Kitazawa activated the Byakugan.
Everything in the area fell neatly into his field of view.
Before long, he spotted two ninja halfway up the mountain to the northwest.
Judging by their chakra, one was a special jōnin and the other a chūnin.
Kitazawa mulled it over.
Rock Powder was a fairly rare medicinal herb.
But from first appearance to ripeness, it needed about half a month.
If Iwagakure's ninja had found it, they'd definitely post a guard until it matured and then take it away.
With that in mind, Kitazawa headed northwest.
When he got close, he deactivated his Byakugan.
Sensitive sensory-types could feel the Byakugan's probing gaze.
He looked toward the two Iwa-nin.
A middle-aged man and a younger one were sitting on a boulder, chatting.
On the very rock they were sitting on was a patch of bluish green growth, like moss.
Kitazawa gave it a once-over and confirmed it was Rock Powder.
Judging from the color, though, it still needed a few days to ripen.
He rubbed his chin.
He couldn't sit here for days—what a waste of time.
That left one last option: take the entire rock.
Back in Konoha, he could recreate a similar environment and finish cultivating it.
Right hand tucked behind his back, Kitazawa stepped out.
"Who's there?"
The two Iwa-nin jumped up at once and moved to block his way, one on the left, one on the right.
Temple of Nirvana Technique!
Kitazawa's genjutsu took hold.
Feathers drifted down from the sky.
The two Iwa-nin glanced up on reflex—and drowsiness hit them like a wave.
"It's genjutsu!"
The older man realized it instantly and shouted a warning.
Too late.
Kitazawa lunged, dropped each of them with a single punch, and left them sprawled unconscious.
He drew Zangetsu and Thunder, and slashed at the base of the rock bearing the herb.
With chakra reinforcing the cut, the rock sheared cleanly off at the bottom.
He pulled out a sealing storage scroll and packed it away.
Just then, his brows lifted and he turned around.
Standing there was a short, big-nosed old man.
At his side was a black-haired girl about Naruto's age.
[Encountered Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki. Stall him until Konan arrives.]
[Current Mission: Buy time and wait for Konan.]
[Reward: Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa arched a brow and accepted.
"If I hadn't taken my granddaughter hiking out of boredom today, you really would've made off with that Rock Powder," the old man said evenly.
His expression and tone both radiated absolute confidence.
Kitazawa felt like spending so much time around Tsunade had even rubbed off on his luck—of all people to run into, it had to be Ōnoki.
Then again, it wasn't just luck.
This place was too close to Iwa.
Jump off this mountain and you were practically in the village.
Their brief scuffle might've been small, but with Ōnoki's skill it was only natural he'd notice.
And hey—if it triggered a system mission, maybe his luck wasn't so bad after all.
"Kurotsuchi, step aside," Ōnoki said when Kitazawa didn't answer, deciding to take him down first and ask questions later.
"Okay." Kurotsuchi retreated to the side.
She was still too young—far from the future Fourth Tsuchikage—and wouldn't be of much help.
Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!
Kitazawa didn't like playing defense. He seized the initiative.
A flood of chakra gathered in his throat.
He leaned back and spat out a massive water orb.
It expanded as it spun through the air, then crashed down like a towering waterfall, thunderous and overwhelming.
Of course, leading with a wide-area A-rank Water Release had another purpose: to catch Konan's attention.
Ōnoki's pupils tightened.
Without a word, he created two shadow clones.
They grabbed the two unconscious Iwa-nin and got them clear.
Ōnoki himself scooped up Kurotsuchi and sprinted out of range.
He could withstand the Great Waterfall, but he wasn't confident he could shield Kurotsuchi too—best to move her first.
"Amazing!"
Kurotsuchi stared at the deluge rolling in like the ocean and couldn't help but gasp.
"Stay here and don't run around," Ōnoki told her, setting her down once they were clear of the technique.
He turned back to Kitazawa, frowning.
Not running?
He'd assumed Kitazawa cast the Great Waterfall to cover an escape.
Ōnoki stepped across the surface of the water toward him.
"You're Kitazawa, aren't you?" Ōnoki suddenly thought of something and asked.
He hadn't recognized Kitazawa right away because he wasn't wearing a Konoha forehead protector.
But that monstrous Great Waterfall jogged his memory.
Right now in the ninja world, very few could use Water Release at that level.
He'd met the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
The Fifth, Mei Terumī, was a woman.
That left Konoha's Kitazawa—who, during the war with the Mist, had shown Water Release on par with anyone.
Kitazawa answered with a roaring water dragon.
"Hmph. Tobirama's Water Release," Ōnoki snorted, certain now who he was facing.
Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique!
His right arm turned to stone.
One punch shattered the water dragon into four or five pieces.
Body Flicker!
Ōnoki flashed in front of Kitazawa and swung.
