"When is it?"
Kitazawa came back to his senses and asked.
"You agreed?"
Konan felt genuinely surprised.
"Were you hoping I'd refuse?"
Kitazawa chuckled.
"That's not what I meant."
Konan shook her head. "The time is set for next Monday. The place is the Valley of the End."
"The Valley of the End, huh? He picked a nice spot."
Kitazawa could more or less guess why Kakuzu chose that place.
Clearly, he still hadn't let go of Senju Hashirama and Wood Release.
In his previous life, Kitazawa had always been really curious about the actual fight between Kakuzu and Hashirama.
In the original story it was only mentioned in passing with no details, but a bunch of theories had spread around.
Like the one where Kakuzu supposedly stood 400 kilometres away, threw a single kunai, and ran for his life without even fighting.
Or the one where he only fought one of Hashirama's wood clones.
Kitazawa felt the second one was way more likely.
With Hashirama's level of strength, there was no way Kakuzu could have escaped—unless it was just a clone.
"Thank you."
Konan looked genuinely serious.
Kitazawa and Kakuzu had never even met, so the fact that he'd agree to a spar so readily clearly meant he was doing it for her sake.
Otherwise, there was no reason to accept such a "no-benefit" match.
"It's nothing."
Kitazawa knew she was misunderstanding, but he didn't bother correcting her.
He stepped forward, reached out, and pinched her cheek.
Konan's cool eyes watched him, but she didn't push his hand away.
"Anything else?"
Kitazawa withdrew his hand and walked toward the sofa.
"The Akatsuki member you're sparring with is called Kakuzu. He's proficient in all five basic nature transformations and combinations of ninjutsu."
Konan thought for a moment and reminded him.
"Are you trying to make sure I win?"
Kitazawa sat down on the sofa, looked at her, and smiled.
"He can't beat you."
Konan sat down next to him and shook her head.
After seeing Kitazawa's battle with Mōryō, she was sure there weren't many people in the ninja world who could be his match.
Kakuzu was strong, but at the end of the day, he was still just a ninja.
"If you're so sure he can't beat me, then why tell me his intel?"
Kitazawa caught her wrist, his gaze dropping to her slim fingers.
That amber-colored nail polish was very eye-catching.
As far as he remembered, Akatsuki members all painted their nails.
No, it probably wasn't just a habit.
It felt more like a uniform requirement.
For example, Uchiha Itachi hadn't painted his nails at all before joining Akatsuki.
"I…"
For a moment, Konan didn't even know how to answer.
"I'm going to take a nap."
Seeing that, Kitazawa didn't press her. He simply lay down sideways and used her thighs as a pillow.
Konan raised both hands and gently pressed his forehead.
But as she stared into Kitazawa's eyes, her expression grew complicated.
2 p.m.
Kitazawa brought Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Hyūga Neji to the temporary residence of the Land of Demons' delegation in Konoha.
"Kitazawa-sama."
Shion came out.
Taruho was walking behind her.
"Priestess-sama."
Kitazawa nodded. "This afternoon, these three will be your guides. Just tell them anywhere you want to go."
"Thank you!"
Shion couldn't hold it in anymore and finally smiled. "Then let's go now!"
"Let the kids go play."
Kitazawa stopped Taruho.
Taruho hesitated for a couple of seconds, then nodded and didn't follow.
He'd watched Shion grow up and knew she basically never got to go out and have fun.
"Just call me Shion!"
Shion immediately reverted to her true age, bouncing down the street with excitement.
"Shion, are you interested in youth?"
Naruto gave her a thumbs-up. "I can take you to the place where we usually train our Power of Youth!"
He meant the training field where Might Guy took him and Rock Lee to train.
"Naruto."
Neji hurriedly cut in. "We should go to the Hokage Rock first and let Shion see Konoha's Hokage through the ages."
"I agree with Neji."
Sasuke added immediately.
"Okay!"
