Kimimaro fell silent. He was confident, not clueless. If Kitazawa could defeat Orochimaru, he could defeat them too—and Orochimaru had already told them to obey Kitazawa's orders.
That said, Tayuya wasn't wrong either. In Kimimaro's heart, Orochimaru was his only one, someone he would gladly die for. Anyone useless to Orochimaru, anyone who stood in his way, had to be removed.
In Orochimaru's fight with Kitazawa, Kimimaro had proved himself "useless." Now he had to prove otherwise, or he would have no face left to see Orochimaru in Konoha.
"I want to challenge you," Kimimaro said in a low voice.
[Current Mission: Defeat Kimimaro.]
[Mission Reward: 30% of Shikotsumyaku.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes lit up. Shikotsumyaku as a reward? In terms of raw ability, Shikotsumyaku was no worse than the Byakugan or Sharingan—easily a top-tier kekkei genkai.
It made sense the system wouldn't hand him the whole thing at once. But if the first Mission gave 30%, two or three more Missions might complete it—that was fast. At least faster than raising Byakugan purity or the Senju bloodline.
"I'm challenging you too," Jugo said as soon as Kimimaro finished.
When Jugo had been lost in one of his berserk spells, he'd met Kimimaro and been saved; they'd been close friends ever since. He was one of the few in the Sound who didn't pledge himself to Orochimaru—he followed Kimimaro.
[Current Mission: Defeat Jugo.]
[Mission Reward: Cursed Seal of Earth.]
[Accept?]
Watching the three lines float up, Kitazawa couldn't hold back a smile. Three Missions triggered at once—an absolute win, and the rewards were all solid. Shikotsumyaku needed no sales pitch; the Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains was a rare sound-based genjutsu; and the Cursed Seal of Earth was one of Orochimaru's signature results.
It wasn't the Cursed Seal of Heaven, but still excellent—and perfect for Kitazawa's plan to form a cursed-seal unit.
In his view, cursed seals were best for shinobi who'd already hit their potential ceiling. Geniuses and top-tiers didn't really need them—Orochimaru himself didn't use one. And the side effects were brutal, up to and including death.
But for those at their limit, a cursed seal could be an ace in the hole at life-or-death moments. That said, Orochimaru's seals still demanded too much and would need to be reworked.
"Come on, then," Kitazawa said with an easy smile.
Beyond clearing system Missions, he wanted to gauge their strength. His knowledge of them came from the "original timeline," where they appeared at fourteen or fifteen—six or seven years older than they were now.
With that kind of gap, they clearly weren't at those power levels yet. He'd need a read to plan the next steps—especially since they'd be transferring into the Advanced Class.
Summoning Technique!
Tayuya bit her thumb and pressed her hand to the ground. A chill spread as three humanoid, Titan-like ogres appeared—her summons. The moment they landed, she raised a bamboo flute.
Summoning!
As her melody rang out, the three ogres charged Kitazawa. One had no arms and came barreling in back-first; the other two swung a club and a bony claw down at him. But Kimimaro moved even faster.
Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!
He raised both hands; the finger bones fired like rounds.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
A wall of earth rose before Kitazawa. The bone bullets thunked in and lodged deep, fine cracks spidering out from each impact.
Kitazawa nodded to himself. Shikotsumyaku really did hit hard. Anyone else's Earth-Style Wall would've been perforated already.
Boom!
The armless ogre slammed through the wall. The club and claw came crashing down.
Monster Strength!
Kitazawa met them with both fists. The impact rebounded; both ogres went flying.
"What?!" Tayuya's eyes widened.
Jugo and the remaining ogre rushed him together.
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!
Kitazawa flashed through seals and spat a massive compressed wind orb that detonated like a rocket strike into the ogre's back, launching it even farther. Jugo's pupils shrank; he crossed his arms to block. His sleeves shredded, his forearms split, and he skidded back several steps.
Kitazawa's brow lifted. So neither Jugo nor Tayuya had the Cursed Seal of Earth yet. Tayuya was likely too young; for now she only had the Demonic Flute and her Summoning.
Jugo was even more limited: in his normal state he was just a taijutsu brawler, and with no natural energy nearby, he couldn't enter berserk Sage-like transformation.
Kitazawa looked to Kimimaro, who slid into an odd stance, pale bones sprouting from his palms, elbows, knees.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!
