"Sasuke's relatives?"
Looking at the mission, Kitagawa Gen's face darkened.
He knew the reward would definitely be a good one—exclusive missions never disappointed.
"But why are they always so damn grim?"
Although he had plenty of experience dealing with eerie, death-related missions, having them come one after another was still exhausting.
Of course, the mission itself wasn't difficult—just a simple Reanimation.
But the problem was—
"It seems all his relatives are… kind of weird?"
Not to mention Uchiha Fugaku—this old lunatic was even more indecisive than Sarutobi Hiruzen. His duality between toughness and weakness was downright baffling.
"Though, I guess he was also tricked by Uchiha Itachi."
Kitagawa Gen suddenly recalled something. Since Uchiha Itachi was a double agent, there was no way Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know.
And yet he still let Kakashi take Itachi to the Anbu monitoring room, letting him see that the entire Uchiha clan was under complete surveillance.
"It was probably his way of telling the Uchiha: we're watching your every move—don't try anything stupid."
And still, he said nothing.
"But when Uchiha Itachi came home to kill him, Fugaku actually did nothing and just sat there waiting to die?"
Defeat was inevitable—his own beloved son had already turned traitor.
But you're the clan head, aren't you? Shouldn't you at least try to fight for the others?
All Kitagawa Gen could say was that he wasn't crazy—he simply couldn't understand that kind of mindset.
"And then there's Uchiha Shisui too. Recklessly revealed his own eye technique without realizing the danger, got ambushed by Danzō, and then jumped into a river to kill himself in despair. Seriously…"
Kitagawa Gen rubbed his temples; he felt this "family visit" would not be easy.
Besides—
"All of them should be involved, right? But I don't have control over Uchiha Itachi's Reanimation. Could it be…"
Kitagawa Gen's gaze drifted toward Naruto. From a chakra perspective, wasn't this guy like Sasuke's 'blood brother'?
"Or maybe Uchiha Obito and Nagato have something prepared again, and Itachi's Reanimation will appear there?"
Kitagawa Gen's missions were always absurd, but they often had a certain foresight to them.
That foresight had brought him plenty of advantages—and more importantly, time to prepare!
Like the first time he met Uchiha Itachi, he'd gotten a mysterious mission.
And when he encountered Uchiha Obito, the system had specifically warned him again!
"So maybe this one's also a warning, tied to Sasuke's exclusive mission?"
Kitagawa Gen stroked his chin, lost in thought, while Kakashi beside him finally snapped back to his senses.
"Forget it—let's see what the village decides. And what are you thinking about? You've gone unusually quiet."
"I'm thinking about whether I should make use of my influence. After all, none of this is hard for me."
Kitagawa Gen came back to himself, smiling at Kakashi.
"If they don't give it to me, I'll just do it myself—since I know how to perform Reanimation anyway."
"Huh?"
Guy's eyes widened, though there was a trace of delight in them. Kakashi, however, rubbed his forehead.
"I really think you shouldn't. Just wait for the village's arrangements, okay? Don't act rashly, Gen."
"Tch, Kakashi-sensei, you're behind the times."
Kitagawa Gen scoffed, crossing his arms and raising his chin high, deliberately speaking in a haughty tone.
"Even though you're my instructor, I'm the one who'll become the future Hokage!"
"…"
"Didn't you forget a line?"
"?"
"You should say: 'You'll regret this.'"
"…"
Kakashi was at a loss for words toward his student. He truly had no idea what went on in this kid's head.
Though… those words did sound familiar—hadn't he said something similar to Kitagawa Gen once before?
"And also, Kakashi-sensei,"
Just as Kakashi was wondering, Kitagawa Gen spoke again.
"What do you think would happen if Sasuke's father, mother, and Uchiha Itachi all appeared together?"
"…"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. The question gave him a headache, and suddenly he realized something.
"Hey, don't tell me you plan to Reanimate Sasuke's parents—and then go find Uchiha Itachi?"
"Wouldn't that… be kind of bad?"
Even Guy felt that Kitagawa Gen was getting a bit extreme.
"Although Uchiha Itachi was a villain, they were still his parents, that's…"
"What's bad about it? Uchiha Itachi slaughtered his entire clan—including them."
Kitagawa Gen shook his head, adopting a look of pained compassion.
"I think this gives them the chance to personally avenge themselves. Even if he's their son, he's still the murderer who wiped out their clan!"
"…"
What exactly are you hoping to see?
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes surfaced again, while Guy rubbed his forehead. Kitagawa Gen, however, went on speaking.
"Also, since Sasuke has already defeated their killer, he should inform them too—so their tormented hearts can finally find solace."
"Well…"
Kakashi still thought Kitagawa Gen's reasoning was twisted, but Guy was far simpler.
"That does sound reasonable. Gen, you're really kindhearted!"
"…"
Kakashi tilted his head toward Guy, thinking that the word kindhearted was absolutely the last one that should be used for Kitagawa Gen!
If he hadn't stopped him, this kid would've hired assassins to kill his employer back in the Land of Waves three years ago—
The entire family, no less!
What kind of kindness was that?
Although, to be fair, he was indeed kind to people within the village…
"And also, Kakashi-sensei,"
Just as Kakashi was pondering whether Gen's version of kindness meant sparing people suffering by sending them all away together, Kitagawa Gen spoke again.
