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"Hey, hey, hey, Gen, where are you heading off to?"
"I'm going to the hospital to visit my teacher. That reminds me—why are you two tagging along with me? Don't you have classes today?"
On the bustling streets of Konoha, Kitagawa Gen walked briskly with his head slightly lowered, heading toward the hospital. Behind him, Naruto and Sasuke were trailing closely, much to his irritation.
This morning, he had noticed something unusual with his eyes. He was already considering whether he should get some colored contacts to cover it up.
He clearly remembered how Kakashi had once used a contact lens to hide his Sharingan, completely outsmarting the two chasing him—Naruto and Sasuke—while still keeping his real face hidden.
Of course, things weren't so serious for him yet. Even if someone looked closely, all they would see was a faint glimmer in his eyes. Still, better safe than sorry.
But right now, visiting Kakashi took priority. Yet the moment he stepped out the door, these two troublemaker kids had latched onto him.
"There's no class today, remember? It's our day off."
Naruto rolled his eyes, but his mood quickly brightened.
"Hey, hey, Gen, could you train with me? I just realized you're seriously strong!"
"Tch. Do you think I'm joking about leaving the village to go on missions?"
Gen snorted softly and then gave his head a slight shake.
"But forget about asking me to train you. I'm a ninja, you know. I've got a full schedule. Besides, Lord Jiraiya is way stronger than I am. He's free, isn't he? And I already taught you the method."
"Jiraiya? Method?"
Sasuke glanced at Gen, puzzled, before his eyes shifted to Naruto. The latter froze for a moment, and then his face twisted in disgust.
"Eww, you mean that creepy method?"
"You've played your fair share of pranks, haven't you?"
Gen shrugged casually.
"In the end, it's all mischief. What are you so afraid of?"
"Is that so?"
Naruto gave a slow nod. Though his mouth was full of complaints, his eyes were filled with curiosity.
"So you really met that guy? And how did you suddenly get so strong?"
It was easy to distract Naruto, but Sasuke wasn't so easily pacified.
Last night, when Gen mentioned Uchiha Itachi, it had struck a deep nerve. He hadn't had time to ask more before they were suddenly confronted by another Uchiha.
And that man was actually forced into a corner by Kitagawa Gen, who even managed to knock his mask off.
Sasuke had no memory of ever seeing that person before, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that the man radiated a terrifying presence and wielded some sort of space-time ninjutsu. Yet Gen had fought with ease.
More than that, he had come out on top. He had held his ground long enough for reinforcements from Konoha to arrive.
Sasuke couldn't make sense of it. Gen wasn't much older than he was, and he, Sasuke, bore the proud name of Uchiha. So why...
"You mean Uchiha Itachi?"
Gen pretended not to notice Sasuke's thoughts. After pausing for a moment, he finally responded.
"Yes, I did encounter him. But unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to fight him. As for getting stronger..."
He trailed off with a chuckle.
"It's not as impressive as it looks. Just lots of hard work, that's all. Look at Uchiha Itachi. At my age, he was already..."
Gen caught himself mid-sentence as he noticed Sasuke's face darkening. The boy had clearly realized something unpleasant.
Gen immediately changed his wording. He had been about to say "he already wiped out your whole clan."
"He was already a captain in the ANBU. That's what Kakashi-sensei told me. They used to be in the ANBU together."
"I see."
Sasuke lowered his head. He had always known that Itachi's talent was extraordinary. His father's praise of him back then had been almost excessive.
But what would it take for him to catch up to that man?
"You'd better keep at it, Sasuke."
Seeing his expression, Gen stepped forward and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"I have a teacher who used to be known as the village's dead last. But now, he's one of Konoha's finest jōnin, second only to Kakashi-sensei.
He made it through sheer perseverance. He knew he couldn't match Kakashi-sensei's natural gifts, but he believed that through sheer hard work, he could become a genius in his own right.
He gave it everything he had. And in the end, he succeeded. I believe you can too."
"A genius through hard work..."
Sasuke murmured the words softly, the corners of his lips barely moving.
"I'll head off now. And... thank you, for staying with Naruto last night."
Gen gave a casual shrug and smiled, then turned around and waved at them over his shoulder as he prepared to leave. At that moment, Sasuke suddenly looked up.
