On the Training Ground of the Ninja Academy.

The students of the Genius Class were undergoing their respective training.

Kitazawa’s gaze fell on Kimimaro.

October was already halfway through, and it was time to consider the Monthly Exam for next month.

Kimimaro had a system mission to achieve first place in a practical combat exam.

It was clear that a regular practical combat exam was basically impossible. Because he couldn’t defeat or catch up to Naruto and Sasuke.

Although Kimimaro’s growth potential was not low and he had the qualifications of a Kage, some people had cheats.

The only way was to achieve it through a mission.

Kitazawa had originally thought of taking Kimimaro to do the Box of Ultimate Bliss mission, but Satori’s strength was too great, and he couldn’t deal with him.

If he didn’t perform well, it would be inconvenient for him to give a high score.

It seemed he could only go to the mission hall and find a Jonin of average strength to give him a mission.

As for the Box of Ultimate Bliss mission, Kitazawa planned to do it after the New Year.

He was worried that Sasuke was too young and lacked sufficient foundational skills. Thinking of this, Kitazawa found Kakashi.

“In terms of basics alone, Sasuke is already outstanding among his peers, and it’s not easy to improve further.” Kakashi paused slightly, then said thoughtfully.

“He can try Lightning Release activation, and it can also improve his Lightning Release Chakra nature transformation,” Kitazawa suggested.

Chidori involved Lightning Release activation, but it was limited to the hands. The Fourth Raikage’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode was a full-body activation.

“Besides that, he should participate in Might Guy’s training.” Kitazawa thought for a moment and added.

As a Ninja, the so-called basics are nothing more than Chakra reserve and physical strength.

“What are you trying to do?” Kakashi asked, puzzled.

“Help Sasuke improve his strength and see if he can awaken his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.” Kitazawa didn’t hide it, nor was there any need to.

After Sasuke awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, there was no need to hide it; with his personality, Kakashi would surely find out.

“…?” Kakashi’s mouth twitched. Do you even hear what you’re saying?

How old is he that you want Sasuke to awaken his Three-Tomoe Sharingan? But thinking about it carefully, there was indeed a slight possibility.

Kakashi felt a subtle sensation.

He had always thought that his record of becoming a Jonin at twelve would never be broken, but now it seemed inevitable.

After all, after awakening the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, one theoretically possessed Jonin-level strength.

And the most ridiculous part was that besides Sasuke, Naruto and Yakumo in the Genius Class were not far behind.

In other words, his record would be broken by three people at once. This reality was even more fantastical than Jiraiya’s novels.

“Sasuke’s Lightning Release has hit a bottleneck recently, so it’s a good time to change his training content.” Kakashi nodded and said.

“Thank you, Kakashi.” Kitazawa paused, then said, “Also, don’t tell Sasuke about this, so it doesn’t affect him.”

“I understand.” Kakashi finished speaking and walked towards Sasuke.

Kitazawa, on the other hand, went to the Training Ground where the Taijutsu learning group students led by Chen were located.

He didn’t go up to disturb them but stood on the sidelines to observe. The students on the Training Ground were divided into two groups.

More precisely, they were divided into Naruto, Rock Lee, and the other students.

Previously, Naruto learned Konoha Style Swordsmanship, and he had almost mastered it by now.

Kitazawa had been racking his brain about what to teach him next, but Chen’s arrival dispelled his worries.

Now, Naruto and Rock Lee were both learning Konoha Gale. Konoha Gale, simply put, was three consecutive spinning kicks.

In the original story, Chen easily repelled Might Guy with Konoha Gale. Therefore, it was not that easy to practice.

Kitazawa watched for a while, then went to a nearby Training Ground.

This Training Ground was used for practicing throwing Ninja tools, densely packed with many fixed targets.

Hinata was drawing her bow and nocking an arrow.

With her Byakugan activated, she gently released her right hand, and the arrow flew out, precisely hitting the bullseye.

With the enhancement of the Byakugan, it was incredibly easy for her to become a marksman who never missed.

