Konoha’s Explosive Genius

"Tell me… do we have to catch this spy?" Nara Kazuki stared at the reeking sewer entrance before him, fighting the urge to drop dead on the spot.

The stench was utterly suffocating. This was where every drop of Konoha's residential waste and excrement converged. The flow below was a sludgy, festering nightmare.

"Of course," Kakashi replied, his expression also twisted with disgust. It wasn't about mission discipline or willpower—Kakashi would follow orders, sure—but that didn't make the smell any less revolting.

Kazuki sighed deeply and reluctantly followed Kakashi into the sewer.

But just as he was about to descend, Kakashi stopped him.

"Use Earth Release chakra to coat yourself in a defensive shell first," Kakashi instructed. Kazuki instantly understood and complied.

That made sense. A chakra-based protective layer would save his clothes from being utterly destroyed.

"Damn mole," Kazuki grumbled and activated the protective armor.

This mission should have been simple. They were only supposed to arrest the suspect at the Konoha Sewer Maintenance Company—no sewer crawling required. After all, no employee should be permanently posted underground.

But by the time they arrived, the target had already slipped into the sewers.

Kakashi suspected the spy had noticed something and decided to pursue immediately.

Only Kazuki and Kakashi went in. Byakko, being a newer recruit, was stationed at a secondary exit to block any escape. Kakashi was merciful like that.

As Kazuki dropped into the sewers, filthy water instantly engulfed him up to the waist. His face twisted in agony.

Unbearable.

Now he understood why no shinobi ever volunteered for this kind of job. In wealthier areas of the village, the waste sometimes rose to neck level. The thought alone made him gag.

"This guy's seriously hardcore," Kazuki muttered in genuine admiration. The spy wasn't just skilled—he was insane.

Credit to the Intelligence Division for even managing to track him down.

Kakashi said nothing, silently advancing forward. The terrain was tight and foul. Despite Konoha's large-scale infrastructure, the village's dense population made even these wide sewers feel cramped.

Thankfully, they were still wide enough to walk side by side.

Kazuki made a habit of weaving hand signs every so often—a little technique he'd developed to scan for enemy chakra signatures and prepare for surprise ninjutsu attacks. Unfortunately, it was useless against taijutsu users, who didn't need signs to attack.

By the halfway point, Kazuki's nose had gone completely numb. It was the classic "fish market syndrome"—if you sat in the stink long enough, you just stopped smelling it.

"Watch out!" Kazuki's expression suddenly changed. He called the warning while forming signs at high speed. In an instant, Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu surged forward from his lips, reflexively unleashed.

"Wa—" Kakashi barely got a word out before the blazing fireball rocketed forward.

His heart sank.

He immediately reinforced his Earth Armor, dreading what was about to happen.

Konoha's engineers had designed the sewer system with methane ventilation in mind. Regular airflow systems were installed to prevent dangerous gas buildup.

But still—casting Fire Style jutsu in a semi-enclosed sewer tunnel was a gamble.

Back at the Hokage Tower, Minato Namikaze was deep in thought, contemplating future counter-intelligence strategy.

"These damn moles... we need a proper plan to root them out," he muttered.

Outside, the skies were clear. The streets of Konoha bustled with life. Minato felt—dare he say it—optimistic.

"Ah, today really is a—"

BOOM!

A deafening explosion cut him off.

Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique was fast—flawlessly so.

And dynamic vision was crucial to executing Hiraishin perfectly. Sharp reflexes were essential.

Unfortunately, for once in his life, Minato hated how fast his eyes were.

He saw the sewer manhole covers flying skyward.

He saw the cloud of yellowish-brown slurry erupting sky-high.

He saw the undigested chunks among it.

"Urk…" Minato gagged.

He'd had curry rice for lunch.

Kushina had made it.

He'd even praised her: "This is your best batch yet, honey."

Now it was ruined forever.

Roughly two and a half blocks from the Hokage Tower, an unspeakable sewer explosion rocked the area. Shops were hit. Food stalls were ruined. Anything culinary? Better tear it down and rebuild—no one would eat there again.

And the cause of this public tragedy?

Nara Kazuki, now being reprimanded in the Hokage's office, couldn't even lift his head.

"I'm an idiot... I really am. I never should've let you guys go down into the sewers to catch that mole…" Minato groaned, cradling his head in both hands.

Kazuki looked sheepish.

It had been a reflex. When he deliberately slowed his hand signs—only to find his body speeding up instead—it meant the enemy was already casting a jutsu.

And everyone knew the golden rule:

Strike first, or suffer later.

So Kazuki had instinctively unleashed a Fireball Jutsu.

His brain, dulled by the sewer stench, had completely forgotten about methane safety protocols.

And then... boom.

That section of the city was launched into the air, and the residents in the blast radius now shared a "special connection" with Kazuki.

"Do I... need to pay for damages?" Kazuki asked quietly.

He vaguely remembered that ANBU protocol included a clause: If property damage or civilian casualties occurred during official missions, the village would cover it.

The idea was to prevent ANBU from hesitating in combat due to liability concerns.

But this incident? He wasn't so sure it qualified.

"You don't," Minato said automatically, waving a hand.

Yes, Nara Kazuki had just crowned himself Konoha's Explosive Genius—but technically, it was part of a mission.

The village would cover the cost.

But it would not be cheap.