I’m Not Naruto, But I Got a Better Bloodline

After the mission briefing came the assignment itself. Originally, Sarutobi Hiruzen had planned for only Kakashi and Guy to carry out the operation.

Clearly, the Third had no intention of letting Gen join them. But Gen wasn't having it.

"Hokage-sama, I formally request to join this mission."

"No. Gen, you're very capable, but I've already made arrangements for this task. More importantly, you're to stay in the village for your own protection!"

"But I have prior experience in the Land of Hot Water, and I've also completed a mission in the Land of Water. And as the record shows—I successfully led others to safety on both occasions."

"I won't deny that's true, but—"

"If it comes to that, Hokage-sama," Gen interrupted, "I'll just leave a Flying Thunder God seal on either Guy-sensei or Kakashi-sensei."

"???"

"Hokage-sama, I know the rules say that those who don't follow them are scum. But I also know that those who don't value their comrades are even worse than scum. I beg your pardon for acting willfully."

The moment those words came out, Kakashi fell silent. Guy burst into laughter. And Hiruzen? He was stunned.

Those exact words were what had driven Kakashi ever since then—and if anyone said them, Kakashi would never object.

And he hadn't forgotten what Gen told him before their mission to Kirigakure. That conversation still echoed in his mind.

In the end, the Third Hokage could only sigh once more. He said nothing else and simply reminded them to be careful—then gave them the mission.

"Thank you, Guy-sensei," Gen said with his usual grin, prompting Kakashi to roll his eyes.

"Go get ready," Kakashi said. "Time's tight. We rendezvous at the village gate at twelve noon. Dismissed!"

"Got it!"

Gen nodded and turned to run home.

In truth, when those ANBU showed up earlier, he had already suspected there'd be a new mission—and right then, his system triggered.

[New Side Quest Acquired]

[This Team Can't Go Without Me!]

[Assist Kakashi and Might Guy in the Land of Hot Water]

[Accept Mission?]

Seeing the quest, Gen had hesitated a little.

After all, he'd already finished his previous mission, and lately he hadn't received any good ones.

"It's all because Naruto and the others aren't pulling their weight…"

On his way home, Gen couldn't help but mutter complaints to himself.

Lately, he'd crossed paths with Naruto and the others quite often—but none of the missions that popped up had been remotely reliable.

Take for example, [If Naruto Can Do It, Why Can't I?] which involved convincing Sasuke to learn the Sexy Jutsu… or [My Father Needs Makeup], where he and Naruto pulled a prank by spray-painting graffiti everywhere.

Then there was Kiba's [Dogs Can Be Emergency Rations], and Chōji's [Who's the Real Big Eater?], where they nearly bankrupted his family's barbecue restaurant.

Honestly, the last one was the only one that seemed halfway legitimate—but he couldn't afford the rate at which they were going through ingredients.

He had considered trying to exploit a loophole—like casting Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall and then letting Naruto handle the graffiti—but when he thought about the consequences of failure, he wisely backed off.

He had already skipped out on too many missions, and he worried the system might throw something completely absurd at him if he kept it up.

Like that old side quest, [Delicious and Lovable Sisters]. That one wouldn't even be possible for another decade or so. Was it trying to get him killed?

That's why he accepted the mission to the Land of Hot Water without hesitation. Besides, after being "beaten up" so thoroughly, he needed to see what results that training had produced.

"But it's not all bad news."

After holding his ground against both Kakashi and Might Guy during the last mission, the system had triggered.

[Side Quest Completed: I'll Fight Them Both!]

[New Reward Unlocked: Eight Gates Technique]

That reward wasn't half bad.

Sure, he'd have preferred something like 'Kakashi's Tactical IQ' or 'Might Guy's Combat Instincts'… but so far, he hadn't seen anything like that drop yet.

"Still, the Eight Gates Technique is solid."

He couldn't quite remember whether it was a secret technique exclusive to Guy's family or something officially recorded by the village.

But he did know one thing clearly—just how powerful Guy became when he opened the Gate of Death.

Even the proud and battle-hardened Uchiha Madara, having already reached the Six Paths level, had declared, "In terms of taijutsu, you are the strongest I've ever faced."

"I wonder how many gates my current body can handle…"

A full-blooded Ōtsutsuki wouldn't have any issues, but he was only at the half-done Ōtsutsuki level.

