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

As Danzō stirred up trouble in the shadows and Orochimaru prepared to move, over in Konohagakure, Kitagawa Gen was reluctantly standing at the main gate, watching a certain blond-headed troublemaker take off.

"Kitagawa Gen! You better listen up, yeah! I will be back!"

Deidara stood atop a massive white clay bird, waving energetically at Kitagawa Gen as he shouted.

Only after being rushed by Kitsuchi did he take off, riding the bird into the sky and away from Konoha.

"Finally, he's gone."

Watching the bird streak across the sky like a shooting star, Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but mutter quietly.

Next to him, Jiraiya let out a chuckle.

"Still, thanks to that kid, a lot of things became simpler. We confirmed quite a few details."

"True. But it's a shame Iwagakure doesn't know much about the Akatsuki. What they do know isn't all that useful."

Kakashi nodded beside him. At the very least, they finally had a name for the mysterious organization they'd been tracking.

Akatsuki—a group active near the borders of Iwagakure, taking on war-related and black-market missions across various regions.

Its members were exceptionally powerful, and every one of them was shrouded in mystery.

They carried out missions with ruthless efficiency—no matter how difficult the task, they would complete it.

A group like that wasn't easy to investigate deeply.

"But at least they've lost one client, right?"

Kitagawa Gen thought for a moment before speaking.

"And with what happened with Deidara, I doubt Iwagakure will let them off easily."

"That's true. We've also managed to narrow down their general area of activity."

Jiraiya propped one elbow with his hand, the other resting against his chin in thought.

"Most likely, it's in the surrounding small nations. But there are just too many of them near Iwagakure—it's difficult to pinpoint anything."

"Right. The Land of Hot Water, the Land of Grass, the Land of Rain, the Land of Birds, the Land of Bears, and the Land of Demons… the range is way too broad."

Kakashi frowned beside them.

"But the Land of Rain has Hanzo of the Salamander, and the Land of Waterfalls has the Seven-Tails. They probably wouldn't dare mess around in those places, would they?"

You just ruled out the correct answer...

Kitagawa Gen let out a dry laugh, but he also understood that Kakashi's line of reasoning was sound.

The reason the Akatsuki had managed to stay hidden for so long was largely because of Hanzo of the Salamander's fearsome reputation.

Not just anyone could claim the title of 'Demi-God', after all. And Amegakure was so tightly sealed off that outsiders had no way of getting in to investigate, making it nearly impossible to gather intel from within.

"Forget it, let's not worry about them for now."

Jiraiya gave his face a few light slaps. Although he was anxious, he understood the importance of solid intelligence. It was better to wait until they had more information before making a move.

Besides, this wasn't a solo mission—there was no way the Third Hokage would let him act alone.

"Let's take care of what we came here to do first. That old man agrees that finding Tsunade is crucial."

"She probably won't agree so easily, but it's worth a shot. And honestly, we've been tense for so long—we need to loosen up a bit."

"So let's treat this mission as a vacation. This sage will take you all on a proper trip!"

"Really?!"

Kitagawa Gen's eyes lit up at once, his face breaking into a wide grin.

He didn't have any sinister motives. He just wanted to become the 'Emperor of the Bathhouse'—but surely they wouldn't keep him from soaking in a hot spring, right?

"Really. But whether they actually let you in… well, that's out of my hands."

Jiraiya threw Kakashi a mischievous look as the latter rolled his eyes.

"If you get turned away, there's nothing I can do. Rules are rules, after all."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

Kitagawa Gen nodded, then turned his gaze toward Kakashi.

"Relax. My Transformation Jutsu isn't half bad—even Uchiha Obito couldn't see through it. I'll just transform into Kakashi-sensei when the time comes."

"?!"

"And if that doesn't work, I'll turn into Fourth Hokage. I mean, I do know the Flying Thunder God Technique, after all."

"…"

With just two sentences, Kitagawa Gen rendered them both speechless.

They exchanged glances, only to find mutual blame in each other's eyes—each seemingly accusing the other of failing to raise this kid properly.

After a long pause, Jiraiya suddenly spoke in a drawn-out, wistful tone.

"Gen, here's a piece of advice… why not just transform into the old man?"

"?!"

Kitagawa Gen and Kakashi's eyes widened in unison, staring at Jiraiya in disbelief. But Jiraiya continued at his own pace.

"He wouldn't know anyway. And it's not like he'd blame you for it."

"…"

...

The moonlight was hazy, casting a ghostly glow over a dilapidated house in a small border town called Sugi Village.

Inside, the Fourth Raikage wore a thunderous expression. His fists clenched unconsciously just thinking about the events of the day.

"We actually walked into a trap…"

This time, they had left Kumogakure with a very clear objective: to seize the secret technique of Sugi Village.

When it came to things they lacked, the shinobi of Kumogakure had always favored the simplest solution—taking them by force.

It didn't matter if the target was some minor nation or a reclusive ninja clan. Even a place like Konohagakure wasn't off-limits.

Two decades ago, they'd had the audacity to kidnap the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, just to obtain Konoha's sealing techniques.

They ultimately failed—but at least it had taken the future Fourth Hokage to stop them.

And just a few years back, they'd made another bold move, trying to steal the Byakugan while Konoha was at its weakest.

Even though they were thwarted again, Kumogakure had never felt any shame about stealing.

This time was no different—except now, things had gotten messy.

"Nokizaru Group…"

It seemed Sugi Village had anticipated their move and hired the Nokizaru Group for protection.

And sure enough, they were caught off guard and ended up falling right into their counterattack.

"Nigai was blown to pieces on the spot. Karai got hit by one of their signature jutsu—Exploding Insects. What a disaster…"

Watching Amai work urgently to treat Karai's wounds, the Fourth Raikage couldn't help but shake his head.

The mission was technically a success, but at the cost of potentially losing two subordinates. That alone made him seethe.

"…Is there anything you can do?"

After a moment of silence, he stepped forward and asked in a low voice. "I'm sorry, Raikage-sama. With my medical ninjutsu, I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do."

Amai's face was tense with frustration. Seeing the Raikage's expression grow even darker, he hesitated for a beat—then spoke quietly.

"But… there might be someone who can save him. And she happens to be in a nearby town."

"Speak. Who is it?!"

The Fourth Raikage's eyes lit up instantly, but the name Amai gave made his face shift again.

"Tsunade-sama of Konohagakure. There isn't a single medical ninja in the world who can rival her. If we were to beg her…"

Tsunade, huh?

The Fourth Raikage didn't even blink at Amai calling her 'Tsunade-sama'. When it came to medical ninja, it didn't matter what village they were from—everyone addressed her that way.

She had, after all, laid the foundation of the entire medical ninjutsu system. Every village had benefited from that. It was a universally acknowledged truth in the shinobi world.

But when it came to Tsunade—

"Don't be naive, Amai."

Karai raised his head with a look of irritation.

"And stop calling shinobi from other villages 'sama'. Konoha and Kumogakure don't have a good relationship. Why would someone from Konoha save me?"

"But you—"

"Even if she was willing to help, I still wouldn't—"

As the two subordinates began to argue, the Fourth Raikage grew visibly annoyed. He, too, was torn about what to do.

But as he thought it over, a memory suddenly surfaced—of his old man, who once held back ten thousand Iwagakure troops alone to protect his subordinates.

In that instant, his brow furrowed in determination.

'Hmph. Old man… if you could do it, then so can I...'

Ignoring the quarrel behind him, he lifted his gaze toward the outside.

He had made up his mind.

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