Two days later, at the Ninja Academy.
Kitazawa watched the Genius Class going through their morning drills, deep in thought.
Should he take a team of students to the Land of Demons?
They couldn't defeat Mōryō itself—but they could handle its undead army.
And in the original timeline, Naruto, Neji, Lee, and Sakura had all participated.
After weighing the options, he made his decision.
Hyūga Hinata. Hyūga Neji. Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto.
Hinata and Neji had their bows—perfect for clearing waves of undead from a distance.
Naruto's Shadow Clones could overwhelm larger numbers.
Sasuke's Sharingan, paired with Fire and Lightning Release and his swordsmanship, made him ideal for high-intensity skirmishes.
Just as his thoughts settled, Kitazawa sensed movement and stepped toward a nearby tree.
Konan emerged from behind it.
"Kitazawa," she reported, "the Land of Demons' request for aid has just reached Konoha."
"Mm."
He nodded and left the academy.
Hokage Office
Kitazawa knocked, entered, and found Tsunade already waiting.
"So you've heard," she said, unsurprised. "News travels through ANBU before it reaches anyone else."
Kitazawa gave a slight nod.
"When the previous priestess, Miroku, was alive, Mōryō escaped once before," Tsunade continued. "It's not quite at the level of a Tailed Beast… but close enough to be a nightmare."
"Then I'll go personally," Kitazawa replied. "Isn't this a perfect chance to reintroduce Wood Release to the world?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up at once.
"True—Mōryō is a fitting target for such a display."
"And," Kitazawa added casually, "my bow's still missing a spirit."
Tsunade raised a brow. "But Mōryō is immortal unless sealed by the priestess. That's its defining trait."
"That's not absolute," Kitazawa countered. "The Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts can restrain Tailed Beasts. Sealing Mōryō isn't beyond them."
Tsunade couldn't help smiling at that.
Last time Mōryō broke free, the Land of Demons was simply unlucky—Minato and Kushina had already died, Hiruzen refused to leave the village, and the other nations had weak sealing experts.
(Just look at Sunagakure; their seal on Shukaku was so poor Gaara couldn't even sleep.)
"The situation's urgent," Tsunade finally said. "Take your team and leave immediately. And be careful."
Kitazawa bowed and left.
Ninja Academy
He summoned Hinata, Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto ran up, eyes shining. "Are we learning a new jutsu today?"
"No," Kitazawa said. "I'm taking you all on a mission."
"A mission? Is it an S-rank?!"
Naruto practically vibrated with excitement.
"It is an S-rank," Kitazawa confirmed with a laugh. "We'll be coordinating with ninja from other villages as well."
"That's awesome!" Naruto pumped a fist. "Time to show everyone the burning youth of Konoha!"
Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
You are absolutely ruining our reputation.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Neji asked calmly, "what is the mission's objective?"
"A demon called Mōryō has appeared in the Land of Demons," Kitazawa explained. "Our goal is to seal it."
"…That sounds familiar," Naruto murmured, scratching his head.
"It's similar to what happened at Hōzuki Castle," Sasuke added. "With the Box of Paradise. And Satori."
"Oh! Right!"
Naruto snapped his fingers. "Kitazawa-sensei, is there another 'make a wish' part this time?"
"No," Kitazawa responded flatly.
Neji's expression stiffened slightly.
Last mission, he mostly just watched Naruto and Sasuke solve everything. Was this going to be another one of those?
Kitazawa noticed.
"Don't worry, Neji. This time, you'll be very busy."
"Will we be fighting a lot of enemies?"
Naruto practically sparkled.
"More than you can imagine," Kitazawa said with a grin. "I'm only worried you'll get tired."
"I won't!" Naruto declared. "I'll fight until the end!"
"That's doubtful," Sasuke muttered.
"There's no giving up in youth!" Naruto declared proudly. "Sasuke! Youthful endurance contest! Go!"
"No," Sasuke replied instantly.
Kitazawa cut in before it escalated.
"You have one hour to prepare. Meet at Konoha's main gate—we leave for the Land of Demons immediately."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei!"
The four scattered to pack.
Kitazawa, meanwhile, notified Hiruzen and Kurenai.
He estimated this trip would take a week, so they would need to cover his classes.
And of course—he had no intention of wasting that hour.
He returned to the ANBU Base, rested his head on Konan's lap, and skimmed through the list of villages that had answered Shion's request for aid.
Four villages in total: aside from Konoha, there were Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure.
It wasn't surprising that Suna and Iwa agreed to participate—
The Land of Demons bordered the Land of Wind to the south and the Land of Earth to the east.
