May 1st, Thursday.
Kitazawa and Kurenai arrived at the Ninja Academy.
Yesterday, they announced the midterm rankings for this semester's Advanced Class, and Uchiha Sasuke ultimately took first place.
For someone who'd been getting absolutely beaten down by Uzumaki Naruto in one-sided sparring sessions, it was rare good news.
Sometimes even Kitazawa worried Sasuke wouldn't be able to keep up with his combat training.
But in reality, things were going much better than he expected.
The more Sasuke got knocked around, the more fired up he became.
Honestly—pressure-proof king of the Uchiha.
Now Kitazawa was worried about something else: that Sasuke would take too long to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Still, he decided to trust in that "thousand-year bond" between Sasuke and Naruto.
Since it wasn't class time yet, Kitazawa and Kurenai walked over and chatted with Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
Among the seven practical-combat instructors, only Hatake Kakashi and Yamato weren't very talkative. They stood off to the side, listening.
"Kitazawa," Hiruzen asked casually, "is the final exam still going to be team battles this semester?"
He asked because Kitazawa had changed the format once before.
"Unless something unexpected happens, yes—team battles," Kitazawa said after thinking for a moment.
Unless a new system mission triggered, there was no real need to change it.
"Team battles are actually pretty good," Maruboshi Kosuke said after a pause. "It's just that Naruto's group is too strong, so the balance between squads gets skewed."
"That is a real problem," Hiruzen agreed.
"Then… do we keep Naruto's group out of it?" Master Chen asked hesitantly. "Wouldn't that be unfair to them?"
"I have an idea," Kitazawa said, thinking a little. "Let the two teams place mutual restrictions on each other."
"Huh?" Master Chen blinked, not quite following.
"I'll give an example. Say it's Naruto's team versus Sasuke's team," Kitazawa said with a grin. "Sasuke can propose banning Naruto's team from using Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. And Naruto can propose a ban in return."
"Great idea!" Kurenai's eyes lit up as she praised him.
"Indeed," Hiruzen nodded.
"Very clever," Kosuke echoed.
Mutual restrictions sounded fair, but in practice, they weren't always equal.
For example, if Naruto was barred from using Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, his overall strength would drop sharply.
But if Sasuke was barred from using the same technique… it would barely affect him at all.
"On top of that, we can set a scope," Kitazawa continued.
"You mean, limit what kinds of restrictions are allowed?" Kurenai asked thoughtfully.
"Yeah," Kitazawa said. "I'm worried some student will propose something ridiculous like 'no chakra allowed.'"
"You really think things through," Hiruzen praised.
"We seven can each draft a list of restriction options for the top twenty-one students," Kitazawa suggested. "Then we'll meet again at a set time to discuss and finalize it."
"Works for me," Hiruzen said, nodding.
Kosuke and the others had no objections.
"But one restriction might not be enough for Naruto's group," Kurenai suddenly said.
"A team has three members," Kitazawa said with a small smile. "Naturally, we set three restrictions."
"Three?" Hiruzen murmured, frowning slightly. "Won't that cripple some teams too much?"
"It will," Kitazawa said, then shifted his tone. "Which is exactly why defining the allowed scope matters."
"In teaching, honestly… nobody beats you," Hiruzen said, stunned for a moment, then sighed in admiration.
"It was just a flash of inspiration," Kitazawa said modestly.
What he was really copying, of course, was the rule logic from esports in his previous life.
9:00 a.m.
Kitazawa left behind a shadow clone and was about to head to Shikkotsu Forest to train Sage Mode.
Then he suddenly thought of Konan and went to the Anbu base instead.
"When did you get back?" Kitazawa asked as he pushed open the door, spotting Konan sitting on the couch.
Before he left for the Hoshigakure mission, he'd given her a week off.
But because he'd spent extra time planting Flying Thunder God marks across multiple countries—and then detoured to the Land of Demons—he'd ended up delayed by another week.
"Last week," Konan replied. "I didn't see you come back, so I waited in your office."
"You didn't have to," Kitazawa said softly. "Mission timing is unpredictable. Next time, don't wait—just let me find you when I'm back."
He walked up, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead.
"I didn't have anything to do," Konan said, tilting her face up to look at him with those beautiful eyes.
Kitazawa reached out and gently patted her head.
Konan wasn't a Konoha shinobi, so there truly wasn't much for her to do in the village.
