The sun had set, but the sky remained bright. Since July, the days in Konoha Village had become much longer, and the temperature had risen considerably.
Kitazawa bought three popsicles on the way home and hurried back. Of course, not his home, but Kurenai's.
"Kurenai, open your mouth!"
Kitazawa opened the door and rushed into the living room, shoving the popsicles into Kurenai's mouth.
"Why didn't you say you wanted to buy popsicles sooner?"
Kurenai complained, taking out the popsicles. "You wasted my lipstick."
Kitazawa paused slightly, glancing at them instinctively. He saw two pink lip prints on the translucent popsicles. His gaze moved upwards, landing on Kurenai's lips. Those soft lips shone with a moist sheen, a vibrant red under the light.
"Sorry."
Kitazawa scratched his head and said, "I was worried the popsicle would melt, so I put it in your mouth, but I didn't notice you were wearing lipstick."
"Don't do it again."
Kurenai rolled her eyes at him and said.
"I remember lipstick is edible."
Kitazawa blinked.
"Eating it is… um."
Kurenai was suddenly silenced by a kiss. She was a little helpless, but she didn't push him away.
After a few seconds of entanglement, their lips parted.
"If you don't give your popsicle to Yakumo soon, it'll really melt."
Kurenai pursed her lips and reminded him.
"The lipstick tastes pretty good."
Kitazawa savored the taste and said.
"What a waste of my lipstick!"
Kurenai said with a disgruntled expression. "You have to pay me back!"
"No problem," Kitazawa said immediately. "I'll buy you a set next time, and you can change the shade every day."
"It's supposed to be a punishment, but it feels like a reward to you?"
Kurenai frowned and asked. "Are you a pervert?"
"No way," Kitazawa retorted. "I'm just happy to be able to go shopping with you."
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
Kurenai snorted and kicked him with her jade-like foot. "The popsicle melted!"
"Oh, I'll go find Yakumo now."
Kitazawa took the popsicle upstairs and gave it to Yakumo.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei."
Yakumo stuck out her little pink tongue and licked the ice, then shivered.
"Yakumo, how are you feeling now?"
Kitazawa asked, taking a bite of the popsicle.
"Thanks to Lady Tsunade's treatment, I've recovered a lot," Yakumo said with a smile. "I feel that it won't be long before I can move freely like a normal ninja."
"Congratulations, Yakumo," Kitazawa said with some emotion.
He had done a good deed. Given the current developments, Yakumo certainly wouldn't kill her parents or almost kill Kurenai like in the original story.
"Without Kitazawa-sensei, I wouldn't be who I am today," Yakumo said earnestly.
She knew very well that she received Tsunade's treatment not because of her bloodline limit, but because of Kitazawa.
It was he who proposed the concept of a psychological medical ninja, which attracted Tsunade and made her return to the village.
"It's not that serious," Kitazawa waved his hand and asked, "What do you plan to do after you recover?"
"I want to go back to school," Yakumo answered without hesitation. "Attending school like a normal person has always been my dream."
"Alright, you'll go back to school next semester," Kitazawa nodded slightly, not surprised.
In the original work, Yakumo turned to the dark side because her parents prevented her from attending school and forced her to give up becoming a ninja.
[The powerful transfer student Yakumo is about to return; you must maintain your number one position.]
[Current Mission: Learn five genjutsu during summer vacation.]
[Mission Reward: Darkness Jutsu.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's pupils contracted as he looked at the text that suddenly appeared before him.
The reward was the Darkness Jutsu?
This was an A-rank ninjutsu, said to have been created by Tobirama Senju, specifically to counter the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.
Its effect was to create a dark environment, stealing light from the target and plunging them into a dark abyss.
In the original work, it was used by the resurrected Tobirama Senju during the Konoha Crush. Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, lost sight of the caster and was forced to take the hits.
Among genjutsu, besides those at the level of the Mangekyou Sharingan, the Darkness Jutsu was the most terrifying.
It's not only the bane of the Sharingan, but also the bane of ordinary ninjas. In short, it's a very useful genjutsu.
Of course, the better the reward, the more difficult the mission.
The Ninja Academy uses a three-semester system. Summer vacation is only one month long.
