Chapter 169: You Really See Through People
Kitagawa Gen had never denied one thing.
While he never thought of Tobirama Senju as a particularly good person, he had to admit—Tobirama embodied the concept of a "ninja" more than anyone else.
In fact, he had always believed that this was what a ninja should be. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told Kakashi at graduation about "the true nature of a ninja."
Even if… he didn't really like Tobirama.
"Maybe people just don't like others who are too much like themselves?"
He muttered to himself—but that didn't stop him from striking ruthlessly.
His White Fang short sword suddenly crackled with purple lightning as it slashed toward the three in front of him!
---
"Damn it!"
Although Orochimaru and the others were briefly distracted by the strange events outside, they were still top-tier ninja.
Almost the instant Kitagawa Gen moved, they reacted.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"
Rasa raised a single hand, and a torrent of gold sand surged forward in a defensive wall.
It was the right move—but it was just a bit too slow.
He had acted on reflex, and the amount of gold sand wasn't nearly enough. Kitagawa Gen's blade flashed past—
Slash!
A bolt of violet lightning sliced across Rasa's shoulder, leaving a deep gash in his arm.
And through that wound, the Violet Lightning seeped into his nervous system, spreading paralysis through his entire body in an instant!
---
"Now's our chance!"
Though Rasa took the worst of it, Orochimaru and the Fourth Raikage immediately saw the opportunity.
"Lariat: Thousand Blades Dance!"
The Fourth Raikage roared, channeling a torrent of Lightning Release chakra into his remaining right arm. He formed a blade with his hand and hurled it at Gen with the full weight of his strength and fury.
"Fast…"
Kitagawa Gen noted calmly, his voice echoing from in front of the Raikage—and then suddenly behind him.
"But did you forget what I'm best at?"
Buzz—
His ninja blade descended silently from behind—but in that instant, the Fourth Raikage exploded with raw power.
"You think… I can't keep up?!"
With a furious roar, he twisted his body at a speed that defied logic, just narrowly dodging Gen's blade.
In the same motion, his electrified hand-chop whipped around to strike Gen in return.
---
"Oh?"
Kitagawa Gen raised a brow, not surprised. After all, this was the Fourth Raikage—a man who could dodge even the instantaneous Amaterasu.
For someone that focused, dodging Gen's blade once wasn't all that strange.
"Not bad. But…"
He wasn't too concerned. Compared to the Raikage, his main focus was still Orochimaru.
Even if he was just a clone, and even if he wasn't afraid of Edo Tensei, he wasn't going to let Orochimaru make things more troublesome than necessary.
Boom—
In a flash, he vanished again. The Raikage's strike slammed into the ground, sending cracks spidering outward like a web.
"Damn it…"
Orochimaru caught sight of Gen rushing in. Cursing inwardly, he felt the violent surge of lightning approaching.
Quickly forming hand seals, he attempted to defend—but the blade had already sliced through him.
Slash!
His body split into two—only to collapse into a pile of mud.
Earth Substitution Jutsu.
It was always most useful when your life depended on it.
---
"Fast. But do you really think you can escape?"
Gen didn't even blink. His left hand had been forming hand seals all along.
He released the jutsu—an ultra-compressed Water Dragon Vortex—like a javelin into the ground.
BOOM!
The stage beneath them groaned and split apart, unable to withstand the pressure. Cracks spread violently in every direction.
A torrential flood of water surged outward, burying Rasa's gold sand—and sweeping Orochimaru right out of hiding.
Even the Fourth Raikage, caught off-guard, was swallowed up by the current!
---
"This brat…"
Elsewhere, Ōnoki stood beside Genji, having opted not to participate in the battle.
Behind them, the assembled shinobi from Kirigakure and Iwagakure remained still—since they'd declared neutrality, they had no reason to engage.
But Ōnoki didn't look pleased.
He stared at Kitagawa Gen, remembering how he had pierced Shukaku and ambushed Orochimaru and the others with Dust Release earlier.
"I really want to take it back and say, 'That was just a joke…'"
Of course, it was just a thought. Given the current situation, he was starting to think the Sand and Cloud villages had bet on the wrong side.
---
"Looks like Konoha's going to win this one."
Genji finally spoke.
"Orochimaru's allies… they haven't done anything. Are they still outside the village?"
"Yeah. Weird, right? Earlier it seemed like they were fighting inside the village. But now it's shifted out… and the scale is insane."
Ōnoki gave a slight nod, tilting his head to glance outside—but the platform of the training arena was far too high. He couldn't see a thing.
Still, with the earth rumbling violently beneath his feet, he couldn't help but feel curious about what was happening out there.
Even so, he forced himself to stay focused. No matter how intrigued he was, he had to witness this "Battle of the Kage" through to the end.
"Someone must've made a move out there," Genji murmured, uncertain.
He let out a soft sigh. "Either Konoha got lucky, or they had a hidden trump card. If a fight like that really broke out inside the village, then no matter how much they prepared, no matter how strong Kitagawa Gen is, it would've been meaningless."
