Chapter 172: The Future Kage, and a Broken Obito
The joint Chūnin Exams held in Konoha had officially come to an end.
By all accounts, this exam had been anything but smooth. The terrain outside of Konoha had been drastically altered, numerous casualties were reported—and most shockingly, the Fourth Raikage and Fourth Kazekage had both fallen within Konoha's borders.
And yet, in a twisted way, the exam could also be called a "success," precisely because the Fourth Raikage and Kazekage had perished here.
"That Ōtsutsuki Genshiki has already left. It seems his next target is the Akatsuki,"
said Jiraiya, his body bruised and battered, as he received medical treatment from Tsunade in a Hokage office meeting room.
Having fought closest to the frontlines, Jiraiya had seen and heard the most—but had also taken the brunt of the damage.
When the final Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion erupted, he'd barely escaped by using a reverse summoning technique.
In truth, Kitagawa Gen had noticed him early on and deliberately shifted the blast away—otherwise, Jiraiya might've ended up far worse than "just" injured.
"Who exactly is this Ōtsutsuki Genshiki? And why is he targeting the Akatsuki?"
Ōnoki asked bluntly. He was relatively familiar with the Akatsuki's existence—and the Hidden Mist even more so.
Still, it was hard for them to accept that such a dangerous organization had been brought to its knees by just one man.
"Honestly, we don't know much about him either,"
Jiraiya admitted, rubbing his temple, before Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up.
"He's incredibly mysterious. His first appearance was in the Land of Fire, where he attacked the Fire Temple and stole the Nine-Tails' chakra that had been hidden there."
"Nine-Tails chakra?"
Genji asked in confusion.
"Yes," Hiruzen continued. "Some people had been secretly collecting residual Nine-Tails chakra, but he found them out. He also clashed with the Akatsuki there. That was the first time. The second was just now."
This matter was far too serious for Konoha to handle alone, so Hiruzen didn't bother keeping it secret.
"Also, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku seems to recognize his name—it terrified him. But he refused to reveal much, even to Jiraiya."
The room fell into silence, brows furrowed all around.
A powerful and utterly enigmatic individual—how were they supposed to defend against such a being?
"So far, we suspect his target may be the Tailed Beasts—or at least their chakra,"
Hiruzen speculated, while Jiraiya added another clue:
"And possibly the Akatsuki themselves—because someone within their group possesses the Rinnegan."
"What? The Rinnegan?"
"You mean the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths? That's impossible!"
Both Genji and Ōnoki were visibly shaken. Even Terumī Mei, also present at the meeting, looked stunned.
The Rinnegan—the legendary eyes said to govern life and death, the pinnacle of ocular power, a gift belonging solely to the Sage of Six Paths.
And now... the Akatsuki had it?
Even worse, the wielder of the Rinnegan had lost?
Then just how terrifying was this Ōtsutsuki Genshiki!?
Perhaps only Deidara remained unfazed—he was too busy chatting up Kitagawa Gen.
"Alright, everyone,"
Gen finally interrupted, seemingly annoyed by Deidara's pestering.
"The Rinnegan isn't as terrifying as you all think."
"Huh? You've fought someone with the Rinnegan?"
Deidara asked curiously.
"Yeah," Gen said, glancing at Deidara with a look of distaste.
"And I beat them."
"You what!?"
Terumī Mei's eyes widened. Genji and Ōnoki were both stunned—they hadn't expected that answer at all.
"The Rinnegan is powerful, yes. Its range of abilities is incredible. But its wielder… wasn't all that."
Gen paused a moment before continuing more seriously:
"So with Flying Thunder God and Sage Mode in combination, it wasn't strange that I defeated him."
"You say that so casually…"
Jiraiya scratched his head. He knew better than anyone just how difficult those two techniques were.
Even he couldn't fully master Sage Mode, let alone the Flying Thunder God.
It wasn't something that could be replicated.
"So it was the user's weakness that made the difference?"
Ōnoki and Genji nodded in understanding.
It was like the Uchiha today with Mangekyō Sharingan—how many of them could actually compare to Madara?
None. Not even close.
Just because someone possessed the Rinnegan didn't mean they were the Sage of Six Paths.
"Then what do you think about Ōtsutsuki Genshiki himself?"
Ōnoki suddenly asked.
All eyes turned toward Gen.
He had already performed feats that defied belief—singlehandedly taking on three Kage-level opponents and killing two of them.
If anyone could face off against Genshiki… it might just be him.