"Maybe I can still unlock more of the Ōtsutsuki's power... though I wonder—can a complete Ōtsutsuki even have any potential left to awaken?"

He shook his head, deciding to ask Guy for proper guidance later and master this technique fully and honorably.

...

"Old man, it's rare to see you speechless."

As the three departed, inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya leaned against the window, watching them from above. Jiraiya chuckled.

"I let that happen on purpose. Stop talking nonsense."

Hiruzen snorted, pipe in mouth, then lifted his gaze toward the Hokage Rock before continuing slowly: "That kid has never done a single D-rank mission since graduation. He started directly with C-rank missions…"

"And has been involved in multiple S-rank incidents already. The fact that he's managed to sit still and train properly for so long is impressive in itself."

"That's just because Kakashi had just returned from ANBU and wasn't used to the rhythm yet."

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"But either way—whether intentional or not—a falcon can't always stay under someone's wing. One day it has to soar. Even if you hadn't agreed, old man, I would've persuaded you."

"And if I still refused?"

"Tch. Then I would've taken him myself. Besides, with Flying Thunder God, could you even stop him?"

Hiruzen rolled his eyes at that, then after a long pause, lightly knocked Jiraiya on the head with his pipe.

"Aren't you supposed to be leaving? You're the one with the most urgent task, and yet you're the slowest to go."

"I'm going now."

With that, Jiraiya leapt over the window ledge, landing on the roof of the building opposite, waving back at Hiruzen.

"I'm off, old man!"

"Just go already," Hiruzen grumbled.

Still, after a moment, he sighed again.

Jiraiya's mission to search for Orochimaru left him with a strange feeling he couldn't quite explain. So he tilted his head up again and looked at the Hokage Rock.

His eyes landed on the youngest face carved into the stone, and he couldn't help but smile.

"So headstrong, huh… Maybe he really will surpass you, Minato."

Thinking back on the things Gen had said, Hiruzen's smile grew even brighter—

Only to freeze a moment later.

Because he suddenly remembered the last time Gen had said "headstrong"—that awkward moment in front of Ichiraku Ramen at dusk!

It wasn't that he was being petty. It was just that… as the Hokage, he hadn't carried any money on him for years.

...

"Tch, so expensive…"

It was nearly noon when Kitagawa Gen, fully prepared, headed toward the meeting point—muttering under his breath the whole way.

For this mission, he needed to make some preparations. He had gone to get his blade sharpened, only to find the prices ridiculously high.

"This blade of yours is a legend. Sure, materials that conduct chakra aren't cheap—but don't try to cut corners!"

The shopkeeper's words echoed in his mind.

All Gen could do now was sigh. No matter how much money he had, it just never seemed to stay in his hands.

"Maybe I should open my own shop someday. Call it... 'Yorozuya'?"

He reached back and touched the short blade strapped to his back, then ran a hand through his white hair. Yeah—it didn't seem like a bad fit.

"Hey, Gen?"

Just then, someone called out to him.

He looked up to see Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chōji staring at him with curious expressions.

Not far behind them, Sasuke—surrounded by Sakura and Ino—also glanced over with interest.

"Oh, it's you guys."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Gen spoke without thinking.

"Skipping class again?"

"Idiot, school's over!" Naruto snapped, face scrunched in frustration.

Kiba chimed in irritably, "I wanted to skip, but someone ruined it. Things are too strict now—Iruka-sensei watches us like a hawk. It sucks!"

"Yeah, it's a real pain," Shikamaru muttered, and Chōji nodded in full agreement beside him.

"Seriously, we can't even sneak out when we're hungry anymore."

"Oh, is that so?"

Gen blinked a few times, though his gaze kept flicking over to Naruto.

Naruto, sensing this, looked away awkwardly—guilt creeping into his expression. He had a feeling Gen was onto him… and maybe he'd even been set up.

But all he could do now was force a laugh.

"Y-Yeah, hahaha…"

"Idiot."

Before he could finish, a voice came from behind him. Sasuke, flat as ever.

"You bastard, smug Sasuke!"

"Idiot."

"Oi oi oi! You two fight like this at school all the time—now you're doing it outside too?"

It seemed the two were just born to butt heads. Even Shikamaru and the others couldn't help but sigh at the sight.

Gen, on the other hand, found it all rather entertaining. This kind of dynamic was just right—who knew, maybe it would one day lead to a legendary kiss!

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