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"Another day of work finally comes to an end."
Under the hazy moonlight, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked home after finishing the day's duties.
Though the day had been far from smooth—not only because of the news Jiraiya had brought back, but also due to the outrageous things that man had done.
Still, he had to admit, with Jiraiya messing around like this, his mood seemed to have improved quite a bit.
"Especially that boy, Kitagawa Gen… he really does seem promising."
Recalling Jiraiya's praise, Hiruzen couldn't help but smile. Konoha was in desperate need of fresh blood, of young talent rising through the ranks.
And more than anyone, it was he who yearned to see the rise of another 'Minato Namikaze.'
"I just wonder if that child will be able to master the Flying Thunder God Technique. Still, even if he can't, it won't matter too much."
Hiruzen murmured this thought quietly to himself. It wasn't that he looked down on Gen, but the technique itself was simply far too difficult.
Over the years, many had tried to learn it—not just Minato—but only he had succeeded after the Second Hokage.
"With that Purple Lightning of his, and enough real combat experience, he won't be any worse than anyone else."
Humming a little tune to himself, Hiruzen made his way home in good spirits. But as he walked, he noticed an ANBU signal flash subtly from the shadows.
Looking up, he spotted a small figure lurking near his front gate, holding a large pot and glancing around furtively.
"Naruto?"
Hiruzen's brows lifted in mild surprise. Without making a fuss, he waved a hand to dismiss the ANBU and then put on a gentle, grandfatherly smile as he walked forward.
"Ah, Grandpa Hokage, I finally found you!"
Naruto's eyes lit up at the sound of Hiruzen's voice. Grinning broadly, he lifted the heavy pot and ran over. Hiruzen chuckled and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.
"What is it, Naruto? What brings you here so late?"
"Well, umn..."
Naruto lifted the pot and offered it with both hands, his face brimming with pride.
"Here, Grandpa Hokage. This is for you."
"And what's this?" Hiruzen asked, curiosity in his voice. Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile.
"It's soup. I made it myself. I want you to try it."
"Soup, huh?"
Hiruzen felt a sudden warmth stir in his chest. Smiling through the unexpected emotion, he asked softly, "And what made you decide to bring it to me?"
"Well, it was Gen... that guy said I should respect my elders and take care of the young, so..."
"Gen, hmm?"
At Naruto's answer, the smile on Hiruzen's face deepened with genuine affection.
The power of a good example was not to be underestimated!
Though that rascal Gen had once delighted in taking advantage of Naruto's innocence in small ways, Hiruzen had always known the boy was simply very poor.
And since Naruto himself had never minded, and what he had gained in return was genuine friendship, it seemed, in hindsight, that it had all been a blessing.
"You really are growing up."
With that thought in mind, Hiruzen smiled and accepted the pot from Naruto's hands.
"Thank you, Naruto. I'll be sure to savor the fruits of your hard work."
"No need to thank me," Naruto said cheerfully with a shrug. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he suddenly pouted and looked a little annoyed.
"Oh, right. Grandpa Hokage, there's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Well, that bastard Gen told me afterward not to give it to you, but I didn't listen. So he told me to least tell you... make sure you take a good look before saying anything."
Take a good look?
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow in confusion at Naruto's words. He casually lifted the lid of the pot, but the moment he did, his face turned a sickly shade of green.
The pot was filled to the brim with mushrooms of every imaginable color!
"Where... where did you get these?" His voice trembled slightly as he asked the question.
Naruto, completely unaware of any issue, simply shrugged his shoulders.
"The forest behind the mountain, of course. There's a ton of them there. And they're all free too. They look super tasty too, don't they?"
"…"
Hiruzen stared blankly at Naruto before glancing down at the pot in his hands once more. At last, everything made sense.
That rascal Kitagawa Gen must have realized something was wrong, tried to talk Naruto out of it, failed… and simply gave up, dumping the whole mess on him instead.
This boy, while certainly a good person at heart, did have that little streak of mischief, just as Jiraiya had said.
