January was drawing to a close.
The past two weeks had been extraordinarily turbulent for the Ninja World.
First came the Hidden Sand Village.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had been gravely injured, and the Ichibi(One-Tail) Jinchūriki, Gaara, had been captured.
If not for Kitazawa and Naruto intervening in time, even Chiyo and Gaara themselves would have been lost.
News of Naruto defeating Sasori of the Red Sand spread rapidly throughout the Ninja World.
Next was the Hidden Mist Village.
Kirigakure possessed two Jinchūriki—the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, Yagura Karatachi, and the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata.
The Akatsuki Organization dispatched four members, and after a fierce battle, both Jinchūriki were successfully captured.
Finally, there was Iwagakure.
The Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, who had previously been captured by Kitazawa and traded back to Iwagakure, left the village once more due to his longstanding conflict with Ōnoki.
He was captured by the Akatsuki Organization earlier this week.
Akatsuki's continuous operations to seize the Tailed Beasts completely exposed their true objective.
As a result, every major ninja village raised its alert level to the highest degree.
While strengthening protection around their remaining Jinchūriki, they also began preparing for war.
Yet none of the villages were willing to be the first to make a move. The main reason was simple—no one knew the true strength of the Akatsuki Organization.
Thus, every major village frantically dispatched intelligence agents to gather information on Akatsuki.
Only Konoha Village, acting under Kitazawa's orders, remained completely still.
The turmoil of the Ninja World did not affect the Ninja Academy. Classes in the Genius Class continued as usual.
The only real difference was Naruto. His current fame had already reached the point where even Sasuke couldn't help feeling envious.
---
Forest of Death, Konoha.
Kitazawa was practicing Wood Release: Wood Human Technique.
A moment later, footsteps approached.
"Kitazawa-sama." ANBU ninja Antelope bowed slightly. "I just received a notice from Director Yakushi Nono. Gaara has awakened."
"I understand. You may go." Kitazawa nodded.
After Antelope left, he immediately activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kitazawa appeared inside Konoha Hospital and quickly arrived at Gaara's ward.
Before he even entered, he sensed an overwhelming killing intent. He casually pushed the door open.
Gaara was restrained on the hospital bed, struggling violently, his eyes wide with madness and despair.
That murderous aura was aimed directly at Yakushi Nono, who was treating him.
The moment Gaara saw Kitazawa, he turned his head sharply, bloodlust flashing in his eyes.
"Nono-senpai, leave this to me," Kitazawa said with a smile.
Nono nodded and exited the room.
"You want to kill me?" Kitazawa met Gaara's gaze calmly. "I went through quite a bit of trouble to save you."
"I live only to kill!" Gaara roared in a distorted voice.
"So you're very confident in your strength?" Kitazawa asked evenly.
"Of course!" Gaara replied without hesitation.
"Then how did you end up like this?" Kitazawa asked pointedly. "Even your One-Tails, Shukaku, was taken away."
"…!" Gaara froze, suddenly unable to answer.
"Your strength is nothing." Kitazawa chuckled. "In Konoha alone, there are several people your age who can defeat you."
"Impossible!" Gaara blurted out instantly.
He could accept losing to Sasori. After all, Sasori surpassed him in experience and had the Third Kazekage as support.
But he absolutely refused to believe that people his own age could be stronger than him.
In the Hidden Sand Village, he had been invincible among his peers. To be precise, no one but Rasa had ever stood above him.
"What if you lose?" Seeing the bait taken, Kitazawa asked calmly.
"If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me!" Gaara answered without hesitation.
"Very good." Kitazawa stepped forward and released the restraints.
"Where are they?" Gaara immediately leapt off the bed and demanded impatiently.
"You've only just recovered. To be fair, I'll restore your chakra first." Kitazawa extended his hand.
Gaara was momentarily stunned. You can restore chakra?
But in the next instant, his pupils contracted violently. A vast, overwhelming chakra enveloped him, giving him the illusion of facing a Tailed Beast head-on.
A thought surged into his mind— This man is even stronger than Rasa.
Suddenly, another question arose. As a Jinchūriki, he knew that losing a Tailed Beast meant death.
So why was he still alive? As Gaara pondered this, he realized the chakra felt strangely familiar.
He understood at once. For the past two weeks, a chakra had been injected into his body every single day.
That chakra belonged to Kitazawa.
"Why did you save me?" Gaara asked in confusion.
"You'll find out soon enough." Kitazawa withdrew his hand. "Come with me."
Gaara frowned, but followed him regardless.
They quickly arrived at the Ninja Academy.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Naruto glanced at Gaara and asked curiously, "Is this our new classmate?"
