Night descended quietly.

Kitazawa’s group arrived in the Land of Grass.

Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth lay a chain of small countries, and without hesitation, Kitazawa chose Grass as their stopover.

The reason was simple.

The current leader of Kusagakure was Mui.

Mui’s position had been stabilized with Kitazawa’s backing—along with a generous dose of Itachi’s Genjutsu “guidance.” Calling present-day Kusagakure an extension of Konoha wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Even so, Kitazawa didn’t stay within the village.

Instead, he once again used Wood Release: Four Pillar House, raising a wooden residence from the earth in the wilderness.

Ino and the others were already used to this sight. After so many missions, watching a house grow out of the ground barely earned a blink.

They entered the living room and began choosing rooms.

Without any discussion, the first room on the second floor was left untouched—an unspoken rule reserving it for Kitazawa.

He noticed, gave them a brief glance, then headed into the kitchen.

Konan appeared moments later.

Without a word, she slipped beside him and began helping—washing vegetables, rinsing ingredients, moving with quiet familiarity.

After dinner, with some time still left before rest, Ino, Kiba, and Haku voluntarily went outside to train.

Kitazawa stood in the doorway and observed for a while.

Ino was practicing Ninja Art: Mind Telepathy. Progress was slow—unsurprising, given how little time she’d had.

Haku was training Water Release: Water Bullet. Like Ino, he was still far from proficient.

Kiba, however, had already grasped the basics of Earth Release: Earth Fang Bullet. With a bit more polishing, he’d be ready to move on.

Suddenly, a thought struck Kitazawa.

If he remembered correctly, Kiba’s ninken—Akamaru—should be born sometime this year.

“Kiba,” Kitazawa called out.

“Hm?” Kiba responded without stopping his training.

“Any luck finding your ninken yet?”

“Not yet,” Kiba answered after a brief pause.

“You should get one this year,” Kitazawa said casually. “Spend some time searching when you can.”

“Mm.” Kiba nodded seriously.

He wanted a ninken as soon as possible. That way, when he used Three-Headed Hellhound, he wouldn’t have to play the dog himself.

Once again, Kiba silently cursed the shortcomings of the Shadow Clone Technique.

Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and leapt onto the roof.

Konan was already there, fulfilling her ANBU duties—standing guard, surveying the surroundings.

“Come sit,” Kitazawa said.

He pulled a two-seater sofa from his storage scroll.

When it came to travel, he never shortchanged himself. Now that money was no longer an issue, summoning scrolls stocked with furniture and daily necessities were a given.

Konan walked over and sat beside him.

Then she paused, suddenly remembering something, and reached up to remove her ANBU mask.

Kitazawa rested a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him instinctively.

“You’ve been busy all day,” he said seriously. “Rest a little.”

Konan froze for a heartbeat—then understood.

She was perceptive enough to recognize what Kitazawa felt.

After a brief hesitation, she leaned back and settled into his arms.

Her eyes closed, and she drifted into a light sleep.

Kitazawa turned his head slightly, his cheek brushing against her hair. His fingers moved gently, tracing from her hair down to her cheek.

Konan’s eyelashes trembled, but she didn’t stop him.

Kitazawa smiled faintly.

Who wouldn’t like someone so composed, so beautiful, and so quietly trusting?

Still, he didn’t push further. He simply held her.

Closing his eyes, Kitazawa shifted his thoughts back to training.

Which Wood Release should he learn next?

He had already mastered a number of mid- and low-level techniques. Now, with the Power of the Dragon Vein at his disposal, he felt ready to tackle an advanced one.

At present, he possessed only two high-level Wood Release Jutsu—Deep Forest Emergence and Wood Dragon Technique.

Sage Art: Wood Style—True Several Thousand Hands was out of the question. Without Sage Mode, he couldn’t learn it—and since a system mission already existed for it, there was no need to rush. Better to let the reward handle it and save himself a year or more.

After weighing his options, he made a decision.

Wood Release: Hobi.

A defensive Wood Release.

In the original story, Hashirama’s Hobi jutsu had blocked a slash from Madara Uchiha’s Susanoo clad in the Nine-Tails.

It was, without question, the ultimate defensive Wood Release.

Both Deep Forest Emergence and Wood Dragon leaned heavily toward offense—and truthfully, very few ninja could survive either.

But defense was where Kitazawa still had room to grow.

He possessed Summoning: Triple Rashomon, but even that couldn’t compare to Wood Release: Hobi.

It was time to fill that gap.

The night grew deeper.

“Kitazawa-sensei!”

Kiba’s voice suddenly rang out from below.

Konan’s eyes flew open. She slipped out of Kitazawa’s arms at once and hurriedly pulled her ANBU mask back on.

