Just as Naruto was being forced back step by step by Kurama, two unfamiliar yet powerful Chakras suddenly appeared.
They descended on either side of Naruto, taking form—one man and one woman, both young.
Naruto subconsciously glanced over, and his entire body froze.
Earlier, Kitazawa had taken him to Rōran, guided him through the Dragon Vein, returned to the past, and allowed him to reunite with his parents.
Originally, his memories should have been erased—but in the end, under Kitazawa's insistence, they were preserved.
Because of that, Naruto recognized them at a glance.
Minato Namikaze.
Uzumaki Kushina.
For an instant, Naruto's mind went blank.
His first thought was that Kurama had killed him—otherwise, how could he possibly be seeing his parents, who had already died?
But in the very next moment, he realized something was wrong.
Kushina suddenly let out a fierce shout.
Golden chains erupted from her body, shooting outward and wrapping tightly around Kurama, binding him in place.
"Naruto! Now's the time!" Minato's voice rang out, firm and urgent.
Naruto snapped back to his senses.
He didn't understand what had happened, nor why his parents had appeared here—but one thing was clear.
Kurama was restrained by Uzumaki Kushina. And that made this the best chance he would ever have.
Naruto immediately poured all his strength forward, forcibly dragging Kurama's Chakra toward himself.
Kurama roared in furious defiance, his hatred surging violently—but no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free from the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Moments later, Naruto's face lit up with joy. His own Chakra merged seamlessly with Kurama's.
That meant he had succeeded. He had seized Kurama's Chakra.
In other words, he had gained the ability to use Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
But at this moment, Naruto wasn't thinking about power at all. His eyes were fixed on Minato and Kushina.
"Dad… Mom… why are you here?!" Naruto rushed over, his voice trembling with excitement.
Minato and Kushina were both taken aback. They hadn't expected Naruto to recognize them immediately.
After the incident at the Dragon Vein in Rōran, Naruto's memories were supposed to have been sealed—so they had no way of knowing he still remembered everything.
Moreover, they were only residual strands of Chakra now. Within the sealing space, they couldn't see what was happening in the outside world.
Just as they were about to speak, Kushina suddenly roared again. Golden chains surged forth once more, locking Kurama down completely.
"If you have things to talk about, it can wait." Kitazawa's figure appeared inside the sealing space.
Minato and Kushina looked at him in confusion. They had no recollection of this man.
After all, when they were alive, Kitazawa had been nothing more than an ordinary Ninja.
"I am Kitazawa—Naruto's teacher." Kitazawa raised his hand calmly. "Naruto can explain my situation to you later."
Their confusion only deepened. But before they could ask anything else, both Minato and Kushina's expressions suddenly changed.
From Kitazawa's palm, two vast and terrifying Chakras surged forth.
The moment they sensed them, both Minato and Kushina stiffened.
Those Chakras felt… familiar. They felt exactly like their own.
Before they could react, the two Chakras flowed directly into their bodies.
The hazy, unstable forms that had looked as though they might dissipate at any moment suddenly became solid and clear.
As elite Jonin, Minato and Kushina understood instantly. Kitazawa was using his own Chakra to allow them to exist for a longer time.
Alongside gratitude, shock surged through them because this was no simple feat.
If it were, they wouldn't have vanished so quickly in the original timeline.
They could have simply relied on Naruto's Chakra—or found other Ninjas in Konoha to sustain them.
Yet none of that had been possible.
"You can now exist for a full month," Kitazawa said calmly as he withdrew his hand. "After a month, I can provide more Chakra if needed."
"How do you know this so clearly?" Minato's gaze sharpened.
From the moment Kitazawa appeared, everything he did suggested prior knowledge—as if he had planned this from the beginning.
And his strength… It surpassed anything Minato had ever seen, even in his lifetime.
This method of sustaining Chakra forms, in Minato's eyes, was beyond even the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Kitazawa-sensei is amazing!" Naruto said proudly, giving a thumbs-up. "He's about to become the Sixth Hokage!"
