"This Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is truly miraculous."
Tsunade sighed softly as she looked at Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan resting in her hands.
"They've already turned into ordinary eyes." Kitazawa glanced at them and replied calmly.
"Yeah." Tsunade nodded. "I still can't understand the principle behind it."
"It's probably a power hidden deep within the bloodline." Kitazawa pondered briefly before answering.
Since Tsunade couldn't make sense of it, she stopped dwelling on the matter. After all, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was something extremely difficult to replicate.
Sasuke was exceptionally fortunate to have been able to transplant Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.
By comparison, even if Uchiha Itachi had wanted to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he wouldn't have been able to find another Mangekyō Sharingan to transplant.
That was without even mentioning ninjas who weren't from the Uchiha Clan.
Tsunade felt that this would likely be the only Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan surgery she would ever perform in her lifetime.
"Tsunade-sensei, you should head back to the Hokage Office first." After thinking for a moment, Kitazawa spoke again. "Leave things here to me."
"Alright." Tsunade removed her gloves and smiled faintly. "Walk me to the Hokage Office."
"My pleasure." Kitazawa extended his hand.
Since this involved the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, no one else had participated in the surgery besides the two of them.
Moreover, Sasuke still hadn't woken up, so there was nothing to worry about.
Tsunade took his hand.
The two of them arrived together at the Hokage Office.
"See you next time." Kitazawa kissed her lightly and returned to the operating room.
He found a chair, sat down, and waited quietly for Sasuke to awaken.
Half an hour later, Sasuke suddenly sat upright. He immediately noticed that his vision felt dull and that his eyes were wrapped in bandages.
"You've just finished surgery. You need to rest for a while before the bandages can be removed." Kitazawa spoke calmly.
"So… did I awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
"If everything goes smoothly, then yes—it's already a success." Kitazawa smiled.
"Great—hiss!" Sasuke was interrupted mid-sentence by a sharp surge of pain.
"Some discomfort right after fusion is normal," Kitazawa explained.
Sasuke nodded, suppressed his excitement, and slowly let out a long breath.
With the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, his chances of defeating Naruto would be even greater.
It was worth noting that he hadn't truly fought Naruto during the previous semester.
One reason was that he had spent most of his time familiarizing himself with and mastering the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Another was that the team-based restrictions during the final exams prevented him from going all out.
In truth, Sasuke could have challenged Naruto one-on-one, but he chose not to.
He wanted to wait until he awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and became a contractor of Ryūchi Cave before issuing that challenge.
Seeing that Sasuke was stable, Kitazawa opened the door.
"Sasuke!" Uchiha Mikoto hurried forward.
"Lord Kitazawa, how is Sasuke's condition?" Itachi remained relatively calm and immediately asked.
"He has already awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan." After a brief pause, Kitazawa added, "The bandages can be removed in half a month."
"Thank you, Lord Kitazawa." A rare smile appeared on Uchiha Itachi's face.
Uchiha Fugaku nearly burst into laughter on the spot.
Fortunately, he remembered that this was an operating room—and that Kitazawa was present—so he barely managed to restrain himself.
Even so, his face was filled with unconcealed joy.
Very few people knew about the Rinnegan.
In Fugaku's eyes, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan represented the pinnacle of the Uchiha Clan.
For Sasuke to reach that pinnacle at just eleven years old meant that he would surely surpass the limits of the Uchiha in the future.
From another perspective, it also meant he was drawing closer and closer to becoming Hokage.
"Kitazawa-sensei, can I practice Lightning Release: Kirin during this time?" Sasuke asked urgently.
"You can practice, but you must not use the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan." Kitazawa nodded.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei." Sasuke had no intention of spending half a month resting at home and wasting time.
Especially now—Naruto's strength was growing rapidly, and he couldn't afford to fall behind.
After the Uchiha family left, Kitazawa went to find Orochimaru. Without much effort, he obtained the contract scroll for Ryūchi Cave.
Orochimaru didn't particularly value Ryūchi Cave and handed it over quite readily.
After a brief thought, Kitazawa simply wrote his own name onto the contract scroll.
In theory, a ninja could sign contracts with multiple summoning beasts. But in practice, there was little point.
