CHAPTER 151: CHAPTER 151

With a sharp bang, the door to the Hokage’s office flew open.

Tsunade strode in without hesitation, her presence filling the room.

Hiruzen calmly set aside the documents in his hands and raised his gaze. His eyes landed on the two figures standing behind her—Rina Uzumaki and Karin.

He didn’t need to ask. The vibrant red hair, the vast, almost tangible chakra—they could only be Uzumaki.

A flicker of delight lit Hiruzen’s expression. He had expected just one survivor, yet fate had delivered two. Both were women as well, which meant the possibility of reviving the Uzumaki line within Konoha. If nurtured properly, the clan could once again take root and thrive here.

"Hokage-sama." Rina Uzumaki bowed quickly, her movements betraying both respect and nervousness. She knew very well she was standing before one of the most powerful men in the shinobi world.

"You’ve suffered enough," Hiruzen replied with a warm chuckle. "There’s no need for such formality. Konoha will be your home from this day forward."

His voice was gentle, yet his mind was already racing. The Uzumaki’s massive chakra reserves alone made them invaluable, but combined with even modest talent, both mother and daughter could one day reach Jōnin level. And with their clan’s natural affinity for fūinjutsu, their worth far surpassed ordinary shinobi.

After all, sealing techniques were among the few arts that could restrain tailed beasts—beyond the Sharingan or Wood Release. Within Konoha, true masters of the craft were painfully rare: himself, Danzō, and Jiraiya. Once, Minato and Kushina had carried that torch, but both had fallen. Orochimaru’s defection had only deepened the void.

To Hiruzen, the arrival of Rina and Karin was nothing short of a gift from the heavens.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Rina said earnestly. For the first time in years, she felt genuine relief. With his words, she and her daughter’s safety was assured. Kusagakure would never dare lay a hand on them again.

"Tch. Rina’s body is frail," Tsunade interjected, her tone leaving no room for argument. "She’ll stay with me. I’ll see to her treatment personally."

"Of course," Hiruzen agreed without hesitation. One glance was enough to confirm Rina’s health was in decline.

"As for Karin," Tsunade continued, her eyes flicking toward Kitazawa, "she’s of schooling age. Enroll her in the Academy, First Year, Class A."

"Kitazawa, make the arrangements," Hiruzen ordered smoothly.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kitazawa replied without missing a beat.

"Karin has never attended school in Kusagakure," Tsunade added. "She’ll need extra help catching up. Kitazawa, make time to tutor her."

The unspoken sympathy in her voice didn’t escape anyone. Tsunade had clearly taken a liking to the mother and daughter.

[Mission Alert: Mission from your teacher, Tsunade. Do not shirk this duty.]

[Task: Ensure transfer student Karin ranks in the top ten of the Academy’s theoretical exam this semester.]

[Reward: Four Limbs Heavy Seal.]

[Accept?]

Kitazawa’s eyes lit up. Trust Tsunade to hand him another mission with a single word.

Challenging, yes, but hardly impossible. Theory exams could be conquered with enough practice and guidance—unlike combat tests, where talent and instinct mattered more. And with two and a half months left in the term, the timeline was manageable.

The reward, though modest, was still worth it. The Four Limbs Heavy Seal might not be flashy, but its ability to restrain enemies made it invaluable in certain situations.

"Understood, Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa said, accepting the task.

From behind Rina, Karin peeked out, curiosity shining in her crimson eyes. Kitazawa caught her gaze and offered her a reassuring smile. She blinked, cheeks flushing faintly. This sensei... he’s kind of handsome. And gentle too.

"Kakashi," Hiruzen suddenly said, recalling protocol. "Submit the mission report."

Kakashi, ever the professional, produced a scroll and handed it over. Hiruzen skimmed through, his lips twitching despite himself. As expected, Tsunade had left the official record-keeping to someone else.

Not that it mattered—Konoha’s stance toward Kusagakure was justified. Their mistreatment of Rina Uzumaki had placed Konoha firmly on the moral high ground.

"You all performed well. This will be classified as an S-rank mission," Hiruzen declared. "The reward is two million ryō, divided among the four of you."

"Including Rina?" Tsunade asked with a raised brow.

"Indeed," Hiruzen confirmed. "She’s new to the village and in need of funds."

Rina’s eyes widened in gratitude. Verbal assurances were one thing, but tangible rewards carried far greater weight. From this moment, her loyalty to Konoha was secured.