Shion didn't think too much about it and happily agreed.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and headed back to the Ninja Academy.
He'd already told Neji beforehand: once they were done sightseeing, he was to bring Shion to the Academy. So all Kitazawa had to do now was wait.
[Current Mission: Help Aburame Shino cultivate Lightning Release–resistant Insects.]
[Mission Reward: Gain +10% resistance to Lightning Release damage.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
The three lines of text that suddenly appeared in front of him made Kitazawa pause mid-step.
So Aburame Shino's mutation experiments with the Insects had succeeded?
Kitazawa glanced at the system prompt, then changed direction toward another training field.
After a few steps, he ran right into Aburame Shino.
"Kitazawa-sensei?"
Shino froze for a moment. "I was just about to look for you."
"These are the Thunder Insects?"
Kitazawa looked at the insects in his hand and asked.
"Mm."
Shino nodded. "Just like the Fire Insects, the Thunder Insects also come in two types—three-second and five-second duration."
"Congratulations, Shino."
Kitazawa smiled. "Now all that's left is the last type—Insects with Earth Release resistance."
"This is all thanks to you, Kitazawa-sensei."
Shino replied modestly.
[Current Mission: Help Aburame Shino cultivate Earth Release–resistant Insects.]
[Mission Reward: Gain +10% resistance to Earth Release damage.]
[Accept Mission?]
It was exactly the sort of mission he'd expected.
Kitazawa chose to accept it.
If he managed to collect all five elemental resistances, there might even be some special effect unlocked.
"What are your thoughts on Earth-resistant Insects?"
Kitazawa came back to himself and asked.
"My idea is to increase the Insects' defense."
Shino answered.
"That's one way to do it, but I think there's a better approach."
Kitazawa smiled. "Give the Insects the ability to burrow underground."
In the original story, there hadn't been any Insects capable of tunneling.
But in an official game, there was a skill called "Secret Technique: Insect Bog."
Its effect was that the Insects would burrow into the ground and turn the enemy's footing into an Insect Bog.
Shino froze, then suddenly widened his eyes.
If such insects really existed, it would mean their stealth had advanced to yet another level.
For scouting or ambush, that'd be insanely powerful.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Shino said excitedly.
"Save the thanks for when it works."
Kitazawa formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone. "You and my clone will go do the experiments."
In the Academy, the only ones who knew Earth Release were himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Hatake Kakashi.
At most, you could add Inuzuka Kiba—but he only knew Earth Style: Rending Drill Fang, which wasn't much help to Shino's research.
Kitazawa returned to the training field of his own study group.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Yamanaka Ino ran straight up to him.
She grabbed his arm and looked up, blinking like she was trying to act cute.
"What is it?"
Kitazawa couldn't help laughing. "Did you lose to Sakura?"
"Of course not!"
Ino shook her head quickly.
"Then what?"
Kitazawa asked, curious.
"I learned Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"
Ino beamed with pride.
"Not bad."
Kitazawa nodded. "At this point, your genjutsu is already at chūnin level."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino said happily.
"You can pause your genjutsu training for now. I'll teach you the Leaf Body Flicker Technique next."
Kitazawa thought for a moment and decided.
"That's great!"
Ino's eyes lit up.
Following his usual pattern, Kitazawa lectured her for half an hour, then created a shadow clone to continue teaching her.
He himself moved off to a quiet spot and began practicing Wood Release: Wood Transformation Technique.
Time passed as they trained.
By the last period, Shion and Naruto's group finally returned to the Academy.
"Priestess-sama."
Kitazawa walked up. "What do you think of the Ninja Academy?"
"It's lively. Full of energy."
Shion thought it over before answering.
There was one more thing she didn't say: compared to the Land of Demons, this place was countless times better. So much so that she didn't want to leave.
"You're about the same age as Naruto and the others. Are you interested in enrolling?"
Kitazawa asked with a small smile.
[Current Mission: Persuade Shion to join the Advanced Class.]
