Chapter 117: Is the Power of Time Also Inherent to the Ōtsutsuki?
"So, what exactly is that thing?"
Might Guy stared into the distance, baffled. He had no idea what was going on. Kakashi, however, frowned and replied,
"I'm not sure either. I told you before—my memories have been sealed. Most likely, it was done by my teacher. If that's the case, then whatever it is must be incredibly important."
Kakashi truly couldn't recall. Minato's sealing techniques were no joke.
"Should I go check it out?" Kitagawa Gen's eyes gleamed as he made the suggestion.
But Kakashi and Guy rejected the idea in unison.
"No way. Even with the Flying Thunder God, you'd have trouble dealing with that chakra. Didn't you feel the explosion just now?"
That explosion? Totally my fault—
Wait no, it was all Orochimaru's fault!
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei," Gen said, rising to his feet with a smile and a shake of his head.
"I know what that energy is. It's natural energy—Senjutsu chakra. It may be dangerous, but it won't affect me."
He wasn't joking. With the eruption of the Ryūmyaku's energy, he had identified its true nature.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
Kakashi was still uneasy, and Guy mirrored his concern.
Gen responded calmly, "It should be fine. That explosion was likely caused by the energy being bottled up for too long with no proper outlet. But now… look—it's much more stable."
As he spoke, Gen turned toward the distance.
There, the Ryūmyaku chakra surged violently. The surrounding area was a storm of sand and shattered rock—like a natural disaster in motion.
"..."
Kakashi and Guy stared at him, speechless.
Gen looked a bit sheepish. "Okay… maybe not that stable. But still—definitely better than earlier. I wouldn't risk my own life unless I was sure."
"Then go. I know you'll go regardless of what I say."
Kakashi had come to understand Gen's nature. If he didn't want to do something, he'd follow orders to the letter. But once he did want something—no one could stop him.
"Be careful. Promise me you'll be careful."
"Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, I'll be back in an instant."
Gen smiled. The next second, his figure vanished—he had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport.
---
"You really trust him that much?"
Guy asked as Gen disappeared. Kakashi dropped to the ground with a heavy sigh.
"He should be fine. Besides, we need to rest. Those two enemies we fought weren't easy to handle…"
Kakashi was utterly exhausted. Using Kamui: Shuriken had drained him massively.
Still, he had confirmed the jutsu's effectiveness. He would continue refining it in the future.
"That was one hell of an attack."
---
At the epicenter of the battle, Kitagawa Gen quietly reappeared. He gazed at the destruction around him—equal parts awe and satisfaction in his expression.
The power of the Tenseigan was no joke.
"But I'd prefer if my own eyes had that kind of power."
He was already impressed with his current abilities. After all, he had just stood toe-to-toe with someone as dangerous as Orochimaru, forcing even him to acknowledge the power of stats and game mechanics.
And Orochimaru wasn't the crumbling mess Sasuke had faced—the one whose soul was trapped in the Reaper's belly and who needed a new body just to survive.
This was a version of Orochimaru who had survived mountains of corpses and oceans of blood. A monster with almost no weaknesses—except perhaps illusions and unknown intel.
Even so, compared to this massive Tenseigan, Gen felt seriously lacking.
Especially when he saw the enormous, torn-off pieces of snake carcasses strewn across the ground. Judging by their size, it might've been Manda.
"I still need to get stronger."
With a flicker, he appeared near the central tower. The Ryūmyaku chakra still roiled violently. His eyes faintly transformed into the Tenseigan as he began his analysis.
"I need to figure out how to handle this power properly..."
---
The next morning...
The scorching desert sun beat down on the ruined ancient city of Rōran. Near its collapsed edge, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stood with a grim expression as he faced Kakashi and the others.
Nearby, Chiyo lay on a stretcher—half her body gone. She was being carried away by Ebizō.
Last night's massive explosion had occurred within the Land of Wind. Rasa couldn't possibly have missed it.
Naturally, he suspected those damn lunatics had done something again. Especially since the explosion had come from the south. His first thought was the Ryūmyaku.
But just as he was preparing to act, an incident occurred with Gaara.
Something had triggered Gaara into a frenzy. Shukaku, the One-Tail, had begun to stir restlessly within him. With Chiyo absent, Rasa had no choice but to personally subdue Gaara.
Only in the dead of night, once everything had calmed down, was he able to depart.
"So it was that mysterious organization behind all this?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama. That appears to be the case," Kakashi replied, still visibly fatigued.
"Their target was definitely something hidden within Rōran. And that explosion—it was connected to that very thing."
"I see…"
Rasa nodded, but his expression remained dark.
It was infuriating to have something from his own village targeted by outsiders. Even worse—this was an object he had been eyeing for years.
