"Gen-senpai? Oh—Naruto, you're here too?"
Just as Naruto was deep in thought, a voice came from behind him. He turned around to see Ino and Sakura.
"Oh, it's you two. Here for ramen too?"
Kitagawa Gen turned and greeted them. Naruto perked up immediately when he saw Sakura. Ino gave a cheerful smile and said: "Not really, we were just passing by and saw Gen-senpai, so we came to say hi. Speaking of which, it's been a while since you bought flowers from my family's shop."
"That's thanks to Naruto. While I was away, he often watered them for me."
Kitagawa Gen gave Naruto a glance.
"And lately, I've been lucky with missions—no one's gotten seriously injured. Plus, now that Tsunade-sama is in the village, even if someone ends up in the hospital, they won't stay there for long."
"Yeah, everyone feels much more at ease now that Tsunade-sama's back."
Ino smiled brightly. As a member of the Yamanaka Clan, she naturally knew of Tsunade's reputation. But her expression soon turned strange.
"But earlier I heard… apparently Tsunade-sama did send someone to the hospital."
"...?"
"That guy's such a perv! Peeping at the hot springs—unforgivable!"
"..."
"Honestly, Tsunade-sama was way too merciful."
"…"
Hearing Ino's words, Kitagawa Gen and Naruto exchanged a silent glance. On both their faces, they could see nothing but awkwardness—and disbelief.
And yet, neither of them dared to speak up in protest.
"Ino..."
After a long pause, Kitagawa Gen finally let out a sigh.
"Tomorrow… prepare a bouquet for me, will you?"
"Huh?"
Ino looked surprised, but Kitagawa Gen was already getting up.
"It's for visiting an elder. He didn't die, so… thanks for the trouble."
"Uh… okay."
Ino nodded slightly, and Kitagawa Gen quickly paid and left. He really couldn't stay there any longer.
"Guess I'll be going now."
"Take care, senpai."
Both Ino and Sakura responded politely, but as they watched Kitagawa Gen's back disappear, strange expressions crept onto their faces.
"Naruto..."
Sakura turned to him, clearly curious.
"Do you know what that was all about?"
"D-Don't ask me!"
Naruto shook his head so fast it was like a rattling drum.
"I don't know anything—so don't ask!"
"…"
While Naruto was breaking out in a cold sweat, Kitagawa Gen had already teleported home using Flying Thunder God.
Back in his house, everything felt especially comforting. He even started thinking—if he ever encountered a really troublesome enemy, maybe he'd just come home, wait things out, then head back once they were worn down.
"…Still, I didn't expect Kakashi to tough it out in Sunagakure, only for Jiraiya to end up in the hospital once he got back?"
Rubbing his temples, Kitagawa Gen felt a headache coming on. It was starting to feel like he was cursed or something.
Every time he went on a mission, he'd run into Akatsuki. And once the mission ended, someone—completely at random—would wind up hospitalized.
"Who the hell is so damn unlucky?"
He couldn't figure it out. The more he thought about it, the less he wanted to. What he really needed was to start thinking about his own situation.
"Now that I've officially decided to stop hiding my strength, I need to get a few things in order before that happens."
This latest mission to the Land of Wind had yielded some solid gains.
Not only had he successfully tested the power of the "Moonlight Cannon" for the first time, he'd also acquired a portion of the Dragon Vein. As for the rest—he could always retrieve it later using Flying Thunder God.
"The only regret is that Rasa didn't let us meet Gaara. Compared to Konoha, they're still way behind. And then there's…"
[Side Quest Complete]
[We All Have a Bright Future]
[Reward Obtained: One's Own Life Reincarnation]
Seeing this reward, Kitagawa Gen finally understood what it meant to be both a blessing and a curse.
There was no doubt about the power of the One's Own Life Reincarnation—but its core principle was equivalent exchange.
"A life for a life... Would this law even apply to an Ōtsutsuki?"
Kitagawa Gen mulled over the thought. For beings like the Ōtsutsuki, with their overwhelming vitality, he wasn't convinced that sacrificing a life was necessary to resurrect someone else.
After all, Ōtsutsuki life force wasn't something to be taken lightly.
"But... no one's ever tested it, and I'm not about to be the first."
This was one technique Kitagawa Gen didn't dare use recklessly—not for now. Unless the day came when his bloodline reached full development, he wouldn't attempt anything beyond capturing some White Zetsu specimens for experimentation.
"Still... at my current level, maybe it's time I started searching for those 'spirit' weapons."
Kitagawa Gen hadn't forgotten the information he received after his first encounter with Uchiha Itachi.
He had held off all this time only because he felt too weak—and, more importantly, had no way to leave the village unnoticed.
But now, things were different. With Flying Thunder God under his belt, he could come and go from Konoha freely. And his massive chakra reserves made it easy to maintain Shadow Clones for extended periods.
That was more than enough to carry out solo operations outside the village. On top of that, he still had his eye on Sora from the Fire Temple—and the Nine-Tails chakra sealed inside him.
