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"I'm sorry, but this is beyond anything I can handle."
Inside a modest inn in a small town within the Land of Waves, an elderly man sighed after examining Kakashi's condition and spoke with a trace of helplessness in his tone.
"After all, I'm not a shinobi, and this isn't something as simple as a surface wound."
"It's fine. Thank you for your trouble."
Jiraiya didn't seem surprised in the slightest. It was as if he had already anticipated this outcome. After nodding, he courteously escorted the old man out.
"It looks like we'll have to get you back to Konoha for proper treatment. What a pity Tsunade's whereabouts remain unknown. If she were here, things would be much easier."
After seeing the man off, Jiraiya returned to the room, his gaze falling on Kakashi, who was lying weakly on the bed. In an instant, his expression shifted back to his usual carefree and roguish demeanor.
"Still, it's not too bad. You don't look as miserable as I thought. Once we're back in the village, you'll be just fine."
"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya."
Kakashi's voice was faint and low. The mental blow from Uchiha Itachi's Tsukuyomi was still weighing heavily on him. Even though Kitagawa Gen had interrupted it midway, his spirit had nonetheless sustained damage.
In this kind of situation, there was no choice but to return to Konoha. When it came to medical expertise, no one in the entire shinobi world could rival Konoha's healers.
Moreover, now that Jiraiya had arrived, Kakashi's tightly strung nerves could finally relax a little.
Uchiha Itachi and Jūzō Biwa might have retreated for now, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't return. With Jiraiya around, the situation had changed dramatically.
"Alright, enough with the thanks. You should focus on getting some rest."
Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders, speaking with an air of indifference.
"You kids really are lucky. I happened to be nearby investigating Orochimaru's movements when I saw your signal flare. But hey, kid..."
As he spoke, Jiraiya turned his gaze toward Kitagawa Gen.
"You're pretty bold, using that kind of trick to deceive them. Weren't you afraid they'd see through it?"
With someone like Uchiha Itachi in their midst, a traitor in name if not in deed, the odds of that happening weren't too high.
Kitagawa Gen muttered inwardly, then simply shook his head and replied,
"Lord Jiraiya, they're rogue ninja after all. They're bound to avoid contact with the ANBU at all costs, so I figured it was worth a shot."
"Well, I suppose you're right. But it was still a reckless move given the circumstances."
Jiraiya pressed his lips together. For some reason, he felt that the boy in front of him was a lot like Tsunade—fond of gambling.
Except this kid had luck on his side, and he had won the bet.
"Whatever. You managed to get through it, after all. But listen, kid. You only get one life. Don't go throwing it away so carelessly."
"Yes, yes, I understand."
Kitagawa Gen nodded quickly, eager to avoid an argument with Jiraiya.
He also didn't want to sit through a long-winded lecture, so he swiftly steered the conversation in a different direction.
"Lord Jiraiya, do you have any plans going forward?"
"Me? Naturally, I'll continue tracking Orochimaru's movements."
Jiraiya didn't mind the question. His mission wasn't exactly a secret, and since this boy was Kakashi's student, there was no need to withhold anything.
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he spoke with a hint of contemplation.
"It's strange though. I've been chasing after Orochimaru for a while, but recently I received an odd piece of information. It seems Orochimaru may have joined a certain organization."
"It's hard to believe, honestly. That man would actually make such a choice? Unthinkable."
What's so unthinkable about that?
After all, Uchiha Itachi and Jūzō Biwa had once been part of the same organization as him.
Although Orochimaru had already been expelled from it by now.
Kitagawa Gen chuckled silently but kept his thoughts to himself. He knew all too well how blinding habitual assumptions could be.
Formidable rogue shinobi were not easily brought together.
Not only did many of them bear grudges from their former allegiances during wartime, but shinobi by nature were competitive and prideful. Bringing several powerful missing-nin together was bound to lead to internal conflict.
Especially someone like Orochimaru. There was no way he would willingly serve under anyone.
Unless, of course, there was a force powerful enough to suppress him. That was precisely why the Akatsuki remained the only true gathering of such dangerous individuals.
Besides, Jiraiya's intel was always a step or two behind reality.
Kitagawa Gen still remembered when Jiraiya approached Kakashi to take custody of Naruto, saying, "Orochimaru only just left the Akatsuki." That alone made it clear how out-of-date his information was.
