I’m Not Naruto, But I Got a Better Bloodline

"Jiraiya-sama, how are you doing?"

Perhaps trying to steer the conversation away from his own condition, Kakashi turned to Jiraiya, who had been silent this whole time.

"You've seemed a bit... off during the trip."

"Yeah... I ran into something strange."

Jiraiya hadn't planned on speaking—but in the end, he sighed and gave in.

"The old man once told me that when the Fourth Mizukage was under mind control, he encountered Uchiha Obito... and two other figures. One had orange hair. The other, blue."

"Just now, I think we saw the one with orange hair. He's the one who blocked Ōnoki's attack."

Kitagawa Gen interjected at just the right moment—exactly what he'd been waiting for.

After all, he'd spent quite a while trying to figure out how to complete that special mission of his. It wasn't like he could just follow Jiraiya straight into Amegakure.

Especially since, if he remembered correctly, both Nagato and Konan had shown up when Deidara joined the organization.

So why not take the risk now?

Worst case scenario, he could always leak a few critical bits of information to Jiraiya later on. Especially now that Sasori had already deployed the puppet of the Third Kazekage.

A puppet that had once triggered the Third Great Ninja War...

Add to that a few well-placed 'nudges' from himself, and things should play out just fine.

Thankfully, Nagato and the others had indeed shown up. And with the preparations he'd made in advance, he'd not only ensured a clean escape—he'd also made sure Jiraiya saw exactly what he needed to see.

'This intel is more than enough. Although... it seems I've picked up another title?'

The thought made Gen want to laugh. One mission out, and somehow he'd ended up with two different 'titles' out of nowhere.

Still, no matter how you looked at it—it had all gone surprisingly well.

"Yeah... it was him."

While Gen was lost in his thoughts, Jiraiya sighed and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"When I saw him, I really couldn't believe it. Because I distinctly remember him being dead. But the moment I saw the other person... I realized things might be even worse than I thought."

"Who… are they?"

Though still exhausted, Kakashi couldn't help but lift his head and ask. Jiraiya paused for a moment, deep in thought, before finally shaking his head.

"There are still too many unanswered questions. We'll talk once we get back."

The moment those words left his mouth, both Kitagawa Gen and Kakashi shot him suspicious looks.

Jiraiya looked visibly strained.

"Come on, I'm not going to do anything reckless. It's just—if all of this turns out to be true, we're in serious trouble."

After all… this involved the Rinnegan!

But why—why were those eyes in Yahiko's body?

"Yosh!"

Just as Jiraiya was getting tangled in his thoughts, a voice suddenly echoed from the sky, putting everyone instantly on alert.

The next second, a bird made of clay swooped down, landing right in front of them with complete lack of subtlety or caution.

A blond-haired youth leapt off the bird with a wide grin, then pointed dramatically at Kitagawa Gen.

"Finally found you! Especially you—the one who shares my sense of art! Mm!"

"???"

Where the hell did this lunatic come from?

...

"So, you're telling me… you brought back Ōnoki's disciple?"

In Konohagakure, Hiruzen looked at a battered Kakashi, a nonchalant Jiraiya, and a visibly exasperated Kitagawa Gen. He couldn't help but rub the bridge of his nose.

This mission had indeed been an urgent one—he had mentally prepared for the worst.

Especially considering it took place in the Land of Earth, Ōnoki's domain.

All he had hoped for was that they wouldn't stir up any major trouble and would come back with some useful intel.

For a whole month, he had been waiting, occasionally checking in with Danzō to see if there was any word.

But all in vain—he hadn't gotten a single useful update. That was, until just a few days ago, when a piece of explosive news had arrived: "A massive explosion occurred on the Iwagakure border. Suspected involvement of Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki. The area has since been sealed off."

Reading that report had sent a jolt through Hiruzen's heart.

Was it possible that Gen and his team had been ambushed? Or had they clashed with that mysterious organization and drawn Ōnoki's attention?

After several anxious days, the team finally returned—though with one extra member.

"This isn't on us. That brat insisted on coming along, and we just couldn't shake him off."

Jiraiya sounded frustrated. Scratching his head, he spoke with a helpless sigh.

"That kid kept going on about how he and Gen shared the same kind of 'art.' No matter what we said, he wouldn't back down. But I've got to admit, his jutsu is something else—it even let us fly, so..."

