Kitazawa and Yamanaka Ino had agreed to meet at nine in the morning.
Even after wrapping up his Anbu business, it wasn't yet half past eight.
He left the office and headed home.
Just like their last out-of-village mission, Kurenai was coming along too.
After all, leaving her home alone was pretty boring.
Kitazawa hadn't even stepped inside when the door next door swung open.
He stopped on instinct and met Tsunade's eyes.
"Aren't you heading to the Land of Waves?"
Leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded, Tsunade asked.
"We depart at nine," Kitazawa explained. "I just swung by the Anbu."
Tsunade immediately put it together.
He'd come home for Kurenai, of course.
"Be careful on the road," Tsunade said after a two-second pause. "It's about time—I'm heading to the Hokage's office."
Without waiting for Kitazawa to answer, she turned and left, that graceful figure swaying away.
"Wait for me, Tsunade-sama!"
Shizune shut her door, called out a quick hello to Kitazawa, scooped up Tonton, and hurried after her.
Right then, Kurenai appeared in the doorway.
She'd heard voices outside and came to check.
"Perfect timing—we ran into Tsunade-sama and Shizune," Kitazawa said as he walked up, smiling. "Why haven't you changed?"
Kurenai was still in the yukata she'd worn last night—white all over with pink flowers, dignified with a cute touch.
A yukata is a simplified kimono—fine for bathing, and also as casual summer wear.
"No need to rush—I haven't gone out yet," Kurenai said with a shake of her head.
At home she preferred loose nightgowns or a yukata.
"Want me to help you change?"
Kitazawa gave her a once-over and asked.
"What are you thinking?"
Kurenai shot him a glare. "We're due at the Academy at nine. That's only thirty minutes."
She knew exactly how strong Kitazawa was.
Thirty minutes felt a bit… tight.
"I'm not thinking anything—you are," Kitazawa said, giving her a light swat on the hip. "Do I look like someone who can't tell time?"
Kurenai's body trembled; the muscles of her rear tightened.
She pouted. "You're the one asking questions that are easy to misunderstand."
"Come on, inside," Kitazawa said, taking her hand. "Let's not waste time—get changed and we'll head out."
They went into the room.
"Are you sure you want to help me get dressed?" Kurenai asked with a teasing smile.
"Why not? It's just changing clothes—nothing dramatic."
Kitazawa reached out and slipped off her yukata.
The garment fell, and a snow-white body came into view.
Kitazawa's mouth twitched.
She'd worn nothing under the yukata.
Good thing he wasn't the old Kitazawa anymore—this kind of temptation wasn't enough to rattle him.
"Don't move," he said, picking up her usual outfit—a white top with red sleeves.
"Bandages first."
Kurenai sat on the edge of the bed and lifted a long, pale leg.
Seeing that, Kitazawa set the clothes down and picked up her bandages.
He started wrapping them around her full, shapely thigh.
He kept his eyes locked on the leg—just in case a stray glance landed somewhere a little too "dark."
"Thanks."
Kurenai stood and held out her arms.
Kitazawa slipped the top onto her.
Once she was dressed, he let out a quiet breath.
Next time, no helping her change—this was way too much of a self-control test.
Undressing was easier—you didn't have to overthink it.
Kurenai watched him with a half-smile.
"Let's go. What are you laughing at?" Kitazawa gave her thigh a light smack; the soft bounce made it look springy.
"I'm laughing at how stiff you were just now," Kurenai said, elbowing him.
"I'd keep the commentary to a minimum," Kitazawa replied with an easy smile. "Or you'll pay for it tonight."
Kurenai froze for a beat, then two blushes bloomed across her cheeks.
She wanted to retort, but facts were facts.
The more she bragged now, the more embarrassing it would be later.
So Kurenai obediently followed behind him.
They quickly arrived at the Ninja Academy.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino ran over at once.
Kiba and Tenten were with her.
Kitazawa nodded, then looked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, who had also gathered on the training field.
"Let's go," he said.
He didn't go up to bother them and turned to leave the grounds.
"I hope we run into a ninja who can go toe-to-toe with me this time so I can really throw down!" Kiba grinned.
He wanted to test the Fang Bullet Kitazawa had taught him.
He'd trained so long and still hadn't used it in a real fight.
As for running into a jōnin—better not. They weren't Sasuke or Naruto.
If they lost, it would hurt their practical exam score.
"Not every country has ninjas," Tenten said, popping his bubble.
"The Land of Waves doesn't?" Kiba gaped. "Then what are we going there for?"
"If Kitazawa-sensei chose the mission, he has his reasons," Ino said, wagging her head and mimicking Kitazawa's tone. "See? You're just too hasty."
"Your student is adorable," Kurenai couldn't help laughing.
"Kurenai-sensei, you're absolutely right," Ino said, peeking out from behind Kitazawa.
"Less chatter during the mission. Go get registered," Kitazawa said, tapping her on the head with a finger.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei."
