do when setting up camp in the wild?" Kitazawa clapped to get their attention.
"I'll answer!" Naruto shot his hand up at once.
Sasuke and Neji raised their hands too.
"Naruto, go ahead," Kitazawa chose after a beat.
"First find a safe spot, then pitch the tents, and set traps around the perimeter!" Naruto rattled off. They'd covered this at the academy, so he remembered the outline. When he finished, he stared at Kitazawa expectantly.
"You didn't cover everything," Sasuke said right away. "You don't cook over open fires in the wild, and you rotate night watch when you sleep."
"I totally forgot those—dang it!" Naruto's eyes went wide. Thanks to Kitazawa he'd gotten a lot better than in the 'original timeline,' but he still couldn't beat a monster like Sasuke. What he cared most about, though, was whether he could score points.
"You both get one point," Kitazawa smiled. "Neji, you handle the traps. Sasuke and Naruto, put up two tents."
"Thanks, Sensei!" Naruto was instantly motivated and dragged Sasuke to a clearing.
"Do you actually know how to pitch a tent?" Sasuke asked, giving him a look.
"Of course!" Naruto gave a big thumbs-up. "I paid attention in class. Watch me!"
Sasuke stayed put to watch—only to crack a smile moments later when Naruto somehow tied himself up in the guy lines.
"I thought you said you knew what you were doing?" Sasuke stepped over and untangled him.
"Accident. Just an accident." Naruto scratched his head, baffled. "I followed what they taught us. Why did it go wrong?"
"Theory is theory. Practice is practice," Sasuke sniffed. "Move."
Naruto stepped aside and watched Sasuke throw up a tent in no time, eyes full of admiration.
"Well?" Sasuke's lips tipped up.
"As expected of my lifelong rival!" Naruto's teeth practically sparkled. "But youth never admits defeat—after dinner I'm doing thirty extra laps!"
"Did you already forget what Sensei just said?" Sasuke twitched at the mouth. "That's how you lose points."
"Oh, right!" Naruto said sheepishly. "Then I'll run after the mission!"
"Kurenai, check on Neji's traps," Kitazawa said, pulling his gaze back.
"Mm." Kurenai nodded and headed toward Neji.
Kitazawa unsealed a storage scroll and took out the bento he'd prepped earlier. He held out a hand; Fire-Style chakra pulsed into invisible heat, and in a moment the lunch boxes were warm.
"Come eat," he said, laying a picnic cloth on the ground.
"Thanks, Sensei!" Naruto took a box.
"Neji's trapwork is textbook—nothing to nitpick," Kurenai said as she sat down beside Kitazawa with a smile.
Kitazawa wasn't surprised. Neji was the type with no real weak spots. Like Sasuke, he picked up anything taught in class. Naruto was obviously lopsided—unstoppable in live combat, average on theory.
"After you eat, you can refine chakra to recover your stamina, or review what we've covered recently," Kitazawa added. "But don't use any jutsu."
"Got it, Sensei," the three answered in unison.
"In the field, anything can happen—especially ambushes," Kitazawa went on. "So on missions, conserve your chakra."
They nodded again. After eating, they did exactly as told, resting and restoring their chakra—half the day had been spent on the road.
Naruto sat on the picnic cloth with his eyes closed. Suddenly his body jolted; when he opened them again, he was inside the seal space with the Nine-Tails.
"Hey, big fox—good evening!" Naruto ran up to the bars and yelled.
"Why are you yelling? You're disturbing my sleep," the Nine-Tails grumbled without looking up. In the beginning it had bothered to threaten him now and then, but over time it realized it was pointless. Naruto wasn't scared at all—zero sense of accomplishment.
"Big fox, we left the village today!" Naruto launched into a recap of their day. The Nine-Tails had gotten used to his monologues and didn't respond, half-dozing with eyes closed—until it heard the name Uchiha Madara. Then it snapped fully awake.
"What did you just say?" It looked up.
"Wanna hear some off-the-record stories about Madara?" Naruto paused. "If you do, I'll go ask—"
"Tell me," the Nine-Tails blurted.
"I've got one condition," Naruto said, suddenly thinking of something.
"Hmph." The Nine-Tails scoffed. "Humans really are all the same."
"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head, lost.