Once he brought the Akatsuki fully under control, he could finally give her a proper role.
Whether as Hokage Secretary or Anbu Commander—either would suit her perfectly.
"How's Akatsuki doing?" Kitazawa asked, his right hand sliding down to rest against her cheek.
"Everything's normal," Konan said.
As she finished, her lips parted slightly, and she gave his finger a small, teasing bite.
A bold idea immediately surfaced in Kitazawa's mind.
But would she agree?
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to try.
He had a feeling that with her personality, she was willing to experiment with almost anything.
Kitazawa leaned in and murmured a couple of words into her ear.
Konan froze.
A faint blush rose on her cheeks—and under his expectant gaze, she nodded.
"Konan," Kitazawa said, forcing down his anticipation and keeping his expression calm, "I need to write some things."
"Mm," Konan answered.
Kitazawa walked to his desk.
Once he sat in the chair, he took out paper and pen.
He needed to write the restriction conditions they'd discussed earlier with Hiruzen and the others—tailored to the Advanced Class students.
Then the pen slipped from his fingers and fell under the desk.
Kitazawa didn't bend down to pick it up.
Seeing that, Konan walked over, crouched, and slipped beneath the desk.
She retrieved the pen and looked up at Kitazawa.
"Thanks," Kitazawa said, lightly ruffling her hair.
Konan didn't speak—she only lowered her head again.
Kitazawa's body stiffened for an instant, then quickly relaxed.
He fixed his gaze on the blank scroll, took a slow breath, and picked up a fresh pen.
After thinking for a moment, he wrote down three names:
Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke. Kurama Yakumo.
The Advanced Class was full of talent, but those three were unquestionably on a different tier from everyone else.
And the results matched that reality.
In previous team battles, first place almost always came from one of their squads.
Kitazawa's shoulders trembled slightly, and he frowned.
A completely random thought drifted into his mind—warmth really did have a way of making people lose focus.
He shook his head and started writing Naruto's restriction options.
Time passed slowly.
Two hours later, Konan puffed out her cheeks.
"Y-you… you okay?" Kitazawa asked, stopping his pen and looking at her.
Konan shook her head.
She grabbed the cup on the desk, swallowed hard, and drank the entire thing in one go.
Kitazawa was surprised.
She didn't waste a single drop—finished it clean.
"You worked hard," Kitazawa said quietly, exhaling. "Take the afternoon off."
Konan's expression went blank again. She stood up in silence and left the office.
The door shut.
Kitazawa watched her go, thinking to himself that bringing Akatsuki under his banner needed to move up the schedule—fast.
After all, Konan had already given so much.
He rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit dizzy.
He'd been writing for a long time, after all.
But soon, he steadied himself and slipped into that calm, clear-headed state.
By afternoon, Kitazawa had finished drafting all the restriction options.
He set down his pen and headed to Shikkotsu Forest to train Sage Mode.
A week later.
Kitazawa and Hiruzen gathered with the others to discuss the restrictions.
A lot of their drafted conditions overlapped.
Beyond removing duplicates, they also had to debate which restrictions were worth keeping.
For example, a restriction like "Hinata Hyūga may not use the Moonchaser Bow or the Byakugan" was unacceptable.
That would make her strength collapse and defeat the purpose of training.
But a restriction like "Hinata may not use Burst Arrows" was fine.
[Current Mission: Teach Haku five Water Release techniques.]
[Quest Mission: Master-level Water Release chakra nature transformation.]
[Mission Completed. Reward Granted.]
After the discussion ended, Kitazawa received an unexpected delight from Haku.
He'd completed another system quest.
The reward was Master-level Water Release chakra nature transformation.
It didn't directly spike raw power, but it affected Water Release techniques across the board.
At the Master level, Kitazawa already had Water, Lightning, Yin, and Yang transformations.
Of the "seven transformations," he was still missing Wind, Earth, and Fire.
He couldn't help wondering—if he collected all seven, could he eventually craft something like Truth-Seeking Orbs by hand?
Kitazawa checked the time, then went to the academy training field.
Since Haku could complete that quest, it meant they'd mastered Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade—so it was time to teach something new.
Kitazawa originally planned to keep teaching Tobirama Senju-style Water Release techniques, like Water Release: Water Linked Barrage, but he suddenly changed his mind.