"True," Ōnoki said with a heavy sigh. "No matter how strong one individual is, they can't protect everything."
There was no denying that Kitagawa Gen was powerful—so powerful that, even relying on Flying Thunder God, he could hold his own against three Kage at once and still gain the upper hand.
But if whoever caused that commotion outside had targeted the village directly, then even Gen's strength wouldn't have made a difference.
That's why the Fourth Raikage and Rasa dared to move. The sheer volume of chakra that had surged through Konoha earlier had already hinted at the threat level—yet no one expected it to end up like this.
"Tch, what's so great about watching this? I'd rather go outside and enjoy the chaos."
Behind Ōnoki and Genji, Deidara crossed his arms, watching Kitagawa Gen's overwhelming display with a sour expression.
His eyes sparkled with envy—clearly, he was itching to join the fight himself.
"You're not curious about the outcome?" Terumī Mei asked, casting a sideways glance at Deidara. Though they didn't know each other well, she was aware he was Ōnoki's student.
"I heard you and Kitagawa Gen are pretty close."
"Exactly. That's why I'm not worried," Deidara replied flatly, glancing back at her.
He knew who she was, of course—but he couldn't care less. What mattered was that she was talking about Gen.
"Gen shares my artistic vision. The guy even learned my Dust Release! The fusion of three forms of art—I honestly don't see how he could lose!"
"Wait… he learned your Dust Release? And you're not mad about that?"
"Why would I be? It's not like I invented it or anything."
"..."
"Him mastering my art proves he respects it. That's a recognition of its value, yeah!"
"..."
Terumī Mei stared at Deidara, speechless. For a moment, she seriously wondered if this Tsuchikage's student was mentally sound.
She wasn't the only one—both the Mist and Stone shinobi around them wore equally strange expressions. Some of the Iwagakure ninja looked downright exasperated.
"Would you shut up already?!"
Ōnoki couldn't take it anymore. He spun around and roared.
Even he couldn't quite wrap his head around it—but this was something to be proud of?
"Looks like you've got a fine student there, Lord Tsuchikage," Genji said with a laugh, twisting the knife.
He glanced toward the collapsed One-Tail, still howling in rage after being shredded by Dust Release. It hadn't even recovered yet.
"Can't deny it—Dust Release is terrifyingly powerful."
"You—!"
Ōnoki's face turned darker than thunder, just as the battlefield shifted once more.
Despite the raging waves from the Water Release technique, the Fourth Raikage and the others surged up from beneath the surface. Raikage's gaze was sharp as he stared at the water flooding the arena.
"This is our chance—but be careful. Lightning travels through water."
He lowered his voice. This water might be Gen's battlefield—but it could also become his advantage.
Rasa was still paralyzed, and Orochimaru looked worse for wear, but both nodded slightly.
Yet before they could act, a sudden chill swept through the air!
Whummm—
In an instant, the water around them began to freeze, transforming into jagged layers of ice. The frozen tide surged rapidly, encasing the three of them in thick walls of frost!
"Ice Release?!"
All three froze, their expressions shifting. The dense, overlapping ice was swiftly cutting off every route of escape.
Then—sensing something—they looked up.
Kitagawa Gen now stood with a white light glowing in his palm.
"Goodbye," he said quietly.
In that moment, the blinding light of Dust Release exploded forth, roaring with raw annihilative power.
"HAAAH!"
The Fourth Raikage erupted with a surge of lightning chakra, tearing himself free from the ice with brute force.
Orochimaru's body twisted like a serpent, weaving between the spikes of ice to slither out just in time.
But Rasa—his face turned pale.
"NO!"
His paralyzed body couldn't respond in time. He let out an anguished roar—before the white light pierced through him.
In the blink of an eye, he disintegrated, reduced to particles of light—his body unraveling into nothingness.
Kitagawa Gen's eyes flicked toward Orochimaru. The frost coating the ground twisted upward into a massive dragon that lunged for the Snake Sannin.
At the same time, Gen's voice echoed—behind the Fourth Raikage.
"I remember," Gen murmured, "you didn't believe me when I said I removed your Flying Thunder God marker."
The Raikage's face twisted in shock. He whipped around, trying to react—but a sudden jolt of pain shot through his arm!
His eyes widened.
His right arm had been sliced clean off, blood spraying in every direction.
He didn't even have time to feel pain before he looked down—
—and saw a short blade had pierced straight through his chest, thrusting out from his front.
Behind him, Kitagawa Gen's voice rang out once more:
"Gotta say, you really are good at judging people."
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At the same time, on the viewing platform, both Ōnoki and Genji fell silent.
Especially after witnessing that unthinkable Ice Release—Genji couldn't help but turn to Ōnoki.
Their eyes met.
And in that silent glance, they both saw the same regret reflected.
"…Damn it. We picked a side too early."
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