Two months slipped by in quiet routine and relentless training.
Konoha was peaceful. The wider shinobi world was calm.
Even the Genius Class, typically a storm of chaos, settled into steady growth.
They had already completed two monthly exams, and the rankings were nearly identical to last semester's finals.
Not because they weren't improving—rather, because most of them had hit bottlenecks.
Sasuke, Naruto, Yakumo…
Two months was far too short to master the Hatake Sword Style, the Konoha Dragon God.
The same was true for Neji and Hinata, who were still wrestling with the complexities of Multiple Arrows and Burst Arrow.
After breakfast, Kitazawa made his usual stop at the ANBU Base.
He pushed open his office door.
Konan rose reflexively.
"Anything noteworthy today?" Kitazawa asked as he walked up and gently removed her ANBU mask—something he always did before speaking to her.
A habit. And habits, she had learned, were frighteningly persistent.
She sometimes forgot she was a member of the Akatsuki at all.
"Yes." Konan produced a scroll.
Kitazawa unrolled it.
As expected, it was Itachi's report.
After two months of effort, Yomi had finally completed his Dark Medical Ninjutsu research—pieced together through the principles of the Forbidden Technique: Body Regeneration.
Yesterday, he and his men departed for the Land of Demons.
If nothing went wrong, Mōryō's release would occur within the next few days.
Kitazawa closed the scroll, tapping it lightly as he thought.
Yomi's technique, though successful, was certainly inferior to the version seen in the original timeline.
To be safe, Kitazawa decided to oversee the event personally.
If anything went sideways, he would correct it on the spot.
Conveniently, the Genius Class didn't require his constant attention right now.
"Konan," Kitazawa said with a faint smile, "take me to the Land of Demons."
Konan blinked. "Are we leaving now?"
"Now is good." He nodded. "Better to settle this quickly."
They exited the ANBU Base and made their way to the Forest of Death.
"I'll leave it to you," Kitazawa said softly.
He slipped an arm around her waist.
Konan stiffened as he pulled her close, but she didn't resist.
Suppressing the odd flutter in her chest, she activated her bloodline, unfolding brilliant white paper wings.
With Kitazawa in her arms, she rose into the sky.
The journey was long—the Land of Demons sat north of the Land of Wind, far from the Land of Fire.
Even flying, it took a full day and a half.
They arrived around noon the next day.
Despite its ominous name, the Land of Demons looked like any normal country.
Kitazawa suspected the "Demon" in its title referred specifically to Mōryō.
They descended.
"Thanks," Kitazawa said as he released her.
Konan shook her head, dissolving her wings.
"Wait for me here," he said, already turning north.
Once he was far enough, he activated his Byakugan.
It didn't take long to locate the cavern Itachi had mentioned.
After a moment's thought, Kitazawa formed hand seals.
Summoning Technique.
With a puff of smoke, a tiny slug—no bigger than a caterpillar—appeared.
"Lady Katsuyu," Kitazawa said, explaining Itachi's mission and asking it to call him.
"Understood."
The tiny Katsuyu wriggled toward the cave.
Kitazawa returned to Konan.
"What should I do?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just wait."
He had barely finished speaking when a faint rushing sound approached.
A figure landed quietly in front of them.
Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi," Kitazawa asked immediately, "when will Yomi act?"
"Tomorrow morning," Itachi replied. Then, after a pause: "Do you need me to force him to move earlier?"
"No. Let him proceed as planned."
If rushing things caused the sealing ceremony to fail, the loss would be enormous.
Three of his system missions depended on this.
He couldn't risk a misstep.
"Itachi, endure one more day. After this is over, I'll give you a month off."
Itachi blinked, mildly surprised. "Thank you, Lord Kitazawa."
A month spending time with Sasuke after being away so long… he would not waste it.
"Let's find a place to stay for the night."
Once Itachi departed, Kitazawa led Konan toward a remote valley—one he had scouted with Byakugan earlier.
Secluded. Quiet. Safe.
Perfect for what was coming.
Konan followed silently behind him as they approached the valley floor.
Wood Release: Four-Pillar House!
With a swift sequence of hand seals, a wooden residence rose from the earth—walls knitting themselves together, beams forming with a low groan of living wood.
Kitazawa pushed the door open and stepped inside.
From a summoning storage scroll, he unloaded furniture and daily necessities.
Konan wordlessly joined him, helping arrange the living room. She had already done this once during their last outing, so every movement felt familiar—almost natural.
After spending so long with Kitazawa, she understood him far too well.