Ino and the others looked over as well.
"Not yet." Kitazawa replied, then instructed, "Sakura, go fetch Sasuke."
Sasuke had been at home acclimating to his Mangekyō Sharingan and hadn't attended class during this time.
"Okay!" Sakura immediately turned and ran off excitedly.
"His name is Gaara. Naruto—why don't you spar with him?" Kitazawa said with a smile.
"No problem!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "Gaara, let's have a youthful battle!"
"Nonsense," Gaara replied coldly. "I will kill you."
Yakumo and the others stiffened slightly at his words.
Kitazawa, however, made no move to stop him. After all, Gaara would soon pay dearly for that arrogance.
The Genius Class students retreated to the sides, clearing the training field.
"Battle begins," Kitazawa announced.
Gaara raised his hand expressionlessly. Sand surged violently from beneath the ground.
Then—He froze.
Crimson chakra erupted skyward. Naruto stood unmoving, six tails unfurling behind him.
"Nine-Tails Jinchūriki…?" Gaara felt a jolt of fear as danger pressed in from every direction.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto roared.
More than two thousand shadow clones burst into existence.
"…?" A large question mark appeared on Gaara's face.
As a Jinchūriki, he had always overwhelmed others through sheer chakra volume. Never had he imagined being crushed in a contest of chakra.
Without hesitation, Gaara waved both hands.
Because Naruto and his clones were already charging forward, shouting about "youth."
Centered on Gaara, the sand formed countless shuriken and fired outward.
"Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken!" Naruto responded instantly.
The dense shuriken collided violently. But the Wind Release technique tore through the sand shuriken and surged straight toward Gaara.
"Sand Shield!" Gaara instinctively formed his defense.
The Sand Shield—his Absolute Defense—originated from his mother, Karura, and under normal circumstances could protect him automatically.
"Rasengan!" Naruto raised his hand and slammed it down without the slightest hesitation.
The nearby Shadow Clones followed in perfect coordination.
Boom! More than a dozen Rasengans crashed into the Sand Shield at once, blasting it full of holes.
Sand Coffin!
Gaara's expression changed drastically as he raised his hand and aimed it straight at Naruto.
Countless grains of sand surged up from the ground, attempting to wrap around him from every direction.
Catch the leader first.
Only by suppressing the main body could he deal with these countless Shadow Clones.
"Konoha Dragon God!"
Naruto reacted instantly and began spinning at high speed. The moment the sand drew close, it was swept up by an enormous dragon.
"What?!" Gaara's pupils trembled violently.
"Konoha Dragon God!" Seeing this, the other Shadow Clones showed no restraint.
Countless green dragons erupted into motion, spinning and charging straight toward Gaara.
"That's brutal." Shikamaru shook his head.
"Yeah." Hyūga Neji nodded in agreement.
"But Gaara really is strong," Kiba said as he watched Gaara struggle to hold on. "No wonder he was so arrogant earlier."
"The Genius Class never lacks talent." Tenten chuckled softly.
"That's true." Sakura's voice followed.
"Who's fighting Naruto?" Sasuke asked, slightly puzzled.
"His name is Gaara. Teacher Kitazawa brought him here. That's all I know." Ino explained.
"But he was extremely confident before," Kiba added with a grin. "Even said he wanted to kill Naruto."
"Oh?" Sasuke's gaze sharpened. "That doesn't seem to be going very well for him."
"I guess you'll be sparring with him later," Shikamaru said after a moment's thought. "Otherwise, Kitazawa-sensei wouldn't have called you here."
Sasuke was about to respond when a deafening crash echoed across the field.
Gaara was blown away by the impact.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, another massive dragon slammed into him. For a brief moment, his body was tossed helplessly through the air.
"His defensive ability is impressive," Sasuke remarked with some surprise.
He knew all too well how destructive Konoha Dragon God was. If it were anyone else, they would've been torn apart long ago.
"There's a special layer of sand protecting his body." Neji activated his Byakugan and spoke.
"But he won't be able to hold on much longer." Shino adjusted his glasses calmly.
"Cracks have already formed." Hinata had also opened her Byakugan.
Almost the moment she finished speaking, Kitazawa appeared directly in front of Gaara.
Seeing this, Naruto immediately stopped spinning and dispelled the Konoha Dragon God.
Kitazawa flashed to the edge of the field using Body Flicker.
Freed from the pressure, Gaara collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his entire body trembling.
"Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Pairing you with him isn't fair." Kitazawa reached out to heal Gaara and continued, "I'll give you another opponent. Her name is Yakumo."
Gaara froze for a moment, then nodded inwardly. In his view, Naruto had overwhelmed him purely through monstrous chakra reserves.
