doitstory Chapter 438 438: Post War
Chapter 438 438: Post War
The temporary Hidden Sand Village outpost in the Land of Rivers.
Of course, it had now become Konoha Village's temporary outpost. Kabuto was in charge of handling the aftermath.
Kitazawa did not participate. He set up a tent and walked inside.
[Current Mission: Defeat Fourth Kazekage Rasa.]
[Mission Reward: Magnet Release: Gold Dust.]
[Host has completed the mission, reward issued.]
Kitazawa slowly raised his hand.
The ground suddenly trembled, and all the gold dust hidden beneath the earth surged upward.
Kitazawa suddenly thought of Tsunade.
If she mastered Magnet Release: Gold Dust, she would probably go mining every single day—only to lose it all at the Casino.
Kitazawa couldn't help but smile at the thought. He hadn't seen Tsunade in several days and truly missed her warm embrace.
After thinking for a moment, Kitazawa decided he could return tomorrow. For tonight, he still needed to wait for Kabuto's post-war summary.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.
Kurenai walked in.
"Are you finished with your work?" Kitazawa patted his thigh and asked.
"I have nothing to do." Kurenai walked over and straddled his lap.
"Then tonight, I'll make sure you're not idle." Kitazawa placed his hands on her hips and said with a faint smile.
Kurenai was briefly stunned. After realizing what he meant, she rolled her eyes at him.
It had indeed been several days since they had spent an entire night together. During the war, it hadn't been appropriate to waste stamina.
If the enemy attacked at the wrong moment, it would have been extremely awkward.
But now that the war had ended, they could finally relax.
Kurenai straightened her posture, her ruby-like eyes fixed on him. A faint shimmer gradually gathered within her gaze.
Kitazawa smiled, leaned forward, and pressed his lips against hers.
Kurenai immediately responded. She held him tightly, her face flushing red. Her body tensed instinctively before slowly relaxing.
Kitazawa held her close as she clung to him, her breathing gradually becoming unsteady.
A faint warmth spread between them.
After a long while, Kurenai finally closed her eyes and fell asleep in Kitazawa's arms.
Kitazawa gently stroked her hair. His gaze lowered, taking in her pale shoulders and smooth back.
Through their closeness, he could feel the warmth of her skin.
At that moment, Konan walked in. She removed her shoes, her steps completely silent on the carpet.
Kurenai was deeply asleep and did not notice her arrival.
Kitazawa looked toward Konan.
Konan took out a scroll and handed it to him.
Kitazawa did not take it immediately. He gently set Kurenai down and adjusted his clothing.
During this time, Konan bit her lip slightly, a faint expression flickering in her eyes.
Kitazawa stepped out of the tent.
Konan followed quietly behind him.
"Did Kabuto send this?" Kitazawa asked casually.
"Yes." Konan nodded. "I saw you were occupied, so I stopped him for you."
"Good girl." Kitazawa raised his hand and lightly patted her head.
He then opened the scroll. The scroll recorded Konoha Village's gains from this campaign, divided into two categories.
One category was "items"—various ninja tools and supplies.
The other category was "personnel"—the captured Hidden Sand Village Ninjas.
Kitazawa had no interest in the items. He directly turned to the personnel section.
Kabuto had categorized them by Genin, Chunin, and Jonin. The Genin and Chunin sections only listed numbers.
The Jonin section listed names individually. All the notable Hidden Sand Village Ninjas he knew were recorded there.
Chiyo. Ebizo. Rasa. Baki. Kankuro. Temari.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Hidden Sand Village now existed in name only.
Kitazawa calmly closed the scroll. He was about to return to the tent when he suddenly realized he had overlooked something.
The Land of Wind.
Although the Hidden Sand Village had been subdued, the Land of Wind itself had not.
"Konan, call Kabuto over," Kitazawa spoke after a brief pause.
The chaos of the Ninja World was undoubtedly the perfect opportunity to bring the Land of Wind—and perhaps even the Five Great Nations—under control.
It would simply be a matter of convenience.
[Current Mission: Control the Five Great Nations.]
[Mission Reward: Chakra Edible Creation.]
[Do you accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes narrowed slightly as he read the three lines of text that appeared before him.
He recalled something almost instantly. Moments later, the memory surfaced clearly.
