Chapter 108: Progression of the Main Quest
The contact between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud stirred up quite a commotion in the shinobi world.
Of course, the ones truly worn out by it all were the intel agents of the ANBU. For people like Kitagawa Gen, life wasn't nearly as rough.
After all, he wasn't ANBU, and for now, he didn't have any missions assigned to him.
Maybe Hiruzen Sarutobi thought he deserved a break, or maybe he figured every time Gen went on a mission, something outrageous would happen. Either way, Gen currently had nothing official to do—just spending his days either training or aimlessly strolling through Konoha's streets.
Day by day, time passed. Eventually, the shinobi world welcomed the arrival of the New Year.
---
"Finally! A break! Hell yeah!"
Naruto practically bounced down Konoha's streets, grinning ear to ear. Kitagawa Gen shook his head at the sight.
"Hey, could you calm down a little? Don't you think you're being embarrassing?"
"Tch! You have no idea how much we've suffered lately!"
Naruto snapped back indignantly, quickly counting off with his fingers.
"Iruka-sensei was always strict, but I don't know what happened—he got even scarier during the second half of the year!"
"How so?"
"He used to let small things slide if you were careful—like sneaking naps or skipping a lesson. But now? He literally stands behind us the entire time, watching like a hawk!"
"…"
"I've been caught more times than I can count. And it's always when we're learning stuff like calculating shuriken flight distances—I hear that and my brain shuts off."
"…"
"That's not even the worst of it! We also have to memorize the Ninja Code word for word, plus the entire Will of Fire textbook! Every. Single. Page!"
"…"
"Ugh! My brain's gonna explode just thinking about it! Aaaaaargh!"
Watching Naruto freak out, Gen was genuinely surprised.
Wait, since when did Konoha start taking education this seriously?
Scratching his chin, he spoke up with a hint of doubt.
"Back when I was in school, no one cared if you skipped class. I used to sneak off to train all the time. You guys must've done something to deserve this crackdown."
"It's probably because of you."
Naruto gave him a sideways look, full of envy, then it shifted to a glare of mild resentment.
"Why didn't you stop me from giving out that mushroom soup last time?"
"What nonsense! That was ages ago, and didn't the school already ramp up their rules since then?"
Gen rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"They probably revised things again because the Hokage wasn't happy with your generation's performance."
"Hmph."
Naruto pouted, grumbling.
"If that's true, then the Hokage is such a pain."
"Yeah, he really is," Gen nodded in agreement. "This kind of overcorrection could mess up Konoha's whole education system."
---
"So… what've you been up to lately?"
Even if his days were tough, Naruto was still curious about Gen.
"Haven't seen you leave the village in a while. Don't tell me you got into trouble and they grounded you?"
"Pfft, as if."
Gen chuckled, knocking Naruto on the head lightly.
"If all goes well, I'll be taking the jōnin exam in September."
Jōnin exam.
The very thought made Gen's blood stir with excitement.
Ever since he became a genin, his system had updated his main quest: Become a Jōnin.
Apparently, the system didn't even consider the chūnin rank worth noting.
Gen had worked hard, but the bureaucracy was what it was, and Hiruzen wasn't the type to hand out promotions lightly.
Thankfully, after all this time, even the Third Hokage had to admit it was about time.
"I mean, come on, I've got conceptual-level power now—Flying Thunder God, Purple Lightning, even Sage Mode. Keeping me at chūnin would be an insult."
Of course, the exam was still a while off.
Even though Kakashi hinted that it was mostly a formality, he still had to wait.
"Not that I'm in a rush. I've had a pretty productive few months anyway."
---
Even though he seemed to be just coasting, Gen hadn't stopped developing his abilities.
Specifically, attraction and repulsion—powers he didn't want to just brute-force like Nagato did.
He had been trying to incorporate them with timing and precision.
"Like… if someone's about to hit me, and I suddenly shift their attack path using repulsion or attraction, then counterattack—that's what it should be used for."
Or perhaps altering an enemy's personal gravitational direction to disorient them—much more effective than just going all-out every time.
That said, sometimes going all out was still the most efficient option.
As for his chakra control—basically a form of puppet-style manipulation—it was still a work in progress.
He'd experimented with it, but without a quality puppet, it wasn't impressive.
"Maybe once I meet Sasori, we can 'exchange' some ideas…"
---
Overall, things were going smoothly—except for one thing.
That strange jutsu, Rasengan: Uzuhiko, continued to baffle him.
He tried sensing the so-called Planetary Chakra behind it, but couldn't detect much.
After some thought, he figured it might be related to his bloodline not being fully awakened yet.