Minato and Kushina were stunned again.
"You two talk." Kitazawa stepped back with a knowing smile. "I won't interrupt your family reunion. You can ask Naruto anything you want."
"Thank you, Kitazawa." Minato bowed slightly, his voice filled with genuine gratitude.
"Thank you!" Kushina echoed immediately.
Without Kitazawa's help, their reunion with Naruto might not have lasted even ten minutes.
Kitazawa nodded once and withdrew from the sealing space.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the next instant, Naruto was brought back to the Forest of Death.
The moment Kitazawa steadied himself, three lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[Current Mission: Help Naruto activate Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.]
[Mission Reward: Uzumaki Clan Bloodline.]
[Mission Complete. Rewards are being distributed.]
Kitazawa felt a surge of exhilaration. He had been looking forward to the Uzumaki Clan bloodline.
Standing still, he carefully sensed the changes within his body. The most obvious was his Chakra.
"About… five cards' worth of Chakra?"
His first reaction was mild disappointment—but after thinking it through, it made sense.
The system had granted him a standard Uzumaki bloodline. Kushina and Naruto were exceptional even among the Uzumaki.
Five Elite Jonin-level reserves of Chakra were already enormous
[Congratulations to the host for acquiring Uzumaki Clan special abilities: Heal Bite and Kagura Mind's Eye.]
[Heal Bite: By biting, restore your own or another's Chakra and injuries.]
[Kagura Mind's Eye: Close both eyes to open the mind's eye, sensing everything within range.]
Kitazawa clenched his fist slightly. This was an enormous gain.
Compared to Heal Bite and Kagura Mind's Eye, the Chakra increase alone almost felt insignificant.
Especially Kagura Mind's Eye. Known as the strongest sensory ability in the Ninja World, its range even surpassed that of the Byakugan.
The only regret was the absence of the Adamantine Sealing Chains. But that wasn't a real issue.
Konoha possessed records of the technique, and even without instruction, Uzumaki blood could awaken it naturally.
Karin had done so in the original timeline.
For Kitazawa, however, Kagura Mind's Eye was far more valuable.
First, he already had Wood Release and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan—his suppression of Tailed Beasts was no weaker than the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Second, Kagura Mind's Eye could detect White Zetsu.
Those creatures weren't particularly strong, but their habit of hiding in the shadows made them dangerous.
Now, with Kagura Mind's Eye, White Zetsu would have nowhere to hide.
Every movement would be exposed. And any unexpected variable could be dealt with before it ever became a problem.
Thinking of this, Kitazawa immediately clapped his hands together and entered Sage Mode.
Sage Mode greatly enhanced sensory perception. Combined with Kagura Mind's Eye, he did not believe that White Zetsu could continue hiding from him.
Kitazawa slowly closed his eyes and activated Kagura Mind's Eye.
In the very next second, the situation of the entire Konoha Village unfolded clearly within his perception.
"As expected," Kitazawa thought calmly. There truly were White Zetsu lurking within Konoha Village.
Although they did not dare approach powerhouses like himself or Tsunade, it was more than sufficient for them to gather intelligence by observing other Ninjas throughout the village.
After a brief consideration, Kitazawa decided not to capture them for now.
There was no need to alert the enemy prematurely. He would wait until the Akatsuki Organization made its move two months later.
Moreover, now that he had pinpointed their locations, he could capture them whenever he wished. There was no urgency.
Compared to that, heading to the Hidden Rain Village to see Konan was far safer.
Previously, he had only appeared directly in Konan's room because he feared that manifesting elsewhere might be detected by White Zetsu.
His thoughts then shifted to Black Zetsu.
Since Sage Mode combined with Kagura Mind's Eye could detect White Zetsu, then in theory, Black Zetsu should not be able to escape detection either.
If that were the case, he would no longer need to be overly concerned about a sudden sneak attack from Black Zetsu.