Chakra Edible Creation—an ability belonging to Ōtsutsuki Urashiki and other Ōtsutsuki.
Its effect was to absorb a target's Chakra and refine it into pills, thereby increasing one's own Chakra reserves.
It was an ability bordering on the absurd.
In the Ninja World, techniques or items capable of increasing Chakra capacity were extremely rare.
Even for Kitazawa in his current state, such an ability would be useful.
In the original records, Chakra Edible Creation was considered a fundamental power of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
It was precisely this ability that allowed many members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan to grow stronger without apparent limits.
After all, the Chakra gained through Chakra Edible Creation theoretically had no ceiling.
Kitazawa immediately thought of the Ōtsutsuki Clan members who would descend upon the Ninja World in the future.
If he refined their Chakra into pills—whether for himself or for Tsunade and the others—the increase in strength would be tremendous.
And with Ōtsutsuki Chakra circulating within them, concerns about lifespan would fade.
Their lives would extend far beyond ordinary limits.
"Teacher Kitazawa." Kabuto soon appeared before him.
"I have a mission for you." Kitazawa smiled faintly. "Take this opportunity to bring the Land of Wind under control."
Kabuto was momentarily stunned.
Such a mission was earth-shattering for any Ninja. But Kabuto was no ordinary Ninja. After his brief surprise, he accepted calmly.
In his heart, there was only Konoha Village and Yakushi Nono and the others.
"After returning to Konoha Village, have a proper discussion with the Hidden Sand Village Ninjas." Kitazawa paused before adding,
"Have them submit to Konoha Village. If they refuse, even at the cost of their lives, then eliminate them."
Though the Hidden Sand Village had been crushed, there would inevitably be a few who clung stubbornly to their former loyalty.
Kitazawa respected such resolve.
But different paths led to different destinies. Their continued existence held no value for Konoha.
"Yes, Teacher Kitazawa." Kabuto nodded.
"It's late. Rest well. Begin tomorrow." Kitazawa glanced at the night sky and spoke casually.
Kabuto bowed slightly before turning to leave.
Kitazawa stretched and prepared to return to his tent. After all, Kurenai was still waiting for him.
But when he noticed Konan beside him, he felt he couldn't simply leave her like that.
"Come here." Kitazawa opened his arms.
Seeing this, Konan immediately stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"Tonight, we'll try something different." Kitazawa suddenly chuckled.
Konan tilted her head slightly, looking at him without speaking.
Kitazawa waved his hand and carried Konan up into the sky. They flew higher and higher, until everything below became a blur.
Only then did Konan react. She clung tightly to Kitazawa like an octopus.
High above the ground, with nothing to support her, she could only rely on holding him to keep her balance and avoid falling.
Kitazawa enjoyed the moment, spending the night in the open sky.
---
The next morning.
Kitazawa opened his eyes and saw Kurenai still asleep. He smiled and gently stroked her beautiful face.
Before long, Kurenai slowly woke up.
Now that she possessed the Yang Seal, she was no longer as easily exhausted as before, nor did she wake up much later.
"Kurenai, will you return to Konoha now, or come with me as an observer?" Kitazawa asked.
"I'll go back to Konoha." Kurenai hesitated briefly before answering.
She had been on missions for some time, fighting Hidden Sand Ninjas, and was mentally exhausted. She no longer wished to witness more battles.
"Alright." Kitazawa nodded. "I'll send you back later."
"No need." Kurenai shook her head. "I'll return with Yakumo and the others."
Seeing her decision, Kitazawa said nothing more.
The two changed their clothes.
After breakfast, Kabuto led the Fourth Division of Ninja Forces and officially began their return to Konoha Village.
Kitazawa watched them depart.
Konan then appeared quietly at his side.
She had floated in mid-air for nearly an hour the previous night before returning to the tent to rest.
"I'll take you to the Land of Moon first." Kitazawa took Konan's hand and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the next instant, the two appeared at Konoha Village's temporary outpost in the Land of Moon.
"I need to return to Konoha Village." Kitazawa released her hand. "Wait for me here."
Konan nodded silently.
Kitazawa vanished once more. When he reappeared, he was already standing inside Tsunade's room.
He looked toward the bed. Tsunade was still asleep, her nightgown rising and falling gently with her breathing.