In the original canon, Haku had a classic Water Release technique called Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death.
It turned water into senbon needles and attacked in nearly full 360 degrees—and it could be performed with one-handed seals.
Combined with Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, the result was terrifying.
But since Haku had come to Konoha, they hadn't had a chance to learn Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death.
And Kitazawa didn't know it either.
Still—now he had Master-level Water Release nature transformation. Not knowing it wasn't a problem.
He could just create it from scratch.
So that was the plan: teach Haku Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death.
Creating it wasn't even that hard.
He already knew the effect; all he had to do was reverse-engineer the method.
Of course, the prerequisite was Master-level Water Release transformation and solid chakra shape transformation.
"Kitazawa-sensei," Haku said, hurrying up to him. "I learned Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade."
"Then today I'll teach you a new Water Release technique—Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death," Kitazawa said with a nod. "But before that, I'll teach you one-handed seals."
One-handed seals weren't something every shinobi could learn.
In the original canon, Haku was among the rare few who could.
The benefits were significant.
One: it was great for ambushes.
Two: you could multitask—form seals with one hand while throwing tools with the other.
There was a downside, too.
One-handed seals were generally slower than using both hands.
After teaching Haku, Kitazawa returned to Shikkotsu Forest.
His Sage Mode training had reached the most critical step: maintaining balance between chakra and natural energy, then fusing them.
Once he succeeded, Sage Mode training would essentially be complete.
Time flowed onward.
Konoha entered July.
The temperature rose, and summer break was not far off.
Anbu base, office.
Kitazawa reached out and gently stroked Konan's cheek.
Her cheeks looked hollow, her eyes unfocused.
After a long while, she stood up and left in silence.
Kitazawa leaned back, staring at the familiar ceiling in a daze.
When he snapped back to himself, he opened the window to let the air circulate.
Flying Thunder God.
Kitazawa vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already in the Forest of Death.
Sage Mode!
He clapped his hands together, and dark markings appeared around his eyes.
Feeling the surging power within him, Kitazawa couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Today was the Advanced Class final exam.
But since it was only the written portion, he'd gone early in the morning to Shikkotsu Forest to train Sage Mode.
After a full morning, he finally mastered it completely.
Kitazawa returned to Konoha, intending to find a place to test Sage Mode—but he ran into Konan when she was thirsty, and that delayed him.
In Sage Mode, you can drive ninjutsu using senjutsu chakra—what people simply call "senjutsu."
From what the original canon showed, senjutsu can be split into two categories.
One: reinforcing existing techniques with senjutsu chakra.
The classic example: Sage Art: Rasengan.
Two: entirely new techniques—"senjutsu techniques," so to speak.
Like Kabuto Yakushi's Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation and Sage Art: White Rage Technique.
Those are special to Ryūchi Cave.
There are also Mount Myōboku-exclusive senjutsu techniques, like Sage Art: Frog Kata.
At the moment, Kitazawa only fit the first category.
No—strictly speaking, he didn't even truly "have" that yet.
But now, he could try.
Kitazawa extended his hand.
Senjutsu chakra poured out, spiraling wildly in his palm.
He relaxed slightly.
If the Rasengan was an A-rank difficulty, then Sage Art: Rasengan was probably S-rank.
But for him, A-rank and S-rank weren't that different.
After all, he had Master-level chakra shape transformation and control.
Soon, a spinning Rasengan formed in his palm.
In color and shape, it didn't look dramatically different.
Kitazawa slammed it into the tree in front of him.
Boom!
The impact point turned to powder.
In the next instant, the entire tree split into two.
Kitazawa raised an eyebrow.
Sage Art: Rasengan was at least three times stronger than a normal Rasengan.
And if he increased the senjutsu chakra input, it could become even more terrifying.
His mind immediately went to Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
In Sage Mode, he could ignore its side effects—and even turn it into a ranged technique by throwing it.
And it wasn't just Rasenshuriken.
In Sage Mode, many techniques could be boosted.
For example, Jiraiya's Sage Art: Goemon—a composite senjutsu mixing toad oil with Wind and Fire Release.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
There was a lot of senjutsu to learn, but he planned to start with the Sage Art: Rasengan line.
After that, he wanted to learn Sage Art: Gate of the Great God.
In the original canon, it came from Hashirama Senju and was considered a Shikkotsu Forest-style senjutsu.