Still, that wasn't surprising. The members of the Akatsuki were all elite shinobi. They had not yet begun openly capturing the Tailed Beasts, and as long as they remained in hiding, avoiding exposure was relatively easy.
As for why Orochimaru had appeared in the Land of Waves, it was most likely that he was either heading to or returning from the Land of Water, his target undoubtedly being Kimimaro.
[New Side Mission Acquired]
Just as he was pondering this, the system in Gen's mind flashed once again.
[Jiraiya-san, the Cherry Blossoms Are in Full Bloom in the Village]
[Take Jiraiya back to Konoha]
"..."
Staring at this ridiculous mission prompt, Kitagawa Gen froze for a moment, and then a dull ache spread through his teeth.
Although he felt somewhat relieved that the mission wasn't something outrageous, like [Let Jiraiya and Pain share a smoke over the ruins of Konoha], something completely impossible and ill-fated.
But getting Jiraiya to return to Konoha was by no means an easy task.
Especially since Jiraiya was still hot on the trail of Orochimaru.
"Though, if the reward comes from Jiraiya himself..."
Kitagawa Gen fell into deep contemplation. In the end, he decided it was worth a try.
After all, he did possess a few 'minor' advantages when it came to information.
After thinking for a while, he began planning how he might pull this off.
"I see, Lord Jiraiya…"
Kitagawa Gen's expression suddenly fell, and he sighed heavily as he spoke.
"I really thought you would return to Konoha with us."
"Hey hey hey, what would I go back to Konoha for? Are you trying to get me in trouble?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened in protest. In a certain sense, Konoha was a place of heartache for him.
Unless there was absolutely no other choice, he truly had no desire to return. And even if he did go back, would he be able to leave again so easily?
"Considering the current condition of Kakashi-sensei, if we were to encounter another rogue ninja like Uchiha Itachi along the way, I fear we…"
Gen glanced at Kakashi, still lying weakly on the bed, then turned his gaze back to Jiraiya.
"But Lord Jiraiya has more important matters to attend to, of course. We would not dare to demand too much. We only pray that we do not run into any further trouble."
He paused slightly, and his tone dropped just enough to carry an undercurrent of helplessness.
"And even if we do encounter something again, it would hardly be Lord Jiraiya's fault. It would simply mean we were terribly unlucky."
"…"
Jiraiya's face grew somewhat stiff. He felt as though he had just been taken hostage. How could this brat be so sharp-tongued?
"All right, Gen, I'll be fine."
Fortunately, Kakashi chose this moment to speak up, smoothing over the tension and deftly changing the subject.
"Lord Jiraiya, perhaps it would be better if you told us more about Orochimaru's movements. That way, I can report it properly when I return."
"No problem at all."
Kitagawa Gen said nothing more, only raising his eyebrows ever so slightly. Jiraiya, for his part, finally let out a breath of relief.
He took a moment to gather his thoughts, then spoke with rare seriousness.
"In truth, I have already shared most of what I know. The most important matter concerns the organization."
"This group is deeply hidden. I have no idea who its members are, nor do I even know what it is called."
"But for someone like Orochimaru to willingly join them, they must be no ordinary faction. Not long ago, I received a report."
"It said that someone who resembled him was seen near the port in the Land of Waves. That is the extent of what I know for now."
"That mysterious?"
Kakashi frowned slightly. If even Jiraiya could not dig up more concrete intelligence, then this matter was surely far more troublesome than it appeared.
"The Land of Waves again…"
Suddenly, Kitagawa Gen spoke up at just the right moment.
"Uchiha Itachi and Biwa Jūzō were in the Land of Waves too. And if I recall correctly, during the Third Shinobi War, the Uchiha were deployed in battles between the Land of Whirlpools and Kirigakure."
"Hm?"
His words made both Jiraiya and Kakashi pause, and a strange expression soon flickered across their faces.
"For those two to be teamed up is truly something unexpected."
Seeing this, Kitagawa Gen no longer kept up the act.
"Both of them are ruthless and proud to the core. One a former prodigy who slaughtered his own clan, the other one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"If even they can work together, does that not suggest others might too?"
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[Chapter End's]
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