The sun slowly set in the west.
"Are… are you leaving?" Konan's voice, slightly hoarse, rang out softly.
"Yeah." Kitazawa nodded. "Get some rest."
Konan's eyelashes trembled as she struggled to prop herself up. Her snow-white skin was fully exposed to the cool air.
After lunch, she and Kitazawa had gone through a fierce battle.
As for the outcome, one could already tell from the weakness in her voice.
"What, not listening to me?" Kitazawa reached out, grasped her shoulders, and gently pressed her back down.
Konan opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she lay back beneath the covers, leaving only her head exposed.
At this moment, she felt an unexplainable panic, as though she might lose Kitazawa at any time.
Because of that, she never wanted to waste a single moment they could spend together.
Kitazawa placed his hand on her forehead.
A surge of Yang Release Chakra flowed into her body, soothing the fatigue deep within her muscles.
He could more or less guess what Konan was thinking.
The usually cool and distant woman had pushed herself far too hard today, to the point of recklessness.
If it weren't for the soundproof barrier, he suspected that the entire Hidden Rain Village would have heard her voice.
"Thank you." Konan felt her body gradually relax.
Kitazawa's fingers moved gently, separating strands of hair that had stuck together from sweat.
A faint blush still lingered on her face, making her look radiant and alluring, with a charm entirely her own.
"I'm heading back. I'll come see you next time." Kitazawa stood up and said.
"Mm," Konan responded softly, watching quietly as he disappeared.
---
Early morning, one week later.
Still half-asleep, Kitazawa heard urgent knocking at the door. He opened his eyes instinctively.
Tsunade, who was resting in his arms, frowned slightly.
"It shouldn't be Shizune-senpai," Kitazawa said casually. "She wouldn't knock like that."
"Which bastard is being this noisy?" Tsunade spoke as she shifted her body.
Almost unconsciously, she pressed her soft, well-curved figure against Kitazawa. The warmth coming from him made her feel exceptionally at ease.
"It's Lord Jiraiya." Kitazawa activated his Byakugan and immediately saw Jiraiya knocking outside.
A subtle sense of awkwardness rose in his heart.
"That bastard is asking for a beating!" Tsunade sat up at once, irritation clear in her voice. "And Shizune didn't even stop him!"
"Don't blame Shizune-senpai." Kitazawa reached out and lightly massaged her breast, speaking calmly. "You can sleep a bit longer. I'll go deal with him."
"Can I still sleep after this?" Tsunade shot him a glare.
"Sorry. Force of habit." Kitazawa withdrew his hand, expression perfectly natural.
"You act like a kid every single day." The corners of Tsunade's lips curved upward as she teased him.
"In front of Tsunade-sensei, I'm willing to be a child." Kitazawa licked the corner of his mouth.
"I think you're looking for a beating too!" Tsunade clenched her fist in warning.
But with her current unclad state, the threat carried very little intimidation—especially as her body swayed slightly with the motion.
"I wouldn't dare." Kitazawa leaned in, kissed her lightly, and said, "I'll go see Lord Jiraiya first."
"Go back to your room and change." Tsunade reminded him.
She didn't dare let a second person know about her relationship with Kitazawa.
Kitazawa nodded. He understood her concerns well—she was worried about gossip.
But he also had his own solution. Become the strongest in the Ninja World. Or even unify it.
At that point, no one would dare gossip about them.
Kitazawa returned to his room, changed his clothes, and went to the living room.
"Kitazawa? What are you doing here?" Jiraiya froze when he saw him.
He had only just returned to the village and gone straight to the Hokage Building.
After learning that Tsunade had moved to the Senju clan compound, he hurried over immediately.
He hadn't expected to see Kitazawa here as well.
"Jiraiya-sama." Kitazawa explained, "Tsunade-sensei let Kurenai and me move in."
"I see." A look of realization dawned on Jiraiya's face.
He could more or less guess Tsunade's reasoning. As for any special relationship between Tsunade and Kitazawa, he didn't even consider it.
