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Kitagawa Gen was a transmigrator.
Even now, he could still remember it clearly: thirteen years ago, he was just out taking a walk by the roadside when he saw a piece of construction machinery spiraling out of control.
The timing of his transmigration could not exactly be called good, but it wasn't entirely bad either.
Being three years older than Uzumaki Prince, Naruto, he had fortunately avoided the brutal Third Shinobi Wars. Yet, even so, there was little he could do to change anything of significance.
Just last year, for instance, Uchiha Itachi finally completed his "Enlightenment upon the Dragon Field" and then, taking a page from Uchiha Obito, decided to offer his own twisted form of filial piety to the clan.
Every time he thought of this, Kitagawa Gen could not help but sigh inwardly—
Damn it, I arrived too late.
If only he had been stronger, he might have had the chance to dig some gold out of the Uchiha clan before things fell apart.
Fortunately, he was not without hope. Like many other transmigrators, blessed by fate, he too had a cheat—an otherworldly system.
In the Shinobi World, where vitality surged and life teemed in every corner, having a cheat was hardly unusual. Even Prince Naruto, who cleared the game with a perfect ending in a single life, had been so outrageously overpowered that the world bestowed him with a title out of sheer awe.
But even with a cheat, it didn't mean much. After all, Naruto and Sasuke had nearly met their end time and again, facing the world's most terrifying powers.
What's more, his cheat system required him to complete missions before granting rewards. Compared to talent-based cheats, ancestral bloodline buffs, or the eye techniques of Sages, his could only be described as a small-time startup.
"I can't even claim the novice's gift pack…"
Every time that thought came to mind, Kitagawa Gen found himself grinding his teeth in frustration.
He simply couldn't understand. A transmigrator was supposed to receive a welcome package the moment they crossed over—why did his require him to become a proper shinobi first?
And it wasn't just any kind of shinobi either. The system's definition was very specific—it had to be a Konoha-certified shinobi under official registration.
Could it be that, in the end, all roads in the universe led to bureaucracy?
If things kept on like this, wouldn't he just become cannon fodder in the Chunin Exam?
Even if he managed to survive that, wasn't the Fourth Great Ninja War still waiting for him in the future?
Hit by a construction machine before transmigrating, only to get slammed by fate again afterward?
Was it all for nothing then?
Fortunately, there were still side quests that could serve as his lifeline.
The side quests were simple enough, and they did grant rewards upon completion. However, there was one glaring issue: they were often completely unreliable.
Take for example the quest that popped up when he crossed paths with Hinata—it had the audacity to describe her and Hanabi using the phrase "Delicious Sisters' Bosoms."
Even worse, when he bumped into Naruto, the system actually generated a prompt that read, "Let Naruto and Pain share a smoke over the ruins of Konoha"...
Thankfully, side quests weren't mandatory.
But once he accepted one, he was bound to complete it, or else he would be locked out of all future side quests.
And if he gave up on too many, the system would deem him too weak and start forcibly assigning missions.
"Becoming Kakashi's sole student" was just such a mission, shoved onto him by the system without so much as a warning.
He had considered graduating early, but post-war Konoha had strict controls on early graduation, making it virtually impossible.
Only someone like Uchiha Itachi had received "special attention." As for the rest—including the so-called stubborn weeds—they had to follow the standard process, dashing all of Gen's hopes.
◇◆────────────────◆◇
[Name: Kitagawa Gen]
[Age: 13]
[Bloodline: None (descendant of generations of nobodies)]
[Chakra Reserves: B (average Chunin level)]
[Chakra Nature: Wind, Fire, Earth]
[Skills: Body Flicker Technique, Earth Release, Kakashi's Kenjutsu, Throwing Techniques (ninjutsu effectiveness scales with chakra level)]
[Items: Novice's gift pack, Clothing that stays clean without needing to be washed]
◇◆────────────────◆◇
"Kakashi's swordsmanship? Not bad at all."
Walking out of the hospital, Kitagawa Gen kept his gaze on his own status panel, though his attention was mostly fixed on the novice's gift pack.
Thirteen years!
Even Nezha had only been born for three years and six months, yet he had waited thirteen whole years for a novice's pack.
"Gen."
Just as he was about to hurry home and finally check what was inside his long-awaited reward, someone suddenly called his name from behind.
Turning around, he was surprised to see Might Guy jogging up to him.
"Guy-sensei, what brings you here?"
Kitagawa Gen quickly pushed aside his wandering thoughts, put on a bright smile, and stepped forward to greet him.
Over the years, in his pursuit of taijutsu training, he had "accidentally" run into Might Guy. With his understanding of Guy's personality, they'd quickly grown close.
Everything he had told Kakashi had been true, and many of the techniques he knew had been "whitewashed" through Guy.
