Read 20+ Chapter's Ahead in Patreon
Although Gen had no idea what Jiraiya intended to teach him, he certainly wasn't afraid.
The confidence granted to him by the Ōtsutsuki bloodline was anything but ordinary. If it weren't for his concern about appearing overly gifted all of a sudden and raising suspicion due to such drastic contrast, he wouldn't have held back at all.
"Even 'Copy Ninja' could be my code name at this point!"
Following Jiraiya out of the hospital, they made their way toward the bustling heart of Konoha, which left Kitagawa Gen rather puzzled.
"Jiraiya-sama, are we going the wrong way? Why are we heading in this direction?"
"There's a training ground nearby. It may be small, but it'll do just fine."
Jiraiya answered without a care, glancing at Kitagawa Gen before bursting into hearty laughter.
"I can tell you're quite capable. But what this great sage plans to teach you isn't simple either. You'll have to ponder it slowly on your own, while I go do some research!"
"You mean you're going to the hot springs, right?"
Gen couldn't hold back his reaction when he heard this. Seriously, who do you think you're fooling?
"And also, that book Kakashi-sensei always has in his hand, Make-Out Paradise, wasn't that written by you, Jiraiya-sama?"
"Eh? You've read it?"
Jiraiya blinked in disbelief, but then quickly shook his head.
"Stop spouting nonsense. Kakashi would never let you read that, and don't even think about buying it. That book is strictly (18+) eighteen and up!"
"Transformation Jutsu, you know?"
Kitagawa Gen shrugged. If he truly wanted to get his hands on it, there were plenty of ways.
"You little rascal. You're really something else, aren't you?"
Jiraiya couldn't help but rub his forehead. But soon, his expression turned more solemn, a rare seriousness settling over him.
"You should try to give your teacher a bit of peace. After what happened, anyone in his place would be having a hard time."
At that point, Jiraiya stopped walking. It was clear he didn't want to say too much, but that only stirred Gen's curiosity further.
The mission may have been completed, but he still wanted to understand what had happened afterward.
"That person from last night... was he someone Kakashi-sensei knew?"
Kitagawa Gen asked with genuine curiosity.
"It wouldn't hurt to tell me, right? I was the one who discovered him, and I was the one who figured out the intel. I can't be left completely in the dark, can I?"
"And who knows who that guy's real target was. If I run into him again, I should at least know who I'm up against, don't you think?"
"You really are a troublesome brat."
Jiraiya pressed his fingers to his temples. He honestly didn't want to talk about it, but Gen did have a point.
The true purpose of that person's arrival was still unknown, and since Gen had already crossed paths with him, there was no harm in letting him know a few things.
"There are some things I can tell you. But even if I do, you'll have to abide by the ninja confidentiality rules."
After a moment of thought, Jiraiya finally gave a nod. He had made up his mind to share only what could be said.
"This matter involves too many things. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Of course I do."
Gen nodded firmly. He had expected from the start that even if Jiraiya did speak, it wouldn't be the whole truth. That didn't surprise him at all.
"That person last night... he is suspected to be a former comrade of your teacher Kakashi."
At last, Jiraiya began to explain, though even as he opened his mouth, he couldn't hold back a wry smile.
"You really are something. You don't even have any teammates?"
"That's hardly my fault. They were all eliminated. Nothing I could do."
"Forget I said anything. Let's get back to the point."
Jiraiya shook his head and rubbed his brow before continuing.
"Your teacher Kakashi had a teammate. His name was Uchiha Obito. He didn't do very well in school and was often at the bottom of the class."
"But he was kind-hearted and always eager to help others. In the end, when he graduated, he was placed on the same team as Kakashi."
Jiraiya's storytelling was, as always, impressive. After all, he was a masterful writer of novels.
Even if none of his proper novels gained any attention and his wealth came entirely from his more... sensational works, when it came to storytelling, he was still second to none.
Under his narration, a vivid, inspirational tale unfolded before Gen's eyes—a story of the class underachiever who turned into a hero of Konoha, filled with passion and righteousness.
And he told it with remarkable detail, even including the death of Nohara Rin.
Clearly, at that moment, he had assumed the role of "Information Sage Jiraiya," and was laying out all the pieces he could afford to show.
Of course, he also left out a great deal.
For instance, there was no mention of the Fourth Hokage, and Rin's death was brushed off as a tragic accident.
Many things were left vague and ambiguous, yet even so, Kitagawa Gen listened with great interest.
In his opinion, Hiruzen Sarutobi could totally take this story, tweak it slightly, and use it as the perfect tale to spread the "Will of Fire."
"Eh?"
However, as he listened, his eyelid suddenly twitched.
[Acquired Kakashi's Exclusive Side Quest 2]
[Obito in Despair, A Shattered Soul]
[Assist Kakashi in investigating the true situation surrounding Uchiha Obito]
[Do you wish to accept this quest?]
