Chapter 221 – A Flower That Takes a Step Toward the Sky, The Chronicle of Time
Three years had passed, and Kitagawa Gen's home had long since changed.
The house still stood in the same place, but with his rising status, he had naturally redecorated and refurbished it. New furniture, new decor—everything felt fresh. He had even added a balcony, mainly to stop Naruto the idiot from tumbling out of his second-floor window. And truth be told, it wasn't just Naruto—others had also gotten into the habit of jumping through his windows.
"Next time, don't jump through the window. That's not something a proper young lady should be doing."
Gen stepped aside with a smile, allowing Ino in. She looked a little embarrassed at his remark.
"Senpai, I came to check on the flowers."
Thanks to Naruto and Karin's "help," Gen's well-kept flowers had nearly been drowned to death more than once. Over the past three years, Ino had often come by under the excuse of tending the flowers.
"Come in," Gen said casually, turning inside. Ino followed, smiling as she slipped off her shoes.
"Senpai, I thought you'd be away again. Naruto's not around, Karin looks busy too, so I came by. I didn't expect to catch you home."
"I went to the Land of Waterfalls, just got back yesterday."
Gen gave Ino a quick once-over. She had shed much of the immaturity from his memory. Her golden hair was tied into a ponytail, her features had refined, and her pale-blue eyes shone with clarity. She had grown taller, her skin fair and delicate.
Not that it mattered to Gen—he was paler than she was.
"You must be exhausted, Senpai."
Carrying her shoes, Ino walked barefoot to the entryway. Gen chuckled.
"Not really. You should've just used the front door, though—why go through all the trouble?"
"You rarely use the front door yourself, Senpai," she teased, sticking her tongue out playfully.
Gen sighed. "Maybe because I don't need doors. I can just teleport straight in."
Some habits never changed. Konoha's education clearly hadn't worked.
"But seriously, thank you," Gen added. "If it weren't for you, those two idiots—Naruto and Karin—would've killed my flowers long ago."
"They did it because they care about you," Ino replied with a smile, settling across from him.
She batted her eyes, then changed the subject. "So, Senpai, what mission were you on this time? I heard outsiders came to the village. If it's inconvenient to talk about, I understand."
"It's nothing dramatic. We went to deal with the Seven-Tails' jinchūriki in the Land of Waterfalls."
Gen smiled faintly, but his next words carried weight. "We ran into the Akatsuki."
By now, Akatsuki's existence was no secret. Their danger was known across the ninja world, though Gen's relentless countermeasures had kept their threat in check. Still, unlucky villages—like Kirigakure—had already suffered.
So there was no point in hiding this from Ino, especially given her Yamanaka clan's ties to intelligence work.
"I can't believe so much happened… and Sasuke… he actually killed Uchiha Itachi?" Ino said with amazement.
Gen nodded. "Impressive, isn't it?"
After a pause, he asked curiously, "How's your team doing?"
"Same as always," Ino replied, propping her chin with one hand, golden hair brushing her cheek. "Missions aren't too hard, but Shikamaru still complains, Chōji eats nonstop, and Asuma-sensei… well, he often leaves the mission to us so he can go see Kurenai-sensei."
She laughed as she spoke, sharing her team's antics. Gen listened with interest—these were things he'd never truly experienced. His own path had been different. With Kakashi as his unreliable teacher, even simple missions turned into nightmares. And back then, without teammates, there had been no lighthearted stories.
When Naruto and Sasuke joined later, things grew livelier, but Gen had been the leader—responsibility left little room for carefree fun.
Still, he smiled at Ino's stories—until he remembered. Asuma dodged his fated death at Hidan and Kakuzu's hands… Sarutobi, you crafty old man. You owe me for that.
Ino suddenly stopped herself, blushing. "Sorry, Senpai, I got carried away."
Gen waved it off. "I liked hearing it."
But Ino shook her head. "Compared to you, our little stories mean nothing. You're far ahead of us all… And I've heard rumors you'll be the next Hokage—"
"Ino," Gen interrupted, knocking on the table with a sigh. "Haven't I told you before?"
He gestured toward the flowers blooming by the window.
"Do you remember which flowers I like best?"
Ino tilted her head toward the blossoms. Gen's voice grew quiet.
"Just like those flowers—whether I become Hokage or not, it makes no difference. Naruto dreams of that title, thinking recognition comes with it. But I told him—"
Gen smiled faintly. "It's not that Hokage is recognized by everyone. It's that someone recognized by everyone becomes Hokage."
