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"What a miserable loss. Not only did we make barely any money, but we also ran into such powerful enemies. This really is…"
In the Land of Waves, Kitagawa Gen was supporting a slightly staggering Kakashi as they made their way toward the nearby town.
Although they had encountered fierce opposition from both Uchiha Itachi and Jūzō Biwa, the mission could still be considered accomplished.
After all, the situation had long surpassed the scope of the original assignment, and besides, Naruto was not with them.
Naturally, they were within their rights to bring the mission to an end, and given Kakashi's current state, he was clearly in no condition to carry on.
Especially Kakashi. What he needed now more than anything was rest and medical attention.
Perhaps because they weren't in Konoha, or perhaps because his usual comrades weren't present, Uchiha Itachi seemed to have gone somewhat easy on them this time.
The damage from Tsukuyomi wasn't as severe as what Kitagawa Gen remembered. Though Kakashi was still half-crippled, at least he hadn't been rendered completely immobile like in his memory.
"Even though I had a feeling there was something off about this mission, I never imagined it'd turn out to be this much of a disaster."
Kakashi ran a hand through his tousled white hair, speaking with a tone of drained weariness.
"To think we ran into not just one, but two rogue ninjas. Jūzō Biwa was bad enough, but Uchiha Itachi… and those eyes of his… they're truly impossible to defend against."
"Indeed. Gai-sensei once said the same thing about you."
Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but smile faintly at that, then went on.
"That's why Gai-sensei trained himself to fight without ever looking into your eyes, relying only on reading your movements to predict your attacks. Perhaps Kakashi-sensei should consider doing the same."
"That guy…"
Kakashi pursed his lips. He wasn't surprised at all that Gai had come up with such a battle strategy, yet the thought sparked a flicker of contemplation within him.
Perhaps… this really might be an effective countermeasure?
Still, for him, this would only serve as a backup option. After enduring Itachi's Tsukuyomi this time, Kakashi had started to form other ideas for how to respond.
More importantly, he felt that something had changed after this experience—something strange had awakened in his eyes.
"But setting that aside, what exactly was that Lightning Release technique you used?"
Shaking his head, Kakashi chose not to dwell on it for the time being, deciding instead to examine everything carefully once they returned.
What intrigued him more at the moment was Kitagawa Gen's Lightning Release. That jutsu had left a deep impression on him.
"Kakashi-sensei, didn't I already share my thought process with you?"
Kitagawa Gen shrugged, though after a moment's pause, he added further explanation.
"But it's strange, really. I've always felt that handling Lightning Release wasn't as difficult as people made it out to be. And yet I also understood that achieving perfect shape and nature transformation was incredibly hard.
Still, during the battle with Jūzō Biwa, something clicked. I suddenly understood how to shape it. It's not polished yet, but somehow, I managed to pull it off in one go."
As he spoke, Gen deliberately raised his hand, letting the chakra inside his body surge outward.
In an instant, a violet current of electricity gathered in his palm, quickly coating his hand and solidifying into the shape of a blade.
"So that's how it is…"
Seeing the purple lightning in Kitagawa Gen's hand, Kakashi's eyelid twitched slightly.
He could clearly sense the power of the technique, and more than that, he understood its value.
Even though he could tell the jutsu wasn't completely stable yet, with flickering arcs of lightning still jumping erratically, it didn't change the fact that this boy had nearly perfected such a high-level technique on his first attempt.
Such talent was simply…
"These kids these days… each one more terrifying than the last."
After a long silence, Kakashi finally spoke, his tone a mix of helplessness and genuine admiration.
"In extremely dangerous situations, a ninja has a certain chance to achieve miraculous breakthroughs. It seems you encountered one of those moments. I must say, you're truly lucky."
"Is that so?"
Kitagawa Gen nodded slightly. That was exactly the impression he wanted to give. After all, the Ōtsutsuki bloodline was simply too absurd in its power.
He was even considering whether, in the future, he should deliberately throw himself into carefully controlled battles in order to trigger more breakthroughs and do a "Tata Kai," though only under conditions that ensured his safety.
"But more importantly, this also reveals something else—your talent."
Just as that thought flashed through Kitagawa Gen's mind, Kakashi spoke once again.