Kitazawa glanced at Naruto.
Naruto was standing motionless, his consciousness still deep within the sealing space, talking with his parents.
Kitazawa withdrew his gaze and looked down at his own arm.
Besides Kagura Mind's Eye, he had also obtained Heal Bite. This ability was no less heaven-defying than Kagura Mind's Eye.
In the original story, Tsunade—whose body had nearly been cut in half—was able to recover by biting Karin.
Now, Kitazawa possessed not only the Uzumaki Clan bloodline but also the Senju Clan bloodline.
In terms of physical constitution, he surpassed Karin by an immeasurable margin. Theoretically, the effectiveness of his Heal Bite would be even more terrifying.
Although Kitazawa himself did not truly need it, others might. It could serve as an emergency measure when the time came.
That said, he had not yet tested how frightening his Heal Bite truly was. After all, testing it would require biting himself.
If he truly wanted to test it, he could wait until nightfall and let Kurenai bite him instead.
After pondering briefly, Kitazawa moved aside and began studying his Susanoo.
Naruto's conversation with his parents would not end anytime soon; there was simply too much they needed to say to one another.
Kitazawa casually set up a barrier around the area, then activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and summoned Susanoo.
In an instant, an icy, overwhelming Chakra surged skyward, rapidly forming an enormous armored giant.
This was the Perfect Susanoo.
There was always a question lingering in Kitazawa's mind. Why did Itachi's Susanoo possess the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror?
While other Susanoo wielded nothing more than two massive swords and an offensive technique like Yasaka Magatama?
---
Time passed slowly.
Two hours later, Kitazawa dispelled his Susanoo.
Naruto had already awakened.
"Naruto." Kitazawa stepped forward.
"Kitazawa-sensei!" Naruto said with a bright smile. "Thank you!"
"It's nothing," Kitazawa replied, shaking his head. "Can you use Nine-Tails Chakra Mode now?"
"How do I use it?" Naruto asked awkwardly.
"Invoke all of Kurama's Chakra," Kitazawa said after a brief pause. "Just like your previous partial Tailed Beast transformation."
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was, at its core, still a form of partial Tailed Beast transformation.
"I'll try." Naruto nodded firmly.
He took a deep breath and immediately drew upon Kurama's Chakra.
Boom! Golden Chakra erupted violently from his body.
Unlike before, it did not manifest as tails. Instead, it completely enveloped his entire body.
His hair flared upward, forming horn-like shapes, while six tomoe appeared at his collar.
His entire form gleamed in radiant gold.
Naruto subconsciously clenched his fists, feeling an endless surge of power coursing through him.
With a single thought, his body vanished from the spot like a flash of light.
In the original story, his speed after activating Nine-Tails Chakra Mode rivaled that of the Fourth Raikage in Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
At this moment, he could fully inherit Minato's title—The Yellow Flash.
"Amazing!" Naruto suddenly reappeared in front of Kitazawa, his face brimming with excitement.
Kitazawa's thoughts drifted to Sasuke.
Before Naruto mastered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Sasuke still had a chance of winning.
Specifically, Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan dōjutsu, Tenjōtōtsuki, could give him the upper hand.
But now… it was difficult to say. Nine-Tails Chakra Mode compensated for Naruto's greatest weakness—speed.
It wasn't Space-Time Ninjutsu, but it was close enough to be treated as such.
And beyond speed, every other aspect was strengthened as well. Still, Sasuke was not entirely without hope.
As a true Space-Time Ninjutsu, Tenjōtōtsuki possessed the potential for the weak to overcome the strong.
After all, there was a fundamental difference between spatial teleportation and extreme speed.
Furthermore, Sasuke had also awakened Susanoo.
Kitazawa shook his head slightly.
In the end, Kurama was simply too powerful.
Even with Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto was still not a Perfect Jinchuriki.
Seen this way, Senju Hashirama's assessment had not been wrong.
