“Ten… nine… eight…”
At six in the morning, Gen Hoshino silently counted down.
“Three… two… one!”
The moment he finished counting, he reached out and stopped the alarm before it could even ring.
If he weren’t still restricted by the mission system, he would have loved nothing more than to smash the alarm clock that had been tormenting him for years!
After quickly getting dressed, he looked at himself in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
Looks were an important part of combat strength.
Whether he’d get the chance to test the limits of those beautiful kunoichi in the future would depend on this face…
Once he’d finished getting ready, Gen Hoshino left the house.
Although Kakashi had said there was basically no point in arriving too early, Gen knew exactly where to find him.
“Huh? Naruto?”
What he hadn’t expected was to see Naruto climbing out of a window just moments after leaving home.
“Why are you up so early?”
“Tch. I’m going to work hard!”
Naruto snorted softly and clenched his fist.
“I’ll definitely graduate successfully and become Hokage someday—whoa, whoa, whoaaa—!”
Before he could finish, Naruto suddenly slipped.
Under Gen Hoshino’s dumbfounded gaze, he went headfirst out of the second-floor window.
“Ow… ow…”
Seeing Naruto lying on the ground and still having enough energy to complain, Gen Hoshino couldn’t help sighing.
Shinobi might be a relatively fragile profession, but apparently, it depended on the person.
Some people died from a single stab with a kunai.
Some could have their hearts ripped out and still survive.
And then there were people who simply refused to die no matter how badly they were beaten.
“I think you should just enjoy the process while you can.”
Gen Hoshino shrugged and turned to leave, but he didn’t forget to remind Naruto,
“Also, while I’m gone, remember to water the flowers on the balcony. Don’t let them die on me.”
“You bastard! I’m definitely going to become Hokage!”
Naruto naturally refused to back down and shouted after him.
What Naruto didn’t know was that a trace of regret had also appeared on Gen Hoshino’s face.
“Too bad I didn’t get a mission…”
If he wanted to obtain Indra’s and Asura’s chakra, Gen Hoshino felt that he’d still have to rely on the system.
But he wasn’t particularly worried.
There was still plenty of time.
…
“Kakashi-sensei, morning!”
At the Konoha Memorial Stone, standing before the memorials of Uchiha Obito and Rin Nohara, Gen Hoshino greeted Kakashi with a bright smile.
Kakashi, however, looked somewhat surprised.
“How did you know I was here…? Never mind. Guy must have told you again.”
“…”
Gen Hoshino merely shrugged and smiled without saying a word.
He’d discovered that after establishing a good relationship with Guy, he could save himself a lot of explanations.
Kakashi would simply fill in the blanks himself.
“Kakashi-sensei, what are we doing next?”
Kakashi rubbed his brow, then pulled several scrolls from his ninja tool pouch and waved them before speaking.
“We have five C-rank missions and one B-rank mission. They’re all along the same route, so we’ll handle them all at once.”
“Although I don’t think you’d have any trouble with B-rank missions, or even higher-ranked ones, you lack experience. So we’ll take things slowly.”
“Also, I’ll give you some necessary training along the way. Be prepared.”
Kakashi had actually been debating whether he should take on a few more B-rank missions.
After all, missions of that level weren’t particularly difficult for him.
But this was his first time serving as a jōnin instructor, and some of his old ANBU habits remained.
He was supposed to properly train this kid, not become his babysitter.
Besides, Guy had given the kid his approval, and Kakashi himself had a favorable impression of him.
No matter how talented Gen was, he had only just graduated from the Academy and become a genin.
So Kakashi decided to be a little more cautious.
“No problem!”
Gen Hoshino wasn’t picky.
There would always be opportunities once they left the village.
“By the way, what’s our route?”
“…”
At that question, even Kakashi paused for a moment before answering in a somewhat resigned tone,
“Toward the Land of Waves. But don’t go causing trouble!”
“Oh.”
Gen Hoshino nodded.
But inwardly, he couldn’t help complaining.
You’re just going to leave all that money sitting there?
Still, if nothing went wrong, they should encounter the situation again three years later.
He could think about it then.
“In that case, let’s get going.”
Kakashi didn’t waste any more time.
After taking one last look at Obito and Rin’s memorials, he turned around and left the village with Gen Hoshino.
Everything went smoothly when they left Konoha.
They simply filled out a form, and Kakashi’s reputation took care of the rest.
In this era, much of Konoha’s backbone was made up of people from Kakashi’s generation.
Sometimes, Gen Hoshino couldn’t help thinking how great it would have been if he’d been born in Kakashi’s generation.
Even if he couldn’t outdo everyone his age, he should have been able to make a name for himself.
Of course, that was assuming he didn’t die on the battlefield…
And assuming Danzo didn’t get his hands on him.
“The situation in the shinobi world has improved considerably.”
Kakashi had no idea what Gen was thinking.
As they walked out of the village, he casually spoke.
“At least it’s nothing like the old days, when wars were breaking out everywhere.”
“But there’s one thing about the shinobi world that has never changed. Danger exists everywhere. The great nations have never stopped competing with one another. They’ve merely changed the way they do it.”
“There are also all kinds of mercenary organizations, rogue shinobi, and the like throughout the shinobi world. Those people can be extremely dangerous.”
“Mm. I know, Kakashi-sensei.”
Gen Hoshino nodded.
He already knew some of this, more or less.
Thinking of Obito, Gen tilted his head.
“Kakashi-sensei, were those two your teammates?”
“…Mm.”
Kakashi was silent for a moment before nodding.
“Didn’t Guy tell you about them?”
“Guy-sensei didn’t say much. He only told me that your reputation as the Copy Ninja came from them.”
Gen Hoshino blinked and answered softly.
“He also emphasized that they were both heroes worthy of Konoha’s respect, just like Kakashi-sensei.”
“I’m no hero.”
Kakashi shook his head and sighed softly.
“They are. I’m merely enjoying the fruits of the victory they brought us.”
After saying that, he changed the subject.
“I heard you and that little guy Naruto are pretty close?”
“Yeah. We’re neighbors.”
Gen Hoshino nodded.
He had no reason to lie about something like that.
Rubbing the back of his head, he said somewhat awkwardly,
“Although there are always some unpleasant rumors going around the village, and I’ve been afraid too.”
“But after spending some time with him, I realized that although he’s a little dumb, he’s actually a pretty good person.”
“Besides, he gets a pretty substantial allowance, so…”
“You’ve got your eye on his allowance, haven’t you?”
Kakashi looked at Gen Hoshino with an expression that was both amused and exasperated.
In the end, however, he simply shook his head and said seriously,
“Forget it. That kid probably wouldn’t care anyway.”
“His situation is somewhat complicated. As for those rumors… you don’t need to take them too seriously.”
“Just remember that he isn’t a bad person. And I believe he definitely cherishes you as a friend.”
“Friends are important to everyone, but especially to us shinobi…”
“I understand, Kakashi-sensei.”
Gen Hoshino nodded seriously.
Regardless of the reason, Naruto was a good friend.
There was no doubt about that.
“Hm?”
However, Gen Hoshino soon furrowed his brow.
His system had reacted.
[Kakashi’s Exclusive Side Quest Acquired]
[They’re My Dear Friends, My Brothers]
[Help Kakashi find his old friend, Uchiha Obito]
[Exclusive side quests will not interfere with normal side quests]
[Accept?]
“…”
Gen Hoshino stared at the quest in utter astonishment.
Meanwhile, Kakashi’s visible eye curved into a crescent.
“Good. As long as you understand.”
“But for now, stay focused on what’s in front of us.”
“The days ahead won’t be easy…”