Chapter 148: The Place Where Dreams Begin
Ever since he was set up by Danzō, which led to his miserable defeat in the Land of Wind, Orochimaru had been plotting his revenge.
Some might call it petty, but Orochimaru knew very well—people like Danzō were better off dead.
"Especially my former teacher… he's too soft-hearted. Even with concrete evidence, he wouldn't kill Danzō. But someone like him…"
Orochimaru didn't consider himself moral in the slightest—but compared to Danzō, he was practically a saint. That man was like a black hole of corruption.
As long as Danzō was alive, Orochimaru could never feel at ease. It would be far better to send him off early.
"If only I had more manpower, I could really stir things up."
He let out a sigh. This time's Chūnin Exams were grander than ever before.
Not only were the smaller ninja villages participating, but even the Five Great Nations had officially confirmed their attendance for the joint exam.
Sure, part of their reasoning was to cut down on expenses—but another was to flex their muscles a bit.
When that day came, Konoha would surely descend into chaos—presenting the perfect opportunity.
"If I had more people, I could pull off so much more…"
Orochimaru was a little frustrated. He knew that many of the Kage themselves would be coming. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
The relationship between Iwagakure and Konoha was murky at best. They'd practically beaten each other to a pulp in the Third Great Ninja War. That kind of grudge wasn't so easily forgotten.
As for Kumogakure…
The Fourth Raikage had been ambushed by Kitagawa Gen, losing an arm in the process. There was no way they were on good terms with Konoha.
As for Rasa of Sunagakure… Orochimaru didn't even see him as a threat. In fact, he was already contemplating whether to kill Rasa and impersonate him as the Kazekage.
"If someone else could pose as the Mizukage too, just imagine the chaos! Konoha would be a mess!"
That thought excited him. Orochimaru had long dreamed of launching a "Destroy Konoha Plan."
This was the perfect opportunity. But lacking enough capable hands, he could only sigh in frustration.
"Well, we'll see how far we can push it. With some luck, others might stir the pot too. But first… the primary target is Danzō."
"Danzō… I've been waiting a long time for this."
While Orochimaru schemed in secret, Uchiha Obito was also hard at work.
"How's the intel gathering going in Konoha?" he asked, cracking his neck and glancing at Black Zetsu.
"The general situation is clear," Black Zetsu replied. "There will be a large number of visitors this time. Konoha's security is tight—but that only works in our favor."
"A mix of the good, the bad, and the unknown… Konoha is really confident, aren't they?"
Obito gave a cold nod. "The Nine-Tails… has it been located?"
"Yes, but there's a complication. Kitagawa Gen is very close to that brat."
"Not surprising. Of course Konoha would arrange that."
"…"
Black Zetsu paused, unsure how to respond. Honestly, Obito was overthinking things.
Gen and Naruto had known each other since they were kids. They even lived close by. It wasn't like Konoha had intentionally placed them together.
Black Zetsu had looked into Kitagawa's background—it left him both amazed and concerned. Could someone like that even be real? A true prodigy—perhaps even a throwback to ancient bloodlines?
He shook his head, too tired to argue.
"In any case, we don't need to worry too much. That guy's already a jōnin. He'll definitely be busy with other duties during the exams. He won't be able to watch the Nine-Tails all the time."
"Let's hope so."
Obito nodded, but before he could continue, White Zetsu suddenly chimed in.
"Hey Obito, Kitagawa Gen became a jōnin at fourteen. What were you doing at fourteen?"
"I was controlling the Nine-Tails and destroying Konoha. Satisfied?"
Obito didn't even want to dignify White Zetsu's idiocy with a response—but if they were comparing accomplishments at fourteen, he wasn't losing.
"This time, I'll do it again. The only question is… does Kitagawa have the same resolve as Namikaze Minato?"
"This time will be even more chaotic."
Black Zetsu shot a rare glance at White Zetsu. For once, that idiot had actually asked a good question.
"According to intel, the Fourth Raikage is also heading to Konoha. Who knows what he's planning… their relationship with Konoha is rocky."
"Think he'll make a move?"
"Hard to say. But if chaos breaks out… and considering his past with Kitagawa…"
"That might be something we can use."
Kumogakure had never gotten along with Konoha. Even before the Third War, the Hyūga Incident nearly caused an all-out war.
Kitagawa Gen had cut off the Fourth Raikage's arm in the Land of Cedars (Sugi Village). That incident hadn't spread far, but their faction knew the truth.
"What about the others?" Obito rubbed his chin. "How are the other villages positioned?"
"Kirigakure's ties with Konoha are okay. Sunagakure is an ally. Iwagakure's stance is unclear. It's complicated."
Kirigakure's problems? That was your fault, genius.
Black Zetsu nearly rolled his eyes. Obito had wrecked their control over Kirigakure by acting too impulsively. Sure, revenge was sweet—but now they were dealing with the fallout.
"Kirigakure is unpredictable. But as for Sunagakure, we can basically ignore them," Black Zetsu continued.
"Due to the alliance with Konoha, the Wind Daimyō slashed their budget. If Konoha fell into chaos, it might actually benefit them—they could use it as leverage to demand funding."
"Iwagakure is trickier. The whole Deidara situation made them hostile to us. But if Konoha goes down… who knows?"
