"Speaking of which, why didn't you tell me about all this earlier?"
Kitagawa Gen set aside his thoughts about future research and looked curiously at Jiraiya.
"Is this material left behind by the Fourth Hokage?"
"Of course. I don't know how to use that technique myself," Jiraiya replied, nodding without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"I didn't tell you before because I didn't want to distract you. When learning any jutsu, it's important to follow a gradual, step-by-step process."
"Master the fundamentals in the scroll first—only then should you move on to more advanced stuff."
"See? I'm telling you now, aren't I?"
"Pfft. If you'd told me earlier, I might've already learned it by now."
"You little brat, always full of hot air! You think this is some basic jutsu anyone can pick up?"
"And hey—weren't you supposed to teach me some special techniques? How come I haven't seen anything that special so far?"
"Oi oi oi, that's not on me! You're the one who didn't want to learn Mount Myōboku's summoning techniques—what was I supposed to teach you then?"
The two of them kept bickering the whole way, making the return trip feel surprisingly lighthearted.
A few days later, they finally returned to Konohagakure. Thanks to Jiraiya's status, they passed through the village gates without a single hitch.
"We're finally back… I can't believe we were gone for almost half a month," Jiraiya grumbled as he looked at the familiar surroundings, wearing an expression like he'd just lost his freedom.
"You go get some rest—or go check in with your sensei, Kakashi. I need to report to the old man. Ugh… such a hassle."
"Yeah yeah, I got it."
Gen shrugged. Traveling with these high-level jōnin had one clear perk: he didn't have to do any of the official reporting.
They'd handle it all for him, which left him with some well-earned peace and quiet.
But just as Jiraiya was about to leave, Gen suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right—Jiraiya-sama, can I apply for the chūnin exam?"
"Eh? Chūnin?"
Jiraiya paused, as if only just recalling that this kid was technically still a newly graduated genin.
"That's something you should ask Kakashi about. He's directly in charge of you, so let him handle it. Besides, I honestly don't think you even need to take the exam—what's the point in bullying the other candidates?"
He wasn't just saying that to flatter him, either. From Jiraiya's perspective, Gen was more than qualified to be a chūnin already.
Sure, the kid had plenty of flaws, and his command abilities still needed work—but staying under Kakashi's guidance as a chūnin wasn't an issue at all.
Technically, becoming a chūnin required a solid amount of mission experience and demonstrated leadership skills. But there was no rule that said a chūnin had to leave their original team.
Even jōnin, if they chose to, could keep working in a team indefinitely.
"I see. Understood. Thank you, Jiraiya-sama."
Gen was naturally pleased to hear that, though he still decided it'd be best to ask Kakashi about it later.
After all, in his memory—even Naruto, despite being a so-called savior of the world, still had to take the chūnin exam.
And in the end, during his match with Konohamaru, he was disqualified for using Sage Mode.
"If my main mission is to become a jōnin, I'm curious to see what this round has in store for me. Besides… I wonder if I could end up serving as an exam proctor for Naruto and the others."
With a smile, Gen bowed politely to Jiraiya before turning and walking away.
But as he strolled through the village, a sudden thought struck him.
"We went all the way to confront Orochimaru… but I never saw Kabuto. He must be in the village right now, which means…"
"…he's probably entering the chūnin exams this year, isn't he?"
...
"That kid…"
Jiraiya watched Gen's departing back and couldn't help but laugh softly. Then, he turned his gaze toward the Hokage Rock.
Bathed in sunlight, the four carved faces stood tall and radiant.
His eyes lingered on the last, youngest face for a long time—until a faint smile slowly crept across his lips.
"Minato… this brat isn't like you—but in some ways, he's exactly like you."
...
The Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was puffing on his smoking pipe, his eyes fully focused on the scene inside the crystal ball.
Even in his old age, he still had a fondness for things that were fragrant… and eye-catching. It was his way of enjoying a harmless indulgence.
"Hey, old man!"