The most outrageous thing was the Byakugan’s sufficiently long range. In the original story, Hinata could see situations up to ten kilometers away.

Coupled with a sufficiently powerful bow, she could easily become the most terrifying sniper.

Besides Hinata, Kitazawa also had Neji practice archery when he had time.

After all, the Box of Ultimate Bliss was so large that there was more than enough material to forge two bows.

The exact number that could be forged would be seen later. However, there was only one Satori, which was difficult to share.

But there were more Yin Release monsters in the Ninja World than just Satori; it was possible to find similar spirit weapons if one searched.

Kitazawa, as usual, checked the Genius Class’s training and then began learning Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu.

He estimated that he could learn it in half a month at most, and then he could confront Tsunade, pretending that he had synthesized Wood Release himself.

Of course, the reason it was so slow, besides Wood Release being difficult to learn, was another factor.

He wasn’t practicing twenty-four hours a day; he spent a lot of time modifying the Eight Trigrams Cursed Seal of Earth.

According to the current progress, his Eight Trigrams Cursed Seal of Earth would be ready next month.

As for Yin Release Chakra Mode, due to its high difficulty and the delay caused by the Eight Trigrams Curse Seal of Earth, it would probably take another two months.

Half a month passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was November. Just like last month, the first of the month was the theoretical exam.

After breakfast, Kitazawa headed to the Ninja Academy.

He and Iruka were responsible for the Genius Class’s theoretical exam; Sarutobi Hiruzen and Maruboshi Kosuke wouldn’t interfere.

Because they were practical combat teachers, Iruka was the theoretical class teacher.

As for Kitazawa, as the vice-principal of the Ninja Academy and the head of the Genius Class, he was in charge of everything.

“Why do Ninjas need to learn theoretical knowledge?” Tayuya sighed and asked, “Isn’t it enough to have strength and be able to defeat enemies?”

“That’s a truly youthful question!” Rock Lee gave a thumbs up and said, “I want to know too!”

Tayuya subconsciously glanced at him.

If it weren’t for Rock Lee, she would have been at the bottom of the last theoretical exam rankings.

But her poor theoretical exam score was understandable, as she had only studied for one month.

She couldn’t understand why Rock Lee, after two years of study, was still worse than her after one month.

“When encountering weaker enemies, you can crush them with strength.” Shikamaru yawned and said, “But when encountering stronger enemies, you have to rely on theory and intelligence.”

“Then what’s the purpose of learning the Will of Fire?” Tayuya asked again.

“To become Hokage!” Kiba clenched his fist and said, “Only by understanding the Will of Fire can one become Hokage.”

“I’m a Ninja from Otogakure, and I don’t want to be Hokage.” Tayuya waved her hand, speaking indifferently.

“Isn’t Otogakure now part of Konoha Village?” Ino turned to her and asked.

“Konoha Village is Konoha Village, and Otogakure is Otogakure!” Tayuya retorted.

“Didn’t you see the previous announcement?” Sakura spoke, “Lord Orochimaru has officially rejoined Konoha Village as the head of the Science Department.”

“I…” Tayuya hesitated to speak.

She had naturally seen the announcement, but her stubbornness had become a habit.

As for returning to Otogakure, she knew it would be difficult, and she didn’t want to go back now anyway.

Konoha Village was much more fun than Otogakure, and it had all sorts of endless snacks.

“As long as I’m with Lord Orochimaru, it’s the same no matter where I am,” Kimimaro said calmly, with a serene expression.

“These things are too far off; let’s focus on today’s theoretical exam.” Kiba shook his head and said.

“What’s there to think about? Shikamaru and Sakura will definitely be first and second again.” Ino said with a resigned tone.

“That being said, the third place often determines whether the final ranking is first place,” Kiba said with a serious expression.

The final ranking was the theoretical exam plus the practical combat exam.

Especially after the new practical combat exam method was implemented, as long as one got third place in the theoretical exam, then the final ranking would most likely be first.

Sasuke proved this point in the last Monthly Exam.

And by doing missions, each of them theoretically had the possibility of getting a perfect score.

