Everyone else had already left, but Uchiha Fugaku remained.
"Fugaku, do you still need something?" Tsunade noticed him and asked.
"Can this Limb Regeneration medical ninjutsu work on the Sharingan?" Fugaku asked bluntly.
"The Sharingan?" Tsunade blinked, then understood. She instinctively looked at Kitazawa. As the top medical ninja in the world, she still couldn't perform Limb Regeneration yet, so she couldn't answer.
"It can't," Kitazawa said with a shake of his head. "Right now, Limb Regeneration only restores ordinary organs."
"If it doesn't work now, does that mean it might in the future?" Fugaku caught the implication and pressed.
"I can try to improve it," Kitazawa said. "Whether it'll succeed, I don't know."
"Then I'll trouble you with it. If you pull it off, the Uchiha clan will owe you a huge favor," Fugaku said, clearly hopeful.
"I'll do my best," Kitazawa replied with a smile.
"Hokage-sama, I'll take my leave." Having gotten his answer, Fugaku didn't linger and turned to go.
"Can you really regenerate an organ with a kekkei genkai?" Tsunade asked, curious.
"It's very hard," Kitazawa answered honestly. "I'll give it a shot when I have time."
He had too much on his plate; improving Limb Regeneration would have to wait until he could make time for it.
"Having it work for most ninja is already remarkable," Tsunade nodded. Konoha had bloodline users, but they were still the minority.
"When will the medical training class start?" Kitazawa glanced over at Yakushi Nonō and the others nearby, who were running a full checkup on Kosuke Maruboshi.
"Up to your schedule." Tsunade paused, then smiled. "You don't blame me for suddenly dumping a teaching job on you, do you?"
"Teaching is my forte. A few more students is no big deal," Kitazawa said, winking. "But if you really feel bad about it, you can compensate me."
"What kind of compensation?" Tsunade arched a brow.
"Let me think." Kitazawa's eyes drifted, almost involuntarily, to her lips. The last time they'd kissed, she'd been drinking—he'd mostly tasted the scent of sake, not her.
"What are you looking at?" Tsunade's heart gave a jolt; her beautiful face turned immediately dangerous.
"I wasn't looking at anything." Kitazawa shifted his gaze and said seriously, "Nothing comes to mind yet. I'll tell you when it does."
"I've got a compensation for you," Tsunade snorted lightly. "I'll teach you the Yin Seal."
Back on the Mist front she'd already said she would. Now that she was Hokage, things were on track and she had time to teach him.
Hearing "Yin Seal," Kitazawa immediately thought of his system quest. Honestly, he and Tsunade were basically teacher and student already—so why hadn't the system task cleared?
"Tsunade-sama," Kitazawa considered, then asked, "can I start calling you 'sensei' now?"
"If you want to, go ahead. No one's stopping you," Tsunade said after two seconds of silence.
"Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa said at once, "when do we start on the Yin Seal?"
"Come find me this afternoon if you're free," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. "I'll try to finish up my work this morning."
"Got it." Kitazawa nodded, then thought of something else. "Tsunade-sensei, how about I teach you Limb Regeneration?"
"Mm." Tsunade agreed without overthinking it. Limb Regeneration was too useful to skip; better to learn it now than be caught unprepared later.
"I'll head back to the office. Remember to come find me this afternoon," Tsunade said, and started down the stairs.
"Nonō-senpai," Kitazawa said, watching her go, then walked back to the operating table. "How's Kosuke-senpai?"
"Excellent," Nonō said with a smile. "We didn't find any problems."
"Kosuke-senpai, try walking a few steps," Kitazawa said to Maruboshi.
Kosuke took a deep breath, set both feet on the floor, and stood. He straightened up, a smile spreading across his face. After so many years, he was finally standing on both legs again.
He started to walk—clumsy at first, then steady, then almost brisk—growing visibly emotional.
"For now, the operation looks very successful," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought. "But to be safe, Kosuke-senpai, please come to the hospital several times this month for follow-ups."
"Alright, I'll come regularly," Kosuke nodded, then bowed. "Kitazawa, thank you!"
"You'll shorten my life with that bow," Kitazawa said quickly, helping him up.
"It's only right," Kosuke chuckled. "I'll get going and stop bothering you. I'll come back in a couple of days."
"Nonō-senpai," Kitazawa asked once Kosuke had left, "any thoughts on the Limb Regeneration training class?"
"A single group won't work—Konoha Hospital still needs medical jōnin on duty," Nonō said mildly. "We could do it in shifts."
"That's a good plan," Kitazawa nodded. "Let's split into two cohorts and alternate. We'll hold it at the Ninja Academy."
