Chapter 9: Phantom Shadows, The Akatsuki Appear
"This mission... is really a pain in the ass..."
A few days later, in a modest inn in the Land of Waves, Kitagawa Gen sat on the edge of the bed, a troubled look on his face.
Kakashi had gone to meet with the client, so Gen naturally stayed behind.
But his eyes were glued to the system panel—more specifically, the newly appeared [Exclusive Mission].
He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
He had accepted the mission, of course. Who wouldn't be curious about the reward from their first-ever exclusive mission?
The only problem was... if his guess was right, the target was none other than Uchiha Obito.
"Sure, the original story path has them cross paths... but that's years from now, isn't it?"
Time was a sensitive topic for him. After all, that so-called "Beginner Reward" had delayed for thirteen years. No matter how generous the prize was, that wait had nearly driven him mad.
"Maybe... I can think of another approach."
He muttered to himself. His hunger for these system rewards had grown far beyond normal levels—this might be the key to unlocking his bloodline potential.
Especially considering his old buddy—Uchiha Obito was practically a treasure trove!
Known as the shinobi world's first "Six Paths Seamstress," Obito had almost nothing on him that was truly his.
Even now, at this point in the timeline, he had plenty of goodies. If Gen could snatch even one, it could speed up his own development by leaps.
"If only I could get my hands on an arm or something... that'd be perfect."
And if he already had an arm... well, what if he dug up a grave or two?
Gen didn't even dare to finish that thought.
"No, no, one step at a time. Let's get some training in first."
Shaking off his spiraling thoughts, he stood up and headed out to practice.
Kakashi had already taught him Chidori on the way to the Land of Waves, which was solid.
But he kept warning Gen—this jutsu required high-speed movement, and without the Sharingan to track counterattacks, it was dangerous to use. One misstep, and it could hurt the user more than the target.
Gen understood.
But from the start, he never intended to use the original Chidori.
His real goal... was Shiden, that trump card used by the Sixth Hokage to wipe out fifty elite Jonin with pure taijutsu mastery.
"This place's not bad."
Strolling down the busy streets, Gen tilted his head, taking in the crowd.
He knew this was one of the better spots in the Land of Waves. Most of the country still resembled the poor village where bridge-builder Tazuna came from—just as he remembered.
As he walked, a certain alleyway caught his eye—bathed in red lights.
"Huh... could this be Jiraiya's Happy Place?"
Gen blinked, feeling a sudden surge of curiosity.
Should he take a look?
Jiraiya was the 'anti-role model' of ninja.
If he wanted to prove Jiraiya was wrong, maybe he needed to experience that 'joy' himself to make a fair judgment...
"Maybe with the Transformation Jutsu... I could sneak in?"
He stroked his chin, still debating it, when suddenly—his expression darkened.
Two powerful chakra signatures appeared faintly in his perception—not close, but not far either.
Thanks to his Ōtsutsuki bloodline, he had some sensory ability, making him extremely sensitive to such presences.
"Who the hell...?"
Playing it cool, he turned casually, sweeping a glance behind him—only to instantly lower his gaze.
But his expression... shifted strangely.
Because he'd seen them—two men in black cloaks with red clouds.
And at that moment, his system flashed again.
---
The Next Day – Land of Waves Assembly Point
"Hey! Finally showing up, huh? What's with you ninja—always so unreliable!"
A group of warriors dressed like farmers frowned at Kakashi and Gen as they arrived just on time. Their leader, visibly annoyed, spoke up again.
"Late, flashy, and expensive—are you even real ninjas?"
"First, yes—we're certified by the Hidden Leaf," Kakashi replied calmly, not at all ruffled by the provocation.
"Second, we're not late. In fact, we're exactly on time for departure. And lastly—if you had more money, you could've hired someone better."
"You—!"
The samurai bristled, but Kakashi just gave a lazy smile and pulled out a book from his pouch.
"Well then, shall we get going? We've got a long way to travel."
"...Hmph. Move out!"
The leader grunted but signaled for the group to depart.
The rest of the men lifted a heavily veiled palanquin, and the entire convoy set off.
"Tch, such a dramatic entrance."
Gen glanced at the covered palanquin. The noble inside hadn't shown their face once.
"And these guys' attitude is seriously annoying."
"Just do the job. We're getting paid—no need to care about their feelings."
Kakashi shrugged, eyeing the guards, then returned to his book.
"Besides, didn't you say you sensed two very dangerous individuals yesterday? If it comes down to a fight, these guys might actually help..."
Gen had filled him in after returning to the inn—though vague on the details, he'd made it clear those two chakra signatures weren't normal.
"Yeah... but I doubt they'll be of much use."
Gen nodded, then shook his head.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you request backup from the village? I don't think we can handle those two alone."
Even with just a glance in the crowd, he knew that red cloud cloak anywhere.
As for who those two were...
Damn it, it doesn't matter who—it's bad news either way.
But the more he thought about it, the more a certain thought nagged at him.
"A palanquin... warriors dressed like farmers... wait a second—isn't this just like the mission Jūzō Biwa took with Itachi?"
And if that was them—
Gen's eyes sharpened. He glanced at Kakashi.
He remembered clearly—Uchiha Itachi had once dropped Kakashi in seconds, mainly because he wasn't familiar with the Mangekyō Sharingan at the time.
That incident… was what pushed Kakashi to develop Kamui three years later.
And if this really was that moment—
Gen's eyes gleamed.
He had to complete this mission. And now... he had a plan.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you," Kakashi said gently, his eye curving into a crescent. "But tell me—how's your lightning chakra coming along?"
"Not bad." Gen smiled, his earlier tension easing.
"But I've run into a few problems. I can't use it like you do, so I'm focusing more on shape and nature transformation..."
As they brought up the rear of the group, the two discussed jutsu as they walked.
With Kakashi's lightning release knowledge and his own Ōtsutsuki bloodline, Gen had already formed a clear picture of what Shiden truly was.
To him, it was similar to the Black Lightning of the Hidden Cloud—an advanced evolution of a single element via shape and nature transformation.
Even Sasuke's Chidori Spear was a variation through shape manipulation. But because Sasuke had the Sharingan, he didn't need to push that path too far.
Kakashi, having lost his Sharingan, had gone all-in.
And in the future, his masterful use of Purple Lightning(Shiden) would confirm Gen's theory completely.
Now Gen's goal was simple—make Kakashi understand his line of thought.
Whether he helped or not didn't matter. What mattered was having someone who understood the technique's origin.
"Interesting idea," Kakashi said, rubbing his chin. "But very difficult.
Even the Third Raikage only managed a rough prototype. If you pull this off, you'll be breaking new ground."
"I've already got some ideas..."
Gen smiled confidently—
—but the moment he spoke, his expression darkened.
And he wasn't the only one.
Kakashi had also looked up, eyes narrowing as he stared ahead.
Just ahead of them—two figures in black cloaks patterned with red clouds stood silently in the path.
"Oh?"
"Two Leaf ninja?"
A deep voice echoed from one of the figures.
And the other added—
"Kakashi-senpai... it's been a while."