CHAPTER 126: CHAPTER 126

Kitazawa strolled down Konoha’s streets, last night’s events replaying in his mind. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

He had thought Tsunade might finally have let go of her grudge against Hiruzen—but clearly, she hadn’t.

By dinnertime, she’d been drunk again, eventually escorted home by Shizune and Kurenai.

Since it was so late, Kitazawa hadn’t even mentioned learning the Bringer of Darkness to Kurenai. And this afternoon was already booked—he had to assist Shizune with surgeries at the hospital and practice Chakra Scalpel.

’Then I’ll just do it this morning,’ he decided, turning toward Kurenai’s house.

After all, he had no urgent plans besides guiding Naruto and Hinata later.

Kitazawa unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The living room was silent.

"No one up yet?" he muttered to himself. ’She must’ve drunk quite a bit last night.’

Tsunade loved her sake. Kurenai wasn’t much better. Between the two of them, they’d drunk the most.

’Guess I should make some breakfast... maybe something to help sober up.’

He opened the fridge and found milk, bread and eggs. Simple enough. He grabbed it and started making sandwiches.

Soft footsteps padded down the hall.

Kitazawa turned his head just in time to see Kurenai yawning, her eyes still hazy from sleep.

His eyes lit up involuntarily.

She hadn’t even changed—just a silk nightgown, the thin fabric clinging to her curves, her graceful silhouette swaying with each step.

’Besides that nightgown... she’s not wearing anything else,’ he realized, momentarily dazed.

"Kitazawa?"

Kurenai blinked when she noticed him in the kitchen, freezing mid-step.

"...What are you doing here?"

He openly admired the sight for a heartbeat before answering.

"Am I... dreaming?" Kurenai mumbled, still half-asleep, as she walked closer.

"Do you feel like you’re dreaming?" Kitazawa teased, raising a hand—then lightly pinched her thigh.

The nightgown’s silk was so thin that the warmth and softness of her leg muscles were clear under his fingers.

Kurenai blinked, finally waking up. Her sleepy eyes sharpened into a mildly annoyed glare.

"...When did you get here?"

"Not long ago." Kitazawa grinned. "Breakfast will be ready once you wash up."

"Mmm."

She nodded and shuffled to the bathroom.

Inside, toothbrush in hand, Kurenai finally caught sight of herself in the mirror—and froze.

This nightgown... was practically half-exposed. And after last night’s drinking, she hadn’t bothered with anything else.

A crimson blush crept over her face.

After a moment of silent mortification, she splashed water on her cheeks, finished washing up, and tiptoed past the kitchen—only to retreat to her room at lightning speed.

Moments later, she emerged properly dressed, only to catch Kitazawa’s half-smile waiting for her.

She instantly blushed again.

"Come eat," Kitazawa said casually, waving her over. "Why are you blushing?"

"It’s none of your business!" Kurenai huffed, sliding into the seat across from him. She casually stretched out her foot and nudged his leg under the table.

"...And why are you kicking me?" Kitazawa looked down at her bare foot, amused.

"I’m happy. Isn’t that allowed?" she said with a mock-haughty tone.

"It’s allowed," he chuckled, passing her the warm milk. "Drink. It’ll help sober you up."

She hesitated for a moment, then accepted it.

Kitazawa making her breakfast early in the morning and even helping her sober up... she almost felt guilty for teasing him.

After a sip of milk, she glanced at him.

"...Why are you staring?"

"Eat." He slid the sandwich toward her, taking a bite of his own.

"Thank you," Kurenai said sincerely.

"You’re saying thank you too early," Kitazawa replied, a teasing lilt in his voice.

"...What do you mean?" she asked, biting into the sandwich.

"I’m going to teach you a Genjutsu later."

Kurenai blinked. "...What did you say? You’re teaching me Genjutsu?"

"That’s right," Kitazawa said, his lips curving into a playful grin. "So, what should you call me now?"

She gave him a deadpan stare. "...Are you still half-asleep? You’ve only learned five genjutsu, and you want to be my teacher?"

"Do you know the Bringer of Darkness?" Kitazawa asked lightly.

"Of course. That’s—" She froze, realization dawning. Her eyes widened. "...Don’t tell me you—?"

"Correct. But no prize for guessing." Kitazawa reached over and pinched her cheek.

"How is that even possible?" Kurenai ignored the pinch entirely, leaning forward. "Where did you learn it?"

"That’s a secret," he said, voice low and teasing. "Do you want to learn?"

"I..." She hesitated.

