There are plenty of ninja tool shops in Konoha. The most famous is Granny Cat's place—the Uchiha clan's go-to store. But Kitazawa had a better option: Tenten's family shop.
The blade Hinata gave him, Zangetsu, came from her family's forge. Kitazawa had gotten used to Zangetsu's feel.
For the second sword, he didn't want any fancy changes—just make it about the same.
It was Sunday. Before Kitazawa even reached the storefront, he heard Tenten's voice.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Tenten ran straight up to him.
"Tenten." Kitazawa nodded. "Is your dad in?"
"Are you here to buy ninja tools, Sensei?" Tenten caught on immediately. "I'll have my dad give you a discount!"
"You can approve a discount?" Kitazawa asked with a smile.
"Of course!" Tenten thumped her chest. "My dad will definitely agree!"
"Agree to what?" a voice cut in. A young man stood in the doorway, looking toward Kitazawa.
"Dad, this is the Kitazawa-sensei I told you about all the time!" Tenten pulled Kitazawa forward, grinning from ear to ear as she introduced them.
"So you're Kitazawa-sama?" the young man said politely. "I'm Tenmura. Thank you for looking after my daughter."
From Tenten he'd learned Kitazawa was the Academy's vice-principal and was learning medical ninjutsu under Tsunade, hence the honorific.
"Just call me Kitazawa." They shook hands, and Kitazawa got right to it. "Can you reforge a ninja blade?"
"No problem," Tenmura said with quiet confidence. "I'll make sure you're satisfied."
"Here's the blade that needs reforging." Kitazawa produced Kiba—the twin Thunder Blades.
Tenmura glanced down, and his eyes went wide. He hurried to take them, inspecting them closely.
"What blades!" he couldn't help exclaiming. "The smith who made these had technique even better than mine."
"There's someone out there better than you?" Tenten said, incredulous.
"My craft is decent, but there are a lot of smiths in the ninja world—there's always someone stronger," Tenmura replied. "There's even a village of smiths—Takumi—said to be made up of top-tier craftsmen."
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. In the original stories, Takumi Village really did have an arc: four shinobi called the Shitenshōnin were trying to revive an ultimate ninja tool to stand against the Five Great Villages.
"These two blades feel… familiar," Tenmura said, eyes narrowing. "Kitazawa-sama, swords of this quality must be famous, right?"
"They're called Kiba—the Thunder Blades," Kitazawa answered.
"One of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Hidden Mist?" Tenmura's eyes went wide, then understanding dawned. "No wonder they're so perfect." He didn't know who had forged them, but the seven blades were made with the full might of Kirigakure—the finest the village could produce.
"How did a sword of the Seven Swordsmen end up with you, Sensei?" Tenten asked, puzzled. She'd heard the legends of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen.
"We ran into Raiga Kurosuki in the Land of Rivers yesterday. I took them from him," Kitazawa said casually.
"Amazing!" Tenten gasped. Raiga certainly hadn't gifted the blades; the only explanation was that Kitazawa had defeated him. Tenmura looked shaken too. Now he understood why Kitazawa wanted Kiba reforged.
"Kitazawa-sama," Tenmura drew a breath. "What kind of swords do you want to reforge them into?"
"Like this one," Kitazawa said, drawing Zangetsu.
"I forged that," Tenmura said, recognizing it at a glance.
"H-Hinata asked you to make it," Tenten explained. "She gave it to Kitazawa-sensei."
"I see," Tenmura thought. What a 'rich young lady' move—dropping ten million ryō like it was nothing. If Hinata could make that kind of gesture for a classmate, maybe Tenten ought to, too…
He'd noticed Tenten's recent strides: she'd contracted the Shiromari as a summoning beast, and she'd learned both the Manipulated Shuriken Technique and the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Can you make two swords out of it?" Kitazawa asked, sheathing Zangetsu.
"More or less," Tenmura said after hefting Kiba. "There should be enough material."
"Then make it two," Kitazawa said with a nod.
"Mm." Tenmura thought for a moment. "It'll take about a month. Once the reforging's done, I'll have Tenten notify you."
"Thanks." Kitazawa asked, "What'll it cost to reforge two blades?"