"..."
Gen stared speechlessly at the prompt floating before him. How had simply listening to a story ended up triggering a quest?
Still, the rewards listed for exclusive missions seemed rather generous...
"So that's the general situation. That mysterious man's appearance had a huge impact on Kakashi, and I can completely understand how he must feel."
At last, as they arrived at the small training ground, Jiraiya's tale also came to an end.
He gave a slight shake of his head, a faint sigh rising in his heart. The feeling of regaining something once lost could be wonderful, but if it was anything like his own history with Orochimaru, then the outcome could be far worse than anyone might expect.
"Enough about that. Let me teach you a technique. Take your time to figure it out."
Shaking his head once more, Jiraiya clearly didn't want to dwell on those memories. He raised his right hand, and in the next moment, chakra began to gather steadily in his palm.
Before long, as the chakra swirled faster and faster, a vivid azure sphere spiraled to life in the center of his hand—a Rasengan.
"This is a technique of infinite possibilities. Its creator was the Fourth Hokage."
Staring at the spinning Rasengan in his hand, he turned to Kitagawa Gen with rare seriousness.
"This jutsu doesn't rely on any particular chakra nature. That means any type of chakra can be infused into it, allowing for countless potential evolutions. But that also makes it incredibly difficult to master. Even the Fourth, before his death, hadn't yet completed its full development."
As he mentioned the departed Minato Namikaze, a shadow flickered across Jiraiya's face. His tone fell slightly as he flicked his wrist, causing the Rasengan to disperse into nothingness.
Then, he slapped his own cheeks lightly, as if to shake himself out of his gloom, and managed to bring back his usual cheer before continuing.
"Take your time with this, kid. The Fourth took three years to develop it. Even this great sage needed three months to master it. There's no rush."
With that said, he turned around, apparently ready to leave.
It wasn't that he didn't want to teach—he simply wanted to see for himself just how far this so-called genius, praised even by Kakashi, could go on his own.
If he struggled, then Jiraiya would step in and teach him seriously.
"Jiraiya-sama."
Just then, Kitagawa Gen suddenly called out to him.
As he spoke, he mimicked Jiraiya's earlier movements and extended his right hand.
"You said just now that the one suspected to be Uchiha Obito had feelings for their other teammate?"
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya paused mid-step. He had indeed said something along those lines.
"Yes, are you trying to say that this guy is deliberately targeting people around Kakashi out of revenge? We've considered that. It's possible, but not very likely."
The deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, as well as the attack Kitagawa Gen suffered, all seemed to be carefully targeted acts of retaliation against those close to Kakashi.
But while Kakashi didn't have many people he was close to, he still had friends. For example, Might Guy.
If this mysterious man were truly out for vengeance, then someone like Guy wouldn't have escaped untouched.
The fact that he had managed to breach Konoha's defenses and cause such devastation—it was no longer something as simple as a personal vendetta.
"Besides, why didn't he take Kakashi's Sharingan? Why leave such an obvious clue behind on purpose? Kid, don't overthink it, hmm?!"
Jiraiya chuckled and shook his head. But the very next moment, his entire body froze in place.
Because before his very eyes, a rotating sphere of chakra had begun to form in Gen's palm.
"This…"
"This isn't that hard. My Purple Lightning is the result of pushing chakra shape and nature transformation to their limits. The difficulty with Rasengan lies in balancing the proportions of chakra. You just need to keep trying."
Gen spoke calmly. While maintaining the Rasengan in his hand, he went on.
"As for that Uchiha Obito, I don't think he's acting out of revenge either. To me, he seems more like someone who's been manipulated, shifting all blame onto Konoha."
"Manipulated… and placing the blame on Konoha?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened in disbelief as Gen nodded and continued.
"Yes. He's experienced war before, hasn't he? I may not have gone through one myself, but even just reading about it in books, I can feel how horrifying it must have been. Reality is surely far worse than any words can capture.
Having lived through such horrors, his mindset would already be unstable. If someone came along to manipulate him, and then the person he loved most was hurt, he might very well turn all his hatred toward Konoha.
He could start questioning why Konoha had to wage war in the first place, things like that. So…"
At this point, Kitagawa Gen trailed off.
"Of course, I'm probably just talking nonsense. I've read too many books, and they make war sound so unbearably cruel. Oh, and Lord Jiraiya, please take a look at this."
As he spoke, he concentrated his chakra once more. In the blink of an eye, a brilliant Rasengan bloomed steadily in his hand.
At that moment, Jiraiya was completely stunned.
**
**
[IMAGE]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Chapter End's]
🖤 Night_FrOst/ Patreon 🤍
Visit my Patreon for Early Chapter:
https://www.patreon.com/Night_FrOst
Extra Content Already Available