As he spoke, both Jiraiya and Gen turned to look at Kakashi at the same time—causing Kakashi's eyes to widen in alarm.

"Wait, I can explain—"

"Enough. Let's not dwell on that."

Hiruzen glanced at Kakashi as well, then nodded knowingly and cut him off.

Judging by Kakashi's condition, he'd likely be heading back to the hospital again soon. This clearly wasn't sustainable.

He was already considering whether it might be time to bring Tsunade back to deal with Kakashi's recurring situation.

"But at least this mission can be considered a success. We've gathered quite a bit of valuable intelligence."

He shook his head and continued in a serious tone.

"That organization includes not only Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi, and Hoshigaki Kisame, but also a mysterious bounty hunter and a fanatical cultist like Hidan.

And now we know something even more alarming—someone in that group managed to kill the Third Kazekage, and one of them can even counter Ōnoki's Dust Release. That's terrifying."

"It's truly extraordinary," Jiraiya nodded, his expression grave.

"With so many dangerous individuals teaming up—and considering Obito once spoke about reshaping the world... I fear what they might be planning."

"Mm, it's far too dangerous."

Hiruzen furrowed his brows. This situation was proving extremely difficult to handle, fraught with complications.

You couldn't underestimate this kind of organization. Once they went into hiding, capturing any of them became almost impossible.

Especially considering how powerful each of them was—if they split up and launched coordinated attacks, any village would be in serious trouble.

What's worse, they had Mangekyō Sharingan users like Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi among their ranks. Just one genjutsu from them could potentially enslave an entire group. The bloodshed at Kirigakure might repeat itself!

"Send a message to Sunagakure," Hiruzen said slowly, holding his pipe between his lips. "Tell them we've found someone who might be responsible for the murder of the Third Kazekage."

"And another thing—Ōnoki sent a message too. Seems like he's testing the waters. I think we should respond. What do you two think?"

"You've already made up your mind, old man."

Jiraiya tilted his mouth into a crooked smirk and muttered under his breath.

"I mean, Ōnoki's student is here with us. What else are we supposed to do—kill the kid?"

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Kitagawa Gen suddenly chimed in.

"That kid's completely nuts, and he's done his share of terrifying missions. Kill him and act like nothing ever happened."

"No way!"

Before the words had even finished leaving his mouth, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Hiruzen all shouted at once. Their eyes were wide as they stared at Gen.

"That kid absolutely cannot be killed, Gen. Don't even joke about that. He might be the only bridge we have to communicate with Ōnoki. Understand?"

"I was just kidding," Gen replied with a shrug.

He wasn't stupid—of course he knew Deidara's value. He was just going along with Jiraiya's sarcasm.

Besides, that blond kid was kind of amusing.

"Gen, you can go for now," Hiruzen said, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Deidara came back with you, so keep an eye on him."

"And listen—I know you were joking, but don't say things like that again. Especially don't learn from Jiraiya. Your words and actions must be careful and deliberate."

"Yeah, yeah."

Gen nodded with a slightly odd expression, then finally said, "Understood. I'll take my leave."

"Go on."

Hiruzen forced a smile. Once the door shut behind Gen, he waited a few extra seconds before suddenly slamming the desk and rising to his feet.

"Jiraiya, Kakashi—this is a complete failure in your teaching!"

"…"

"Didn't I just tell you two to focus on nurturing his sense of responsibility? What exactly have you done?"

"…"

Jiraiya scratched his ear. Kakashi's face was full of embarrassment—he really didn't know how to explain himself this time.

Well, he couldn't exactly tell the Third Hokage that Jiraiya had been a massive influence on Kitagawa Gen, could he?

"I'll do my best."

"I'll help Kakashi guide that kid as much as I can," Jiraiya added, completely unfazed, with a casual wave of his hand.

"Oh, right, old man—there's one more piece of intel I think I need to tell you. And for now, it's better if this doesn't go public."

"Oh?" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Jiraiya's suddenly serious expression and immediately understood that this was something grave.

"Go ahead—what information?"

"I didn't want to mention this in front of Gen. It's just… too cruel. Although, eventually, he'll find out."

Jiraiya gave a bitter smile, then sighed deeply before speaking in a low voice.

"Remember those two people mentioned in the intel from the Fourth Mizukage? The ones he saw?"

"I remember. A man with orange hair, and a woman with blue hair."

"Yeah… it's highly likely they're my former students."

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