Monster Strength!
Kitazawa's aura shifted, chakra flaring.
Their fists collided.
Boom!
Shockwaves rippled outward in visible layers from the point of impact.
Ōnoki's heart jolted; his face hardened.
The terrifying force was pulverizing the stone plating on his fist at high speed.
Keep this up and he'd be the one shattered.
Without hesitation, Ōnoki vaulted back.
Uchiha-Style: Gale Sword!
Kitazawa drew Zangetsu, flickered behind him, and sent a flaming blade scything out.
Earth Release: Rock Arm!
The ground in front of Ōnoki surged up into a giant stone arm, fingers spread, catching the flaming arc.
Lightning Release: Chidori!
Brilliant lightning bloomed in Kitazawa's right hand.
Ōnoki reacted even faster.
Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!
Kitazawa staggered as the ground he stood on heaved, lifting him into the air.
Lightning Release: Chidori Current!
Lightning burst outward from him in all directions, both a shield and an attack.
Ōnoki sprang aside to avoid the surge.
Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique!
In mid-air he repeated the trick—right arm hardening to stone.
But this time he layered on—
Earth Release: Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique!
His stone arm suddenly grew crushingly heavy.
Chakra blasting, Ōnoki rocketed at Kitazawa and threw a punch.
The air howled in its path.
Senju Chakra Mode!
Catching sight of Konan approaching, Kitazawa stopped holding back.
Monster Strength!
He met the blow head-on.
Ōnoki's eyes widened in disbelief.
How did his strength jump—by that much?
Caught off guard, Ōnoki was blasted backward.
He slammed into the ground, the lingering force cracking the earth in a web all around him.
Konan arrived just in time to see the shocking scene and faltered mid-air.
Ōnoki's power was known to every shinobi alive.
He'd proved himself more than once.
Earth Release, Dust Release—both at the top of the world.
Dust Release was especially deadly.
Yet Kitazawa had actually seized the upper hand against him. That surprised her.
"Your hand."
Konan dropped lower, grabbed Kitazawa's outstretched hand, and hauled him skyward.
"Think you can run that easily?"
Ōnoki might have been surprised to see Konan fly, but he had no intention of letting Kitazawa go after that setback.
Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique!
His body lightened and lifted off the ground.
"Hold on to me," Kitazawa said.
Konan understood and wrapped her arms around him.
Kitazawa pulled his hand back and flashed through seals.
Composite Ninjutsu: Typhoon Water Vortex Technique!
Water Release: Tearing Torrent and Wind Release: Rasengan fired almost simultaneously.
A massive volume of water merged with high-speed wind chakra, instantly forming a tornado over ten meters wide.
From a distance it blotted the sky like a natural disaster.
"Not good!"
Ōnoki realized the problem.
If that hit the mountain, it would trigger a landslide.
Iwagakure, at the foot of the slope, would be in danger.
Earth Release: Golem!
Ōnoki broke off the chase.
He landed beside Kurotsuchi and wove signs.
The two Iwa-nin were there as well, still unconscious.
In an instant, a colossal humanoid rock monster rose.
It braced itself, shielding Ōnoki, and took the tornado full on with its back.
Boom!
A thunderous roar.
A storm whipped through the air.
The impact rattled the entire mountain.
Under the golem's protection, Ōnoki and Kurotsuchi were unscathed.
Kitazawa and Konan, meanwhile, had used the opening to get away.
"Kurotsuchi, you okay?"
She'd gone pale—hardly surprising for a little girl who'd just watched the world shake.
"I… I'm fine," she said, shaking her head.
"Work hard and you'll be making this much noise yourself someday," Ōnoki said with a small, reassuring smile.
"Mm!"
Kurotsuchi nodded hard, then said solemnly, "I'll definitely be stronger than you, Grandpa—then I'm going to give that Kitazawa a good beating!"
Ōnoki's smile widened.
"Lord Tsuchikage!"
A squad of Iwa-nin arrived.
"We're fine. Get those two down the mountain for treatment," Ōnoki said, dispelling the golem with a flick of his hand.
"Father, who were you fighting? You even used the Golem Technique," asked a burly ninja in shock.
This was Kitsuchi, Ōnoki's son and Kurotsuchi's father.
The others were equally stunned.
"Konoha's Kitazawa," Ōnoki said slowly. "His strength is exactly as rumored—if anything, the rumors are too conservative."
Kitazawa was famed for Water Release and medical ninjutsu.
But from what Ōnoki had just seen, his monster strength, swordsmanship, Water, Lightning, and Wind Releases were all top-tier.
Especially that Composite Ninjutsu: Typhoon Water Vortex Technique.
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed.
Was Kitazawa a seven-nature ninja?
Another Sarutobi Hiruzen, perhaps.