"As instructors, we've actually failed in one duty—we never conducted a home visit for Sasuke!"
"…"
"Now that we have the skills and resources, why not take the chance to do one?"
"…"
"Everyone else's was done. Only Sasuke's remains. Kakashi-sensei, you don't want Sasuke to be the only student without a home visit, do you?"
"Stop. Don't say another word."
Kakashi no longer had the energy to argue with his student. He knew full well this kid was up to no good.
Besides, they'd all read Uchiha Fugaku's records—they knew exactly what kind of man he was!
"Talk to Third Hokage about it later. Maybe he'll approve."
"Alright."
Kitagawa Gen nodded. He felt it probably wouldn't be an issue.
Especially since if the Second Hokage knew his plan, he'd likely agree wholeheartedly.
"Hm?"
Just as he was thinking that, he suddenly noticed several Anbu approaching them.
"It's Tenzō."
Kakashi immediately recognized his junior from the Anbu. Standing up, he smiled and asked, "What brings you here?"
"Kakashi-senpai, it's been a while."
Though Tenzō wore a mask, it was clear he was smiling beneath it.
"Hokage-sama has asked you to come to the Anbu base."
"Oh?"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Guy stood up beside him, while Kitagawa Gen kept that faint smile on his lips.
'So, they've finally dug it up…'
It had been several days since Kitagawa Gen's fabrication. These people had been tirelessly digging ever since.
The fact that results only came now was actually rather slow.
'But speaking of which… can they even see the information written on it?'
Suddenly, Kitagawa Gen's expression turned peculiar.
Both the First and Second Hokage were Reanimated—if they couldn't see it, then this was going to get very interesting…
…
"Black Zetsu, Obito—they've dug it up."
Inside the Akatsuki base, White Zetsu's half-body suddenly sensed something. Grinning, he looked toward Obito and the others.
"Oh, they actually found it!"
Obito's eyes narrowed sharply, while Black Zetsu nodded calmly.
"Not surprising. I'd already locked onto several possible locations back then, though I couldn't confirm them completely—and I didn't dare make any big moves. As for them…"
"I get it."
Obito nodded slightly. White Zetsu just pursed his lips lightly—after all, they were the ones who planted that thing there in the first place!
But Obito didn't seem to notice anything off. He turned to look at Orochimaru.
"So, how's your preparation this time?"
"Although I still think this plan of yours is unreliable, since you insist, I'll play along."
Orochimaru licked his lips, a raspy laugh slipping out.
"The Reanimation has been completely upgraded. And since you've provided such excellent materials, I believe this time it will perform quite impressively."
"Let's hope so."
Obito wasn't expecting much anyway. Fortunately, his demands were modest.
"As long as it can stall Kitagawa Gen, that's enough."
"Stall him, huh?"
Orochimaru nodded. At least Uchiha Obito was pragmatic—he wasn't delusional enough to think he could win with mere Reanimations.
"Don't worry. That much, I can guarantee."
"In that case, Obito—let's get ready to depart."
Black Zetsu interjected at just the right moment, cutting them off before Orochimaru could say anything he shouldn't.
"After all, time is tight—we can't delay too long."
"Alright, I'll go check on Nagato first."
Obito thought for a moment before speaking directly.
Nagato was still within his Kamui space—he needed to handle that first.
"Meet up in five minutes. We'll move out then!"
The moment he finished speaking, he vanished from sight. Only after Obito had completely disappeared did Black Zetsu speak quietly.
"Orochimaru, everything you asked for has been prepared. What about your side?"
"The Hyūga Clan, huh? You really think that's the key?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, asking curiously.
"Is it just like with the Senju and Uchiha? The Kaguya Clan and the Hyūga…"
"It's highly possible. And don't forget—Kaguya and the Hyūga are connected."
Black Zetsu let out a sigh. He hadn't wanted to say any of this, but at this point, there was no point in hiding it anymore.
"Once we obtain the Byakugan, it should solve Kimimaro's issue. As for Uchiha Madara…"
"Relax, I know what I'm doing."
Orochimaru licked his lips again, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"As long as everything goes smoothly, I guarantee I'll give you a Uchiha Madara at his absolute peak!"
"That'll do…"
Hearing this, Black Zetsu also smiled.
Still, deep down, he couldn't help but sneer.
'Do you really know what Uchiha Madara's peak even looks like…'
Meanwhile, as the Akatsuki made their preparations, the Second Elder of the Ōtsutsuki Clan arrived outside Konohagakure with Toneri.
"Granduncle, where are we?"
Toneri asked curiously. The Second Elder only smiled.
"A place where you can find a pair of suitable eyes."
In truth, the Second Elder could have given his own eyes to Toneri.
But before dying, he preferred to burn out the last of his life searching for something better—especially since they had already set their sights on the Princess of the Byakugan.
Originally, they had intended for her to become Toneri's wife, ensuring the continuation of the Moon's Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
"But given the situation now, it's better to focus on something more practical."
As he spoke, his gaze turned upward toward the silver moon in the sky.
Three years had passed—surely that one wasn't still watching, right?
"Well then…"
The Second Elder muttered softly, when suddenly he sensed something. His Byakugan flared open in an instant.
"What a coincidence… those people are here too? And it seems they have plans of their own."
"Perfect. I'll use these lower beings to get what I want."
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---