"Kaguya's chakra, huh."
The moment Kitagawa Gen laid eyes on Black Zetsu, he had already decided to "skin him alive."
Since they had crossed paths, how could he possibly let him go so easily?
Not only had he left a "Kāma" within White Zetsu's half-body, but when he seized Zetsu he had also taken a fierce pull at his chakra!
"But now I've run into a bit of a problem—why can't I absorb it?"
After obtaining Kaguya's chakra, Gen had tried drawing it in directly, or using the "Divine Tree's Source" to absorb it.
Yet without exception, he found that for the time being he had no way of handling this chakra at all.
"How strange. When Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki devoured Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki, it wasn't nearly this troublesome."
Even as he felt the power within his body continuously rising, even as his eyes shifted once more, Gen's thoughts spun around this chakra.
In his memory, Momoshiki's devouring of Kinshiki had truly taken only an instant!
"Could it be because of the Kekkei Mōra and the Divine Tree Fruit?"
Turning it over in his mind, this was the only conclusion Gen could reach.
Although Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had once been a "guardian," she had in truth rebelled.
After ambushing Isshiki and devouring the fruit by herself, she had undergone a complete transformation.
"The difference between an Ōtsutsuki who has devoured the fruit and one who hasn't…"
Whether or not they had consumed the fruit, Gen had always believed the gap was vast.
Not in terms of overall combat ability, but in the very nature of their core energy.
That difference was truly immeasurable!
"Looks like I won't be able to absorb it for now. Whatever I plan to do, I'll have to wait until my own development reaches a higher stage."
Somewhat helpless, Gen could only reseal this chakra within the Sword of Totsuka.
Though it was a slight disappointment, his mindset remained steady.
After all, he already had the chakra in his possession. As his strength grew, sooner or later he would be able to put it to proper use!
"My development is still nowhere near its limit."
As that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly felt the heat surging through his body once again.
In particular, the two vast, newly obtained tailed beast chakras condensed within the "Divine Tree's Source," endlessly battering at his eyes.
It gave his gaze a strange, unprecedented sensation, chakra bursting forth in surging waves.
Gradually, as his eyes seemed to approach their saturation point, no more chakra flowed into them.
All at once, he felt the hidden energy gathering at his brow erupt into a frenzy.
It was devouring not only his own chakra, but also the very power of the "Divine Tree's Source"!
"What is this…?"
Gen froze for an instant. In that very moment, he felt the heavens and earth shift around him.
At the same time, new information suddenly surfaced within his mind.
And the instant his vision returned to normal, he was shocked to find himself standing in the midst of a desolate desert!
"Ame-no-Minaka…?"
Staring at the scene before him, Gen murmured in disbelief.
Ame-no-Minaka—so this really was the new ability he had gained!
But soon his brow furrowed slightly, because he sensed that something wasn't quite right.
"Why is there only one space? If I remember correctly, Kaguya had five, didn't she?"
Kaguya's five great Ame-no-Minaka spaces were still deeply etched in his memory.
And yet here he had only one. What's more, another thought struck him.
"The Ame-no-Minaka spaces… weren't they an ability of the Rinnegan? But I have the Tenseigan…"
It felt strange, but the information surfacing in his mind couldn't possibly be false.
Even if he had only one space for now, it wasn't such a big deal. After all, he could continue to grow stronger.
"At worst, I can just use it like Kamui. Besides, my gains aren't limited to this alone…"
Gen murmured softly. As his chakra turned within him, in the next instant the earth itself seemed to boil!
In that barren desert, endless streams of sand surged and rolled violently, and a towering giant tree rose from the ground, carried upward on a tide of flowing yellow sand.
Before long, a colossal tree appeared in the desert, its branches bearing eerie buds that looked like tightly shut eyes.
The surging chakra rippled like waves, and in the emptiness of the desert it almost seemed one could hear the wails of tailed beasts.
"Incredible…"
Staring at the immense Divine Tree's Source, Gen was left dazed.
Huge…
It was unimaginably huge!
Now he finally understood why a single Divine Tree could drain an entire planet dry.
And this wasn't even a complete form. He couldn't help but wonder just what it would be like once all the chakra was gathered.
"But even without gathering all the chakra, I can already create White Zetsu."
With this latest advancement of the Divine Tree's Source, he had not only gained Ame-no-Minaka, but also some of the "basic methods of use" for the Divine Tree itself.
"So now… I could really hang everyone on the tree if I wanted?"
Feeling the information flowing through his mind, looking up at the vast Divine Tree before him, Gen couldn't help but laugh a little.
He suddenly realized—he was moving along the very path Ōtsutsuki Kaguya once had!
