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"This mission is really quite the headache."
Several days later, inside an inn in the Land of Waves, Kitagawa Gen sat at the edge of the bed, a faint frown between his brows.
Kakashi had gone off to meet the client, so naturally Gen remained behind.
But his gaze remained fixed on the panel before him, and the sight of that [Exclusive Mission] left him feeling somewhat troubled.
He had already accepted the task. It was impossible not to be curious about the reward when facing his first exclusive mission.
Only, the target of this mission… if nothing went wrong, it was Uchiha Obito.
"The usual sequence of events would bring us into contact eventually, but how many years from now would that be?"
He was extremely sensitive to time. After all, that so-called [Novice Reward] had kept him stuck for thirteen years. No matter how generous the reward, it had stretched his patience to its limits.
"Perhaps… I should consider another approach."
Gen muttered the thought to himself. His desire for these rewards had grown far beyond what most would consider normal. This might very well be the key to developing his bloodline.
Especially considering Kakashi, his old comrade. Uchiha Obito was practically a treasure trove.
As the ninja world's first "Six Paths Seamstress," aside from that Sharingan, there was hardly a single part of him that was truly his own.
Even at this current stage, he carried more than a few precious things. If Gen could obtain just one of them, perhaps it would drastically accelerate his own development.
"If I could get my hands on one of his arms or something, that would be perfect."
And if he already had an arm, perhaps he could even dig up a grave through it…
Gen dared not let his imagination go any further.
"But everything has to proceed step by step. I should go train for now."
Forcefully pushing down the chaotic thoughts swirling through his mind, Gen rose to his feet, preparing to head out for training.
Kakashi was still someone he could trust. On their way to the Land of Waves, he had already taught Gen the Chidori technique.
But he had also repeatedly warned him that this jutsu required high-speed movement, and that only with the Sharingan could it be truly mastered.
Otherwise, charging with it might open a gap for the enemy to exploit, which could very well result in harming oneself instead.
Gen understood all of this perfectly, but from the beginning, he had never intended to use the original version of Chidori.
His goal had always been that secret move of the Sixth Hokage, who had once taken down fifty jonin with pure taijutsu—Purple Lightning.
"This place isn't half bad."
As he strolled along the bustling main street, Gen tilted his head slightly as he took in the crowds milling about.
But he also knew that this was one of the finest areas in the Land of Waves.
Most other parts of the country still resembled the village of that bridge-building expert Tazuna from his memories—desolate and impoverished.
As he walked, his steps suddenly slowed.
Up ahead, he saw a narrow alley bathed in the dim glow of red lanterns.
"Is this... Jiraiya's happy place?"
Gen blinked, feeling a strange stir in his chest. For a moment, he wondered—should he go in and take a look?
Jiraiya was, after all, the "negative example" of a ninja. If one wanted to prove him wrong, perhaps one had to first experience the pleasure he so valued in order to make a fair judgment.
"If I use the Transformation Jutsu, I might be able to sneak in, right?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He was still hesitating, debating whether to go in purely as an observer and witness it for himself.
But in the next moment, his expression suddenly tensed.
He had sensed two formidable chakra signatures flickering faintly not far away.
Thanks to the blood of the Ōtsutsuki flowing through him, he had a certain degree of sensory perception, making his awareness especially keen.
"Who is it?"
His thoughts churned in silence. Pretending as if nothing were amiss, he turned casually on his heel and stole a quick glance.
But the moment his eyes took them in, he immediately lowered his head.
Still, his gaze had turned oddly intense.
He had seen them—two figures cloaked in black robes patterned with red clouds.
And right then, his system interface lit up once more.
***
"Hey, gather up already. What's wrong with you ninjas? Always so unreliable."
The next day, at the rendezvous point in the Land of Waves—
A group of men dressed like farmers but clearly warriors frowned in disapproval at Kakashi and Gen, who had arrived precisely on time.
Their leader spoke with open irritation.
"You show up late, dressed like that, and still dare to call yourselves ninja? And you're charging this much..."
"First of all, we are fully qualified ninjas. Officially certified by Konohagakure."
The attitude of these people made Gen raise his eyebrows, but Kakashi remained calm, completely unfazed by the provocation.
"Second, we weren't late. We arrived exactly on time, just in time for departure. And as for the payment, it wasn't exactly generous. If you had more money, you could've hired better support."