Only after doing so did she realize the problem.

That reaction looked… far too guilty.

She glanced back—and immediately met Kitazawa’s amused, half-teasing smile.

Konan quickly turned her head away, pretending not to notice him, her ears faintly warm.

“It’s late. Go back to your room and rest,” Kitazawa said with a low chuckle. “As for keeping watch, don’t worry about it.”

Four Pillar House was his own jutsu.

If anyone approached, he would sense it instantly.

Strictly speaking, night watch wasn’t even necessary. The structure itself was sturdy enough to withstand an initial assault.

“Mm.”

Konan nodded and swiftly made her way to the second floor.

Her room was right next to Kitazawa’s.

Normally, only Hinata would choose that room. When Hinata did, Konan would quietly switch elsewhere.

Kitazawa jumped down from the roof and landed lightly on the ground.

Kiba and the others had already stopped training.

That was his rule—practice ended at exactly ten o’clock.

“Rest early,” Kitazawa said. “We’re traveling again tomorrow.”

“Yes, Kitazawa-sensei.”

The three of them returned to their rooms one by one.

Kitazawa closed the door behind him and entered his own room.

The night passed peacefully.

Morning arrived.

After breakfast, the group set off once more.

Roughly two hours later, they officially crossed into the Land of Earth.

“Yukie Fujikaze is filming near a mountain close to the capital,” Kitazawa said as they moved. “We’ll head there directly.”

Ino and the others acknowledged him without slowing their pace.

By afternoon, they reached their destination smoothly.

Deep within the Land of Earth, encountering Iwagakure ninja was unavoidable—but Kitazawa deliberately avoided them.

Unless Ōnoki himself appeared, no one in Iwagakure would be able to detect their movements.

“Kitazawa-sensei,” Kiba said suddenly, “there are people up ahead.”

“That should be Yukie Fujikaze’s film crew,” Kitazawa replied after a glance.

“I heard she’s really beautiful,” Kiba said with interest.

“How should I put it…” Ino thought for a moment. “She has a princess-like aura. Though maybe that’s just her acting—she played a princess in the movie I saw.”

Kitazawa couldn’t help but chuckle.

Much like a certain hard-to-describe actress from his previous life, Yukie Fujikaze was essentially playing herself.

A real princess portraying a princess—naturally convincing, and naturally famous.

“I’ve never seen a real princess before,” Kiba said, eyes shining.

“Isn’t Shion one?” Ino countered.

“Oh… right.”

Kiba’s enthusiasm instantly deflated.

Shion was the priestess—and effectively the daimyo—of the Land of Demons. In a sense, she really had been a princess.

“Who are you people?”

The film crew finally noticed them as they approached.

“I’m a ninja from Konoha,” Kitazawa said calmly.

“Sanzaemon Asama asked me to come. Please inform him.”

“Wait here.”

The crew member examined them briefly, then hurried off.

Moments later, a bespectacled, middle-aged man approached.

“I’m Sanzaemon Asama.”

He looked at Kitazawa with confusion. “Do we know each other?”

“We don’t,” Kitazawa replied evenly.

“If you weren’t Konoha ninja, I wouldn’t have come out at all,” Sanzaemon said with a frown, clearly displeased.

“The fact that you did come out,” Kitazawa smiled faintly, “means you haven’t forgotten Kakashi Hatake’s life-saving favor.”

“You know Kakashi-san?” Sanzaemon asked, startled.

“My name is Kitazawa,” he said, changing the subject.

“…Kitazawa?” Sanzaemon froze. His pupils trembled.

As Yukie Fujikaze’s manager, he had traveled across nearly every country—and the name Kitazawa was impossible not to recognize.

“Lord Kitazawa,” Sanzaemon said at once, straightening. “What brings you here?”

Ninjas were mercenaries by nature—but Kitazawa’s status placed him far beyond ordinary shinobi.

“There is something we need to discuss.”

Kitazawa produced a scroll. “I’ve already drafted the terms. If you have no objections, we can sign immediately.”

“It seems Lord Kitazawa came fully prepared.” Intrigued, Sanzaemon unrolled the scroll. His expression changed instantly.

The scroll contained many clauses, but the first one alone was enough to shake him.

Konoha Village will assist Yukie Fujikaze in reclaiming her throne as daimyo of the Land of Snow. In return, the Land of Snow will form an alliance with Konoha and open free trade.

“Is this… real?”

Sanzaemon looked up instinctively.

“I didn’t come all this way to deceive you,” Kitazawa said calmly.

“And even without you, we’re fully capable of defeating Doto Kazahana.”

Sanzaemon immediately recalled Kitazawa’s fearsome reputation throughout the Ninja World and nodded without hesitation.

