"…Also, it's class time right now. What the heck are you doing here?"
Kitagawa Gen didn't let up—he pressed his advantage and gave Naruto a suspicious once-over before suddenly smiling.
"I get it now. You skipped class. Well then, Naruto-kun… you wouldn't want Iruka-sensei to find out about that, would you?"
"…"
At that moment, Naruto's face turned pale.
"Uh… Gen-senpai?"
Thankfully, Shikamaru and the others had just walked over. They looked a little surprised to see Kitagawa Gen.
Especially Kiba—he gave Gen a puzzled look before speaking up.
"I heard from Naruto that you beat up your teammate so badly he ended up in the hospital, and then you graduated by yourself. Is that true?"
"…"
Gen shot a sharp glance at Naruto.
So this brat was spreading rumors now?
Although… thinking about it… that was sort of how he explained it to him.
"Something like that. But my case was a bit special."
"Tch. You can graduate like that?"
Kiba pursed his lips, then looked over at Naruto with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Hey, Naruto—since you're trying to graduate early too, how about we form a team?"
"What the hell's wrong with you!?"
Naruto immediately snapped, jabbing a finger at Gen.
"And I'm not gonna learn from him, thank you very much! This guy pulled some crazy stunt—I will graduate early the proper way!"
"…That's not the version I heard," Shikamaru muttered groggily, clearly still half-asleep. Then he glanced at Gen with a curious look.
"Come to think of it—Gen-senpai, now that you're a full-fledged genin, shouldn't you be out doing missions or something?"
"Yeah, I heard genin get assigned tons of missions," Chōji chimed in, crunching on his chips as he nodded along.
"Like pulling weeds, cleaning riverbeds, that sort of stuff. Sounds exhausting."
"Wait, what? I thought being a ninja meant going on awesome missions," Naruto said, staring at the chubby boy in confusion. He really didn't know much about how things worked.
"It's not that easy. The path of a ninja is a tough one," Gen said with a shrug, giving an easygoing smile.
"Chōji's right. When you first become a genin, you start with basic tasks. You have to build up your experience step by step."
"Seriously?"
Naruto rubbed his head.
This wasn't how he imagined it at all.
"What'd you expect? Becoming a ninja isn't simple," Gen said with another shrug and a grin.
"You need talent. Every year, students drop out. Haven't you noticed?"
"Even if you make it through the Academy, there's still a final graduation exam. If you fail, you go back and repeat the year."
"My squad is the perfect example—if they fail again, they might never get the chance to become shinobi."
"It's that hard?"
Naruto swallowed hard, clearly in disbelief—and even the others, except for Shikamaru, looked somewhat surprised.
"What else did you expect?" Gen asked with a calm smile. "Forget the Land of Fire for a second—just look at how many people live in Konohagakure. And yet, how many of them are actually shinobi?"
He gave a small nod, the smile never leaving his face.
"Besides, becoming a genin is just the beginning. Some die before they ever reach chūnin. Some make it that far, then lose their drive. Only a rare few are able to keep advancing."
"That's why being a ninja isn't child's play. For most people, never becoming a shinobi is the norm. And even for people like us—being a genin might be the end of the line."
His words left the group of class-cutting kids in total silence.
For a brief moment, they all seemed to regret ditching class.
Especially Naruto.
He'd always shouted about graduating, but this was the first time he'd truly realized how hard—and how brutal—the world of shinobi could be.
Still—
"Hmph! No matter how hard it is, I'll keep pushing forward!"
Naruto suddenly clenched his fists, a resolute light flickering in his eyes.
"No matter what, I will become a ninja! And no matter what, I'll work hard to become Hokage! I'll never give up!"
"Tch, quit talking big," Kiba muttered reflexively, throwing in a snide remark—but his eyes showed approval.
"You're not the only one working hard, you know."
"You two…" Shikamaru looked at Naruto and Kiba, then rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
Somehow the conversation had gone completely off-track.
Luckily, Chōji seemed to still be grounded in reality. Munching on his chips, he looked at Gen and asked in confusion: "But Gen-senpai, you look pretty relaxed. Don't tell me you're also one of those 'genin-is-the-final-stop' types?"