Although Kitazawa has mastered proficient-level chakra control, he hasn't mastered the corresponding Yin Release chakra nature transformation.
Learning five genjutsu within a month is quite a challenge. But with a little effort, he should be able to complete it.
Kitazawa looked at Yakumo, feeling like he'd struck gold. She'd only offered two missions so far.
But one mission reward was a B-rank Illusionary Tree Binding Kill, and the other reward was an A-rank Darkness Jutsu—both high-level rewards.
So far, Kitazawa has only mastered two A-rank ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel and Rasengan.
At most, he might add Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
"What's wrong, Kitazawa-sensei?"
Yakumo glanced down at him, asking curiously.
"Nothing," Kitazawa smiled and said, "The students in Class A of the first year really miss you."
"Really?"
Yakumo couldn't believe it. She hadn't attended many classes this semester, and she hadn't even gotten to know all her classmates.
"Of course," Kitazawa joked, "Who would forget a classmate who could defeat the genius Neji?"
"I only managed to defeat him because of my bloodline limit," Yakumo said somewhat embarrassedly.
"So what?"
Kitazawa shook his head and countered, "You have a bloodline limit, but doesn't Neji have one too?"
"True," Yakumo paused, then said.
In terms of fame, the Hyuga clan's Byakugan far surpassed that of their Kurama clan.
But unfortunately, the Kurama clan's bloodline limit had too many side effects and was extremely difficult to awaken.
She didn't encounter Tsunade this time, but her fate probably won't be good either.
Because of the severe side effects, the Kurama clan couldn't become a major ninja clan like the Hyuga or Uchiha.
"I won't disturb you anymore, you can continue drawing."
Kitazawa finished his popsicle and went downstairs.
"Why did you take so long?"
Kurenai glanced at him and asked curiously.
She was holding a mirror in her left hand and lipstick in her right, reapplying her lipstick. The popsicle was already finished.
"I talked to her," Kitazawa summarized. "I told her to go back to school next semester."
"Shizune just came by," Kurenai said, getting down to business. "She wants you to go to Konoha Hospital to see her."
"Konoha Hospital?"
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow and asked, "Could it be that Shizune-senpai is having surgery at Konoha Hospital?"
"Why not Tsunade-sama?"
Kurenai asked casually, "With her strength, a single surgery could benefit many people greatly."
She didn't know that Tsunade suffered from hemophobia and was no longer able to perform surgery.
"I'll go to Konoha Hospital and find out. Do you want to come?"
Kitazawa didn't answer directly but asked.
"Shizune asked you to go to Konoha Hospital, probably to teach you new medical ninjutsu. It's not appropriate for me to go."
Kurenai shook her head and said.
"Alright, wait for me to come back."
Kitazawa stepped forward and kissed her.
"I just put on lipstick!"
Kurenai glared at him angrily.
"You can put it on again."
Kitazawa left home with a grin and headed to Konoha Hospital. Although he had lived in Konoha Village for twenty-one years, he rarely went to Konoha Hospital.
First, he rarely suffered serious injuries.
Second, he could treat minor injuries himself, although it would be slower, but it would save money.
Konoha Hospital wasn't a charity; both treatment and hospitalization cost a considerable sum.
Kitazawa quickly arrived at his destination. Konoha Hospital looked similar to the hospitals in his previous life, only with a more ancient architectural style.
"Hello, I'd like to ask, where is Lady Tsunade?"
Kitazawa asked a young nurse as he entered.
"Lady Tsunade is in the director's office on the third floor," the nurse replied, glancing at him.
Kitazawa went up to the third floor. Because of the nameplate on the office door, he quickly found the director's office. Kitazawa raised his hand and knocked.
"Come in," a gentle female voice called out.
Kitazawa was slightly startled. The voice wasn't Tsunade's, nor was it Shizune's.
He pushed open the door with a puzzled look, and a strange woman came into view. She had light yellow, fluffy hair, wore glasses, and dressed in a nun-like robe.
After a moment's thought, Kitazawa guessed who she was. Yakushi Nono, the director of the Konoha Orphanage and an outstanding member of Root.
In the original work, she once left Root, but was forced to continue serving him by Danzo Shimura using the orphanage as leverage.