"Tch. It always comes down to politics and profit."
Obito let out a cold snort. Human greed never changed. But that also gave them a golden opportunity—one they'd be fools not to seize.
"That's fine. As long as we accomplish our goals."
He paused for a moment, then spoke in a lower voice.
"Can you confirm whether Ōtsutsuki Genshiki will appear?"
"I can't be certain," Black Zetsu replied solemnly. "But all we can do is prepare for every possibility."
"We've already done so much. Now… we see how it plays out."
---
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what'd you wake me up so early for?"
"The Hokage has called for a meeting. You're a jōnin now."
"But I haven't even left the squad."
"And that's exactly why you're coming. You're a jōnin."
Amidst the brewing storm outside, Konoha remained mostly unaffected—for now.
On a peaceful village street, Kitagawa Gen looked groggy and half-asleep as he walked beside Kakashi, still clearly not in the mood to be up so early.
The way he looked now made Kakashi a little curious.
"What's wrong? I don't recall you having any missions lately. Why do you look so tired?"
"Don't get me started. Two idiots were yelling outside my window first thing this morning. It was such a pain."
Kitagawa Gen rubbed his temples, as if recalling something too annoying to speak of.
"Those two Uzumakis are seriously driving me crazy!"
"Naruto and Karin, huh?"
Kakashi scratched his chin, puzzled.
"Aren't those two getting along just fine? Why do things seem so different with you involved?"
"Heh."
Gen rolled his eyes, clearly unwilling to explain further.
He couldn't exactly say that his presence was the reason they kept clashing, right?
Time had flown by, and Karin had gradually settled into life in Konoha.
Since it was Gen who had brought her back, the task of supervising her wasn't just up to the ANBU—he was responsible too.
After all, she was an outsider. Whether or not she belonged to the Uzumaki clan, certain protocols had to be followed.
Thankfully, it was Gen who had intervened—otherwise, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
As a result, Karin was assigned housing near Gen's residence. After a period of surveillance and investigation, once her background had been thoroughly confirmed, the monitoring was lifted.
Now, at least outwardly, she could be considered an official member of Konoha.
"What's that look for?"
Kakashi, unaware of Gen's thoughts, casually asked while flipping through his little orange book.
"But she wasn't lying. Her sensory and healing abilities are top-tier. I heard she's pretty well-behaved too."
"Yeah, she wasn't lying."
Gen yawned and nodded lazily.
Karin was indeed gifted by nature.
As for her being "well-behaved"…
Well, she was certainly obedient around him. Karin was the kind of person who, once shown genuine kindness, would etch it into her heart and repay it fully.
Konoha's environment was far better than that of the Hidden Grass Village. And her being in Konoha at all—she knew—was thanks to Gen.
Naturally, she saw him as her benefactor.
Fortunately, she didn't act around him the way she had around Sasuke in the original timeline. That battle in the Grass Village must've scared her pretty thoroughly.
Still, she could be a headache. Like when Naruto stopped by to water the plants—or started arguing with Gen—Karin would instantly go into "attack dog" mode on his behalf.
At first, Gen found their arguments amusing, but after a while, they became exhausting.
"Anyway, she's gotten pretty close with Naruto, Sasuke, and the others now. By the way, doesn't she technically count as an academy graduate?"
"Not sure. But I heard the Hokage wants her to study under Lady Tsunade."
Kakashi rubbed his chin again, recalling something.
"With that kind of talent, it'd be a waste not to develop it."
"I see..."
Gen was slightly surprised, but thinking it over, having Karin follow Tsunade actually sounded like a great idea.
"Looks like she's pretty lucky."
"Alright, enough about that. Let's talk about the meeting."
Kakashi stretched and let out a sigh.
"Looks like we're going to be assigned students again. What a pain..."
"Can't we just turn it down like last year?"
Gen raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously.
"I mean, we bailed last year—can't we just do it again?"
"Nope. We already promised. This year, we have to take students."
Kakashi rolled his eyes and replied dully.
"Besides, this year's different. There's no way out of it. We're even being put together as a two-jonin squad."
Kakashi wasn't wrong—the situation was different this year.
A bunch of "second-generation" kids were graduating, and there was no way the higher-ups would ignore their squad.
The ninja world wasn't just about fighting—it was about relationships and responsibility.
Kakashi didn't even know which students they'd be getting—he hadn't paid any attention to the academy's graduation assessment.
But one thing was certain—this time, he couldn't get out of it.
"I see. Got it."
Gen nodded, though a flicker of excitement sparked within him.
Because finally—it was time for that familiar feeling to return!
Not only would Naruto's first official mission proceed smoothly under his watch, but afterward, he'd have every reason to go after Gato.
And most of all, the upcoming Chūnin Exams—he was really looking forward to them.
After all...
"This is the place where my dream really began!"
In a rare moment of lightheartedness, Gen smiled and glanced at the distracted Kakashi, then gave a sly grin.
"You don't have to look so stressed, Kakashi-sensei."
"Hmm?"
"It's not good to force yourself, you know. If it's that much of a burden... why not just fail them?"
"..."
"Come on, you almost failed me back then, didn't you?"
"..."
"If you don't have the heart to be ruthless... I can do it for you."