Chapter 151 – The Roaring Nine-Tails, Mizuki's Failure.
"Where… is this?"
The Nine-Tails was going berserk, and even Kitagawa Gen himself was a bit stunned.
He hadn't expected the Nine-Tails to be this sensitive!
"All I did was glance over—and I ended up deep inside Naruto's spiritual world?"
Glancing around, he realized he seemed to be inside some sort of prison.
He was currently floating mid-air, and the ground below was covered with shallow flowing water.
Peering down at the water's surface, he caught a reflection of himself—and it almost startled him.
"That's… me?"
In the water's reflection stood a figure completely cloaked in chakra.
The glowing azure-blue energy made his face difficult to discern—but the white pupils in his eyes were crystal clear.
And formed by the swirling chakra above his head, horn-like projections subtly took shape.
Mysterious. Noble. A clear image of someone who had entered the Ōtsutsuki form.
"Even in my spiritual form… I look like this now?"
Kitagawa Gen gradually came back to his senses. On second thought, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
If he had shown up here in his original appearance, that would've been real trouble.
---
"Who the hell are you!?"
Just as he was lost in thought, the furious roar of the Nine-Tails thundered from afar.
Looking up, he saw the beast more clearly than ever—baring its fangs and glaring at him in rage.
Its massive body flared even larger from its bristling fur, and the cold, malevolent chakra it exuded surged through the space.
So intense was the pressure that even the water on the ground formed waves, rippling violently outward.
---
"You're asking who I am? …Don't you already know?"
Kitagawa Gen, after a moment of thought, switched to his Ōtsutsuki-style tone, testing the waters.
"Don't play games with me, you damn imposter! I don't know who you are!"
The Nine-Tails' roar grew louder, and his chakra surged stronger—but the seal remained perfectly intact.
No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Even so, buried beneath his fury, there was a glimmer of fear in his eyes.
"Who… is this guy?"
The Nine-Tails didn't actually know who this was—but the aura this man carried sparked a visceral, instinctual reaction.
A fear from the soul itself—like a predator meeting its natural superior.
---
"Why… why does this guy's chakra feel eerily similar to the Sage's?"
The beast's tails swayed nervously. The energy wasn't identical, but its nature was unsettlingly close.
And that made it all the more terrifying.
---
"Huh. Looks like he's completely misunderstood, but that works in my favor."
Gen chuckled inwardly. The Nine-Tails had clearly mistaken his identity.
But that was fine—the spiritual world didn't function quite like the physical one.
And with how much more control Gen now had over his powers, it made sense the Nine-Tails couldn't see through his disguise.
Smirking, Gen said with amusement:
"You don't recognize me… but I know you. Whether it's as the Nine-Tails… or the Ten-Tails… or even as the God Tree itself."
"You—!!"
The Nine-Tails' chakra erupted into a furious storm.
Ten-Tails? God Tree?
Those were concepts from ancient myth.
Maybe the Ten-Tails was still whispered about in certain circles—but the God Tree? No ordinary being should know that name!
Now truly shaken, the Nine-Tails' fear grew. That soul-deep terror amplified.
---
Meanwhile, in the real world...
Just as Naruto was about to act, his body suddenly froze.
Then, red chakra began leaking out of him!
"Naruto!? What's happening—"
Iruka paled in shock as Naruto collapsed to his knees, completely immobilized.
---
"The Nine-Tails, huh? Tch… what convenient timing."
Mizuki raised an eyebrow at the sudden development.
Things had already gotten out of hand today, even for him.
"But it looks like luck's still on my side. Iruka. Naruto..."
---
"Damn it—!"
As Mizuki raised his enormous shuriken and aimed it at them, Iruka clenched his jaw.
Just as Mizuki let it fly, Iruka threw himself forward, diving in front of Naruto without hesitation.
---
Back in Naruto's mind—
"You really are one stubborn fox."
Kitagawa Gen watched the Nine-Tails thrash violently, whipping up the already turbulent waters into even more chaotic waves.
He shook his head.
"I only wanted to ask a few questions. But if you won't cooperate… then excuse my rudeness."
"WHO ARE YOU!?"
The Nine-Tails unleashed a deafening roar, but a second later—
A crushing repulsive force slammed down on him from all directions.
With a thunderous splash, the beast's enormous body was flattened into the water, unable to move!
---
"Whoa. This seal is actually pretty effective."
Gen blinked, a little surprised.
He had just wanted to suppress the Nine-Tails temporarily—especially since he could sense what was happening in the real world.
He hadn't expected the repulsion technique to work so well.
But observing it further, he quickly understood why.
Apparently, Jiraiya had strengthened the seal, making it especially potent.