"Without exceptional innate talent, not even extreme pressure would be enough to force a breakthrough. Your affinity for Lightning Release may very well surpass my own."
"Huh?"
However, the moment Kakashi finished speaking, a voice suddenly rang out from above them.
"More talent than you? Kakashi, now that's rare. And to see you looking like this? Even rarer."
That voice immediately made both Kitagawa Gen and Kakashi freeze for a moment. Instinctively, they looked up.
There, they saw a white-haired man, the word "Oil" written boldly across the forehead protector he wore, smiling down at them with a carefree expression.
Seeing who it was, both of them let out a subtle breath of relief—because this man was none other than Jiraiya.
***
"The pace is far too slow. We don't have nearly enough manpower."
In the Land of Water, within the Mist Village's administrative chambers, Uchiha Obito, hidden behind his mask, sat in contemplation.
The current state of Kirigakure was far from promising. The entire village simmered with an undercurrent of rebellion and unrest.
But that didn't concern him. What truly occupied his thoughts was the status of the Akatsuki's formation.
So far, their growth had been far slower than he had anticipated. They still lacked even the most basic number of competent operatives necessary to carry out their plans.
"Besides that, there's also that guy… Nagato…"
At this stage, Nagato still had to continuously feed chakra into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, just to slowly restore it.
There was one thing Obito still could not quite make sense of—just how much power had Madara extracted to leave the Gedo Statue in such a wretched state?
"How much longer must I wait before I can finally create the world that truly belongs to me?"
As these troublesome thoughts ran through his mind, Obito could not help but murmur to himself. Just then, a pitcher plant abruptly sprouted from the ground nearby.
"Obito, we've got news."
"Hm?"
Obito furrowed his brow and cast a cold glance at the pitcher plant before replying.
"Don't forget. I am Uchiha Madara now."
"Heehee…"
The white half of the pitcher plant cackled mischievously, clearly unconcerned, then spoke again with an air of excitement.
"I just got a juicy bit of intel. Uchiha Itachi and Biwa Jūzō encountered someone during a mission. Someone you know well. Care to guess who?"
"Hmph. I'm not interested in playing riddles with you."
Obito's tone was icy as he swept his gaze over the strange creature. Fortunately, Black Zetsu took over the conversation at that point.
"It was Hatake Kakashi. Uchiha Itachi and Jūzō Biwa ran into his squad."
"Kakashi?"
Upon hearing that name, Obito paused for a moment. Then he scoffed and spoke with undisguised disdain.
"That useless fool? Though he was with the ANBU, even Itachi would have had trouble dealing with him. Nothing happened, I assume?"
"No, he's no longer part of the ANBU."
White Zetsu let out a snicker and added with playful glee.
"And get this—he's leading students now. Just one, too."
"That good-for-nothing left the ANBU and became a teacher?"
Obito's expression grew puzzled. If that were the case, then encountering Itachi should have spelled certain death. How did that guy survive?
"What exactly happened?"
"Apparently it was Kakashi's student who first spotted Uchiha Itachi, which allowed them to send word to Konoha in time and summon reinforcements."
Black Zetsu pondered for a moment before continuing with an intrigued tone.
"I must admit, that student of Kakashi's is quite the prodigy. Only about thirteen or fourteen years old, yet he managed to hold off Biwa Jūzō and even saved Kakashi in the process.
In the end, Itachi withdrew because overusing his Mangekyō had drained too much of his chakra, and Jūzō was left unable to fight."
Of course, neither Obito nor Black Zetsu believed a word of Itachi's explanation.
Others might be fooled, but they knew the truth—Uchiha Itachi was a double agent through and through.
"Kakashi's student, huh?"
Obito narrowed his eyes slightly. The news piqued his interest, if only mildly.
After all, he was no longer the same Uchiha Obito he once was.
"How amusing…"
Yet just then, White Zetsu, perhaps deliberately trying to provoke him, let out a chuckle and spoke in a careless, sing-song tone.
"Kakashi always tried to protect the people around him, but every time he did, something terrible happened to them.
But this time, he chose to protect that little brat and nothing went wrong. Isn't that wild?
Maybe his luck's finally turned?"
That single short remark made Obito's gaze shift.
His eyes grew darker, and something cold flickered deep within them.
**
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[Chapter End's]
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