Most summoning beasts weren't especially useful.
The Three Great Sage Regions, however, were different—each possessed tremendously powerful summoning beasts.
Yet there was a complication.
There existed an unspoken rivalry among the Three Great Sage Regions, and in theory, they wouldn't choose the same contractor.
That said, as the saying goes, physical persuasion solves everything.
Kitazawa put away the contract scroll. He planned to visit Ryūchi Cave with Sasuke once Sasuke had fully recovered.
Manda wasn't the only unruly snake in Ryūchi Cave—there were many others.
He intended to deal with them all at once, ensuring none would cause trouble in future battles.
After thinking it over, Kitazawa headed to the Ninja Academy. Even though it was vacation, the students of the Genius Class were still training.
"Hinata." Kitazawa's gaze settled on Hinata as she practiced Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven.
Hinata jogged over. After stopping, she exhaled lightly and looked at him with an expectant expression.
"Would you like to become a contractor of Shikkotsu Forest?" Kitazawa reached out, patted her head, and asked.
"Eh?" Hinata's pupils shrank instantly.
She naturally understood what becoming a Shikkotsu Forest contractor meant.
She was stunned that Kitazawa had chosen her. She had assumed it would be Sakura, Karin, or the others studying Medical Ninjutsu.
But soon, excitement replaced her shock, her cheeks turning red.
A thought surfaced in her mind.
Did Kitazawa-sensei's choosing her as a Shikkotsu Forest contractor mean he had chosen her as a true disciple?
After all, the Ninja World placed immense importance on the teacher–student relationship.
That was why Hinata couldn't help but think that way.
"What, you don't want to?" Kitazawa chuckled.
"I do!" Hinata nodded hurriedly.
"But it's not just you." Kitazawa then called over Neji, Karin, Shion, and Sakura Haruno.
Only then did Hinata realize she had misunderstood earlier. Though slightly disappointed, her fighting spirit burned even brighter.
After all, Kitazawa's true disciples had not yet been decided—she still had to work hard.
"I'll take you all to the Forest of Death." Kitazawa activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The six of them appeared in a clearing within the Forest of Death.
"Write your names." Kitazawa took out the Shikkotsu Forest contract scroll and handed it to Hinata.
"Okay!" Hinata opened the scroll and couldn't help but smile when she saw the previous contractor's name.
She quickly wrote her own name right beside Kitazawa's. After finishing, she passed the scroll to Neji.
One by one, all five wrote their names.
"I'll now teach you the Summoning Technique." Kitazawa took the scroll back and spoke.
The Summoning Technique itself wasn't difficult.
Like the basic Three E-Rank Technique, it was a ninjutsu that most ninjas could master.
The real difficulty lay in obtaining a powerful summoning beast.
Before long, all five successfully grasped the Summoning Technique.
"Hinata, you'll do the summoning." Kitazawa pointed to her.
Hinata's expression turned serious as she carefully formed the hand seals.
She bit her thumb and pressed her palm firmly against the ground.
Bang! Thick smoke billowed out, and from within it emerged a gigantic slug.
Since it was her first summoning—and with Kitazawa watching—Hinata poured everything she had into it.
Staring at the enormous slug before her, she couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
The other four felt the same way. Sakura even jumped up in excitement.
After all, this was a summoning beast from one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
"This is the summoning beast of Shikkotsu Forest—the slug. Its true name is Katsuyu." Kitazawa introduced her calmly.
"You may address her as Lord Katsuyu."
"Lord Katsuyu!" All five called out at once.
"Lord Katsuyu, these are my five students." Kitazawa then introduced each of them to Katsuyu one by one.
"Hello, everyone." Katsuyu's voice was gentle and unhurried.
If this had been Ryūchi Cave or Mount Myōboku, they likely wouldn't have accepted five new contractors all at once.
But Shikkotsu Forest—or rather, Katsuyu—was different.
First, her temperament was exceptionally mild. Second, she was the only slug in the entirety of Shikkotsu Forest.
Most of the time, she was quite bored, and since Kitazawa and Tsunade rarely summoned her, she didn't leave Shikkotsu Forest very often.
