A True Genius?!

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"They're all dead?"

Shimura Danzō stared at the report in his hand, feeling as though his heart were bleeding.

More than ten years ago, he had marched into the Land of Rain with high ambitions, leading a squad of Root shinobi in a bold attempt to win over the Hanzō of the Salamander. He had hoped to strengthen his claim to the Hokage seat through this alliance.

And then...

That was it.

Nothing else had come of it.

Every single elite operative from Root had perished there. He himself had barely escaped with his life.

After being forced into a humiliating 'restart from scratch,' Danzō had painstakingly cultivated a new trump card: a subject he named "Kinoe," a boy who possessed the power of Wood Release.

He had pinned all his hopes on this child, believing he would be the spark to revive Root and finally secure Danzō's rise to the position of Hokage.

But not only had the assassination attempt on Hiruzen Sarutobi ended in failure, the boy had gone on to develop emotional ties under Kakashi's influence?

Even more infuriating, Sarutobi had come personally afterward to demand custody of the child.

Faced with such overwhelming pressure, Danzō had no choice but to back down.

If you want him, take him, fine. But why surround Root with your entire ANBU corps?

What else was I supposed to do, refuse?

And so "Kinoe" was gone, now renamed "Tenzo."

Still, Danzō had not fallen into despair. Even after this heavy blow, he quietly continued to study the secrets of Wood Release alongside Orochimaru.

In time, he fulfilled his teacher's long-held wish by orchestrating the downfall of the entire Uchiha clan.

Such an accomplishment should have been more than enough, right?

But Sarutobi, without even so much as a moment's hesitation, turned around and discarded him like a worn-out donkey!

Root had been temporarily disbanded, and he was stripped of command. Though he had managed to retain a handful of loyal subordinates, it was a mere shadow of the force he once led.

And now, just when he had finally been reinstated with limited authority due to special circumstances, he had hardened his resolve and dispatched the remaining Root elites to Kirigakure, hoping to gather intelligence on Uchiha Obito—or perhaps even seize the Mangekyō Sharingan itself.

And what happened?

His people vanished, just like that. As if they were no more than discarded corpses lying unnoticed by the roadside.

All of them, gone without a trace!

"Those damn Uchiha… born evil, every last one of them."

Danzō cursed bitterly, veins bulging across his forehead. The hand gripping the intelligence scroll tightened uncontrollably.

Root's manpower was dwindling. Apart from a handful of capable shinobi and his personal guards, the rest were little more than unpolished brats still undergoing training.

"Root needs fresh blood. Desperately."

His mind was weighed down with frustration when Yamanaka Fū stepped quietly into the room. He lowered his voice, speaking with evident caution.

"Lord Danzō, the Hokage has sent someone over again."

"Again? Another demand?"

Danzō frowned, irritation bubbling to the surface. He wanted to vent, to lash out, but after glancing once more at the scroll in his hand, he chose silence instead.

He no longer had any cards to play. His plans had crumbled. Now it was time to offer Sarutobi an explanation.

"If he's in such a hurry, then let him see for himself what lies within the mist."

With that thought, Danzō turned to Yamanaka Fū and spoke in a deep voice.

"Go and deliver a message to that man. Tell him this."

"Root has fulfilled its duty. We have already obtained sufficient intelligence."

---

—In a training field within Konoha—

Kitagawa Gen had just arrived for his appointment, only to find Kakashi standing alongside Jiraiya.

"Kakashi-sensei."

Gen gave a slight nod toward Kakashi, then turned with curiosity toward the other figure.

"Huh? Jiraiya-sama, you're here too?"

"What, is this how you greet your elders now? Can't I show up just to check on you?"

Jiraiya snorted twice before continuing.

"You little rascal. Thanks to you, both Kakashi and I have been getting an earful from the old man lately. You sure know how to stir up trouble."

"Heh."

Gen laughed carelessly, utterly unconcerned. Still, the sight of how dejected Naruto looked every time he came home from school never failed to amuse him.

Clearly, that kid must be getting chewed out by Iruka on a daily basis.

And not just Naruto—chances were, every student at the academy was getting an earful right now.

"Gen, here. This is for you."

At that moment, Kakashi took out a short sword and handed it to him.

"You've officially graduated and completed your first mission. These are milestones worth remembering.

But I never gave you a proper gift before. Consider this one a way to make up for that.

