"Bastard!"
Anrokuzan still hadn't given up struggling.
He cursed while trying to draw on the power of the Dragon Vein to break free from the wooden dragon's restraints.
Wood Release: Smothering Binding Technique!
Kitazawa thought for a moment, then formed hand seals again.
The branches around Anrokuzan suddenly stretched out and wrapped around him.
Most importantly, they pinned his throat so he couldn't make another sound.
"That's better. Now we just wait for the Queen of Rōran to shut down the Dragon Vein."
Kitazawa chuckled as he spoke.
"Kitazawa, why didn't you make a move earlier?"
Namikaze Minato asked curiously.
"I'm a teacher at the ninja academy," Kitazawa reminded him.
Minato immediately went speechless as he understood.
With the power of the Dragon Vein backing him, Anrokuzan's strength had clearly surpassed that of most jōnin.
Even Minato, with Flying Thunder God plus Rasengan, hadn't been able to do anything to him.
Yet this kind of powerhouse, Kitazawa had casually used as practice for his students.
From Minato's perspective, that was just insane.
But Kitazawa could do that precisely because he actually could pull it off.
The moment Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees and Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique came out, the Anrokuzan they'd been helpless against was instantly taken down.
That level of strength was more than enough to guarantee the students' safety while also letting them get the maximum training out of it.
Minato was starting to understand more and more why Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were so far beyond their peers.
It wasn't just a matter of talent.
"After the Queen of Rōran shuts down the Dragon Vein, how are you all getting back to the future?"
Minato thought for a bit, then asked.
"I'm guessing the key lies with Anrokuzan," Kitazawa said as he looked at him.
In the original storyline, Sara shut down the Dragon Vein, causing Anrokuzan to lose his regeneration.
Minato and Naruto seized the opportunity and defeated him with the Supreme Ultimate Rasengan.
But before he died, Anrokuzan used up the last of his chakra and sent the Dragon Vein into a rampage.
Minato then used a Flying Thunder God kunai as the core to seal the Dragon Vein.
After it was sealed, Minato and Naruto sealed each other's memories, and Naruto and the others returned to the future.
Kitazawa didn't really understand why sealing the Dragon Vein automatically sent them back to the future, but in any case, they just had to follow the same steps.
"Do you have any ideas?"
Minato asked again.
"Not yet. Once the Dragon Vein shuts down, I'll interrogate Anrokuzan. Maybe we'll get a lead," Kitazawa said, already having a plan in mind.
He could pretend to be interrogating Anrokuzan while using that as an excuse to bring up the method used in the original timeline to return to the future.
Minato didn't overthink it, just nodded.
A moment later, the flickering purple chakra suddenly stopped.
"No!"
Anrokuzan screamed in his heart.
His connection with the Dragon Vein had been severed—no doubt the work of the Queen of Rōran.
Although the queens of Rōran weren't ninja, they had contracts with the Dragon Vein passed down through the generations, giving them a certain level of authority over it.
Unfortunately, possessing such a treasure made them targets. Having something so valuable invites disaster, and Mukade—or rather, Anrokuzan—had set his sights on her.
"Looks like Kakashi and Naruto pulled it off," Minato said with a relieved breath when he saw the change.
Kitazawa nodded and walked up to Anrokuzan.
He casually pulled out his fourth bow.
The Wood Dragon had absorbed a huge amount of Dragon Vein chakra just now. Dispelling it directly would be a total waste.
The best option was to seal that power into the bow.
As for the true Dragon Vein itself, he planned to deal with it after they got back to the future.
By that time, the Dragon Vein would essentially be ownerless. If he sealed it then, no one would have grounds to complain.
Right now, though, the Dragon Vein still belonged to Rōran.
Minato studied the bow in Kitazawa's hand, then thought of the bows Hinata and Neji used.
It was obvious these three bows were from the same series; the material and design were very similar.
Byakugan paired with a bow really was a clever idea.
But powerful bows were too rare, which made it hard to promote the style throughout the Hyuga clan.
He had no idea where Kitazawa had found these three bows.
Minato's thoughts drifted off.