"Tsunade," Hiruzen added, "the village will also cover the cost of her medical treatment."

"Good," Tsunade replied with a nod. She knew full well he was buying goodwill, but since it benefited Rina, she wouldn’t refuse.

Turning to Kitazawa, Hiruzen’s expression softened. "You did well. As a reward, you may choose three B-rank and one A-rank jutsu."

Kitazawa’s heart skipped. ’That generous, old man!’ He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The matter settled, Tsunade rose. "I’ll take Rina and Karin back." She didn’t wait for dismissal, simply turning and striding out. Kakashi, Itachi, and the other ANBU melted away behind her.

"Kitazawa" Hiruzen said, waving them off. "Go select your jutsu."

Kitazawa obeyed, but as he stepped out of the office, he nearly collided with Danzō Shimura.

For a moment, Kitazawa froze. ’So, Danzo shows up right on cue. Of course he’d be after the Uzumaki.’

He ignored Danzō and moved on, but inside, he couldn’t shake the thought: Rina and Karin had just gained safety under Konoha’s roof—but safety and Danzō rarely coexisted.

Kitazawa glanced at him, then deliberately looked away. Danzo ignored him, striding past into the office.

Inside, Hiruzen sighed heavily. His earlier good mood dimmed instantly. He knew exactly why Danzo had come... but he would never allow the Uzumaki to be dragged into Root. Not when their seals were critical to the Nine-Tails’ future.

Meanwhile, Kitazawa entered the jutsu archives with Haru.

He already excelled in medical ninjutsu, genjutsu, fire, and wind—there was little need to expand those further. With five elemental affinities in his future, he would eventually acquire lightning and earth as well.

That left two paths: water ninjutsu, or sealing.

Kitazawa’s eyes lingered on the sealing scrolls. None of the truly forbidden techniques were here—not the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, not the Four Symbols Seal, nor the Eight Trigrams Seal. That was expected; such techniques were far too dangerous.

After much deliberation, he turned away from the seals and walked to the water release section. Unlike sealing, water techniques could immediately strengthen him. And besides, Konoha was the home of the greatest water user in history—Senju Tobirama.

One by one, he made his selections:

A-Rank: Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique—a devastating, wide-area attack.

B-Rank: Water Release: Water Wall—one of the few strong defensive jutsu.

B-Rank: Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet—refined by Tobirama himself, reduced from forty-four seals to just three.

B-Rank: Water Release: Instant Water—a hybrid between Body Flicker and an ambush technique, perfect for sudden strikes and rapid repositioning.

It was a balanced arsenal: offense, defense, and mobility.

[New Task: Master four water techniques before the end of the third semester.]

[Reward: Advanced Water Nature Transformation.]

Kitazawa smirked as the notification appeared in his mind. "Another challenge, huh? Perfect."

This mission was almost identical to the last one for Wind Release training—

only the timing had shifted, from the second semester to the third.

The reward remained unchanged: proficiency in Chakra Nature Transformation.

Naturally, Kitazawa accepted without hesitation.

After all, reaching proficient-level Water Release on his own could take years of relentless training.

According to Konoha’s regulations, A-rank Ninjutsu scrolls weren’t allowed to leave the archives. So Kitazawa spent a few minutes committing Water Release: Great Waterfallto memory before leaving with three B-rank scrolls tucked under his arm.

That was when he ran into Danzo again.

But unlike before, Danzo’s expression was dark and sour, his displeasure written plainly across his face. Clearly, whatever he had tried to negotiate with Hiruzen had not fallen through.

Kitazawa watched his retreating figure with a thoughtful look.

Danzo kept snatching people left and right... Perhaps it was time to turn the tables and steal one of Root’s own?

The thought of Aburame Torune crossed his mind, given the boy’s close ties to Shino. But taking someone from Root was no small feat—it was dangerous, the kind of thing that needed careful, long-term planning.

And of course, the best outcome would be if the system dropped a task for it.

Kitazawa left the Hokage building.

Though it was Friday, he had no plans to attend classes at the Ninja Academy—he’d already taken leave.

He strolled through the busy street, stretching lazily.

This haul had been more than worthwhile.

One mission completed, two new ones unlocked, and even Hiruzen had rewarded him with four Water Release techniques.

When Kitazawa arrived at Kurenai’s home, he found it empty.

