"You little brat—what kind of trouble have you stirred up this time?"
The next day, at a training ground in Konohagakure, Kakashi stood there with his trademark dead-fish stare, glaring at Kitagawa Gen, who wore an expression of pure innocence.
"Don't give me that look. Do you know what happened last night? The Hokage called an emergency meeting in the middle of the night to emphasize the need for better awareness education in the Ninja Academy—especially about random poisonous stuff."
"He even kept Jiraiya-sama and me behind afterward to lecture us about being more responsible mentors. You seriously want me to believe this had nothing to do with you?"
Gen gave an awkward laugh. Honestly, this one really wasn't his fault. He had only mentioned it to Naruto in passing, like a joke—but the kid had taken it seriously.
Before Gen knew it, Naruto had started brainstorming ways to act on it. Gen had tried to talk him down, but that didn't work. And really, wasn't this a reflection of a lack of proper education?
So in the end, he gave up trying to stop him. Instead, to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, he'd made sure Naruto at least passed along a warning to Hiruzen.
He just hadn't expected Hiruzen's reaction to be that intense...
"Tch..."
Seeing Gen remain silent, Kakashi sighed and covered his face with one hand.
"The Hokage was already unhappy with some of the things going on at the academy. You saw it yourself when you graduated—students turning against each other?"
"And now, thanks to whatever you've done, the whole village is in an uproar again."
"Hey hey hey, Kakashi-sensei! Let's be fair—was that graduation incident really my fault?"
Gen was clearly displeased now—though he was also a little guilty, since both incidents did have something to do with him...
Shaking his head, he quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, let's not dwell on that. Kakashi-sensei, how are you feeling now?"
"Not bad. I think I'm mostly back to normal."
Kakashi didn't seem interested in continuing the scolding. He shook his head and then lightly touched the eye covered by his forehead protector.
"But this Sharingan still feels… off. Probably because of that guy."
The Sharingan felt strange?
Gen looked at Kakashi. He didn't think it had much to do with Uchiha Obito. It was more likely that the eye itself was starting to awaken.
In his memories, it wasn't until Kakashi was hit by Itachi's Tsukuyomi that he began to truly uncover the secrets behind this eye.
This time, even if the trigger wasn't as intense, it wasn't impossible that things had simply started earlier.
The Mangekyō Sharingan, huh...
Gen whispered inwardly. He didn't have any particular desire for the eye himself—but it could help him deal with Obito more effectively.
And who knows, maybe he'd even unlock some exclusive quest rewards from it.
"Alright, for now Jiraiya-sama will keep working with you. But since I'm back, I need to catch up with your progress."
As Gen was still deep in thought, Kakashi shook his head and spoke again.
"Also, I heard you're planning to apply for the Chūnin Exams?"
"Yeah, I figured I could give it a try. I may not have completed a huge number of missions, but I think my abilities are up to par."
"Agreed. I think you've got a shot. After all, when I was your age… I was already a Jōnin."
"Don't worry about it. Times have changed. But you'll still need to put in serious effort."
Seeing Kakashi's visible eye curve into a crescent shape, Gen really didn't feel like replying.
Seriously, you might as well not have said that.
...
Kakashi's recovery allowed Kitagawa Gen's daily life to return to normal.
Perhaps it was because Gen had expressed his intention to apply for the Chūnin Exams, but Kakashi had started deliberately taking him on more missions.
However, due to the Kirigakure situation, they were still mostly operating around the outskirts of Konohagakure, which naturally meant no high-level missions.
Fortunately, Kakashi seemed to fear Gen would get bored, so in addition to teaching him general shinobi knowledge, he also passed on a fair number of techniques.
It could be said that this was all contributing to Gen's path of 'redemption'.
"You little punk… you really pick things up fast."
In one of Konohagakure's training grounds, Kakashi sat down beside Gen with a twin-stick popsicle in hand. Snapping it in half, he handed one half over.
"But what's with you learning so many jutsu? I think you should focus more on the Flying Thunder God Technique—or better yet, build upon that purple lightning of yours."
When it came to Purple Lightning, Kakashi always felt a little strange. He couldn't shake the feeling that the technique suited him far too well.
Not only did it incorporate the essence of Chidori, but it also upgraded the concept—truly achieving both offense and defense in one.
If not for the fact that his Sharingan had been devouring his chakra at an increasingly alarming rate, he might've considered learning it himself.
"Haven't I already built upon it?"
Gen replied with a smile as he took the popsicle without hesitation.
"But for now, my main focus should still be the Flying Thunder God, right?"
"Then why learn all those other jutsu?"
"I'm just expanding my range. Besides, they're not that hard."
Not that hard, huh…
Kakashi was at a loss for words. He had needed the Sharingan just to copy over a thousand jutsu.
Granted, Gen hadn't learned that many yet, and his focus had stayed relatively narrow—limited to Lightning, Fire, and Earth Release.
But his learning speed… was truly hard to believe.