Mainly because Kitazawa had shocked him too many times in a row.
Once Kitazawa put away the bow, he cancelled Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees and Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique.
But he did not release Wood Release: Smothering Binding, so Anrokuzan was still tied in place.
Now that he'd lost the Dragon Vein's power, there was no way he could break free from the Wood Dragon, let alone the Smothering Binding.
They were both human puppets, but without the Dragon Vein's chakra, Anrokuzan's puppet body was far inferior to Sasori's.
The reason he'd been so unremarkable in Sunagakure was real—his talent just wasn't that great.
He'd only managed to rise by sheer luck when he obtained the Dragon Vein's power and got to enjoy the treatment of a top-tier powerhouse of the ninja world—
—specifically, the treatment of being tied up by a Wood Dragon.
You had to understand, the only ones who'd been bound by a Wood Dragon before this were types like Uchiha Madara and the Nine-Tails.
"Kitazawa-sensei, we're back!"
Naruto's excited voice rang out.
Kitazawa turned and saw the Queen of Rōran, Sara, Akimichi Chōza, young Kakashi, and the others returning.
Chōza and young Kakashi immediately noticed the branches wrapped around Anrokuzan.
Because they had focused on escorting the Queen of Rōran to safety first, they hadn't seen Kitazawa use Wood Release with their own eyes.
"That's Kitazawa's Wood Release," Minato explained, noticing the looks on their faces.
"Kitazawa-sensei's Wood Release is insanely strong!"
Naruto jumped in at once.
Hinata, Neji, and the others nodded.
"It really is," Minato agreed in admiration. "Before you shut down the Dragon Vein, Kitazawa had already captured Anrokuzan."
Chōza and young Kakashi were even more stunned.
They knew Minato's temperament very well—he was not the type to exaggerate.
In other words, Kitazawa's Wood Release really was impressive enough to earn Minato's genuine respect.
"Ahem."
Kitazawa pulled the topic back. "Now that Anrokuzan is captured, it's time to handle the aftermath."
"Thank you all for your help," the Queen of Rōran said solemnly. "I'll shut down Anrokuzan's puppet factory and never make use of the Dragon Vein's power again."
She wasn't an ambitious ruler.
And seeing that Anrokuzan, even with the Dragon Vein, had still failed to defeat Minato and the others, she'd already realized the Dragon Vein was far from invincible.
Rōran was just a small country. If they couldn't fully control such a power, the best choice was to stop touching it altogether.
"Your Majesty truly sees the bigger picture," Minato immediately praised.
"Leave Anrokuzan's interrogation to me," Kitazawa said, giving Naruto a brief glance. "I'll need three days."
Minato paused for a moment.
Three days wasn't long, but with Kitazawa's level, it really shouldn't take him that long to interrogate someone like Anrokuzan.
"Awesome!"
Naruto cheered. "That means we get to stay in Rōran for three more days!"
Minato understood at once.
He silently thought that Kitazawa was a really good teacher.
Compared to him, Minato's own teacher, Jiraiya, really didn't seem that reliable.
"The palace will need time to be rebuilt, so I'll have to trouble everyone to stay in a side hall for the next three days," the Queen of Rōran said after a short pause. "But I promise you'll be treated as honored guests."
"You're too kind, Your Majesty," Minato replied, shaking his head. "Go ahead and take care of what you need to. You don't have to worry about us."
Their mission was already complete. They could leave Rōran at any time.
Of course, before heading back to Konoha, they still had to see Naruto and the others return to the future.
The queen nodded and ordered attendants to lead them to the side hall to rest.
She had plenty of work ahead of her.
After all, Anrokuzan had left her with quite the mess.
Thankfully, things had ended smoothly in the end.
"Who are you?"
Once they reached the side hall, young Kakashi couldn't help staring at older Kakashi.
Chōza hadn't told him anything about Kitazawa's group while they were protecting the queen.
Not because Chōza wanted to hide it, but because he'd thought Kakashi himself would explain later.
But Kakashi hadn't, and now that the fight was over, the younger one couldn't hold back his curiosity.
