It was Friday.
February was drawing to a close.
Though the month's end usually meant exams, the Academy had none scheduled—classes had only begun in mid-January. The first real test wouldn't come until mid-March.
The only event of note this week was Kurosuki Raiga's death at Kitazawa's hands.
Yet the Academy showed no ripples. Training continued as always; the students carried on as if nothing had changed.
Kitazawa, too, buried himself in practice. He alternated between the Uchiha-Style: Raging Wind Sword and Earth Release: Earth Replacement. Both were coming along, though the sword art advanced faster. If his progress held, he'd master it completely next week, then turn his focus to Earth Release.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto's unmistakable voice rang out, brimming with his usual energy.
"Good morning, Naruto," Kitazawa greeted with a smile.
"Are we doing combat training again today?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, expectant.
"Bored already?" Kitazawa chuckled, reading him easily. "Want to try something new?"
"Sensei knows me best!" Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I wanna learn a new jutsu!"
"That can work too." Kitazawa tapped his chin, considering. By now, Naruto had developed sharp instincts from their combat drills. More of the same would yield little.
"Really?!" Naruto's eyes lit up. "What kind of jutsu?!"
"This one's tricky," Kitazawa warned with a smile. "If you can't pull it off, we'll just switch to another."
"I can learn it!" Naruto thumped his chest, full of confidence. After all, he'd already conquered the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan—both A-rank techniques.
"It's called Wind Release: Rasengan."
Naruto blinked. "Eh? What's the difference between that and a normal Rasengan?"
"Wind Release: Rasengan infuses wind chakra into the sphere. It makes the Rasengan sharper, deadlier, and far more destructive," Kitazawa explained. "Whether you can learn it depends on how well you've mastered your wind-nature transformation."
"Ohhh…" Naruto finally understood why Kitazawa had him grinding wind training recently. It was all for this!
"I'll show you first."
Kitazawa raised his palm. Chakra spiraled into a familiar, glowing sphere—the Rasengan. Then, with a subtle shift, he poured wind chakra into it.
The orb changed instantly. Instead of a smooth ball, faint currents of wind spun outward, four sharp streams twisting like blades. The cutting force was palpable.
"So strong!"
Naruto instinctively shivered. Just standing near it made his skin sting, as though invisible knives pressed against him. What it would do to flesh and bone was obvious.
Both were A-rank techniques, but Wind Release: Rasengan's destructive power far surpassed the original.
"Let me try!" Naruto's excitement boiled over as he thrust out his hand.
He shaped the Rasengan easily enough—but when he tried adding wind chakra, the sphere collapsed. Kitazawa watched silently for a while, then shook his head.
Naruto's nature transformation was still immature. At seven years old, it was too soon. He could manage the Rasengan only because it required no elemental mastery.
"We'll leave Wind Release: Rasengan for later. For now, I'll teach you something simpler—Wind Release: Gale Palm."
Kitazawa wasn't about to let Naruto waste months chasing something beyond him. Better to build a foundation.
"Can't I try again?" Naruto asked, unwilling to give up. The Rasengan variant looked too cool to abandon.
"When mastered, Gale Palm isn't inferior to Wind Release: Rasengan," Kitazawa reassured him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
And it wasn't a lie. Though Gale Palm was only C-rank, it was versatile, especially when paired with Naruto's Shadow Clones. More importantly, it was simple. Even with the Nine-Tails' chakra interference, Naruto could learn it with enough practice.
"Alright then—I'll learn it!" Naruto declared, swayed both by Kitazawa's words and his faith in him.
"The principle is straightforward," Kitazawa said, scanning for an open space. "You compress wind chakra in your palms, then release it as a gust. Its power depends on how much chakra you pour in."
Which made it perfect for Naruto. Chakra reserves were the one thing he'd never run out of.
"Watch closely."
Kitazawa clapped his hands together. Chakra surged, exploding outward in a gale. The blast ripped across the training ground—dust spiraled into the air, weeds shredded to bits, flowers scattered.
"If this weren't the Academy, the whole place would look like ruins by now," Kitazawa remarked lightly.
"Awesome!" Naruto's face lit up with pure excitement.
To him, Gale Palm looked even more destructive than the Wind Release: Rasengan.
Kitazawa just smiled to himself. 'He's still a child—he only sees the flash and force on the surface.'
When it came to raw lethality, Wind Release: Rasengan naturally stood above Gale Palm.
"What I showed you earlier was just the first application of Gale Palm," Kitazawa said as he pulled out a kunai. "Now, let me show you the second."
He formed hand signs, then released a burst of wind just as he flung the kunai. Boosted by the gale, the weapon shot forward at twice its normal speed, striking the tree trunk with a heavy thunk and embedding itself deep into the bark.
