The great battle in the Land of Hot Water—Black Zetsu had indeed been watching from the shadows all along.
At first, he hadn't thought much of this battle. After all, regardless of the outcome, it wouldn't have had a major impact.
But something that happened during this fight had shaken him so much, he still hadn't recovered from the shock!
"What the hell happened…? Why is that kid's aura becoming more and more familiar… and even—"
As the fight progressed, Kakashi activating the Mangekyō Sharingan caught him off guard, but it wasn't entirely unexpected.
After all, the Mangekyō is inherently linked. Given how close they were at the time, it wasn't strange for the resonance between the two to trigger a change in the other eye.
Besides, Kakashi had gone through significant emotional strain—it wasn't surprising he awakened it.
The real problem was that Kitagawa Gen also unleashed something different during this battle—something that even made him tremble.
He'd always been able to sense it—a strange aura on Gen, both familiar and foreign—but he couldn't quite identify it.
But this time, he'd felt it more directly and clearly than ever before.
Even though it didn't last long, the shock of it triggered an absurd thought in his mind:
"Why… why does it feel a bit like… Mother's presence?"
Black Zetsu shivered. He felt the idea was utterly ridiculous—but that aura had been inexplicably uncanny.
Even someone like him, a monster who had lived for over a thousand years, was left confused and at a loss.
"Hey, Blacky, what's wrong with you today?"
As Black Zetsu fell deep into thought, White Zetsu's voice suddenly rang out, snapping him back to reality.
The first thing he did was glance around—and only then did he realize Uchiha Obito had vanished. He let out a silent breath of relief.
"Just thinking about some things."
Under Black Zetsu's control, the entire Venus flytrap structure sank back underground. He spoke again, now regaining his composure.
"That brat… there's something off about him. The power within him is strange."
"Strange?"
White Zetsu didn't quite get it. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
"Hmm… well, yeah, I guess it is kind of strange. That brat seems pretty strong, actually. Even Obito wasn't this strong at his age."
"…"
Could you not bring up Uchiha Obito every time?
Black Zetsu felt a little irritated, but after a pause, he continued.
"Either way, we need to understand this kid better. Send some of your other clones to investigate—but make sure you don't spook him."
"Okay."
White Zetsu nodded. Black Zetsu, as the 'will of Uchiha Madara,' had higher authority over him. But still, White Zetsu couldn't help but ask curiously: "Should we tell Obito? He did ask me to go steal something, you know."
"…Not for now."
Black Zetsu cursed the white idiot silently—couldn't he tell what was important and what wasn't?
'But maybe… maybe I'm just being overly sensitive. That brat is unusual, but probably not that ridiculous.'
He muttered to himself.
His mother—the originator of chakra—had scattered its seeds throughout this world.
And the power of her bloodline had been passed down through her 'unfilial sons', Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura. That's how today's shinobi world, so vibrant and full of life, came to be.
'Could it be… that brat's ancestors were just way too 'mixed-blooded,' and that's why he ended up like this?'
The idea surfaced in his mind—but even then, Black Zetsu still felt it was far-fetched.
Still, now that things had reached this point, he had to investigate. Only then could he feel at ease.
'Most likely… it's not what I'm imagining…'
...
"...Kakashi, are you alright?"
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was listening to Kakashi and Guy's mission report, cross-referencing it with the intel the two had brought back earlier.
But then, his peripheral vision caught sight of Kakashi—and he couldn't help but ask in a lowered voice.
Kakashi had looked completely drained ever since he entered the office, which made Hiruzen suspect whether this might be a side effect of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
He had received word of it days ago—and to be honest, he was still quite pleased about it.
Naturally, the best way to counter a Sharingan… is with another Sharingan—especially since Kakashi's Sharingan came from Uchiha Obito!
Sharing the same origin and essence, they could neutralize each other more effectively.
However—
Was the backlash really this bad?
"I'm fine, Hokage-sama."
Kakashi couldn't help but glance at Guy out of the corner of his eye before responding weakly.
"I just overexerted myself. I'll probably need some proper rest for a while."
"I understand. That eye of yours is certainly not ordinary."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then decided to wrap up the meeting quickly. He continued: "This mission was a great success. Both for you personally, and for the intelligence we've gained on that mysterious organization. You've both worked hard."
Now that they had valuable intel on a key member, they could plan their response more effectively.
The only pity was that they still had no idea what the organization's true objective was.
Uchiha Obito had vaguely mentioned something, but Kitagawa Gen's interpretation of it was bone-chilling. They needed more information.
"We were just doing our duty," Kakashi and Guy replied modestly, almost in unison.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then asked, "By the way—Gen, is he alright? According to the report, his opponent wasn't ordinary. Someone with multiple hearts and overwhelming strength. Did he act recklessly again?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Guy as if to say, what exactly are you teaching this kid?
"He was a bit reckless, yes. But he was lucky this time—he got through it without any serious consequences."
Kakashi answered truthfully, and also sighed with some emotion.
"But it was Gen's fight that really turned the tide. The moment I first activated that eye's power, I was already close to collapsing."
"If he hadn't escalated his battle with that enemy and caused that massive explosion, things probably wouldn't have ended so easily."
"He was reckless, yeah—but he was also amazing," Guy added, seemingly unaware of the subtle glances exchanged a moment ago. He thought for a moment, then continued: "Still, I think someone needs to talk to him. Gen may usually be obedient, but once someone tastes that kind of power… it's not easy to let go."
"Agreed. I suggest we ask Jiraiya-sama to speak with him as well."
Kakashi nodded.
"Gen's basically trained and operated under the three of us. And he's done missions with Jiraiya-sama too—they've got a close relationship."
"If Jiraiya-sama also advises him, I think the result would be much more effective."
"Jiraiya, huh…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't respond right away. He sat there, reflecting on everything.
Kitagawa Gen's performance had been outstanding—and frankly, it didn't surprise him anymore.
Compared to two other kids who had shaken the shinobi world at the age of thirteen or fourteen, Gen still looked almost refined in comparison.
The enemy was powerful, sure—but some prodigies were simply impossible to quantify. And the abilities Gen had already mastered were formidable. So his over-the-top performance wasn't that shocking.
'In fact, the better he performs, the brighter Konoha's future will be!'
With that thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen made up his mind. Getting Jiraiya to talk to him? That was easy enough.
But he wasn't planning on stopping there—he hoped Jiraiya would do even more.
He knew his student's capabilities well. Sage Mode was Jiraiya's ultimate trump card.
Jiraiya had once taught it to Namikaze Minato, too—even though Minato later told him it didn't quite suit his chakra nature or combat style.
Still, he'd managed to learn it.
"So… could Gen learn it too?"
Gen already knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, but didn't rely on it excessively. He had also mastered Kakashi's kenjutsu, and his chakra reserves were exceptionally strong.
He might actually be able to bring out even more from Sage Mode.
'It's just… the first step doesn't seem to be going well, does it?'
Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled Jiraiya once complaining that Gen didn't seem to like toads at all—not even willing to sign the summoning contract.
'That's a bit troublesome.'
Still, no matter what, it was worth trying. At the same time, he also decided to dig through the old records left behind by the First and Second Hokage.
If he remembered correctly, the First Hokage had also mastered Sage Mode.
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