Just as he was fully immersed, a voice interrupted him at the worst possible moment. Startled, he hastily grabbed a cloth and draped it over the crystal ball.
Turning his head, he saw Jiraiya poking his head in through the window with a grin before climbing the rest of the way inside.
"You're back?"
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe to calm himself, then spoke in a helpless tone.
"There's a perfectly good front door. Why do you insist on coming in through the window? Where did you even pick up this terrible habit?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff."
Jiraiya waved it off and jogged over with a mischievous smile.
"What, were you peeking ag—"
"Watch your mouth. I was merely checking to see if Konoha is still at peace!"
Hiruzen's face flushed slightly. Even if his student shared the same bad habit, he still had some dignity to maintain.
"Alright, let's get to the mission. Did you find anything?"
"We did. Things are a lot more complicated than we thought."
Jiraiya pursed his lips. Thankfully, he knew when to get serious.
"We were lucky this time. It didn't take long in the Land of Hot Water before we made some progress—"
Jiraiya gave a concise but focused report, omitting minor details but emphasizing Kitagawa Gen's contributions, as well as the intel he'd extracted from Orochimaru.
Hiruzen quietly listened, pipe hanging from his lips. Once Jiraiya finished, he furrowed his brow.
"It does sound troublesome… But it lines up with the intel Danzo provided. Still, do you actually trust what Orochimaru said?"
The Mizukage had hired this mysterious organization—that alone suggested the civil unrest in Kirigakure was serious. Serious enough for the Mizukage to seek outside help to clean up internal chaos.
That was good news for Konoha. No one particularly liked those bastards from Kirigakure. But it did make investigating the mysterious organization a lot trickier.
"I don't think there's much of an issue."
Jiraiya nodded seriously.
"Even if Orochimaru held something back, that's to be expected. At the very least, we've gotten some critical intel."
Hiruzen didn't reply. Deep down, he agreed—Orochimaru's information probably wasn't flawed.
He knew Orochimaru well. The man might lie, but above all, he was a prideful person.
"I understand. Looks like we'll need to make a trip to Kirigakure."
Hiruzen sighed. He wasn't eager to take such a risk, but this mysterious organization truly unsettled him.
Especially Uchiha Obito. The man seemed consumed by hatred, had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and even possessed Wood Release.
There was no avoiding it—this had to be investigated.
"Alright, old man. Don't overthink it."
Jiraiya saw the worry on Hiruzen's face and offered some consolation.
"Some things just have to be confronted head-on. This organization is one of those hurdles. Right? Don't worry—we'll handle it."
"You little brat. Since when did you start comforting me?"
Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya, torn between amusement and exasperation. Jiraiya, of course, didn't care in the slightest. After thinking for a moment, he said: "By the way, make sure this mission gets an S-rank classification. That kid Gen seems to want to become a Chūnin—might as well make his record look a bit better."
"He needs a better record?"
Just the mention of Kitagawa Gen brightened Hiruzen's mood.
The kid hadn't been on many missions since graduating, but every one of them had been tough—and his performance had always been exceptional.
From facing off against Biwa Jūzō and Uchiha Itachi, to this mission with Jiraiya—his performance had been outstanding across the board.
Perhaps… this boy could become Konoha's next Namikaze Minato.
That thought made Hiruzen nod, though he didn't voice it.
"Alright, I'll consider it."
"Good to hear."
Jiraiya grinned, then shamelessly crept over to Hiruzen and reached out to tug the cloth off the crystal ball—
"Hey, you bastard! What do you think you're doing?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was startled by the sudden action, but Jiraiya couldn't have looked more relaxed.
"We've finished talking about all the troublesome stuff. The rest can wait. It's break time now, and don't even think about hogging all the fun, old man."
"What nonsense are you spouting? And for the record, this is official business—got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just take a look already."
"You little punk—get lost!"
"Thank you for the heads-up, sensei. I'll be taking my leave now."
"No need for thanks."
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