Chapter 136: The Source of the Divine Tree
The battle had ended—but the gathered jōnin were all silent.
One by one, their eyes widened in disbelief.
That Jiraiya had lost wasn't necessarily surprising.
After all, this was a friendly spar meant for evaluation. Who knew how seriously either party was going all out?
Some of the jōnin present had seen Jiraiya in real action before.
Plus, the limitations of this arena meant many of his techniques couldn't be fully unleashed.
But what truly left them stunned… was Kitagawa Gen's final move.
In a flash, he tore through space and appeared right beside Jiraiya in an instant.
That technique—impossible!
"You've got to be kidding… Was that the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"Unbelievable… absolutely unbelievable!"
"That was insane!"
Gradually, more and more murmurs spread through the crowd.
At first the voices were quiet, but as people began to exchange thoughts, the buzz grew louder—until it became a wave of cheers and applause.
In their eyes, the significance of the Flying Thunder God Technique was no less than that of Wood Release.
They hadn't seen Wood Release in action, but many of them had witnessed the Flying Thunder God firsthand.
Not to mention the Third Great Ninja War—on the night of the Nine-Tails attack, when the beast had aimed a Tailed Beast Bomb at the village...
If the Fourth Hokage hadn't teleported it away using the Flying Thunder God, that horrifying blast would've obliterated Konoha.
And it was thanks to that same technique that he'd managed to relocate the entire Nine-Tails outside the village.
That night… the damage could've been far worse.
---
"Unbelievable, Kakashi…"
Even though Asuma already knew about it, he couldn't help but mutter in awe.
"You've got yourself quite the disciple."
"Absolutely, Kakashi-senpai,"
Ebisu and Genma both nodded in agreement, unable to hide their excitement and amazement.
Especially Genma—having once served in the Fourth Hokage's personal guard—he felt a deep emotional resonance.
"That really was the Flying Thunder God… I still can't believe it."
"Congratulations, Kakashi."
Might Guy even gave Kakashi a hearty slap on the shoulder. Kakashi smiled in return.
"Just lucky. That's all."
Then someone pointed out:
"Now that Gen's a jōnin… he can lead his own squad, right?"
"..."
"So… does that mean he's leaving our team?"
"..."
Kakashi's smile faltered. He looked at Guy, whose curious expression, though innocent, made it hard for Kakashi to maintain his usual calm.
Still, he quickly regained composure.
This kind of thing would depend on the situation.
After all, when he himself became a jōnin, didn't he remain on Minato-sensei's team?
---
The cheers only continued to grow louder.
The fight had been a spectacle—and the appearance of the Flying Thunder God Technique had thrilled the jōnin of Konoha.
"You really did well out there, kid."
Jiraiya gave Gen a firm pat on the shoulder, grinning as he spoke.
"Come on, let's get out of here—Jōnin Gen."
"And I've got to thank the Pervy Sage for going easy on me,"
Gen replied with a good-natured chuckle. Jiraiya rolled his eyes at the nickname.
He knew very well what Gen was capable of.
Even if he had used more of his own arsenal, he wasn't sure he would've come out ahead.
Gen hadn't even touched his Ice Release—let alone Sage Mode.
---
When the two of them reached the main viewing platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Gen a congratulatory pat on the back.
"It's been a while since I've seen such a masterful use of Water Release. Very impressive."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Gen smiled and nodded.
But he noticed something complicated in the old man's eyes.
Not just him—Tsunade, standing nearby, also wore an odd expression.
Gen immediately understood.
Most likely, his performance reminded them of someone else—his predecessor.
Whether it was his Water Release, or that final Lightning Release technique…
---
"By the way, Hokage-sama," Gen said, changing the subject, "when I arrived earlier, Kakashi-sensei mentioned there was a new mission?"
"To Amegakure, right?"
Hiruzen glanced toward Kakashi, who was still chatting cheerfully with Guy and the others. Then he nodded.
"Yes, the mission to Amegakure has been in planning for a while now. I had intended for Kakashi to take it on—also to investigate the current status of Hanzo the Salamander."
"This task is dangerous and complicated. I was planning to assign it to you as your first mission after your jōnin promotion... but it seems Kakashi has already told you."
"Kakashi-sensei was just giving me a heads-up. He knows I've been eager to take on missions."
Gen replied earnestly.
"As a ninja, I need real combat experience. Even if you hadn't brought it up, I would've applied for it myself."
"That kind of attitude is exactly what I like to see,"
Hiruzen said with satisfaction. With that mindset, Gen would surely keep progressing.