Ino stuck her tongue out and ran toward the two "gate guardians" of Konoha.
After registering, they left the village.
The Land of Waves lies out in the sea off the southeastern border of the Land of Fire.
Once they'd cleared the Forest of Death, they picked up their pace.
By dusk, they reached the shore.
Same as last time to the Land of Water, Kitazawa produced a small boat he'd prepared in advance.
"How come we didn't run into a single bandit on the way?" Kiba griped from the boat.
"That means we're lucky," Tenten answered.
"But without fights, can we still score high on the practical?" Kiba wasn't trying to catch up to Naruto anymore, but he wasn't about to slack off like Shikamaru, either.
If he could score high, he would.
"Combat isn't the only way to score well," Kitazawa said, glancing at him.
"Then what else?" Kiba asked, eager.
"This time your mission is infiltration and intel-gathering," Kitazawa said calmly. "Your target is the tycoon Gato, who controls sea transport in the Land of Waves."
He already knew Gato's situation from the Anbu, but as the team lead he couldn't let Ino and the others come for nothing.
Infiltration and intel work are must-have skills for shinobi, and there are courses on them at the Academy.
"Gato has hired a lot of rogue ninja and samurai," Kitazawa warned. "If you're discovered, you'll be surrounded. That's dangerous."
Kiba's eyes lit up—he was excited.
His secret technique didn't fear crowds.
As for rogue ninja and samurai—at best, they were chūnin level.
If they were truly jōnin level, they wouldn't have fallen this far.
"My clan's secret technique is perfect for infiltration and recon," Ino said, chin lifted, full of confidence. "Just watch me."
"I've got a way too," Tenten added with a proud smile. "I contracted a ninja hound recently."
Ever since Kitazawa suggested she could go the summoning route, she'd scouted a number of potential summons.
After careful selection, she'd picked a ninja hound.
It wasn't as powerful in a straight fight as the Shiromari, but for sensing, scouting, and tracking it was very handy.
"A ninja hound?!" Kiba blurted, voice rising.
As an Inuzuka, he should have had a partner hound already, but he hadn't found one yet.
Hearing Tenten had one gave him a weird "beaten to it" feeling.
"Hang on, I'll summon her now."
Tenten bit her thumb and pressed it to the boat's deck.
With a puff—out of the smoke stepped a white ninja hound.
Kitazawa glanced over on instinct.
She was about the size Akamaru had been when he was little.
"Her name is Happy, and she's female," Tenten said. "Her sense of smell is incredibly keen. If you lose anything in the future, she can help find it."
"That name is so you," Ino snorted.
"Ugh, I'm jealous!" Kiba moaned. "I want my partner hound too!"
"Doesn't your clan have tons of hounds? None of them suit you?" Ino asked, baffled.
"You don't get it," Kiba sighed. "An Inuzuka hound isn't just any dog—we have to reach a unity of man and hound."
"Honestly, you don't need one right now," Tenten said with a wink. "Looks to me like you can use your secret technique solo."
"Fair point," Kiba chuckled. "All thanks to Kitazawa-sensei's help."
They chatted as time slipped by.
"Is that the Land of Waves?" Kiba stood and pointed at a nearby island.
The island was huge; the far side was out of sight, and there were faint buildings scattered across it.
"Mm." Kitazawa nodded. "How's your rest?"
"Rested up—I can take on three at once!" Kiba said, flashing three fingers.
"Then let's begin," Kitazawa reminded them. "First, locate Gato. Then infiltrate his residence and find anything valuable."
"No specific intel targets?" Ino asked after a moment's thought.
"Whoever finds the employee roster for Gato Shipping first gets extra points," Kitazawa decided.
"That'll be me!" Kiba pumped a fist. "Let's go!"
"Wait for us!" Ino and Tenten hurried after him.
"Kurenai, shadow them," Kitazawa said, watching the trio. "I'm heading to the neighboring island to find the Aburame clan's undersea exploration team."
In the original timeline, Gato only hired Zabuza and Haku because he wanted to assassinate Tazuna.
We weren't at that point yet, so odds were there wouldn't be any jōnin involved.
Hiring a jōnin as a long-term bodyguard is expensive.
And per shinobi rules, ninja aren't supposed to target non-ninja—especially daimyo, nobles, and magnates.
Even Zabuza, already a missing-nin, had to put up with Gato again and again, only dragging him down to hell at the very end.
Of course, not all shinobi keep to the rules.
There have been cases of ninja going after daimyo—mostly in small countries.
The Five Great Daimyo are protected by the Five Great Villages; ordinary shinobi don't dare touch them.
In short, this world has its own rules.
Weird ones, from Kitazawa's point of view.
"Got it," Kurenai said—and vanished.
Kitazawa flicked his hand.
Chakra surged, and the little boat shot east.
A dozen minutes later, an island came into view.
It was much smaller than the Land of Waves—deserted, with only a few wooden huts put up by the undersea exploration team.
Kitazawa hadn't even docked when two Aburame in white robes appeared.
