One day later…
"Wait, what do you mean you haven't figured it out yet, Kakashi-sensei!?"
Early in the morning, in one of Konoha's training fields, Kitagawa Gen stared at Kakashi in utter disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Is it really that surprising?"
Kakashi, sporting his usual dead-fish eyes, scratched his messy white hair, then shrugged.
"Your situation's a bit special. Based on your performance yesterday, there's no way you're starting with a D-rank mission. As for other types of missions… I haven't really decided yet. Don't forget—I just came out of the Anbu."
Kakashi wasn't lying. It was his first time acting as a jōnin sensei since leaving the Anbu, and frankly, he was still getting the hang of it.
What he didn't mention…
Was that he'd gone straight to the Memorial Stone at the crack of dawn, standing vigil there like a sentry, not really thinking about anything else.
Of course, he did have his own agenda.
"Then why not just follow the same path you took back then?"
Kitagawa Gen was eager to make progress, and frowned as he asked the question.
"My circumstances were... unique. We were already at war back then. It's not the same as now.
Kakashi shrugged, but that only made Kitagawa Gen roll his eyes.
"What's the difference? Being a ninja just means taking commissions and cutting people down to earn money for the village, doesn't it?"
"Well... that's not wrong, per se, but it's a bit extreme."
Kakashi's eyelid twitched. Kitagawa Gen remained unfazed, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he continued.
"I overheard some merchants who came into the village saying that there's this rich guy named Gato who's trying to monopolize the trade routes through the Land of Waves. What if we…"
As he spoke, he formed a hand seal, then yanked his arms apart with deliberate force.
"If we take him down, we get his money and make the village richer!"
"..."
Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, he genuinely wondered if he'd been tricked.
Maybe… there was a reason those two kids had nearly drawn blades on each other yesterday.
"No way. That idea is way too extreme! Without a mission assignment, we can't act on our own—got it?"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Kitagawa Gen pursed his lips. He was already wondering whether he could just issue a mission himself, just to get them out of the village.
But unfortunately, he had no money—and missions were recorded. That left him with no choice but to give up for now.
"This kid…"
While Kitagawa Gen was stewing in frustration, Kakashi was equally at a loss. Teaching students was proving to be way more troublesome than he'd imagined.
Sure, this kid did have the Will of Fire in him. Even his money-grabbing schemes were 'for the sake of the village'. But still—he was way too radical.
Kakashi realized he had a long road ahead. He had to straighten this kid out.
"All right, enough with the crazy ideas. Let me teach you something simple first."
"Okay…"
Though a bit disgruntled, Kitagawa Gen nodded.
"From your performance yesterday, it seems you've picked up quite a few Fire and Earth techniques from Guy."
Kakashi rubbed his chin, thinking back to the fight.
"In that case, I'll teach you an Earth Release ninjutsu."
"..."
Wait a second. A ninja from the Land of Fire… teaching Earth Release?
Kitagawa Gen pursed his lips, but at that moment, a system notification popped up in his mind.
[New Side Quest Unlocked]
[Who Is the Real Copy Ninja?]
[Accept Quest?]
"A ninja's life isn't all about fighting and killing. Let's start with a defensive jutsu."
While Kitagawa Gen was still contemplating whether to accept the quest, Kakashi had already continued speaking. His hands began forming seals—slowly, on purpose, so Gen could follow.
After a series of complex hand signs, Kakashi placed both palms on the ground.
"With this jutsu, you'll be able to better protect your comrades. Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
As chakra surged from his body, the ground suddenly trembled—and a thick earthen wall rose up before them.
"Did you get a good look?"
After completing the jutsu, Kakashi stood up, casually pulling a copy of Icha Icha Paradise from his pocket as he spoke offhandedly.
"Study well. The path of a shinobi is a long one—and this jutsu isn't all that hard."
"It really isn't."
Before Kakashi had even finished speaking, Kitagawa Gen nodded and began forming hand seals of his own.
"Thanks for deliberately slowing down the hand signs, Kakashi-sensei. That really helped me follow along, so..."
As he spoke, Gen mimicked Kakashi's movements and pressed both hands against the ground. His chakra surged.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The grass covering the training field quivered!
Under Kakashi's astonished gaze, a wall of earth shot up from the ground—almost the exact same size as the one he had summoned!