He never accepted disadvantage.
He always sought comfort.
And he refused to live like a wanderer, even in the wilderness—home must feel like home.
Soon the sofa, table, and shelves were neatly in place.
Kitazawa threw himself onto the soft cushions with a long stretch, letting out a breath of satisfaction.
Konan knelt gracefully, picked up the teapot, and poured him a cup of tea.
Kitazawa's eyes drifted—not toward the tea, but toward her posture.
Her bent legs tightened her thighs, smooth and shapely under the fabric.
But it was the curve of her hips—round, perfectly framed by the light—that caught his gaze.
Konan finished pouring and handed the cup to him.
She noticed his stare, followed it down…
And understood instantly.
She said nothing.
"Thanks," Kitazawa said, sipping the tea. "You've been flying all day. Get some rest."
"Mhm."
Konan rose and walked toward her room.
Once he finished his tea, Kitazawa went outside to train the Wood Release: Wood Dragon.
With Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence plus Wood Dragon, his grand debut of true Wood Release would be flawless.
Nightfall
When he finally deactivated his Yang Release Chakra Mode, exhaustion hit him like a wave.
A normal reaction.
While activated, his Chakra soared. Once dispersed, it dropped back.
The sudden rise and fall left his entire body fatigued.
Yang Release Chakra didn't conjure energy from nothing—it forcefully activated countless cells, accelerating Chakra production. No severe side effects, but the fatigue was real.
Kitazawa returned to the wooden house.
The moment he opened the door, a warm aroma drifted toward him—roasted fish.
The table was already set. Konan had prepared dinner.
Ever since discovering he could conjure a residence anywhere, she had begun carrying cookware and ingredients at all times.
In truth, Konan possessed the quiet traits of an ideal, gentle partner.
Calm, capable, attentive.
Always supporting others—from Yahiko and Nagato then, to Kitazawa now.
Morning came.
Yomi began his operation.
Kitazawa and Konan followed from a distance toward the Sealing Temple of the Land of Demons—the resting place of Mōryō's soul.
Kitazawa clicked his tongue.
The temple had guards, but they were ordinary civilians.
Against ninja like Yomi, they were defenseless.
"Let's head in," Kitazawa said calmly.
He flickered forward in a blur.
"Who are you?!" Yomi's followers surrounded him instantly.
But before Kitazawa could even move, they collapsed one after another.
"Lord Kitazawa."
Itachi removed his disguise and stepped forward. He had already handled Yomi's followers.
Kitazawa nodded and entered the Sealing Temple.
The structure was stark—almost austere.
In the center stood a strange stone monolith atop a raised platform, surrounded by deep ravines filled with motionless terracotta warriors.
Mōryō's Undead Army.
A cold, oppressive chakra seeped into the air.
"Lord Mōryō!" Yomi cried.
Cracks spread across the stone.
A formless, pitch-black mass emerged—Mōryō's soul.
Yomi sliced open his own torso without hesitation.
The dark entity surged into him.
The wound healed instantly, and his aura spiked.
As a temporary Jinchuriki, his strength skyrocketed.
"Hahahaha!"
Arms extended, Yomi roared, "Rise—my Undead Army!"
The entire temple trembled.
From the ravines, countless terracotta warriors awakened, bursting upward and out of the temple walls, flooding into the daylight.
Yomi stepped outside—only to find everyone of his subordinates dead.
Itachi had only knocked them out.
But the moment the terracotta warriors emerged, they trampled the unconscious men into paste.
Yomi stared for a moment… then dismissed it entirely.
He had only needed them to create the Dark Medical Ninjutsu.
Now, with the Undead Army and Mōryō's power, they were worthless.
"Move out!"
He pointed toward the Land of Swamps.
Once Mōryō's body was unsealed, the true Mōryō would emerge—ready to conquer the Land of Demons, then the entire shinobi world.
"So that's the Undead Army," Itachi murmured as he observed the masses of terracotta warriors moving below like ants.
"Their strength isn't impressive," Kitazawa replied casually. "Roughly Chunin level. Their real threat lies in their immortality—so long as Mōryō lives, they regenerate endlessly."
The inspiration behind these warriors was obvious.
The ninja world held many traces of an ancient Eastern civilization.
"Their numbers alone can wreak havoc across a nation," Itachi said quietly.
Kitazawa nodded. "The Priestess Shion of the Land of Demons will request aid soon. Once she does… we'll finish Mōryō."
Itachi hesitated—there were questions in his eyes—but in the end, he said nothing.