"Oh, that?"
Gen tilted his head, then grinned mischievously.
"Well, that's because I might be leaving the village on a mission tomorrow. Who wants to stick around and do boring basic tasks?"
"What!?"
Everyone's eyes went wide—this didn't match what he'd just said earlier at all!
"As for that 'genin is the end' talk? That was for everyone else."
"My goal… is fame and fortune!"
"…"
...
"Ten... nine... eight..."
At six in the morning, Kitagawa Gen silently counted down.
"Three, two, one!"
As soon as the countdown ended, he slammed the alarm clock off before it had the chance to ring.
If he weren't still bound by mission protocol, he'd have smashed that noisy alarm that had tormented him for years!
After dressing quickly, he glanced at himself in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
Good looks were a crucial part of one's combat power. Whether he'd get the chance to test the temperament and flavors of lovely kunoichi in the future all depended on this.
Once everything was in order, Kitagawa Gen finally stepped outside. Although Kakashi had said getting there early wouldn't help much, he knew exactly where to find him.
"Eh? Naruto?"
What he didn't expect was to run into Naruto flipping out of a window just minutes after leaving his building.
"Up so early? What for?"
"Tch. I need to work hard!"
Naruto gave a sharp humph, then clenched his fists.
"I'm gonna graduate for sure, and become Hokage—uwaaaahhh!"
Before he could finish, Naruto's foot slipped. Under Kitagawa Gen's stunned gaze, he tumbled headfirst out of the second-floor window.
"Owww..."
Watching Naruto writhing on the ground yet still finding time to groan, Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but reflect—yes, ninja were a squishy profession, but clearly that varied from person to person.
Some could get taken out by a single kunai stab. Others might have their hearts ripped out. And then there were some who just couldn't be killed no matter how hard you tried.
"I think you should just enjoy the process."
Shrugging, Kitagawa Gen turned to leave, but not without a parting reminder.
"Also, once I'm out, remember to water the plants on the balcony. Don't let them die on me."
"You bastard! I will become Hokage!" Naruto yelled defiantly at Gen's back.
But he didn't notice the faint look of regret that flickered across Gen's face.
"Too bad… no missions yet."
If he wanted to obtain Indra and Asura's chakra, Kitagawa Gen knew he'd have to rely on the system.
Still, he wasn't in a rush. There was plenty of time ahead.
"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei!"
At the Konoha Cemetery, in front of the memorial for Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin.
Kitagawa Gen approached with a beaming smile, greeting Kakashi—who looked more than a little surprised.
"How'd you know I'd be here—never mind, it was Guy, wasn't it?"
"…"
Gen just gave a shrug and smiled without answering.
He had discovered that after getting on Guy's good side, he could skip a lot of explanations. Kakashi's imagination would do the rest.
"Kakashi-sensei, what are we doing next?"
"It's already prepared."
Rubbing his brow, Kakashi reached into his tool pouch and pulled out several scrolls, giving them a shake before he spoke.
"There are five C-rank missions and one B-rank mission. They're all along the same route, so we'll take care of them in one go."
"To be honest, I think you're capable of handling B-rank—or even higher—but you still lack experience, so let's take it slow."
"Also, I'll be training you along the way. Be mentally prepared."
In truth, Kakashi had debated whether to assign more B-rank missions. After all, tasks at that level were nothing to him.
But this was his first time acting as a jōnin instructor, and some of his old Anbu habits lingered. His job was to hone this kid—not babysit him.
Besides, this boy had Guy's seal of approval, and Kakashi himself found him promising. No matter how talented he was, though, Gen was still a fresh genin who had just graduated. Better to play it safe.
"No problem!"
Gen didn't mind. There would be plenty of chances once they got out there.
"By the way, what's our route?"
"…"
At that question, even Kakashi paused for a moment before answering in a slow, deliberate tone.
"Toward the Land of Waves. But don't try anything reckless."
"Oh."
Gen nodded, though he couldn't help grumbling inwardly. All that money, just left on the table?
Still, barring any surprises, they'd probably run into it again in three years. He could plan something then.