"This—"
Kakashi muttered under his breath, but before he could say more, Kitagawa Gen quietly spoke again.
"Also, I think I might be able to make this technique a bit more refined. For example..."
More refined?
Kakashi was still a bit numb, but before he could open his mouth, his eyes widened in surprise.
Because under the flow of chakra, the earthen wall had indeed changed—now, carved into its surface were the faces of the past Hokage?!
This jutsu... can be used like that?
"You already learned it?"
Kakashi stared in disbelief at the wall, then turned to look at Kitagawa Gen.
For a moment, he felt like he was hallucinating.
Sure, he had deliberately slowed down his hand seals, but learning a jutsu wasn't something that could be done just by watching someone perform the seals.
Ninjutsu was a delicate craft. Every technique required ongoing practice and refinement to master properly.
But—
This kid had learned it after watching it once?
Not only did he learn it—he actually created something like that?
And his seal speed was so fast, Kakashi had only looked down to read a book, and it was already done?
What kind of joke was this!?
"Well, I've come across this jutsu before, so…"
Kitagawa Gen answered modestly. In truth, he barely remembered the hand seals—but he could feel the chakra fluctuations of the technique.
The Ōtsutsuki bloodline had given him an incredible affinity for, and control over, chakra—beyond what anyone would consider normal.
After all, the practice of hand seals had been devised by the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan, as a way for people to better manipulate chakra.
Once a shinobi reached the level of someone like Senju Hashirama, all it took was a simple hand gesture, and he could summon any jutsu he wanted.
Kitagawa Gen wasn't trying to compare himself to someone like that—but that didn't mean he couldn't do it. The difference was only in raw power.
As for those statues?
Since Kakashi's Earth-Style Wall didn't feature the usual dog head motif… then why not carve the Hokage faces into it instead?
Wouldn't that just show how much he loved the village?
No one understands the love for Konoha better than me!
"I see…"
Kakashi gave a hesitant nod. He didn't remember Guy ever mentioning something like this.
"Looks like your situation is even better—more exceptional—than I thought."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Kitagawa Gen gave a sincere, wholesome smile.
"Guy-sensei said something similar. He originally planned to train me himself… but unfortunately, his application wasn't approved this year."
"…"
Kakashi's signature dead-fish eyes returned. So I'm just the backup?
Still, he had to admit—if this kid had ended up with Guy, it would've been a bit of a waste.
Sure, Guy was excellent and could definitely help the boy grow—but he was better suited to teaching taijutsu.
'So maybe… having him with me is the best option?'
For some reason, that thought popped into Kakashi's mind.
Especially since the boy clearly resonated with what Obito had once said—something that made Kakashi feel a deep warmth.
With that in mind, Kakashi's expression grew slightly more serious.
"In that case, let's test your true ability."
"Eh? But didn't we already—yesterday…"
Kitagawa Gen froze mid-sentence—but before he could finish, Kakashi had already made his move!
In a flash, Kakashi appeared behind him, his hand formed into a blade, striking toward the boy's neck.
Even as he attacked, Kakashi found the time to explain: "Yesterday's test was for your whole team. But now that the team is disbanded—missing two members—the situation has changed. That's why I was torn. So… let me see your limits."
[Whoosh—]
As the knife-hand fell, Kitagawa Gen vanished!
'This kid's Body Flicker Technique really is fast.'
Even though he'd already experienced it once, Kakashi couldn't help but marvel again.
With this kind of speed, he shouldn't have much trouble escaping danger in the field.
"Tch."
Kitagawa Gen crouched on top of the Earth-Style Wall, staring down at Kakashi's position. In the blink of an eye, several kunai appeared in his hand—and he flung them toward Kakashi.
"Not very accurate."
Kakashi easily leapt away, dodging the blades.
But then he noticed—Kitagawa Gen was already hurling another four kunai.
And this time, his aim was dead-on—targeting Kakashi's vital spots. That made Kakashi raise an eyebrow.
More than that, he noticed the boy had already completed a hand seal.
In the next instant, six mid-sized fireballs burst from his mouth—hurtling toward Kakashi in sync with the kunai!
"This is…"
Four kunai, combined with six fireballs—it looked like a complete encirclement. But Kakashi quickly found a path to escape.
The problem, though, was that this escape route ran right through the location of those earlier kunai. And now he could see it—thin, almost invisible steel wires were attached to them!