Its effect was to summon red torii gates that seal the target.
In Hashirama's hands, it could even suppress the Ten-Tails.
Kitazawa snapped back to focus and began familiarizing himself with Sage Mode's various Rasengan variants.
As the sun sank westward, Kitazawa judged it was about time and stopped training.
Flying Thunder God!
He returned to the Anbu base.
"Konan," he asked as he pushed open the door, "did Iruka come by?"
Konan handed him a scroll.
Kitazawa opened it and read.
It was the results and ranking for today's Advanced Class written exam.
Overall, nothing changed much—first and second were still Nara Shikamaru and Haruno Sakura.
Kitazawa's eyes moved downward until he found Hyūga Hanabi.
Though she was a new enrollee, she'd been working hard, and her ranking improved again—now in the top thirty.
Kitazawa felt she'd reach the top ten next year.
Once Naruto and Sasuke graduated, she'd likely become the future number one.
And when that time came, it would be time to pass the Demon-Slaying Bow to her.
"There's another scroll," Konan said after he finished. "It's from Haru."
"Haru?" Kitazawa's gaze sharpened, and he immediately took it.
He opened it and thought, as expected.
It was intel on Iwagakure's Four-Tails jinchūriki—Rōshi.
Antelope's squad had spotted Rōshi in the Land of Birds, but since Rōshi was strong, tracking him had been difficult—they'd been shaken off multiple times.
Still, they could confirm he was currently in the Land of Birds.
Kitazawa closed the scroll and fell into thought.
For him, knowing the general area was enough.
With the Byakugan and Flying Thunder God, he could sweep the Land of Birds end-to-end three times within half an hour.
But tomorrow was the Advanced Class team battle final, so no matter what, he'd wait until it ended.
Rōshi wasn't urgent.
Even if he moved, Kitazawa could find him again later.
A jinchūriki confident in his strength wouldn't immediately go into hiding.
The fact Antelope's squad had found him repeatedly proved that.
If he truly hid, Antelope's team would never be able to locate him again.
"You've worked hard," Kitazawa said, pinching Konan's cheek lightly. "Go off duty."
He turned and left.
He headed to the Hokage's office and entered after getting permission.
"Why are you here at this hour?" Tsunade asked. "If you were a few minutes later, I'd already be home."
"I got unexpected intel," Kitazawa said, leaning against her desk and placing his hand against her chest.
"What intel?" Tsunade shot him a look, but didn't stop him.
Kitazawa suddenly thought of a phrase: huddling together for warmth.
Right now, it fit surprisingly well.
"Anbu located Iwagakure's Four-Tails jinchūriki—Rōshi," Kitazawa said, feeling the warmth of her skin.
"Rōshi?" Tsunade's face filled with surprise. "What kind of luck is this?"
First the Six-Tails, now the Four-Tails.
There were only nine jinchūriki in the entire shinobi world—yet Kitazawa kept running into them like it was nothing.
The probability was absurd.
"That's because I've got a lucky goddess," Kitazawa said, bending down to kiss her soft lips.
Tsunade reflexively stood and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Kitazawa's right hand felt her heartbeat and warmth.
"So what do you plan to do?" Tsunade asked, breathing out as she sat back down in the Hokage's chair.
"Same as with Utakata," Kitazawa said casually. "Catch him and use him to negotiate with Iwagakure."
"Iwagakure isn't Kirigakure," Tsunade frowned. "They won't let us take advantage so easily."
"But Rōshi is a jinchūriki," Kitazawa said with a smile, his hand still on her warm skin.
"True," Tsunade snorted. "Iwagakure can either negotiate—or start a war. Either way, Konoha won't be afraid."
Iwagakure and Konoha were close in overall strength, but in terms of top-tier fighters, Konoha had the edge.
Tsunade didn't think Iwagakure would dare start a war.
The cost of war was far greater than a deal.
And Kumogakure was watching, too.
After all, the Third Raikage—father of the Fourth Raikage A—had died at Iwagakure's hands.
"There's more good news," Kitazawa said, smiling. "I learned Sage Mode."
Tsunade froze, then broke into a bright grin. "Then we have even less to fear from Iwagakure!"
Ōnoki's Dust Release was dangerous—but with Sage Mode, Kitazawa's strength would surely surpass him.
