Land of Fire — on the road to the Land of Hot Water.
Two figures sped along the path: Jiraiya and Kitagawa Gen. But Jiraiya's expression looked a little odd.
"What was up with Naruto just now? I heard his face turned green when he found out you were going on a mission."
"He was probably worried about me," Gen replied, casting a glance at Jiraiya. He certainly didn't want to admit that he'd messed with Naruto so many times that the kid had developed a trauma response.
When Jiraiya suddenly barged in and yelled at him to go on a mission, it was only natural that Naruto got scared.
Still, Gen had shown some decency this time. After all the missions he'd done with Kakashi, he'd at least gotten paid a bit—so he hadn't ditched this one.
"Jiraiya-sama, you showing up out of nowhere to take me on a mission… who wouldn't be concerned? But anyway, what's the deal this time? Where's Kakashi-sensei?"
"Kakashi's still recovering. But he's almost back on his feet. Once we return, you can resume missions with him," Jiraiya replied after a moment of thought—before his tone turned serious.
"As for this time, kid, you better be careful. We're investigating Orochimaru's whereabouts."
"Orochimaru's whereabouts?"
Gen raised an eyebrow, his head full of questions. How had they managed to track Orochimaru?
"Yeah, that's right. You remember that one-eyed old man you saw that night?"
Jiraiya had no idea what Gen was thinking and continued speaking naturally.
"He's the one who provided the intel. And Kirigakure's made some progress too. I don't like that guy, but I have to admit—he's competent."
"…"
Competent?
More like he just sold Orochimaru out.
Others might not know, but Gen certainly did—he was well aware of how close Shimura Danzō and Orochimaru were.
So what was Danzō playing at?
Don't tell me he's just too eager to 'improve'?
"Then what am I even here for?"
Gen, still full of doubt, asked plainly. Jiraiya looked a bit irritated, but his emotional intelligence wasn't lacking—there were some things he wouldn't say out loud.
"It was the old man's idea. He said you're good at analyzing intel. As my assistant, you might be able to uncover more leads."
"After all, the focus right now is on Kirigakure. We shouldn't overextend ourselves here—it's mostly reconnaissance."
"I see. Got it."
Gen shrugged. He understood perfectly.
So basically, he was there to act as Jiraiya's emotional anchor—to make him think twice before charging in headfirst.
Not a bad role, really. Orochimaru was no easy opponent to deal with.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Gen raised his brow slightly. His system had activated again!
[Exclusive Side Mission for Jiraiya Unlocked]
[If You're My Brother, Stab Me Twice]
[Assist Jiraiya in tracking down Orochimaru]
[Exclusive side missions do not interfere with normal side quests]
[Accept?]
Another exclusive mission?
Gen blinked in surprise. He still remembered the benefits he'd gotten from the last one—clear as day—and now, another one had appeared!
These kinds of missions…
He was absolutely going to take them seriously!
Besides, when Jiraiya and Orochimaru met, it always turned into mutual backstabbing. Their eyes would only be on each other, and chances were, they wouldn't even notice him.
"Who knows, I might even run into Kimimaro."
Orochimaru had tons of valuable things, but prying them from his hands would be extremely difficult—especially with Jiraiya around.
But Kimimaro was a different story. That guy had long been on Gen's hunting list.
He strongly suspected that Kimimaro, from the Kaguya clan, might actually be from the branch that inherited the physical power of Ōtsutsuki Hamura!
'This really is a great mission…'
Gen muttered to himself. Just then, Jiraiya spoke again.
"All right, let's pick up the pace and try to reach the Land of Hot Water by tonight. The hot springs there are absolutely top-notch!"
"Really? Now I'm looking forward to it."
"Well… you might not be able to go in."
"…?? What do you mean?"
"Because you're too young."
"Jiraiya-sama, don't tell me the place you're going to is... improper?"
"That's exactly why you're not allowed in."
"…"
Kitagawa Gen nearly laughed out of sheer frustration.
What the hell—minors aren't allowed in, and that makes it legit?
But on second thought… that actually kind of does make it legitimate.
...
"Another failure."
Inside an underground laboratory in the Land of Hot Water, Orochimaru stared at the test tube in his hand and eventually gave a helpless shake of his head.
Failures didn't bother him. Each one was just a step forward on the road to success.
And yet—
He was beginning to wonder if he'd chosen the wrong direction. Because once the direction was off, no amount of experimentation would yield the right result.
"The Shikotsumyaku… truly an astonishing mystery."