Kakashi hesitated for a few seconds, then finally told him the general situation.
Because of what Kitazawa had done, they'd be staying three days anyway.
But Kakashi didn't go into too much detail—he only said he was the younger Kakashi's future self.
Even so, it left young Kakashi completely dumbfounded.
"I'll let you two talk," Kitazawa said with a smile, then dragged Anrokuzan back to his room.
As soon as he shut the door, he activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Caught off guard, Anrokuzan was immediately brought under his control.
Kitazawa started asking about the Dragon Vein.
Even though he still had his memories from the original story, there was no harm in interrogating Anrokuzan directly.
Once he finished his questions, Kitazawa more or less understood the principles of time travel.
Put simply, they needed a massive burst of Dragon Vein power to ram into space-time and open a tunnel.
They had travelled through time because Mukade had deliberately triggered the Dragon Vein.
To travel back, they would again need to unleash the Dragon Vein's power.
And Anrokuzan just happened to know how to force it into a rampage.
The method wasn't complicated.
The chakra remaining in Anrokuzan's body originally came from the Dragon Vein itself.
Once the two resonated, he could forcibly send the Dragon Vein out of control and make its power burst forth.
Kitazawa's fourth bow already had a lot of Anrokuzan's chakra sealed inside, so it could take his place in triggering the Dragon Vein.
He dismantled Anrokuzan without hesitation.
"Dismantled" was the right word—Anrokuzan was a human puppet now.
A human puppet was a human body transformed into a puppet, with only a core section left intact.
In other words, aside from that core, the rest was no longer flesh and blood.
Once he was done interrogating Anrokuzan, there really wasn't anything major left to do for the next three days.
Kitazawa had chosen to stay the extra three days purely for Naruto's sake.
Three days passed in a blink.
Kitazawa and the others arrived at the heart of the Dragon Vein—the Dragon's Eye.
This was the place where the Queen of Rōran had shut the Dragon Vein down.
If Kitazawa and the others hadn't defeated Anrokuzan, she would never have allowed them to come into the Dragon's Eye.
"Before you go back to the future, we'll need to seal each other's memories," Minato said, taking the initiative.
"Do we really have to seal them?"
Naruto froze for a moment, blurting it out.
Over this week he'd experienced the rare warmth of a mother and father. Even if it had been brief, he didn't want to lose those memories.
"Minato-senpai," Kitazawa cut in at just the right time, "we're people from the future. The past is already fixed—there's no need to seal our memories."
Minato was taken aback.
In theory, that made sense, but he was still worried that something might go wrong.
Yet when he saw Naruto's pleading expression, he couldn't bring himself to insist.
"Then I'll trouble you to seal our memories instead," Minato said, changing his stance.
"I'm going to trigger the Dragon Vein in a moment. Once the Dragon Vein's power erupts, we'll be sent back to the future," Kitazawa explained. "At that point, Minato-senpai, all you have to do is seal the Dragon Vein."
"No wonder," Minato murmured, feeling the time loop click into place.
He had never understood why he left behind a Flying Thunder God kunai and the Dragon Vein seal. Now he finally knew the cause.
"Everyone, be careful," Kitazawa said. Then he pulled out his fourth bow.
He still hadn't given this bow a name.
Kitazawa formed a one-handed seal, and the Dragon Vein chakra sealed in the bow erupted outward, linking to the Dragon Vein itself.
In an instant, the ground shook and purple chakra shot into the sky.
The scene was almost identical to when Kitazawa and his group had travelled through time the first time.
"Naruto, Kakashi—see you next time," Minato said with his trademark smile.
Naruto and Kakashi felt their eyes sting.
Strictly speaking, there should never be a next time.
Kitazawa took advantage of the moment and quickly sealed Minato and the others' memories.
The second the seals were completed, the eight of them vanished from the spot.
"What's going on?"
Chōza looked around and asked, "Why did the Dragon Vein suddenly go out of control?"
Minato shook his head.
All he remembered was that they'd been investigating the Minister of Rōran, Anrokuzan.
But there was no time to dwell on it; now that the Dragon Vein was rampaging, it had to be sealed immediately.
