Chapter 42: Naruto, You Should Respect Your Elders and Care for the Young
Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was puffing on his smoking pipe, eyes fixed intently on the crystal ball in front of him.
Even at his age, he had his vices—pretty faces and eye-catching scenes. It was harmless entertainment, or so he told himself.
"Hey, old man!"
Just as he was fully engrossed, an untimely voice broke through, startling him. He quickly grabbed a cloth and threw it over the crystal ball.
Turning around, he saw Jiraiya's head poking in through the window. The next moment, the man swung his whole body inside.
"You're back?"
Hiruzen took a few calming puffs before speaking, somewhat exasperated.
"There's a perfectly fine door. Why do you insist on using the window like some kind of delinquent?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff," Jiraiya grinned, brushing it off. He quickly stepped inside, face already wearing that mischievous expression.
"What, caught you peeking again—?"
"Cut the nonsense! I was merely monitoring the village's peace and stability."
Hiruzen's old face flushed a bit. Sure, his student shared his bad habits, but that didn't mean he liked being called out.
"Alright, let's get down to business. What did you find on this mission?"
"We got something. Turns out, this situation is a lot more complicated than we thought."
Jiraiya scratched his head, but he quickly got serious.
"Luckily, things went smoothly in the Land of Hot Springs. Didn't take long before we started uncovering stuff…"
He gave a summarized version—omitting the less important details but emphasizing Kitagawa Gen's contribution and the intel they wrung out of Orochimaru.
Hiruzen listened silently, pipe in hand. Once Jiraiya finished, he furrowed his brows.
"It's troublesome, that's for sure. But the intel lines up with what Danzo reported… Still, do you trust Orochimaru's words?"
The fact that the Mizukage had hired that mysterious organization hinted at serious internal chaos—bad news for the Mist, but good news for Konoha. Nobody in the Leaf liked the Mist Village anyway.
But when it came to investigating that mysterious organization… that was another story.
Especially with Uchiha Obito—his heart full of hate, wielding the Mangekyou Sharingan and Wood Release.
This matter couldn't be ignored.
"I think it's mostly reliable," Jiraiya nodded seriously.
"Even if Orochimaru left things out, that's expected. At the very least, we've gotten some key information."
Hiruzen didn't respond immediately. He knew Orochimaru well. The man was a liar, yes—but he was also prideful. He wouldn't give out fake intel just for fun.
"…I see. Looks like I'll have to pay the Mist a visit myself."
He sighed. Taking such risks wasn't his preference, but that shadowy group truly unsettled him.
"Alright, old man. Don't overthink it," Jiraiya said, seeing his teacher's troubled expression. "Some obstacles just have to be faced. That organization's one of them, right? We'll handle it."
"You brat, since when did you start comforting me?"
Hiruzen chuckled, shaking his head.
"Oh, and make this one an S-rank mission," Jiraiya added casually. "That kid, Gen—he wants to make Chuunin soon. Buffing his mission record a bit wouldn't hurt."
"He still needs to pad his resume?"
At the mention of Kitagawa Gen, Hiruzen's mood lightened.
That kid hadn't done many missions since graduating, but every one of them had been tough—and his performance? Stellar.
From facing Jūzō Biwa to Uchiha Itachi, and now this… He was impressive.
He might just become Konoha's next Minato Namikaze…
But Hiruzen kept his thoughts to himself.
"Alright, I'll consider it," he said at last.
"Great," Jiraiya grinned, and then—like the rascal he was—sidled up next to Hiruzen and reached for the cloth over the crystal ball.
"Hey! You bastard, what are you doing!?"
Startled, Hiruzen slapped his hand away.
"Come on, the serious stuff's over. Let's relax a bit. Don't hog the view, old man."
"I was working, thank you very much. It's called official duty!"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just take a quick peek."
"You damn brat—get out of here!"
---
Konoha Hospital.
"Thanks for the help, senpai. I'll be heading off now."
"No problem."
Kitagawa Gen smiled as he bid farewell to the hospital staff and walked out the door—only to find himself a little annoyed.
"Kakashi's already discharged? Guess he's doing better than expected…"
Per Jiraiya's tip, Gen had headed straight for the hospital to check on Kakashi, but the man had already left.
"Well, that's good. Better recovered than stuck in bed."
Since there was nothing else to do, Gen decided to rest for the day and catch up with everyone tomorrow.
He still had a lot to think about—like Uchiha Obito.
After messing with Obito last time, things had spiraled into chaos. And with Jiraiya now looped in, Gen had stirred things both in the open and behind the scenes.
Now he needed to plan his next moves carefully.
He already had ideas—but they needed polish.
After all, there was still Kakashi's personal quest, Phase Two. And that was not something he could afford to let slide.
Obito had way too much valuable stuff on him. Even if it wasn't complete knowledge from Madara, he still had it.
And if Gen could get it, there was no way he'd let it go.
"Hey, Gen! You're back?"
Lost in thought, Gen was startled by Naruto's voice behind him.
"Yeah."
Turning around, he saw Naruto jogging over—one hand holding a bag, the other a basket.
"What's all that?"
Gen raised an eyebrow. But when he peeked inside the bag, his mouth twitched.
"More of that cup ramen from Ichiraku? Haven't you had enough? Why'd you buy so much?"
"Because it's limited edition!" Naruto beamed.
"I was fast enough to snatch them before they sold out. Lucky, huh?"
"It's not some rare delicacy. You already have tons at home, don't you?"
"Yeah, but these are limited! Miss 'em, and they're gone!"
"…"
Gen had no words. He'd never understand how cup noodles could sell at a premium—or why Naruto was so obsessed.
Still, he chose to 'respect his fate' and didn't say more. His attention drifted to the basket.
"What's that, then?"
"Oh, this? This is the real treasure!"
Naruto's tone turned conspiratorial as he looked around like a thief. Then he leaned in and whispered:
"I found this awesome spot filled with free food! Totally up for grabs!"
"…You mean you stole it?"
"Hey! I'm not a thief!"
"Then what happened to your allowance?"
"Spent it all on the ramen!"
Seeing how proud Naruto was, Gen felt utterly defeated.
It seemed the Third Hokage hadn't taught Naruto how to budget—or maybe he just hadn't had time. Being Hokage probably kept him busy… right?
"Heh, how about dinner tonight? My treat," Naruto grinned.
"You'll finally get to taste my special recipe! Oh, and that jutsu you told me to work on? I think I'm almost done."
"Really?"
That caught Gen's attention. He thought about grabbing his camera to document the moment. But his curiosity turned back to the basket.
"What's actually in there?"
"Check it out!"
Naruto lifted the cloth with a flourish—and Gen's face immediately turned green.
The basket was filled with mushrooms—colorful, shiny, and suspiciously gourmet-looking.
He shivered, then slowly looked back up at Naruto.
"…Naruto."
"Yeah?"
"You should learn to respect your elders… and care for the young."
"…Huh? What do you mean?"
"Take those mushrooms… make a nice stew… and bring it to the Hokage's office."