"That kid's actually kind of interesting."
Once Gen and Naruto were out of sight, Jiraiya turned to Kakashi beside him.
"You've really taken in a good student, Kakashi."
"Gen's thoughts are sometimes a little outrageous," Kakashi said as he leaned on Guy for support, his exposed eye curving into a crescent, "but he's a genuinely kind child."
"And he's incredibly talented. Honestly, it won't be long before I have nothing left to teach him."
"True. He's quick to pick up everything," Guy nodded in agreement. Thinking back to the time he spent with Kitagawa Gen, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"You really lucked out. I was thinking of applying to teach him too, but you got to him first. Dammit—why didn't you just send him back to the Academy?"
"Alright, you two, that's enough. Seriously, Kakashi came all this way looking like that…"
Jiraiya interrupted them at just the right time, rubbing his chin thoughtfully before continuing.
"Still, this is kind of funny. Who would've thought we'd meet Naruto again under circumstances like these?"
"Yeah… you're right."
Kakashi nodded in agreement. Though he had observed Naruto plenty while working in the ANBU, this was the first time they had really interacted like this.
Now that the ice was broken, things would only continue to change from here.
...
"Ugh, I'm so full…"
Elsewhere, on the streets of Konoha, Naruto was rubbing his stomach while walking home with Kitagawa Gen.
"That's weird. You ate just as much as I did, but you're totally fine?"
"You think I'm you?"
Kitagawa Gen raised an eyebrow and shook his head with a smile.
"Anyway, how did today feel? I told you—those guys might be a bit unreliable, but they'd never hate you."
"Yeah… they were all really nice."
Thinking back on the night's dinner, Naruto smiled too. But before long, a thought struck him and he couldn't help but complain.
"That white-haired old man, though—he's just a perv!"
"Wrong."
Kitagawa Gen shook his head solemnly.
"He's a super perv. Don't get it twisted."
"..."
Naruto opened his mouth but couldn't come up with a response. Gen tilted his head and continued.
"But he's also a really powerful shinobi. If he ends up teaching you, your progress will skyrocket. You should totally come up with a jutsu."
"Huh?"
Naruto pointed to himself, baffled.
"Me?"
"Yeah. You've already learned the Transformation Technique, right? Just use it to turn into a beautiful woman and trick the perv—it works like a charm!"
Kitagawa Gen knew all too well—Naruto's talent in that area was terrifyingly strong.
Hiruzen, Ebisu—all had fallen victim to it. He even used some reverse Harem Technique that managed to knock out the legendary Rabbit Goddess.
If he didn't make proper use of that, wouldn't it be a total waste?
"You're such a perv!"
Naruto grumbled in protest—but his eyes were already gleaming with interest.
Just as he was scheming in his head, he noticed Kitagawa Gen had suddenly stopped walking.
"What's wrong?"
Naruto glanced at Gen in confusion. Following his gaze, he saw a lone figure walking off into the distance under the moonlight.
"…Hey, is that Sasuke?"
...
The moon hung bright in the sky, stars scattered thinly across the heavens. The streets of Konohagakure were quiet and deserted.
Uchiha Sasuke, who had just wrapped up a full day of training, was walking back toward the Uchiha clan's compound, exhaustion written all over his face.
This kind of rigorous self-training had become his norm—it had been going on for a long time now. After all, he was an avenger.
"Hm?"
As he walked, he suddenly heard someone call his name, prompting him to turn his head in that direction.
And there he saw him—Naruto, the one who had always stirred an inexplicable sense of familiarity in him, yet who also thoroughly annoyed him.
And—
"Kitagawa Gen?"
Sasuke recognized Kitagawa Gen too. The guy had graduated a few years ahead of him and was pretty formidable.
In fact, rumor had it that this guy had hospitalized all his teammates and become the only one to graduate.
"Still training this late, huh?"
While Sasuke was lost in thought, Kitagawa Gen and Naruto were already walking up. After sizing Sasuke up, Gen turned to Naruto and said: "See that? That's the mindset of someone who wants to be a real shinobi. If I remember right, he was even the top student of your year. That's the difference right there."