"You want my chakra, don't you?" it shot back, a flash of disappointment in its eyes. It had hoped Naruto would be different—his behavior wasn't like the last two jinchūriki—but in the end, was it the same?
"Why would I want your chakra?" Naruto protested. "I wanna know your name. Calling you 'big fox' all the time feels rude."
"…," the Nine-Tails blanked.
"Don't you have a name?" Naruto perked up when it didn't answer. "I can give you one!"
"Of course I have a name," it said, coming back to itself. "It's Kurama."
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto introduced himself.
"I knew that before you were born. You don't need to say it," Kurama yawned, flopping back down.
"Did you hear that from my mom?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "Can you tell me about her?"
"I'll tell you when I'm in a good mood," Kurama said, baring a few teeth as it muttered inwardly about that violent woman who kept sealing it—infuriating.
"So when will you be in a good mood?" Naruto asked, impatient.
"Maybe after I hear some Madara lore," Kurama replied.
"Okay! Wait here—I'll go ask Sensei right now!" Naruto popped out of the seal space.
Kurama sat up immediately. If it was Madara lore, it needed to listen properly.
"Sensei!" Naruto called out, brimming with excitement. "We want to hear Uchiha Madara's off-the-record stories!"
Sasuke looked up despite himself, interested—then remembered what Kitazawa had said last time: Madara wore skirts as a kid and had pee-distance contests with Hashirama. His expression turned… complicated. Suddenly he wasn't so eager.
"Madara's 'unofficial stories'?" Neji blinked. He hadn't heard Kitazawa's earlier tales, but he knew a bit about Madara—a powerhouse of the Uchiha, both ally and rival to the First Hokage. They founded Konoha together, later split for various reasons, and Madara died at the Valley of the End. Neji glanced at Kitazawa, curiosity piqued.
"What kind of stories?" Kurenai, not sensing any looming trouble, treated it as after-dinner small talk.
Kitazawa raised a brow. Naruto had said "we," which probably included the Nine-Tails in his belly—he'd told Naruto before to ask if the fox wanted to hear Madara lore.
"You all know the Valley of the End, right?" Kitazawa asked after a moment.
Kurenai, Sasuke, and the other two nodded.
"Do you know the real reason for the battle there?" Kitazawa smiled.
"Wasn't it because the First Hokage and Madara had irreconcilable ideals?" Kurenai asked, puzzled.
"That's not the whole story," Kitazawa said, spinning pure nonsense with a straight face. "There was another reason: Madara acted out of love and hate after hearing the First was getting married."
"Huh?" Kurenai's eyes went round.
"If the First was getting married, why would Madara fly into a jealous rage?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded along.
"Damn it!" Kurama roared in the seal. That damned Madara—why drag me into your love drama? Was I just a prop to you?
"Because he and the First were that close—best friends," Kitazawa said.
"If they were best friends, shouldn't he offer his blessing?" Naruto pressed.
"Maybe Madara thought once the First got married, he wouldn't have time for him," Kitazawa coughed lightly.
"Sasuke, if you get married, I definitely won't fight you," Naruto said with utter seriousness.
"…" Sasuke bit back what he wanted to say. You really believe this stuff? But with Kitazawa right there, criticizing it outright felt rude, so he kept quiet.
"I have a feeling you're making this up," Kurenai rolled her eyes.
"They're just stories. Who knows if they're true?" Kitazawa chuckled. "Treat them as fun tales."
"Any more?" Naruto's eyes sparkled.
"I'll give you another—also about the Valley of the End," Kitazawa said after thinking a moment.
"What's there to tell about that?" Kurenai still thought he was bluffing, but she couldn't help wanting to hear more.
"The valley was carved out by the fight between the First and Madara," Kitazawa said, then asked, "Want the blow-by-blow?"
"Yes!" Naruto answered instantly. Sasuke and Neji found themselves nodding too—those two were the strongest of their era; their fight had to be epic.
"Don't get your hopes too high," Kurenai warned when she saw their faces. "It's still just a story."
"Even so, it ends with the First Hokage's victory!" Naruto said firmly.
"That part's true," Kitazawa blinked. "What I'm talking about is Madara. He was getting thrashed until he summoned the Nine-Tails."
He struggled not to laugh. "Then it was the Nine-Tails that took Madara and charged in and out of the valley seven times over."