At the same time, she had a famous adopted son, Kabuto Yakushi. Due to his exceptional talent, Kabuto was also forced to become a member of Root.
Yakushi Nono's ending was not pleasant.
As a Root member, she possessed too many secrets, so Danzo Shimura arranged for her and Kabuto to fight each other.
Ultimately, Yakushi Nono died, and Kabuto Yakushi turned to the dark side, embarking on a path of villainy from which there was no turning back.
Hadn't they started fighting each other yet at this point?
Kitazawa vaguely remembered that their infighting occurred in the same year as the Uchiha clan's massacre, which was next year.
Kabuto Yakushi was probably currently a spy in Iwagakure. According to the original storyline, Yakushi Nono would also be sent to Iwagakure soon.
"You are...?"
Yakushi Nono looked at him, a look of confusion on her face. If she had seen someone with Kitazawa's appearance before, she would definitely remember him.
"This is Kitazawa," Tsunade's languid voice rang out.
Kitazawa subconsciously looked over, but due to the angle, he could only see her jade-like feet resting on the sofa armrest. Her fair, delicate soles were turned outwards, appearing spotless.
Chakra truly is omnipotent.
"Hello, I'm Yakushi Nono," Yakushi Nono said with a smile. "I just heard Lady Tsunade mention you; your medical ninjutsu talent is exceptional."
"I've heard so much about you," Kitazawa reciprocated with a round of flattery. "You're second only to Lady Tsunade in medical skills in Konoha."
"You flatter me. There are quite a few medical ninjas in Konoha with higher skills than me," Yakushi Nono replied unhurriedly.
Her composure remained perfectly unchanged despite Kitazawa's praise.
"Alright, why are you being so polite?"
Tsunade sat up, asking impatiently.
"Lady Tsunade, where's Shizune?"
Kitazawa coughed lightly, getting down to business.
"She went to the ward to see a patient; she'll be back soon," Tsunade explained.
"Is she still performing surgeries at Konoha Hospital?"
Kitazawa asked curiously.
"She's here to teach you new medical ninjutsu."
Tsunade lay back down on the sofa, as supple as a slug.
Kitazawa immediately understood.
Shizune said she was going to see patients, but she was actually selecting them. Kitazawa had been learning medical ninjutsu for half a month, but it was all C-rank and D-rank.
Now it seemed she was going to teach him more advanced medical ninjutsu; otherwise, she wouldn't have changed her treatment target from koi to patients.
"Sit and wait," Yakushi Nono said softly. Kitazawa nodded and sat down on the sofa.
His gaze unconsciously fell on Tsunade, who was lying across from him.
Her voluptuous, mature body made him understand what it meant to be at one's best while lying down.
Tsunade let out a soft "hmm" and turned to catch Kitazawa's gaze. Kitazawa immediately sat up straight, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Tsunade's lips curled slightly as she looked away.
A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Shizune pushed the door open and came in.
"Shizune-senpai."
Kitazawa quickly stood up and greeted her.
"I'm going to teach you the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique today."
Shizune nodded slightly and said, "There just happened to be an ANBU ninja who was poisoned by a Sunagakure puppeteer while on a mission. You can observe."
Kitazawa thought to himself, "Just as I expected. "
However, the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique was a medical ninjutsu rewarded by the system, which could speed things up a bit.
"Shizune, you take him to the surgery."
Tsunade paused and said, "Nono, if you're free, you can come along."
She was worried that Shizune might make a mistake.
But because of her hemophobia, she dared not perform the surgery herself and could only ask Yakushi Nono for help.
"Okay, Lady Tsunade."
Nono agreed without hesitation. After all, theoretically, Tsunade was her superior.
Kitazawa followed them to an operating room.
Lying on the operating table was an ANBU ninja, wearing an ANBU mask and with long purple hair.
"ANBU ninjas don't easily remove their masks because of their special status," Shizune explained casually.
Kitazawa nodded.
He already had a rough idea of who this was. An ANBU ninja, with long purple hair—the only match was Uzuki Yugao.
She was Gekko Hayate's girlfriend and extremely skilled in Konoha-style swordsmanship.
Kitazawa's gaze fell on her wound. There was a knife wound on her flat abdomen, a dark purple color, clearly poisoned.