"Tomorrow, Kirigakure and Konohagakure will hold a genin exchange meet."
Kitazawa sat behind his desk, smiling. "I've recommended you to the Hokage."
Uchiha Sasuke and the others looked at one another, clearly puzzled by the sudden news.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Uzumaki Naruto raised his hand, "what exactly do we do at this exchange? Chat with genin from the Mist?"
"We're ninja. We exchange with our fists, not our mouths," Kitazawa explained. "There will be five sparring matches between the two sides."
"I'm in!" Naruto blurted the moment he heard "sparring," looking very excited.
Kitazawa couldn't help but laugh.
This kid really has turned into a battle maniac under Might Guy.
Not that it's a bad thing—he's gifted, and fighting more only makes him grow faster.
Sasuke's eyes lit up.
Spar with Kiri's genin?
They'll definitely send their best to win. If he could beat them, it would bring great honor to the Uchiha, and both his father and brother would be pleased.
He remembered his brother saying that Uchiha Shisui first made his name on the battlefield against Kirigakure.
This exchange was the perfect opportunity.
With that thought, Sasuke felt a twinge of impatience.
"Are all five of us going?" Hyuga Neji glanced around, a little incredulous.
It was a genin exchange, but none of them were actually genin.
Why was Kitazawa sending them?
Did he think they were already stronger than every genin in the village?
Well… they were pretty strong.
"Mm. All five bouts are yours," Kitazawa nodded. "The Hokage has high hopes for you—don't let her down."
"We'll give it our all!" Naruto flashed a thumbs-up, his teeth sparkling. "The Hokage's gonna see our burning youth!"
"Just don't wear a green bodysuit," Sasuke muttered, reminding him.
No doubt the stands would be packed—with both Konoha and Mist shinobi watching.
If Naruto showed up in a green unitard and Sasuke had to stand next to him, he'd probably flee the village that very night.
"Huh? Why not?" Naruto scratched his head.
"I've already prepared your outfits," Kitazawa coughed lightly. "You're representing Konoha, so you'll wear Konoha flak jackets."
Naruto perked up at once.
As nice as the green bodysuit was, he liked the flak jacket more—it meant he could experience being a real ninja ahead of time.
"There's one day left. Your teachers have taught what needs teaching. Rest up and keep your condition sharp," Kitazawa said gravely. "I believe in you."
"Thanks, Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto promised. "We definitely won't let you down!"
Kurama Yakumo and Hyuga Hinata nodded along.
The faculty for the Advanced Class needed no hype—it was the strongest lineup in the ninja world.
No matter how talented other villages' genin were, they didn't have teachers like Sarutobi Hiruzen, Maruboshi Kosuke, Hatake Kakashi, and Kitazawa.
Especially since Kitazawa had been giving them targeted training even before the Advanced Class was formed.
If they couldn't win with all that, they'd have no face left to be his students.
"If you beat the Mist genin, you can each pick one B-rank jutsu," Kitazawa added.
"Now that's a reward brimming with youth!" Naruto yelled, amped. "That prize is as good as mine!"
Sasuke and Hinata stayed calm.
They didn't exactly lack B-rank jutsu.
And honestly, neither did Naruto—he was just the type who'd learned several A-rank techniques without even realizing it.
"The exchange will be held at our academy—on the main field," Kitazawa reminded them. "Don't be late."
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke and the others answered in unison.
"You're dismissed," Kitazawa waved.
The five turned and left the office.
Once the door closed, Kitazawa ran the numbers. A clean sweep shouldn't be a problem.
Most genin could only handle the Three Basic Techniques; anyone who knew even one or two elemental jutsu—no matter how low-rank—counted as an "excellent genin."
Neji and the others each had at least one high-level technique.
Yakumo, Sasuke, and Naruto were even more over the top.
With a bit of luck, any of them might even put down a jōnin.
Let's hope Terumi Mei can handle it.
For all he knew, five straight bouts might leave the Mist kids shattered and doubting life.
The only variable was the random draw.
Kiri would definitely send Chōjūrō.
As for Hōzuki Suigetsu—had Orochimaru taken him yet?
In the original timeline, he first appeared in Orochimaru's base, but things had shifted forward a lot, so this might play out differently.
They'd know tomorrow.
Kitazawa checked the clock on the wall, then headed for the village gate.
A moment later, he spotted Aburame Shibi and the others waiting there—his newly assembled Undersea Exploration Team.
They'd secured a sea area from Kirigakure and planned to depart today to establish a forward base.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Shibi hurried over.
"Kitazawa-sama," the other Aburame greeted respectfully.