"Kitazawa-sama," they said, bowing as soon as they recognized him.
"How's it going?" Kitazawa asked as he walked.
"Kitazawa-sama, I'm Aburame Muta," one said, introducing himself. "We've made one pass already, but haven't found anything yet."
Kitazawa nodded.
In the original story, Aburame Muta was a special jōnin with little screen time who was killed by Deidara during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"Please, come in," Muta said, opening a map once they were inside. "This is a chart of the area."
A small circle marked the section they'd explored.
By Kitazawa's estimate, they hadn't even covered a thousandth of the area.
"The pressure is high underwater, and it's deep. We can only cover so much each day," Muta said carefully, having caught Kitazawa's expression.
"I understand," Kitazawa said after a moment. "I happen to be free today. Gather everyone—I'll give you a hand."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sama."
Though puzzled, Muta did as told.
Soon, the entire exploration team was assembled.
Kitazawa looked them over—he didn't know any of them.
Aburame Shibi had already returned to Konoha, being the clan head.
"Move out!" Kitazawa boarded first.
The exploration team's boat was mid-sized—about twenty people max.
Before long they were over the designated waters.
Muta glanced at Kitazawa.
He still had no idea how Kitazawa planned to help them explore the seabed.
Kitazawa wasn't an Aburame; he didn't command kikaichū of the water.
Kitazawa stood on the deck and formed hand seals.
Under his chakra's pull, the sea split to both sides.
"Is that…?" Muta's eyes went wide.
He'd figured out what Kitazawa intended.
Not just him—the other Aburame realized it too, shock flashing across their faces.
It wasn't that they'd never thought of this method—it's that they lacked the ability.
Frankly, almost no one in the shinobi world could pull it off.
Hidden in the shadows, Konan's eyes flickered with surprise as well.
Forcing the sea to part requires not only elite Water Release but an ocean of chakra.
Konan remembered Kitazawa was a civilian shinobi with no special bloodline.
How did he have so much chakra?
Still, she was even more curious about the undersea exploration team.
Why had Konoha formed such a unit?
"Deploy all insects!" Muta shouted.
With the water parted, the other kikaichū could be used too.
In an instant, a vast cloud of kikaichū poured toward the seabed.
Watching them, Kitazawa wondered if they'd get lucky today and find some special resources.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves, inside a lavish compound—
Ino and Tenten crouched in a corner, waiting.
At their feet sat Happy, the ninja hound.
Moments later, Happy spoke: "Kiba-sama is approaching."
Right on cue, Kiba popped into view, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well?" Ino asked, impatient.
"When I make a move, there's never a problem!" Kiba produced a teacup. "Gato drank from this!"
Happy padded over and sniffed it.
Once she had the scent, she channeled chakra.
In a blink, every place in the compound with that same smell lit up in her senses.
"Gato's files will be in the hidden spots," Tenten reminded them. "Happy, be thorough."
"Mm." Happy nodded. "Follow me."
With her leading and after several twists and turns, the three finally found Gato's records room.
"Smart kids—no surprise they're Kitazawa's students," Kurenai said from the shadows, approving.
Though, credit where it was due—the real MVP for this infiltration was the hound.
Just then, Kurenai's brows lifted.
A crisp bell started ringing.
"Not good!" Kiba's face changed. "I tripped a warning trap!"
He'd been reaching for the files on the bookshelf, not realizing a clear trip-wire ran in front of it.
He touched it, and the bell sounded.
He'd gotten sloppy—too excited to double-check.
"Move!" Ino snapped without hesitation.
"We've been made!" Happy said quickly. "The place is swarming outside!"
"There's only one way—break out," Kiba said, drawing a deep breath. "I'll go first."
It was his mistake, so he wanted to make up for it.
"It's fine. Worst case, I summon the Shiromari," Tenten said, dispelling the summoning so Happy vanished.
Happy was a support-type hound, not a fighter.
Hearing "Shiromari," Ino and Kiba instantly felt better.
They'd almost forgotten Tenten had that ferocious summon.
"Three Headed Wolf!" Kiba's massive frame blasted the door open.
"What the—?!" Gato's guards froze at the sight of a three-headed hellhound.
Fang Bullet!
All three heads lifted, jaws yawning wide.
Chakra gathered in their throats and condensed into three huge chakra shells.
"Dodge!" someone yelled.
But Tenten leaped, unfurling a scroll across the rafters.
A storm of ninja tools rained down like a downpour.
Ninja Art: Profusion of Flowers!
Ino crashed out on the hellhound's left.
Petals swirled toward Gato's guards—peppered with explosive tags.
Screams went up.
In a single exchange, more than half of Gato's men were down.
Kurenai, who had been about to jump in, paused again.
She'd seen that Ino, Tenten, and Kiba could handle it.
Honestly, Kitazawa shouldn't have given them an infiltration assignment—just charging in and mowing down enemies would have been faster.
She swept the area—and quickly found Gato.
~~~
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