Technically, it wasn’t proper for her to learn from him. But then again, she had already bent the rules once—when she learned Rasengan.

"...I’ll learn from you," she said at last, lips pressing together.

"Then how will you thank me?" Kitazawa asked with a sly smile.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "What kind of thanks do you want? Should I wear a business suit today?"

"Not today," he said, adopting a mock-serious tone. "Today, I am the teacher. You are the student."

"...Pervert," she muttered under her breath.

"How am I a pervert?" Kitazawa said earnestly. "If I teach you the Art of Darkness, then I’m your teacher."

Kurenai was quiet for a moment—then leaned in with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Then, Kitazawa-sensei..." she whispered in his ear, her warm breath tickling his skin, "...how do you want me to thank you?"

A shiver ran down his spine.

Kurenai’s lips brushed his ear, a playful bite following. Then, slowly, she captured his lips.

Soft warmth. A lingering sweetness.

When they finally parted, she sat back down, her face pink. It was rare for her to be so bold.

"You... aren’t you going to train your students this morning?" she said, sipping the last of her milk to calm herself.

"You’re coming with me," Kitazawa replied. "Unless you’re busy?"

"No. Lady Tsunade and Shizune usually don’t show up until evening."

Kitazawa chuckled. "Yesterday, Lady Tsunade lost all her card games. She’s now stuck doing all the jutsu research solo."

"...Is she always like that?" Kurenai asked.

"To sum it up in one word: unlucky. She loses every gamble."

Kurenai paused for two seconds. "...Impressive."

Yesterday, she had thought she was naturally talented at cards. Turns out, it wasn’t talent—Tsunade was simply that bad.

After breakfast, the two of them left together for the Ninja Academy, the morning sun warming their backs.

"So many Shadow Clones?"

When Kurenai arrived at the artificial lake and saw the field swarming with Naruto clones, she was momentarily stunned.

Even for a seasoned kunoichi, the sight of a six-year-old boy performing Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu—and at such a scale—was staggering.

The sheer number was absurd. She, a fully trained Chūnin, couldn’t replicate that feat.

"Forgot who he is?" Kitazawa said with a faint smile.

"...I know he’s an Uzumaki," Kurenai muttered, still dumbfounded. "But seeing it with my own eyes... it’s still outrageous. Makes me feel like I’ve wasted all these years of training."

Kitazawa shrugged. "That’s the shinobi world for you."

He formed a seal, creating a single Shadow Clone. "I’ll leave guiding those two brats to my clone. You—" he turned to her with a playful smile, "—are about to start your Bringer of Darkness lesson."

Kurenai’s eyes lit up with interest.

"No matter how strong a ninja is," Kitazawa explained, "if they can’t see, their combat power drops dramatically."

"You’re right." A slow, eager smile curved Kurenai’s lips. "Once I learn the Art of Darkness, I’ll make these brats taste real despair."

Kitazawa chuckled. "First, let’s focus on learning."

He took her hand and led her to a raised platform beside the lake. The two sat down, the calm waters reflecting their figures.

The Bringer of Darkness was an A-rank genjutsu—not something easily learned without a shortcut like Kitazawa’s. For Kurenai, progress would take time. But they had time to spare.

By evening, the familiar group gathered once again at Kurenai’s home.

"Lady Tsunade," Kurenai asked, "are we still following the principle of mimicking Yakumo’s bloodline?"

Kitazawa interjected with a thoughtful look. "You know, Yakumo’s ability is kind of like Super Beast Imitating Drawing. Genjutsu Creation turns paintings into reality, while Super Beast Scroll summons ink beasts from a scroll. Sounds similar, but the results are different. One produces living, breathing entities; the other, chakra-ink constructs."

"The new ninjutsu can mimic Genjutsu Creation," Tsunade said after a moment of silence. "But this time, I’ve already decided on our goal: emotion replacement."

Kitazawa’s eyes brightened as he remembered their earlier discussions.

They had proposed two methods for treating psychological trauma:

Memory Sealing, to address the root cause.

Emotion Replacement, to suppress the symptoms.

The first already had a developed technique; the second was still conceptual.

A faint spark lit in Kitazawa’s heart. ’Could Tsunade be ready to treat her own hemophobia...?’

He didn’t ask aloud. His system’s mission to treat her phobia couldn’t be rushed. Forcing the issue could damage their growing trust.

Three days until the Academy term began.

"Summer break flew by," Kitazawa said, watching the sunlight stream through the window.

"Which is harder for you?" Kurenai asked from across the table, nibbling a fried fish skewer. "Classes or training?"