“…?” Shikamaru’s mouth twitched.

Are you implying that I can’t get a perfect score in the practical combat exam?

Although he couldn’t defeat Naruto and Sasuke, there was still a certain possibility of getting a perfect score.

“I can also get first place in the end!” Sakura snorted softly, fantasizing, “Then Sasuke-kun and I will be tied for first place!”

“That’s impossible,” Ino said without hesitation.

“Anything is possible!” Sakura retorted, “Aren’t you also my defeated opponent?”

“That’s in the past!” Ino said with great confidence, “It won’t be long before you become my defeated opponent!”

“Did you participate in Kitazawa-sensei’s special training again?” Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and asked.

“That’s right!” Ino said emphatically, “Next time, I will definitely defeat Sakura!”

“I also have Kosuke-sensei’s special training, so who wins and who loses is still uncertain!” Although Sakura didn’t back down verbally, she had already become cautious in her heart.

After all, Kitazawa’s impression on her was that he was omnipotent.

She secretly thought that after this Monthly Exam, she would increase her training intensity. She could lose to anyone, but not to Ino.

—

Nine o’clock in the morning.

Kitazawa walked into the Genius Class classroom.

Ino and the others immediately stopped chatting and returned to their seats.

The theoretical exam had been taken many times, so Kitazawa didn’t waste any more words and directly distributed the test papers.

For this Monthly Exam, there was only Kimimaro’s system mission, so he didn’t participate in the exam again.

Kitazawa sat at the front of the classroom, pondering his Eight Trigrams Curse Seal of Earth, which was just a hair’s breadth away from being completely successfully modified.

[Current Mission: Modify the Curse Seal of Earth.]

[Mission Reward: Cursed Seal of Heaven.]

The host has completed the mission, and the reward has been issued.

When the bell rang, three lines of text appeared before Kitazawa’s eyes.

A large amount of information flooded into his mind.

The Curse Seal of Heaven and the Curse Seal of Earth belonged to the same type of curse mark, but there were differences in their effects and difficulty.

It could be seen from the original story that the Curse Seal of Heaven was somewhat stronger than the Curse Seal of Earth.

The cost was high inoculation requirements and an extremely low success rate; only Sasuke and Anko Mitarashi had the Curse Seal of Heaven.

Given Orochimaru’s personality, he must have tried to inoculate many geniuses with the Curse Seal of Heaven.

After all, one more holder of the Curse Seal of Heaven meant one more medium for his resurrection.

Even so, there were still only Sasuke and Anko.

Kitazawa shook his head after receiving all the information.

No matter how much the Curse Seal of Heaven was modified, it was not suitable for widespread promotion.

A few geniuses could be found to try it, but true geniuses didn’t really need the Curse Seal of Heaven; at most, it was useful in the early stages.

However, using it too much would affect the body, and if the talent couldn’t be realized, it would feel like a loss outweighing the gain.

The Curse Seal of Earth, however, could be promoted; selecting some Chunin or Jonin who had already reached their limits could form a Cursed Seal Unit.

“Everyone can leave after submitting your papers; remember to attend the practical combat exam tomorrow at nine in the morning, where the group assignments will be announced.” Kitazawa snapped back to attention, stood up, and said.

“Goodbye, Teacher Kitazawa.” The students of the Genius Class left one after another.

Kitazawa collected the test papers and headed towards the office.

But this time, he didn’t plan to grade them himself; instead, he handed them over to Iruka.

He walked towards the Hokage Building because he had already learned Wood Release: Great Forest Jutsu.

—

Hokage Office.

After receiving permission, Kitazawa pushed the door open and entered.

“Kitazawa, why are you here? Isn’t today the Genius Class’s theory exam?” It wasn’t Tsunade who asked, but Shizune.

“It’s over. Iruka is grading this theory exam.” Kitazawa replied.

“So what do you want from me?” Tsunade stretched and said, “Shizune and I still have things to discuss.”

“Just give me one minute.” Kitazawa walked in front of them and stopped.