"I've got the materials. It's just labor," Tenmura said, shaking his head. "You're Tenten's teacher—forget the fee. No charge."
"That doesn't seem right," Kitazawa said, a bit taken aback.
"It's fine," Tenmura said with a smile. "If anything, I should thank you—for letting me handle such magnificent blades."
"Much appreciated." Kitazawa didn't stand on ceremony. He hated those fake back-and-forth refusals—too much trouble. With everything settled, he said goodbye to Tenten and headed home. He'd been on the road most of yesterday and today and was exhausted. The moment he walked in, he felt refreshed.
"Home really is the best," he said, flopping onto the sofa and stretching.
"Where's Ranmaru?" Kurenai walked over.
"I handed him off to the Hokage." Kitazawa's eyes dropped, lingering on the alabaster of her thighs.
"So?" Kurenai asked with a smile. "What did Hokage-sama reward you with this time?" With someone like Raiga taken down, Hiruzen owed Kitazawa some recognition.
"An S-rank composite jutsu: Five Release—Great Combo," Kitazawa said, pulling her into his arms, his right hand already sinking into the soft flesh of her leg.
"That one?" Kurenai rolled her eyes at him but didn't pull away. Smiling, she said, "Feels like you've become a student of every Hokage."
"When you put it like that…" Kitazawa blinked. "All I'm missing is the First Hokage's Wood Release." He had the Second's water style, the Third's Five Release combo, the Fourth's Rasengan—add in the future Fifth's monster strength and the Sixth's Chidori.
Even the Eighth's Shadow Imitation and Shadow Gathering. Yes, in Boruto, Nara Shikamaru becomes the Eighth Hokage, even if only acting.
"Forget Wood Release—you're not learning that," Kurenai said, shaking her head.
"Maybe I can," Kitazawa said, holding her and talking nonsense. "It's just earth and water combined, right?"
"I might believe you a tiny bit, but if you say that in public, they'll call you delusional," Kurenai said, giving his thigh a light smack. "Come on—we're training."
"So soft, but so ruthless," Kitazawa sighed, sliding a hand to her chest until she caught his wrist. "Not even a little downtime?"
"Hands off." Kurenai's heart skipped—but she gripped his wrist. "If I don't train hard, I won't catch up to you."
"Fair." Kitazawa let go of the softness in his hand. "You drill monster strength; I'll go find Tsunade-sama next door."
He planned to keep working on his new S-rank medical technique. With Tsunade's help, he'd progress faster—and the system's task didn't say a second person couldn't assist.
"Tsunade-sama?" Kurenai tugged at her collar, reminding him, "She probably isn't back yet."
"Right, I forgot." Kitazawa stood. "Then let's train together."
They stepped out to the yard. Kitazawa drew Zangetsu, tightened his grip, and poured fire chakra into the blade. Zangetsu was forged from chakra metal; fire chakra raced through it in an instant.
With a roar, Zangetsu ignited, a layer of flame wrapping the blade—Uchiha-Style: Sword Jump Blaze. With the fire enchantment alone, the killing power spiked. The hard part wasn't Sword Jump Blaze, but Uchiha-Style: Gale Sword. Kitazawa's next step was to fling that flaming edge outward—combining kenjutsu with fire style for a two-layered strike.
Night fell. The lights in the Hokage's office still burned. Hiruzen hadn't left yet; he was waiting for Yamanaka Inoichi's analysis of Raiga.
A knock at the door.
"Hokage-sama." Nonō Yakushi pushed the door open, glanced curiously at Ranmaru, and asked, "Why did you call for me?"
"This child is Ranmaru. He's an orphan—and he's lost his memory," Hiruzen said, politely glossing over the 'memory wipe.'
"You want him placed in the orphanage?" Nonō asked, catching on.
"That's right," Hiruzen nodded. "But he's not like the others—his talent is exceptional."
"What kind of talent?" Nonō was genuinely surprised. If even Hiruzen called it "exceptional," it had to be something.
"The Red Eye," Hiruzen said, then, given her strength and position, laid out the eye's abilities in detail.
"A bloodline limit similar to the Byakugan?" Nonō said, surprised and delighted. "He'd be perfect helping at Konoha Hospital—and even better if he learns medical ninjutsu."