As a result, he had no reason to worry that Kakashi would go to Guy for verification.
"I heard something happened to you all."
As he spoke, Guy gave him a once-over, visibly worried.
"What's going on? Why were you in the hospital? That guy Kakashi…"
"I'm fine, Guy-sensei."
Kitagawa Gen shook his head, smiling faintly as he spoke again.
"It wasn't Kakashi-sensei's fault. It was... our own mistake."
It wasn't something he could easily admit—the team had fallen apart from the inside, and he had played a significant role in it.
To complete the mission "Become Kakashi's only disciple," Kitagawa Gen had to plan carefully.
He remembered that one of Kakashi's former student teams had staged a dramatic display of "brotherly affection," and the system had probably selected this mission for him based on that precedent.
So after the team placements had been finalized, he made a point to interact closely with his two new "teammates," repeatedly emphasizing his unwavering resolve to become a shinobi and giving off the impression that he was absolutely determined.
Fortunately, his usual academic performance had always been decent, and on the day of the assessment, he gave it everything he had, displaying an undeniable sense of strength and confidence.
As for the final bell test…
After enduring both physical and mental blows, he chose to remain silent, saying nothing at all. Naturally, this shifted all the pressure onto the other two boys.
As expected, the two of them eventually turned their Kunai against each other.
Of course, had they managed to seize the bells only to be declared failures, Kitagawa Gen had other contingencies already prepared.
It was just that the speech he gave to Kakashi in the end would have needed a slight adjustment.
"I really ought to thank you for your guidance, Guy-sensei. Without your help, I would never have earned Kakashi-sensei's recognition."
Kitagawa Gen offered a polite bow to Might Guy. After all, this man was nothing short of a "lifesaver."
In fact, Kitagawa even believed that Might Guy might have done more than he realized.
As a child born of civilian parents who had died in the line of duty, raised by a grandfather and soon left an orphan again, Kitagawa's background was anything but remarkable.
Under normal circumstances, fresh genin would of course be assigned a team leader, but whether that leader would be a jonin was far from certain.
After all, jonin were typically reserved for the heirs of prestigious clans or elite trainees. They had little to do with ordinary or obscure genin.
The main role of a standard squad leader was simply to help newly graduated shinobi adjust to the life of a ninja, teaching them how to handle missions and navigate their duties. The relationship was more about hierarchy and instruction.
So for him to be suddenly assigned under someone like Kakashi, regardless of the reason, Kitagawa was willing to believe that someone had intervened on his behalf.
"As long as you're alright. Wait a moment…"
Hearing this, Might Guy paused, clearly caught off guard. Then his eyes widened in realization.
"You mean to say you passed Kakashi's test?"
"Yes."
Kitagawa Gen gave a small nod.
The very next instant, Guy clapped a firm hand on his shoulder and gave him a broad grin, raising a proud thumbs-up in approval. His white teeth even gleamed brilliantly in the light.
"Not bad at all. I was worried about you. Such a shame my application was rejected. Kakashi really lucked out this time. Well then, to celebrate your successful passing, let us run ten full laps around Konoha!"
[New Side Mission Acquired: I Can Run Faster Than Guy]
[Defeat Might Guy in a lap around the village. Accept this mission?]
"…"
Kitagawa winced and immediately declined. He had no desire to waste time on that right now.
"Gai-sensei, I just completed a test. Kakashi-sensei told me to rest early and prepare for tomorrow, so…"
"Ah, I see."
Guy scratched his chin in thought, then nodded and smiled once more.
"That's right. You do need rest. In that case, I shall run in your stead. Twenty laps. That is the spirit of youth!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped upside down and disappeared in a gust of green smoke, vanishing from Kitagawa's sight.
Watching him disappear into the distance, Kitagawa let out a long sigh of relief. Without wasting a second, he sprinted home with eager anticipation.
The fact that he had managed to restrain himself this long and still not opened the novice pack already spoke volumes about his caution.
Right now, all he wanted was to see what reward awaited him after thirteen long years.
"If this thing doesn't give me something good, I swear I'll jump off a cliff and take you down with me!"
He shoved the door open and, without missing a beat, kicked it shut behind him. His heart pounded as he murmured silently to himself.
"Open the Novice Gift Pack."
In an instant, his vision blurred, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.
His breathing quickened. The very next moment, everything went dark and he collapsed face-first onto his bed.
And then, from the depths of his mind, a cold and emotionless voice echoed.
[The novice gift pack has been successfully opened.]
[Reward Acquired: Ōtsutsuki Clan Bloodline (Blank Slate)]
[Host is advised to develop this power properly]
"…"
..
..
[IMAGE]
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[Chapter End's]
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