He couldn't help but lightly lick his lips. With a casual motion, Orochimaru tossed the test tube aside. Meanwhile, Kimimaro—who had been lying on the lab table—slowly stood up.
His face was expressionless and cold, but his eyes were filled with reverence and admiration… along with a hint of guilt.
"I've disappointed you, Orochimaru-sama. I can't become your perfect vessel."
"I'm not disappointed. After all, I still have time."
Orochimaru shook his head. He genuinely wasn't disappointed. On the contrary, he was rather intrigued.
He relished studying the unknown, and Kimimaro's condition had clearly captured his interest.
Kimimaro's talent was one of a kind—especially his Shikotsumyaku, which defied normal logic. The intense Yang Release energy it emitted was so unusual that even Orochimaru found it strange.
It was only when researching the cells of the First Hokage that he had encountered something similarly bizarre.
Of course, Kimimaro's Yang Release didn't come close to matching Senju Hashirama's.
As his Yang Release erupted with increasing intensity, Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku grew more and more powerful—but that also brought on the onset of the Kekkei Genkai Disease.
And with its emergence, his body began showing signs of collapse—even Orochimaru found it troublesome.
"Is this some kind of 'genius disease'?"
Orochimaru murmured in thought.
The more remarkable the performance, the faster the death. The contradiction puzzled him.
Unfortunately, there was no way to dig deeper into the history of the Kaguya clan.
That clan… had already been wiped out by Kirigakure.
"But that just makes it more interesting."
Orochimaru chuckled softly. Then, after a moment's thought, he spoke.
"Your condition is a bit complicated. For now, all I can do is suppress the further deterioration of your Kekkei Genkai Disease. As for you—do your best to avoid using your powers. That's the only way to keep your condition from worsening."
"I understand, Orochimaru-sama."
Kimimaro bowed his head and replied in a low voice. But Orochimaru only shook his head in response.
He knew Kimimaro's personality all too well.
This kid wouldn't hesitate for even a second when it was time to fight.
Still, Orochimaru didn't mind—because he knew Kimimaro's loyalty to him was absolute.
"All right. We're running low on materials. I need you and the others to go out and gather more. And while you're at it, buy some food and water. There are quite a few people here."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. Are there any specific requirements for this round of materials?"
"Requirements, huh?"
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly. After thinking for a moment, he smiled.
"Suit yourself. They're just materials, after all. But if you feel like it… maybe bring back someone you find interesting."
...
"My father's a gambler, my mother's gravely ill, and my husband's gone missing… What am I supposed to do now? Life is just too hard… sob~ sob~ sob~"
Inside a small izakaya in the Land of Hot Water, Kitagawa Gen sat beside Jiraiya, eyes dull and expression deadpan, as he listened to a weeping waitress pour out her misfortunes.
They'd already been in the Land of Hot Water for several days now, investigating any traces of Orochimaru.
Shimura Danzō had provided them with intel, but it had been rather vague—just a rough area to search.
Thankfully, Jiraiya was still somewhat of a professional. Although… the way he went about gathering information often left Gen utterly speechless.
"There, there, don't cry… I—"
Jiraiya tried to comfort the beautiful waitress, but then paused, visibly stunned.
"Wait—did you say you have a husband?"
"Y-Yes…"
Tears still welled in the waitress's eyes as she responded, confused by how startled Jiraiya seemed.
"My husband went missing about a month ago. I had no choice but to come work here just to survive."
"I-I see. That must've been tough on you."
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead, his enthusiasm visibly drained—a sight that made Gen chuckle on the side.
Once the waitress walked away, Gen finally couldn't hold it in.
"I mean, that's quite the setup—gambling father, sick mother, missing husband, and a broken-hearted wife. And to top it off, she's already married~"
"You brat, where'd you even learn to say stuff like that?"
Jiraiya raised a brow at him, seemingly tempted by the idea, but still gave Gen a look of disdain.
"Have you forgotten the Three Shinobi Taboos?"
"I learned them from you. And you don't seem to be following them yourself, do you?"
Gen pointed directly at him.
"Besides, this whole time, you've been sneaking off to either brothels or hot springs every day, leaving me alone at the inn. Isn't that a bit much?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't go slandering me like that!"
Jiraiya instantly flailed his arms, neck stiff with indignation.
"I'm conducting research! It's all part of the investigation, got it!?"
"Sure, sure. I didn't say anything else, did I?"
Gen nodded sincerely, wearing a look that said Don't worry, I won't rat you out, which only made Jiraiya laugh in exasperation.
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