At Konoha Hospital, Kitagawa Gen smiled brightly and gave the medical staff a friendly nod before turning to leave.
However, the moment he stepped out, his cheerful expression dimmed—he had just missed his target.
"He's already been discharged? Huh… looks like he's healing well."
Thanks to Jiraiya's reminder, Gen had come straight to the hospital to visit Kakashi—only to find out he was already gone.
"Well, I suppose it's for the best. Better to recover quickly than lie around looking half-dead."
Since he hadn't managed to catch him, Gen decided to head home for a bit of rest and try again tomorrow.
"I also need to think carefully about this whole Uchiha Obito situation."
Ever since he'd set a trap for Obito, things had started spiraling out of control.
On top of that, he'd even tipped off Jiraiya—a rather underhanded yet effective move against that old toad.
But how to proceed from here… Gen still needed to think it through.
He did have a plan—just needed to refine it.
"Besides, there's still Phase Two of Kakashi's special mission. Can't let that fall through!"
Obito had way too many valuable things on him. After all, he inherited them from Uchiha Madara. Even if Gen believed Obito hadn't mastered everything perfectly, he still had them.
If there was a way to get hold of them, there was no way he'd miss that chance.
"Hey, Gen? You're back?"
Just as Gen was deep in thought, Naruto's voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Yeah."
Gen turned to see Naruto jogging over, a bag in one hand and a basket in the other.
"What's all this?"
Seeing Naruto's getup piqued Gen's curiosity. But when he caught sight of what was inside the bag, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Instant ramen boxes… again? Haven't you had enough of Ichiraku's stuff? Why'd you buy so much?"
"Hehe, this is the limited edition stuff!"
Naruto grinned from ear to ear, clearly delighted.
"I got lucky and grabbed these before they sold out! Blink and they're gone!"
"This isn't exactly gourmet cuisine. I remember you still had plenty at home, didn't you?"
"Limited edition! If I missed it, I'd regret it forever!"
"..."
Gen was honestly speechless. He had no idea why people paid such ridiculous prices for that stuff—or what made it so good to begin with.
Still, he chose to respect other people's fates and held his tongue. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the basket Naruto was carrying.
"And what's in that?"
"This… this is something even better!"
Naruto suddenly grew secretive. Like a thief, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then whispered: "Listen, I found this awesome place. There's tons of food there—free for the taking!"
"...That sounds like stealing."
"No way! I don't steal!"
"Then where's your allowance?"
"I spent it on the limited-edition ramen!"
Watching Naruto speak with such confidence, Gen was beyond exhausted. He finally understood.
The Third Hokage hadn't been stingy with Naruto—he gave him enough money. But he never taught him how to manage it, or how to save.
Then again… being Hokage probably left the old man with a mountain of things to worry about.
"Hehe, how about this? Let's eat together tonight—my treat!"
Just as Kitagawa Gen was left completely speechless, Naruto grinned and spoke up.
"Perfect timing—you can try something I cooked! Also, that jutsu you asked me to develop is just about finished."
"Oh?"
Gen immediately perked up. He even considered grabbing a camera to record it. Still, what piqued his curiosity more right now was the basket.
"So, what exactly is in there?"
"Here, take a look."
Naruto didn't keep him in suspense. He casually pulled back the cloth covering the basket—and Gen's face turned pale on the spot.
Inside was a colorful assortment of mushrooms—brightly colored, wildly shaped, and arranged so perfectly that they almost looked appetizing.
A visible shiver ran down his spine. He slowly lifted his head and stared at Naruto. It took him a good while before he finally spoke.
"Naruto…"
"Eh?"
"You should learn to respect your elders… and care for the young."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Why don't you take those mushrooms and make a nice soup—for the Hokage-sama."
...
"Another day's work, finally done."
Under the hazy moonlight, Sarutobi Hiruzen made his way home after a long day.
Today hadn't gone particularly smoothly—partly because of the news brought back by that rascal Jiraiya, and partly because of the reckless things Jiraiya himself had done.