[Current Mission: Defeat Mukade and correct history.]
[Mission Reward: Supreme Ultimate Rasengan.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
When the purple chakra dissipated, Kitazawa found himself back in the desert.
He stood still, digesting the information that had just appeared in his mind.
Since the mission was complete, it went without saying that they had successfully returned to the future.
Supreme Ultimate Rasengan—an S-rank jutsu, formed from combining Yang Release: Rasengan and Yin Release: Rasengan.
But compared to normal combination ninjutsu, the Supreme Ultimate Rasengan was more like a true fusion, which made it far more powerful.
In the original story, it was called the strongest Rasengan.
Of course, Kitazawa had no shortage of extremely powerful jutsu.
For example, his advanced Wood Release.
This trip to the Dragon Vein, his biggest gain wasn't actually the Supreme Ultimate Rasengan, but new talent in space–time ninjutsu.
"How are you all feeling?"
Kitazawa came back to himself and turned to look at Kakashi, Naruto, and the others.
"We're fine," Kakashi said, shaking his head.
Naruto didn't say anything. He couldn't accept being separated from Minato so suddenly—most likely forever.
Neji, on the other hand, had long since recovered. Although he'd seen a still-alive Hyuga Hizashi, he hadn't actually spoken with him.
As for Sasuke, Hinata, and the others, they were doing alright. To them, this time-travel mission had just been a huge eye-opener.
Especially getting to meet the legendary Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
"Kakashi, take them to the nearby oasis," Kitazawa said half-jokingly. "I need to deal with the Dragon Vein so nobody else can use it to travel into the past and mess with space–time."
Kakashi nodded.
He took Naruto, Sasuke, and the others and headed toward the same oasis they'd used before.
Kitazawa pulled out his fourth bow again.
He set it down where Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai had been before.
He formed a one-handed seal and triggered the Dragon Vein again.
But at the very instant the Dragon Vein's power burst out, he used the Four Symbols Seal.
Minato's Dragon Vein seal was actually a more complex sealing technique built on top of the Four Symbols Seal.
Infinite Dragon Vein chakra poured into Kitazawa's fourth bow.
The originally dull surface suddenly lit up, taking on a faint purple sheen.
Kitazawa picked up the bow, now several times heavier than before.
In terms of raw chakra, the Dragon Vein far surpassed Goku (Four-Tails), the Zero-Tails, and Mōryō.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that this bow now basically rivaled a jinchūriki.
After thinking it over, Kitazawa decided to name this bow "Astonishing Dragon."
When Hyuga Hanabi grew up, the Demon-Slaying Bow would go to her.
As for Astonishing Dragon, it would serve as an external chakra reservoir for him personally.
Kitazawa suddenly let out a quiet "oh?"
Even though he could draw on the bow's power at will, it still added an extra step compared to having a tailed beast sealed inside him.
That made him think of the Yin Seal.
Could he transfer the Dragon Vein chakra from Astonishing Dragon into the Yin Seal instead?
He didn't have to transfer all of it—just a portion would do.
If that worked, then in battle, he wouldn't need to pull out Astonishing Dragon at all. He could simply undo the Yin Seal and unleash the chakra.
And once the Yin Seal ran dry, he could refill it again from the Dragon Vein chakra stored in Astonishing Dragon.
Kitazawa nodded to himself. It sounded perfectly workable.
He put away Astonishing Dragon, then activated his Byakugan and swept his gaze around.
The Dragon Vein had indeed completely vanished—but he also noticed that the earth had already begun to slowly gather and convert new Dragon Vein energy.
At this rate, though, it would take at least a thousand years.
Kitazawa turned and headed for the oasis.
Kakashi and the others had already arrived.
He wasn't in any rush to leave either. After resting for another hour, they finally set off back to Konoha.
Three days later, they returned to the village.
Looking at the Hokage Rock in the distance, Kakashi felt a strange sense of dislocation.
Who would have thought that so many twists and turns could happen in just two weeks?
He had actually met a young Minato and his younger self.