Even without a kekkei genkai or kekkei tōta, he was a real headache.
"Kitazawa? Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage's student?"
"So his power really is that crazy?"
"I heard his Water Release rivaled the Fourth Mizukage Yagura's—I thought that was just Konoha propaganda…"
The Iwa-nin buzzed.
"What was he doing in Iwa?" Kitsuchi asked, frowning.
"Looking for Rock Powder," Ōnoki answered after a beat. "He's already taken it."
"Should we send a team to capture him?" Kitsuchi asked at once.
"Forget it. With his strength, you'd pay dearly for that," Ōnoki said, shaking his head. "If he snatched it right under my nose, that's his ability."
"He really is something," Kitsuchi agreed.
It had been a long time since he'd seen his father take a loss.
Ōnoki sighed inwardly.
Konoha had too many elites.
Iwa had plenty as well, but lacked that decisive super-ace—the kind of powerhouse fit to be a Kage.
He suddenly thought of Deidara.
A student of prodigious talent… who loved explosions a little too much.
He'd blown up Iwagakure more times than Ōnoki could count, until finally he'd been banished to live outside the village.
Restless as he was, who knew where he was now?
Wind howled.
Konan flew on.
Glancing down, she could see the back of Kitazawa's head and his hair.
She thought of the Composite Ninjutsu he'd just unleashed.
Akatsuki's dossier on Kitazawa wasn't complete, she realized.
He was stronger than she'd expected.
As far as she could tell, the only ones in Akatsuki who could beat him cleanly were Nagato and that "Uchiha Madara."
Kitazawa had no idea what she was thinking.
He was busy enjoying his first time flying—wind in his face and a soft pressure at his back.
Because he'd needed both hands free to stop Ōnoki, Konan was holding him from behind.
Konan wasn't Tsunade, but she wasn't exactly lacking either.
"Did you get the Rock Powder?" she asked in her usual flat tone, despite never having been this close to an unfamiliar man before.
"Got it, but it's not ripe yet—needs two more days," Kitazawa said. "Once it ripens, I'll start mixing and brewing. Call it a week."
"Thank you."
She paused, then asked, "What do you want in return—for the Rock Powder and the Blood Grass?"
The Blood Grass was something Kitazawa had Anbu buy.
As for the Rock Powder, she'd helped, but the heavy lifting had been his—he'd even fought Ōnoki.
"Money's not an issue for me right now," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought. "Both are valuable, though. How about you owe me two commissioned favors?"
Konan blinked, then agreed.
That "money's not an issue" line did make her a bit envious.
She knew about Kado's shipping company and the seabed exploration team, but not how far along they were.
She also didn't know Kitazawa wasn't planning to sell ore—he planned to sell refined goods: jewelry.
"I'll give you two blank mission scrolls later," Kitazawa said. "Sign them first."
Verbal promises were easy to break.
Once they'd cleared Iwa's borders, they landed.
Flying was convenient, but far too conspicuous—anyone could see you with a glance up.
Konan let go and took a step back.
"Thanks."
Kitazawa smiled. "We've got the Rock Powder. Let's head back to Konoha."
[Mission Completed: Stall for time until Konan arrives.]
[Reward Granted: Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique.]
Kitazawa eyed the three lines of text with satisfaction.
Fist Rock was a very solid Earth Release.
Ōnoki had used it twice just now.
It turned the user's arm to rock, increasing hardness and weight for a crushing blow.
It felt a bit like an Earth-style version of Monster Strength.
Which gave him another idea:
Fist Rock stacked with Monster Strength.
Just imagining the power was scary.
All in all, trading blows with Ōnoki hadn't been a loss—it was a win.
Kitazawa and Konan retraced their path.
Both were fast; they were back in Konoha by Monday morning.
"Go rest at the Anbu base," Kitazawa said with a wave.
"Mm."
Konan vanished.
With the Rock Powder in hand, she had nothing else to worry about.
Kitazawa decided to head home first.
"Back already?"
At the sound of the door, Kurenai appeared.
"When did you get in?" Kitazawa asked, closing the door.
"A bit before you—we reached Konoha last night," Kurenai said. "The road was safe, no issues."
"Good."
He stepped up, slipped an arm around her waist, and asked, "How's Shikamaru?"
"He's changed a lot," Kurenai said after a moment. "On the way back he was proactive about both night watch and patrol."
"Let's see how long he keeps it up," Kitazawa said, satisfied with Shikamaru's growth.
In a way, he'd also saved Sarutobi Asuma's life.
"This is for you."
Kurenai produced a scroll. "Ninjutsu we extracted from the three Kamizuru clan corpses."
Kitazawa unrolled it for a glance—bee-handling techniques, top to bottom.
He had zero interest in keeping bees, so there was no reason to learn them.
~~~
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