Now that five new contractors had been added in one go, her chances of being summoned would increase considerably, which would help pass the time.
"Eh?" Hinata looked confused when she heard how casually Katsuyu spoke.
Sakura and the others were equally surprised.
In their minds, summoning beasts from the Three Great Sage Regions were supposed to be lofty existences—if not arrogant, then at least difficult to approach.
They hadn't expected Katsuyu to be this polite.
"Lord Katsuyu is just like that." Kitazawa smiled faintly. "You can each decide how you want to address her."
The five exchanged glances.
"I'll now explain Lord Katsuyu's abilities to you." As he spoke, Kitazawa pinched Hinata's cheek lightly.
Katsuyu possessed many abilities.
Her only offensive technique was Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid; all her other abilities were supportive in nature.
Among those, the most important for Hinata and Neji were Katsuyu's Immense Network and Vision Sharing.
For Sakura and the others, the most valuable abilities were remote healing and the Slug Technique.
Especially the Slug Technique.
In the original timeline, Tsunade had used Katsuyu's clones to heal every ninja in Konoha Village by herself.
In terms of medical support, it could truly be called the ultimate Medical Ninjutsu.
"Lord Katsuyu, thank you for today. Until next time." After finishing his explanation, Kitazawa allowed Katsuyu to return to Shikkotsu Forest.
As for Sage Mode, it wasn't time for Hinata and the others to learn it yet.
Although it was never explicitly stated, Kitazawa estimated that they likely lacked the innate talent for Sage Mode.
After all, even Sasuke—one of the main protagonists—had never mastered it. Still, there was no harm in trying.
When he had time, Kitazawa could teach them. If they managed to learn it, their strength would increase by leaps and bounds.
"If you ever encounter danger while out on missions in the future, you can summon Lord Katsuyu."
After giving them this reminder, Kitazawa sent them back to the Ninja Academy.
---
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Early one morning, Kitazawa arrived at the Uchiha Clan compound. Today was the day Sasuke's bandages would be removed.
Kitazawa walked up to Sasuke and carefully unwrapped the bandages covering his eyes.
Fugaku and the others watched with expressions filled with anticipation.
Once the bandages were removed and Sasuke adjusted to the light, he immediately activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
The three tomoe spun rapidly, transforming into a six-pointed star, within which a four-pointed windmill pattern emerged at the core.
Fugaku and Itachi didn't need Kitazawa to explain anything—they could feel the difference instantly.
Compared to the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was even more captivating… and far more powerful.
Sasuke clenched his fist, sensing the surge in his ocular power.
If he were to use his Mangekyō technique, Tengan Baizō, again, the Chakra amplification would rise from twofold to threefold.
"Congratulations, Sasuke." Kitazawa smiled.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!" Sasuke replied excitedly.
At that very moment, he was itching to go find Naruto and challenge him to a duel.
"Adapt to it for two days first. Then I'll take you to Ryūchi Cave." Kitazawa offered calmly.
Sasuke froze for a moment—then his excitement skyrocketed.
Naruto had obtained a summoning beast from Mount Myōboku. Now he would be getting one from Ryūchi Cave.
In terms of summoning beasts, the two of them would finally be evenly matched.
Fugaku instinctively glanced at Itachi. Both of them knew exactly what kind of place Ryūchi Cave was.
Why was Kitazawa taking Sasuke there? Was it to make him a contractor of Ryūchi Cave?
While increased strength was one reason, their thoughts immediately turned to Konoha's Sannin.
Was Sasuke being groomed as one of the new Three Sannin of Konoha? The thought filled both Fugaku and Itachi with a surge of delight.
"Let me check your condition." Kitazawa raised his hand and placed it gently over Sasuke's eyes.
Chakra flowed out and circulated through Sasuke's body.
"Everything looks normal." Kitazawa nodded. "If you experience any problems, inform me immediately."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke answered without hesitation.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
"Kitazawa-sama, an ANBU ninja is requesting your presence." A Uchiha ninja reported from the doorway.
"The matter here is settled, so I'll take my leave. No need to see me out." After bidding farewell to Fugaku and the others, Kitazawa departed.
"Kitazawa-sama." Haru bowed slightly after meeting him.
"Hokage-sama requests that you go to the Hokage Office immediately." Kitazawa nodded and directly used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"This is the intelligence we just received." As soon as Tsunade saw him, she handed over a scroll.
Kitazawa took it and began reading.
The contents were straightforward. The Akatsuki Organization had struck again, capturing Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure.
With this, only four of the nine Tailed Beasts remained unsealed.
The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails were in the Hidden Cloud Village.
The Nine-Tails was in Konoha Village.
And the Seven-Tails was in Takigakure.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The Akatsuki Organization's next target was obvious—Takigakure.
Both the Hidden Cloud Village and Konoha Village were difficult opponents and would require the Akatsuki to concentrate their forces.
Takigakure, by contrast, was a small village with fairly average strength.
The only complication was its extremely remote location—easy to defend, but difficult to assault.
However, Kakuzu originated from Takigakure. He would certainly know how to get in.
Kitazawa felt a faint trace of surprise. Because Fū, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, had not yet been captured.
After thinking it through, he roughly understood why.
First, the Akatsuki Organization was capturing the Jinchūriki in sequence.
Second, they were severely understaffed—and Kakuzu, in particular, was stretched thin.
"In addition, we've also received a request for assistance from Takigakure." Tsunade produced another scroll.
"The leader of Takigakure, Shibuki, hopes that we can send someone to protect the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki."
Kitazawa's heart stirred. This was a perfect opportunity.
The Akatsuki Organization would undoubtedly dispatch Kakuzu.
By now, Kakuzu's reputation within the Ninja World was already formidable.
First, because he had repeatedly captured Jinchūriki and Tailed Beasts.
Second, because he was infamous within the underground black market.
"The best solution is to bring the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki back to Konoha Village." After thinking for a moment, Kitazawa spoke.
It was impossible for Konoha's ninja to remain stationed in Takigakure indefinitely.
Moreover, unless Kitazawa personally guarded the area, defending it thoroughly would be impossible.
And that, too, was unrealistic.
"Shibuki probably won't agree." Tsunade shook her head.
The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki would undoubtedly be safer in Konoha Village than in Takigakure.
However, a Jinchuriki was both a taboo and the ultimate weapon of a ninja village—no village would willingly hand such a thing over to another.
"I'll go there personally," Kitazawa said casually.
Tsunade immediately understood what he was planning. After a brief moment of consideration, she nodded in agreement.
As Hokage, she had to know when to be flexible. As long as it benefited Konoha Village and didn't cross a fundamental line, she could accept it.
"Takigakure has sent a Jōnin named Kegon." Tsunade continued, "The situation is urgent. Go with him to Takigakure first."
"I'll have a Shadow Clone accompany him back to Takigakure."
Kitazawa considered it and added, "When the time comes, I'll rush over using the Flying Thunder God Technique."
He planned to wait two days, first taking Sasuke to Ryūchi Cave, and only then head to Takigakure.
Of course, if members of the Akatsuki Organization arrived at Takigakure earlier than expected, he would immediately abandon the Ryūchi Cave trip.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique really is convenient." Tsunade couldn't help but remark with a smile.
Even though she had said it more than once.
"It really is." Kitazawa blinked and replied, "Without the Flying Thunder God Technique, it wouldn't be easy for me to get to your room at night."
"The Flying Thunder God Technique isn't meant for that!" Tsunade shot him a glare.
"Then should I not use the Flying Thunder God Technique tonight?" Kitazawa asked calmly.
"Do you want to die?" Tsunade clenched her fist reflexively, anger flashing in her eyes.
"I'll personally teach you what it means to respect your teacher today!"
"I'll definitely study hard tonight," Kitazawa answered with a serious expression.
"…" Tsunade laughed in exasperation, lifted her long, shapely leg, and kicked him.
"See you tonight." Kitazawa glanced at her thigh and spoke suggestively. "You can kick me however you want tonight."
"Don't disturb my work!" Tsunade's legs tensed instinctively as she immediately ordered him out.
If this continued, she really would end up disciplining him right there in the Hokage Office.
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa stopped teasing her and turned to leave.
He first had his Shadow Clone accompany Kegon to Takigakure. After that, his main body returned to the Ninja Academy.
The vacation was already more than halfway over, and a new semester was about to begin.
By academic standards, it would be their final year. If nothing unexpected happened, Naruto and the others would graduate next March.
At that point, they would likely make it in time for the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Logically speaking, once Konoha Village absorbed the Akatsuki Organization, there shouldn't be a Fourth Great Ninja War at all.
But Kitazawa had no intention of returning the Tailed Beasts to the other ninja villages.
After all, he wasn't Senju Hashirama. If the Tailed Beasts weren't returned, the other villages would never let the matter rest.
The Fourth Great Ninja War would still arrive on schedule.
How should it be put? A Great Ninja War that was guaranteed to be won was absolutely worth fighting.
More importantly, Kitazawa could use it as an opportunity to trigger a series of system missions.
If his strength didn't surpass that of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, he wouldn't feel secure. After all, beings like Ōtsutsuki Urashiki would eventually descend upon the Ninja World.
Kitazawa's gaze swept across the training ground and finally settled on Akimichi Chōji.
Akimichi Chōji had been diligently studying the Akimichi Clan's Secret Techniques. By now, he had mastered almost everything—except for Butterfly Mode.
In the original timeline, the first time Butterfly Mode appeared was during Chōji's battle with Jirōbō of the Sound Four.
At the time, his strength was insufficient, forcing him to rely on the Akimichi Clan's secret pills.
In that state, all the fat he had accumulated was converted into Chakra, transforming him into a lean young man.
But the side effects of those pills were severe—so severe that they nearly cost him his life.
It wasn't until the Fourth Great Ninja War that Chōji could use Butterfly Mode with his own strength, completely eliminating those side effects.
Naturally, Kitazawa couldn't directly teach him Butterfly Mode.
However, he thought of a Ninjutsu perfectly suited to him: Yang Release Chakra Mode.
The Akimichi Clan's habit of eating enormous quantities of food to store fat was, at its core, a solution to insufficient Chakra.
Yang Release Chakra Mode could temporarily increase Chakra reserves. If Chōji could truly master it, he wouldn't even need to binge eat in the future.
After finishing Chōji's instruction, Kitazawa headed to the Forest of Death to train Wood Release: Wood Human Technique.
His Wood Human Technique was nearing completion. At this rate, he should be able to fully master it within a month.
On the third day, the situation in Takigakure remained temporarily stable.
Taking advantage of that window, Kitazawa brought Sasuke to Ryūchi Cave.
His method was simple. First, he summoned a small snake and placed a Flying Thunder God mark on it.
Then he sent the snake back to Ryūchi Cave. Finally, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to follow.
"Is this Ryūchi Cave?" Sasuke looked around in amazement.
Ryūchi Cave was indeed a cave—but it was enormous. At a glance, it didn't seem any smaller than Konoha Village.
[Current Mission: Conquer Ryūchi Cave.]
[Mission Reward: Ryūchi Cave Sage Art.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
The first thing that came to mind upon seeing the reward was the two Sage Arts used by Yakushi Kabuto in the original timeline.
One was Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation, which granted life to inorganic matter—allowing the user to manipulate rocks and terrain.
The other was Sage Art: White Rage Technique. It was essentially a composite Genjutsu with three-layered effects.
First, it emitted an intense flash of light to damage the target's vision.
Second, it produced a piercing sound that destroyed the target's hearing.
Finally, it used air vibrations to numb the target's bones, stripping them of the ability to move.
In the original story, Kabuto used these two Sage Arts against Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke, once forcing them into a disadvantage.
Among Ryūchi Cave's Sage Arts, Sage Art: White Rage Technique was undoubtedly the most valuable.
Kitazawa then thought of something else. The system's mission stated: Conquer Ryūchi Cave.
If that was the case, could he form a Summoning Beast unit?
While the summoning beasts of the Three Great Sage Regions were useless to him personally, they would be a tremendous asset to most ninja.
That included jōnin as well.
It seemed he would need to have a proper conversation with the White Snake Sage.
Originally, Kitazawa had planned to let Sasuke beat Manda and the others into submission.
But now that the White Snake Sage was involved, he would have to step in personally.