"Gale Palm can enhance ninja tools, making them fly faster and hit harder," Kitazawa explained, glancing at Naruto. "Now imagine what effect that would have if you used it with your Shadow Clones."
"That's amazing!" Naruto's eyes practically sparkled.
He knew well why his kunai throws, even with clones, were so often countered—they were too slow and too sloppy. Neji and Sasuke, especially, had no trouble dodging them.
"Don't get too excited yet. There are two more uses." Kitazawa gestured for him to continue. "Go on—attack me with shuriken."
"Okay!" Naruto tossed two shuriken with eager anticipation.
Another gale surged from Kitazawa's hands. The shuriken immediately reversed course, whipping back even faster than they'd been thrown.
Startled, Naruto barely managed to dodge his own attack.
"Gale Palm doesn't just boost projectiles—it can also deflect them. With enough chakra, it can even repel enemy attacks directly," Kitazawa explained.
Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "Then I won't have to worry about Sasuke or Tenten's weapons anymore!"
Kitazawa's lips twitched. You're already planning to bully Tenten too?
"Kitazawa-sensei, what's the last use?" Naruto asked impatiently.
Kitazawa didn't answer. Instead, he swiftly wove hand signs. This time, the compressed wind didn't shoot outward—it wrapped tightly around his arms, flowing across his body like an invisible armor.
He moved, and in a blink, the distance between them vanished.
"So fast!" Naruto gasped, wide-eyed. He hadn't even seen Kitazawa move.
"Gale Palm can also envelop the body to boost speed," Kitazawa said with a smile. In the original timeline, this technique wouldn't appear until Boruto's era.
"Now, start practicing."
"Mhm!" Naruto eagerly copied the hand signs and began working through the technique.
Kitazawa observed quietly, nodding after a few moments. Naruto's Wind Release chakra transformation was already at the required level—more than enough, in fact. For a mere C-rank jutsu like Gale Palm, it was well within his grasp. Kitazawa estimated he'd have it down before the next monthly exam, giving him a reliable edge over Sasuke and Neji—and pushing Kitazawa closer to completing his system mission.
Satisfied, Kitazawa left a Shadow Clone to supervise Naruto and headed toward the academy's artificial lake.
There, Maruboshi Kosuke was already guiding Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke was learning Konoha-Style: Willow, while Sakura struggled with Water Release: Water Formation Wall.
The difference in progress was obvious. Sasuke's speed was sharper by the day, while Sakura's chakra reserves limited her growth. She had to stop and recover after each attempt. Water jutsu were notoriously chakra-hungry; even seasoned shinobi struggled with some. Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, for example, could summon an entire sea in moments—only monsters like Tobirama and Kisame had ever managed it. Sakura, with her modest reserves, simply couldn't reach that level.
Kitazawa sighed softly and turned back to his own training—polishing his Earth Release: Earth Replacement.
Friday soon gave way to Saturday. As usual, he accompanied Yakumo in the morning to continue Tsunade's hemophobia treatment.
This session showed marked improvement. Tsunade endured the genjutsu illusion for ten full minutes—three minutes longer than last time—and her post-trigger symptoms had noticeably lessened. Recovery was no longer a distant hope; victory was finally within reach.
The rest of his time was divided between working with Tsunade on experimental medical ninjutsu for limb regeneration and honing his Earth Release.
Days slipped by, February became March, and the next monthly exam loomed closer.
On Tuesday, Kitazawa used his lunch break to gather the teachers for a short meeting about exam preparations. When it ended, he returned to his office.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto stood waiting at the door.
"Why are you here?" Kitazawa asked as he unlocked the office.
"These are the missions we've completed recently," Kabuto said, handing him a scroll.
Kitazawa skimmed it. The results were decent—two fewer missions than last time, but still acceptable.
"Not bad." He closed the scroll and looked up. "How's your progress with Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere?"
"I can perform it, but I'm not proficient yet," Kabuto admitted.
"When do you plan on taking the Jonin exam?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
Kabuto caught the implication in his teacher's gaze. "Now?"
"As a medical ninja, your exam standards will be slightly lower," Kitazawa said after a moment. "But your Wind Release alone is already at the level of a Special Jonin. You're ready."
Of course, Kitazawa had another reason for pushing him forward—completing his system mission to train a Jonin student would grant him 20% of the Senju bloodline. Combined with the 50% he'd already accumulated, that would bring him to 70%. The prospect made his heart race with anticipation.
"Then I'll take it." Kabuto didn't hesitate. A product of Root's brutal training, he had no fear of the Jonin exam.