The reason was simple. In the Ninja World, the teacher-student bond was held in extremely high regard.
Something like what was happening between Tsunade and Kitazawa had never occurred before.
"Tsunade probably hasn't woken up yet." Kitazawa gestured politely. "Lord Jiraiya, please have a seat."
"Mm." Jiraiya nodded and sat down on the sofa, picking up the tea Shizune had poured for him.
After serving the tea, Shizune went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Under normal circumstances, she should have woken Tsunade first—but Jiraiya had taken it upon himself, which led to the earlier commotion.
"Tsunade really did take in a good student."
Jiraiya sighed after taking a sip of tea. "I never imagined that under your guidance, Naruto would actually defeat Sasori."
Sasori of the Red Sand had been famous for a long time. After killing the Third Kazekage, his reputation had only grown.
Naturally, his strength had reached the very top tier of the Ninja World.
When Jiraiya first heard that Naruto had defeated Sasori, he thought it was someone with the same name.
After all, the Fourth Hokage only had one son.
"It was Naruto's own hard work," Kitazawa replied modestly.
"He's only eleven years old." Jiraiya shook his head. "No matter how hard he works, that kind of strength is still unbelievable."
"Let's talk business."
Kitazawa changed the subject. "Tsunade-sensei asked you back this time because she wants Naruto to become a Mount Myōboku contractor."
"I already planned on that." Jiraiya smiled. "I just didn't expect him to grow this fast—qualified even before graduation."
In the original timeline, Jiraiya waited until Naruto graduated before bringing him to Mount Myōboku.
At that time, Naruto was still weak, and Jiraiya took him on a three-year training journey.
Those three years laid the foundation for Naruto's explosive growth later.
"Now that the Akatsuki Organization is capturing Tailed Beasts everywhere, it might be safer to send him to Mount Myōboku for a while."
Jiraiya continued. "I can also have him learn Sage Mode."
"I don't think that's appropriate." Kitazawa shook his head. "A ninja should have the courage to face danger head-on."
"What you say makes sense," Jiraiya replied seriously. "But he's still young. The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki cannot be lost."
"I agree with Kitazawa." The sound of high heels echoed as Tsunade, now neatly dressed, entered the living room.
"Tsunade." Jiraiya still insisted. "This needs careful consideration."
"Why don't we ask Naruto himself?" Kitazawa thought for a moment. "He's already eleven. He can make his own decision."
"That works." Jiraiya nodded. "I'll go find Naruto later."
"Why did you come so early in the morning just to disturb my sleep?" Tsunade sat down beside Kitazawa, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction.
"I just wanted to come ear—" Before Jiraiya could finish his sentence, he saw Tsunade clench her fist.
The rest of his words were immediately swallowed back down.
"Is the discussion finished?" Tsunade turned her gaze toward Kitazawa and asked.
"I've already informed Lord Jiraiya about Naruto's matter," Kitazawa replied calmly.
"Good." Tsunade nodded.
"Breakfast is ready. Come eat." At that moment, Shizune walked out of the kitchen.
Uzumaki Rina followed close behind her.
"Tsunade, why did you suddenly move back to the Senju Clan?" Jiraiya asked curiously.
"This is my home," Tsunade answered casually. "It's perfectly normal for me to move back."
"But moving back is pretty nice. It's livelier with more people around."
As he spoke, Jiraiya rubbed his hands together and asked, "So… can I stay here for a while?"
"No." Tsunade refused without hesitation. "This place is full of women. It's not appropriate for you to stay here."
"But isn't Kitazawa here too?" Jiraiya immediately countered.
"He lives with Kurenai," Tsunade replied with a straight face. "If you want a place to stay, go to Naruto's house. It'll be convenient for you to teach him there."
Jiraiya froze for a moment before realization struck. Had Kitazawa and Kurenai already become a couple?
Thinking about it carefully, that wasn't strange at all. After all, Kitazawa's qualities were obvious—he was far too outstanding.