Kurama's true strength only manifested when paired with a Jinchuriki. On its own, it was far less terrifying.
The reason was simple—Kurama's control over its own Chakra was extremely crude.
In that regard, it could not even compare to Shukaku.
"For the next period of time, focus on becoming familiar with Nine-Tails Chakra Mode," Kitazawa instructed.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was only a foundation.
To unleash its full power, it needed to be combined with Ninjutsu, Sage Mode, and advanced combat techniques.
In the original story, Naruto had developed techniques such as Chakra Arms, Rasengan Barrages, and Mini Rasenshuriken.
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei." Naruto nodded seriously.
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask your parents first," Kitazawa said with a light chuckle.
Only after saying that did he realize just how miserable Sasuke's situation might become.
Naruto now carried two teachers with him at all times.
In theory, Minato and Kushina could guide him whenever necessary—even in the middle of battle.
Setting Kushina aside, Minato's combat experience alone placed him among the strongest Ninja Konoha had ever produced.
After all, he was a man who had survived and triumphed during Konoha Village's darkest era—The Third Shinobi World War.
The sun gradually set in the west.
The students of the Genius Class finished their training and returned home one after another.
Kitazawa bid farewell to Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others before leaving the Ninja Academy.
Previously, he would return with Kurenai.
But recently, she had been occupied with matters of the Film and Television Department and no longer came to the Academy.
Kitazawa neither disturbed nor assisted her. Once he became Hokage, Kurenai's workload would only increase.
Letting her gain more experience now could only be beneficial.
---
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
On July 15th, the Genius Class officially held its graduation exam.
It was worth mentioning that this graduation exam consisted solely of a practical combat assessment; there was no theoretical test at all.
Early in the morning, before nine o'clock, spectators began pouring into the Konoha Arena one after another.
In particular, the parents of the Genius Class students were all but guaranteed to attend.
For example, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, Aburame Shibi, and many others were already present.
Since the graduation exam had yet to begin, they gathered together and chatted casually.
However, the topic of discussion was not who would claim first place. Instead, it revolved around the team assignments for the Genius Class.
Without exception, they all hoped their children would become Kitazawa's students.
At the same time, the Hokage Office was also bustling with activity.
The seven Jonin selected as huiding Jonin—Kitazawa, Kurenai, Kakashi, Anko, and the others—had all gathered.
"These are the files for the students each of you will be leading." Tsunade pointed to seven scrolls neatly arranged on the Hokage's desk as she spoke.
Upon hearing this, everyone stepped forward in turn and picked up their respective scrolls.
Kitazawa also took one, but he did not open it. After all, he already knew his three students like the back of his hand.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask." Tsunade looked at them and spoke in a relaxed tone.
After Kurenai opened her scroll, she could not help but pause in surprise.
None of her three students was ordinary—especially Yakumo, whose strength was already above her own.
"Hokage-sama, who is Naruto's Team Leader?" Might Guy asked curiously.
The students he wanted most were naturally Naruto and Rock Lee.
Now that Rock Lee had already become his student, he was eager to know who would take charge of Naruto.
"Kitazawa," Tsunade replied calmly.
Might Guy said nothing further after hearing that.
Kitazawa was about to become the Sixth Hokage; no matter how oblivious he was, he would never compete with him for a student.
With Rock Lee inheriting his Eight Gates, Guy was already quite satisfied.
"Hokage-sama." After some thought, Kakashi spoke up. "Who is Sasuke's team leader?"
Although his current students were all outstanding, Sasuke's absence left him with a lingering sense of regret.
After all, Sasuke was the one who could truly inherit all of his Ninjutsu.
"Kitazawa," Tsunade answered with a smile.
Kakashi sighed inwardly and chose to let it go. On second thought, Tsunade's arrangement made perfect sense.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. His teammates and guiding jonin were of utmost importance.