"Yakumo, you'll spar with him." Kitazawa straightened and said.
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei." Yakumo was slightly surprised, but she still stepped calmly into the center of the field.
Gaara took a deep breath and looked at her, feeling noticeably more relaxed.
That suffocating pressure from Naruto's chakra was gone. And as far as he knew, Konoha only had one Jinchūriki—the Nine-Tails.
"Do you think he can resist Yakumo's genjutsu?" Kiba asked curiously.
"He can't," Sasuke answered with certainty.
Only after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan did he truly understand just how terrifying Yakumo's illusions were.
That was precisely why he had been unable to break free from her genjutsu before.
Of course, things were different now.
He possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan—an illusion-based bloodline limit that stood on equal footing with Yakumo.
"There's no need to speculate," Tayuya spoke calmly. "Gaara has already fallen into the illusion."
Kimimaro shook his head silently. He saw his former self reflected in Gaara.
Capable, yes—but still far from being a true genius.
"A completely one-sided fight," Ino commented.
"After all, it's Yakumo." Sakura echoed.
Kitazawa smiled faintly. Among Yakumo's three genjutsu, only Genjutsu: Creation was slightly weaker.
Both Terrifying Illusion and Genjutsu: Five Senses were comparable to Mangekyō Sharingan techniques.
Without Shukaku, Gaara was naturally no match for Kurama Yakumo.
The battle was already over.
Yakumo dispelled the illusion.
Gaara collapsed once more, drenched in sweat, as if he'd just been pulled out of water.
He glanced instinctively at Yakumo, fear flickering in his eyes.
Because of his earlier harsh words, Yakumo had shown no mercy—using both Terrifying Illusion and Five Senses.
Inside the illusion, Gaara had been utterly crushed.
"Gaara, as the saying goes, things don't happen more than three times. I'll give you one last chance."
Kitazawa healed him again and continued, "Next, you'll spar with Sasuke."
"…." Gaara was no longer as irritable as before.
After being beaten down twice, he finally understood—every student in the Genius Class was extraordinary.
"Sasuke," Kitazawa called out after finishing the treatment.
Sasuke stepped onto the field.
Gaara clenched his fists, stood up, and locked eyes with him.
"I won't use genjutsu," Sasuke said calmly. "So you don't accuse me of bullying you."
Gaara frowned immediately. This guy is just as arrogant as I am.
He snorted coldly and raised his hand without hesitation.
Massive amounts of yellow sand surged forward, forming a gigantic hand that lunged toward Sasuke.
"Too slow." Sasuke activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and easily evaded the attack.
Drawing the Sword of the Thunder God, he accelerated instantly.
Gaara's heart skipped a beat. Those eyes… what's wrong with them?!
He hurriedly summoned sand to form a defense in front of himself—but he was still too slow.
Hatake Sword Technique!
Sasuke thrust straight for Gaara's heart. The blade didn't pierce through—sand armor covered his entire body.
Lightning Release: Chidori Katana!
Sasuke formed a seal with one hand.
A piercing bird-like cry rang out as lightning surged along the Sword of the Thunder God, tearing through the sand armor.
Fresh blood seeped out.
Gaara screamed in pain and erupted in fury, commanding all the surrounding sand to surge toward Sasuke.
"A futile effort." Sasuke vanished from his sight.
Gaara froze.
He instinctively scanned his surroundings, and in the next instant, a violent chakra fluctuation exploded behind him.
Gaara spun around sharply and saw Sasuke.
Yin Release: Rasengan!
Sasuke did not hesitate. He lifted a massive Rasengan and slammed it straight into Gaara's back.
It was far too fast—Gaara didn't even have time to react.
Fortunately, the sand left behind by his mother, Karura, responded instinctively and shielded him.
Even so, he was still sent flying. Gaara crashed to the ground, a searing pain spreading across his back.
"You lost, Gaara." Sasuke raised his hand. Dazzling lightning crackled around his palm, emitting a sharp, piercing sound.
Gaara's defense was strong—but it was not absolute.
Of course, the decisive factor was Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan. He could see through every one of Gaara's movements.
With the added spatial teleportation granted by Tenjōtōtsuki, Sasuke defeated him with ease.
"How can Sasuke-kun teleport?" Sakura's eyes widened as she spoke.
"Could it be the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Kiba asked in shock.
"It's not the Flying Thunder God." Shikamaru paused, then continued, "But it should be some kind of space-time ninjutsu."
"Sasuke actually learned space-time ninjutsu?" Ino couldn't help but ask. "When did he learn something like that? How come I didn't know?"