If the Mōryō crisis spread, they would be the first aftershocks.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure were far away, so their involvement was optional.
Especially Kumogakure—whose habit of quarreling with everyone meant they were just as likely to pick a fight with the coalition as with Mōryō.
Kirigakure's participation, however, was easily explained: Mei Terumī.
Since becoming Mizukage, she had been eager to shed the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist's infamy.
Helping with an international crisis was an excellent diplomatic opportunity.
Their goals happened to align nicely with Kitazawa's plans.
Even without Kumogakure, having Sand, Stone, and Mist shinobi as witnesses would be more than enough.
Kitazawa closed the folder, rested for half an hour, then rose and left the ANBU Base.
This time, he brought no escort squad—only Konan and Itachi.
Against Mōryō, he intended to act personally; the others were simply coming to observe.
At least Konan and Itachi could help keep an eye on Sasuke and Hinata.
If trouble appeared, both were capable of intervening instantly.
Konoha Main Gate
Neji's expression tightened as he looked at the gathering team.
It was the exact lineup from the Hōzuki castle mission—the four of them… plus Itachi.
Sasuke, however, seemed genuinely delighted.
It was another chance to go on a mission with his brother, after all.
Hinata also looked quietly pleased.
She was simply happy that Kitazawa himself would be leading the mission.
"Let's go," Kitazawa said once everyone had arrived.
With so many people present, Konan couldn't simply carry him through the air this time.
A pity, really.
The group headed out, and Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, and Hinata quickly followed.
Three Days Later—Land of Demons, Priestess Shrine
"Are you the shinobi from Konoha?"
Suhō eyed them with a complicated mix of doubt and confusion.
It wasn't their identities he questioned—but their age.
Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata looked far too young to be official shinobi.
Konan and Itachi remained unseen in their ANBU roles.
"I am Kitazawa," he said calmly.
"Kitazawa…?"
Suhō blinked—then his eyes widened in recognition.
After the war between Konoha and Kirigakure, Kitazawa's reputation had spread quickly.
Once Limb Regeneration Medical Ninjutsu proliferated, his name became known to nearly the entire shinobi world.
"Lord Kitazawa—welcome!"
Suhō's demeanor instantly transformed into warm hospitality.
With Kitazawa here, bringing four children hardly mattered.
"Uncle! We're strong too!"
Naruto beamed, giving a thumbs-up. "Don't underestimate the youth of Konoha!"
A question mark slowly formed on Suhō's face.
Sasuke quietly rubbed his forehead.
Please… don't pair me with him after graduation. And not with Rock Lee either.
Hinata and Neji exchanged subtle glances of mutual understanding.
Some teammates were better kept at arm's length.
"Have the other village shinobi arrived?" Kitazawa asked.
"The Iwagakure squad is here, but Sunagakure and Kirigakure have yet to arrive," Suhō replied.
"Please rest for now—once everyone is gathered, we will depart together."
"What about Mōryō's whereabouts?"
"It has not yet reached the Land of Swamps," Suhō explained.
"The undead army moves slowly. They also don't know where the sealing ground is located."
"Doesn't Mōryō's soul sense its body?" Kitazawa asked, frowning.
"The sense is suppressed by the seal," Suhō said. "But given enough time, it will find it. We estimate we have one week."
Just then, four shinobi wearing Iwagakure headbands stepped out of the shrine.
"Lord Kitazawa," the leader greeted, "I am Kitsuchi."
Kitazawa smiled.
"So it is Lord Kitsuchi. I have heard of your reputation."
Kitsuchi—Onoki's son, Kurotsuchi's father—inclined his head politely.
"You flatter me. My reputation is nothing compared to Lord Kitazawa."
His tone was steady—very unlike Onoki's sharp-tempered personality.
He introduced his three teammates, all Jonin—none of whom appeared in the original story.
"These are my four students," Kitazawa introduced in turn.
"Given their clans, they must be prodigies," Kitsuchi observed.
His gaze lingered briefly on Naruto.
Yellow hair… but Uzumaki surname?
He wisely kept the question to himself.
After exchanging pleasantries, Suhō led Kitazawa's group to their quarters.
"The Iwagakure shinobi all seem so serious…" Naruto muttered.
"That is the normal reaction," Neji replied. "They are not our comrades—they have no reason to relax around us."
"But Kitazawa-sensei is easygoing," Naruto argued.
"Kitazawa-sensei is… different."
Neji stumbled slightly over the words.
"They all feel strong to me," Sasuke noted suddenly.
