An S-Rank Mission He Can't Refuse
Last night, while Hiruzen Sarutobi slept, the Uchiha clan was wiped out.
By the time he awoke, everything was already over.
Before dawn, Uchiha Itachi had infiltrated the Hokage Building to meet him.
He offered two things as bargaining chips: the slaughter of the Uchiha clan—and his willingness to infiltrate the Akatsuki.
In exchange, Sasuke would be allowed to live.
If Konoha ever laid a hand on Sasuke in the future, Itachi promised retaliation.
At that point, Hiruzen had no reason to refuse.
As Hokage, he had done everything in his power to minimize the impact of the Uchiha massacre—but with little success. The news had already begun to spread beyond the village.
And Itachi, now a rogue ninja, had become a thorn lodged deep in his throat.
No matter how much he believed in Itachi's devotion to the village—
the fact remained: anyone capable of slaughtering their own clan, even their parents, was someone he could never truly trust.
"Kamizuki Gen," Hiruzen said slowly, his aged gaze settling on the boy before him, "I've already explained everything Itachi has done."
"You were in the same class at the Academy. Based on your records and performance over the past year, your strength and overall ability are no less than his."
He paused, then spoke with finality.
"You are also a civilian-born shinobi, with little public notoriety. After careful consideration, the village has decided to assign you an S-rank mission."
"Infiltrate the Akatsuki."
"Monitor Konoha's S-rank rogue ninja—Uchiha Itachi."
"Duration: three years."
"..."
Kamizuki Gen widened his eyes in feigned shock.
"Unbelievable… Itachi-san actually committed something so unforgivable…"
Inside, however, he was completely calm.
Undercover?
Not even a dog would take that job.
Leaving aside the sheer danger of infiltrating the Akatsuki, he had never intended to risk his life for Hiruzen or Konoha in the first place.
With his system, lying low in the village and steadily growing stronger was the real path forward.
Just as Gen was about to decline—perhaps with an excuse like "the Land of Rain is too damp, I've got rheumatism"—
darkness behind his bandaged eyes suddenly lit up.
[Main Quest — Long-Term]
[Infiltrate the Akatsuki and become its leader!]
[Description: Take your talent to Amegakure. The Akatsuki needs a true god to lead it!]
[Note: Main quests cannot be refused or skipped. Failure to proceed will prevent all other quests from refreshing.]
…The system clearly had no intention of letting him coast in Konoha.
Gen fell silent.
System, I'm glad you're giving me quests.
But forcing it like this…?
…Fine. Fine.
Lying low in Amegakure is still lying low.
Lying low inside the Akatsuki… is still lying low.
No need to think small.
When he spoke again, his tone had shifted, solemn and composed.
"Hokage-sama, I can accept this mission."
"But while I'm away, I'm concerned about my teacher. As far as I know, your son Asuma, he…"
Seeing how readily Gen agreed, Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
"Rest assured. Until your mission is complete, Yuhi Kurenai will act as your personal handler."
"As for Asuma, I'll arrange for him to leave Konoha and continue protecting the Daimyō."
"The mission reward will be one million ryō per year. Upon completion, your identity will be restored."
"You will also be exempt from the Chunin Exams and Jonin evaluation—promoted directly to Jonin, and listed as a candidate for the Fifth Hokage."
Gen considered the offer.
It was a generous carrot.
Still… he shook his head, a hint of hesitation on his face.
"You have another condition?" Hiruzen asked, puzzled.
Gen spoke slowly.
"Itachi slaughtered the Uchiha clan and was designated an S-rank rogue ninja. The Akatsuki will naturally accept him."
"But with my current identity, if I try to join them… they'll immediately suspect I'm a spy."
Hiruzen nodded, taking a drag from his pipe. "That's true. Do you have a solution?"
Gen smiled gently.
"Hokage-sama… what if I were to wipe out the Hyūga clan?"
Hiruzen's pupils shrank.
His hand trembled. A chill shot down his spine.
"Kamizuki Gen, what are you trying to do?! Absolutely not!"
He knew the boy's thinking was unconventional.
But this—
this was beyond absurd.
Yes, if Gen massacred the Hyūga, he would replicate Itachi's feat—becoming an S-rank rogue ninja and shocking the entire shinobi world.
But Konoha losing two major clans in succession?
The other great villages would carve it up like a feast.
Then what would be the point of infiltrating the Akatsuki?
Hiruzen wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
Letting this boy leave the village… really was the right decision.
Keeping him here was like harboring a tailed beast bomb—no one knew when it might explode.
In fact, it was precisely because Konoha had a prodigy like Kamizuki Gen—someone comparable to Itachi—that Hiruzen even considered planting another spy in the Akatsuki at all.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken this risk.
He fell into thought.
Gen needed a credible identity as a rogue ninja.
Assassinating the Hokage?
The crime would be severe enough—but not quite enough to classify as S-rank.
Unless he succeeded.
No.
Hiruzen immediately rejected the idea.
He wasn't confident Gen would hold back.
This boy's strength was on par with Itachi's.
"Hokage-sama."
Gen stepped forward and spoke in a low voice, outlining another plan.
Hiruzen's eyes shifted as he weighed it carefully.
At last, he leaned back in his chair.
"You must guarantee… this is only an act."
Gen's expression turned solemn.
"My loyalty to Konoha will never change."
"…Very well."
Hiruzen sighed. "Coincidentally, I've already disbanded Root."
"Make your preparations and leave the village as soon as possible."
"And send Asuma in."
He had anticipated that Gen would make demands regarding Kurenai—that was why he had summoned both of them.
Even geniuses could be controlled—
as long as they had something they cared about.
Just like Itachi.
What young man didn't fall in love?
Understanding this made handling Kamizuki Gen… not particularly difficult.
Hiruzen relaxed slightly, leaning back in his chair.
Moments passed.
Then he realized Gen was still standing there, staring at him.
"…Do you have another question?"
Gen nodded.
"Hokage-sama… where exactly is the Akatsuki located?"
"..."
A headache instantly formed.
Hiruzen took a deep pull from his pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke before finally answering:
"…We don't know."
"But I believe… that won't be a problem for you."
If Konoha knew where the Akatsuki was, he wouldn't be in such a passive position.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Then Gen turned and left.
Hiruzen let out a long breath of relief.
Outside the office, Asuma stormed down the hallway like an enraged bull.
Kamizuki Gen stood calmly, his bandaged eyes giving him an eerie detachment as he ignored the man entirely.
"Your father wants you inside."
"You—" Asuma's anger faltered, forced down as he brushed past Gen and entered the office.
Moments later, through the thick wooden door, his voice rang out in a mixture of grievance and despair:
"No—Father! Stop—!"
"Asuma," Hiruzen's voice replied evenly, "during work hours, address me by my title."
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