Still, Hiruzen had to admit that even with all that nonsense, his mood had actually improved a little.
"Especially that kid, Kitagawa Gen—he really seems promising."
Recalling Jiraiya's evaluation, a smile crept onto Hiruzen's face. Konohagakure desperately needed the rise of new blood.
And truth be told, he himself was even more eager than Jiraiya to see the emergence of a new Namikaze Minato.
"I wonder if that boy can master the Flying Thunder God Technique… though even if he can't, it's no big deal."
The thought wasn't one of doubt toward Kitagawa Gen—it was simply the reality that the Flying Thunder God was incredibly difficult to learn.
All these years, many had tried. Yet aside from the Second Hokage, only Minato had ever succeeded.
"With that Purple Lightning ability, and enough real combat experience, he won't fall behind anyone."
Humming a little tune to himself, Hiruzen continued walking toward his house. But as he walked, he suddenly noticed a signal from the ANBU operatives hiding nearby.
Looking up, he saw a small figure holding a large pot, sneaking glances around right outside his front gate.
"Naruto?"
Hiruzen frowned slightly in confusion, but then casually waved a hand to dismiss the ANBU. A kindly smile appeared on his face as he approached.
"Ah! Grampa Hokage! I finally found you!"
As soon as Naruto heard his voice, he lit up with excitement. Carrying the big pot, he ran over to Hiruzen, who reached out and affectionately ruffled the boy's hair.
"What's the matter, Naruto? It's pretty late—what brings you here?"
"Uhh…"
Naruto lifted the pot and held it out with a bright grin.
"Here you go, Grampa Hokage!"
"What's this?"
Hiruzen looked at the pot in surprise, and Naruto scratched the back of his head with a bashful laugh.
"It's soup—I made it myself! Try it, Grampa Hokage!"
"Soup, huh?"
Hiruzen felt a strange warmth stir within him. Smiling gently, he asked, "What made you think to bring me this?"
"Well… it was Gen. He told me I should respect my elders and be kind to younger kids, so…"
"Gen, huh?"
Hearing that, Hiruzen's smile grew even brighter.
The power of a good example was truly something.
Sure, Kitagawa Gen used to take advantage of Naruto all the time—but Hiruzen also knew that boy had grown up in real poverty.
Besides, Naruto himself didn't seem to mind, and had even gained a friend in the process. Looking at it now, it really wasn't a bad thing at all.
"You've grown up quite a bit, haven't you?"
With that thought, Hiruzen accepted the pot from Naruto with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Naruto. I'll make sure to savor the fruits of your hard work!"
"No need to thank me!"
Naruto shrugged and grinned, but then he seemed to remember something. His smile faded as he pursed his lips in mild annoyance.
"Oh right, Grampa Hokage—one more thing."
"What is it?"
"That bastard Gen actually told me not to bring it to you in the end… but I didn't listen. So he told me to pass on a message instead: make sure to take a good look before you eat anything."
Take a good look?
Hiruzen frowned in confusion and casually lifted the lid of the pot—and immediately turned green in the face.
The pot was filled to the brim with mushrooms in every possible color!
"Where… where did you get these?!"
His voice trembled with unease, and Naruto blinked innocently.
"From the forest behind the mountain, of course! There's tons of them! And they're free too! They look super tasty, right?"
"…"
Hiruzen stared wordlessly at Naruto, then slowly turned back to the pot in his hands. And just like that, he understood.
So that little brat Gen had realized something was off, but couldn't talk Naruto out of it—and decided to wash his hands of the matter by dumping the whole problem on him?
The kid might have a good heart, but as Jiraiya said… his personality did have a bit of a wicked streak.
"Hey, Grampa Hokage?"
As Hiruzen was still lost in thought, Naruto looked up at him with those adorably oversized, sparkling eyes and gave him an exaggerated blink.
"Go ahead, try it! I spent a long time making this, y'know!"
"..."
For a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt like the atmosphere had reached a point where… maybe he really should take a sip.
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