This blade once belonged to my father. I used it myself for a time, but I no longer have need of it.

Since you've learned my sword techniques, I believe it's only right that I pass it on to you. I hope you'll use it well."

"Sakumo's sword?"

Jiraiya blinked in surprise. For a moment, the image of that once-spirited man—known across the village as the "White Fang of the Leaf"—rose unbidden in his mind.

So much had happened since then. Even now, the memories were difficult to speak of, let alone pass judgment on.

In truth, he had always agreed with Sakumo's way of thinking. A comrade is what a shinobi should value most.

Yet during wartime, missions took precedence. One could not abandon a crucial objective merely to save a teammate. Doing so would only lead to even more casualties on the battlefield.

So, in the end, Jiraiya could only let out a long sigh, then put on a teasing grin and chuckled aloud.

"No way. You actually gave that sword to this little brat?"

"Yeah."

Kakashi gave a small nod, and the one eye visible from beneath his forehead protector curved into a crescent moon.

"I haven't used it in a long time. Instead of letting it collect dust at home, I'd rather hand it over to someone who can truly put it to use."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Kitagawa Gen received the blade with a solemn nod. Only then did he slowly draw the short sword from its sheath.

It wasn't a long blade, but it was incredibly sharp. Even under the faint sunlight, it gleamed with a subtle flash.

Clearly, Kakashi had taken the time to find someone to restore it properly and had the edge sharpened again.

And Gen could feel it. This blade seemed to have a good affinity for chakra conduction. With that thought in mind, he gently stirred the chakra within his body.

FIZZ, FIZZ, FIZZ—!

In an instant, the entire sword was enveloped in a layer of crackling violet lightning.

"The chakra conductivity is excellent. And the more chakra I pour into it, the sharper and more durable the blade becomes?"

Gen quietly pondered this as he examined the weapon in silence. At this point, he couldn't help but suspect that when Kakashi's sword broke back then, it might have been due to insufficient chakra infusion.

He shook his head slightly, then let the chakra flow subside before carefully sheathing the sword once more. Bowing slightly toward Kakashi, he said in a soft voice,

"I won't let this blade be tarnished, Kakashi-sensei."

"Alright, alright, you two are starting to sound awfully sentimental."

Jiraiya scrunched his lips, shook his head, and interrupted their exchange. He then gave a lopsided smile and added,

"Use this blade well, kid. Just don't disgrace it. After all, its last owner... was a hero."

"Mhm."

Gen gave a firm nod, then hesitated for a moment before asking with some curiosity,

"By the way, Lord Jiraiya, did you come here to give me a gift too?"

"Tch, wait till you're a chunin. Maybe even a jonin first."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes dramatically before speaking again.

"The old man asked me to come check in on your training progress."

He let out a sigh, muttering in a slightly exasperated tone.

"Seriously, that's the Flying Thunder God we're talking about. If it were that easy, it wouldn't have been..."

"I've made some progress."

However, before Jiraiya could finish speaking, Gen cut him off directly.

"Huh?"

The moment those words left his mouth, both Jiraiya and Kakashi widened their eyes in astonishment.

"Progress? You mean to say..."

"Lord Jiraiya mentioned before that the real difficulty of the Flying Thunder God lies in precise chakra control, and of course, the perception of space."

Gen smiled as he pulled out a kunai. Gripping it firmly, he let the chakra within him stir once more.

"This technique is obscure and elusive. It's easy to get lost in its complexity. But I've been fortunate—I've managed to grasp a faint sense of it."

As he spoke, he placed the kunai upright. To the astonishment of both Jiraiya and Kakashi, a strange and intricate sealing mark had already appeared along its surface.

"So..."

In the very next moment, Gen flung the kunai behind them.

With a sudden surge of chakra, he vanished from their sight in an instant, and then his voice rang out from behind them.

"I think I've gotten the hang of it, at least at a basic level."

"..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it struck both of them silent, as if the sheer weight of it rendered them momentarily speechless.

They turned around slowly, their eyes falling upon Gen, who had already caught the kunai with ease.

At that moment, a golden figure surfaced in both of their minds.

"Minato..."

"Sensei..."

Each of them whispered under their breath, their gazes filled with remembrance, longing, and disbelief.

And just then, a masked Anbu operative came rushing toward them.

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[Chapter End's]

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