In the ninja world, strength is respect.
In both power and position, Kitazawa stood above them—and more importantly, he'd done a lot for the clan.
From the explosive bugs to the mutated kikaichū, he'd been directly involved—practically a benefactor.
"Clan Head Shibi, I'll assign an Anbu squad to accompany you. If anything urgent comes up, have them run errands," Kitazawa said after a beat.
In truth, that Anbu unit's real mission was to investigate Gatō in the Land of Waves.
But since Konoha's undersea outpost would be set up on an uninhabited island not far from Wave, it made sense to say Shibi could use them if needed.
"I won't keep you—safe travels," Kitazawa added before Shibi could reply.
They'd been waiting for him to see them off.
"Then we'll be on our way. Until next time, Kitazawa," Shibi said, leading Aburame out.
As clan head, he wouldn't be stationed on the island long-term, but with the base not yet established and the stakes high, he needed to go personally.
Thursday arrived.
Since the exchange would be held that afternoon, Kitazawa had a set of bleachers quickly put up on the academy field.
The event wasn't huge in scale.
Besides their five genin, the Mist brought fewer than forty spectators.
Konoha, mindful of the freshly signed pact with Kirigakure, also limited spectators to forty.
With slots scarce, plenty of shinobi still approached Tsunade and Kitazawa asking to be allowed to watch.
Even if it was "just" genin sparring, the moment another village was involved, it was no ordinary bout—village pride was on the line.
Tsunade and Kitazawa refused—mostly.
As long as they didn't disrupt the matches or show themselves openly, it was fine.
The academy grounds were big; hiding a few shinobi was easy.
Regardless of how many watched, the results would spread through both Konoha and Kiri.
At noon, Kitazawa dropped by the Hokage's office to mooch lunch.
"How are your students looking?" Tsunade scooted over to make room.
"Pretty good," Kitazawa said, sitting beside her.
"The Mist genin arrived. I reviewed their files—Chōjūrō and Hōzuki Suigetsu are the ones to watch," Tsunade said. "But it's best-of-five. Dropping one or two isn't a big deal."
Kitazawa raised a brow.
So Orochimaru hadn't taken Suigetsu yet?
In the original story, Orochimaru became interested in Suigetsu because of his Hydrification Technique and captured him for experiments.
Sasuke only rescued him after defecting to Otogakure, and then formed Team Taka with Karin and Jūgo.
But the exact timing of Suigetsu's capture was never stated.
Thinking it through, Kitazawa realized a likely reason: Orochimaru probably hadn't left Akatsuki yet.
Which was… kind of Kitazawa's fault.
Because Itachi hadn't defected, there was no scene of Orochimaru trying to ambush him and getting insta-crushed.
Without that humiliation, Orochimaru wouldn't obsess over the Mangekyō Sharingan, wouldn't bail on Akatsuki, and wouldn't start the Konoha Crush Plan.
Right now he was more interested in Nagato's Rinnegan, so he hadn't left Akatsuki or returned to the Sound.
No matter.
Suigetsu was still very young—same age as Sasuke, only seven.
He probably didn't command much Water Style yet.
Chōjūrō, on the other hand, should be stronger—he was two years older and already called a prodigy in the Mist.
"Wanna make a bet?" Kitazawa turned to look at Tsunade's profile.
"A bet? Out of nowhere?" Tsunade blinked. "On what?"
"On us winning all five," Kitazawa said. "You just said we might drop one or two. I'm betting on a sweep."
"Deal." Tsunade agreed after a moment's thought.
It was a bet she couldn't lose—if she won, great; if she lost, a five-zero Konoha sweep was still a huge win.
"Perfect," Kitazawa grinned. "In that case, there definitely won't be any 'accidents.'"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsunade shot him a glare. "You think I'm doomed to lose?"
"Do you want to win?" Kitazawa countered.
"…"
Tsunade realized she'd walked right into his little trap.
Annoyed, she didn't know what to say.
"Eat," she growled, changing the subject.
"No frowning—it doesn't suit you. Here, say ah." Kitazawa picked up a tempura shrimp and held it to her lips.
"I'm not a child," Tsunade said—then bit the shrimp.
Only after swallowing did she realize he'd used his chopsticks.
She glanced at him instinctively.
"What? Want me to feed you another?" Kitazawa blinked.
"No need." Tsunade turned away after a brief pause and kept eating.
Kitazawa chuckled.
When they finished, they headed for the academy.
"Something just occurred to me," Tsunade frowned slightly. "Do you think Terumi Mei might give the Seven Swordsmen's blades to Chōjūrō and Suigetsu early?"