After a moment of thought, he went behind the well to the open field and began training—not Water Release, but Wind Release. The Water Release deadline wasn’t until next semester, so there was no need to rush.

Time slipped by quietly until familiar footsteps approached.

"When did you get back?"

Kurenai walked up to him.

"Not long—about an hour ago. You weren’t home, so I came here to train," Kitazawa replied.

"I ran into Lady Tsunade and the others earlier. That’s why I was late." She explained, "I also got to meet the two Uzumaki girls you brought back."

"How was it?" Kitazawa asked casually.

"I should’ve gone with you to Kusagakure! Those bastards were despicable. It’s a real shame I couldn’t deal with them myself." Kurenai clenched her fists, her voice laced with frustration.

At Tsunade’s place, she had met Karin and Rina Uzumaki and heard the full story of their ordeal in Kusagakure.

"It’s fine," Kitazawa comforted her with a smile. "I already beat them up for you."

"No—still, I have to reach Jōnin as fast as I can!" Kurenai’s eyes blazed with determination.

As a mere Chūnin, there were too many missions she wasn’t qualified for—like Tsunade’s expedition to Kusagakure. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t have joined unless someone pulled strings for her.

"Then let’s train together." Kitazawa took her hand firmly.

"Mhm."

Kurenai smiled faintly, leaned in to kiss him, and threw herself into training.

The weekend slipped away, and October’s third week arrived.

"Kitazawa-sensei, good morning!"

Karin greeted him with a bright smile. Dressed in fresh clothes, her crimson eyes and striking red hair made her stand out even more.

"Come on, I’ll take you to school," Kitazawa said, waving her along.

"Thank you, Kitazawa-sensei."

Rina bowed politely, her tone unusually formal.

"No need for that." Kitazawa nodded, then led Karin toward the Academy.

The moment they entered, Hinata leapt off the sofa at the sound of the door.

But when her gaze fell on Karin, she froze.

"Hinata, this is Karin—our class’s new transfer student," Kitazawa said, patting Hinata’s head.

"Hello, I’m Hyuga Hinata." She quickly recovered, extending her hand.

"Alright, breakfast first," Kitazawa interrupted lightly. "I have a short meeting afterwards."

"Mm."

Hinata couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Karin. Red hair was rare... and she couldn’t recall any Konoha clan that had it.

After breakfast, Kitazawa instructed, "Hinata, take Karin to the classroom."

"Karin, follow me," Hinata said, rising.

Kitazawa made his way to the academy’s conference room for the October monthly exam meeting. As usual, the agenda was routine, nearly identical to September’s.

He wasn’t expecting much from this exam. With no system task tied to it and so little time since the last one, the students hadn’t improved significantly. Even Naruto and Sasuke were plateauing.

In fact, Kitazawa could already guess the rankings would barely change from last month.

Still, he had plans.

He wanted to rig things just enough so that Sasuke suffered a crushing defeat—maybe it would trigger a new mission.

Meanwhile, Class 1-A was buzzing with energy. Karin’s arrival had turned the classroom lively.

"Whoa! Your hair is red?!" Naruto exclaimed in awe. "That’s the first time I’ve ever seen red hair."

"And it’s the first time I’ve seen golden hair." Karin smiled back. His curiosity didn’t feel malicious, just genuine.

"Hello, I’m Uzumaki Naruto!" he introduced cheerfully.

"Your surname is Uzumaki?!" Karin shot up in shock.

"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head, confused. "Is there a problem with that?"

"You..." Karin hesitated, her thoughts swirling. The surname Uzumaki without red hair—was it just coincidence?

Sasuke entered just in time to overhear, shaking his head. Pointless chatter about hair color.

With hands in his pockets, he walked past Naruto to his seat without a word.

Karin found herself staring after him. ’Does he always act this cool?’

"Sasuke-kun is mine! Don’t even think about it!" Sakura snapped, glaring at her suspiciously.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean anything," Karin replied quickly.

In the original timeline, she’d only fallen for Sasuke because he saved her—but this time, that hadn’t happened.

"You don’t need to be so formal," Sakura muttered, embarrassed.

"Do you think everyone’s obsessed with Sasuke?" Ino rolled her eyes at Sakura before leaning toward Karin with a friendly grin. "Hey, I’m Ino Yamanaka. Nice to meet you."

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