The Land of Waves—a place where the proud and the vengeful had somehow been brought together…
Gen Hoshino had practically spelled it out for them!
Kakashi and Jiraiya couldn’t possibly have misunderstood what he meant.
They simply found it difficult to believe.
What kind of person—and what kind of power—could suppress people who were this proud and arrogant?
Even if the peace between them was merely superficial, the fact that none of them would deliberately cause trouble, and that they could cooperate with one another in battle, was already difficult enough to imagine!
“Could it really be so?”
Jiraiya’s expression grew solemn, though there was still a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
If that really was the case, then the situation was far more serious than they had imagined!
“We can’t confirm it, but we can’t rule it out either.”
After thinking for a moment, Kakashi spoke in a low voice.
“When I encountered Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Jūzō before, I already felt that something was off.
But the situation was urgent, so I didn’t think too deeply about it.
“Now that I think about it, there really may be a serious problem. Combined with the information you gave us, Jiraiya-sama, I’m afraid things really are as we’ve suspected.”
Jiraiya fell silent.
Everything seemed to be pointing toward a conclusion he very much did not want to see.
But the timing, location, and even the organization’s structure all lined up.
That made the situation extremely serious.
“This organization is even more terrifying than I imagined…”
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead, clearly troubled.
“Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Jūzō—and if we include Orochimaru, that’s three S-rank missing-nin. What exactly does this organization want?”
“Whatever they want, I’m afraid it won’t be anything simple.”
Gen Hoshino blinked from the side.
Suddenly, he remembered Kakashi’s mission and quietly asked,
“There is one more thing. Didn’t you notice that the Land of Waves is very close to a certain place?”
“Very close…”
Kakashi reacted immediately.
“You mean the Land of Water?”
“Kakashi-sensei, I’ve been thinking about something.”
Gen nodded and blinked.
“A powerful organization like that—who could afford to hire them?
Clearly, the Land of Waves doesn’t have that kind of capability.
“Of course, there are exceptions. But I think it’s unlikely they would have access to such an organization. Take Gato, the wealthy businessman we were planning to rob, for example…”
“Wait, wait, wait! Rob a wealthy businessman?”
Jiraiya’s eyes widened before Gen could even finish.
“Kakashi, what exactly have you been teaching this kid? That’s a very dangerous line of thinking!”
“Stop talking nonsense, Gen.”
Kakashi helplessly covered his forehead.
Gen hadn’t mentioned that little idea at all during their journey, and Kakashi had almost forgotten about it himself.
What an obsession…
“Who knows where he got that idea from? But what he’s saying does make sense. An ordinary wealthy businessman would indeed have a hard time gaining access to an organization like this.”
Kakashi shook his head.
As troublesome as Gen could be, the boy had given him a new line of thought.
“An organization like this would either accept missions through the black market, or operate directly through a hidden village to carry out wartime missions. Iwagakure, for example, has always been fond of hiring outside organizations for suppression missions. So…”
“So you’re saying they’re in the vicinity of the Land of Waves because they were most likely hired by Kirigakure?”
At this point, Jiraiya’s thoughts had become much clearer as well.
His eyes flickered, as though he were making a decision.
“Jiraiya-sama, don’t tell me you’re planning to go to Kirigakure by yourself?”
Seeing that look in his eyes, Gen immediately guessed what he was thinking.
“Jiraiya-sama, don’t act rashly!”
Kakashi immediately caught on as well and spoke in a low voice.
“If our judgment is correct, going there recklessly would be extremely dangerous. Kirigakure is surrounded by the sea on all sides. If something goes wrong, you might not even have a way to retreat!”
Kirigakure’s geography, Gen couldn’t help thinking, was rather similar to that of a certain troublemaking country from his previous life.
A long stretch of sea effectively cut it off from attacks coming by land, while allowing it to launch attacks with relative impunity.
And Kirigakure genuinely had a grudge against Konoha.