He looked left and right, his gaze finally landing on Tonton on the Hokage’s desk.

“Senior Sister Shizune, lend me Tonton for a moment.” Kitazawa reached out and placed Tonton on the edge of the Hokage’s desk.

“…?” Tonton looked at him, completely bewildered.

“What are you going to do?” Shizune quickly reminded him, “Don’t you dare hurt it.”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen.” After Kitazawa finished speaking, he immediately formed hand signs.

His goal was simple: to demonstrate Wood Release to Tsunade and Shizune.

However, Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall and Wood Release: Great Forest Technique were too disruptive; only Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu was suitable.

He extended his hand, and a wooden vine appeared out of thin air, binding Tonton.

“Wood Release?!” The nonchalant Tsunade was startled and immediately stood up.

“How do you know Wood Release?” Shizune’s eyes widened, so shocked that she forgot about Tonton.

“Didn’t I tell you before? I was trying to synthesize Wood Release.” Kitazawa said with a slight smile. “Just a while ago, I fortunately succeeded and then learned Wood Release Ninjutsu.”

Tsunade fell silent, a look of bewilderment on her face.

Although Kitazawa had mentioned this a long time ago, she hadn’t taken it seriously at all.

Now he suddenly came to tell her he had synthesized Wood Release, and she had the illusion of being under a Genjutsu.

“Can Wood Release really be synthesized?” Shizune snapped out of it, saying with both surprise and excitement, “This is something no one has ever achieved!”

Since the death of Senju Hashirama, Konoha Village had repeatedly tried to recreate Wood Release. The Wood Release experiments barely produced a Yamato.

But synthesizing Wood Release—even Senju Tobirama and Sarutobi Hiruzen had not succeeded.

And most importantly, Kitazawa’s strength was sufficient.

Wood Release in Yamato’s hands was just an ordinary Bloodline Limit; he himself was, at most, an Elite Jonin.

But in Kitazawa’s hands, it was different—he had the strength to become Hokage.

When a Hokage possessed Wood Release, that was the true meaning of Wood Release reappearing in Konoha.

“You’ve done very well.” Tsunade took a deep breath, calming herself.

The impact of Yamato was nothing compared to Kitazawa. After all, Yamato was artificial.

Kitazawa synthesized Wood Release himself, which was equivalent to becoming the original owner of Wood Release again.

From him onwards, his descendants might all inherit Wood Release. This was one of the characteristics of a Bloodline Limit.

Moreover, Kitazawa was also her student.

This was simply Senju Hashirama’s spirit manifesting—allowing Wood Release to reappear in the hands of a Senju Clan ninja.

“How many Wood Release Ninjutsu have you learned now?” Tsunade thought for a moment and asked.

“Three,” Kitazawa replied.

“You’ve learned three, why are you only telling me now?” Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and asked.

“Wasn’t I thinking of giving you a surprise?” Kitazawa made up an excuse. “And learning three Wood Release Ninjutsu proves that I have truly mastered Wood Release.”

“Don’t tell anyone about this yet.” Tsunade pondered for a moment and said, “Wait until you’ve learned most of the Wood Release before making it public.”

Wood Release held great significance for Konoha Village, but for other Ninja Villages, it was not a good thing.

They would absolutely not allow Konoha Village to produce another Senju Hashirama, and might even send people to assassinate Kitazawa.

Although Kitazawa’s strength was great, being constantly harassed was not a good thing either.

“Hmm.” Kitazawa nodded.

He thought so, too. And right now, he had only learned three Wood Release Ninjutsu, which wasn’t impressive.

Not to mention Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands, but at least he had to learn Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.

Senju Hashirama’s most famous Wood Release Ninjutsu was Deep Forest Emergence.

The reason was simple. True Several Thousand Hands was something only Uchiha Madara was worthy of seeing.

But Deep Forest Emergence (Nativity of a World of Trees) was a technique that shaped the world itself—the Forest of Death was its creation.

Its effect was to instantly create a forest, with all offense and defense within the forest controlled by the user.