He rose and walked to the window, gazing at the blooming flowers.
"I don't need to stand above others. I'd rather bloom alongside them."
Turning, he glanced at Ino, who had followed him. "So don't say things like that again. And how many times have I told you—just call me Gen."
"…I see."
Ino smiled mischievously, her blue eyes glimmering.
"But you also once said your favorite flowers were those that bloomed on the edge of cliffs."
Gen froze. "…Huh?"
Leaning on the windowsill, Ino's golden hair danced in the breeze.
"Because those fearless flowers… take a step toward the sky."
Her words, her smile, and her eyes caught him off guard. Damn… I walked right into that one.
Before he could respond, his gaze sharpened, shifting into the distance.
"The Senju clan… what are they up to?"
Deep underground, Black Zetsu received White Zetsu's shared vision. His face twisted in amusement.
"They must've read the Uchiha stone tablet and started suspecting the Senju left something behind."
Black Zetsu grinned like a viper. His mind worked fast, connecting the threads instantly.
"Perfect. I was wondering how to get Kitagawa Gen to stumble across what I planted. If they're digging on their own, all the better."
His grin widened. "Dig, dig… just a little further, and you'll find exactly what I want you to."
Black Zetsu's excitement was plain to see, which made White Zetsu give him a strange look.
"Hey, Blacky, what are you so worked up about?"
"You wouldn't understand. Just know something good is about to happen."
Black Zetsu dismissed him with a wave. White Zetsu might have taken part in the Chronicle of Time operation, but he barely understood what it was about.
That was perfect. The fewer people who knew the truth, the fewer headaches for him.
"Keep digging. You'll find it soon enough…"
Inwardly, Black Zetsu smirked. Originally, he had considered forging another Uchiha-style stone tablet as the Senju clan's "relic." But the more he thought about it, the more impractical it seemed. A monument like that was too large, too conspicuous—no way the Senju would simply "lose" such a thing.
Instead, he chose something easier to misplace—something more believable.
That's when inspiration struck: Hashirama's Wood Release.
"Wood Release might not be the Senju's true symbol, but you used it. And the chance of losing something like that… is far higher than losing a tablet."
So, Black Zetsu had taken a piece of bark, infused it with White Zetsu's chakra and his own Yin–Yang Release, crafting it into a false relic. He might not have much combat power, but his other talents were considerable. Otherwise, he could never have manipulated Obito or spoken so intimately with Uchiha Madara himself.
"…Shame things moved faster than I expected. If I had known, I'd have emphasized Ōtsutsuki Hamura more."
A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. He had long suspected Kitagawa Gen hailed from the moon. But the forged Senju relic was never meant to expose that truth—its purpose was simply to divert trouble away from him. So he only slipped in a few vague references to the Ōtsutsuki name, sprinkled with tales of the Senju. Nothing more.
The more you write, the more you risk contradicting yourself.
"This much is enough. The rest I can pin on the Hyūga relics."
Forgery was forgery—whether once or a hundred times made no difference. The original owners were long dead; who could challenge his version of history?
"Come. We head for the Hyūga clan. I need to decide how best to handle things."
With that, Black Zetsu finally spoke aloud. White Zetsu, however, couldn't resist teasing him.
"The Hyūga clan? What, you planning to help Orochimaru… or just forge more 'history'?"
"Silence."
Black Zetsu snapped coldly, irritation flaring. He hated White Zetsu's tone.
"Call it forgery again, and see what happens."
"But, Blacky—"
"Remember this: everything we do is for the right cause. You don't want Lord Madara to fade away because of our inaction, do you?"
White Zetsu fell silent.
"Never forget," Black Zetsu growled, "everything we do is for Lord Madara."
The situation was reaching its breaking point. Black Zetsu knew—he had to bring Madara back. Without him, things would soon spiral out of control. But to reassemble Madara's body, Orochimaru was essential. The techniques were his; the process of rebuilding a perfect vessel depended on him.
Even if Black Zetsu despised it, he had to cooperate. With the right Shikotsumyaku host as a foundation, they could create a worthy container.
"Not that it'll matter against Ōtsutsuki Genshiki… and probably not against Kitagawa Gen either."
Still, against ordinary foes, it would suffice. At the very least, they could hunt down a tailed beast or extract chakra.
As he mulled over his plans, his shadow slithered into the Hyūga compound.
But what Black Zetsu failed to notice—was that the moment he emerged, someone's eyes were already watching him.