[Mission Reward: +0.5-card increase to chakra capacity.]
[Accept Mission?]
Kitazawa was surprised.
This time, the reward was one of those rare chakra-capacity boosts.
Was it because Shion carried the powerful spiritual force of the Priestess?
He chose to accept the mission.
This was basically free profit.
At the same time, it also confirmed something: Shion could indeed trigger system missions.
If she could trigger one, that meant she could trigger more later.
"Eh?"
Shion let out a small cry.
This was completely unexpected.
Up until now, the most she'd considered was extending her stay in Konoha a bit longer. She'd never once thought about actually staying behind as a student of the Academy.
But the suggestion was incredibly tempting, and her face unconsciously showed her hesitation.
"But I'm the Priestess of the Land of Demons."
Shion sighed. "I can't be away from the Land of Demons for too long."
"You're thinking about it the wrong way."
Kitazawa shook his head. "The Land of Demons needs a powerful Priestess. Training at the Konoha Ninja Academy is the fastest way for you to grow stronger."
"The Land of Demons has its own Priestess inheritance."
Shion hesitated for a couple of seconds.
She'd seen the abilities of Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji with her own eyes and understood perfectly well that the Academy was incredibly capable—especially with a powerhouse like Kitazawa as a teacher.
But she hadn't fully mastered the Priestess' inherited arts yet.
If she used that as a reason to stay at the Academy, Taruho and the others probably wouldn't agree.
"Does your Priestess inheritance mainly teach sealing techniques?"
Kitazawa asked back.
From the original story, both Miroku and Shion only knew sealing jutsu and no other ninjutsu.
Thinking about it, that made sense. A Priestess was born for one mission: sealing Mōryō.
"Mm."
Shion nodded.
"Then let me ask you this: now that Mōryō is gone, who exactly are you learning sealing jutsu to seal?"
Kitazawa continued.
"Eh?"
Shion's face froze in shock.
That one sharp question left her completely speechless.
"You have great power within you. It was originally meant to seal Mōryō. Now that Mōryō is gone, that power should be used to protect the Land of Demons instead."
Kitazawa said calmly.
Shion fell into deep thought.
The Land of Demons had no ninja, and the Priestess inheritance only had sealing arts. If she wanted to become stronger, staying in Konoha really was the best option.
Of course, the biggest reason was that she wanted to join the Advanced Class.
In the Land of Demons, she had no peers. She'd been shut away in the Priestess' shrine since childhood, always alone.
"I'll go discuss it with Taruho and the others."
Shion felt that Kitazawa's reasoning was more than enough to convince them.
Kitazawa nodded.
"Wait for me, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Shion instantly changed what she called him and dashed out of the Academy.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and went back to training.
The bell rang.
The Advanced Class students finished training and headed home.
"Time to go home, Kitazawa."
Yūhi Kurenai walked over from another training field and said with a smile.
Just as Kitazawa opened his mouth, three lines of text appeared in front of his eyes.
[Current Mission: Persuade Shion to join the Advanced Class.]
[Mission Reward: +0.5-card increase to chakra capacity.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
It looked like Shion had already talked to Taruho and the others around.
Kitazawa clapped his hands, wrapping up his training.
"Why aren't you moving?"
Kurenai asked, puzzled.
Kitazawa went over and told her about Shion joining the Advanced Class.
"Does she have some special trait?"
Kurenai asked curiously.
"She's similar to Yakumo."
Kitazawa replied.
"No wonder you want her in the Advanced Class."
Kurenai couldn't help but be startled.
She knew very well just how terrifying Kurama Yakumo's power was.
"Besides that, having her join also strengthens relations between Konoha and the Land of Demons."
Kitazawa added casually.
"Mhm."
Kurenai nodded.
That part was easy enough to understand.
Shion was the Priestess of the Land of Demons. If she became an Advanced Class student, Konoha and the Land of Demons would basically become unshakable allies.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
A moment later, Shion ran up to them, face full of excitement. "Taruho and the others agreed!"