Hiruzen made a thoughtful sound. She wasn't wrong. Whether performing surgery or practicing medical ninjutsu, you deal with the human body—and many things the naked eye can't see, like cells.
The Byakugan can see them. In truth, the Hyūga are ideal medical ninja—but the clan is too rigid, bound to tradition: Gentle Fist only, no medical arts. Medical ninjutsu is also harder to learn than Gentle Fist.
As Hokage, Hiruzen wasn't about to meddle in a great clan's internal rules. Ranmaru, though, wasn't Hyūga—no rules to hold him back.
"Then I'll leave his training to you," Hiruzen said with a wave. "Take him down."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Nonō led Ranmaru out. Moments later, another knock.
"Hokage-sama." Yamanaka Inoichi entered with two scrolls. "This is what we extracted from Raiga's memories."
"Why two?" Hiruzen picked up the first.
"One jutsu scroll, one intel scroll," Inoichi said.
"Got it." Hiruzen scanned the jutsu—mostly lightning, then water. He frowned slightly. Raiga's lightning techniques were tied to Kiba; without the blades, they'd lose a lot of punch.
"Haru, copy these lightning techniques for Kitazawa," Hiruzen ordered after a moment's thought. He'd already given Kitazawa the Five Release combo; a few more lightning jutsu wouldn't hurt. Strictly speaking, they were Kitazawa's spoils anyway.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." The Anbu operative Haru stepped in and took the jutsu scroll.
Inoichi's heart skipped. So many lightning jutsu, handed over just like that? It seemed settled that Kitazawa would become Tsunade's student—Hiruzen was clearly treating him as a trusted insider.
Hiruzen picked up the second scroll: intel on Kirigakure. "What exactly is the Fourth Mizukage trying to do?" He finished reading, even more puzzled. Raiga's memories were full of Yagura's tyranny—some of it worse than anything Danzō had pulled.
The Kaguya clan's extermination, for instance. Publicly it was because they rebelled. In truth, Yagura had goaded them—set them up. Hiruzen couldn't wrap his head around it. The Kaguya had the Shikotsumyaku bloodline—serious power.
In Konoha terms, that's like the Uchiha or Hyūga. Hiruzen would never choose to wipe out either clan—the loss to the village would be catastrophic. On top of that, Yagura had ramped up the purge of bloodline users.
"No wonder even the Seven Swordsmen defected," Hiruzen said with a small smile, setting the scroll down. "For Konoha, that's good news." With the Mist rotting from within, their strength would keep weakening until they could no longer threaten Konoha.
"Good work today, Inoichi," Hiruzen said, waving him off. "It's late—go get some rest."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Inoichi bowed and left.
"Haru," Hiruzen said after a moment's thought, "send word to Kirigakure that Raiga is dead." It was the kind of news that would polish Konoha's image—too good to pass up—and it would squeeze the last bit of value from Raiga.
The Mist had a bounty out; they'd surely retrieve Raiga's body. They'd also try to negotiate for Kiba. But Kiba now belonged to Kitazawa—there was no giving it back. There would be some tug-of-war in the talks.
Hiruzen wasn't worried; he was certain the Mist wouldn't dare start a war with Konoha. If it were Kumogakure, he'd think twice—Cloud's strength rivaled Konoha's, and with Tsunade out of the village, Cloud might even be stronger.
Sunday ended; a new week began. Bright and early, an uninvited guest showed up at Kitazawa's door: the Anbu operative Haru.
"Hokage-sama asked me to deliver this to you," Haru said, handing him a scroll.
"Thanks." Kitazawa opened it, curiosity piqued—then his brows rose. Inside were eight lightning techniques Raiga had used. His first thought: no way I'm getting through all of these.
He already knew too many; now here were eight more. But more skills never hurt—and Raiga's lightning jutsu were solid. Most importantly, they'd pair perfectly with the reforged Kiba—putting every part to best use.
Priorities, though. Kitazawa decided to finish the two kenjutsu Sasuke had given him and wrap up his earth-style task before tackling these. As for the Five Release combo, he'd skimmed it last night; he simply wasn't ready.