"Then start preparing. You'll depart in a few days. And since this is your first mission as a jōnin, I'll prepare a reward for you. Is there any jutsu you've been wanting to learn?"
"A reward?"
Gen blinked in surprise.
Jiraiya had clearly gone easy on him—this had been more of a demonstration than a real fight.
He hadn't expected to get a reward out of it.
Rubbing his chin, he glanced over at Tsunade… and suddenly had an idea.
"The Spirit Transformation Technique might be a good one."
This was a jutsu that allowed the soul to separate from the body and launch attacks independently.
While the actual combat usage didn't interest him too much, the fact that it involved soul manipulation made it unique—it was a rare form of Yin Release.
Given how few Yin techniques he possessed, this was something he truly wanted to add to his arsenal.
"I haven't made up my mind yet," Gen said aloud, not daring to mention it in front of Tsunade.
After all, he had white hair too—he didn't want to accidentally cause any misunderstandings.
"That's fine. Let me know once you've decided," Hiruzen said with a nod.
Sarutobi smiled and gave Gen's shoulder another pat.
"Congratulations, Gen—or rather, congratulations, Jonin Gen."
"Thank you," Gen bowed slightly.
Just then, his system triggered, and a notification popped up, causing him to freeze for a moment.
"If you'll excuse me, Lord Hokage, I'd like to get some rest."
"Go ahead and prepare yourself. Bigger missions lie ahead."
Hiruzen nodded. Gen turned to Jiraiya.
"Pervy Sage, let's gather tonight to celebrate. Can you pass that on to Kakashi-sensei for me?"
"Of course! This calls for a proper celebration."
But then he frowned slightly.
"What's the rush, though?"
"That battle sparked some insights. I need time to reflect."
Gen waved the excuse off casually—and the next second, he vanished from sight.
"Another breakthrough, huh?"
Jiraiya smiled with admiration.
Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
"Perhaps… that's what they call genius."
Even he couldn't help but smile at the thought.
Konoha is truly thriving.
---
Meanwhile…
Back at his house, Gen left behind a shadow clone and disappeared again.
Only after arriving in a canyon outside the village did he open his system interface.
[System Scan Complete]
[Main Mission Phase Two Complete: Become a Jonin]
[Reward Obtained: Source of the Divine Tree (Empty)]
"The Source of the Divine Tree?"
Gen raised an eyebrow.
What was this supposed to be?
As he focused and sensed the reward, realization dawned on him.
"Wait… seriously?"
His expression turned odd. This was far more powerful than he had expected.
In truth, the growth path of the Ōtsutsuki was quite different—and much simpler.
They simply planted trees.
Through the Divine Tree, they absorbed the chakra of entire planets, eventually producing a fruit.
This fruit granted overwhelming power—including the Rinnegan—and various abilities.
"But once the tree takes root, it drains the entire planet… ultimately destroying it."
Of course, to the Ōtsutsuki, this meant nothing. They had no empathy for the "lesser lifeforms" that lived on those worlds.
"Your destruction has nothing to do with me."
But Gen's Divine Tree worked differently.
Instead of being planted in the world—it existed within him.
And it used the power of the tailed beasts to nourish itself.
He already had Tailed Beast chakra—Three-Tails, Seven-Tails, Nine-Tails—and that energy had been slowly nourishing his eyes, helping them evolve.
But the different chakras had never fully fused. That's why he'd always been interested in the Gedo Statue—the empty husk of the Ten-Tails.
Yet now… he seemed to have his own vessel. One that could store and utilize these chakras even more efficiently.
"Still… can it bear fruit without planetary chakra?"
He frowned slightly. He also remembered: didn't planting the tree require sacrificing an Ōtsutsuki?
"Just like my bloodline… always full of cryptic riddles."
"Still… this is definitely useful. In that case…"
Taking a deep breath, Gen gave the command:
"Activate the Source of the Divine Tree."
Instantly, he felt a tree-shaped chakra form deep within him.
As it took root, the chakras of the Three-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails were immediately drawn in—
Even the chakra of the Dragon Vein began nourishing the tree!
Buzz——!
As the process completed, he felt a tremendous pull in his eyes.
It was like new knowledge had been injected directly into his brain—
A new power was awakening within his eyes.
"A new ability? And…"
He had worried that once the tailed beast chakra was absorbed, it would all go toward empowering the tree.
But it wasn't like that—everything was still centered around him.
"Even more importantly…"
Gen looked down at the earth beneath him.
"I think… I finally understand what planetary chakra really is."