"Good work, everyone. It's just about lunchtime, so today's on me. Let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen," Kitazawa said, patting Naruto on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei."
Naruto blinked, then felt a warm surge in his chest.
He'd lost his parents, but he still had a responsible teacher and caring teammates.
Thinking that, he lifted his spirits again.
"Youth doesn't know the meaning of giving up!"
Naruto stuck up his thumb. "Let's have a youth-fueled eating contest! How about it?"
"Then we've gotta call Chōji over," Kitazawa laughed. "Otherwise, nobody can compete with Hinata."
Hinata ducked her head shyly.
"If we're calling Chōji, we might as well invite the other students too," Kakashi said after a moment. "Kitazawa, you sure you've got enough money?"
"You don't need to worry about that," Kitazawa waved him off. "Just make sure your hands don't get too tired from eating."
"I'll go get them," Kakashi said, vanishing on the spot.
"Come on, let's go to Ichiraku first," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"In the name of youth, I'm definitely eating more than Sasuke this time!"
Naruto shouted excitedly.
"Hmph, we'll see about that."
Sasuke shot back immediately.
"Whoever wins, I'll teach you a new jutsu," Kitazawa said, thinking of the Supreme Ultimate Rasengan.
It was worth mentioning that Yang Release: Rasengan was not the same as a normal Rasengan.
In the original story, Naruto could use Yang Release: Rasengan because, at that point in time, he was already one of the top-level powerhouses in the ninja world.
Judging from the release date of the Lost Tower movie, that would've been right before the Fourth Great Ninja War.
But nine-year-old Naruto only knew the regular Rasengan. He'd still need some time before he could learn Yang Release: Rasengan.
As for Sasuke, he'd naturally learn Yin Release: Rasengan.
"Really?"
Naruto's eyes lit up. "What rank is the jutsu?"
Sasuke also looked curious.
Even though he was mainly training under Kakashi now, Kitazawa still outranked Kakashi in his heart.
After all, they'd spent far more time together.
"It's A-rank," Kitazawa said after a brief pause. "But it can be upgraded to S-rank."
"S-rank?!"
Naruto immediately got fired up.
He knew a bunch of jutsu now, but none of them were S-rank.
Multiple Shadow Clone and Rasengan were both only A-rank.
Sasuke was also burning with fighting spirit.
If he learned an S-rank jutsu, his strength would definitely jump to the next level.
There was no way he could lose this eating contest.
Neji, Shino, and Kimimaro were envious, but they knew their own limits.
They hadn't even finished their current training, and their talent couldn't compare to Naruto and Sasuke's. They didn't dare split their focus for S-rank jutsu yet.
[Current Mission: A hot-blooded combo between brothers—teach Naruto and Sasuke the Supreme Ultimate Rasengan.]
[Mission Reward: Lava Release.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
That was a pleasant surprise—and a pretty good reward.
Lava Release was a kekkei genkai. In the original story, the Four-Tails, Rōshi, Kurotsuchi, and even Naruto had used it.
It combined Fire Release and Earth Release, usually manifesting as magma, volcanic bombs, or corrosive lime.
Naruto had used Lava Release: Rasenshuriken, which had incredibly destructive power. Combined with Sage Mode, it could slice through the God Tree itself.
In the original story, any jutsu capable of harming the God Tree was basically top-tier.
Like Water Release: Severing Wave, for example.
"Hey, Teuchi-oji!"
The second Naruto stepped into Ichiraku Ramen, he yelled out.
"Naruto, it's been a while," Teuchi said as he stepped out from the kitchen.
"I've been out on a mission!"
Naruto replied. "I just got back!"
"Kitazawa, grab a seat," Teuchi said with a smile.
Even though Kitazawa was now high up in Konoha's leadership, Teuchi hadn't changed how he addressed him.
That was because Kitazawa had asked him not to.
They were neighbors, after all.
"Teuchi-oji!"
Naruto reminded him, "A bunch of my classmates are coming too!"
"Is Chōji coming?"
Teuchi glanced at Hinata and asked.
"Yeah," Naruto nodded.
