“There’s one more thing.”

Gen rose to his feet, suddenly pulling out a kunai and tossing it down. The blade struck the earth right in front of Zabuza and Haku.

“Kid, what’s the meaning of this?”

Both Zabuza and Haku looked puzzled at the weapon. Gen only smiled as he spoke.

“When it comes to things like this, the fewer people who know, the better. And since you’re rogue ninja from Kirigakure, it could affect relations between Konoha and Kiri. So…”

“Sorry—but today, only one of you walks away alive. You’ve always dreamed of becoming Mizukage, haven’t you? So you should understand what I’m doing… right?”

“Hey, Gen…”

The scene terrified Sasuke and Naruto, not to mention Tazuna, who had already been cowed by Gen’s threats earlier.

“Quiet. Don’t interfere with Gen. He has his own reasons.”

Kakashi, however, stopped the kids. After years of being around Gen, he knew his character well.

His personality was vile, yes—but he was no villain. Whatever he was doing now, he had his own reasons.

“You—”

Zabuza clenched his teeth hard, but Gen went on without a care. Thɪs chapter is updated by novｅlfire.net

“I remember you once said he was nothing more than a tool. To become Mizukage, is it really so hard to discard a tool when necessary?”

Did I ever say that?

Zabuza wasn’t certain. But it was what he truly thought. Only—

At that moment, Haku smiled.

“Zabuza-sama, if it weren’t for you, I would have frozen to death in the snow more than ten years ago. To be your tool… is my greatest honor.”

“Haku…”

Zabuza whispered, but Haku had already picked up the kunai, placed it into his hand, and slowly guided it toward his own throat.

“As your tool, I am willing to give everything for you, Zabuza-sama!”

A sincere smile spread across Haku’s face. But that very smile made Zabuza’s whole body tremble.

For some reason, he felt his strength deserting him completely, as though something deep within his heart was shattering.

“Gen! What the hell are you doing, bastard?!”

Naruto finally couldn’t hold himself back any longer. If Kakashi hadn’t forced his head down, he would have already charged recklessly forward.

Sasuke and Sakura stayed silent, unable to make sense of it all. Kitagawa Gen, however, paid them no mind whatsoever.

“Farewell, Zabuza-sama. Be sure to see your dream through.”

Haku’s slender hands suddenly pressed down with force, dragging Zabuza’s grip toward his own throat!

And yet—

The kunai didn’t budge an inch.

“Zabuza-sama?”

Haku’s face was filled with shock, but Zabuza pulled his hand free and spoke in a low voice.

“That’s enough. It’s already enough.”

Enough of what, he couldn’t say. But something inside him seemed to have become clear.

Then, his eyes suddenly flared with killing intent as he fixed his gaze on Gen, raising the kunai once more.

“If you want to kill us, don’t dress it up with excuses and reasons. You—”

“You’ve already proven you’re not cut out to be Mizukage.”

Gen, however, only smiled, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke calmly.

“But… have you found what you truly wanted?”

“…Bastard.”

The kunai in Zabuza’s hand trembled. Though it was nothing more than a light blade, in this moment it felt as heavy as a mountain.

“Life holds many meanings. Instead of chasing after fantasies that lead nowhere, maybe it’s better to look at the people right beside you.”

Turning away, Gen strolled toward Kisame, speaking lazily as he went.

“Take care of Gato. As for the rest—we know nothing. Other than thanking nature for its gifts, we can only wish you won’t be as unlucky as you’ve been today.”

“You—”

“And this kunai—keep it. Consider it a kind of witness.”

Zabuza said nothing. He and Haku simply stared at Gen’s retreating back, their hearts a turmoil of feelings.

“Eh? Ehh?”

Naruto finally seemed to catch on. He didn’t really understand, but it felt like Gen had just done something good.

Sasuke and Sakura felt the same. To them, Gen seemed incredibly impressive in this moment. Only Kakashi chuckled softly as he pulled out a copy of Icha-Icha Paradise.

As for Haku and Zabuza, the kids knew little about them—but Kakashi had taken part in the Kirigakure operation two years ago. How could he not know?

“Gen’s always been kindhearted.”

He glanced at the book in his hand, murmuring the words almost without realizing.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot something.”

Just then, Gen suddenly turned his head toward Zabuza.

“If possible… could you wipe out this old man’s whole family for me?”

“Hiss—”

“He deceived us. But he’s still my employer, so I can’t make a move.”

“…”

“And he’s always talking about how pitiful his family is. I’m softhearted—I don’t want them to suffer anymore.”

“…”

“So… could you help me with that?”

“…”

Zabuza and Haku were dumbfounded. Tazuna collapsed to the ground in shock. The three kids were petrified.

Only Kakashi rubbed his forehead helplessly. Some words, it seemed, had been spoken far too soon.

...

“What?! Not only is Uchiha Itachi injured like this, but Kisame’s been captured too?”

The Land of Rain, Akatsuki base.

Black Zetsu stared in disbelief at Obito, who looked thoroughly disgruntled, then glanced again at Uchiha Itachi lying unconscious on the ground, a gash torn across his chest.

At last, he couldn’t hold it in any longer!

Failure? He was used to that.

Years of experience with failure should have taught him to stay calm—but the problem was, they were on the verge of something big, and now this happened.

Was this really acceptable?

