Tuesday.
When the Advanced Class arrived on the academy field, they found a crowd of unexpected guests.
"Why are there so many medical-nin?" Kiba Inuzuka asked, baffled.
"Are they here for checkups?" Uzumaki Naruto's eyes went wide. "I'm not getting any shots!"
"If you're scared of needles, how are you gonna be Hokage?" Uchiha Sasuke said coolly, hands in his pockets.
"I'm not scared!" Naruto shot back on instinct. "My body's in top shape—I don't need shots!"
Sasuke's mouth twitched. Hard to argue with that one. Naruto's constitution really did outclass his—honestly, it was barely human at this point.
"This isn't about us," Haruno Sakura said, cutting to the truth. "They're all here to see Kitazawa-sensei."
"Is Kitazawa-sensei sick?" Naruto's face changed at once.
"Use that brain of yours for once," Nara Shikamaru sighed. "What illness needs this many med-nin? Besides, Kitazawa-sensei is a medical-nin himself."
"Oh. Yeah… fair point." Naruto scratched his head.
"You'll never guess," Sakura said with a mysterious smile. "They're here for class with Kitazawa-sensei—same as us."
"Class?" Naruto, Kiba, and the others all looked surprised.
"Does it have to do with Limb Regeneration?" Shikamaru mused.
"You're great at everything except leaving any room for suspense," Sakura pouted.
"It wasn't hard," Shikamaru said. "Kitazawa-sensei's Limb Regeneration technique has been the talk of Konoha these last two days."
"Totally," Kurama Yakumo chimed in. "I went out to the far east side to sketch after school yesterday, and everyone along the way was talking about it."
"As expected of Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto said, starry-eyed. "I'm gonna invent a jutsu the whole village talks about too!"
"Don't bother. Not happening," Sasuke sniffed.
"Creating miracles is what youth is all about!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "I can do it!"
"This is youth!" Rock Lee declared, fired up. "Naruto, I'm with you!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tenten crossed her arms. "Let's skip that topic." The last thing she wanted was Naruto and Lee getting hyped and ending in a tearful bro-hug.
"Kitazawa-sensei's here," Hinata Hyūga said softly, for once speaking up first.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the school gate.
Moments later, Kitazawa came into view.
They were about to run over when the med-nin beat them to it.
"Kitazawa-sama," the group of medical-nin greeted, crowding around.
"Thanks for waiting. We'll hold class in the Advanced Class room today," Kitazawa said after a moment's thought.
The Advanced Class only did theory on Mondays. The rest of the week was training out on the field—they barely used the classroom.
Limb Regeneration was an S-rank medical jutsu. His plan was a week of theory first, then let Nonō Yakushi and the others get hands-on.
"You go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute," Kitazawa added—he wanted to say hi to his students.
"Follow me," Yakushi Nonō said, taking point.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Once the med-nin left, Naruto and the others sprinted over.
"Morning," Kitazawa greeted with a smile, reaching out to ruffle Hinata's hair. She'd moved quickest and snagged the closest spot to him.
"Kitazawa-sensei, are you still going to teach us?" Naruto blurted.
"Of course," Kitazawa said, already guessing his worry. "This med-nin training course is temporary—six months tops."
As soon as one medical jōnin mastered Limb Regeneration, he could safely hand things off.
"Great." Naruto exhaled, and the others visibly relaxed too.
They'd gotten used to rocketing in strength under Kitazawa and didn't want a new teacher. And it wasn't just about power anymore—it was trust and bonds.
"Kitazawa!" came a voice—Kosuke Maruboshi. Compared to before, there was a new spring in his tone.
"Kosuke-senpai," Kitazawa said, giving him a once-over.
Regaining his left leg had clearly changed him—positively. Especially next to Kakashi Hatake, the difference stood out.
"All right, class time." Kitazawa clapped his hands.
Naruto, Sasuke, and the others wandered off to their usual training spots.
"Kakashi," Kitazawa walked up. "How's Lightning Release: Kirin coming along?"
"Pretty well," Kakashi considered. "Should be done this week."
"Congrats," Kitazawa said with a smile. "S-rank lightning ninjutsu is rare across the whole shinobi world."
"That's thanks to you," Kakashi replied, deadpan.
"I didn't do much—just nudged you twice," Kitazawa patted his shoulder. "No need to be that modest."
Kakashi blinked. He glanced at Kitazawa's hand and felt a long-missing emotion stir.
"I'll be in the Advanced Class room. Come grab me if anything comes up," Kitazawa said, then headed for the classroom.