"Good. I'll take you to see Hokage-sama." Kitazawa stood, smiling faintly.
As they left together, Kabuto stole a glance at him, strangely moved. Kitazawa's dedication to him was undeniable.
The two soon arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Hokage-sama," Kitazawa said without preamble, "my student, Yakushi Kabuto, wishes to apply for the Jōnin exam."
"Oh?"
Hiruzen's eyes shifted toward Kabuto. Jōnin were the pillars of the village, the backbone of Konoha's strength. Every new one raised its power.
"He has indeed reached Jōnin standards in medical ninjutsu," Hiruzen murmured, recalling Kabuto's steady performance in recent times. He gave a small nod.
"He's also learned Wind Release," Kitazawa added smoothly.
"Very well." Hiruzen rose from his seat. "Let's head to the training ground nearby."
The three of them walked there together.
"Wind Release Jōnin are a rarity in Konoha," Hiruzen said with a faint smile once they arrived. "I'll conduct this assessment myself. Don't be nervous—just show me what you can do."
"Kabuto, simply demonstrate the ninjutsu you've mastered," Kitazawa advised calmly.
"Understood." Kabuto caught his teacher's hint. Against the Hokage, victory was impossible; all he needed was to prove competence. Out of respect for Tsunade and Kitazawa, Hiruzen wouldn't push him beyond reason.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Kabuto formed the seals, producing two clones.
Hiruzen remained still, watching quietly.
"Wind Release: Shuriken!"
Kabuto hurled a kunai, its speed heightened by wind chakra, while one clone flickered forward in a blur.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall."
A wall of stone rose before Hiruzen, the kunai striking uselessly against it.
Almost simultaneously, Kabuto's left clone leapt atop the wall, expelling a compressed sphere of wind that expanded rapidly as it launched down toward Hiruzen.
"Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere, is it?" Hiruzen's brows lifted in mild surprise. Kabuto's wind techniques had advanced more than expected—no wonder he dared take the Jōnin exam. But against him, such force was meaningless.
With a Body Flicker, Hiruzen vanished.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River."
The ground beneath Kabuto's clone turned to sludge, swallowing it whole. With a bang, the clone dispersed.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Kabuto whipped out a gusting tornado, halting the creeping mud as he retreated quickly.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
High-speed, bullet-shaped blasts of wind spewed from his mouth, tearing toward Hiruzen.
The Hokage didn't bother dodging. Unnoticed, Kabuto's remaining clone had already circled behind him, kunai in hand.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
The clone slashed.
Hiruzen tilted his head, effortlessly catching its wrist. But in that instant, the wind bullets struck his body—only for it to crumble into mud.
The clone was shredded in the ensuing blast, dissolving into mud.
"Where—?" Kabuto spun, searching frantically.
A fist suddenly loomed in front of him. He reflexively crossed his arms to block.
The blow slammed into him, hurling him backward.
Hiruzen exhaled softly in surprise. He had expected the boy to crumple.
"What technique is this?" the Hokage asked, eyes narrowing at Kabuto's forearms.
"Yin Healing Wound Destruction," Kabuto replied, standing and shaking the numbness from his arms.
"A remarkable jutsu," Hiruzen acknowledged. He recognized its mechanics instantly—anticipating the point of impact, then layering medical chakra there in advance to mitigate the damage. What intrigued him was how Kabuto had predicted the strike would come from the front. Luck? Or insight?
"Congratulations. You've passed the Jōnin exam."
Hiruzen waved his hand. "That's sufficient. Collect your Jōnin vest from the Anbu office."
He had held back, yes, but Kabuto's strength was genuine. A medical ninja of his caliber was rare—and promoting him aligned with Konoha's needs.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Relief washed over Kabuto's face, his voice betraying the tension finally leaving him.
Not far away, Kitazawa's system screen flickered to life before his eyes:
[Current Mission: Train the first Jōnin.]
[Mission Reward: 20% Senju Bloodline.]
[Mission complete. Reward granted.]
Kitazawa froze, a smile tugging at his lips as the changes coursed through him. His chakra capacity swelled—roughly another two-fifths of his own chakra. His physical strength, too, edged higher.
[Current Senju Bloodline: 70%. Special ability unlocked—Senju Chakra Mode.]
[Senju Chakra Mode: When activated, enhances recovery and regeneration, improves chakra circulation efficiency, and boosts overall power output.]
Kitazawa's eyes widened slightly at the glowing text.
So this was it—the moment where quantity became quality. He had finally unlocked a unique ability tied to the Senju lineage.
The description was vague, but the implications were clear. He would have to test it himself to grasp its true potential.
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