He only had lightning nature change at master level and wind at advanced. He figured he'd need all five to at least advanced before he could learn it.
No surprise—Hiruzen's trump card was no joke. S-rank techniques are never easy. Take Lightning Release: Kirin—Kitazawa had laid out the approach, but Kakashi still hadn't made much progress.
No rush. Kitazawa stowed the scroll and went back to sword practice. Another ordinary day of training.
Five in the afternoon. Konoha still basked in sunlight, but the Mist lay smothered in fog. Each of the Five Great Villages had its signature; for Kirigakure, it was perpetual mist. Hence Hiding in Mist and Silent Killing.
In the Mizukage's office, a knock sounded. Yagura looked up. His face was babyish, almost childlike.
"Enter," he said flatly.
"Mizukage-sama." A fat shinobi with long orange hair stepped in—Suikazan Fuguki, one of the Seven Swordsmen, wielder of Samehada. Unlike Raiga or Jūzō Biwa, he carried out long-term black ops and was ruthlessly cold.
He was a major reason the Mist had earned the name "Village of the Bloody Mist." Even Uchiha Obito held him in regard. For that reason, Fuguki had never defected; instead he followed Yagura's orders with redoubled zeal.
"What is it?" Yagura asked with a nod.
"I just received intel: Raiga Kurosuki was killed by Konoha's Kitazawa," Fuguki said.
"Who is Kitazawa?" Yagura frowned.
"A Konoha Academy teacher—began making a name last year. Recently put down the Guardian Twelve's internal revolt," Fuguki recited. "Most importantly, he's learning medical ninjutsu under Tsunade—they're close."
"Tsunade's student?" Yagura mused. "If he killed Raiga, his strength is considerable."
"Shall we contact Konoha?" Fuguki asked.
"Raiga's a corpse—of no importance. Kiba must be recovered," Yagura said, merciless. "Kirigakure needs a second shinobi who can wield Kiba."
"Understood. I'll send someone to negotiate with Konoha," Fuguki said at once.
"Mm… wait." An odd glint flashed in Yagura's eyes. "I'll pick the envoy myself."
Fuguki blinked but didn't question it. He bowed and withdrew. Silence returned to the office. A masked stranger appeared a heartbeat later. Yagura rose and bowed to him.
"I happen to be heading to Konoha," the stranger said. "Find me a place in the delegation."
"Yes," Yagura replied with deep deference.
"Obito, I've got news you might like," a snow-white figure bubbled up from the floor.
"How many times do I have to tell you—when others are around, call me Uchiha Madara," Obito said, displeased.
"The Kitazawa who killed Raiga was your classmate," White Zetsu chuckled. "Fun, right?"
Obito frowned, rummaging through his memory. A vague image surfaced, then he brushed it aside. "I've long forgotten. People without value aren't worth remembering."
"And another tidbit," White Zetsu went on. "The Genius Hatake Kakashi is now a teacher at the Academy—colleagues with Kitazawa."
"What genius? He's a waste," Obito said, startled—and then burst out laughing. "An even bigger waste now, if he's reduced to teaching at the Academy!"
In his mind, Academy teachers were always second-rate chūnin. Kakashi should never have sunk so low. The only explanation: he was still wallowing in guilt over killing Rin—still self-destructing.
"Rin, you misjudged him!" Obito's laugh died into a snarl. "He can't accomplish anything!" His fists clenched. Once Eye of the Moon Plan succeeded, he'd create a world where Rin lived again.
"How's Akatsuki?" he asked, tone smoothing out.
"They've recruited a new member—Jūzō Biwa," White Zetsu said.
"Still too slow," Obito shook his head.
"We're already pushing to find strong shinobi," White Zetsu said after a pause. "Right now we've locked onto two targets."
Zetsu had two halves: Black and White. With White's superb concealment and numbers, he could lurk anywhere and gather intel.
"Mm." Obito waved him away. "Go."
White Zetsu sank back into the earth and vanished. Obito looked out the window. He wasn't going to Konoha for Raiga—or for Kakashi—but for Rin. Her death anniversary was near.
Still, the intel had stirred a new curiosity: maybe he'd take a look at what Kakashi had become.