"The Nine-Tails is that strong?" Naruto sounded incredulous.
"The Nine-Tails was in that battle too?" Kurenai blinked. She knew about tailed beasts, but hadn't known Madara summoned the Nine-Tails against the First.
"The strongest of the tailed beasts," Neji mused. "If it went in and out seven times, that's… formidable."
Inside the seal, Kurama froze. Was he still talking about me? Seven charges back and forth? Really? But once it sank in, he couldn't stop his mouth from curling up. Now that was what the strongest tailed beast should sound like. Yes—exactly like that. Kurama burst into loud laughter, feeling unreasonably pleased.
"There's a hole in your logic," Kurenai pointed out. "If the Nine-Tails is that strong, how did Madara still lose?"
"It was trying to rescue him and got snagged by the First's Wood Style by accident," Kitazawa deadpanned.
"Accident, huh?" Kurenai narrowed her eyes at him.
"All right, story time's over. It's late—turn in," Kitazawa said, clapping. "Kurenai and I will take first watch. You three take the second."
"Yes, Sensei," Naruto said, still reluctant. Sasuke wanted to complain but didn't know where to start—forget it; they were just stories. Neji felt like his horizons had… expanded.
The three got up and crawled into the tent on the left; the other was for Kurenai and Kitazawa.
"Aren't you worried you'll mislead them with that nonsense?" Kurenai asked with a smile.
"It's just for laughs. They won't take it as gospel," Kitazawa said, unbothered.
"While we've got time, let's practice Combination Ninjutsu: Typhoon Water Vortex Technique," Kurenai stood, eager. She'd already mastered Wind Style: Rasengan and wanted to pair it with Kitazawa's Water Style: Tearing Torrent as a combo for future tough enemies.
"Works for me," Kitazawa nodded. "I'll leave shadow clones to watch them. We'll go elsewhere to train." The technique was loud—they'd wake the boys if they used it nearby.
He formed seals and split into three shadow clones: two for the watch, one to go scout out Aoi Rokushō. Konan had only said Aoi Rokushō was operating in the Land of Rivers, not the exact spot—not that it mattered; he wouldn't stay put for days on end anyway.
Night passed quietly. By morning, despite half a night of guard duty, Sasuke and the others were in good shape.
"Today's going to be a real fight," Kitazawa told them. "Since this is your field exam, Kurenai and I won't step in unless we absolutely have to."
All three stiffened. That meant they'd be facing a jōnin head-on—the biggest challenge of their lives, even if their lives had only just begun.
"Here's Aoi Rokushō's dossier," Kitazawa said. "Read it and plan. If you don't work together, you'll have a hard time beating him."
"Understood, Sensei." Neji took the scroll first; he was older than Naruto and Sasuke, so he temporarily acted as leader—not that it came with any real power beyond reminding his teammates.
"Lemme see!" Naruto crowded in.
"Look together," Neji said, unrolling it.
Aoi Rokushō's profile was detailed—because Kitazawa had written it up based on how he was in the original storyline.
"How does he have the Second Hokage's Sword of the Thunder God?" Neji blurted, stunned.
"That's why he defected," Kitazawa explained. "And that sword is also one of our mission objectives."
"Do you have any antidotes on you?" Sasuke asked when he saw the note about a poison senbon umbrella.
"I brought some," Neji said.
"Let me take a look," Kitazawa said. Neji handed over two vials. In the original, Aoi Rokushō had poisoned Naruto and Sasuke with that umbrella, and Sakura had used an antidote Tsunade prepared to cure them.
"Not bad," Kitazawa said after checking. "Should handle most common toxins." As a Hyūga, Neji had bought high-quality supplies—even if they weren't on the level of what Kitazawa and Tsunade could brew.
Once they finished reading, the three huddled to discuss. Aoi Rokushō might be a jōnin, but his overall level was middling—outside of the poison umbrella, he relied on the Sword of the Thunder God. If he'd stayed in Konoha, he probably wouldn't pass the jōnin exam; in a small village like Amegakure, the bar wasn't as high.
"We've got a plan, Sensei," Neji said ten minutes later.
"Then move out," Kitazawa said, taking point. Thanks to his shadow clone, he already knew exactly where Aoi Rokushō was.
~~~
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