"Good. Then you can join the Advanced Class starting tomorrow."
Kitazawa nodded.
"Mm!"
Shion grinned from ear to ear.
"Do you know what that bell you're wearing actually does?"
Kitazawa pointed to the bell hanging at her chest.
"It was my mother Miroku's keepsake."
Shion blinked and explained. "She said it would protect me at critical moments."
"There's a sealing technique on that bell."
Kitazawa looked at it carefully. "If I'm not mistaken, it's a seal that suppresses power."
"What does that mean?"
Shion asked blankly.
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Kitazawa said. "It's suppressing your power."
"But… I've never noticed that I have any special power."
Shion looked confused.
"Take the bell off."
Kitazawa instructed.
Shion grabbed the bell. After a brief hesitation, she took it off.
In that instant, a terrifying force erupted from her body.
Startled, Shion hurriedly put the bell back on.
Realizing what just happened, she stared at her own hands.
That power just now had been ridiculously strong.
She had never known that she carried such power within her.
Kurenai, too, looked stunned.
That surge of power had nearly taken her breath away.
If you turned it into chakra, it would be dozens—maybe hundreds—of times more than she had.
Kurenai let out a long sigh.
These prodigies really left her speechless.
Kitazawa stroked his chin.
In the original story, Mōryō and the Priestess' power came from the same source.
He'd originally thought the Priestess' power was Yin Release like Mōryō's—but apparently it wasn't. It was the rare Yang Release.
So "same source" meant mutually generating and restraining each other? No wonder the Priestess could seal Mōryō.
If it was Yang Release, then Shion could follow a path similar to Karin's—sealing jutsu, medical ninjutsu, and taijutsu.
Right now, the biggest gap in the Advanced Class was medical ninja. They only had Karin and Sakura.
With Shion added to the team, it would alleviate that problem quite a bit.
"Your mother gave you that bell because you can't control this power yet."
Kitazawa explained.
There was another reason too: aside from the sealing techniques used to bind Mōryō, the Land of Demons simply had no other ninjutsu.
Miroku had no way to help Shion properly manage that overwhelming power, so she'd gone with the simplest, crudest solution—sealing it away.
"I see…"
Understanding dawned on Shion's face.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll be focusing on chakra control training."
Kitazawa patted her head.
Like Yakumo, Shion was born with tremendous power.
She could skip the step of learning to refine chakra and jump straight to learning how to use it.
In a sense, Naruto was the same way.
"See you tomorrow."
Kitazawa smiled.
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Shion said happily, then turned and left.
"If she grows up, the Advanced Class kids are in for yet another rough challenge."
Kurenai watched Shion's retreating figure.
"That's a good thing."
Kitazawa took her hand. "Pressure creates motivation."
"Even if you're right, I'm just glad there was no Advanced Class when I was a student."
Kurenai shook her head.
She didn't really have big ambitions. Being a good wife and mother one day was more than enough for her.
"Kurenai, do you remember I said I'd find you a summoning beast?"
Kitazawa gently stroked her smooth hand.
Kurenai might not crave power, but she was his woman. As long as he could boost her strength, he would.
"You found a summoning beast that suits me?"
Kurenai's interest was piqued. "What kind of summoning beast is it?"
"It's called Shin. It can use genjutsu."
Kitazawa replied.
"A summoning beast that knows genjutsu?"
Kurenai was genuinely surprised. "Where did you find something like that?"
"I haven't found it yet."
Kitazawa shook his head. "It was the summoning beast of the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu."
"…?"
Kurenai stopped in her tracks.
"Hōzuki Gengetsu is dead, but his summoning beast is still alive."
Kitazawa smiled. "The question is—do you dare use it?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Kurenai recovered and replied. "If you're willing to give it to me, of course I dare to use it."
"Next Saturday, I'll take you to find it."
Kitazawa thought about it and decided.
~~~
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