"Gen-senpai, did you become strong through hard work too?"
"Me?"
Gen paused for a second, then made a show of thinking deeply before nodding solemnly.
"That's right. Every step I've taken to get where I am today has been paved with sweat and hard work."
And with my cheat, too.
But come on, didn't I work hard to finish all those stupid missions?
"Hard work, huh?"
Sasuke watched Gen's back as he waved and walked away, his eyes gradually sharpening with quiet resolve.
He had always considered himself diligent. But when he compared himself to this upperclassman, the gap between them suddenly felt enormous.
Perhaps he really needed to push himself even further.
"Alright! It's settled!"
As that thought simmered in his heart, Naruto suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs from the side.
"I'm going to start developing it right away! I want to see just how effective this method really is!"
Method?
Naruto's words immediately reminded Sasuke of something, and a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
Should he try learning that so-called "method" from Naruto?
***
"Kakashi-sensei. Oh, and Jiraiya-sama, you're here as well?"
Inside the Konoha Hospital, Gen stepped into Kakashi's room with a fruit basket in hand, only to discover that Jiraiya was already there.
"Hey, brat. Isn't it completely normal for me to be here?" Jiraiya grumbled, shooting a dissatisfied glance at Gen.
Kakashi was lying leisurely on the hospital bed, absorbed in reading Make-Out Paradise. When he saw Gen approaching, he finally put the book down.
"Gen. So you came."
"Yeah. I came to see how well you're recovering."
Gen placed the fruit basket on the table and nodded, studying Kakashi's complexion with a faint smile.
"Looks like you're doing better than expected. At this rate, we might be back on missions before long."
"Come on, we just returned to the village. Missions won't come that fast," Kakashi said with a wry smile.
"But I will admit things turned out better than I expected. Probably because you acted quickly, so my injuries didn't end up too bad. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to join you last night."
Gen gave a slight nod. He had more or less figured it out by now—the Uchiha Itachi they had encountered had likely held back.
After all, that man still regarded himself as a spy for Konoha. Fighting outside the village, with his own partner distracted and surrounded by enemies, he naturally would have avoided going all out against fellow Konoha shinobi.
But within the village, things will be different. Kisame will be watching nearby, reinforcements from the Leaf could arrive at any moment, and using force to retreat will be the safer option.
"Still, I didn't expect things to unfold like that last night."
Kakashi sighed, his expression tinged with helplessness. He tilted his head, his gaze landing on Gen.
"Good thing you came out of it unharmed. Otherwise... Even though you handled yourself well, I don't want you rushing in so recklessly next time."
"That's enough for now. Let him rest."
Jiraiya shook his head from the side, clearly disapproving. He glanced at Kakashi and spoke in a mildly exasperated tone.
"You shouldn't concern yourself with this while you're still recovering. Once you're back on your feet, you won't be able to escape the mess anyway. For now, stop overthinking it."
Jiraiya had already been informed of Kakashi's complicated history with Uchiha Obito, so he understood the weight of such emotional scars.
After all, even he was still chasing after Orochimaru.
He didn't want Kakashi brooding over this constantly. It would do the man more harm than good.
"Brat. You're with me for the time being."
Jiraiya turned toward Gen, his expression clouded with displeasure.
He could still remember the uncomfortable gaze Sarutobi Hiruzen had fixed on him the night before. And sure enough, once the meeting was over, the old man had pulled him aside.
The reason had been simple: to have him temporarily take over Kakashi's role. Jiraiya had no words to express how miserable that left him feeling.
"Seriously. Your teacher gets hurt, and I'm the one who has to suffer for it. How is that fair?"
"Huh?"
Gen blinked, stunned. He had not expected such good fortune to come his way.
Jiraiya might not seem reliable on the surface, but there was no denying it—he was one of the greatest teachers the shinobi world had ever known.
The students he had trained were all extraordinary, not a single failure among them.
"Alright then. Let's go. No need to disturb your teacher's rest any longer."
Jiraiya rose from his seat and walked up beside Gen. He gave him a once-over with a scrutinizing gaze before suddenly flashing a mischievous grin.
"But you better steel yourself, brat. Since this is a personal request from the old man himself, the things I'll be teaching you aren't going to be easy at all."
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[Chapter End's]
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