The Sakuras Bloom in Your Homeland

"Kehehe..." The white half of Zetsu's flytrap face giggled, utterly unfazed by the masked man's glare. "Got some spicy news! Itachi and Kisame ran into an old friend of yours on their mission~ Care to guess who?"

"Spare me the games," Obito snarled, the voice distorted by the orange spiral mask.

"It was Hatake Kakashi," Black Zetsu interjected smoothly, his tone devoid of amusement. "They encountered his team."

"Kakashi?" Obito's posture stiffened almost imperceptibly. "...That failure." His voice dripped with forced contempt. "Still in ANBU, I assume? Troublesome, but manageable for Itachi."

"Ah, but he's not ANBU anymore!" White Zetsu chirped, swaying slightly. "He's a teacher now! With just one little student!"

"...A teacher? One student?" Confusion laced Obito's voice beneath the mask. Against Itachi and Kisame... he should be dead. "What happened?"

"The student spotted Itachi first," Black Zetsu explained, his red eye narrowing. "Alerted Kakashi, claimed they'd called for ANBU backup. Clever bluff. The boy... held Kisame at bay. Saved Kakashi. Itachi cited Mangekyō exhaustion, Kisame was injured... they retreated."

Neither Obito nor Zetsu bought Itachi's excuses wholesale. They knew the spy's game.

"Kakashi's... student?" Obito mused, a flicker of cold curiosity piercing his usual disdain.

"But here's the real kicker!" White Zetsu couldn't resist adding, his voice bubbling with mock innocence. "Everyone Kakashi ever tried to protect ended up dead! But this time? He tried to shield the kid... and they both made it out! Maybe his cursed luck finally broke? What do you think, Obi—"

"I AM MADARA!" Obito roared, Sharingan blazing crimson through the mask's eyehole. A wave of killing intent filled the room, freezing White Zetsu mid-sentence.

The silence that followed was thick and venomous.

---

Wave Country - Inn Room

"I'm afraid there's little I can do." The elderly local healer shook his head, closing his worn medical bag. "I'm no shinobi. His injuries aren't physical wounds..."

"Understood. Thank you," Jiraiya nodded, his usual boisterousness subdued as he showed the man out. Returning to the dim room where Kakashi lay pale against the pillows, Jiraiya sighed, running a hand through his wild white hair. "Looks like you need proper Konoha medics. Shame Tsunade's vanished... her hands would've fixed you right up."

He forced a grin. "Eh, you'll live. Rest up, you'll be fine back home."

"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya..." Kakashi's voice was weak, the psychic scars from the Tsukuyomi fragment still throbbing behind his eyes. Konoha's hospital was indeed the only real solution.

Seeing Jiraiya had eased the tension. The threat of Akatsuki's return lingered, but with a Sannin present? The danger level plummeted.

"Enough with the 'Lord'," Jiraiya waved a dismissive hand, plopping into a chair. "Lucky I was sniffing around for Orochimaru when I saw your flare. Kid," he turned his sharp gaze to Gen, who stood near the window, "that bluff of yours... ballsy. What if they hadn't flinched?"

Because Itachi's secretly on our side, Gen thought, but kept his face neutral. "They're wanted men, Lord Jiraiya. Who wants to risk tangling with ANBU if they can avoid it? Had to try something."

"Try something reckless," Jiraiya grunted, though a hint of reluctant admiration colored his tone. The kid reminded him uncomfortably of Tsunade's gambles. "Kid, luck's a fickle mistress. Don't bet your life on her too often."

"Understood," Gen nodded quickly, eager to shift topics before another lecture. "Lord Jiraiya, what are your plans now?"

"Chasing that slippery snake Orochimaru," Jiraiya sighed, stroking his chin. "Got a weird lead, though. Rumor has it... he joined an organization. Can you believe it? Orochimaru, playing nice with others?"

Why not? He teamed up with Itachi and Kisame once, Gen thought wryly, remembering the Akatsuki days before Orochimaru got booted. He simply offered a noncommittal hum.

[New Side Quest: Jiraiya-san, The Sakuras Bloom In Your Homeland...]

[Bring Jiraiya back to Konoha]

"..." Gen nearly winced. This system... At least it wasn't the apocalyptic "smoke with Pain" quest this time. But convincing Jiraiya to return? With Orochimaru still on the loose?

But... the potential reward... Gen's mind raced. He did have certain... leverage.

"Ah... Lord Jiraiya," Gen's expression slumped dramatically, injecting a note of weary concern into his voice. "I was kind of hoping... you'd come back to Konoha with us."

Jiraiya's eyes bulged. "Konoha?! Kid, are you trying to get me killed? Or worse... trapped?" Konoha held ghosts and responsibilities he constantly fled.

"But sensei..." Gen gestured helplessly towards the barely conscious Kakashi. "If we run into someone like Itachi again on the way back... without you..." He let the sentence hang, heavy with unspoken dread.