Yamato had not learned Deep Forest Emergence. He only knew Nativity of a Sea of Trees, a much smaller-scale derivative due to his limited Chakra.

Kitazawa felt that he should be able to use Deep Forest Emergence with his Chakra. But things like True Several Thousand Hands were probably impossible.

In front of Senju Hashirama, his twelve cards of Chakra were truly too little.

“Shizune, these matters are temporarily left to you.” Tsunade stood up and said, “Kitazawa, come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Kitazawa followed Tsunade out of the Hokage Building and couldn’t help but ask.

“To the Senju Clan’s compound.” Tsunade looked at the distant Hokage Rock, her tone complex. “Some extremely important Wood Release Ninjutsu are kept there.”

Since returning to the village, she had been living in the house Sarutobi Hiruzen arranged for her and had not returned to the Senju Clan’s compound.

Seeing those familiar houses and things would remind her of Nawaki and others.

Coupled with Kurenai and Kitazawa being here, she never returned.

She didn’t expect that her long-awaited return would be because of Wood Release. This was a reason she had never even dreamed of.

Not long after, the two arrived at the Senju Clan’s compound.

Tsunade silently walked to a house. She took out a key, opened the door, and walked in.

Tsunade looked around, a trace of memory flashing in her eyes.

Kitazawa followed behind her, saying nothing. He could understand Tsunade’s emotions; at this moment, silence was the best support.

“To the basement.” Tsunade withdrew her gaze and led Kitazawa downstairs.

Upon entering the basement, Kitazawa noticed the Sealing Technique formulas on the surrounding walls.

He glanced around—there were all kinds of Sealing Techniques, as if all the Uzumaki Clan’s sealing arts had been carved onto them.

In other words, the entire basement possessed a strength comparable to Kurama’s seal.

Clearly, this was Uzumaki Mito’s work.

“All of the Wood Release Ninjutsu are here.” Tsunade stopped in front of a bookshelf. “You can learn them all from now on.”

“I’ll learn Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence first.” Kitazawa’s gaze swept across, and he picked up a Ninjutsu scroll from the shelf.

“Can you learn it?” Tsunade was stunned for a moment and said, “I asked Yamato, and he hasn’t learned Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.”

“Probably, I’ll know once I try.” Kitazawa didn’t speak too confidently.

After all, the Wood Release the system gave him was essentially the Yamato version of Wood Release.

“Hmm.” Tsunade said distractedly, “Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence is my great-grandfather’s world-renowned Wood Release Ninjutsu. I hope you can learn it.”

“I’ll do my best.” Kitazawa nodded and said.

[Current Mission: Learn Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.]

[Mission Reward: Two cards of Chakra limit.]

[Accept?]

Kitazawa couldn’t help but be startled. So generous?

Previous missions at most gave half a card of Chakra limit; two cards was a first.

But on second thought, only getting two cards of Chakra for learning Deep Forest Emergence was just okay, not exceptionally generous.

After all, learning Deep Forest Emergence was not an easy task. Kitazawa would have preferred the system to directly reward him with the technique itself.

However, since things were as they were, he could only learn it.

Even with the Yamato version of Wood Release, if he had enough Chakra, he could still perform powerful Wood Release Ninjutsu.

In the original story, when Yamato was possessed by White Zetsu Tobi, he used Wood Release: Wood Human Technique(Wood Golem Jutsu).

In other words, Yamato-style Wood Release and Senju Hashirama-style Wood Release differed mainly in Chakra, not in essence.

“Then you go ahead and learn.” Tsunade snapped out of it and said, “If you want to come get other Wood Release Ninjutsu, just come find me.”

This basement was covered in Sealing Technique, and only she knew how to open it.

“Hmm.” Kitazawa put away the Deep Forest Emergence scroll.

“It’s noon. Let’s eat here today.” Tsunade turned and walked out.

“Then I’ll go buy groceries.” Kitazawa followed her back to the living room.

“Okay.” Tsunade looked left and right and said, “I’ll clean the living room.”

No one had lived here for a long time, so the coffee table, dining table, and other furniture had accumulated a lot of dust.