"Then today's gonna be a real trial for me," Teuchi muttered, suddenly feeling the pressure.
"We're just helping you close up early," Kitazawa joked as he took a seat.
Hinata quickly rushed to sit on his left.
"What do you all want? I'll start cooking now so I don't get overwhelmed later," Teuchi said with a grin.
"I'll have a bowl of pork ribs ramen," Kitazawa said after thinking it over.
"Me too," Hinata said right away.
Sasuke, Naruto, and the others also called out the ramen they wanted.
"Alright, hang tight," Teuchi said as he turned back to the kitchen to start cooking.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Ino floated in like a butterfly and sat down to Kitazawa's right.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Shikamaru and Chōji followed her into Ichiraku.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura rushed in behind them.
More students came in one after another, and in no time, Ichiraku was packed with the Advanced Class.
"This really is a big challenge," Teuchi muttered in surprise when he brought out the first bowl.
The number of people had already exceeded his expectations, reminding him of his opening day.
Thankfully, he could handle it.
Ramen didn't have to be boiled one bowl at a time—he could cook a bunch in one go, then just handle the toppings separately.
Plus, he had his daughter Ayame helping him.
Teuchi brought the first bowl of ramen to Kitazawa.
Rank had its privileges—Kitazawa had the highest status of everyone present.
A moment later, Sasuke's and Naruto's ramen bowls also arrived.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto picked up his chopsticks. "The youth eating contest starts now!"
Sasuke said nothing and just started slurping down his noodles.
"I'm joining too!"
Chōji glanced at Hinata. "I'm taking back the big eater title for the Akimichi clan!"
The big eater crown had always belonged to the Akimichi… until Hinata came out of nowhere and stole it.
It had been a while since their last gluttony contest, and Chōji felt like his appetite had grown. Maybe he could win this time.
Hinata said nothing and just quietly ate.
She didn't care about the title itself, but she couldn't afford to lose in front of Kitazawa.
"You guys are really going all-out just for ramen," Shikamaru complained.
"This is youth!"
Rock Lee gave a big thumbs-up.
"I can't win anyway, so I'll just eat at my own pace," Ino said elegantly, eating very ladylike.
"I can't beat Hinata or Chōji, but I can beat Naruto and Sasuke!"
Kiba said with fighting spirit. "This is a rare opportunity!"
The moment he said that, Neji, Kimimaro, Tayuya, and the others also sped up.
Only Teuchi was suffering happily, making money with tears in his eyes.
"Sasuke, are you done already?"
Naruto glanced over and saw Sasuke looking like he was in pain.
"…"
Sasuke had nothing to say.
He really couldn't eat any more.
Naruto had already eaten two bowls more than him, and there was no way he could catch up.
It mainly came down to their builds and training styles.
Naruto, as a taijutsu-heavy ninja, trained much harder and burned more calories than Sasuke, so of course he ate more.
Was he really about to lose his S-rank jutsu chance over this?
Sasuke clenched his fists instinctively, feeling the sting of defeat.
Once Naruto learned an S-rank jutsu, he'd become much stronger.
By then, even if Sasuke mastered Kakashi's sword style, he still might not be able to beat Naruto.
"I win!"
Naruto shouted excitedly.
"Why's Naruto so happy?"
Kiba asked. He had no idea about Kitazawa's "prize."
"Isn't he always like that?"
Shikamaru shot Naruto a glance.
"True," Kiba nodded.
In his mind, Naruto was always full of energy, shouting about youth and looking way too cheerful.
"Kitazawa-sensei said whoever won would get an S-rank jutsu," Neji explained.
"What?"
Kiba immediately regretted everything. "If I'd known, I would've eaten two more bowls!"
"Even if he gave you an S-rank jutsu, it's not like you could learn it that easily," Hana Inuzuka shook her head.
She'd joined them because Kakashi had come by with the invitation right as she was home.
"Kitazawa-sensei is always fair," Karin said. "When we're ready to learn it, he'll teach us."
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto turned, eyes shining. "Even though Sasuke lost, can you teach him too?"
Sasuke froze.