For a moment, Kakashi even wondered—was he really the one who deserved the title of 'Copy Ninja'?
After all, this kid had managed to learn his kenjutsu right in front of him.
"Kakashi-sensei, why aren't you eating?"
While Kakashi was deep in thought, Gen glanced at him curiously, then burst out laughing.
"Come to think of it, why do you always wear that mask? Are you shy or something?"
"It's just a habit."
Kakashi shook his head and ignored the question, instead speaking with a thoughtful tone.
"By the way, what kind of weapons are you best with? Are you comfortable using short swords?"
"Short swords?"
Gen looked a little puzzled. He turned his head, popsicle dangling from his lips as he stared up at the sky.
Was Kakashi planning to give him that broken blade of his?
Actually… that might not be a bad idea.
If he remembered correctly, Kakashi's short sword had pretty good chakra conductivity. Combined with Purple Lightning, it might produce even better results.
"I think I can manage, Kakashi-sensei."
Just as that thought crossed his mind and he turned back—
Gen's expression froze.
Because Kakashi had already pulled out Make-Out Paradise and was reading intently, the stick of his half-finished popsicle stabbed upright into the ground beside him!
"Wait, you're already done eating?"
"It was just half a popsicle. Not much to begin with."
Kakashi glanced at Gen, puzzled, then nodded.
"If you're comfortable using one, I'll prepare a gift for you in a few days."
Gen hadn't guessed wrong—Kakashi was thinking along those lines.
Because of his Sharingan, he had already changed his fighting style.
In his heart, Uchiha Obito had died because of him. He now bore the weight of Obito's eye.
Naturally, he wanted to make the most of it—to honor Obito, even though his own body was increasingly unable to bear the cost of the Sharingan.
Even with recent developments, some convictions in his heart had only grown firmer.
Uchiha Obito was a hero—not some meaningless ghost wandering the world. His Sharingan was the best proof of that.
And now, Gen had learned his kenjutsu, and was even his student.
So why not give him a blade he himself would never use again?
Let's just say… it would be a gift from sensei to student.
'But that short sword is broken. I'll need to get it repaired first.'
Kakashi stroked his chin thoughtfully, then closed his book and stood up.
"All right, take your time with your training. Think hard about the Flying Thunder God, or maybe work on developing your Lightning Release further. I'll go prepare that gift for you."
"Wait, you're just leaving like that?"
Watching Kakashi's retreating figure, Kitagawa Gen simply shrugged and didn't dwell on it. He really did need to focus his energy elsewhere for now.
...
[Name: Kitagawa Gen]
[Age: 13]
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development Rate: 13%)]
[Chakra Capacity: S (Above-average Kage-level)]
He opened his system panel and glanced at it, nodding to himself in silence.
While receiving Kimimaro's Yang Release hadn't caused an explosive chakra increase, the growth had still been noticeable—especially relative to others.
Besides, he had been diligently training, never slacking off at night either. His familiarity with and practice of Senjutsu were progressing steadily. His development had never stopped.
"If I push a bit harder and reach 15% development, my chakra capacity should improve again. And also…"
While pondering, he suddenly pulled out a kunai. As his chakra fluctuated slightly, a strange seal appeared upon the blade.
That was the peculiarity of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline—if the ability matched the nature of the bloodline, or if one inherently possessed a similar aptitude, then as long as there was a relatively clear direction, further exploration and development became significantly easier.
After all, chakra control for him was almost instinctive.
This unique trait would only become more pronounced as his bloodline developed further.
"Spatial power is one of the innate attributes of the Ōtsutsuki… and chakra control comes easily to me, so…"
Gazing at the seal inscribed on the kunai, Gen smiled—but quickly shook his head.
"It's still too rudimentary. Maybe I haven't explored it deeply enough. But…"
Gen suddenly remembered—Uchiha Obito had a Flying Thunder God seal on his back!
The seals used in the Flying Thunder God Technique seemed to be interlinked, even if the patterns themselves were slightly different.
He didn't know whether this was due to something on his end, or if it was simply how the technique worked. But at the very least, he could feel the connection.
The last time he encountered Uchiha Obito, he hadn't yet begun sensing spatial forces, so naturally he hadn't noticed the Flying Thunder God mark.
But now—things were different.
Of course, if the seal was too far away, there wasn't much he could do.
After all, when it came to the Flying Thunder God, he was still at the 'sweat and hard work' stage—barely at the entry level.
But if he activated it up close? Well… that would be a whole different story.
"Hm?"
As he mulled over these thoughts, Gen suddenly felt a twitch in his eyelid—a sign that his system likely had another task ready.
[New Side Quest Acquired]
[Cut Through the Darkness of the Ninja World, Soar Through Space]
[Obtain a mission to Kirigakure. Let Uchiha Obito experience the might of the Flying Thunder God.]
"..."
Gen stared at the prompt, dumbfounded.
It took him a moment before he finally raised his head and looked toward the towering Hokage Rock in the distance, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"You've gotta be kidding me… this counts?"
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