"The Academy?" Nonō blinked.
"It's quieter," Kitazawa smiled. "Mainly, I have classes there anyway."
"Alright," Nonō replied. "I'll bring the first cohort of medical jōnin to the Academy tomorrow."
"Mm." Kitazawa clapped his hands. "Today's operation is a wrap. Thanks for watching—meeting adjourned."
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sama!" the medics chimed as they left.
"Sakura, stay at the hospital and help out," Kitazawa said to Sakura Haruno and Kabuto Yakushi. "Kabuto, you're coming back to Anbu with me."
The two of them left Konoha Hospital.
[Current Mission: Before graduation, find a team leader whose position and strength both surpass Hatake Kakashi's.]
[Reward: A reward based on the leader you secure.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
[Because your teacher is Tsunade, reward: Yin Seal.]
Kitazawa, walking down the road, stopped subconsciously. Finally?
This system task had taken him the longest of all.
A flood of information poured into his mind.
He felt changes in his body.
The Yin Seal is essentially a chakra-storage technique.
Training it has two steps:
Step one: open a reservoir on the forehead that can store chakra.
Step two: compress daily chakra and pour it into the reservoir; once a diamond mark forms on the forehead, the training is complete.
Kitazawa already had Senju blood; with more than six bars of chakra, he didn't need long-term accumulation. With the system's help, he mastered the Yin Seal in an instant.
The Yin Seal has two functions:
First, storing chakra—there's theoretically no upper limit, as long as you put in the work.
Second, using the Yin Seal to regulate chakra throughout the body to achieve various effects: boosting attack power, enhancing bodily functions, slowing aging, and so on.
But the Yin Seal alone isn't enough to become another Tsunade.
Ninjutsu: Creation Rebirth—Strength of a Hundred Technique is the true key.
It's an advanced application created on top of the Yin Seal; once activated, it automatically heals injuries.
How far can it heal?
Put it this way: while Creation Rebirth—Strength of a Hundred is active, you're practically unkillable. It's broken.
Kitazawa already had handseal-less healing; with Creation Rebirth added, his regeneration would rival Senju Hashirama's.
"Kitazawa-sensei?" Kabuto looked over when Kitazawa suddenly stopped.
"Keep moving," Kitazawa said, tugging down his Konoha forehead protector to cover the Yin Seal's diamond mark. It was still easy to give himself away. He planned to add an extra sealing formula later. No one could know yet—Tsunade had only just said she'd teach him; mastering it instantly would be way too freaky. Best to pretend to learn and unveil it after some time.
Kitazawa and Kabuto returned to Anbu—not the office in the Hokage Building, but the nearby Anbu base: two buildings and a training field.
"Kitazawa-sama," an Anbu operative approached. "Codename Antelope, squad leader."
Kitazawa nodded slightly. In the original timeline, Antelope was mentioned—an Anbu Squad Leader and one of Tsunade's Hokage guards.
"It's your first time here; I'll take you to your office," Antelope said, gesturing. "This way, please."
"Thanks." Kitazawa followed her upstairs to an office.
"If you need anything, just call," Antelope said, then left.
"Kabuto, how are you adapting to Anbu?" Kitazawa asked, looking the office over.
"Pretty well," Kabuto said. Anbu reported directly to the Hokage; rules were stricter and expectations higher. But Kabuto had come from Root; for him, this was like a fish to water. Aburame Torune was about the same. Only Uchiha Izumi wasn't quite used to Anbu's intensity.
"Good." Kitazawa casually picked up a file on the desk—recent Anbu recruiting results. There were a lot of applicants; seven rounds of testing had been completed, and many had passed. Kitazawa counted—more than fifty. Not an easy selection.
He stared at the list of those who'd cleared the strength bar, thinking.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Kabuto said, remembering something, "Asuma-senpai said Anbu missions are run in squads of four; we're still short one."
"I'm pretty busy lately," Kitazawa mused. "How about this: I'll find someone to lead you for now."
The first person who came to mind was Uchiha Itachi.
His squad included Uchiha Izumi. As fellow Uchiha, Itachi likely wouldn't refuse. Izumi was at a bottleneck anyway—close to awakening three tomoe. More missions might push her over the edge.
But having Itachi lead them every day wasn't a long-term plan; he had his own team. Kitazawa figured he could try to recruit someone instead—like the Ice Release user Haku. Since Zabuza hadn't defected from the Mist, Haku probably hadn't met him and was likely still wandering. With a kekkei genkai, Haku could be trained up to jōnin—loyalty included.
"Go call Itachi," Kitazawa said, decision made—no point agonizing over candidates. His "trusted lieutenants" system quest already had a direction.