And besides Ōnoki, Iwagakure didn't have many true powerhouses—at most, add Kurotsuchi's father Kitsuchi and the Five-Tails jinchūriki Han.
"When are you going after Rōshi?" Tsunade asked, thinking. "I'll come with you."
"After the Advanced Class finals are done," Kitazawa said, pulling his hand back from her warm clothing. "So… the day after tomorrow."
"Alright," Tsunade nodded, then smiled. "Let's go home."
The next day arrived.
9:00 a.m.
The Advanced Class students and instructors were all present.
"This final practical exam will be conducted as team battles," Kitazawa said, then paused. "But we're adding a new rule."
He looked at Umino Iruka.
"Pass these down—one sheet per person."
Iruka immediately handed the thick stack of papers to the students in the front row to distribute.
Sasuke received one quickly.
He glanced down, and a puzzled expression appeared.
It was a chart.
The title read: Advanced Class Student Restriction Conditions.
The first column listed student names, followed by three restriction conditions.
At the top of the chart was Uzumaki Naruto.
His three restrictions were: no Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, no Tailed Beast power, and no Leaf Dragon God.
Sasuke's eyes lit up.
If Naruto couldn't use those three, Sasuke felt he could absolutely beat him.
Second was Kurama Yakumo.
Her three restrictions were: no Demonic Illusion: Five Senses, no Terror Dreamscape, and no Genjutsu: True Illusion.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
If Yakumo lost those three, she basically became an ordinary shinobi.
Third was Sasuke himself.
His three restrictions were: no Hatake blade style, no Sharingan-based genjutsu, and no Lightning Release: Twin Chidori.
Sasuke frowned.
If he couldn't use all three, his strength would drop by at least a third.
As Sasuke continued reading, he realized every student had three restrictions listed.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Inuzuka Kiba, always impatient, raised his hand and asked, "Do these three restrictions automatically apply during the team battle?"
"That's the new rule I'm about to explain," Kitazawa said. "The two opposing teams can choose three restrictions to impose on the other side. Each person can be restricted by up to two conditions at most."
The class immediately erupted into chatter.
This kind of rule was unheard of.
But plenty of students suddenly saw a path to beating Naruto.
People like Sasuke, Hyūga Neji, and Kaguya Kimimaro.
Once Naruto was restricted by two conditions, his strength would drop drastically.
Beating him would become possible.
Unlike before, when he could rely on overwhelming power to fight three people at once.
"Now we start the draw," Kitazawa said, taking out a lottery box.
The students fell silent at once, watching him.
Teams and map viewing had already been handled yesterday by Iruka.
"First round, first match: Kimimaro's team versus Yakumo's team," Kitazawa read from the slip. "You have five minutes to discuss. After that, the captain will announce your chosen restrictions."
After Shion and Chino joined, the Advanced Class was fixed at seven teams.
Kimimaro had placed seventh in the midterms, so he became the temporary captain.
His teammates were Jūgo and Tayuya—basically half of the Sound Five.
Yakumo ranked third.
She chose Yamanaka Ino and Haku as teammates.
"This is a pain… it's Yakumo," Tayuya said, rubbing her forehead.
"If we restrict her Terror Dreamscape and Demonic Illusion: Five Senses, we might not lose," Jūgo analyzed calmly.
"But we'll be restricted too," Kimimaro said gravely.
"Even so, we still have the advantage," Jūgo nodded. "You and I are both close-combat types. Even if we lose a technique or two, we'll still have fight left."
"Besides Terror Dreamscape and Demonic Illusion: Five Senses, who else do we restrict?" Tayuya asked, feeling a lot less stressed.
"Haku's Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals," Kimimaro said without hesitation.
At the same time, Yakumo's team was discussing.
"How about banning Kimimaro's Dance of the Clematis: Flower and Curse Mark: Second Level?" Ino asked.
In the Advanced Class, both Kimimaro and Jūgo had Curse Marks.
But their listed restriction was only: no Curse Mark Second Level.
First Level's boost was limited and still allowed.
Besides, outright banning Curse Marks entirely would be a severe nerf for both of them and wouldn't be fair.
Dance of the Clematis: Flower was something Kimimaro had mastered recently.
In power, it was second only to Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern—a technique that demanded a life-and-death price.
"Works," Yakumo agreed without overthinking.
On Kimimaro's team, he was unquestionably the most dangerous.
