In a different part of the forest in the Land of Hot Water—
With a twist in space, Uchiha Obito, Kakuzu, and Hidan emerged simultaneously from the distorted dimension, landing on a flat patch of ground.
"You two aren't dead, are you?"
Uchiha Obito's voice was icy cold. Clearly, he wasn't in a great mood.
And for good reason—he had just witnessed Kakashi awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and use its abilities to counter him.
No matter how he looked at it, the whole thing felt off. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.
To make matters worse, the one he'd been trying to recruit—Kakuzu, said to have once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage—had been utterly humiliated by none other than Kitagawa Gen, the same boy who had once tricked Obito himself.
And as for Hidan, who the Akatsuki was also eyeing for recruitment, he had been thoroughly beaten by Guy—the very same guy who had once kicked Obito in the face.
All of this frustration had piled up inside him, and Obito felt that the mere fact he could still speak without screaming was a sign of impressive restraint.
"I didn't die, but we really took a beating this time," Kakuzu muttered as he staggered to his feet, his body battered and torn. Fortunately, his Earth Grudge Fear technique would allow him to recover in time.
But the real problem was—he had lost four hearts this time!
One had been shattered by that idiot Hidan, but the other three had been taken out by that damn brat in the fight.
This level of loss was no longer just 'painful'—he was on the verge of losing it completely.
"And you," Kakuzu turned with a glare, his tone low and frigid, "didn't you say that brat's most dangerous technique was the Flying Thunder God?"
"Then why the hell does he know Lightning Release: Chakra Mode—and why is it so damn strong?!"
"Lightning Release: Chakra Mode?"
Obito looked confused. Wasn't that a technique exclusive to the Hidden Cloud Village? How could that kid possibly know it?
But then he remembered that signature move of Gen's—the violet lightning. Obito couldn't help but shake his head.
Maybe the brat had developed his own version. After all, he knew just how vicious that violet lightning could be.
"We had no intel on that," Obito replied. "So there was nothing we could have done to help you prepare. But how did you—"
"Hmph. Precisely because we had no intel," Kakuzu interrupted coldly, shaking his head, "I focused all my defenses on guarding against the Flying Thunder God."
"And then the brat broke through with Lightning Release: Chakra Mode. That speed and strength—combined with that violet lightning—left me with no way to respond."
"Next time…"
He felt like the unluckiest man alive. He had centered his entire strategy around countering the Flying Thunder God—and to be fair, that had paid off to some degree.
But in the end, it wasn't the Flying Thunder God that overwhelmed him.
It was the shock of being blitzed by that Chakra Mode that left him open—only then did he lose a heart to the Flying Thunder God.
It wasn't arrogance—if he'd had this intel beforehand, he would've planned differently. Sure, the Flying Thunder God was lethal, but overcommitting to one countermeasure had ended up being even more fatal.
"Damn brat…"
He cursed silently. Whether it was over his lost hearts or Gen's sheer trickiness, even he couldn't tell.
"I didn't die either."
Hidan had also sat up by now, but his face was twisted with frustration.
"That damn kappa bastard! His taijutsu was insane—his speed and strength were completely over the top."
"But he acted like a complete lunatic, shouting about 'youth' this and 'youth' that, and he kept shattering my bones."
"And for some reason, he really enjoyed kicking me in the face. What the hell is wrong with that guy?!"
"…"
Obito didn't say a word, but a rather unpleasant memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Back during one of the academy tests, he had tried to perform a Fire Release jutsu while sucking on a candy. The candy got stuck in his throat mid-jutsu, and he ended up getting kicked square in the face by Guy.
The candy did fly out—but his test was a total failure. He ended up dead last in the rankings, while Guy, the runner-up to last, passed.
"That guy only knows taijutsu," Obito said after a moment, shaking his head to suppress the negativity. "But he also has access to a secret technique called the Eight Gates."
"Going hand-to-hand with him is always a bad idea. Even if he was once the bottom of the class at Konoha, second-to-last for years, you can't underestimate what that man is capable of."
"Tch, so he only specializes in taijutsu, and even has some kind of secret technique—that explains the crazy speed and power. Hmph."
Hidan rubbed his chin and muttered irritably. Then he turned to Uchiha Obito, looking unusually curious.
"You seem to know him pretty well, huh? Even knew he was always second-to-last? That's kind of impressive. So who was the dead-last loser? Was he strong too?"
"…"
Obito was stunned. Was there something wrong with Hidan's brain?
Why was that the thing he chose to focus on?
"Let's head back."
In the end, Obito pretended not to hear him, his voice growing even colder.
"We took a serious hit this time. I expect both of you to report what happened—but I want you to remember one thing."
His exposed Sharingan swept coldly over the two of them.
"What should be said and what should not—I trust you understand. What you choose to do from here is up to you, but personally, I hope you make the right choice."
"Because there's only one correct path. Miss it, and there's no turning back."
As Obito finished speaking, the group fell into a heavy silence.
Kakuzu was visibly irritated. He wanted nothing to do with any of this crap.
This Uchiha bastard kept posturing—who the hell did he think he was?
Coldly lifting his head, he met Obito's gaze. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, Kakuzu spoke first.
"Fine. But I want more money."
"…"
Obito's breath caught—more money?
He suddenly recalled their first meeting, when this guy had looked ready to decapitate him for the bounty. Now he was completely speechless.
"Huh?"
Hidan blinked at the two of them, baffled, then mumbled under his breath, "What the hell are these two lunatics talking about?"
"…"
...
"Alright! We're finally back!"
A few days later, at the gates of Konohagakure—
Guy was supporting a very drained-looking Kakashi, pumping his fist triumphantly.
"Easy there…"
Kakashi, with his ever-lazy dead-fish eyes, mumbled under his breath. Behind them, Kitagawa Gen followed along with several large packs on his back. As he laid eyes on the village before them, he couldn't help but sigh.
"We didn't even get to enjoy the hot springs this time. What a waste."
"Hey, hey! Can you two be serious for a second?"
Kakashi finally couldn't hold it in. Why did both of them act so unreliable?
At this point, he was starting to wonder—was Gen this way because he'd trained with Guy when he was younger?
"But… he's not exactly like Guy either…"
Rubbing his temples, Kakashi eventually said, "Gen, go get some rest. Guy, take me to the Hokage. Our intel should've already been delivered."
"No problem! I'll take you there right away!"
Guy gave a firm nod and a big thumbs-up to Gen. Then, in the very next moment, he bellowed, "I'm going into overdrive—Kakashi, feel the power of YOUTH!"
"Wait—what?!"
Kakashi barely had time to react before Guy hoisted him onto his shoulder and dashed toward the Hokage's office at full speed.
"…"
Gen clearly saw Kakashi's eyes roll back in exasperation. Hopefully he'd survive the ride.
"Oh well… it's not the first time. He'll probably be fine. In the meantime, I've got some new stuff I need to go study."
After several days of rest, Gen had fully recovered—and his reward had been processed as well.
Now it was time to take a proper break, dig into the fruits of this mission, and find an opportunity to talk to Jiraiya.
"Still, this reward… is pretty damn interesting."
As he walked through the village, Gen pulled up his interface.
[Side Quest Completed]
[This Team Can't Function Without Me!]
[Reward: Uchiha Forbidden Jutsu – Six Paths Technique]
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