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In the original timeline, Unraikyo had been a secluded training ground for Killer Bee, hidden deep within the mountains.
It was there that Sasuke once clashed with him.
But this time, the battlefield at Unraikyo was anything but quiet.
It was crowded.
On the side of Kumogakure, the lineup was overwhelming.
Killer Bee, the Fourth Raikage, Dodai, Yugito Nii, Darui, and numerous elite jōnin had all gathered.
Only the strong were present.
Anyone weaker would have simply been walking to their death.
On the opposing side—
The Akatsuki Organization had deployed its full force.
All Six Paths of Pain stood on the field.
Behind them, five additional members formed a deadly formation.
Konan remained behind, guarding Nagato's true body.
Meanwhile, Obito, Miyashiro, and two other elite shinobi accompanied the Six Paths into battle.
Kitazawa recognized only three of them.
The remaining two were unfamiliar—likely newly recruited elites, each at least jōnin-level, though absent from the original manga.
Despite Kumogakure's numerical advantage—
They still lost. Decisively.
The reason was simple.
Nagato was too powerful.
The Fourth Raikage was undeniably strong, but his abilities lacked versatility.
His greatest asset was speed.
In terms of raw strength, he couldn't even rival Tsunade.
He had no Sage Mode, nor had he mastered the Third Raikage's legendary Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.
Worse—
He had no intelligence on the Six Paths of Pain.
Because of that, he couldn't break through their defenses.
He couldn't even get close.
His signature Lightning Release Chakra Mode was rendered ineffective by the black receivers.
Those rods—
Forged from Yin–Yang Release—
Could disrupt and suppress chakra itself.
In the original timeline, even Naruto had been immobilized after being struck by them.
If he hadn't gone berserk and unleashed the Eight-Tails' power, he would never have broken free.
In short—
Kumogakure's defeat was inevitable.
In fact, compared to Konoha's destruction in the original timeline—
They had it easier.
At least Nagato hadn't used Shinra Tensei to wipe the village off the map.
Still—
The losses were catastrophic.
Kumogakure's jōnin ranks had suffered devastating casualties.
It was the greatest blow the village had faced since its founding.
Kitazawa suspected the difference was because of him.
The Akatsuki had clearly decided to concentrate their strength.
Their ultimate target—
Was the now overwhelmingly powerful Konoha Village.
Before that, however, they needed to capture the remaining Jinchūriki.
The next day.
Kitazawa stood quietly, deep in thought.
He had already formed a preliminary framework for Hinata's transformation.
With another half month of training, it would be complete.
However, calling it a partial tailed beast transformation no longer felt accurate.
He had a better name in mind.
Yin Release Chakra Mode.
Later, he could even develop a full system around it—a counterpart to Yang Release Chakra Mode.
If successful, shinobi like Ino, Shikamaru, and others could potentially use it.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto's voice rang out, full of excitement.
With a splash—
He ran over from the waterfall.
Kitazawa glanced at him.
At first glance, nothing seemed different.
But upon closer inspection—
The chakra within Naruto's body had become noticeably more stable.
After all, he had just overcome his inner darkness.
"We're heading back to Konoha," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.
"The ninja world is getting… lively."
By now, news of Kumogakure's crushing defeat had undoubtedly spread across every hidden village.
With a flash the three of them returned directly to the Konoha Ninja Academy.
"You two, go to class."
After giving the instruction, Kitazawa turned and headed straight for the Hokage office.
"Did you find Turtle Island?" Tsunade asked immediately.
Only after confirming his safety did she finally relax.
"Naruto has already completed the initial phase of training there," Kitazawa replied with a smile.
"So fast?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"It's probably just his talent," Kitazawa said lightly.
He paused, then added,
"Next, he can begin fully mastering the Nine-Tails' power."
Tsunade nodded slowly.
"If Naruto becomes a Perfect Jinchūriki, it will greatly ease the pressure on Konoha."
They both understood what that meant.
The looming threat—
Akatsuki.
Now that Kumogakure had fallen, it was obvious.
Konoha would be next.
"What about the other villages?" Kitazawa asked casually.
Tsunade let out a cold snort.
"Just as we expected."
"They're all waiting."
"Waiting to see who wins between Konoha and the Akatsuki."
Kitazawa wasn't surprised.
In the original timeline, the Five Kage Summit had only taken place after Pain's invasion of Konoha.
By then, all five great villages had suffered.
They had no choice but to unite.
But now—
Konoha still stood strong.
If an alliance formed at this stage, Konoha would naturally take the lead.
The other villages would never accept that.
"This is intelligence on the Akatsuki members."
Kitazawa handed over a scroll.
He had prepared it the previous night.
It contained detailed information on Nagato and Uchiha Obito.
"...The Rinnegan?"
Tsunade's expression changed the moment she read it.
Shock flashed across her face.
"If nothing goes wrong," Kitazawa added calmly, "the leader of Akatsuki is the same student Jiraiya once took in."
Tsunade fell silent for a moment.
"To think he's still alive…"
"And now standing as an enemy of the entire ninja world…"
She exhaled slowly, regaining her composure.
As she continued reading, her expression grew increasingly grave.
"The Six Paths of Pain…"
She frowned deeply.
"As expected of the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths…"
After a long silence, she finally looked up at Kitazawa.
"…Are you confident?"
Despite her trust in his strength—
After reading about the Rinnegan, even Tsunade couldn't suppress a flicker of doubt.