In fact, every team was like that: the captain was strongest, and the two restrictions would most likely land on the captain.
Yakumo already knew what two restrictions she'd get.
Terror Dreamscape and Demonic Illusion: Five Senses—no surprise.
"Then what's the third?" Ino asked. "Any ideas?"
"Either Jūgo's Curse Mark Second Level… or Tayuya's Revolt of the Demon World," Haku said after a bit of thought.
Tayuya's restriction list didn't ban summoning.
Because if she couldn't summon the three Doki, her strength would be cut in half—too unfair.
Tenten was the opposite case.
One of Tenten's restrictions explicitly banned the giant lizard she could summon.
In the past, Kitazawa had banned it because it was too strong and disrupted balance.
But now, many Advanced Class students had reached jōnin-level strength, so there was no need to hard-limit as much—if the opponent didn't choose it, Tenten could use it.
"Pick Jūgo's Curse Mark Second Level," Yakumo decided after a moment.
After both teams finished discussing, they reported their chosen restrictions to Kitazawa.
"If you accidentally use a restricted condition, points will be deducted," Kitazawa said after listening.
Yakumo and Kimimaro's group nodded.
"You may enter the arena. Fifteen minutes later, the fight begins," Kitazawa reminded them.
The two teams entered the Forest of Death from opposite directions.
Their instructors, Kurenai and Master Chen, followed them in.
Left side of the Forest of Death.
"We have two close-combat fighters. We need to get in and fight up close to maximize our advantage," Jūgo said, stopping.
"Yakumo's team doesn't have a sensor," Tayuya said, pumping her fist. "We rush in and surround them!"
"But neither do we," Kimimaro reminded her.
"I can ask small animals to help," Jūgo said immediately.
"Oh right—you can do that!" Tayuya said, suddenly excited. "Then we're definitely winning this team battle!"
In earlier team battles, if they ran into Yakumo, she wouldn't have been this confident.
But now the match had added three restrictions—so she wasn't as afraid.
Especially since none of her own key tools had been restricted.
"Good," Kimimaro nodded. "Tayuya, harass them head-on. Jūgo and I will loop around and ambush from behind."
Right side of the Forest of Death.
"Our strategy is simple," Yakumo said in a low voice. "I'll hold Kimimaro and Jūgo off with Genjutsu: True Illusion. You two deal with Tayuya, then come help me."
Ino and Haku nodded.
Fifteen minutes later, the battle began.
Yakumo's team stayed in place.
With the animals' help, Kimimaro's team closed in quickly.
Suddenly, a flute sounded.
Boom!
Three Doki were summoned and immediately charged toward Yakumo's team.
"They're here," Ino didn't speak out loud, but her voice rang in Yakumo and Haku's minds.
That was the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu.
The reason she didn't speak was simple: they were all wearing earplugs, using a physical method to counter Tayuya's sound-based genjutsu.
Tayuya knew that too, so she didn't bother using sound genjutsu.
"I don't see Kimimaro or Jūgo," Ino added.
"I'll handle them," Yakumo signaled with a gesture.
Clearly, Kimimaro and Jūgo were waiting in the shadows for a chance to strike.
And their target would almost certainly be Yakumo.
"Be careful," Ino nodded, then moved with Haku toward Tayuya.
They'd only gone a short distance when Yakumo heard the sharp whoosh of air behind her.
She turned instinctively—and saw Kimimaro and Jūgo rushing out together.
Both had activated Curse Mark First Level, moving at high speed as they attacked.
Yakumo calmly tossed out a painting.
In an instant, lightning from the painting spread, forming a sea of electricity in front of her.
"Kimimaro—use me as a step!" Jūgo burst forward.
Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!
Green chakra wrapped around his right leg as he kicked straight into the lightning sea.
Dance of the Willow!
Kimimaro stepped onto Jūgo without hesitation and sprang upward.
Chakra surged.
In a heartbeat, he was in front of Yakumo, a bone spike extending from his palm as he thrust.
Body Flicker Technique!
Yakumo scattered into leaves and vanished.
"What?!" Kimimaro's eyes contracted as his strike hit nothing.
He hadn't known Yakumo had learned the Body Flicker.
He scanned the area on instinct, searching for her.
"Kimimaro—watch your feet!" Jūgo's face changed as he shouted.