Almost every time a major war broke out in the shinobi world, they would make a move against Konoha.
As for the reason, there was a rumor that their old clan leader had refused to join Konoha when it was founded—or had tried to hold out for a better offer.
Unfortunately, they happened to run into Uchiha Madara, who had absolutely no patience for endless negotiations.
The entire clan was promptly sent into the sea to find new employment…
“Indeed. There’s the accumulated hatred from past wars, along with a mysterious organization that may have recruited Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Jūzō, and might even be powerful enough to suppress them—and possibly Orochimaru as well.”
Gen nodded along and added,
“Kakashi-sensei often visits the Memorial Stone to mourn his old friends. At this rate, we might have to burn some extra offerings for you next year.”
“…”
Jiraiya’s eyelid twitched.
He glared fiercely at Gen.
Why did this kid always have to make everything sound so ominous?
Still, he wasn’t angry.
He knew Gen was simply stating the facts.
That was precisely why he was unwilling to accept it.
“Jiraiya-sama, why don’t you come back to Konoha with us?”
Seeing that Jiraiya remained silent, Gen glanced at Kakashi before continuing.
“The situation has clearly gone beyond the scope of an investigation you can handle alone. If this really involves Kirigakure, at least we’ll be able to find some help once we return to Konoha.”
“That’s right, Jiraiya-sama.”
Kakashi nodded as well.
He really didn’t want Jiraiya doing anything reckless. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“That organization’s circumstances are exceptionally complicated, and its strength appears to be overwhelming.
We absolutely cannot act recklessly.
“And Gen is right.
If Kirigakure really is involved, then the best course of action is to rely on the village.
If you return with us, you’ll certainly receive assistance.
“After all, whether it’s Orochimaru or Uchiha Itachi, both are missing-nin from Konoha. The village won’t simply ignore an organization that dangerous.”
Kakashi’s words carried considerable weight.
Hearing them, Jiraiya fell silent again.
He really didn’t want to go back.
But things had already reached this point, and it seemed there truly wasn’t a better option.
“All right. I understand.”
In the end, Jiraiya could only nod helplessly.
“Honestly… Who would’ve thought all of this would become so complicated? And now I’ll even have to sacrifice my freedom in the end. Damn it…”
Hearing this, both Kakashi and Gen quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Kakashi had genuinely been worried that Jiraiya would act recklessly.
If their deductions were correct, Jiraiya going straight to Kirigakure would basically amount to delivering himself into the enemy’s hands.
In the shinobi world, no one could take on an entire hidden village by themselves.
Only the legendary First Hokage was said to have been capable of such a feat.
But even that was only a legend…
“Done!”
Gen’s reason was much simpler.
He merely wanted Jiraiya to go back and see the cherry blossoms of his hometown.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason for him to go through all this trouble to steer Kakashi and Jiraiya in this direction.
Of course, while he was persuading Jiraiya to return to Konoha, giving Uchiha Obito a little extra trouble along the way wasn’t a bad thing either.
After all, Kakashi’s Exclusive Quest was still sitting there.
Gen wasn’t about to let a single opportunity slip away!
“Though if he really does go there, he might actually run into Uchiha Obito.”
Gen was rather curious about exactly when Uchiha Obito had lost control of Kirigakure.
The original story had never explicitly explained when that happened.
Still, Gen figured it had probably been sometime within these past few years—the period that ultimately marked the end of Obito’s control over Kirigakure.
One indication was Hoshigaki Jūzō’s death.
Another was Kisame teaming up with Uchiha Itachi.
“Maybe that Exclusive Quest can be sped up a little…”
Gen muttered under his breath.
At that very moment, his system finally lit up.
And when he saw the reward this time, Gen immediately understood.
The old man Jiraiya had just dropped some serious loot!
[Side Quest Completed: Jiraiya-san, the Cherry Blossoms of Your Hometown Are in Bloom]
[Reward Obtained: Jiraiya’s Sage Jutsu (Senjutsu)]