"Mm."
Neji nodded. "None of them seem like ordinary Jonin."
Kitazawa chuckled.
"It seems your senses have sharpened after all those missions."
Kitazawa chuckled and gave the students a simple introduction to Kitsuchi's identity.
"The Third Tsuchikage's son?"
Naruto blinked in surprise. "So he's kinda like Uncle Asuma?"
"He's a bit stronger than Asuma," Kitazawa replied after a brief thought.
Just then, chatter rose outside their door.
"That voice… that sounds familiar," Naruto said, already peering toward the window.
Kitazawa had recognized it long before he spoke—Ao of Kirigakure.
He opened the door.
"Lord Kitazawa."
Ao froze for half a second, then stepped forward respectfully.
"Chōjūrō!"
Naruto spotted a familiar face and waved energetically.
Kirigakure had also sent a four-man squad, though Kitazawa only knew two: Ao, and Chōjūrō—already wearing his iconic future look, Hiramekarei strapped to his back.
"Naruto," Chōjūrō replied, hesitating a moment.
Even though he'd lost to Naruto before, he'd taken it as motivation—Naruto had become the goal he wanted to surpass.
Ao, meanwhile, scanned the lineup and couldn't hide his surprise.
He had thought bringing Chōjūrō was already bold for Kirigakure… but Kitazawa had brought four academy students.
Of course, those same students had shown frightening talent during Konoha–Mist's exchange meeting—especially Naruto, whose absurd chakra and potential made Ao wonder if the kid could already reach jōnin level.
Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata were slightly behind in Ao's memory.
But that was months ago. He had no idea how far they'd come since—and had simply assumed students couldn't grow that fast.
After exchanging courtesies, Ao and his squad followed Suhō away.
"Go rest," Kitazawa told his students. "If you want to endure what's coming, you'll need your strength."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei."
They dispersed to their rooms.
That Evening
The Sunagakure shinobi finally arrived—another group of four.
Kitazawa recognized one immediately: Baki.
In the original timeline, Baki would later lead Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari.
But at this point, those three were still children and nowhere near the Land of Demons.
Night passed peacefully.
The next morning, shinobi from all four villages gathered at the shrine.
Kitazawa also saw Priestess Shion for the first time—she looked nearly identical to her future self, just younger.
"On behalf of the Land of Demons, thank you all for answering our call."
Shion spoke formally, then her gaze drifted toward Sasuke and Hinata.
Four children among hardened shinobi—no surprise they stood out.
Still, she said nothing.
Konoha had sent the Kitazawa, That alone was more than enough.
After a two-second hesitation, Shion stepped forward.
"Priestess, is something the matter?" Kitsuchi asked.
"It's nothing…" Shion murmured—then met his eyes and quietly activated her precognition.
Images flickered before her.
But to her shock, they were identical to the ones she had seen when she predicted Suhō's fate—
The same forest of trees erupting from the ground.
The same Undead Army.
The same blurred, monstrous form of Mōryō.
She moved to Baki.
The images did not change.
She turned to Ao.
Still the same results.
Then finally—she faced Kitazawa.
Her breath caught.
"Why… why is there nothing?" she blurted unconsciously.
It was the first time someone had produced no vision at all.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
The system again…?
"I heard the priestess can foresee life and death," Kitsuchi muttered, recalling an old rumor.
"How could that be true?" Baki frowned. "That's too unrealistic."
Ao said nothing—but his expression tightened.
He had read reports suggesting it was real.
Shion quickly bowed her head. "My apologies. That was rude of me."
The room fell silent.
No one wanted to offend their employer—even Zabuza hadn't dared kill Gato until the very end.
Shion steadied herself.
"I won't say more. Let us set out. We must stop Mōryō and its Undead Army."
The brief meeting ended.
The Land of Demons sent only two people: Shion and Suhō.
There was no one else capable of contributing.
"Lord Kitazawa… could you carry me for a bit?" Shion asked suddenly.
She possessed spiritual power—but physically she was just a small girl.
In the original timeline, Naruto had carried her.
But Shion now believed that the man whose future she could not see—Kitazawa—must be the key figure in this crisis.
"I will carry her," Hinata offered immediately.
"Naruto, you carry her," Kitazawa said, glancing at Hinata.
"Huh?"
Shion stared in disbelief.
Naruto grinned.
"Don't worry! I've got tons of strength—and youth!"
Her expression remained dubious.
The group began heading toward the Land of Swamps.
The stage was set.
Soon… the Wood Release would finally reveal itself to the world.
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