"Yeah, Gen—what do you think?"
Jiraiya asked, full of confidence in the young ninja he'd personally recommended to the Great Toad Sage.
Gen, however, looked visibly uncomfortable.
"That's hard to say. A shinobi's strength isn't determined by chakra and technique alone—there are too many variables. Only in battle can you truly judge.
…Besides, when I defeated Nagato, I didn't even have Dust Release yet."
"That's true,"
everyone agreed.
Ninja battles weren't so easily reduced to raw power. And no one knew that better than those in the room.
But Gen's words made Ōnoki's face darken. Did he really have to bring up Dust Release at a time like this?
"Dust Release?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his chin thoughtfully when he heard that term.
If Gen could learn Dust Release… then—
"Could he also learn Wood Release?"
That thought lit a spark in Hiruzen's eyes.
Given Kitagawa Gen's overwhelming talent, if he could master Wood Release too… Hiruzen didn't even dare to imagine what heights the boy could reach.
But even if he couldn't, Kitagawa Gen was already a rare treasure of Konoha. He had made up his mind—to allocate as many resources as necessary to nurture this child's growth to its fullest potential.
"All right, Gen must be tired. Let him go and rest."
With that, a smile stretched across Hiruzen's wrinkled face as he turned to address the others.
"Also, Ōnoki, Genji… it's time we had a proper talk."
"Agreed," the two nodded. The earlier gathering had been a battlefield briefing—now it was time for real negotiations.
"Then we'll take our leave," said Kitagawa Gen and the others. They understood that what came next was beyond their pay grade.
"Gen, get some good rest," Hiruzen called out just as Gen turned to leave.
"Konoha's future is in your hands."
"…"
Kitagawa Gen scratched the back of his head, feeling vaguely uncomfortable.
They're the future… not me, he thought silently.
After they left, Hiruzen chuckled softly, prompting Genji and Ōnoki to nod in agreement.
"Indeed," Genji said. "They are the future of our villages."
Clearly, each of the old men had their own thoughts. They exchanged glances—then suddenly broke into a quiet, knowing smile.
"Perhaps this was a meeting of future Kage in disguise," Genshii quipped with rare humor.
Hiruzen nodded with a chuckle. "The only question is… who among them will be the first to become a Kage?"
"Well, hard to say who'll be first," Genji replied, rubbing his chin, "but the last will probably be Iwagakure."
Ōnoki's face twitched in irritation.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Why would Iwagakure be last?!"
"Nothing personal," Hiruzen said quickly, not wanting to provoke Ōnoki too much. After all, Iwagakure had taken heavy losses in this whole mess.
"Suna and Kumo must be punished. The benefits they leave behind will need to be redistributed.
What's more troubling is the emergence of the Akatsuki… and Ōtsutsuki Genshiki. They've introduced an unprecedented level of threat.
That's why, my friends, we may have no choice but to face the coming crisis together."
---
Meanwhile, at the Akatsuki base in the Land of Rain…
The space in the air suddenly twisted violently. In the next moment, Uchiha Obito stumbled out of the Kamui dimension and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
THUD—
He gasped for air, struggling to recover. Just then, the ground trembled slightly, and Black Zetsu appeared before him in silence.
"You okay, Obito?" Black Zetsu asked with uncharacteristic concern.
Obito didn't answer. His entire body was trembling.
"…I'm fine."
After a long pause, he finally muttered through gritted teeth.
"I only used Izanagi once. But even so, this time…"
He couldn't even finish the sentence.
The loss this time… was beyond comprehension.
Hidan had been blown to pieces. Sasori was truly dead. Kakuzu's hearts were obliterated. Kisame and even Uchiha Itachi—both their statuses were unknown.
But worst of all…
Nagato.
Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan, had vanished along with the Gedo Statue. His current state was completely unknown.
If Nagato was lost, how would their plan move forward?
And the Rinnegan… either it was destroyed, or it had fallen into that man's hands. The thought of either outcome made Obito tremble with rage.
Even now, he couldn't understand it—how, with so many elite members attacking together, had they been devastated by just one person?
Could it be… that to that man, they were no more than insects?
"Just who is that guy…?" Obito suddenly lifted his head and glared at Black Zetsu, his voice bordering on madness.
"Aren't you supposed to be the Will of Uchiha Madara? Shouldn't you know everything?!"
"Tell me—who the hell is he?!"
"Why did this happen?!"
"Who is he, really?!"