"What do you think?"
Kitazawa lifted a hand and gave her peach-soft rear a light smack.
The motion sent a subtle ripple through her curves.
Tsunade shot him an exasperated glare—but the tension in her eyes had already melted away.
At a moment like this, if he still had the mind to tease her…
Then he clearly wasn't worried.
Not in the slightest.
"Is this the same masked man who used Wood Release back then?" Tsunade asked, her gaze dropping back to the intelligence on Tobi.
"That's him," Kitazawa replied with a faint smile. "Kakashi even managed to take one of his arms."
"Who is he?" Tsunade frowned. "And why does he keep targeting Konoha?"
Both Wood Release and the Sharingan were deeply tied to the village.
A troubling thought lingered in her mind—
This "Tobi"… might very well be a shinobi who once belonged to Konoha.
"I'm not sure," Kitazawa said, shaking his head lightly. "I've only heard the Akatsuki call him 'Tobi.'"
"Tobi…?" Tsunade searched her memory, but nothing surfaced. "Never heard of him."
"Most likely an alias."
Kitazawa didn't elaborate further.
There was no need to reveal everything—especially when it wouldn't change the outcome.
Unlike in the original timeline, he had no intention of redeeming Obito.
Some people weren't meant to be saved.
Only stopped.
"It seems the real threats are Nagato… and this mysterious Tobi," Tsunade concluded after finishing the scroll.
"The rest of the Akatsuki are dangerous, but they're not on the same level."
"Exactly." Kitazawa nodded. "Take those two out, and the organization will collapse on its own."
Tsunade fell silent for a moment before making her decision.
"Send out a notice. We'll convene a Jōnin meeting tomorrow."
"A Jōnin meeting?" Kitazawa raised a brow. "Wouldn't it be enough to inform just the higher-ups?"
"This isn't only about Akatsuki," Tsunade said, a faint smile curving her lips.
"It's also about the Hokage succession."
Kitazawa let out a soft scoff.
"You really can't wait, can you?"
"A carefree retirement is calling my name," Tsunade shot back lazily. "Why would I delay?"
"…Fair enough."
He had no argument for that.
"How about we hold the Hokage succession ceremony next month?" Tsunade continued. "The formalities will take about that long."
She paused, then added casually,
"And have the Genius Class graduate early this month."
Kitazawa nodded.
There were still two weeks until finals—Those exams could simply be turned into graduation trials.
In truth, most of them were already ready.
Many were already twelve.
Only a handful—like Hinata, born later in the year—had yet to reach that age.
"Go call Jiraiya," Tsunade said, tapping the scroll.
"He deserves to know this first."
Kitazawa gave a slight nod and stepped out, passing the order to the ANBU.
Before long, Jiraiya arrived.
"This is the intelligence Kitazawa gathered on Akatsuki."
Tsunade handed him the scroll.
Jiraiya opened it—and froze.
It felt like a thunderbolt had struck him.
His eyes locked onto a single name.
Nagato.
"How… is this possible?" he muttered, voice trembling. "Wasn't Nagato dead?"
"That report was fabricated," Tsunade said grimly. "Nagato made sure you believed they were gone."
Jiraiya staggered slightly.
"How did they end up like this…?"
In his memories, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had been dreamers—
Children chasing peace in a broken world.
But now?
They had become the very storm they once opposed.
"I'm going to the Hidden Rain Village," Jiraiya said abruptly.
"No."
Tsunade's voice cut through the room like a blade.
"Akatsuki is now an enemy of the entire world. Going there alone is suicide."
"I'm their sensei!" Jiraiya snapped instinctively. "They wouldn't—"
"Don't forget their goal."
Tsunade's gaze hardened.
"If you're captured, you won't just be risking your life—you'll be handing Konoha to them."
Jiraiya fell silent.
His grip tightened around the scroll.
Conflict warred across his face.
"The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails have already been captured," Tsunade continued. "It's only a matter of time before they come for the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails."
Her tone softened slightly.
"When that happens… you'll have your chance to face him."
Jiraiya let out a long, heavy sigh.
Once—
He had believed Nagato was the Child of Prophecy.
The one who would bring peace.
Now…
That same child stood at the center of a war that would engulf the entire shinobi world.
Without another word, Jiraiya turned and left—his steps unsteady.
After he was gone, Kitazawa didn't linger either.
He returned to ANBU and had Antelope relay the summons.
Every available jōnin in the village would attend tomorrow's meeting.
The next morning.
The room was filled.
Every jōnin had arrived.
Though they hadn't been briefed beforehand, most had already guessed—
This was about Akatsuki.
After all, news of Kumogakure's defeat had shaken the entire world.
Tsunade sat at the head of the room, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.
"I will now announce the first matter."
Her voice was calm—
But carried unmistakable weight.
"We are beginning the selection process for the Sixth Hokage."
Silence.
Then—shock rippled through the room.
No one had expected this.
Not even Jiraiya, Fugaku, or Hiashi.
Only two people remained composed.
Tsunade and Kitazawa.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya stood, frowning deeply. "This is the worst possible time to change leadership."
"On the contrary," Tsunade replied steadily.
"It's precisely because Konoha is facing danger…"
"…that we need a Hokage stronger than me."
At once—
Dozens of gazes turned.
And settled on a single figure.
Kitazawa.
Because everyone present understood one thing—in all of Konoha…
He was the only one who could say, with certainty, that he stood above Tsunade.
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