Chapter 287: A Century in a Flash
Mountain Graveyard
Looking at Otsutsuki Genshiki, the White Zetsu Tobi sighed regretfully. "Looks like we were a step too late. Ōtsutsuki Isshiki must have been dealt with already, right? I just wonder how Kinoshita Genichi fared. Hopefully, they both took each other out."
From the stone throne, Genshiki replied calmly, "I doubt things went as you wished. Ōtsutsuki Isshiki is strong, but having hidden in the shinobi world for so long, his condition was likely far from optimal. Still, being late isn't necessarily a bad thing. Isshiki was never our ally."
Black Zetsu spoke grimly. "What do we do now? When do you plan to rescue Mother? Without her, you alone will struggle against Kinoshita Genichi."
Genshiki nodded. "Black Zetsu is right. That's why I need to go to Konoha and find a suitable body for Kaguya."
"Even if Genichi went to deal with Isshiki," Tobi pointed out, "he would have left clones behind, wouldn't he?"
"Mere clones won't be a problem," Genshiki stated flatly. It's just a trip home, after all.
With the trouble of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki resolved, only Ōtsutsuki Kaguya remained. Kaguya was even more difficult to handle than Isshiki. It was possible that most methods wouldn't even be able to kill her.
But Kinoshita Genichi couldn't be certain yet. He didn't know if the Sage of Six Paths couldn't kill the immortal Kaguya, or if he deliberately chose not to.
Ōtsutsuki bodies were monstrously resilient. Even Isshiki, whose strength Genichi had overwhelmed with Magnetic Field Rotation, was merely injured. Delivering a truly fatal blow had required the space-time power of Kamui. Of course, using the Rinnegan dōjutsu Futsu-no-Mitama to directly erase his soul should have also worked.
But Genichi hadn't wanted to kill Isshiki. It would have been too much of a waste. Not because he needed him as research material, but because Genichi planned to feed Isshiki to the God Tree.
The devourer becomes the devoured. Seems fair, doesn't it?
And as for Kaguya… Have children together? He didn't trust her enough, and he currently lacked the means to control her. Talk about feelings? Genichi wasn't stupid. Feed her to the God Tree later? He feared she might seize control of it instead. Keep her sealed? That didn't feel reliable either; there was always the risk of the seal breaking.
It was quite the dilemma. Of course, they did currently share a common enemy. There was a basis for cooperation.
"I'll have to wait until after my power-up concludes," Genichi finally decided. "By then, I should have absolute certainty that I can completely suppress Kaguya." Although Kaguya was somewhat inept in combat, she could potentially make a decent subordinate.
Arrangements on the moon proceeded smoothly. The White Zetsu army was under Otsutsuki Genshiki's command. Genichi focused his own mind entirely on the research of the Ten-Tails, the God Tree, and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. He needed to continue accumulating knowledge for his next power-up. The more he accumulated now, the more time he would save during the actual process.
A hundred years was a long time. Most shinobi didn't even live past fifty. But for Genichi, a hundred years felt short. The God Tree fruit Kaguya had consumed held the accumulated power of a millennium.
Therefore, his research on Isshiki wasn't limited to his Ōtsutsuki cells and genes; it included his memories. Konoha excelled at extracting memories from the human brain, particularly the Yamanaka clan. However, Genichi didn't need them. His Electromagnet Release could do the same, even more effectively.
Extracting Isshiki's memories wasn't just about gaining more intelligence on the Ōtsutsuki clan. The most crucial piece of information was the method for refining the God Tree fruit into pills. Genichi was prepared for the possibility that consuming the fruit directly, as Kaguya had, might have side effects. His power-up ability allowed him to negate such side effects, meaning he could eat the fruit directly in the future state. But if there were side effects, then upon returning to the present, he would need the Ōtsutsuki's refinement techniques.
Genichi himself could afford to wait, but Tsunade and the others were aging. Although Sage Transformation had significantly slowed their aging, the passage of time could not be stopped. Relying solely on the Sage Seal for gradual transformation took far too long. If Genichi were ruthless, he could ignore their plight. But he wasn't.
Currently, Tsunade needed the God Tree fruit the most. She was already past fifty, even though she maintained the appearance of a woman in her thirties. She used to dislike it when Genichi made her transform, but now she did it every time. It showed how much she cared about her age.
Time flew. Genichi remained in low-key research, gradually fading from the view of most shinobi. The shinobi world, however, changed day by day.
The era of the Five Great Shinobi Villages was over, replaced by the unified Ninja Creed (Ninshū). This wasn't Genichi's direct intervention but the result of discussions among Minato Namikaze and the others, who decided to revive the name established by the Sage of Six Paths, the founder of shinobi arts.
Konoha became the headquarters of the Ninja Creed. The former villages—Mist, Stone, Cloud, Sand, Rain, etc.—were not abolished but became regional branches. With the teleportation platforms in place, there was no fear of these branches splitting off again. The re-establishment of the Ninja Creed further accelerated the siphoning of talent to Konoha. Geniuses and Jonin alike were drawn to the headquarters, where the highest level of resources resided: Kekkei Genkai training, Sage Arts… and the strongest shinobi.
You haven't even been in the Root Experimental Class? How can you call yourself a genius?
You haven't even mastered a single Kekkei Genkai? You dare call yourself a genius?
Yes, the culture Genichi had spent years cultivating had finally undergone a qualitative transformation. Mastering a Kekkei Genkai had become an extremely important goal for shinobi, a benchmark for measuring talent. For example, Uchiha Itachi, who had developed a Kekkei Genkai at the age of eight, was already a legend within the Ninja Creed.
And the rebellious Uchiha clan, the Ninja Creed's Number One Great Clan, was now firmly under the control of the equally rebellious Uchiha Itachi. Uchiha Fugaku had retired, passing leadership to his young son. A coup? Anyone who dared would be struck down by Itachi first. Furthermore, the clan's strongest members rallied around him: Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Namiichi, the Edo Tensei Uchiha Tekka, and Itachi's adoring younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. This lineup truly earned them the title of the Number One Great Clan, boasting the highest number of Beyond Kage level shinobi.
However, even Uchiha Fugaku, now retired to an advisory role, harbored no rebellious thoughts. What was 'Beyond Kage'? What was a Perfect Susanoo? They were nothing compared to Genichi's power.
Thus, with the villages merged, the Ninja Creed's stability grew stronger. Even as Genichi gradually withdrew from public affairs, the existing power structure in Konoha was more than sufficient to maintain order.
And so, time passed until March 18th of Konoha Year 66.
The hundred-year power-up was imminent, but Genichi's mind was calm. He ate breakfast with his family, saw Tsunade and the others off to work, and then took his youngest daughter, Marin, to kindergarten. Yes, Konoha now had kindergartens.
After returning from the kindergarten, Genichi went to his meditation chamber. Calming his mind, he closed his eyes.
In his mind's eye, the panel appeared.
"Come, let me see your limits."
Filled with anticipation, Genichi selected "Hundred Years" on the panel.