If he were the same age as Tsunade, Jiraiya honestly suspected that even she wouldn't be able to resist his charm.
Fortunately, the age gap was enormous, and their relationship was that of teacher and student, making it absolutely impossible.
After breakfast, Tsunade, Shizune, and the others headed toward the Hokage Building.
Kitazawa and Jiraiya, on the other hand, went to the Ninja Academy.
"Sensei!" Jiraiya shouted loudly the moment he spotted Sarutobi Hiruzen in the distance.
"Jiraiya?" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked somewhat surprised. "When did you get back?"
"Lord Jiraiya!" Yamato and the others quickly greeted him.
Kakashi, in particular, looked like he wanted to ask when the next volume of Make-Out Paradise would be released.
"I just got back," Jiraiya replied. "I originally planned to go to the Land of Rain to investigate the Akatsuki Organization, but Tsunade had me return to teach Naruto."
"What exactly can you teach Naruto?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, echoing Tsunade's earlier question.
From their perspective, Naruto lacked nothing at this point.
With seven instructors teaching him in the Genius Class, it was far better than Jiraiya teaching alone.
"Sensei, the way you put it makes me sound like some useless ninja."
Jiraiya laughed. "I am one of Konoha's Sannin, you know."
"So what?" Sarutobi Hiruzen replied dismissively. "You were taught by me."
"I…" Jiraiya hesitated, then could only sigh. "The students of the Genius Class are truly too fortunate."
In terms of teaching ability, although he was quite capable, he still couldn't compare to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
"But there's one thing you still can't compare to me in." Jiraiya changed the topic with a grin. "Mount Myōboku."
"Becoming a Mount Myōboku contractor is fine, but he cannot leave Konoha as you did." Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly. "He is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"I understand." Jiraiya nodded.
Like Tsunade, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't particularly interested in the prophecies of Mount Myōboku.
"It's good that you understand." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded back.
"Then I'll go find Naruto." With that, Jiraiya walked toward Naruto.
Their conversation went smoothly. After all, Jiraiya had been Minato Namikaze's teacher.
A moment later, Naruto signed his name and officially became a Mount Myōboku contractor.
"Naruto, give it a try," Jiraiya said with a smile.
"Don't do it inside the academy." Kitazawa immediately reminded him.
With Naruto's current strength, he definitely wouldn't summon a tiny toad on his first attempt like in the past.
"Then let's go to the Forest of Death." Jiraiya thought for a moment and said.
"I'll send you there with the Flying Thunder God Technique," Kitazawa added.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique?" Jiraiya suddenly turned to look at him.
"You've been away too long."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said pointedly. "Otherwise, you'd know that Kitazawa has already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"You actually learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Jiraiya ignored Sarutobi Hiruzen and stared at Kitazawa in shock.
"Just a stroke of luck," Kitazawa replied with a smile.
"Tsunade really did take in a good student."
Jiraiya sighed again. "You've even surpassed Minato now. Among the three of us, you're the most formidable."
The three he referred to were himself, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
In the past, Minato Namikaze had relied on the Flying Thunder God Technique to dominate.
But now that Kitazawa possessed it as well—along with Wood Release—he had completely surpassed him.
Kitazawa smiled without replying.
Just as he was about to activate the Flying Thunder God Technique, he noticed the curious gazes of Sasuke and the others.
When Jiraiya and Naruto were talking earlier, they hadn't avoided the rest of the class.
Everyone already knew that Naruto had become a Mount Myōboku contractor.
Mount Myōboku was famous throughout the Ninja World—one of the three legendary holy lands of Summoning Beasts.
Yet none of them had ever seen it in person.
"You guys come too," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Your Flying Thunder God Technique can carry this many people?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief.
Kitazawa nodded and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the next instant, everyone vanished—and reappeared inside the Forest of Death.
"Summoning Technique!" The moment Naruto stabilized himself, he formed hand seals without hesitation.
Boom! An enormous toad descended from the sky.