Kimimaro flowed in like the wind. Hands and feet became blades; bone razors stitched a seamless flurry.
"Good form," Kitazawa commented, drawing Zangetsu.
Clang!
Zangetsu caught two stabbing bone blades. Kimimaro kicked without hesitation; with the bone along his leg, it had both heft and bite. Kitazawa slipped back, Zangetsu thrummed, and a flaming blade lashed out. Kimimaro crossed both hands, splitting the fire into three slivers with the bones in his palms.
The flute trilled again; the three ogres lunged for Kitazawa a second time.
Combined Ninjutsu: Lightning Water Dragon Bullet!
Hand signs flashed. A crackling water dragon roared forth, bowling through the ogres and lunging for Tayuya. She blanched and leapt aside. Jugo flickered forward and punched the dragon, but the lightning exploded across him and left him briefly paralyzed.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Camellia!
Kimimaro drew a bone blade from his left arm and re-engaged, his cuts like a dancer's whirlwind—dozens of slashes in an instant. It did nothing. Kitazawa slid and weaved, light and precise, slipping every strike. Kimimaro's face hardened.
No one had ever dismantled his Dance of the Camellia so effortlessly. The problem was that he only had three Shikotsumyaku dances right now.
Cursed Seal of Earth!
At a thought, his power surged. The pressure gusted out, whipping dust, leaves, and petals into the air. Black markings crawled across his body like darkened veins—State One.
"Fall back," Kimimaro said, then vanished. His speed multiplied, and he appeared in front of Kitazawa, bone blade chopping down—
Clang!
Zangetsu met bone. The force made Kitazawa's arm twitch; this was far heavier than before.
Supervibrato Lightning Release Swords!
Zangetsu began to hum. Power flooded through; Kitazawa pressed down, and Kimimaro was blasted backward.
"Kimimaro!" Jugo dashed in to catch him, but the recoil pushed him back several more steps too.
"How is he this strong?" Tayuya felt a wave of futility. She hadn't seen Kitazawa fight Orochimaru—she'd been in the underground hall at the time. Experiencing him firsthand was a different kind of lesson.
"I'm fine," Kimimaro said, pushing Jugo away as he entered State Two. His skin darkened to a brown-black; black markings spread over his face; his back humped as six tusk-like bones erupted; a bony tail grew.
Kitazawa shook his head slightly. The cursed seal did many things well, but State Two was… ugly. Even Sasuke looked a bit too edgy in it.
Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!
The finger bones fired again—faster and harder than before.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
The wall appeared and was punched through on impact.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
A water shield rose behind the earth; the bone rounds died against the torrent.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!
Kimimaro ripped the water aside and pressed in, blades sprouting all over his body as he stabbed from every angle.
Leaf Dragon God!
Kitazawa spun. Chakra howled around him, blooming into a towering tornado. Razor winds screeched and hammered Kimimaro's bone weapons with a continuous, teeth-gritting trill.
Kimimaro's face went pale; blood ran from the corner of his mouth. His bones were sword-hard, but the rest of him was still flesh. Under that collision, his body took unprecedented strain.
After a few beats he was flung away, landing torn and bleeding, a grisly sight.
Kitazawa let the Leaf Dragon God die down. For a first use, the technique had bite—taijutsu layered with Wind Release, a true "nintaijutsu." As for exposing it—who cared? The originator had faked his death and vanished after a student died; no one would trace it back.
"If we keep going, you'll die. Then you'll be even further from saving Orochimaru," Kitazawa said, stepping up to him.
At that, Kimimaro dispelled the cursed seal and returned to normal.
"Hmph. I'll beat you someday," Tayuya muttered, reluctantly lowering her flute. The gap was too large. She couldn't win. But she was still stubborn and refused to admit defeat.
Mystical Palm Technique.
Kitazawa extended both hands and healed Kimimaro. System prompts flickered in his vision:
[Current Mission: Defeat Tayuya.]
[Mission Reward: Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Knowledge flowed into Kitazawa's mind. Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains—a B-rank jutsu. Those who hear the flute are dragged into an illusion where cords bind their limbs, freezing the body, while terrifying visions batter the mind.
Functionally, it resembled Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. But because it was a rare sound-based genjutsu, most shinobi wouldn't anticipate it—and would get caught.
