Chapter 49: Targeting the Mizukage!
At the village gates of Konoha—
Kitagawa Gen had gotten up early and arrived at the rendezvous point.
His "small act of defiance" seemed to have convinced Hiruzen Sarutobi. Atleast, that’s what he assumed, since ANBU had already delivered the mission notice the night before.
"Did I... forget something?"
As he walked, Kitagawa Gen frowned. Something kept nagging at him—like he had left something unfinished after parting ways with Naruto and the Third Hokage yesterday.
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside—because he had just spotted Jiraiya and Kakashi.
"Morning, Kakashi-sensei. Jiraiya-sama."
He rubbed his face awake and greeted them with a smile.
"You little troublemaker..."
Before Kakashi could respond, Jiraiya’s annoyed voice cut in.
"You’re always stirring things up. You want to come with me to track down Orochimaru—you do know how dangerous the Mist Village is, right?"
Clearly, both Kakashi and Jiraiya had been informed about Gen’s participation in the upcoming mission. Sarutobi had likely filled them in on the value Gen brought to this operation. And they could guess this was another instance—like with Orochimaru—where he wasn’t going to just sit back.
Konoha was still recovering... and couldn’t afford chaos right now.
Still, understanding the situation didn’t make it any less of a headache.
"I know," Gen replied with a shrug and a smile. "But I believe I can protect myself. Besides, I don’t have any teammates who graduated with me. You two are the comrades I cherish most—so I want to help however I can."
"This kid..."
Jiraiya sighed, half exasperated, half amused. Kakashi finally chimed in:
"Gen, this mission won’t be easy. It’s nothing like the ones we’ve done before. Be mentally prepared."
"I understand."
Gen smiled, knowing both of them were genuinely concerned. He didn’t mind the nagging—it just meant they cared.
And honestly, this mission was different. The danger level was off the charts.
"In that case, let’s get going," Kakashi said, nodding. Then, with a rare smile, he added, "And don’t worry—I’ll protect you no matter what."
"Tch. Don’t flatter yourself," Jiraiya snorted. "This Sage will also keep an eye on the brat."
With that, he turned and began walking ahead. Kakashi and Gen exchanged a glance before quickly following.
Truth was, neither of them wanted Gen involved in this mission. But they couldn’t defy Hiruzen’s orders.
Still, both had silently made a decision:
No matter the cost, they would protect this boy.
---
A few days later, they arrived by boat in the Land of Waves.
"Can’t believe we’re back here again," Kakashi muttered as he looked around, scratching the back of his head.
"Last time we were here, we ran into Uchiha Itachi and Biwa Juzō... but I guess that was a blessing in disguise."
"Let’s not dwell on the past," Jiraiya said, clapping Kakashi’s shoulder. "We move forward. Besides, that incident gave us a lot of insight, didn’t it, kid?"
"Yeah."
Gen scanned the surroundings. His last trip here hadn’t been entirely negative—he’d outwitted Juzō using Purple Lightning and gained some valuable experience.
Still, there were regrets.
"Kakashi-sensei, I heard from some merchants in Konoha that Gato’s been getting worse here in the Land of Waves. Should we—"
"Stop right there!"
Before Gen could finish, Kakashi’s expression shifted, and he cut him off immediately.
"We have more important matters to deal with. Don’t get sidetracked. Focus on the mission!"
Kakashi honestly didn’t understand why Gen was so fixated on Gato.
Sure, Gato was corrupt—and rich. But there was no official connection. Without authorization, it’d be no different from robbery.
And Konoha had a reputation to maintain.
"You again..." Jiraiya muttered, remembering one of Gen’s earlier outrageous plans. He was starting to wonder what exactly they were teaching at the Ninja Academy to produce someone like this.
"I know, I know," Gen said innocently. Yes, he was still eyeing Gato’s wealth, but that wasn’t his focus right now.
Besides, even if he wanted to go after Gato, how would he collect the money?
There’d be other chances in the future anyway...
"Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama—if Gato wants to control the Land of Waves more effectively, what do you think he’d do?"
"You mean..."
Both men were top-tier shinobi. Gen’s words immediately triggered a realization.
"He’d use rogue ninja and missing-nin to maintain control?"
Konoha kept tabs on surrounding small nations, but that intel was filtered through ANBU. Kakashi had already left the unit, and Jiraiya didn’t usually bother with internal intelligence briefings.
So it was natural for details to slip through—just like how they didn’t anticipate the rogue Mist ninja last time they visited.
But with a little push, they quickly pieced it together.
"Exactly. Rogue ninja—especially missing-nin," Gen nodded. "Mist Village is in chaos right now. A lot of shinobi are probably fleeing. So..."
"The most convenient escape route is through the Land of Waves—and Gato’s there, waiting to exploit them," Jiraiya concluded, nodding in understanding.
"If that’s the case, those guys’ knowledge of the Mist Village could save us some trouble."
"True..."
Kakashi nodded as well, though he gave Gen a peculiar look. He couldn’t decide whether to be impressed or concerned.
Was Gen still just chasing after Gato’s money? Probably.
But somehow, that greed had turned into valuable tactical insight?
"Also, Jiraiya-sama, remember what I told you last time?" Gen asked, changing the subject. Jiraiya paused, thinking.
Then it clicked.
"You mean about someone being behind Uchiha Obito—manipulating his hatred of Konoha?"
"Right. I’ve been thinking about it ever since... and I have an even more terrifying theory."
Gen’s expression turned grave.
"Kakashi-sensei’s teammate died because of the Mist, even if it was technically an accident. That kind of resentment... it might be hard for Obito to let go of."
"Combine that with his hatred toward Konoha, and the Nine-Tails incident... If you tie it all together, doesn’t it feel like a rehearsal?"
"A rehearsal?"
Both men’s faces changed at once.
The more they thought about it, the more it made sense—especially knowing that Obito had already made a move against Konoha.
Even if he failed last time... who’s to say he wouldn’t try again?
And if the Mist was already a bitter enemy of his, it would be the perfect testing ground for his plans...
"If that’s the case, this mission just got a whole lot more complicated," Kakashi muttered, his expression hardening.
---