And this Nine-Tails was only half of the original anyway.
---
"No wonder Sasuke, even in his three-tomoe Sharingan state, was able to subdue the Nine-Tails and escape."
Gen nodded to himself, then smiled slightly.
"Well, now that you've calmed down, let's get started. First question: Where is the other half of your chakra?"
"You bastard—!!"
Already seething, the Nine-Tails flew into even greater rage.
Despite being pinned down, it still tried to struggle free.
That missing half of his chakra—a wound he would never forget.
---
"Second question. Even though you were split in two, your ancient memories should still be intact. So tell me—where is Ōtsutsuki Kaguya? And where is your true form?"
Kitagawa Gen remained calm and unhurried, but his next question struck the Nine-Tails like a thunderbolt.
"ROAR!"
The Nine-Tails let out a furious howl and thrashed even harder—yet Kitagawa's eyes gleamed with growing interest.
"As I suspected... The more the Nine-Tails erupts, the closer he gets to waking up."
This visit wasn't just to intimidate the beast. Kitagawa had entered Naruto's mind to observe the Nine-Tails—and perhaps uncover traces of Naruto's parents, whose chakra still lingered with the seal.
Unfortunately, the Nine-Tails had proven less than cooperative. Still, Gen had largely achieved what he came for.
"In fact… I could spice things up a bit more."
Watching the Nine-Tails thrash in rage, Gen put on a mock-regretful look.
"Seems like you're either unwilling to cooperate, or your memory's fragmented. Either way, I'll let you off for now. Let's hope that next time, you give me real answers."
"Who the hell ARE you?!" the Nine-Tails roared, its chakra shaking the space like a violent storm.
But Kitagawa remained calm.
"No need to shout—it won't help. As a fragment of the Ten-Tails' chakra, you should already understand something important."
He paused. His figure began to fade, his voice cutting through the chaos with clarity as the Nine-Tails raged on:
"When your life force exceeds your strength… it's not a blessing—it's a weakness."
"So next time we meet, you'd better show some respect. Because next time, it won't be just my chakra that greets you."
"And since you keep asking…"
Kitagawa's body vanished completely, but his final words echoed in the mindscape like thunder:
"My name is… Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
In the very next moment, a tidal wave of repelling force exploded outward. The Nine-Tails was slammed into the ground, pinned so tightly it couldn't even twitch. Its once-boiling chakra vanished like mist. Darkness reclaimed the space.
---
"Huh?"
Back in the real world, Naruto suddenly jolted. To his shock, the violent, frenzied chakra inside him was dissipating.
That pain… the rage… the fear—it was all fading away. He was starting to feel clear-headed again.
"Iruka-sensei!"
Just then, Naruto saw it—Mizuki had hurled a massive shuriken. Iruka was rushing forward, clearly intending to block it with his own body.
Naruto struggled to move. He didn't care how harsh Iruka had been during training—he knew now that his teacher genuinely cared.
There's no way I'm letting Iruka-sensei get hurt because of me!
But at that critical instant—
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A wall of solid earth suddenly erupted from the ground, intercepting the shuriken mid-flight.
At the same time, a calm voice echoed through the trees.
"Tch. I thought you were supposed to be impressive. Turns out… this is all you've got?"
Everyone looked up.
A silver-haired figure stood atop the stone wall, his back to the moonlight, arms folded as he looked down on the scene.
"Jōnin Gen!"
"Gen!"
Iruka halted in surprise. Naruto lit up with both relief and awkward excitement.
On the other side, Mizuki's face drained of color.
He had never seen Kitagawa Gen fight in person—but he had heard the rumors.
Rumors that Gen had even defeated Jiraiya.
Facing someone like that… Mizuki knew he didn't stand a chance.
"Jōnin Gen! You're just in time!" Mizuki suddenly shouted.
"Naruto stole the Scroll of Sealing—he and Iruka—"
"Enough. Your cover is blown, Chūnin Mizuki."
Gen cut him off coldly, not even giving him a chance to talk.
"The Hokage sent me to observe your actions. I didn't expect your ambition to be so... reckless."
"Y-You—!"
Mizuki knew it was over. He clenched his fists, chakra surging secretly.
I won't let them capture me. I'll escape if it's the last thing I do!
But just then, Gen's brow twitched—he noticed something.
Mizuki was activating Orochimaru's curse mark.
And at that exact moment, a message popped up in Gen's system:
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[Side Quest Complete: As the White-Haired One, It's Only Natural to Clean House]
[Calculating rewards…]
[Naruto Exclusive Side Quest Complete: Naruto's grades are less than stellar]
[Calculating rewards…]