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At the gates of Konoha…
Kitagawa Gen had risen early that morning and made his way to the assembly point.
It seemed that his 'little moment of willfulness' had indeed swayed Hiruzen Sarutobi: at least, he had received a message from the ANBU the night before.
"But still… am I forgetting something?"
As he walked along the path, Gen furrowed his brows in thought. Ever since bidding farewell to Naruto and the Third Hokage yesterday, he'd felt like something important had slipped his mind.
He shook his head, brushing the thought aside. There was no time to dwell on it—because he had already spotted Jiraiya and Kakashi waiting ahead.
"Morning, Kakashi-sensei. Lord Jiraiya."
Gen rubbed his face to clear away the drowsiness and forced a smile before approaching them.
"You little rascal."
Before Kakashi could speak, Jiraiya had already stepped forward, his voice tinged with displeasure.
"You really don't know how to stay put, do you? Didn't you come with me last time when we went after Orochimaru? Don't you remember how dangerous Kirigakure is?"
It was clear now that both Jiraiya and Kakashi had already been informed about Gen's participation in the upcoming mission.
Of course, Hiruzen had also explained to them Gen's significance in this task.
And they understood the deeper meaning behind bringing Gen along—it was much like when they had sought out Orochimaru. The Hokage likely hoped this experience would temper him, make them think more carefully, and avoid rash actions.
Konoha was still in the midst of a slow recovery, and it could not afford another upheaval.
Understanding was one thing, though. It didn't make the headache any less real.
"I know that. But I believe I have the ability to protect myself."
Gen shrugged, speaking with a light smile.
"Besides, I don't have any teammates from the Academy anymore. Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei, you're my most cherished companions. That's why I want to do what I can—to contribute, in my own way."
"You brat…"
Jiraiya shook his head, half exasperated and half amused. This time, Kakashi finally chimed in.
"Gen, this mission isn't going to be easy. It's nothing like our past ones. You need to be fully prepared—mentally and otherwise."
"I understand."
Gen's smile lingered, warm and steady. He knew both Kakashi and Jiraiya spoke out of concern, and even if they nagged a little, he didn't mind in the slightest.
Besides, this mission really was different from anything before: the risk was on an entirely different level.
"In that case, let's prepare to depart."
Kakashi nodded decisively at this, but after a pause, a rare smile played at at his lips.
"And you don't have to be too tense. No matter what happens, I'll make sure you stay safe."
"Hmph. Don't flatter yourself. This sage will be keeping an eye on the brat too."
Jiraiya let out a small snort before his usual smirk returned.
"Alright, enough chatter. Let's get going. There's still a mountain of problems waiting for us in the Mist."
With that, he turned and set off at a brisk pace. Kakashi and Gen exchanged a glance, then swiftly followed after him.
The truth was, neither of them wished for Gen to join this mission. But an order from Hiruzen was not something they could disobey.
Still, in their hearts, a decision had already been made!
No matter what happened, no matter the cost—they would protect this kid.
Several days later, they arrived in the Land of Waves by boat.
"Never thought I'd be back here again."
Kakashi looked around at their surroundings and couldn't help but raise a hand to scratch the back of his head.
"Last time, my luck was rotten. We actually ran into Uchiha Itachi and Jūzō Biwa. But it was also precisely because we encountered them that—"
"Alright, enough talking. What's done is done."
Jiraiya gave Kakashi a firm pat on the shoulder, his expression calm but bright with purpose.
"People have to look forward, right? And honestly, it wasn't all bad. At the very least, it helped us uncover some important leads. Wouldn't you agree, kid?"
"Hmm."
Gen glanced around as well. His last visit here hadn't been a complete misfortune.
Despite encountering Jūzō Biwa, he'd managed to catch him off guard with the Purple Lightning and even gained quite a few benefits from that encounter.
Yet, despite that, he still carried a trace of regret.
"Kakashi-sensei, I heard from some of the Konoha merchants that Gato's behavior in the Land of Waves has been getting more and more outrageous. Shouldn't we…"
"Stop."
Before Gen could finish speaking, Kakashi's expression immediately shifted, and his voice cut him off hastily.
"We have more pressing matters right now. Don't cause any unnecessary trouble, understand? We need to stay focused on the mission."
Kakashi simply could not understand why Kitagawa Gen was always so fixated on Gato.
Sure, he admitted that Gato had crossed several lines, and yes, the man was undeniably wealthy.