"I was planning to teach both of you anyway," Kitazawa said with a smile. "The contest was just to spice things up a bit."
"Kitazawa-sensei, you're the best!"
Naruto beamed.
"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei," Sasuke added quickly.
Kitazawa glanced at Hinata and Chōji.
Everyone else was full, but those two were still eating.
"Who do you think is going to win?"
Kiba asked curiously.
"Hinata, probably," Ino said after thinking.
"That's not necessarily true," Sakura argued. "The Akimichi clan's appetite grows together with their strength!"
The Akimichi's huge appetites came from their ability to convert what they ate directly into stored energy.
In theory, the stronger they got, the more they'd eat, because they needed more energy.
Sasuke subconsciously glanced at her and held his tongue.
Would her jinx actually work on Chōji?
Time ticked by slowly.
In the end, Hinata barely edged out a win.
Sasuke's mouth twitched.
Sure, he'd lost today because he wasn't strong enough—but at this moment, he still couldn't help wondering if Sakura's jinx really had some kind of effect.
"...?"
Sakura was left speechless.
"Alright, you've got half a day left. Head home and get some rest," Kitazawa said, clapping his hands.
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and the others all said their goodbyes and left.
Kitazawa thought for a moment, then headed toward the Hokage's office.
He'd been away for about two weeks this time.
One week in Rōran, plus another week for the round trip.
It had been a bit long, but the gains were huge.
And now was the perfect time to ask Tsunade for the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He stopped outside the Hokage's office and knocked.
"Come in," Tsunade's voice came from inside.
"Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa greeted as he stepped in.
"Just got back?"
Tsunade was briefly stunned, then smiled.
"Yeah," Kitazawa nodded. "You'll never guess what we went through on this mission."
"Weren't you just going after a rogue from Sunagakure?"
Tsunade asked back.
"Yeah," Kitazawa said with a mysterious smile, "but we ran into the Fourth Hokage."
"What kind of joke is that supposed to be?"
Tsunade frowned.
There was no way she'd believe something that ridiculous.
"I wouldn't dare joke about something like this," Kitazawa said, sitting down on the sofa and gesturing for her to join him. "It's a long story. Sit down and I'll tell you slowly."
"I have to hear what kind of story you think you can make up," Tsunade said, walking over. Then she added threateningly, "If you're lying, I'll kick you into next week."
Minato was a fallen hero of Konoha. Even if it was Kitazawa, she wouldn't allow him to joke about that.
"Sit," Kitazawa said, taking her hand and waiting until she did before starting his explanation.
Of course, he once again glossed over the part where he'd deliberately set the whole thing up for Mukade. He only described it as a coincidence.
"You're serious?"
The more she listened, the more stunned Tsunade became. Finally, she couldn't help asking.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Kakashi and Naruto," Kitazawa said with a soft laugh. "They wouldn't dare lie to you."
"This really is… unbelievable," Tsunade admitted at last.
Kitazawa had no reason to lie to her.
"And here's some physical proof," Kitazawa added, pulling out Astonishing Dragon. "I sealed the Dragon Vein inside this."
Tsunade took the bow and immediately sensed the nearly endless chakra swirling within it.
She nodded, then handed it back.
"What a pity," Tsunade said with a touch of regret. "I'd have loved to see Kushina too."
Of course, more than anyone, she wanted to see Hashirama and Nawaki again.
But obviously, the Dragon Vein didn't have enough power for them to travel that far back.
"What's gone is gone," Kitazawa said gently. "We have to learn to look forward."
"I'm not a kid," Tsunade snorted. "I understand that much at least."
"As expected of Tsunade-sensei," Kitazawa said with a straight face.
"Your skin's even thicker than mine," Tsunade said with a helpless laugh. She stood up. "You've been travelling three days straight. Go get some rest."
"There's one more thing," Kitazawa said, still not letting go of her hand.
"Will this do?"
Before he could finish, Tsunade leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the forehead.
"That's not what I meant," Kitazawa blinked.
"Hmph, don't push your luck," Tsunade glared at him.
"You misunderstand. I wanted to take a look at the Flying Thunder God Technique," Kitazawa explained.
