Chapter 43: Kakashi's Change
"Another day of work finally over..."
Under the hazy moonlight, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked toward his home after a long day at the office.
Though the day hadn't gone particularly smoothly—thanks to the news Jiraiya brought back, not to mention his usual antics—Hiruzen found himself in a surprisingly good mood. Sometimes, a bit of chaos could lift the spirit.
"That kid, Gen… he really seems promising…"
Thinking of Jiraiya's evaluation, a small smile tugged at Hiruzen's lips. Konoha was in desperate need of new blood. And he, more than anyone, longed to see another "Minato Namikaze" rise.
"I wonder if that boy can learn the Flying Thunder God Technique… Though even if he can't, it's fine."
It wasn't that Hiruzen doubted Gen's talent—it was just that the technique was notoriously difficult. Over the years, many had tried to learn it, but only Minato had succeeded after the Second Hokage.
"With that Purple Lightning of his and enough combat experience, he'll be more than capable…"
Humming a tune to himself, Hiruzen continued his walk—until a subtle signal from the shadows caught his attention.
Looking up, he saw a small figure standing at his gate, holding a large pot and glancing around nervously.
"Naruto?"
He blinked in confusion but quickly signaled the Anbu to fall back. Then, with a gentle smile, he walked over.
"Ah! Grandpa Hokage! I finally found you!"
Naruto lit up at the sight of him and ran over, clutching the pot.
Hiruzen chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair.
"What brings you here so late, Naruto?"
"Well, um…" Naruto lifted the pot and grinned.
"This is for you, Grandpa Hokage!"
"Oh? What is it?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"It's soup! I made it myself. Try it!"
"Soup?"
Hiruzen felt a surprising warmth in his chest. He smiled, though a bit puzzled.
"And what made you think to bring it to me?"
"Well… it was Gen! He said I should respect the elderly and care for the young, so… yeah!"
"Gen, huh?"
At that, Hiruzen's smile widened even more.
The power of setting a good example really couldn't be overstated.
Sure, Gen used to tease Naruto all the time—but the old man knew it wasn't out of malice. That kid had grown up dirt poor, after all. And Naruto clearly didn't mind—if anything, they'd built a real friendship. In hindsight, it might've all been for the better.
"You've grown up, Naruto."
Taking the pot, Hiruzen smiled warmly.
"Thank you. I'll make sure to enjoy your hard work."
"No need to thank me!" Naruto waved it off. But then he paused and frowned slightly.
"Oh right, there's one more thing…"
"Hmm?"
"Gen told me not to give it to you at first. But I ignored him. Then he just said to make sure you really look at it before eating."
"…Look at it?"
Feeling a little uneasy, Hiruzen opened the lid—and his face turned green.
Inside the pot… was a colorful mix of wild mushrooms. Extremely colorful.
"Where did you get these?"
Hiruzen's voice trembled. Naruto tilted his head, still clueless.
"From the forest behind the mountain, of course! There were tons! And they're free too—don't they look tasty?"
"…"
Hiruzen stared at Naruto, then back at the pot. He finally understood: Gen had seen the danger but couldn't talk Naruto out of it—so he just passed the problem up the chain.
That boy might have a kind heart, but Jiraiya was right: there was a bit of mischief in him.
"Grandpa Hokage!"
Naruto's big sparkling eyes looked up at him expectantly.
"Hurry up and taste it! I worked so hard on it…"
For a moment, Hiruzen genuinely considered taking a sip, just to live up to the mood…
---
"What the hell did you do this time?"
The next day, at a training ground in Konoha, Kakashi stared at Gen with his signature dead-fish eyes.
"Don't look at me like that!" Gen threw up his hands.
"You wouldn't believe it—last night, the Hokage called an emergency meeting. Said the Academy needs to improve its education on dangerous flora and fauna. Even kept Jiraiya-sama and me behind to lecture us about being role models. You seriously telling me that had nothing to do with you?"
"…"
Gen scratched his head awkwardly. Okay, maybe it was kinda his fault.
He did casually mention "respecting elders" to Naruto as a joke. But then the kid ran off to "make soup," and no matter how much Gen tried to steer him away, Naruto wouldn't budge.
So really… wasn't this just a failure of the education system?
At least he did tell Naruto to warn the Hokage beforehand...
Still, he didn't expect Hiruzen to make that big a deal out of it.
"Unbelievable…"
Kakashi sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"The Hokage already wasn't happy with the Academy after that graduation debacle. And now you've got the whole village on edge again."
"Hey, hey—don't pin that graduation thing on me!"
Gen protested, though a little guilty. Okay, maybe both events were kinda tied to him.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, let's move on. How are you feeling, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Not bad. I think I've recovered for the most part."
Kakashi nodded, though his hand reached up to touch the forehead protector over his eye.
"It's just… this Sharingan feels strange lately. Probably because of him…"
"Strange?"
Gen narrowed his eyes. That sounded important.
He had a feeling it wasn't just about Obito. Something deeper was stirring. In his memory, it was after Kakashi was hit by Itachi's Tsukuyomi that he began to uncover the true nature of his Sharingan.
Could it be…?
The Mangekyō Sharingan, huh…
Gen muttered to himself. He wasn't particularly interested in stealing it or anything, but having someone around with such power would definitely help when dealing with threats like Obito.
Plus, there might be missions—or rewards—tied to this development.
"Anyway," Kakashi interrupted his thoughts, "you'll be working with Jiraiya-sama for now. But now that I'm back, I'll be joining your training again."
"Great!"
"Oh—and I heard you're applying for the Chūnin Exams?"
"Yeah. I might not have done a ton of missions, but I think I'm ready. My skills are up to par."
"I agree. Honestly, at your age, I think I was already a Jōnin."
"…"
"Don't worry about it. Times have changed. Just keep working hard."
"…"
Watching the crescent-moon smile forming in Kakashi's lone visible eye, Gen was at a loss.
That's not encouraging, sensei. Not even a little.