But the problem was that none of this had anything to do with their current mission. Taking action against him would practically be seen as robbery in the eyes of the world.
Konoha had a reputation to uphold. It could not act so shamelessly.
"You're something else, kid."
Jiraiya's expression twisted into something between amusement and exasperation. He seemed to recall some of Gen's previous outrageous remarks.
At this moment, he was beginning to wonder what they were teaching at the Ninja Academy these days, for Gen to have developed this kind of mindset.
"Of course I know that. But I have my reasons too."
Gen looked a little wronged. While it was true that he had been eyeing Gato's fortune, at this very moment, that was not what occupied his mind.
After all, even if he struck now, how would he retrieve the money afterward?
Besides, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
"Teacher Kakashi, Lord Jiraiya, if Gato wants to tighten his grip on the Land of Waves, what do you think he would do?"
"You mean..."
Kakashi and Jiraiya, both seasoned shinobi, immediately grasped the implication within his words.
"By using rogue shinobi and missing-nin to maintain control?"
Konoha always kept a watchful eye on the smaller nations nearby, but such intelligence was filtered up to the ANBU. Kakashi had long since retired from the ANBU, and Jiraiya never involved himself in that kind of detailed intelligence work.
It was no surprise they had not considered this angle. After all, Kakashi himself would later lead a team to the Land of Waves and had not anticipated encountering the missing-nin from Kirigakure.
But once the idea was brought to light, it was not difficult to see the logic behind it.
"Exactly. Rogue shinobi and missing-nin. Especially the missing-nin."
Kitagawa Gen gave a subtle nod.
"From the intelligence we currently possess, Kirigakure is mired in chaos. It is very likely that many of their shinobi will flee. If that happens..."
"Then the Land of Waves would be the most convenient escape route. And with someone like Gato already entrenched there, it becomes the perfect haven for such outlaws."
Jiraiya had fully caught on to Kitagawa Gen's line of thinking. He gave a slow, thoughtful nod.
"If that is the case, we might actually be able to use their knowledge of Kirigakure to our advantage. It could save us a great deal of trouble."
"Indeed..."
Kakashi nodded as well, though his gaze lingered on Kitagawa Gen with a rather peculiar look.
He could not even find the words to comment.
In his eyes, it seemed highly likely that the boy had come up with all of this simply because he was still thinking about Gato's money.
And yet, that very obsession had unexpectedly proved to be useful?
"Also, Lord Jiraiya, do you remember what I said to you the last time we spoke?"
At that moment, Kitagawa Gen suddenly spoke again, catching Jiraiya slightly off guard.
After a moment of thought, Jiraiya recalled it clearly.
"You mean your claim that there is someone behind Uchiha Obito, manipulating him through his hatred for Konoha?"
"Yes. I've been pondering this ever since, and now... I have an even more disturbing theory."
As he spoke, Kitagawa Gen's face grew grave, his tone steeped in weighty seriousness.
"Though Kakashi-sensei's teammate perished in what we call an accident, it was ultimately tied to Kirigakure. That kind of hatred—he probably can never let it go."
"Add to that his grudge against Konoha, and the Nine-Tails incident... if you link all of these together, do you not think this might have been a rehearsal?"
"A rehearsal?"
That single word immediately made both their expressions shift visibly.
The more they thought about it, the more the possibility seemed disturbingly real. Especially considering that man had, without a doubt, caused real trouble for Konoha before.
Even if he had failed, who could say for certain that he would not try again? And Kirigakure, a village that already harbored deep-seated animosity toward him, might well have been used as his testing ground.
"If it is truly like that, then the situation becomes even more complicated."
Kakashi's expression darkened. His earlier doubts vanished, replaced by a focused, steely resolve.
"Agreed."
Jiraiya also gave a firm nod. He, too, had grasped the gravity of the situation.
"The Mizukage may not have hired... it is very likely that—"
"We will only know for sure once we arrive. But at least now, we have a clear direction and a target, do we not?"
Kitagawa Gen finally smiled, a light of anticipation gleaming in his eyes. He had waited a long time for this moment.
If his goal was to capture Uchiha Obito, then the simplest and most direct way was to seek out the Mizukage.
By placing the target squarely on the Mizukage, many complications would resolve themselves.
"Now, all we need... is someone to guide us."
Kitagawa Gen's thoughts trailed off with a hint of expectation. But just then, he suddenly noticed a figure approaching in the distance.
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[Chapter End's]
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