Kimimaro immediately looked down.
The ground shuddered—then countless earthen senbon needles shot upward.
Yakumo had buried a scroll underground in advance.
Kimimaro hurried to block, but the needles were too fine; his bone defense stopped most, not all.
The rest pierced him in multiple places, bursting small sprays of blood.
Kimimaro fell hard.
At that moment, a wave of heat surged.
A massive fireball came flying—thrown by Yakumo.
Jūgo rushed in front of Kimimaro.
Violent — Leaf Adamantine-Strength Whirlwind!
He shattered the fireball with a kick.
"Kimimaro, you okay?" Jūgo panted.
"I… I'm fine," Kimimaro said, forcing himself upright through the pain.
"Finish this fast," Jūgo said, glancing at the blood on him.
Kimimaro nodded and drew a bone blade.
Chakra exploded from Jūgo's feet as he charged Yakumo.
Yakumo tore open a painted scroll.
A stream of water surged out and became a wall.
Jūgo didn't dodge. With the defense from Curse Mark First Level, he slammed into it.
Boom!
A deep crater formed in the water wall, but it didn't break.
Kimimaro repeated the same tactic—stepping on Jūgo and leaping upward.
Mind Heart Technique!
The instant Yakumo met Kimimaro's eyes, she cast genjutsu.
This was a technique Kurenai had taught her.
She rarely used it before.
Because she had far more terrifying genjutsu—Terror Dreamscape.
But since Terror Dreamscape was restricted, she used Mind Heart instead.
Mind Heart was a C-rank genjutsu, easy to break.
But breaking genjutsu still took time.
Yakumo immediately opened another scroll.
Lightning crashed down from above.
Kimimaro, trapped in the genjutsu, dropped straight down.
Below him was the water wall.
Lightning entered the water, accelerated, and instantly electrocuted Kimimaro into unconsciousness.
Jūgo wasn't spared either.
He'd been about to break the wall when the lightning turned the whole water wall into a charged trap.
Yakumo let out a quiet breath.
With Kimimaro and Jūgo down, Tayuya wasn't a real threat anymore.
Yakumo didn't go to help. After waiting a moment, Ino and Haku finished defeating Tayuya.
"Winners: Yakumo's team," Kitazawa announced promptly.
"When did Yakumo learn the Body Flicker?!" Kiba exclaimed in shock.
"This is going to be a problem… with Body Flicker, she'll be even harder to close in on," Shikamaru said, shaking his head.
"Thank goodness this team battle added the new rule," Tenten said, still a little shaken.
Neji nodded in agreement.
Without the new rule, Body Flicker plus Terror Dreamscape—who could possibly stop that?
Sasuke suddenly felt anxious.
Naruto was improving. Yakumo was improving too.
If he didn't awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan soon, the gap between them would only grow wider.
"First round, second match: Neji's team versus Hinata's team," Kitazawa said after drawing the lot. "You have five minutes to discuss."
Five minutes passed quickly.
Both teams targeted the opposing captain with two restrictions.
Both Hinata and Neji were restricted from using Explosive Arrows and Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
In the end, Hinata's team won.
"Since there are seven teams, one team will have a bye," Kitazawa said, standing by the lottery box. "The team that isn't drawn will sit out."
He drew two slips.
"First round, third match: Naruto's team versus Aburame Shino's team," Kitazawa said, pausing. "Sasuke's team gets the bye."
"We're doomed!" Kiba groaned. "How do we end up against Naruto's team?"
He was Shino's teammate.
"Either way," Shino said calmly. "It's Naruto's team or Sasuke's team."
"…" Kiba had no response.
It really was the same kind of suffering.
But in his view, there was at least a tiny chance against Sasuke's team.
Against Naruto's team… it was almost impossible.
Even with the new restriction rules, it would still be brutally hard.
"Youth must never surrender!" Rock Lee thrust up a thumbs-up. "Leave Naruto to me!"
He had the spirit, but in the end, he still couldn't beat Naruto.
"Everyone, rest for fifteen minutes," Kitazawa said after announcing Naruto's team as the winner. "Then we'll begin the second round."
Naruto's team, Hinata's team, Yakumo's team, and Sasuke's team all advanced to round two.
Which meant there would be no more byes in rounds two and three.
That was different from the earlier team battles, where rounds two and three had byes.
~~~
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