"You…"
The nearby samurai bristled at Kakashi's words, their hands twitching slightly in irritation. But Kakashi only gave a calm smile and pulled a small book from his ninja pouch.
"Well then, shall we get going? We've got a long road ahead of us."
"Hmph. Move out."
With a cold snort, the leader waved a hand and gave the command to set off.
The others quickly lifted a well-shrouded palanquin, and the procession officially began their journey.
"Tch. Such extravagant flair."
Gen cast a sidelong glance at the palanquin. It was completely sealed off, and the noble riding inside had yet to show even a glimpse of their face.
"And those samurai really are an unpleasant bunch."
"We're just doing our job. No need to bother with them."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly, shooting a glance at the armed escorts before lowering it again to resume reading his book.
"Besides, didn't you say you encountered two extremely dangerous individuals? If we really are unlucky, those men won't be of much help anyway."
Gen had told him everything upon returning to the inn the night before.
Though there were many details he couldn't explain in full, the mention of two highly dangerous shinobi had been enough to spark Kakashi's vigilance.
"That's true, though I doubt we can count on these people for much."
Gen nodded, then quickly shook his head.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you send word to the village? Those two are going to be tough to handle."
Although he had only caught a brief glimpse of them in the crowd, there was no mistaking the iconic robes of the Akatsuki. The sight of that black cloak adorned with red clouds could never be forgotten.
As for who those two were exactly...
Damn it, does it even matter? Whoever they were, they wouldn't be easy to deal with. And for now, he knew he wasn't ready to face them.
And the more he thought about it, the more a certain memory began to resurface.
"A palanquin… samurai dressed as farmers… why does this feel so much like the mission where Jūzō Biwa and Uchiha Itachi made their appearance?"
If it truly was those two…
A sudden idea began to take shape in Gen's mind. But even as it did, his eyes drifted toward Kakashi again.
He remembered clearly how Uchiha Itachi had once felled Kakashi in an instant. True, that had been largely due to Kakashi's limited understanding of the Mangekyō Sharingan at the time.
But it was that very defeat that had led Kakashi to awaken Kamui three years later.
With that memory in mind, Gen's gaze shifted subtly. His eyes carried a newfound determination.
This mission—he had to see it through to the end. And more than that, he now had a plan.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Kakashi noticed Gen's prolonged silence and gave a gentle smile, his single visible eye curving into a soft crescent.
"I'll protect you. That said, how is your training with Lightning Release coming along?"
"Not bad," Gen replied, a smile spreading across his own face now that his thoughts had cleared.
"Though I've run into some trouble. Since I can't use it like you do, I'm focusing more on manipulating its form and nature."
The two of them walked at the rear of the procession, exchanging thoughts as they moved.
With both Kakashi's knowledge of Lightning Release and the latent power of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline flowing in his veins, Gen had already formed a clear understanding of Purple Lightning.
In his eyes, Purple Lightning was akin to "Black Lightning" of the Hidden Cloud Village—a refined and extreme evolution of Lightning Release achieved through mastering both form transformation and nature transformation.
In fact, Sasuke's "Chidori Sharp Spear" could also be considered a step in the direction of form manipulation. However, with the Sharingan at his disposal, Sasuke had little reason to further develop that path.
Kakashi, on the other hand, had lost his Sharingan. Thus, he had been compelled to dig much deeper.
And in the future, his mastery over this technique would prove exactly what Gen now believed.
What Gen needed to do now was to help Kakashi understand his line of thought. Whether Kakashi could offer assistance was secondary. What mattered was that Kakashi knew the origin of this technique.
"A fine idea," Kakashi said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "though one riddled with difficulty."
"They say even the Third Raikage only managed to create a rough prototype. If you truly manage to complete it, you'll be treading a path no one else has."
"I've already worked out part of the framework."
Gen smiled with quiet confidence. Yet as soon as those words left his mouth, his brows drew together in a frown.
And not just his. Kakashi too lifted his head, gaze sharpening as he looked ahead.
There, just a short distance in front of them, two figures clad in long black cloaks patterned with crimson clouds had appeared in full view.
"Oh? Looks like there are two Konoha shinobi here too."
"It has been a while, Kakashi-senpai."
**
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[Chapter End's]
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