Yakushi Nonō and the others had already picked seats and were waiting. A few bored med-nin were flipping through the Advanced Class textbooks.
"Kitazawa-sama," they said, straightening the instant they noticed him.
"Class begins now." Kitazawa smiled and stepped up to the lectern.
It was a bit funny—aside from Yakushi Kabuto, every "student" in the room was older than he was.
By noon, he gave them lunch break per the academy schedule.
He stepped out to the field.
The Advanced Class had also broken for lunch, sitting in pairs and trios around the grounds. The liveliest bunch was Naruto, Hinata, Yakumo, Rock Lee, and the rest.
The original Konoha Twelve—plus Kurama Yakumo, Karin, and Inuzuka Hana—fifteen in all.
"Kitazawa-sensei, sit with us!" Yamanaka Ino waved him over.
"Naruto, come see me after you finish eating," Kitazawa said as he sat down between Ino and Hinata.
"Are you teaching me a new jutsu?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Nope," Kitazawa shook his head. "You haven't even learned your current Wind Release yet—how would a new one help?"
"Then what is it?" Naruto asked, curious.
"Finish lunch first," Kitazawa said. He meant the Nine-Tails, of course—something the others shouldn't hear.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Hinata offered him a bento.
He glanced inside: beautifully arranged—definitely handmade by Hinata.
"Thanks." Kitazawa smiled at her.
Hinata beamed and picked up her own bento.
"I'm done!" Naruto was the first to finish.
"Let's go." Kitazawa closed his box, nearly finished himself.
Hinata took the empty box as he handed it over, and Kitazawa gave her another fond head pat before heading to a nearby tree with Naruto.
"What did you want to tell me, Kitazawa-sensei?" Naruto asked right away.
"Do you know about the Sage of Six Paths?" Kitazawa thought for a beat.
"They taught it in class. Legend says he's the ancestor of shinobi—passed down chakra and ninjutsu," Naruto answered.
"Good," Kitazawa nodded. "What the books don't say is that he left behind nine incredibly powerful beasts—what we call the Tailed Beasts."
"Tailed Beasts?" Naruto searched his memory. "First I've heard of them. Are they strong?"
"It's not about strong or not," Kitazawa said. "To shinobi, tailed beasts are overwhelming existences."
"Even a Hokage can't beat them?" Naruto gasped.
"A Hokage can, especially the First—Hashirama Senju," Kitazawa said. "Remember the Battle at the Valley of the End I mentioned?"
"The First Hokage versus Uchiha Madara," Naruto nodded.
"In reality, it wasn't just the two of them. The Ninth and strongest beast—the Nine-Tails—was there too," Kitazawa explained. "Madara controlled the Nine-Tails and fought the First—and lost miserably."
"The First was insane!" Naruto breathed.
"That's why he's called the God of Shinobi," Kitazawa said. "So—do you know where the Nine-Tails went after?"
"No idea." Then Naruto's eyes brightened. "Is it in Konoha?"
"Correct. Have a candy," Kitazawa said, popping one into his hand.
"Where is it? Can I see it?" Naruto asked, fascinated.
"It's inside you," Kitazawa replied.
"Huh?" Naruto froze. "What do you mean… inside me?"
"You know how genjutsu never sticks to you?" Kitazawa said. "That's the Nine-Tails breaking them from within."
"B-but…" Naruto floundered.
Kitazawa let the silence sit, giving him time to process.
"Why is the Nine-Tails in me?" Naruto finally asked after a few minutes.
"Your parents put it there," Kitazawa said truthfully.
"What?" Naruto jolted. "Kitazawa-sensei, you know who my parents are?"
He'd asked Sarutobi Hiruzen before, but the old man had always dodged the question.
"I can tell you," Kitazawa said. "But keep it secret for a bit—don't tell anyone yet."
Tsunade would officially announce Naruto's identity at the next jōnin meeting. If it leaked early, rumors would explode.
"Okay!" Naruto stared at him, eyes full of hope.
"Namikaze Minato," Kitazawa said slowly.
"That name… sounds so familiar," Naruto muttered, scratching his head.
"The Fourth Hokage," Kitazawa prompted.
"What?" Naruto's pupils shook. He went rigid. "I'm the Fourth's son?"
"Your mother was Uzumaki Kushina," Kitazawa added. "That's why your surname is Uzumaki."
"Awesome!" Naruto burst out, grinning. "My parents are heroes of Konoha!"