After all, the system hadn't even updated his name.
"Meanwhile, Boruto already gets called Ōtsutsuki Boruto. Tch."
Still, with steady growth and progress, his spirits remained high.
Naruto's generation was about to graduate, and once they were shinobi, things would only get more interesting.
He couldn't wait to unleash his "max-level character in a beginner's pond" type of dominance.
---
Just then, a voice called out.
"Gen-senpai!"
He looked up to see—not just Lee's team—but the rest of Konoha's "Rookies" too.
Even Sasuke had tagged along. Hinata stood in the back, a little shy.
Gen blinked in surprise.
"Huh? You guys? What's up?"
"Hehe, I told them we should all come together."
Naruto gave a sheepish grin and pulled out a carefully prepared gift box.
"Here, Gen—you may be a pain in the butt sometimes, but… Happy Birthday!"
"Happy Birthday, Gen-senpai!"
One by one, the kids offered gifts, and Gen was caught completely off guard.
He hadn't expected Naruto to pull something like this.
But soon, a warm smile crept across his face.
"Thank you… I didn't even realize today was my birthday."
---
Cough cough cough—
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rice Fields, deep inside the Hidden Sound Village, Orochimaru frowned as a coughing fit echoed through the lab.
"Getting worse again, huh?"
It was Kimimaro—his worsening condition clearly irritating Orochimaru.
Last time he tried to seek out Tsunade for help, he'd unexpectedly run into Jiraiya instead. Just his luck.
The whole ordeal left him frustrated—especially when he thought of Danzo.
He was certain: if he went to Amegakure, Danzo would leak his intel to Jiraiya on purpose.
"And he'd probably leak Jiraiya's intel to me too. That way, when Jiraiya finds nothing and I still get caught, Danzo gets to claim credit. Tch…"
It's no wonder Danzo almost became Hokage. That guy played dirty like a pro.
Still, Orochimaru glanced around his shiny, state-of-the-art lab and let it slide for now.
Danzo was a major financial backer, after all. He could be useful.
But Orochimaru wasn't one to forget grudges.
---
"Kimimaro's situation is becoming troublesome…"
He stepped over to Kimimaro, who immediately tried to rise.
"Orochimaru-sama…"
"Don't move. Just stay seated."
With one hand, Orochimaru gently pushed Kimimaro back down and began examining him.
"Your condition's deteriorating faster than expected…"
Inside Kimimaro, the uncontrolled explosion of Yang Release Chakra was growing more violent.
It was a powerful force—so powerful, in fact, that it was turning fatal.
He had indeed considered using the Sharingan to counterbalance the issue—just like when dealing with the cells of Hashirama Senju. Perhaps the same method could be applied to resolve Kimimaro's predicament.
"The problem is," Orochimaru muttered, "there doesn't seem to be anything suitable enough to match it. And worse yet, this force is only growing stronger—devouring everything more and more rapidly. If this keeps up…"
In his mind, Orochimaru had already sentenced Kimimaro to death. At this rate, the boy wouldn't live another year or two.
It left him frustrated. Kimimaro was a vessel he had painstakingly nurtured—now destined to be ruined by something as inconvenient as a kekkei genkai-related illness?
"Such a waste. If only you had more time to grow, you might've been able to go head-to-head with Jiraiya's new student."
Orochimaru sighed internally. Yet there was little he could do. And just thinking about Jiraiya's so-called disciple left him feeling irritated. That brat was no ordinary kid.
He had defeated the Fourth Raikage—and cut off his arm.
"Flying Thunder God… Sage Mode… tch. That kid really isn't simple. Especially Sage Mode—it consumes an enormous amount of chakra, and he's able to pull it off?"
Orochimaru subconsciously licked his lips. Then, suddenly, a thought struck him.
"Chakra… he has a lot of chakra, doesn't he?"
Lowering his gaze to Kimimaro, Orochimaru focused on the chakra within him—so wild and unrelenting that it was actively devouring his life.
"Maybe… maybe my approach was all wrong."
A new idea took root.
If this chakra was so voracious, then why not stop resisting it?
Why not feed it and see what it became at its peak?
Of course, this was incredibly risky—Kimimaro might not survive the process. But given that his remaining lifespan was already so short… what did they have to lose?
"Besides, while it's hard to find something to match this force… it's not impossible to find powerful chakra sources without owners."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed, his mind racing with dangerous possibilities.
—
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rain, within Amegakure—
Pain, having finally restored his body via the Hell Path, gazed at the projection before him and spoke in a cold, emotionless tone:
"Now that everyone is here... let's begin."