There were seven blades in all.
Kiba, the Thunder Swords, were with Kitazawa and Kakashi.
Samehada was with Naruto.
Kubikiribōchō, the Executioner's Blade, was in the hands of the first generation's sole survivor, Biwa Jūzō.
The remaining four were still in Kiri—originally with Suigetsu's brother, Hōzuki Mangetsu, who possessed the summoning scroll for all seven swords and was a famed prodigy.
In the original timeline, he inherited the dual sword Hiramekarei, but died young.
Which meant the four swords were currently unclaimed.
In the third generation of Swordsmen—by then reduced to just two—Chōjūrō inherited Hiramekarei, and Suigetsu took Kubikiribōchō.
But since Jūzō held Kubikiribōchō now, Suigetsu would have to use something else.
"Even if they get them early, it's fine," Kitazawa said casually. "Naruto's got Samehada, and Sasuke's got the Raijin Sword—they won't lose out."
"Mm." Tsunade nodded. "Then let's leave the rest to luck."
If Chōjūrō or Suigetsu drew Naruto, Sasuke, or Yakumo, they'd lose for sure.
If they drew Hinata or Neji, the sword might give them a chance.
"My luck's always good," Kitazawa thought, biting back the add-on—"better than yours."
The last thing he wanted was for Kiri's people to witness the Hokage chasing her Anbu Commander around the field in a rage.
The exchange was set for 1:00 p.m.
Even before the hour, the academy field was already lively—especially on Kiri's side, where everyone had arrived early.
"Mizukage-sama." Ao approached Terumi Mei.
His Byakugan had been replaced with his original eye, but it hadn't healed yet, so he still wore a patch over the right eye.
"Have Chōjūrō and Suigetsu gotten used to their swords?" Terumi asked.
Just as Tsunade had guessed, they'd given the Seven Swordsmen's blades to the two boys ahead of time.
"They're top-tier prodigies of the Mist—they picked them up quickly," Ao said with some pride. "Once they're older, they'll definitely join the Seven Swordsmen."
"Good." Terumi nodded. "With them, our chances of taking this are high."
"We'll take it for sure," Ao said confidently.
"Did you dig up anything on those students?" Terumi's gaze fell on the Advanced Class in the distance.
"I had people ask around the nearby villagers," Ao said after a pause. "Two names came up the most."
As the losing side in the war, they didn't dare use shinobi methods to investigate Konoha's academy students—that would cause trouble if discovered.
Plus, they were under watch in Konoha already.
So they simply asked the locals openly.
"Which two?" Terumi asked.
"One is the Fourth Hokage's son, Uzumaki Naruto," Ao said, hesitating. "They say he knows the Multiple Shadow Clone."
"You sure?" Terumi blinked. "Even among jōnin, not many can use that."
"I suspect Konoha planted the rumor to throw us off," Ao admitted.
No child could have that much chakra.
"Possible," Terumi thought of Nara Shikaku.
His brains during the talks had left a deep impression; a little misdirection would be right up his alley.
"The other is the Uchiha Clan Head's son, Uchiha Sasuke," Ao continued, face a bit odd. "They say he's awakened two-tomoe Sharingan."
"How old is he?" Terumi's heart skipped. She frowned.
"Seven," Ao said.
"Two tomoe at seven? That screams fake intel," Terumi shook her head.
"There's one more thing," Ao couldn't help but grin. "They say Sasuke and Naruto have beaten a jōnin."
"…" Terumi was speechless.
Seven-year-olds defeating a jōnin?
Even as disinformation, that was a stretch.
"They're here. Let's go," she said, spotting Tsunade and Kitazawa and stepping forward.
As for Ao's "intel," she tossed it aside—no point believing it.
At 1:00 p.m., two drawing boxes were brought out.
On the left were the five Mist names—Kitazawa would draw.
On the right were the five Konoha names—Ao would draw.
Before the raised platform, Tsunade, Terumi Mei, and the others had taken their seats.
Konoha had sent several heavy hitters: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi, Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza, and more.
"My dad and my brother are both here!" Sasuke was the most excited of all.
Just thinking about beating Kiri's prodigies in front of them made him want to laugh out loud.
"It's time. Let's draw," Kitazawa raised his hand. "After you."
Ao nodded, stepped up, and pulled a slip.
He glanced at it. "Uzumaki Naruto."
Kitazawa's brow ticked up. He plucked a slip at random. "Chōjūrō."
Both Terumi and Tsunade smiled when they heard the pairing.
Each of them thought they had the advantage.
~~~
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