"Those eyes aren't Three-Tomoe Sharingan," Shino pointed out quietly. "They look far more formidable."
"It's the Mangekyō Sharingan!" Naruto immediately gave a thumbs-up and laughed. "As expected of my rival! What a troublesome youth!"
Even though he hadn't fought Sasuke yet, Naruto could already imagine how annoying a space-time technique similar to Flying Thunder God would be.
Still, the stronger Sasuke became, the more excited Naruto felt.
"What's Mangekyō Sharingan?" Chino asked curiously.
Her Blood Dragon Eye was as famous as the Sharingan, yet she had never heard of the Mangekyō.
"It's… the advanced version of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan." Naruto scratched his head. "I don't really know the details."
"So the Three-Tomoe Sharingan can evolve further?" Kiba froze for a moment, then blurted out, "You guys are all monsters!"
Neji instinctively clenched his fist. He was now completely behind Sasuke.
Although the Byakugan granted nearly all-around vision, reacting to sudden spatial movement was still extremely difficult.
On top of that, Mangekyō Sharingan-level genjutsu was something he likely couldn't handle either.
Why doesn't the Byakugan have a next stage…? A wave of frustration rose in Neji's heart.
If it weren't for the Fate-Breaking Bow Kitazawa had given him, the gap between him and Naruto and Sasuke would be even wider.
Kimimaro also felt a sense of powerlessness. His Shikotsumyaku had no real advantage against the Mangekyō Sharingan.
As for Tayuya, she had already given up entirely. If we can't beat them anyway, it doesn't really matter how much stronger Sasuke gets.
"The sparring session is over. Everyone, return to training." Kitazawa clapped his hands.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." The members of the Genius Class dispersed one after another, Sasuke included.
"How was it?" Kitazawa walked over to Gaara, extended his hands, and began treating him again.
"…" Gaara remained silent.
"They're all about your age," Kitazawa added calmly.
"I lost, so you can do whatever you want with me," Gaara said expressionlessly.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll attend school with them." Kitazawa smiled.
"What?" Gaara thought he had misheard, disbelief written all over his face.
"What—are you going back on your word?" Kitazawa asked rhetorically.
"I won't break my promise." Gaara paused briefly, then said, "I'll come to school tomorrow."
[Current Task: Make Gaara Join the Genius Class.]
[Task Reward: Master-level Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation.]
[The host has completed the task; reward issued.]
Kitazawa glanced at the three lines of text and felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
At present, he only lacked mastery over Earth Release and Fire Release chakra nature transformations.
I wonder… once all seven chakra natures reach mastery, will new abilities emerge? Perhaps even manually creating Truth-Seeking Orbs.
"Let's go." Kitazawa stood up and said, "I've already arranged a place for you to stay. I'll take you there now."
Gaara nodded and followed him out of the Ninja Academy. In less than three minutes, they arrived at a two-story house.
"To make it easier for you to attend school, we found you a place nearby." Kitazawa took out a key and opened the door.
Gaara followed him into the living room without saying a word.
He had no particular requirements regarding where he lived, so he stayed silent the entire time.
Seeing this, Kitazawa didn't say anything further.
Once Gaara and Naruto grew closer, his personality would naturally begin to change.
After all, Gaara hadn't been inherently cruel—he'd simply been driven half-mad by Rasa's twisted trials.
"You should get some rest." Kitazawa handed the keys to Gaara and said with a smile. "See you tomorrow."
He vanished on the spot using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The next moment, he appeared at the ANBU Base.
These days, Kitazawa comes to ANBU almost daily. The main reason was to avoid missing any movements from the Akatsuki Organization.
He casually picked up a document from his desk and began reading.
His eyebrows lifted slightly. The Akatsuki Organization's operation to capture a Tailed Beast had failed—for the first time.
That said, considering the targets were the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Nii Yugito, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, failure wasn't surprising.
Still, at its core, this was another butterfly effect caused by Kitazawa.
Because of changes in the timeline, the Hidden Cloud Village had consolidated its defenses around Yugito and Killer Bee.
With support from the Fourth Raikage and elite ninja, the Akatsuki members were ultimately forced to retreat.
Kitazawa stroked his chin thoughtfully. At this rate, the Five Kage Summit shouldn't be far off.
The Five Great Ninja Villages would soon realize that no single village could handle the Akatsuki alone.
Even so, Kitazawa had no intention of attending any Five Kage Summit.
He set the document down, stood up, and headed for the Forest of Death to continue cultivating.
The next day.
Gaara arrived at the Ninja Academy right on time.
After Kitazawa officially announced his addition to the Genius Class, Naruto and the others accepted him without resistance.
However, Gaara still couldn't adapt to it immediately.