Chapter 21: Don't Get Cocky, Dead Last
The moon hung high in the night sky, its light pale and cold. The streets of Konoha lay quiet beneath its glow.
Uchiha Sasuke, just finishing another long day of training, trudged toward the Uchiha compound, fatigue clear on his face.
This grueling routine had become his norm—for he was a man driven by revenge.
"Hm?"
As he walked, a voice calling his name caught his attention. Turning, he spotted two figures approaching.
One of them was Naruto—someone he'd always felt a strange sense of familiarity with, despite how annoying he found him.
The other was—
"Kitagawa Gen?"
Sasuke recognized him. Gen was several years above him and known for being quite skilled.
He'd even heard rumors that Gen had been the only one to graduate... after sending every one of his teammates to the hospital.
"Training this late, huh?"
As Gen and Naruto approached, Gen gave Sasuke a quick once-over before turning to Naruto.
"Look at that—now that's what it means to be a real shinobi. If I remember right, he was top of your class, wasn't he? That's the difference right there."
"Tch…"
Naruto scowled and dug at his ear, as if hearing Sasuke's name irritated him by default.
"I'll definitely surpass him! I'll become a ninja—and then the Hokage!"
"Idiot."
Sasuke scoffed coldly. "Try passing the exam first."
"You bastard, Sasuke!"
Naruto's temper flared, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue. Sasuke didn't back down either, shooting him a withering glare.
Gen made no move to stop them. Watching these two—chakra-bound "brothers"—argue was actually pretty entertaining.
Besides, he was hoping they'd trigger a quest of their own. One of them already gave him 5% progress on Sage Mode. Who knew how much chakra they could unlock during a mission?
"Huh?"
Just as he was enjoying the show, a sudden sense of dread crawled down his spine—like something had locked onto him.
The sensation was sharp, focused... unmistakable.
"What's going on?"
He didn't dare act rashly. He knew ANBU usually shadowed Naruto, but they should have pulled back after his meeting with Kakashi and Jiraiya.
So then... who was watching?
[New Side Mission Unlocked]
"Don't Get Cocky, Dead Last"
Objective: Take Initiative. Confront Uchiha Obito.
"…Great."
Now he knew who had shown up—but it only raised more questions.
Why would Obito be here of all places?
And confronting him? That was no small task. Obito, with just one Mangekyō Sharingan, was already one of the most dangerous shinobi in the world.
But then again… this was Konoha. And that other quest involving Kakashi...
As Gen weighed his options, Sasuke approached him quietly.
"I never congratulated you—on passing the test."
"Hmm? Thanks…"
Gen nodded, though he looked a bit puzzled.
Sasuke? Congratulating him?
They weren't exactly close.
"Right…" Sasuke continued, his tone shifting. "I heard that if you send all your teammates to the hospital, you can still pass. Is that true?"
"…"
Gen rolled his eyes. That rumor was seriously getting out of hand.
"That depends on your Jonin instructor's judgment… and your own skill. I just got lucky."
"Tch. Yeah, real lucky—got to leave the village too," Naruto muttered.
But Sasuke had latched onto the key point.
"Leave the village…"
He'd long dreamt of becoming a shinobi, so he could go after Uchiha Itachi—the very core of his obsession.
"Yes, leave the village."
Gen made up his mind. As he casually reached into his pouch, he spoke again.
"And while we were out, we ran into someone you'd know very well."
"Someone I'd know?"
Sasuke frowned, as if sensing where this was headed. Gen gave a faint smirk.
"Yeah. That person… was Uchiha Itachi."
The name dropped like a bomb.
Sasuke's face twisted in rage. The sheer force of his hatred made even Naruto flinch.
"And he's not alone."
Gen's voice remained calm as he drew something from his pouch.
"He's part of a very dangerous group now. Its members are monsters in their own right… like—"
Suddenly, a handful of kunai—each wrapped with explosive tags—sailed toward a tree nearby.
BOOM!
A massive explosion shattered the silence of the night, fire and smoke lighting up the empty street.
"You…"
Naruto and Sasuke both staggered back. But their eyes quickly caught something in the smoke—a faint silhouette flickering in the darkness.
And from behind them, Gen's voice echoed again:
"That guy…"
---
Meanwhile, at Root Headquarters—
Shimura Danzo flipped through documents, deep in thought.
Ever since the Uchiha massacre, he'd been removed from office. But he was confident that he'd return to power soon enough.
After all, he'd even tried to assassinate his old comrade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and gotten away with it. And in his mind, he'd rid the village of a massive threat.
He still kept tabs on Konoha's affairs—preparing, calculating.
"Jiraiya's back?"
Danzo's eyes narrowed. Why now?
"Don't tell me… that fool's back to claim the Hokage seat?"
But just as that thought struck, a voice interrupted him.
"It's been a while, Danzo."
Danzo froze at the sound. That voice was unmistakable.
"You don't visit often, Hiruzen."
But he quickly regained his composure, masking his shock with a thin smile.
"What a surprise. The ever-busy Hokage finally has time for an old friend?"
"You brought this on yourself," Hiruzen replied, taking a seat and lighting his pipe. "You never should've touched Shisui. And using Itachi like that… the Uchiha were still part of Konoha."
"Enough, Hiruzen."
Danzo cut him off with a scoff.
"Shisui's Mangekyō—you know its power. Could you really rest easy with that kind of threat lingering? And Itachi? He prevented a civil war. You didn't have to dirty your own hands. You should be thanking me."
"You're deluded. Have you forgotten Kagami? What would he think of all this?"
"Kagami was the exception. The rest were like Shisui—dangerous. I did what had to be done."
Hiruzen stared coldly at him, biting back the words "I am the Hokage." But Danzo, as if sensing them, changed the subject.
"You didn't come here just to argue, did you?"
Hiruzen rubbed his temples and sighed.
"…How many of your agents are still embedded in Kirigakure?"
"Kirigakure?"
Danzo's eyes lit up. Finally, he understood why Hiruzen had come.
That place was notoriously difficult to infiltrate. But the Root had made a lot of progress there.
And more importantly—this could be his chance.
"There are still some of my men stationed there. But only I can activate them."
"Danzo, don't push it."
Hiruzen had expected that, but still frowned. "I can reinstate some of your authority—but this is strictly mission-related. You've already caused too much damage. Don't think the village has forgotten."
"Hmph. I've always done what's best for Konoha. I don't care what others think."
Danzo scoffed but didn't argue further. He knew he had to take it one step at a time.
"Besides, if I couldn't handle things like this, you'd never have kept me around in the first place."
Hiruzen gave a reluctant nod. Say what you would—Danzo was effective.
But before he could issue another warning, an ANBU burst into the room.
"Lord Hokage—something's happened!"
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