“As for the market, turn left when you leave.” Tsunade suddenly remembered something and reminded him.

“Got it, see you later.” Kitazawa greeted her and left.

Walking on the quiet road, he stretched. Now that he had demonstrated Wood Release, his position in Konoha was as solid as a mountain.

Even if he defected, he might still have a chance to return safely—just like Orochimaru.

Of course, he wouldn’t defect for no reason. After all, everyone he knew was in Konoha; he had no reason to leave.

Kitazawa went to a nearby market and bought a chicken. Tsunade loved tender chicken the most.

After hesitating for a moment, he also bought a bottle of sake. With Tsunade’s alcohol tolerance, one bottle wouldn’t delay her work.

After buying everything, Kitazawa returned to the Senju Clan’s compound. He opened the door and found the living room completely refreshed.

Tsunade had taken off her pale green haori and was resting on the sofa in a completely unladylike manner.

“That fast?” Kitazawa glanced at her fair, delicate feet propped on the coffee table and asked.

“I used a Shadow Clone.” Tsunade suddenly sniffed, her spirits lifting. “Did you buy sake?”

“You can smell that?” Kitazawa asked in surprise.

“No sake aroma can escape my nose,” Tsunade said with great confidence.

“Drink it after I’ve made dinner.” Kitazawa turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Tsunade pouted, shifted her rounded hips, slightly closed her legs, and lay back on the sofa.

She closed her eyes. Being home, plus Kitazawa mastering Wood Release, she felt completely relaxed.

After all, Konoha was truly thriving now. If all the geniuses in the Genius Class grew up, Konoha might usher in its most prosperous era.

Time slowly passed.

Since there were only two of them eating, Kitazawa made only one dish: tender chicken. He came out of the kitchen with bowls and chopsticks.

“Asleep?” Kitazawa set them down and walked to the sofa.

He reached out and poked Tsunade’s beautiful face.

Tsunade opened her eyes and met his gaze. She was stunned for a moment. “Is dinner ready?”

Kitazawa nodded.

Tsunade sat up. Her slanted sleeveless top tightened downward, her collar loosening slightly, exposing a glimpse of fair skin.

Kitazawa’s eyes instinctively drifted toward the Ocean Heart necklace he had given her.

Unfortunately, only half of it was visible—the other half was obscured.

“Still looking?” Tsunade kicked him lightly, then stood and walked to the dining table.

“Because you have to work this afternoon, I only bought one bottle of sake.” Kitazawa sat opposite her and took out the bottle.

“One bottle?” Tsunade said with some dissatisfaction. “It’s neither good nor bad; it’s not satisfying to drink.”

“Then are you still going to drink it?” Kitazawa asked with a smile.

“You already bought it, so of course I’m going to drink it!” Tsunade snatched the flask and gulped down two mouthfuls.

“Watch your image; you’re the Hokage now, after all.” Kitazawa shook his head.

“There are no outsiders anyway, so why care so much?” Tsunade put down the flask, exhaled, and smiled. “Besides, you’re not drinking.”

“With you like this, how can I drink?” Kitazawa refused.

“Why can’t you drink? Drink with me!” Tsunade glared at him and shoved the flask toward him.

“There’s only one bottle to begin with. If I drink it, what will you drink?” Kitazawa caught her hand and teased.

“Who told you not to buy another bottle?” Tsunade rolled her eyes. “And you’re even looking down on me!”

“So the emphasis is on the latter half of that sentence?” Kitazawa’s gaze fell on her soft red lips—made even more tempting by the sake.

“It’s nothing. Let’s eat.” Tsunade noticed his gaze; her heart trembled, and she felt inexplicably guilty.

“Try the tender chicken, see how it tastes.” Kitazawa handed her chopsticks.

Tsunade picked up a piece and chewed. “It’s not bad, almost as good as the tender chicken at an izakaya.”

“How can it be that exaggerated?” Kitazawa smiled. “I’m very clear about my own cooking skills.”

“Is your Wood Release what you previously said was a combination of Yang Release, Water Release, and Earth Release?” Tsunade shifted the topic.