"Alright then. Once I've handled the loose ends here in the village, I'll head out. It'll be the perfect chance to test One's Own Life Reincarnation... and I should also look into that Yin-Yang Release I got from Uchiha Obito."
With his thoughts settled, Kitagawa Gen slowly closed his eyes.
In that moment, every step of Chiyo's research on One's Own Life Reincarnation—her experience, her insights, her failures—flooded into his mind.
Not just that. Even the way the technique was cast, and knowledge that even Chiyo herself had failed to grasp, began to take shape within his consciousness.
A tingling sensation crept through his skull, and before long, his expression turned strange.
When it finally ended, and he had fully absorbed the knowledge granted by Chiyo and the system, he opened his eyes—stunned.
Then, he slowly raised his hand.
[Buzz—]
In the next instant, swirling specks of black and gold chakra emerged from his palm.
Gazing at the two powers merging in his hand, he couldn't help but mutter: "...Is this even possible?"
Kitagawa Gen stared blankly at the two chakra spots manifesting in his hands, feeling somewhat dazed.
He understood very clearly—these were the Yin and Yang Release he had been researching for a long time, now materialized right before his eyes!
Obito's documents about "Yin-Yang Release" contained a good amount of information, but they were riddled with problems.
Even for Kitagawa Gen, a "growing" Ōtsutsuki, correcting and completing that information would take a significant amount of time.
Otherwise, he would have begun learning and applying them much earlier!
He had never expected that the knowledge from the "One's Own Life Reincarnation" technique would grant him such inspiration and insight.
"This jutsu exchanges one's life for another's, but its underlying logic involves Yin and Yang Release."
"After all, when a person dies, their soul moves on to the Pure Land, which requires Yin Release to connect. When the body loses vitality, it needs Yang Release to revive."
Thinking up to this point, he felt genuinely astonished. Chiyo truly was extraordinary.
In a place like the Land of Wind—lacking money and resources—she managed to single-handedly create a technique like this.
Even attributing it to sheer luck wouldn't suffice. If she'd had resources like those available in Konoha…
Now that he had this technique, along with successfully materializing Yin and Yang Release himself, Kitagawa Gen felt he could attempt something truly interesting.
"For example, mimicking Madara's Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch?"
Beyond that, he could also integrate it with other chakra natures.
"It seems I'll be able to experiment thoroughly on my next outing."
Moreover, something else came to mind.
"If I remember correctly, the Truth-Seeking Balls are essentially a technique. Once I've fully mastered Yin-Yang and the five chakra natures, I can begin experimenting, right?"
Although curious, he knew very well what he needed most now was to consolidate his progress.
After training through the night, he headed out early the next morning and went straight to the Yamanaka clan's flower shop.
"Senpai, you're here!"
It seemed Ino had been waiting there for a while. Seeing Kitagawa Gen enter, she immediately greeted him cheerfully.
"Good morning, Ino—and, uh, Uncle."
Kitagawa Gen responded with a smile, quickly realizing Ino wasn't alone.
Yamanaka Inoichi was also present, watching him with a warm, gentle smile.
"Hello, Gen."
Yamanaka Inoichi, known for his modesty and kindness, stood up and greeted him warmly.
"Though this is our first meeting, I've heard of your reputation for quite some time. Your talent and achievements are truly impressive. It's an honor."
"You're the truly renowned one, Inoichi-senpai."
Kitagawa Gen responded with a cheerful smile.
"I've heard that Inoichi-senpai is considered a role model among intel shinobi—not just in Konoha, but even in other villages."
"Oh, you're too kind, far too kind."
The smile on Yamanaka Inoichi's face widened. Just then, Ino came over holding a bouquet.
"Senpai, here are your flowers."
Seeing this, Inoichi asked curiously, "Gen, are you going to visit Jiraiya-sama?"
"Yeah, yesterday—"
Kitagawa Gen nodded, but as his eyes flicked to Ino, he quickly skipped over the rest of that sentence.
"I've done quite a few missions with him. I heard he was injured, so I thought I should pay him a visit."
"I see."
Inoichi also knew about what happened yesterday. After a moment's thought, he said, "In that case, I'll come with you. After all, it's Jiraiya-sama we're talking about."
"Of course, it'd be an honor."
Kitagawa Gen nodded immediately. He could clearly sense the kindness Inoichi showed him.
Besides, Kakashi had already planned to introduce him to more people—connections like these were invaluable.
"Huh? That's weird. Isn't this their first time meeting? Why do they seem so close already?"
Ino watched her dad and Kitagawa Gen walk out of the shop, chatting and laughing. She felt a bit confused, but more than anything, she was curious.
"My dad is that famous? And what about Gen-senpai's so-called talent and achievements? He doesn't look like someone who'd send his comrades to the hospital..."
She had asked before, but her dad had always brushed it off vaguely, clearly not wanting to talk about it. He only told her to focus on her studies at school.
"But do you even know what we've been going through at the Academy? Damn it!"
Just thinking about the harsh survival conditions in the Ninja Academy these days was enough to make even a good student like Ino lose it.
She couldn't understand why—earlier generations of students had it so easy, but for her class, everything was hellishly difficult.
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