"Though I'm still lacking something. After all, I don't have Truth-Seeking Orbs. But I do have a substitute."
He raised his hand slightly, and in an instant several black spheres floated at his fingertips.
Chakra Beads. This was the final gain from his breakthrough, a supplement to his offensive power.
Truth-Seeking Orbs were a technique—and so too were Chakra Beads.
But to this day Gen had not yet managed to produce Truth-Seeking Orbs. The problem likely lay in Yin-Yang Release.
"Still, having Chakra Beads as a substitute isn't bad. After all, Ōtsutsuki Toneri relied on them to unleash Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."
With a single thought, Gen instantly returned to the real world.
The valley remained quiet and empty; this time, his advancement hadn't triggered any large-scale upheaval.
Silently reciting a command in his heart, his panel quietly surfaced before his eyes.
[Name: Kitagawa Gen]
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development: 52%)]
[Dōjutsu: Tenseigan (Eye of the New Moon)]
[Special Ability: Divine Tree's Source (Sixth Stage)]
[Special Skills: Ice Release, Magnet Release, Dust Release, Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Kama, Chakra Beads]
Staring at the information displayed on the panel, Kitagawa Gen gave a small nod.
Although the two tailed beasts' chakra hadn't raised his bloodline development by much, their true impact lay in strengthening both the Divine Tree and his eyes.
Most of all, his eyes had reached saturation from absorbing chakra—and that long-absent sensation had surfaced once more.
"Looks like my eyes are finally about to evolve. And the key probably lies in…"
He lifted his head, his gaze turning upward toward the sky.
In that instant, it was as though he had linked with the Tenseigan above the heavens!
A mysterious force seemed to guide him, pulling him toward the direction he sought.
And that place… was the moon he had always spoken of!
"This time, it feels like I'm about to find the passage."
...
"At last… I'm coming back!"
One day later, Kitagawa Gen and his companions finally reached the outskirts of Konohagakure.
Deidara, of course, wanted to fly straight in, but in the end he was dragged down by both Gen and Terumī Mei.
"Really now, wouldn't it be simpler to just head straight in? What's the point of dropping down, hm?"
Deidara sounded a little disgruntled as he followed Gen and Mei toward the village, muttering under his breath.
"Your village is such a hassle. Back in Iwagakure, I always just flew straight in, hm."
"You should be grateful your Tsuchikage has a good temper. If it were me, I'd have knocked you out of the sky long ago."
Gen rolled his eyes, and Mei nodded in agreement.
"Every village has protective barriers. If you keep barging in like that, you'll cause real trouble. But Gen's right—your Tsuchikage-sama truly is patient with you."
"Eh? That counts as being good to me?"
Deidara tilted his head, clearly not convinced.
"That old man yells at me all the time. Honestly, hm."
"Lucky for you he only yells at you. If it were me, I'd have beaten you to death by now."
Kitagawa Gen shook his head with a wicked grin, instantly earning an annoyed scowl from Deidara.
Terumī Mei stood speechless at the side. In her own village, they would never have wasted someone like Deidara—a prodigy like him was too rare to kill.
After all, ever since Uchiha Obito had thrown everything into chaos, Kirigakure had been suffering from a severe shortage of talent.
"Hm?"
As they joked along the road, suddenly faint sounds reached their ears.
"What's going on?"
Deidara stopped bickering with Gen, lifting his head toward Konohagakure with a puzzled look.
"Your village is up to something again?"
"Is this… to welcome us?"
Mei spoke hesitantly, while Gen simply chuckled.
"Most likely. Come on, let's head over quickly."
As they drew closer, the great gates of Konohagakure came into view.
And with each step, the sounds of cheering grew louder.
Finally, as they crossed into the village, the roar of voices swelled to its peak.
Like the crash of mountain and sea, the thunderous cheer resounded across the skies above Konoha!
"This…"
Deidara, who had first thought it was all just noise, now stood stunned.
Mei too was struck dumb, her eyes wide as she stared at the crowd of cheering villagers, unable to find words.
Even Gen himself wavered for a moment under the overwhelming sound, but soon a smile spread across his face.
He knew full well the shadow Kumogakure's pressure had left on Konohagakure years ago.
And now, with the three of them bringing Kumogakure to ruin, to Konoha this was far more than mere revenge!
"Gen!"
From within the crowd, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others waved eagerly toward him. Off to the side, Kakashi and Guy beamed with proud smiles.
"Gen."
As he looked around, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Ōnoki, and Genji were already stepping forward.
They looked upon Gen and his companions, and at last their faces too broke into smiles.
"Welcome back—our heroes!"
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