Chapter 28: A Shocked Jiraiya
Although Kitagawa Gen didn't know what exactly Jiraiya intended to teach him, he wasn't the least bit afraid.
With the blood of the Ōtsutsuki flowing in his veins, his confidence was anything but ordinary. If it weren't for the concern of appearing too much like a genius and creating a suspicious contrast, he might've already shown off.
"I could practically be called the Copy Ninja myself!"
Following Jiraiya out of the hospital, they headed straight for the bustling center of Konoha, which left Kitagawa Gen a little confused.
"Jiraiya-sama, aren't we going the wrong way? Why are we heading this way?"
"There's a small training ground here. It's not big, but it'll do."
Jiraiya replied casually. He glanced at Gen, then burst into laughter.
"I know you're impressive, but what this sage is about to teach you isn't simple either. You'll have to figure it out bit by bit… so I can go do some, uh, research."
You mean the hot springs, right?
Kitagawa Gen couldn't help it anymore.
You think I'm that naïve?!
"Also… that book Kakashi-sensei is always reading — 'Make-Out Paradise' — that's your work, isn't it?"
"Huh?! You've read it?"
Jiraiya blinked in disbelief, then quickly shook his head.
"Don't spout nonsense. Kakashi wouldn't let you read that, and you're not allowed to buy it either. It's strictly 18+!"
"There's always the transformation jutsu."
Gen shrugged. If he really wanted to get a copy, there were plenty of ways.
"You little rascal… such a headache."
Jiraiya rubbed his temples but quickly recovered. This time, he turned serious.
"You should worry more about your teacher. After everything that happened, anyone in his position would be struggling…"
He trailed off, clearly unwilling to say more — which only piqued Gen's curiosity.
Sure, the mission was over, but that didn't mean he didn't want to know what came after.
"That guy from last night… was he someone Kakashi-sensei knew?"
Gen asked with interest.
"Come on, you can at least tell me that much, right? I was the one who discovered him, I gathered the intel. You're not going to just keep me in the dark, are you?
What if I run into him again? Don't I have the right to know who I might be facing?"
"Tch… you're a real handful, kid."
Jiraiya sighed. He didn't want to talk about it, but Gen had a point.
That man's motives were still unclear, and Gen had already crossed paths with him. Knowing some background wasn't unreasonable.
"Fine… I'll tell you what I can. But even so, you'll need to follow the ninja confidentiality rules. Understand?"
"Of course," Gen nodded.
He knew Jiraiya wouldn't tell him everything anyway, so he wasn't surprised.
"That man... he might be your teacher Kakashi's old comrade—"
As soon as he said that, Jiraiya suddenly frowned.
"Wait, don't you have any teammates at all?"
"Not my fault. They all got eliminated. Nothing I can do about that."
"Forget it. Let's focus."
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead again and continued.
"Your teacher's comrade — his name was Uchiha Obito. He wasn't exactly a top student, often lagged behind the rest.
But he was kind-hearted and always willing to help.
After graduation, he was assigned to Kakashi's team…"
Jiraiya was surprisingly good at telling stories — well, he was a successful novelist after all. Even if his serious works flopped, his steamy books were bestsellers.
In his narration, Obito's story came alive: a so-called "dead last" turning into a hero of Konoha. It was passionate, uplifting — a true tale of fire and spirit.
He even mentioned Rin's death — though not in detail. It was painted as an unfortunate accident.
Obviously, Jiraiya was holding back quite a bit.
No word about the Fourth Hokage's involvement. No details on what really happened to Rin. Many parts were vague and open-ended.
But Gen still listened intently.
In fact, he thought Hiruzen could've adapted the tale into a storybook — it had all the elements of the "Will of Fire" philosophy.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a message popped up in front of him.
---
[New Exclusive Mission: Kakashi's Side Quest ②]
["The Disillusioned Obito – Broken and Lost"]
[Objective: Help Kakashi uncover the truth about Uchiha Obito]
[Accept Mission?]
---
...Seriously?
Gen stared at the screen, speechless.
He just wanted to hear a story — how did that trigger a side quest?
Still, exclusive missions had generous rewards...
---
By the time they reached the training ground, Jiraiya had finished his tale.
He sighed, visibly affected. The feeling of reunion could be wonderful… but if it turned out like his relationship with Orochimaru, it would be a complete disaster.
"Alright, let's get started. I'll teach you one technique. Take your time figuring it out."
He raised his right hand. Chakra surged and spun rapidly, forming a spiraling blue sphere — the Rasengan.
"This is a jutsu with limitless potential. It was created by the Fourth Hokage," Jiraiya said seriously.
"It doesn't require a specific chakra nature, meaning any type can be added to create variations.
That said, it's incredibly difficult. Even the Fourth never fully completed it before he died…"
Mentioning Minato clearly dampened his mood. He waved his hand, and the Rasengan dispersed.
Slapping his cheeks, he forced himself back to normal.
"Take your time with it. The Fourth took three years to create it. I took three months to learn it. No pressure."
With that, he turned to leave.
He wasn't trying to be irresponsible — he just wanted to test the genius Kakashi spoke so highly of.
If Gen couldn't handle it, then he'd step in and teach him properly.
"Jiraiya-sama..."
Gen suddenly called out. While mimicking Jiraiya, he extended his right hand.
"Earlier, you mentioned that Uchiha Obito really cared about one of his teammates, right?"
"Yeah?" Jiraiya paused.
"You're thinking he might've come back to get revenge on Kakashi? We considered that. It's possible, but unlikely."
The deaths of Minato and Kushina, Gen's recent attack — they all seemed too personal.
Still, Kakashi had other close friends like Guy. If it was just revenge, they should've been targets too.
"Besides," Jiraiya added, "why didn't he take Kakashi's Sharingan? Leaving a weakness like that makes no sense. So don't overthink—"
Then he froze.
Because right in front of him, a spinning chakra sphere — a Rasengan — was forming in Gen's hand.
"Wha…?!"
"It's not that hard," Gen said calmly.
"My Purple Lightning technique requires extreme precision in chakra shape and nature transformation. The Rasengan is mostly about controlling chakra distribution. It just takes a few tries."
He continued:
"As for Obito, I don't think he's out for revenge.
To me, it seems more like he was manipulated — pushed to blame everything on Konoha."
"Manipulated… and blaming Konoha?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened as Gen nodded.
"He went through war, right? I haven't experienced it myself, but even books make it sound horrifying.
The real thing must've been a hundred times worse.
That kind of trauma messes with people. Add the loss of someone he loved, and someone whispering poison in his ear — it's easy to start blaming everything on the village.
Like… 'Why did Konoha start the war in the first place?' That kind of thing."
He paused.
"Of course, I'm just speculating. I've read a lot of books, and they make war seem too cruel.
Oh, and Jiraiya-sama, look."
He focused his chakra. The spiraling blue Rasengan became stable in his palm.
That moment — Jiraiya was truly shocked.