He picked up a pen and circled eight names. There were twelve openings in Anbu this round. Kabuto, Torune Aburame, and Uchiha Izumi filled three; he'd left one slot open earlier. That left eight picks.
His method was simple: one each from Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, one from the Ino–Shika–Cho trio, one Aburame, and one Inuzuka. Fair overall; everyone got a look. Except the Shimura clan. They had clout and were founding elders of Konoha, but because of Danzō, Kitazawa had no good feelings toward them. The fact that he wasn't purging them was generosity enough.
"Kitazawa-sama," Uchiha Itachi stepped in.
"Itachi, I need a favor," Kitazawa said, explaining Kabuto's situation and asking if he could take them on missions when free.
"No problem," Itachi agreed without hesitation.
"Thanks, Itachi," Kitazawa said. "Cover them for a while; once I find a permanent leader, you can stop."
"It's nothing." Itachi suddenly looked hesitant.
"Something on your mind?" Kitazawa raised a brow.
"There is," Itachi said after a two-second pause. "My father spoke to me two days ago. He wants the Uchiha to return to our original compound."
Kitazawa understood immediately. The Uchiha wanted back into the political center. Reasonable—if they stayed on the village's edge forever, they'd never produce a Hokage.
Tricky, but not impossible. Tsunade had just become Hokage; some appointments were bound to change. If an Uchiha could get onto the Hokage's staff or guard, returning to their old compound wouldn't be far off.
[As a future Hokage, you must balance Konoha's factions.]
[Current Mission: Help the Uchiha clan return to their original compound and gain their friendship.]
[Mission Reward: Izanagi.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes widened. Izanagi?
He'd seen Danzō use it multiple times. With enough Sharingan, it was a busted resurrection skill. And Kitazawa had Sharingan—four he'd taken from Danzō. He didn't like swapping out his own eyes, but at death's door, niceties didn't matter. Izanagi was the ultimate lifesaver.
"The original relocation was ordered by the Third Hokage at a jōnin council meeting," Kitazawa said after thinking. "To move back, it also has to pass the jōnin council."
"It'll be hard for the Uchiha to win that much support," Itachi said with a sigh.
"That is a problem," Kitazawa agreed. He had an idea but didn't say it. If it was too easy, the Uchiha wouldn't feel genuine gratitude.
"This will take planning," he continued. "Even though my teacher is the Hokage, she can't just bulldoze this through. I'll think of a way."
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sama!" Itachi was stunned, then quickly grateful. He hadn't expected Kitazawa to genuinely help. The difficulty was real—even with Tsunade's approval, other clans and jōnin might object. The Uchiha had thrown their weight around in the past and offended plenty.
"It's nothing. You've helped me so many times; it's my turn," Kitazawa said with a smile.
…
Amegakure, in the Land of Rain.
Even with June approaching, the weather hadn't changed—endless drizzle.
Konan glanced at the Deva Path standing atop the tower, then walked into the rain, using chakra to ward off the falling drops, and reached her destination: a house not far from the tower.
"Kakuzu, how's it going lately?" she asked, pushing the door open.
A masked man sat in the living room, leafing through an old book.
"Not bad," Kakuzu said casually. "Finished three bounties. Twenty million ryō in hand."
"Any shifts in the shinobi world?" Konan nodded, then asked.
"Konoha has a new Hokage—Tsunade is the Fifth," Kakuzu said after a moment. He lived in the underworld; the changing of a Kage in one of the Five Great Villages was old news to him.
Tsunade… Konan sighed inwardly and thought of her teacher, Jiraiya. But ever since Yahiko died, they were fated to be enemies of Konoha.
Just then, the ground bulged and a White Zetsu appeared before them.
"White Zetsu, what's the intel?" Konan asked, snapping back to the present.
"Tsunade's student Kitazawa created a medical ninjutsu that regrows lost limbs," White Zetsu said.
"Come again?" Konan's eyes sharpened.
"You're sure?" Kakuzu looked over too. "Limb Regeneration? As a medical technique?"
"Absolutely," White Zetsu said. "Kitazawa did a public operation—restored the left leg of a shinobi named Kosuke Maruboshi."
Konan's fist clenched, then slowly loosened. She stood there in silence.
Would Limb Regeneration help Nagato?
Years ago, they'd fallen into Hanzō's trap; Nagato's legs were wrecked by an explosion. Then, after Yahiko died, he summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in rage, which drained huge amounts of chakra and life force. Now his legs were completely ruined, and his body was emaciated.
Konan felt she should make a trip to Konoha. And she and Kitazawa had met once before, besides.