He'd been disliked since he was little, and he'd turned that over in his mind a thousand times—maybe it was his parents' fault. Hiruzen's evasions had fed that idea. But clearly, that wasn't it.
"Then why did they all call me a monster?" Naruto asked—and then the lightbulb went on. "Because of the Nine-Tails?"
He'd heard Hiruzen's story about Minato dying because of the Nine-Tails' attack. And now the Nine-Tails was inside him. Naruto could piece it together.
"Yeah," Kitazawa said after a moment. "Blame Shimura Danzo—he stirred murmurs and made villagers think you were the Nine-Tails incarnate."
He went on to sketch Danzo's many misdeeds.
"Unforgivable!" Naruto's face twisted with anger.
Because of Danzo, he'd been misunderstood for years—and only now learned who his parents were.
Kitazawa patted his shoulder.
At this point, putting it on Danzo was the best option. Hiruzen was already retired; no need to drag him out. More importantly, Naruto was close to him—ripping the bandage off would only hurt more. Danzo was dead and couldn't argue back. Sometimes the dead are more "useful" than the living.
"Danzo's gone, and Tsunade-sensei plans to announce your true identity—most likely next week," Kitazawa said gravely. "Naruto, things won't be like before."
"I…" Overwhelmed by the info dump, Naruto felt both tangled up and strangely blank.
"I know you won't absorb this all at once," Kitazawa said. "Go rest. We'll talk more about the Nine-Tails tomorrow."
Naruto nodded without thinking and drifted back toward the others.
"Hey, Naruto—what's wrong?" Sasuke noticed first.
"I—I'm fine," Naruto shook his head.
"If you don't want to talk, forget it," Sasuke sniffed. He'd actually shown concern for once, only to get brushed off.
"You look out of it," Kiba said, slinging an arm around him with a grin. "Not like you."
"Yeah," Chōji Akimichi added. "We're friends. If something's up, tell us—we'll help."
"Relax. It's fine," Shikamaru said, giving Naruto a once-over. "Kitazawa-sensei called him over. It won't be anything bad."
"Mm!" Naruto snapped back, looking around at everyone, touched. "Really, I'm okay!"
Regardless of being the Fourth's kid, he already had friends who cared. And hey—having a Hokage dad sounded pretty cool. Only pity was, he'd never met him—just seen his face on the Hokage Rock.
"Good," Rock Lee gave a thumbs-up. "Whatever the challenge, youth will conquer it!"
"Exactly!" Naruto rallied, grinning. "Youth can't lose its fighting spirit!"
"All right, if you're fine, let's eat," Ino said, satisfied.
Lunch ended and classes resumed.
Kitazawa's real body went to the Hokage's office to study the Yin Seal; a shadow clone took over in the Advanced Class room.
By sunset, Tuesday's classes were wrapping up.
Kitazawa returned to the academy and dispelled his clone.
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sama!" the Konoha Hospital med-nin called as they headed out.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto waved at the doorway, buzzing with energy.
Kitazawa arched a brow. Kids really did bounce back fast.
"Kitazawa-sensei, tell me about the Nine-Tails inside me!" Naruto couldn't wait.
"After the Sage of Six Paths died, the Nine-Tails roamed free until Uchiha Madara controlled it," Kitazawa said with a smile. "The First Hokage defeated it, and it was sealed away."
"Kinda tragic when you put it like that," Naruto blinked. He'd expected epic feats from the mightiest beast—this… wasn't that.
"The place it was sealed is your body," Kitazawa went on. "You're the third to hold it. The last was your mother, Kushina."
"I see." Relief flickered across Naruto's face. He'd been reluctant, but hearing his mother had done the same made it easier—like inheriting a mantle. In a way, it was his only living link to her.
"The Nine-Tails caused trouble a few times, but not by choice," Kitazawa said. "If you can, try being its friend."
"Friend?" Naruto remembered how the Nine-Tails had dispelled genjutsu for him more than once. "That… actually sounds good."
"And if you bond with it, you can borrow its power," Kitazawa grinned. "With its help, you might become the strongest Hokage ever."
"Really?" Naruto's eyes went huge. His dream was to be Hokage—one who surpassed all before him.
"But didn't the First Hokage beat the Nine-Tails?" Naruto suddenly frowned. "How would it help me become the strongest?"
The next instant, his whole body jolted.
Red chakra surged out and wavered in the air before him.
In Kitazawa's mind, a Jerry (from Tom & Jerry) reaction meme flashed.