[Current Mission: Defeat Kimimaro.]
[Mission Reward: 30% of Shikotsumyaku.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa felt subtle changes ripple through his body—especially his bones, which had grown noticeably harder. In theory, he could test himself against steel. But nothing else came with it; without the ability to extrude and weaponize bone, added hardness alone wasn't much. He'd need the next Kimimaro Mission.
[Current Mission: Defeat Jugo.]
[Mission Reward: Cursed Seal of Earth.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
Kitazawa stood still, absorbing the Cursed Seal of Earth. Compared to the flute technique, the seal pushed far more information into his head.
At its core, the Cursed Seal of Earth was a sealing technique: pre-implant natural energy into the user; when released, they enter a cursed-seal state where strength, speed, and chakra spike.
Natural energy, though, is highly corrosive—just look at Sage Mode training in the three great sacred lands. Fail at Mount Myōboku and you turn into a toad, or a statue. The Cursed Seal of Earth is similar: over time it drives the user out of control. Its duration depends on the individual.
"You three qualify for the Advanced Class at the Academy," Kitazawa said once Kimimaro's treatment was done.
"Does the Advanced Class have that many geniuses?" Tayuya asked.
"Plenty," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"More 'genius' than us?" Tayuya scoffed. She didn't think much of Konoha's prodigies. Greenhouse flowers—while they'd clawed their way through mountains of corpses.
"You won't even crack the top five," Kitazawa said, shaking his head.
"Impossible!" Tayuya shot back.
[Current Mission: Keep Tayuya out of the top five in the next monthly exam.]
[Mission Reward: Four Violet Flames Formation.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa smiled and accepted. Bringing them into the Advanced Class had been the right call—four Missions in a single day.
"You'll see I'm not lying once you enroll," he said, not interested in bickering with a young woman. He told the three to wait, then went to find Guren.
"I remember Orochimaru has a test subject named Shin. He's not on your list." Kitazawa had suddenly thought of Shin—who, in another path, called himself "Uchiha" out of admiration for Itachi. With Kitazawa's butterfly effects, this Shin might never have met Itachi and thus never taken the name.
"There is such a person," Guren explained. "He's a test subject only, so he wasn't included."
"Seize him and ship him to Konoha with the lab gear," Kitazawa ordered. "Orochimaru will continue his research in Konoha—he'll need the materials."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sama!" The moment she heard Orochimaru needed it, Guren's enthusiasm spiked.
It wasn't long before Kitazawa saw Shin. He was very young-looking now. In the original timeline, Danzo's severed arm came from him. At this point, Orochimaru's cloning tech was probably still lacking.
Kitazawa didn't chat with Shin; he gathered Kimimaro and the others and set out. Guren would handle the Sound. Without Orochimaru, even if they wanted to rebel, they couldn't stir much up—and they wouldn't. With the village intact, they could live as ordinary shinobi rather than drifters.
Monday morning, Kitazawa returned to Konoha. It was the first time for all three. Kimimaro, from Kirigakure, wasn't surprised by Konoha's bustle; Jugo and Tayuya were. The village looked vastly better than the Sound. Tayuya in particular eyed the endless street food, unconsciously licking her lips. There was no street food to speak of in the Sound—and she'd had no time to eat anyway, trapped in the underground halls day after day.
She turned and caught Kitazawa's half-smile. She snorted and looked away.
"Say the word if you want something," Kitazawa said.
"I'm not a kid," Tayuya refused with pride.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin. Where should they stay? A thought struck—the Konoha Orphanage. In the original timeline, Kabuto was with the Sound and outranked Kimimaro's group; even if that wasn't true now, Kabuto could easily handle their arrangements.
"Let's go," Kitazawa said, heading for the orphanage.
Tayuya glanced wistfully at a dessert shop, then followed. Kimimaro and Jugo stayed quiet the whole way.
They arrived soon after. It was daytime; Yakushi Nonō, Kabuto, and Haku were out. Kitazawa split off a shadow clone to fetch Kabuto, and a moment later Kabuto arrived at the orphanage.
He instinctively sized up the newcomers; when he saw the Sound forehead protectors, he understood—Orochimaru returning to the village had been the talk of Konoha these past two days.
"Kabuto, find them a place to stay," Kitazawa said.
~~~
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