No matter how strong Doto was, he could never rival a Kage—let alone someone who had faced one head-on.

“Please,” Sanzaemon said, raising a hand, “come with me. I’ll take you to the princess.”

Kitazawa nodded.

The first step had gone exactly as planned.

The four of them followed him into the tent.

“So many beautiful clothes!”

Ino exclaimed, eyes sparkling as she looked around.

The tent was clearly Yukie Fujikaze’s dressing room, racks of costumes and elaborate outfits lining the interior.

“Sanzaemon, who are they?”

A young woman turned toward them.

Pink eyeshadow framed her eyes, and red lipstick gave her a maturity that didn’t quite match her age.

“They’re ninja from Konoha Village,”mSanzaemon stepped forward, handed her the scroll, and said, “Princess, please take a look.”

“How many times have I told you not to call me princess in front of outsiders?”

Yukie snapped, her expression darkening.

“They’re friends of Kakashi-san,” Sanzaemon quickly explained. “They learned our identities long ago. They won’t leak anything—and soon, we won’t have to hide our names at all!”

“What do you mean?”

Yukie blinked, startled.

“You’ll understand once you read it.” As he spoke, Sanzaemon spread the scroll open.

Her eyes dropped to the parchment.

The moment she read its contents, her fists clenched—then slowly loosened again. Conflicting emotions rippled across her face.

“Princess, this is our best chance!” Sanzaemon urged, unable to hide his excitement.

Yukie took a steadying breath and looked directly at Kitazawa.

“How many ninja does Konoha plan to send?”

“Just the four of us,”

Kitazawa replied calmly.

“…?”

Suspicion flashed instantly across her face.

“Princess,” Sanzaemon said hurriedly, reading her thoughts, “he’s Kitazawa. Four is more than enough.”

He knew her fears well.

Ever since witnessing her father’s death as a child, Doto Kazahana had become a nightmare etched into her heart.

“Are you really… Kitazawa?” Yukie asked cautiously.

“Who in the Ninja World would dare impersonate Kitazawa-sensei?”

Ino put her hands on her hips, clearly offended on his behalf.

“You might be strong,” Yukie Fujikaze said, glancing at Ino, “but bringing three children along—can you really defeat Doto and his men?”

“Hey!”

Kiba protested immediately. “We might be kids, but our strength isn’t inferior to a Chunin’s!”

“That’s right!”

Ino lifted her chin proudly. “Don’t underestimate us!”

“Doto and his three subordinates are Jonin,” Yukie Fujikaze said, her doubts only deepening.

She wasn’t a ninja—she didn’t understand what truly separated ordinary Jonin from monsters like Kitazawa.

“We’ve beaten plenty of Jonin!” Ino boasted without hesitation.

“If you still doubt us,” Kitazawa said with a faint smile,

“I can give you a demonstration. Come with me.”

“…Alright.”

Yukie’s unease hadn’t faded. Until she witnessed his power firsthand, she couldn’t bring herself to agree.

The group exited the tent.

After a brief glance around, Kitazawa led them toward a nearby valley.

“Kitazawa-sensei, are you going to use Wood Release?” Kiba asked excitedly.

“Kitazawa-sensei could amaze them with any jutsu!” Ino said, practically glowing like a devoted fan.

Yukie cast her a glance, disbelief churning inside her.

She had seen Doto’s strength with her own eyes—he and his subordinates had conquered the Land of Snow.

“This place will do.”

Finding the area deserted, Kitazawa calmly drew the Kiba.

To erase doubt, he needed something overwhelming.

Lightning Release: Kirin!

He formed a one-handed seal and raised his blade.

In an instant, the wind howled and the sky darkened. Thick storm clouds rolled together overhead.

A deafening boom split the air.

Blinding lightning tore through the heavens.

Yukie’s eyes flew open.

She knew a little about ninja—but she had never heard of anyone capable of bending the weather itself.

Bolts of lightning illuminated the sky, dazzling even under the sun.

Then—

The lightning converged, forming a colossal Kirin midair.

With cataclysmic force, it crashed into the valley.

The earth shattered.

Grass, flowers, and trees were annihilated in a sea of lightning.

When the thunder finally faded, a massive blackened crater remained—silent and smoking.

“Amazing!” Ino shouted, fists clenched in excitement.

“If I could use a jutsu like that, I’d die happy,” Kiba muttered in awe.

Haku said nothing, but his resolve hardened.

If he didn’t grow stronger, how could he ever repay the man who had saved his life?

Kitazawa sheathed the sword and turned his gaze toward Yukie.

She stood frozen, mouth slightly open, unable to speak.

Asama was no better—utterly stunned.

He had heard the name Kitazawa countless times.

Only now did he finally understand what it truly meant.

——————

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