Chapter 14: Obito's Surprise
"We really took a loss this time—barely got paid, and ended up facing some ridiculously strong enemies."
In the Land of Waves, Kitagawa Gen supported the still-wobbling Kakashi as they made their way back toward the town. Although they had encountered fierce opposition from Uchiha Itachi and Biwa Jūzō, the mission could be considered complete.
After all, the situation had far exceeded the mission's original scope—and with Naruto absent, they had every right to call it off. Kakashi especially needed rest and medical attention.
Maybe it was because they weren't in the Hidden Leaf, or maybe Itachi simply didn't go all out this time. His use of Tsukuyomi hadn't been as devastating as Gen remembered—Kakashi was badly weakened, yes, but at least still mobile.
"I figured something was off about this mission from the start, but I didn't expect it to go this badly," Kakashi muttered as he ruffled his messy silver hair with a tired hand. "To think we ran into two rogue ninja right off the bat—Jūzō Biwa and Uchiha Itachi. Especially those eyes of Itachi's... damn near impossible to deal with."
Gen chuckled. "Yeah, Guy-sensei said the same thing about you."
Kakashi glanced at him sideways. "Oh?"
"Yup. That's why he's been training himself to fight you without ever looking at your eyes—just reading your movements. Maybe you should try the same against Itachi?"
"That guy..." Kakashi sighed, a faint smile on his lips. Honestly, nothing surprised him anymore when it came to Might Guy. But still, the idea stuck with him. Maybe it was a viable countermeasure?
Still, he had other thoughts too. After experiencing Tsukuyomi firsthand, he felt something stir in his own Sharingan—some unfamiliar resonance.
"But seriously, what's the deal with your Lightning Release?"
Kakashi changed the topic. He could always examine his eye later, but Gen's technique had left a deep impression on him.
"I thought I already explained my idea to you, Kakashi-sensei?" Gen shrugged, then decided to elaborate a bit more.
"It's strange. I always felt that Lightning Release wasn't as hard to control as people say. But I know that achieving perfect shape and nature transformation is no small feat. Somehow, in that fight with Jūzō, it just... clicked. I can't fully control it yet, but it worked on my first try."
As he spoke, Gen raised his hand. Chakra surged from within him, crackling and dancing across his palm—forming a blade of shimmering violet lightning.
"That's... impressive."
Kakashi's eye twitched slightly. He could sense the raw power behind it—and also how unstable it was, with arcs of electricity leaping unpredictably. Still, the fact that Gen had pulled it off so cleanly on his first attempt...
"Kids these days are monsters," Kakashi muttered. "To achieve that kind of breakthrough under such extreme conditions... your luck is pretty damn good."
"Guess I rolled a natural 20," Gen grinned.
"But that kind of leap also speaks volumes about your talent," Kakashi added, growing more serious. "Without enough potential, no amount of danger would push you that far. Your affinity for Lightning Release might even surpass mine."
"Huh?"
Before Gen could respond, a teasing voice suddenly echoed from above.
"Someone's surpassing you, Kakashi? That's rare. And this look of yours... even rarer."
Startled, the two looked up to see a grinning man with long white hair, a large forehead protector bearing the kanji for "oil"—none other than Jiraiya.
Both Gen and Kakashi exhaled in relief. If it was him, they were safe.
---
Meanwhile, in the Mist Village…
"This pace is too slow. And we're critically understaffed."
Inside the Mizukage's office, Uchiha Obito—currently posing as Madara—sat deep in thought. The situation in the Mist was a mess, with insurrection brewing throughout the village. Not that he cared much about that. His focus was on the Akatsuki.
But the organization's growth had been slower than he'd hoped. There still weren't enough reliable members.
"And then there's Nagato…"
Nagato was still busy feeding chakra to the Gedo Statue in order to slowly restore its strength. Obito couldn't fathom how much power Madara had siphoned from it—how badly it had been drained.
"How long until I finally create the world I envisioned…"
He muttered bitterly under his breath—only to be interrupted by a strange plop sound as a Venus flytrap-like figure emerged from the ground.
"Obito, got some news."
"Hmph." Obito scowled at the plant-like creature. "Don't forget—you're speaking to Madara."
"Hehehe…" White Zetsu giggled without a care, while the black half took over the conversation.
"You'll want to hear this. Itachi and Jūzō encountered someone familiar during their last mission. Guess who?"
"I don't have time for your games," Obito snapped.
"Fine, fine." Black Zetsu took over again. "They ran into Kakashi Hatake—and his student."
"Kakashi?" Obito visibly stiffened, then sneered. "That failure? He's with the ANBU. Of course Itachi would run into trouble if Kakashi was there. They didn't botch the mission, did they?"
"Not quite," said White Zetsu with a giggle. "He's not in ANBU anymore. He's leading a genin team now."
"What?" Obito blinked, confused. "That loser quit ANBU and became a teacher?"
"If that's the case, then Itachi should've easily dealt with him," he muttered.
"Apparently, it was Kakashi's student who exposed Itachi's identity and alerted reinforcements," Black Zetsu explained. "The kid's a genius—only thirteen or fourteen, but held his own against Jūzō, even saved Kakashi. Itachi had to retreat due to Mangekyo overuse, and Jūzō was left incapacitated."
Of course, neither Obito nor Zetsu fully bought Itachi's story. They both knew he was a double agent.
"Kakashi's student, huh…" Obito frowned. It piqued his interest—just a little. But only just.
He wasn't the same Obito anymore.
But then—
"You know what's funny?" White Zetsu said with a mischievous smile. "Kakashi's cursed. Every time he tries to protect someone, they die."
"But this time, the kid survived. Nothing happened."
"You think his luck finally changed?"
That one offhand remark…
Made Obito's expression completely shift.