Tsunade froze for a second, realizing she'd really misunderstood.
Still, she'd already kissed him, so whatever.
"After seeing Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique in Rōran, it made me curious," Kitazawa went on.
Tsunade nodded. She wasn't surprised.
Flying Thunder God was incredibly tempting to any ninja.
She herself had tried learning it back in the day, but never managed to master it.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique is extremely difficult, no easier than Sage Mode," Tsunade warned. "If you can't learn it, don't push yourself too hard."
"I get it," Kitazawa said with a nod.
"Go read it yourself, then," Tsunade said casually. "You already know where it's kept."
"You're the Hokage. I ought to get your permission," Kitazawa replied with a smile.
"Being Hokage is such a pain," Tsunade muttered. "So when are you planning to take over?"
"Don't you think that's a weird question?" Kitazawa asked, expression a little odd.
If Danzo could hear this from beyond the grave, he'd probably cry.
If Hiruzen had said the same thing to him… he'd never have gone to such extremes.
"What's weird about it?" Tsunade said bluntly. "It's not like I can be Hokage forever."
"Give it two more years," Kitazawa thought for a moment. "Once Sasuke and Naruto graduate, I'll stop teaching at the academy."
"Deal!" Tsunade agreed before he even finished, then added, "You're not allowed to back out!"
Kitazawa had half a mind to scold her for treating the Hokage's position like this, but in the end, strength was its own justification—and she was very strong.
He just shook his head and stood up. "I gave my word, so I won't go back on it."
After saying goodbye to Tsunade, Kitazawa headed for the room where the Flying Thunder God scroll was stored.
Soon he picked it up and began to read.
There were three conditions for learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.
First was talent in space–time ninjutsu.
In theory, anyone who could use the Summoning Technique had some basic aptitude for space–time jutsu.
But the Flying Thunder God demanded the absolute highest level of that talent.
Second was dynamic vision and reaction speed.
Learning Flying Thunder God didn't automatically mean you could slaughter armies.
Because it was so fast that sometimes even the user couldn't keep up with it.
It was similar to Chidori in that way. Without the Sharingan, it was very easy to lose control.
On this point, Kitazawa already qualified.
His Senju Chakra Mode and Yang Release Chakra Mode both boosted his physical abilities.
On top of that, he had the Sharingan—his dynamic vision was already maxed out.
Third was chakra.
The amount of chakra determined how far you could teleport and how large an object you could move.
In theory, if your chakra reserves were high enough, Flying Thunder God could take you anywhere in the ninja world, and you could even teleport a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Kitazawa's chakra might not compare to Hashirama's, but it definitely surpassed Minato in his normal state.
Of course, teleporting objects was an advanced application of the technique known as Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder.
Even the Flying Thunder God kunai were part of an advanced form known as Flying Thunder God: Second Step.
In its most basic form, Flying Thunder God was just space–time movement through its seals.
In short, he already met all three requirements. He could start learning.
Kitazawa carefully rolled up the Flying Thunder God scroll.
Practicing here would be too cramped, so he headed home.
After greeting Kurenai, he walked out to the open space behind the house.
Training in Flying Thunder God could be roughly divided into three stages.
The first stage was sensing space itself.
Space was intangible yet real.
It was similar to natural energy, something most people simply couldn't perceive.
The Second Step was planting Flying Thunder God marks.
You could inscribe them on objects or living beings alike.
In theory, these marks couldn't be removed—unless someone became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.
If it was Flying Thunder God: Second Step, then avoiding the marked kunai also worked.
The third stage was establishing a connection with the marks and performing space–time jumps.
Of course, it sounded simple, but learning it was incredibly hard.
Kitazawa didn't know how long it had taken Minato to master the technique, but it was definitely not short.
After all, by the time Minato was using it freely, he was already a jōnin leading Kakashi and Obito's team.
Luckily, Kitazawa had time.
In theory, he wouldn't run into any truly huge problems before Naruto and the others graduated.
No matter how you looked at it, two years should be enough to master the Flying Thunder God.
~~~
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