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The days that followed were anything but easy.
Only, it wasn't Kitagawa Gen who found them difficult—it was Kakashi.
This time, Kakashi had planned for a longer outing. His idea was to train Kitagawa Gen while simultaneously having him carry out missions.
But as their journey went on, he was increasingly surprised to find that things were going far more smoothly than he had anticipated.
This wasn't what he had expected at all. What about the promised hardship and tempering?
To be fair, Kitagawa Gen did cause a few laughable mishaps in the beginning due to his lack of experience.
However, he adapted with remarkable speed. And before long, he was performing with surprising competence, which already came as a pleasant shock to Kakashi.
Yet what began as pleasant surprise soon morphed into something closer to alarm once Kakashi started guiding him in actual training.
He discovered, to his disbelief, that Kitagawa Gen had an incredibly solid foundation and an almost frighteningly natural talent.
More often than not, all Kakashi had to do was demonstrate the hand seals required for a technique and explain how chakra should circulate through the body while using it. After that, Kitagawa Gen could pick it up and master it on his own through a mix of practice and intuition.
And once he had learned it, his execution was no less refined than that of those who had spent years in rigorous training.
Even in taijutsu, he showed the same terrifying gift. Kakashi's sword techniques, even when simplified and demonstrated using only a kunai, were somehow absorbed and understood by the boy.
After some time, Kakashi finally began to understand what his own mentors must have felt all those years ago.
So this was what it felt like… to teach a genius.
What's more, this boy was even more excessive than he had been back then. Not only did he learn quickly, he was brimming with ideas of his own.
No matter what technique he encountered, he always seemed intent on modifying it—be it the technique itself or the sequence of hand seals used to invoke it.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
After a clearly abbreviated set of hand seals, Kitagawa Gen unleashed a massive ball of flame from his mouth.
The fireball roared as it tore through the air, streaking toward a bandit encampment in the distance.
In the blink of an eye, the encampment was engulfed in a sea of fire.
The bandits within never even had time to scream. Their bodies were reduced to ashes in an instant, consumed by the blazing inferno.
"Kakashi-sensei, the mission is complete."
Gen turned his head to glance at the silent figure beside him.
"Based on my scouting, all thirteen bandits were present in the camp. There were no hostages, so there shouldn't be any collateral damage. Barring any unexpected developments, the target has been entirely eliminated."
"Hmm."
Kakashi nodded numbly, then offered a mechanical word of praise.
"Well done. Your progress has far exceeded my expectations."
He had lost count of how many times he had uttered such lines by now. He was honestly getting tired of hearing himself say them.
At this point, he was beginning to realize that teaching a genius was not necessarily a joyful experience. The student advanced so quickly that the teacher might soon find himself with nothing left to teach.
"Kakashi-sensei, I think we've already completed most of our C-rank missions. Shouldn't we start preparing for the B-rank one?"
Kitagawa Gen blinked as he looked over, his tone curious.
"I remember it had something to do with a noble from the Land of Waves. For some unknown reason, he's had a high bounty placed on him in the black market, so we might encounter enemy shinobi."
"Hmm."
When it came to mission details, Kakashi's attention immediately sharpened.
"That mission does pose certain complications. His bounty on the black market isn't exactly low, which means we might indeed run into some formidable opponents."
"Huh?"
Kitagawa Gen blinked in surprise. If that was the case, then this mission sounded rather dangerous.
"Why is this only a B-rank mission then?"
"Because as a noble, he has personal bodyguards—samurai who can use chakra. These men probably won't take kindly to having other shinobi involved."
Kakashi shrugged casually as he offered the explanation.
"With that kind of protection, the mission's difficulty rating goes down. Also, the pay isn't great. All in all, it only qualifies as B-rank."
"I see…"
Kitagawa Gen nodded slowly, though in his heart he couldn't help but mutter to himself. So that was the kind of mission it was.
Low pay, vague details, and bodyguards who don't particularly like outsiders.
Any other shinobi would likely avoid taking such a job, but as a training opportunity for someone like him, it seemed reasonably fitting.
Fortunately, Gen wasn't the type to be bothered by that. He blinked and turned his gaze toward Kakashi once more.
"Kakashi-sensei, even if this mission doesn't seem all that complicated, it's still a B-rank, right? So…"
(¬_¬")
Kakashi raised an eyebrow the moment he heard that tone. He had heard this kind of preamble far too many times already on this journey.
"What is it you want to learn now?"
"I heard from Gai-sensei that Kakashi-sensei's greatest strength lies in Lightning Style."
Kitagawa Gen rubbed his chin thoughtfully before speaking up again. He'd been wanting to "whitewash" Lightning Style in his training for a while, especially so he could properly try out Purple Lightning.
"After all, that's your signature technique. And I did test positive for lightning chakra nature earlier, didn't I?"
"So I figured, while we're on our way to the rendezvous point in the Land of Waves, maybe you could teach me a bit?"
"But this isn't really suited to you…"
"I know. Gai-sensei mentioned that Kakashi-sensei's Lightning Style is meant to be used in combination with the Sharingan. Still, I'd like to give it a try."
"…"
"Kakashi-sensei, surely you wouldn't want your one and only student to be completely ignorant of your signature techniques, would you?"
(・_・;)
***
"Verification complete. Mission accomplished. Here is your payment."
"Mm."
In the shadowy depths of an underground exchange in the Land of Hot Water, two figures cloaked in black, marked with red clouds, accepted the cash from the administrator.
Without a word, they casually accepted another mission, then turned and departed with practiced ease.
"Another mission done."
Outside the exchange, one of the men spoke. He bore a massive blade strapped to his back, his face marked by a cross-shaped scar and painted with vivid red stripes. His sharpened teeth flashed as he spoke.
"And you, Itachi, are becoming more and more accustomed to this life."
"It's already been over a year now. I adapted a long time ago, Jūzō."
The other man gave a slight nod. A forehead protector with a horizontal slash still rested on his brow, once a symbol of his allegiance to the Hidden Leaf, now bearing silent witness to his severed ties.
There could be no mistaking their identities. They were Jūzō Biwa and Uchiha Itachi.
At this stage, the Akatsuki was still in its period of quiet accumulation. Missions such as these were their means of gathering funds for the organization.
This kind of life was fairly boring, but it suited the two of them just fine.
"What's our next job? Is it in the Land of Waves?"
Itachi glanced toward Jūzō with curiosity. As someone still relatively new to the group, having joined just a year ago, he often deferred to Jūzō's judgment.
"Yes. We are to eliminate someone. Seems to be a noble."
Jūzō gave the mission slip a brief glance before tucking it away without much interest.
"But that has nothing to do with us. The more peaceful the world becomes, the more work we receive. As long as the commission is made, we accept it. The nature of the job is irrelevant."
He spoke with the calmness of a man long used to such work.
"So it doesn't matter who the target is or who wants them dead. Even if the mission is nothing more than a petty prank in disguise, we don't need to know the reason behind it. We are here to fulfill the job, take the money, and leave."
"You've said that many times before."
Itachi's voice remained tranquil as his gaze stretched toward the distant horizon.
"But don't worry. I remember it well."
"Good. Then let's get going."
Jūzō nodded, then walked ahead without so much as a backward glance.
"The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can focus on what really matters."
**
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[Chapter End's]
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