“This was Uchiha Itachi’s idiotic idea. I also wanted to use the chance to shift attention onto Sasuke, so…”

Obito’s voice was filled with irritation.

“He said it would only take a minute, but Kitagawa Gen turned out to wield Ice Release. Under the suppression of Flying Thunder God, Kisame didn’t even last a minute.”

Right now, Obito was seething. He had been watching Kisame’s fight closely.

He knew full well this wasn’t because Kisame was weak—it was because he ran into Kitagawa Gen.

The terrifying mobility of Flying Thunder God, combined with Ice Release sealing off Water Release, left Kisame with no room to fight. He was crushed before he could even begin!

And Zabuza had fled too.

For a moment, Obito even wondered if they were simply unfit to recruit new blood.

Biwa Jūzō had been a success, but now Zabuza had failed, and even Kisame was captured!

“Still… there was at least some gain this time.”

With a sigh, Obito continued.

“We obtained some new intel. It seems Orochimaru also intends to stir up trouble during the Chūnin Exams. And Konoha still believes he’s one of ours.”

“Orochimaru? He’s targeting the Chūnin Exams too?”

Black Zetsu, already irritable, was momentarily stunned at the words.

“Konoha’s watching us, then?”

“Not clear. But there’s an opportunity to exploit here.”

Obito’s mind was turning quickly.

“Orochimaru is a rogue from Konoha, and he used to be one of the Sannin. He knows Konoha’s defense systems inside out. Even if they’ve changed, he’s still far more reliable than Uchiha Itachi.”

“You’re saying… use Orochimaru?”

Although Black Zetsu was irritated, he followed Obito’s line of thought.

“Exactly.”

Obito paused for a moment in thought before speaking again.

“And when necessary, we can deal with Orochimaru ourselves. At the very least, that gives us a way to track down Kisame. Especially since staying close to Orochimaru will also help us find Danzō.”

Kisame was his man—there was no way he could leave him abandoned.

“Besides, Orochimaru has countless methods. Making use of him might yield unexpected results.”

“Fine. I’ll investigate Orochimaru thoroughly and lock down his location.”

After a long silence, Black Zetsu finally sighed. At this point, what else could he do?

“And Uchiha Itachi? What do you intend to do with him?”

“Treat him for now. His value hasn’t been drained yet.”

Obito clenched his teeth as he looked at the unconscious Itachi.

“We have to squeeze out every last bit of his worth before anything else. He can’t be allowed to die so easily!”

...

“So… Akatsuki has its eyes on Sasuke now?”

Konoha, inside the Hokage’s office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to Kakashi and Kitagawa Gen’s report with a troubled expression. Rubbing his temples, he asked, “So… they’re suspected of planning something during the Chūnin Exams as well?”

“For now, that seems to be the case. But the details are still unknown.”

Kakashi shook his head, speaking with utmost seriousness.

“Obito denied that Orochimaru was one of them. I can’t be sure if that’s true, but a group like Akatsuki probably wouldn’t operate that way, so…”

“Orochimaru has already left their organization?”

Hiruzen fell into thought. To him, this wasn’t surprising at all.

Orochimaru was an extremely arrogant man. He would never be the type to easily serve under others.

The question was—when had he left?

Would Akatsuki still act in line with him this time?

“Investigate first. It would be best if we could interrogate Kisame and extract something useful. You both did well this time.”

After pondering a moment, Hiruzen let out a sigh. These troubles seemed only to multiply, and his head ached all the more.

He couldn’t help thinking how unlucky Kakashi was—stumbling into Akatsuki on what should have been a simple C-rank mission. It was just like when Kitagawa Gen had gone on his first mission years ago.

Still, no matter what, striking a heavy blow against Akatsuki right before the Chūnin Exams was nothing but good news.

'Except…'

Hiruzen drew in a deep breath. The next instant he slammed the desk, roaring at Kakashi and Kitagawa Gen.

“What’s this nonsense about Gato hiring Akatsuki? Akatsuki was there to recruit Zabuza and the others, wasn’t it?!”

“…”

“And what’s this about Zabuza being moved by compassion, killing Gato, and then kindly refusing to take the money? Thanking nature’s blessings? Don’t make me laugh!”

“…”

“And I heard Zabuza nearly killed your employer as well? That’s outrageous!”

“…”

As Hiruzen’s anger flared, Kitagawa Gen casually dug at his ear, while Kakashi’s face was filled with embarrassment.

“Well, Gato had long entrenched himself in the Land of Waves. He was running smuggling operations and leaving the country’s people in misery. His death may have been for the better.”

“Exactly. And it wasn’t us who did it—it was Zabuza. Not our problem.”

Gen blinked as he chimed in to back up Kakashi, but his words only made Hiruzen more displeased.

“Do you two remember what I told you about the Fourth Raikage incident? Never plot out loud! Gen forgetting is one thing, but Kakashi—have you forgotten too?!”

“…”

“Most of all, how could you let him come running to me with complaints?!”

“…”

Kakashi fell silent, while Kitagawa Gen nodded in agreement.

“Exactly, exactly. That’s what I thought too. But Kakashi-sensei—”

“Quiet!”

Kakashi snapped, pinning Gen down before he could spout more nonsense.

For a moment, he felt like he was the only one acting too normally—and that somehow made him the odd one out.

Was it really his place to shield Naruto and the others from things like this?

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. /TitoVillar

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