Chapter 288: A Thousand Years, What a Rebellious Disciple!
A hundred years in a flash—an expression for others, but reality for Kinoshita Genichi.
From the start of his power-up to its end took only the blink of an eye, yet Genichi had truly lived through a century. He didn't retain the specific memories of that time, but he gained the training experience, research breakthroughs, and combat knowledge… all forming a vast repository of practical memory within him. Although a century contained an immense amount of content, the reception through his ability was incredibly smooth.
However, the first thing Genichi focused on wasn't the changes in his body or the massive gains from the power-up. It was the panel itself.
Initially, the panel had only two options: Advance Ten Years and Advance Hundred Years. The hundred-year option only became available when Genichi's own lifespan exceeded a century, being linked directly to his longevity. Now, he saw a new option had appeared after "Hundred Years": Advance Thousand Years.
Before this power-up, Genichi had been almost certain his lifespan would increase significantly. He was determined to eat the God Tree Fruit, and not even the Sage of Six Paths could stop him in the future he experienced. But since the panel hadn't shown a thousand-year option before, he hadn't given it much thought. He never expected this.
So... does the thousand-year leap require a hundred-year cooldown? A hundred years in an instant was one thing, but a hundred years in reality? That was far, far too long. Excellent for growing a God Tree, perhaps, but the wait was unbearable.
He focused his consciousness on the panel and received the information. Elation washed over him. The cooldown overlapped with the ten- and hundred-year options, but it wasn't a century—it was only twenty years.
Twenty years in exchange for a thousand? An incredible bargain!
"Excellent," Genichi thought, delighted. "This way, even without Ōtsutsuki sacrifices, I can quickly cultivate God Tree Fruits and let Tsunade and the others all eat one."
He knew very well that even geniuses, without a cheat like his, would find it exceedingly difficult, almost impossible, to reach the Ōtsutsuki level by following his path. Lifespan was a tremendous limitation. To compete with the Ōtsutsuki clan, one had to consume the God Tree Fruit. After all, the Ōtsutsuki had millennia of accumulation behind them. How could anyone catch up in just a few decades without a power-up? Genius? Even genius needed time.
Uchiha Itachi was a genius. Hatake Kakashi was a genius… Unfortunately, until recently, the goal of shinobi training wasn't purely self-cultivation. Now, Genichi had gradually shifted the prevailing attitude in the shinobi world, but the transformation wasn't yet complete. Whether it was Kakashi, the younger Itachi, or even Naruto's generation, very few purely pursued training as their ultimate goal.
The Ōtsutsuki planted trees for longevity, for godhood. What did shinobi train for? To complete missions. One could even say, to feed themselves. That was the reality for most. Genichi felt this could be a goal, but only for the mediocre. That was why he had previously introduced the concepts of longevity and extended life to Naruto and the others. Alas, people like Orochimaru and Kabuto were exceedingly rare.
Possessing such powerful martial might, yet still selling their lives for others—wasn't that absurd?
Therefore, under Genichi's prior guidance, the Ninja Creed now stood above the Five Great Nations. Commissioned missions still existed, but shinobi were gradually transitioning from being mercenaries of the Great Nations to being their protectors. The nations now paid tribute to the Ninja Creed, not hiring fees!
Having processed the delightful surprise from the panel, Genichi finally turned his attention to himself.
Very good. Very powerful. The massive increase in his lifespan alone told him that.
"Is this the so-called immortal body?"
Genichi carefully sensed the changes. Previously, his physical strength hadn't quite matched Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's. He had defeated him using Magnetic Field Rotation and his dōjutsu. But now, his physical durability far surpassed Isshiki's. He also possessed incredible regenerative abilities—an immortal body, just like Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's.
All of this was thanks to the God Tree Fruit he had eaten in the future.
This God Tree wasn't one he had created himself. It originated from Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's Ten-Tails. In the future, Genichi had sacrificed Isshiki to transform the Ten-Tails into a God Tree. He then sacrificed his own clone, Otsutsuki Genshiki—effectively feeding it Kaguya's Ten-Tails and the nine Tailed Beasts—as further nourishment.
But even that wasn't enough.
Later, when Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, and Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki arrived on Earth, Genichi had captured them all and fed them to the tree.
Still, it wasn't enough.
Because of his planting of the God Tree… Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave turned against him. Only Shikkotsu Forest remained neutral or supportive. Yes, Genichi considered them traitors. Not only that, but the newly established Ninja Creed fractured because of his actions.
And the Sage of Six Paths emerged.
Was he surprised? Not at all. He had long considered the Sage a potential adversary. Just as Gamamaru had guided the Sage to rebel against Kaguya, Genichi planting a God Tree on Earth naturally provoked the Sage's intervention. The appearance of Ryūchi Cave was a slight surprise, as there was no mention of it in the ancient records he knew. Perhaps it was simply too remote. Shikkotsu Forest, being deeply tied to Tsunade, did not oppose him, or perhaps they were persuaded otherwise in the future.
What comforted Genichi was that Tsunade and his wives had not left him; they stood firmly by his side.
However…
"What a rebellious disciple!"
Genichi hadn't expected Naruto, of all people, to betray him, swayed by the Sage of Six Paths.
The timeline had drastically changed. Although Minato Namikaze had learned Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku, Naruto had not. Uchiha Sasuke was the one who had trained under Jiraiya and signed the contract with the toads. Naruto, ironically, used Genichi's own summoning contract. Yet, in the future, Naruto stood with the Sage, while Sasuke and Itachi stood with Genichi.
"Is the influence of Asura's chakra really that strong?" Genichi frowned.
From the perspective of the shinobi world, Naruto siding with the Sage was understandable. Planting the God Tree would inevitably lead to the planet's destruction. But perspectives are shaped by circumstances, and in that future, Genichi certainly wouldn't side with his opponents.
Still, that Sage of Six Paths was quite the insidious old man, turning Naruto against him, empowering him, and setting up a situation where master and student would fight to the death.
In the original timeline, the Sage had granted power-ups separately—Six Paths Sage Mode to Naruto, the Tomoe Rinnegan to Sasuke. But in the future Genichi had just experienced, Naruto received both.
What a crafty old Sage!