"You all have my thanks. If not for your efforts, this could've been catastrophic. Those people… they're nothing but madmen."
"No need for thanks. We were just completing our mission," Kakashi replied modestly.
Of course they were madmen. That much was obvious.
"What about Rōran itself? And Chiyo-sama?"
"Most of Rōran's surviving citizens were evacuated. The rest made it to the underground shelters last night—they're safe. As for Chiyo..."
Rasa glanced at Ebizō, who gave a silent nod.
"She's stable. Sasori is no ordinary opponent, and neither is she. But I am curious—how did you deal with the Ryūmyaku?"
That was what truly mattered to him.
Seeing the state of the ruins and the devastated land only intensified his desire for the Ryūmyaku.
He hated the Akatsuki for the chaos they caused, but he had to admit: he was also a little grateful.
"They gave me an opportunity to enter Rōran."
Now that he had access, the rest was simple—he could try to seize control of the Ryūmyaku for himself.
He only hoped Konoha wouldn't get in his way.
---
"Let me explain."
Suddenly, Kitagawa Gen stepped forward, full of energy.
"Kazekage-sama, you need not worry. Though the Ryūmyaku's seal was disturbed, the situation isn't as bad as it looked."
"Is that so...?"
Rasa remained composed, but inside, his heart skipped a beat.
"Yes," Gen said with a beaming smile, "The Fourth Hokage left behind a Flying Thunder God seal at the Ryūmyaku—and as it happens, I also know the technique."
"..."
"All I had to do was mimic his markings and rearrange them slightly. That stabilized the Ryūmyaku's chakra—for now, at least."
"..."
"Of course, this was also thanks to some of the chakra having leaked out already. Without that, I might not have been able to restore the seal."
"..."
"But rest assured—what's left will stay sealed. Just like when the Fourth Hokage did it. The Land of Wind won't face any further problems."
"...Thank you. Truly, thank you all."
Even Rasa wasn't sure how he managed to choke out those words of thanks. His voice was tight, nearly grinding through clenched teeth.
If it were up to him, he really wanted to strangle that bastard. Honestly, he had one burning question in his heart:
"Konoha, are you people messing with me on purpose!?"
"Since that's the case, let's return to Sunagakure for now," Rasa said, forcing a smile despite his inner turmoil.
"As allies, I've failed in my duties. You've come all this way and haven't even had a proper rest. I'll assign people to monitor things here in Roran, and besides… we still need to exchange some intel."
"We appreciate the offer," Kakashi nodded. He truly needed some rest—his chakra depletion was extreme.
Rasa nodded slightly, then turned and walked toward the main group. However, the moment his back was turned, the smile on his face completely vanished.
"Hey," Guy whispered after confirming Rasa had walked far enough, "did either of you notice? He was smiling, but… didn't he seem really pissed off?"
"He did," Kakashi agreed, flipping open Icha Icha Paradise, though his eyes drifted toward Kitagawa Gen. "And it's not hard to guess why—after all, we did ruin his plans."
Then he added pointedly, "And you—you did it on purpose, didn't you?"
"Sensei, I have no idea what you're talking about," Gen replied, putting on an innocent expression.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. You look pretty pleased with yourself, though. What's got you in such a good mood?"
"Well," Gen grinned, "I just survived a fight with one of the Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru—and came out unscathed. Of course I'm happy."
As he spoke, a translucent interface appeared before his eyes:
---
[Name]: Kitagawa Gen
[Bloodline]: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development: 31%)
[Dōjutsu]: Tenseigan (Nascent Form)
[Chakra Capacity]: SSS (Above Kage level)
[Chakra Nature]: Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, Yin, Yang
[Special Techniques]: Ice Release, Magnet Release
[Special Energy Source]: Ryūmyaku Chakra (Dragon Vein)
---
Gen hadn't expected that after fusing with the Ryūmyaku, it would manifest as a unique and independent energy source within him.
What was even more fascinating was that this energy didn't just supplement natural energy—it could also replenish tailed beast chakra!
The Tailed Beast Chakra in his body had nurtured his eye and helped evolve it, but it didn't vanish afterward. It had merely gone dormant due to overuse. Ordinarily, recovery would require time—but the Dragon Vein seemed capable of accelerating that process.
"More than that..." Gen murmured to himself as he examined the interface, "there seems to be something deeper—some special ability hidden within the Dragon Vein."
"It's mysterious, yet it feels like it resonates with me perfectly. If I'm not mistaken..."
"Could it be... that the power of time is also something innately tied to the Ōtsutsuki?"
As Kitagawa Gen pondered this, far away in the Land of Rain, amidst a ruin-swept landscape...
Suddenly, the space in the air twisted violently.
Moments later, two battered but intact figures stumbled out of the vortex, clumsily clutching what looked like a pile of debris.
--