Kitazawa thought for a moment. "...About the same."

"I thought you’d say training," she said with mild surprise.

"Training’s fine," he said with a shrug.

Kurenai pouted. "I forgot—you’re a prodigy. Learning jutsu barely tires you. Meanwhile, I’ve been stuck on Bringer of Darkness for two weeks."

She still hadn’t completely mastered it, while Kitazawa had learned Nirvana Temple Technique, another A-rank genjutsu, in just a week. The gap was clear.

"The main reason it’s fun," Kitazawa said with a grin, "is because you’re here."

"Smooth talker." She tried to glare, but her lips betrayed a smile.

"Where?" Kitazawa teased, licking the corner of his mouth. "Want me to prove it?"

"Eat properly!" she huffed, giving him a light kick under the table.

"Haven’t you heard the saying?" he said solemnly. "A beautiful sight is a feast for the eyes."

"Where do you get all these twisted philosophies?" Kurenai bit into a fried shrimp with mock ferocity.

"I think they make sense," he said with a straight face.

"Too lazy to argue with you."

After finishing her meal, she asked, "When does the Academy start?"

"Enrollment’s August 31st. Classes start September 1st."

"So once academy starts, I’ll be practicing Bringer of Darkness alone..." A faint reluctance slipped into her voice.

"You can always practice at the Academy," Kitazawa said. "You’ll have a whole army of students for company."

"No way." Kurenai shook her head. "I’m a Chūnin. Training with your students in public would look ridiculous."

"Didn’t you already train with Naruto and Hinata this summer?" Kitazawa teased.

"That’s different. It’d sound bad if more people saw it."

She crossed her arms but smiled faintly. "Anyway, I’ve almost mastered it. Finishing it is just a matter of time."

"Then come find me if you run into trouble," Kitazawa said with a grin.

"Mm. I’ll definitely come bother you often," she said lightly.

After breakfast, they headed to the Academy.

"Kitazawa-sensei! I did it!"

Naruto came charging with a swarm of identical clones, his voice brimming with pride.

"Spectacular," Kurenai muttered, taking in the sea of green spandexes.

"What’d you succeed at?" Kitazawa asked, already guessing the answer.

Naruto grinned and held up a shredded balloon.

"Congratulations. Stage one of the Rasengan is complete," Kitazawa said calmly.

Two weeks was about average for a six-year-old.

"Next is stage two," Kitazawa explained. "Same drill as before, but with a rubber ball—one hundred times tougher than a balloon."

Naruto’s jaw dropped. "O-One hundred times?! That’ll take forever! Maybe even a year!"

"Hey! Don’t give up so fast!" scolded one of his clones.

Another pumped his fist. "As long as we burn with youth, we can overcome anything!"

"Right! If a balloon can pop, a rubber ball can too!"

A chorus of "Youth!" erupted as the shadow clones dove into training with renewed vigor.

By noon, four people gathered for lunch.

"Aunt Mikoto’s bentos are the best!" Naruto said, mouth full of chicken.

"She’s really kind," Kurenai murmured.

She didn’t realize Sasuke’s mother sent these lunches out of quiet concern for Kitazawa as much as for her son.

After lunch, Kitazawa headed to Konoha Hospital—specifically to Yakushi Nono’s office.

Tsunade’s office existed in name only; she was almost never there.

"Shizune hasn’t arrived yet," Nono said with a polite nod.

"I’ll wait," Kitazawa replied, taking a seat on the sofa.

While he waited, he pulled up his personal status panel:

Name: Kitazawa

Age: 6

Attributes: Wind, Fire, Water, Yin, Yang

Bloodline Limit: Byakugan

Mastery: Chakra Control, Chakra Shape Transformation

Proficiency: Yin Release Transformation, Yang Release Transformation

Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel, Rasengan, Multiple Shadow Clone, ...

Evaluation: An unparalleled prodigy. When you grow up, even Ōtsutsuki Kaguya will tremble.

Kitazawa stroked his chin.

His arsenal leaned heavily toward medical ninjutsu, genjutsu, and fire techniques.

He had few A-rank techniques so far—Chakra Scalpel, Nirvana Temple, Art of Darkness—but he had plans.

Taijutsu-wise, he had Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and the First Gate of Eight Gates as his top techniques.

The rest were utility jutsu like Rasengan and Multi Shadow Clone.

’Aside from that dramatic "Kaguya will tremble" line, this panel is about at the ceiling for a regular shinobi,’ he mused. ’From here, there are only two paths left—’

Chakra.

Bloodline Limits.

And he was ready to chase both.

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