He truly couldn't understand Kitazawa's intentions.
Why go through the trouble of releasing Mōryō… only to help the Land of Demons seal it again afterward?
Was it some scheme targeting the Land of Demons?
But that country was neutral and had nothing anyone would covet.
Then a thought struck him.
His mind flashed back to the two bows wielded by Hyūga Hinata and Hyūga Neji.
Could it be… Kitazawa intended to forge a new bow spirit, sealing Mōryō inside it?
After all, Itachi knew Kitazawa had already used the Box of Paradise to forge four such weapons.
"Itachi, go on ahead," Kitazawa said after a moment. "When you return to Konoha, have ANBU monitor the Land of Demons closely. I want to know which villages Priestess Shion requests aid from."
"Yes, Lord Kitazawa."
Itachi vanished with a flicker.
"Konan, we're heading back."
Konan nodded, stepped beside him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her paper wings unfurled, and the two rose gracefully into the sky.
Land of Demons – Priestess Shrine
A small white-haired girl, no older than Hinata, sat quietly on her bed, eyes closed in meditation.
This generation's priestess, Shion.
Suddenly—
Bang!
The door flew open without a knock.
"Your Highness, Priestess!"
A young man in a kimono and glasses stumbled inside, breathless.
"Suhō? What's wrong?" Shion asked, startled.
"It's Mōryō!" he blurted. "Its soul has escaped and is leading the Undead Army toward the Land of Swamps!"
Half a day had passed since Mōryō broke free—news had finally reached them.
"What?"
Shion shot to her feet, pale. "How… how could Mōryō break free of Mother's seal?"
"It was Yomi," Suhō quickly explained everything.
Shion froze, then slowly sat back down, shoulders trembling.
Mōryō's release meant she would have to fulfill her duty as priestess—to seal it again at the cost of her life.
She had always known this day would come.
But knowing and facing it were two different things.
She was still just a child.
And even a priestess can fear death.
"Your Highness…" Suhō's voice softened, though urgency remained. "What should we do?"
"…Send a request for aid to the Five Great Villages."
Shion steadied herself and spoke.
"Yes, Priestess."
"Once their ninja arrive, we will depart for the Land of Swamps to reseal Mōryō."
Suhō clenched his fists. He wanted to protest—to beg her to choose another way—but he had none to offer.
Only Shion could seal Mōryō.
If she didn't, the Land of Demons would fall.
"Suhō," Shion said quietly, "you don't need to accompany me."
He stiffened. "Priestess… did you foresee my death?"
"I haven't used my ability," Shion replied. "But… if you stay away from me, you may avoid a fatal fate."
"Priestess, I am not afraid to die."
Suhō bowed deeply. "I swore to your mother I would protect you."
"Suhō…"
Shion sat upright, resolve flickering in her eyes. "After I seal Mōryō, I entrust the Land of Demons to you."
"Absolutely not!" Suhō blurted, horrified.
"Then do you have another solution?"
A sad, tiny smile curved her lips.
"…"
He fell silent. There was none.
"You may leave."
But instead of leaving, Suhō stepped forward abruptly.
"Priestess… please use your precognition on me."
Shion blinked. "Why?"
"…Perhaps this time will be different."
His voice trembled. "And if it isn't… I will accompany you."
Shion bit her lip, then rose from the bed. She didn't believe in miracles—but right now, she desperately wanted one.
She placed her hands on Suhō's and met his gaze.
A radiant light bloomed in her pale eyes.
A massive, purplish-black creature loomed before her—its body concealed by swirling fog, only glimpses of writhing tentacles visible.
Around it gathered countless warriors—Mōryō's Undead Army.
Suhō stood at the front, leading the Land of Demons' guards into battle against the endless horde.
And then—countless trees erupted from the ground at once.
Shion gasped and stumbled backward, severing the vision.
She blinked rapidly, stunned.
Trees? Why trees?
Where was Mōryō?
Why didn't she see Suhō die?
"Priestess?" Suhō leaned forward anxiously. "What did you see?"
Shion stared blankly, still in shock.
"I… saw many trees."
"What does that mean?" Suhō asked, utterly baffled.
"I don't know," Shion admitted. "I didn't see your death. The vision stopped after the trees appeared."
"I didn't die…?"
Hope burst across Suhō's face. "Priestess—maybe this time really will be different!"
Shion slowly clutched the small bell at her chest—her mother Miroku's keepsake.
Trees… Why trees?
Could this really mean…
that she wouldn't have to sacrifice her life to seal Mōryō?
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