“Mm.” Kitazawa nodded.

“Then is your Wood Release much more powerful than Yamato’s?” Tsunade asked, eyes flickering.

“I’ve seen Yamato’s Wood Release; he’s not as good as me,” Kitazawa said confidently.

“As I expected.” Tsunade smiled. “From today onwards, Konoha can be said to have regained Wood Release.”

“You’re putting a lot of pressure on me.” Kitazawa blinked.

“Pressure creates motivation.” Tsunade rested her gaze on his handsome face. “And I believe in you.”

“Isn’t it because you’re eager to retire?” Kitazawa teased.

“That’s also a reason,” Tsunade admitted. “You don’t know how tiring it is to be Hokage, working seven days a week with no time to rest.”

“It’s almost New Year’s; you can rest a while then,” Kitazawa said.

“There’s still a month to go.” Tsunade sighed.

Suddenly, a thought struck her: Kitazawa’s birthday was on December 21st—before the New Year.

When it was her birthday, Kitazawa had given her an expensive necklace. So she should reciprocate.

But… What should she give him?

“A month flies by quickly, in the blink of an eye.” Kitazawa smiled and said, “Konoha Village doesn’t need you to worry about anything anymore.”

“That’s true.” Tsunade picked up her glass, took a sip of sake, and then suddenly thought of something and asked, “Have you heard of Sage Mode?”

“Of course, I know a bit about it; the Curse Mark is an inferior version of Sage Mode.”

Kitazawa raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s a special mode from the three great Sage regions, allowing the use of Sage Art.”

Sage Art, simply put, is Ninjutsu infused with Sage Chakra. With the enhancement of natural energy, its power far surpasses ordinary Ninjutsu.

However, the prerequisite for using Senjutsu Chakra is entering Sage Mode.

Learning Sage Mode doesn’t sound difficult; it just requires maintaining a one-to-one-to-one balance of natural energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy.

But practicing it requires extremely high talent.

In the original story, only a handful of people learned Sage Mode; even Sasuke, one of the protagonists, didn’t learn it.

Kitazawa estimated that he probably didn’t have much talent for it either. After all, before he obtained the system, he was just an ordinary Chunin.

“That’s right.” Tsunade nodded and said, “Shikkotsu Forest also has a corresponding Sage Mode. You can go learn it once you’ve mastered Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.”

“Alright.” Kitazawa agreed without hesitation.

No one would ever have a reason to refuse such a thing.

Kitazawa waited for a moment, thinking, Sure enough. Under normal circumstances, a system mission related to Sage Mode should have triggered by now, but nothing appeared.

In other words, he couldn’t learn Sage Mode on his own. But that was normal.

Kitazawa could only push the responsibility to the system and wait for the Sage Mode mission to activate.

In a way, that was even better—it saved him the trouble of actually learning it. After all, Sage Mode training was quite painful; one mistake and you turned into stone.

He wondered what the side effects of Shikkotsu Forest’s Sage Mode were. Petrification and frog transformation were both side effects for those training at Mount Myōboku.

After finishing lunch, the two returned to the Hokage Office.

“Full and satisfied, I’m going to take a nap,” Tsunade said lazily.

“Speaking of which, I’ve learned Wood Release. Aren’t you going to give me a reward?” Kitazawa looked at her and asked.

“What do you want?” Tsunade sat on the sofa, looked at him, and asked.

“Can I ask for anything?” Kitazawa walked in front of her, meeting her gaze.

The Hokage Office fell silent; the two stared at each other, the atmosphere growing subtly delicate.

“Of course not.” Tsunade subconsciously averted her eyes and said, “You can only ask for what Konoha has.”

Kitazawa lowered his head and kissed her.

Tsunade’s eyes widened in shock; she hadn’t expected him to be so bold. Although she and Kitazawa had kissed a few times before, it was always her being unexpectedly proactive.

“I’ve already received my reward. Good afternoon.” Kitazawa licked the corner of his mouth, retreated, dodged her kick, and ran away at light speed.