Its body was entirely red, a pipe clenched in its mouth, and a short sword strapped at its waist.
"So cool!" Naruto immediately burst into excitement.
Ever since he'd seen Tenten's Chameleon Summon, Shiromari, he had dreamed of having a massive Summoning Beast of his own.
Now, that wish had finally come true.
Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.
A toad of that size—and from Mount Myōboku no less—its strength was certainly nothing ordinary.
And indeed, that was the case.
The toad Naruto summoned was Gamabunta, one of the strongest toads of Mount Myōboku.
He specialized in Water Release and swordsmanship, and had even used the Transformation Technique to briefly contend with One-Tailed Shukaku by turning into the Nine-Tails.
In the original history, Naruto called him the Toad Chief.
He was also one of the key factors that made Jiraiya one of Konoha's Sannin, standing on equal footing with Orochimaru's Manda and Tsunade's Katsuyu.
Kitazawa glanced at Sasuke.
After Sasuke's surgery was successful, he planned to take him to Orochimaru to obtain the Ryūchi Cave summoning scroll.
The only problem was that the snakes of Ryūchi Cave were notoriously brutal—especially Manda.
And there was no way Sasuke would ever offer sacrifices to that monster.
In Kitazawa's view, the solution was simple: beat it until it submitted.
If physical reasoning didn't work, then Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan could make it submit on a mental level instead.
But the question was—who should become the new contractor of Shikkotsu Forest?
Of course, there didn't have to be only one.
People like Sakura, Karin, and Shion could all become suitable contractors for Shikkotsu Forest.
Beyond them, even non–medical Ninjas such as Hinata and Neji would work just as well.
As this thought surfaced, Kitazawa suddenly realized that Hinata and Neji were actually exceptionally well-suited to Katsuyu.
The reason was simple: Katsuyu's clones could share vision.
In other words, Katsuyu's clones could be dispatched to areas beyond the range of the Byakugan.
Hinata and Neji could rely on another Katsuyu clone to achieve a theoretically infinite field of vision.
Moreover, Katsuyu's combat power was far from weak, allowing it to better protect them in their roles as long-range combatants.
After thinking it through for a long time, Kitazawa finally made his decision.
He would choose Hinata as the third member of the New Konoha's Three Sannin. Once her World-Extinction Arrow was revealed, her fame would soar instantly.
In any case, at Naruto and Sasuke's current level, they no longer truly needed a Medical Ninja at their side.
"We can head back to the academy now, Kitazawa."
After Jiraiya finished introducing Naruto to Gamabunta, he sent the toad back to Mount Myōboku.
This summoning had merely been to let Naruto test the Summoning Technique.
Other matters—especially the issue of training at Mount Myōboku and learning Sage Mode—would be explained to him clearly afterward.
Kitazawa nodded and once again activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The group returned to the Ninja Academy's training grounds.
"It's about time. You all go train." Kitazawa clapped his hands and said.
"Naruto, I still have a few things to tell you." Jiraiya took the initiative and spoke. "Come with me."
"Okay, Uncle Jiraiya." Naruto didn't treat Jiraiya as his master, like in the original timeline.
The reason was simple—Jiraiya hadn't actually taught him anything yet.
"Sasuke," Kitazawa spoke again, calling out to him.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Sasuke's eyes lit up as he asked eagerly, "Can I also get a Summoning Beast from one of the three Sage Regions?"
"You certainly can, but it'll have to wait a bit." Kitazawa nodded. "You have more important matters to handle right now."
"What is it?" Sasuke froze for a moment, then asked with rising excitement, "Are we going out on a mission?"
After Naruto became famous throughout the Ninja World, Sasuke had been waiting—waiting for his own chance to make a name for himself.
"No." Kitazawa shook his head. "It's the surgery for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?" Confusion appeared on Sasuke's face.
"It's the advanced form of the Mangekyō Sharingan," Kitazawa explained. "It allows you to use ocular techniques repeatedly without going blind."
"There's actually an advanced stage?" Aside from shock, Sasuke also felt an intense sense of pride.