"Hey, Grandpa Hokage."
While Hiruzen was still lost in thought, Naruto blinked his big innocent eyes up at him.
"Come on, try it. I spent a long time making this soup just for you."
For a moment, Hiruzen felt as though even the air around them had become solemn, as if everything were urging him to take a sip.
Was he really going to drink it?
"You little rascal... what kind of mess have you gotten me into now?"
---
The next day, at a training ground within Konoha, Kakashi was giving Kitagawa Gen a long, deadpan stare, his usual dead-fish eyes filled with thinly veiled exasperation.
"Don't look at me like that, come on," Gen said defensively.
"Do you know what happened last night? The Hokage summoned an emergency meeting in the middle of the night just to talk about this. He emphasized that the Academy needs to strengthen awareness education, especially regarding various poisonous substances.
And then he kept both me and Lord Jiraiya behind afterward, lecturing us on the importance of instilling responsibility in our students. Can you honestly say this had nothing to do with you?"
Gen let out an awkward laugh. Truthfully, he couldn't completely deny it. He had only casually joked about respecting elders with Naruto, but that kid took it way too seriously.
Before he knew it, Naruto had started planning how to act on it. Gen had tried to talk him out of it, but it was no use. And honestly, wasn't this just a reflection of the educational gaps in the system?
So in the end, he gave up trying to dissuade Naruto and, to avoid taking the fall himself, he made sure Naruto at least warned Hiruzen before presenting the soup.
What he hadn't anticipated was just how intense Hiruzen's reaction would be...
"You really are something," Kakashi muttered.
Seeing Gen remain silent, Kakashi let out a long sigh and covered his face with one hand.
"The Lord Hokage has already been dissatisfied with certain aspects of the Academy for a while now. Don't you remember what happened during your graduation? You actually attacked your own classmates. And now this. Who knows what kind of chaos you've stirred up again? You're turning the entire village upside down."
"Hey hey hey, Kakashi-sensei. Let's be fair here. You really think that graduation incident was my fault?"
Gen was clearly annoyed, though he also felt a bit guilty. If he was being honest, both incidents did kind of trace back to him.
Shaking his head, he quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, let's not talk about that. Kakashi-sensei, how are you feeling now?"
"I'm doing fine. Shouldn't be any real issues anymore."
Kakashi didn't seem too eager to continue that line of conversation either. He shook his head slightly and then reached up to touch the eye concealed beneath his forehead protector.
"It's just this Sharingan. It's been feeling a bit strange lately. Probably because of that guy..."
Something strange with the Sharingan?
Gen glanced at Kakashi, his expression turning serious. He suspected this might have less to do with Uchiha Obito himself and more to do with the eye finally starting to respond.
If memory served, it was only after being hit with Uchiha Itachi's Tsukuyomi that Kakashi truly began to uncover the secrets of the Sharingan he had inherited.
But now, even if the effect hadn't been as profound, it was entirely possible that the process had simply begun earlier than before.
"Mangekyo Sharingan, huh…"
Gen whispered the thought silently in his mind. He wasn't particularly interested in stealing it or anything, but having someone around with that kind of power would definitely help in dealing with threats like Obito.
Not to mention the potential for completing the associated exclusive missions. Who knew what kind of rewards might come from that?
"Anyway, Lord Jiraiya has been training you during my absence, but now that I'm back, I'll have to catch up and keep pace with your progress."
While Gen was deep in thought, Kakashi shook his head and continued speaking.
"Oh, and I heard you're planning to apply for the Chunin Exams?"
"Yes," Gen replied seriously. "I think I'm ready to give it a shot. I might be lacking in mission count, but I believe I have the skills for it."
"You do, no doubt about that. After all, at your age, I think I had already made Jōnin."
"..."
"Don't worry about it. Times are different now. But you still need to keep working hard."
"..."
Gen stared at the crescent moon arc forming in Kakashi's lone visible eye and found himself utterly speechless.
You know, sometimes, it's better not to say anything at all!
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[Chapter End's]
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