Tsunade stared at his retreating figure, dazed.

At the entrance of the Hokage Building, Kitazawa thought, That was exciting.

But this time, Tsunade hadn’t pushed him away in time, meaning their relationship had grown a little closer.

Kitazawa smiled and went home. He had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he started studying Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.

Although the Ninjutsu scroll didn’t specify a rank, it was definitely S-rank, with extremely high learning requirements.

Around five in the afternoon, Iruka arrived.

He handed Kitazawa the Genius Class’s theoretical exam rankings.

This month’s rankings were similar to last month’s. The top three were Shikamaru, Sakura, and Sasuke.

The biggest improvement was Kimimaro. He had reached nineteenth place, which truly made Kitazawa look at him with newfound respect.

Jugo and Tayuya hadn’t improved much and were still in the bottom five.

Time moved to the next day.

Another practical exam for the Genius Class.

After Kitazawa and Kurenai finished breakfast, they headed to the Ninja Academy.

They were the last to arrive. Sarutobi Hiruzen, Maruboshi Kosuke, Chen, and Kakashi were already there, chatting.

“You’ve arrived just in time.” Kosuke looked at Kitazawa and said, “We’ve discussed which students we’ll be leading for this Monthly Exam.”

“Is Kimimaro there?” Kitazawa explained, “This time, I want to take Kimimaro on a mission.”

“No.” Everyone shook their heads.

“Alright then, let’s proceed with the groupings according to your discussion,” Kitazawa said indifferently.

Nine in the morning.

The Genius Class students stood together in their usual formation.

“Before the practical exam, I will first announce the groupings for the top eighteen students.”

Kitazawa stepped forward and said.

Naruto and Ino, among others, showed anticipation. Their teammates and teacher would affect their final ranking.

“Team One will be led by me,” Kitazawa said calmly. “The members are Kimimaro, Ino Yamanaka, and Sakura Haruno.”

His idea was simple. Kimimaro would be the main attacker, Ino would provide control, and Sakura would handle healing.

Both girls also had some combat ability and could assist Kimimaro, but their strength was ultimately a step below his—perfect for ensuring he stood out.

Kitazawa had clearly exhausted every possible method to complete his mission.

“What a pity, it would be perfect if Sakura weren’t there!” Ino snorted softly.

She was happy Kitazawa was the leader. But having Sakura as a teammate… less exciting.

“Just don’t hold me back.” Sakura glared at her.

“That’s what I should be saying to you.” Ino put her hands on her hips. “I’m not the same person I used to be!”

“Your friendship is truly wonderful.” Rock Lee exclaimed, “It makes me see passionate youth!”

“What’s so wonderful about it?” Ino and Sakura snapped in unison.

Hinata watched them with envy. She had missed joining Kitazawa’s team for two consecutive Monthly Exams and wondered if next time would finally be her turn.

“Quiet.” Kitazawa cut off their bickering and continued announcing the rest.

Now the Genius Class had six teachers, so each would lead one team. Among them, Kurenai’s strength was slightly weaker.

Kitazawa thought for a moment and assigned Yakumo to her. Coincidentally, Yakumo’s original teacher was Kurenai, and the two were already close.

Along with Yakumo, he added Hinata and Tenten. This team could even put up a fight against two or three Jonins.

With Anbu protection in the shadows, they would be completely safe.

Hiruzen specifically requested Naruto. Chen took Rock Lee, while Kakashi and Kosuke had no specific preferences.

“These are the groupings for this time.” Kitazawa said, “You can now go and find your team leaders to undertake missions.”

“Grandpa Third!” Naruto excitedly rushed to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sasuke and Shikamaru followed him quickly.

“Iruka, the remaining students are entrusted to you,” Kitazawa instructed.

This arrangement maximized efficiency, allowing the Monthly Exam to be completed within two or three days.

“Kitazawa-sensei!” Ino jogged over.

“Let’s go, we’re setting off.” Kitazawa patted her head, then led Kimimaro and Sakura toward Konoha’s main gate.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep