Chapter 19: Your Dad’s Teacher, Your Dad’s Student
To assemble the perfect version of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline he envisioned, Kitagawa Gen knew he needed a lot. Thankfully, most of it had already been laid out in his plans—even though the challenges were far from easy.
Now, though, his conviction was stronger than ever. He was genuinely curious—what kind of view awaited him at the peak?
"But... the chakra-nurtured eyes are developing slower than I expected. Maybe I still need to develop the bloodline further. Strange, though... I thought the Byakugan of the Ōtsutsuki clan was innate?"
After a refreshing shower, Gen stared at his handso reflection in the mirror. Satisfied with what he saw, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
Maybe it was because this bloodline of his was still a blank slate—everything had to start from scratch.
Still, he wasn’t worried. With this bloodline as his foundation, and ti on his side, he had every reason to believe he’d reach the summit.
"The advantage is mine."
In a poorly imitated foreign accent, he echoed the phrase to himself, chuckling. After getting dressed, he opened the window and leapt out.
After all, he was a ninja—might as well act like one!
"Hey! Ready? Ti to go."
Landing on the windowsill of Naruto’s house, Gen opened the window and casually called inside.
"You jerk! Ever heard of using a door?" Naruto jumped in surprise and complained, while Gen simply shrugged.
"You do the sa thing at my place. Co on, quit whining—let’s go."
"That’s only because you never gave a key!"
Naruto pouted as he stood up, carrying a cup of ran and handing it to Gen. "Here! Congrats on completing your first mission as a ninja."
"...You’re giving this for completing my first mission?"
Gen was half amused, half exasperated. Naruto’s brow twitched, and he puffed up in annoyance. "You idiot! That’s a limited edition Ichiraku Ran Cup! It’s super tasty—and expensive!"
"Thanks... but keep it for yourself. When you complete your first mission, just give your kunai as a gift instead."
Gen didn’t quite understand Naruto’s attachnt to such an item—but he wasn’t one to question others’ preferences.
Besides, he noticed sothing interesting—Naruto had actually pinned the kunai Gen gave him to the wall, on display. Clearly, he treasured it.
Since that’s the case, Gen figured he’d ask for a similar gift in return.
"But hey, you better make sure you actually beco a ninja. I heard your grades... aren’t great."
"You jerk! I will beco a ninja—and not just any ninja, I’m gonna be Hokage!"
That single comnt from Gen sent the blonde into a fiery rage, but Gen decided not to tease him further. The two quickly set off.
Before long, they arrived at the hospital gates. Naruto looked puzzled.
"Weren’t we gonna eat and celebrate? Why are we at the hospital? Weren’t your teammates discharged already?"
"Not them—it’s my jonin instructor."
Gen had already mostly forgotten about his teammates. He shrugged.
"He got beaten into the hospital. But the person treating us is here too, so we’re eting up here."
"I... see..."
Naruto scratched his ear, feeling like this instructor of Gen’s must be pretty unreliable.
Then a thought hit him, and he hesitated before asking carefully, "...Hey, coming along won’t be a problem, right?"
Gen blinked, then quickly understood what Naruto was worried about.
"Relax. You’ve got nothing to worry about."
He smiled. "They might seem a little off, but they’re good people. I’m sure they’ll like you."
"Oh... okay..."
Naruto nodded, though he still looked a little unsure.
He knew how the village saw him. Even if he didn’t let it show and kept striving to be accepted, he also didn’t want to bring trouble to his friend.
But this ti, he didn’t need to worry.
After all—one of them was his dad’s teacher. And the other was his dad’s student.
---
"Kakashi-sensei."
After asking around, they found Kakashi’s room. Opening the door, Gen was surprised to see Guy there too.
"Guy-sensei, long ti no see."
"Yo! Gen!"
Guy’s eyes lit up the mont he saw him. He laughed heartily and gave Gen a strong pat on the shoulder.
"Kakashi told —you did a great job!"
"I owe it to your teachings, Guy-sensei."
Gen was genuinely grateful. If not for Guy’s brutal training, even with all his advantages, he might not have been able to handle Jūzō Biwa so smoothly.
"By the way, Guy-sensei—there’s a celebration tonight for my first mission. You coming?"
"Hey hey hey, kid—I’m the one treating everyone, and you’re out here acting like it’s your party?"
Jiraiya walked out of the room, shooting Gen a mock glare before chuckling.
"Whatever. Kakashi’s here too—if the tab gets too big, we’ll just make him pay for it."
Kakashi, still on the hospital bed, said nothing—but rolled his eye in response.
Is this really how you treat your loyal readers?
But then his sharp eyes caught sight of soone behind Gen.
"...Naruto?"
"Huh?"
"...Naruto?"
Guy noticed him too and glanced between Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Gen.
Then, as if realizing sothing, he stepped aside with a warm smile.
Even Jiraiya froze when he heard the na.
That was the na of the protagonist in his very first novel, Tale of the Gutsy Ninja.
And more importantly... the na of his beloved disciple’s child—Minato’s son!
Could it be...?
"Yeah, Naruto."
Gen smiled and pulled the hesitant blonde from behind him.
"Didn’t you say I could bring friends? This guy’s my neighbor. We basically grew up together. He’s my friend."
"...Friend, huh..."
Jiraiya looked slightly taken aback. Even if he’d been away from the village, he knew Naruto’s life hadn’t been easy.
That was just how the village treated Jinchūriki.
They believed that only by forcing them to grow up in hardship could they develop the ntal strength to control their tailed beasts.
Jiraiya never liked that idea. Maybe that’s why he stayed away so often.
He had considered secretly checking on Naruto this ti...
But to think Gen just brought him here outright—and as a friend?
"Yeah, this kid’s a bit of a doofus. And the village, well..."
Gen smiled, pulling Naruto up to Jiraiya.
"But Kakashi-sensei told things aren’t quite what they seem. And I’ve known this guy for years—never saw anything wrong with him. So, we’re friends."
"...You’re the doofus..."
Naruto grumbled, tugging Gen’s sleeve. But thinking about all the ran Gen had conned out of him over the years, he sighed in defeat.
"...Naruto, huh?"
Jiraiya suddenly crouched down, placing a hand on Naruto’s spiky blond hair.
He carefully studied Naruto’s face.
Those blue eyes... that golden hair... for a mont, Jiraiya was transported back in ti.
He saw the image of Minato.
Ti had flown by so quickly. It felt like just yesterday he t Minato for the first ti.
Now, his son was already this grown.
It took a while, but Jiraiya finally smiled.
"...That really is a great na."
Reviews
All reviews (0)