Kitazawa walked over and leaned into her embrace. He immediately felt the familiar warmth.
"You came back so early… do you not intend to let me sleep?" Tsunade opened her eyes and looked down at him.
But his face was pressed against her, completely out of sight.
"I suddenly missed you, so I came back to see you," Kitazawa spoke in a muffled voice.
Tsunade was momentarily stunned, feeling both touched and helpless. She couldn't tell whether he missed her—or simply her embrace.
"I heard the Hidden Sand Village has surrendered?" Tsunade asked as she gently stroked his head.
"Yes," Kitazawa replied. "Kabuto and the others are already on their way back."
"It truly is… different from before." Tsunade sighed softly.
In the previous Ninja World War, Konoha had achieved victory—but at a tremendous cost. This war, however, felt almost effortless to her.
Of course, she knew exactly why. It was because of Kitazawa—and his students.
"I wonder what the future Ninja World will look like." Tsunade smiled faintly. "I'm actually looking forward to it."
"You'll see it," Kitazawa replied quietly, inhaling the faint fragrance around him.
"Mhm." Tsunade paused, then remembered something. "Jiraiya returned some time ago."
"Did something happen in the Hidden Rain Village?" Kitazawa asked, shifting slightly.
"Not the Hidden Rain Village." Tsunade shook her head. "He said the Great Toad Sage delivered a new prophecy."
"Oh?" Kitazawa raised an eyebrow. "What did it say?"
In the original course of events, most of the Great Toad Sage's prophecies revolved around Uzumaki Naruto.
But the present situation had already diverged completely.
Naruto remained important—but he was no longer the sole axis of destiny.
If the Great Toad Sage truly possessed the ability to foresee the future, then its prophecy would undoubtedly have changed as well.
"The Great Toad Sage said another major crisis is approaching the Ninja World." Tsunade frowned slightly.
"But as for what kind of crisis… it doesn't know."
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes. There was indeed another crisis. Ōtsutsuki Urashiki—and others—who sought Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
"There are always crises in the Ninja World," Kitazawa spoke calmly. "There's no point worrying about them now. When the time comes, we'll deal with it."
"I suppose you're right." Tsunade nodded.
She had never truly believed in prophecies. Kitazawa's existence only reinforced that belief.
If a so-called Child of Prophecy truly existed, they would have appeared during the height of the Akatsuki.
Yet now, the Ninja World stood on the brink of unification—and no such figure had emerged.
"Tsunade-sensei." Kitazawa looked up at her. "Shouldn't you reward me?"
"Reward you?" Tsunade blinked in confusion. "For what?"
"Under my brilliant leadership, the Hidden Sand Village was successfully defeated," Kitazawa spoke with exaggerated seriousness. "That's unprecedented."
"Wasn't it Kabuto who handled that?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. She already knew what he was hinting at.
"I am the Hokage," Kitazawa replied solemnly.
"…." Tsunade tapped him lightly on the head.
She then sat upright, pressing down slightly. Before long, Kitazawa received the "reward" he had been asking for.
By noon, Kitazawa left Konoha Village feeling refreshed.
Although the war against the Hidden Sand Village had concluded, battles with the Hidden Mist Village, Hidden Cloud Village, and Hidden Stone Village were still ongoing.
He had rested for a day. It was time to return to the battlefield.
He activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and arrived once more at Konoha Village's temporary outpost in the Land of Moon.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Hidden Cloud Village's temporary outpost, a meeting was underway.
"Our organized sneak attacks over the past few days have all failed," Dodai spoke with a grave expression.
"This proves that Konoha Village has complete awareness of our movements."
"Does the Byakugan truly possess such range?" The Fourth Raikage's face darkened.
"Hinata must be an exception." Mabui analyzed calmly. "Previous Hyuga Clan members never demonstrated such vast vision."
"The Hidden Sand Village has already fallen. If we also lose, Konoha Village will eventually unify the Ninja World." Dodai let out a heavy sigh.
"Right now, our only option is the Chakra Cannon," Mabui spoke after a moment of silence.
"But with Hyuga Hinata's Byakugan, how can the Chakra Cannon possibly be effective?" Samui asked, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Heavenly Transfer Technique," Mabui spoke after brief contemplation.