"Tch."
Naruto irritably scratched his ear. For some reason, just hearing Sasuke's name made his skin crawl.
"I'm definitely going to surpass him—become a shinobi, and then become Hokage!"
"Idiot."
Sasuke didn't hold back, letting out a snort.
"Say that again after you actually pass the exams."
"Damn you, Sasuke!"
Naruto instantly flared up. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue it out, while Sasuke simply gave him a cold stare in return.
Kitagawa Gen made no effort to stop them. Watching these two chakra-bound 'brothers' argue was actually kind of amusing.
Besides, he was also curious—maybe these two would get assigned a mission soon.
Even Sage Mode had given him a solid five percent...
If these two had missions that triggered a chakra event, who knew what kind of payout he might get?
"Hm?"
Just as he was watching their spat with keen interest, he suddenly felt a jolt—like a bolt of panic straight to the heart.
It felt as if something—or someone—was watching him. The sensation was unnervingly vivid and impossible to ignore.
"What the hell…?"
Kitagawa Gen didn't dare act rashly. He remembered ANBU had indeed been tailing Naruto earlier, but they had already left after regrouping with Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the others.
So then… who the hell was it?
[New Side Mission Unlocked]
Just then, his system interface lit up.
[Dead Last, Don't Get Cocky]
[Initiate proactive response. Encounter: Uchiha Obito]
"…Great."
Now he knew exactly who had shown up.
But that only made him more confused—what the hell was Uchiha Obito doing here?
And on top of that, how was he supposed to deal with this guy?
If it were a normal shinobi fight, maybe he wouldn't be too worried. But Uchiha Obito—he was one of the hardest enemies to face in the entire shinobi world, and all thanks to a single Mangekyō Sharingan.
"But this is Konoha… and there's still Kakashi's special mission…"
Kitagawa Gen muttered to himself internally. By now, Sasuke seemed to have lost interest in arguing with Naruto and walked over to him, speaking quietly: "By the way… congrats on passing the assessment."
"Huh? Oh, thanks."
Kitagawa Gen snapped back to the present and gave a nod, though his expression remained a little odd.
Sasuke, offering personal congratulations?
They weren't even close… were they?
"Actually…"
As expected, Sasuke's tone quickly shifted.
"I heard if you hospitalize all your teammates, it still counts as a pass. Is that true?"
"…Seriously?"
Kitagawa Gen rolled his eyes. That rumor was getting more ridiculous by the day.
"That depends on your jōnin instructor's mood—and your own ability. I just got lucky, that's all."
"Tch. Lucky, huh? You even got to leave the village."
Naruto grumbled under his breath, while Sasuke zeroed in on the keyword.
"Leave the village?"
He had always longed to become a shinobi as soon as possible—for one reason: to leave the village and kill Uchiha Itachi. That was his single-minded obsession.
"Yeah. Leave the village."
Kitagawa Gen had made up his mind.
As he reached into his ninja tool pouch, he spoke casually: "And besides, we ran into someone interesting during our last outing—someone you're quite familiar with."
"Someone I know?"
Sasuke frowned, as if he had just realized something. Kitagawa Gen chuckled and continued: "Yeah. That person… was Uchiha Itachi."
The moment that name left his mouth, Sasuke's face contorted with rage.
The intensity of that hatred startled even Naruto, who was standing beside him.
"And," Gen went on, "that guy has joined an organization."
As he spoke, his hand suddenly withdrew from the pouch.
"All of its members are extremely dangerous. For example—"
In the next instant, several kunai laced with explosive tags shot straight toward a nearby tree!
[Boom!]
A violent explosion erupted, fire and shockwaves colliding in a flash of destruction—stark and blinding against the quiet of the night.
"You—!"
Sasuke and Naruto flinched in surprise, but they quickly noticed a vague figure emerging from the smoke near the blasted tree.
At that moment, Kitagawa Gen's voice rang out again.
"That guy…"