As expected, the Uchiha Clan truly was the strongest Bloodline Limit clan!
"Prepare yourself." Kitazawa thought for a moment before saying, "Normally, use Naruto's Yang Release Chakra more frequently for activation."
Sasuke finally understood why he had been required to learn Yang Release Chakra activation.
It turned out this was all in preparation for awakening the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kitazawa turned his head and glanced at Jiraiya and Naruto in the distance.
In the original timeline, Naruto would have gone with Jiraiya to Mount Myōboku to learn Sage Mode.
But now, the chances of that happening were slim. After all, he had too many teachers and comrades here.
Before long, Jiraiya walked back over, his expression somewhat dejected. Clearly, his conversation with Naruto hadn't gone smoothly.
"He doesn't want to go to Mount Myōboku." Jiraiya sighed. "So he'll stay in Konoha Village and continue studying here."
"You can teach him Sage Mode in Konoha," Kitazawa suggested.
"I won't be staying in Konoha for too long," Jiraiya explained. "The Ninja World is in turmoil right now. The Child of Prophecy might appear at any time."
"You still want to go to the Hidden Rain Village?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
"I want to," Jiraiya replied, "but since Tsunade won't allow it, I'll remain in Konoha for now and observe the situation."
"If a ninja suspected to be the Child of Prophecy appears, I'll go find them." Kitazawa nodded.
He had already done everything he could. If Jiraiya truly wanted to walk into death, there was no way to stop him.
But for now, as Hokage, Tsunade could still restrain him.
"You can teach in the Genius Class during this period," Kitazawa added.
It just so happened that Kurenai was away for the time being, making Jiraiya a suitable substitute instructor.
"No problem." Jiraiya agreed immediately. "I can first test whether Naruto has the talent to cultivate Sage Mode."
After saying that, he took Naruto to another open clearing.
"Kitazawa-sensei, then what about my training?" Seeing Naruto leave, Sasuke couldn't help but ask.
"I'll teach you a new Lightning Release ninjutsu." Kitazawa suddenly had an idea. "An S-rank Lightning Release—Lightning Release: Kirin."
Naruto had gained the title Konoha's Dragon because of the Konoha Dragon God.
If Sasuke mastered Lightning Release: Kirin, he might earn the title Kirin of Konoha.
"Come with me." Kitazawa turned and walked away.
Kirin caused too much commotion to be taught inside the academy.
Sasuke followed eagerly. After all, he was about to learn an S-rank Lightning Release.
After teaching for an hour, Kitazawa left a Shadow Clone behind to continue the instruction.
He then went to the Land of Snow and brought Kurenai back.
Although she had returned to Konoha Village, she couldn't resume teaching at the Ninja Academy just yet.
She still needed to prepare for Konoha Village's first movie.
---
Time quietly entered April.
The Genius Class completed their Final Exams and entered their vacation period.
On the second day of the break, at Konoha Hospital, Sasuke lay on the operating table, eyes closed.
Outside the operating room, Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, and Itachi Uchiha waited.
Though they were worried, their trust in Kitazawa and Tsunade kept them from being overly anxious.
After all, the two most outstanding Medical Ninjas in the entire Ninja World were present.
Even if the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan failed to awaken, Sasuke would not suffer any harm.
[Current Mission: Help Uchiha Sasuke awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.]
[Mission Reward: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.]
[Host has completed the mission. Reward issued.]
Kitazawa looked at the three lines of text before him and finally let out a breath of relief.
Although Sasuke had yet to awaken, the system's confirmation meant the surgery was a complete success.
Kitazawa subconsciously blinked.
He could clearly feel his ocular power increase. However, aside from that, no new abilities appeared.
His thoughts drifted to the Rinnegan.
If he didn't rely on system missions, then to awaken the Rinnegan, he would likely need to gather the Chakra of both Ashura's and Indra's reincarnations.
But Kitazawa suspected that if he truly attempted such a thing, it might draw out the Sage of Six Paths himself.