Sasuke had been Naruto's rival since enrollment, and the bond between the two was exceptionally deep.
As for Kitazawa, there was no need to say more—no one was more suitable than him.
"If there are no further questions, then it's settled." Tsunade waited briefly, then spoke once she saw no one else raise a hand.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Asuma Sarutobi and the others replied in unison.
"Remember to attend the Genius Class graduation exam today." Tsunade paused before continuing, "Once the exam ends, the team assignments will be announced."
"All right, you may go."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Asuma and the others turned and left, until only Kitazawa remained in the room.
"Is there anything else?" Tsunade looked at him and asked.
"No." Kitazawa shook his head. "It's almost nine o'clock. I'll wait for you, and we'll head to the Konoha Arena together."
"That works." Tsunade stretched lazily and leaned back in the Hokage's chair, completely losing the dignified presence she had earlier.
Kitazawa's eyelids twitched slightly at the sight.
He stepped forward, bent down, and nestled into her embrace, coming face-to-face with her necklace.
Tsunade's breathing faltered slightly, but she did not push him away. Instead, she reached out and held his head.
Kitazawa said nothing, quietly enjoying the soft sensation brushing against both sides of his face.
Within his field of vision, there was nothing but dazzling white skin.
---
Nine o'clock in the morning.
Under the guidance of Iruka, the students of the Genius Class arrived at the Konoha Arena.
"Wow, there are so many people!" Naruto shouted in amazement.
"There really are a lot of spectators," Kiba said excitedly. "I've got to put on a great show today!"
"A lot of Jonin have shown up." Neji scanned the surroundings calmly. "Every Jonin I recognize is here. I'd say at least half of Konoha's Jonin are present."
"The Konoha Arena used to be exclusively for the Chunin Exams."
Shikamaru shared his knowledge. "Using it for a graduation exam is completely unprecedented."
"The Ninjas who take part in the Chunin Exams are usually only Genin or Chunin level," Tenten complained. "But the Genius Class students are already beyond that."
"I think Naruto and the others could have skipped the graduation exam altogether," Tayuya added bluntly.
"If they skipped it, they wouldn't be eligible for team assignments." Shino adjusted his glasses and responded.
"I hope I can be on the same team as Sasuke-kun!" Sakura clasped her hands together in prayer.
"At least you still have hope." Ino sighed. "My teammates are definitely going to be Shikamaru and Choji."
"After all, you're the new generation of Ino–Shika–Chō." Kiba laughed. "I just hope my team leader is Kitazawa-sensei."
"Isn't Kitazawa-sensei about to become the Sixth Hokage?" Tenten asked curiously. "Will he still serve as a team leader?"
"That shouldn't be an issue," Shikamaru replied after thinking it over.
Hinata subconsciously clutched the corner of her shirt, her heart tightening with nervousness.
There were many students in the Genius Class; the odds of her becoming Kitazawa's student were not high.
"Don't you have any preferences for teammates?" Yakumo asked softly.
"As long as they don't hold me back," Sasuke replied calmly.
"Sasuke-kun, I definitely won't hold you back!" Sakura blurted out immediately.
For some reason, the moment Sasuke heard that, he felt an inexplicable certainty that she would not end up on his team.
"No matter who becomes my teammate, it's still a choice of youth!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up enthusiastically.
As they chatted, four Jonin from the Sealing Squad rushed to the four corners of the Konoha Arena.
Moments later, a purple barrier rose up around the entire field.
This had been Kitazawa's requirement.
Although the students of the Genius Class had not yet graduated, many of them already possessed strength comparable to a Jonin.
Once the battles began, it would be far too easy for spectators to be caught in the aftermath.
After the barrier was completed, Kitazawa and Tsunade appeared in the spectator stands of the Konoha Arena.
"Hokage-sama." The nearby Ninjas stood up respectfully to greet them.
"I'll head down first."
Kitazawa leapt down into the Konoha Arena. He would serve as the referee and as the final rescue.