“So things are really that complicated?”
Inside the Hokage’s office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Kakashi, whose spirits were still low, and Jiraiya, whose expression was unusually solemn.
He couldn’t help rubbing his forehead.
When he had originally seen Jiraiya return, Hiruzen had been startled, but he had also been genuinely happy.
Konoha was currently suffering from a bit of a shortage of successors.
Although Kakashi’s generation of young shinobi had already grown into capable fighters, the village was still lacking a few pillars who could serve as its backbone.
In fact, that was precisely the role Hiruzen’s three former students had been meant to fill.
And yet, of those three, one had defected, while the other two had become…
well, professional “womanizers, gamblers, and drunks.”
Naturally, Hiruzen was delighted to have Jiraiya back.
It was just that the news Jiraiya had brought with him was giving him quite a headache.
“Yes, Old Man.”
Jiraiya nodded and rubbed his forehead.
“If things weren’t this complicated, I wouldn’t have come back to ask for your help. Everything is still just speculation, but that place is too sensitive. That’s why I need your assistance.”
“You know it’s sensitive too?”
Hiruzen glared at Jiraiya in exasperation.
“That’s Kirigakure we’re talking about.
It’s separated from us by an entire sea.
Even sending someone there is extremely difficult.
And because of its policies, Kirigakure is practically isolated from the rest of the shinobi world.
It’s extremely difficult to find out what’s actually happening inside.
“How exactly do you expect me to investigate?”
Kirigakure was an enormous headache.
It was an island, making the transmission of intelligence exceptionally difficult.
Later, because of its infamous Blood Mist policies, it had effectively shut itself off from the outside world.
Getting reliable intelligence was already difficult enough.
And now that mysterious organization might be involved as well…
“Uchiha Itachi has been in there. How can he have been undercover for two and a half years without sending back a single piece of useful information?”
Hiruzen silently puffed on his pipe, genuinely puzzled.
“Lord Hokage, doesn’t ANBU still have operatives in Kirigakure?”
Kakashi, who had remained silent until now, thought for a moment before asking quietly,
“Although it might be difficult, could we mobilize them and have them provide us with some information?”
“That…”
Hiruzen hesitated.
Jiraiya immediately became annoyed.
“Hey, Old Man. If this is really that troublesome, why don’t I just go there myself and take a look? That way, at least I won’t be making things difficult for you.”
“No. You don’t understand the implications.”
Hiruzen rubbed his forehead.
After thinking for a while, he finally sighed.
“All right.
I’ll handle this matter.
But you absolutely cannot act recklessly.
You may be good at gathering intelligence, but you can’t compare with professionals who specialize in it.
“Tch. Even if I wanted to leave, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be that easy anymore, would it?”
Jiraiya pursed his lips and gave a slight nod before continuing,
“Don’t worry.
I won’t act recklessly.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come back in the first place.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take Kakashi to the hospital.
“Later, I still have to help celebrate that brat’s first successful mission. What a hassle…”
As he spoke, Jiraiya led Kakashi toward the door.
Kakashi also gave Hiruzen an apologetic nod before leaving.
Fortunately, Hiruzen knew his student’s personality well and didn’t take it personally.
Once the two had left together, Hiruzen could only sigh helplessly.
“What a hassle…”
Kakashi’s situation really was troubling him.
ANBU certainly gathered intelligence, but Root’s infiltration and intelligence-gathering network ran much deeper.
Much of the more sensitive information from other villages had traditionally been obtained through Root.
But officially, Root had already been disbanded.
Unless Hiruzen reactivated it, there wasn’t much he could do.
“Forget it. If things really are this serious, I suppose I’ll have to go see Danzō. Besides, it’s been quite some time since I’ve spoken with him…”
After remaining silent for a long while, Hiruzen finally made up his mind.
He stood and walked over to the window.
Looking out at the bustling streets of Konoha, he remained there for a long time before murmuring,
“Fortunately, Jiraiya’s return isn’t entirely bad news. At least he’s back. At least…”
“It seems Konoha has another genius on its hands…”
…
“It was actually… this easy?”
Feeling the changes taking place within his body, a strange expression appeared on Gen Hoshino’s face.
He had anticipated that this might happen, but cultivating Sage Mode had never been a simple matter.
Just look at Jiraiya.
It had taken him years of training to master it.
And even then, he needed the assistance of the two Elder Toad Sages of Mount Myōboku, as well as considerable preparation, before he could successfully enter Sage Mode.
Naruto had it somewhat easier, but even he had been thoroughly beaten into shape at Mount Myōboku before achieving his breakthrough.
Yet Gen had relied solely on Jiraiya’s knowledge.
He didn’t even have any auxiliary tools.
And on his very first attempt, he had successfully entered Sage Mode!
“This bloodline of mine is practically cheating…”
After a long while, Gen finally gritted his teeth and cursed.
Thinking back on his miserable thirteen years, he couldn’t help feeling depressed.
If only the Beginner’s Gift Pack had arrived earlier!
“Forget it. Naruto and Sasuke spent years before they completely unlocked their cheats too.”
Gen rubbed his forehead and consoled himself.
But before long, he couldn’t hold back again.
His own path required him to accumulate everything little by little!
Sure enough, some people were born with power, while others were born as the born with less…
“At least I finally have a stronger offensive option now!”
The power of Sage Mode had already been demonstrated to its fullest by Naruto and Hashirama Senju, even setting Jiraiya aside.
Combined with the Purple Electricity he had been continuously refining, Gen now had ways to deal with most opponents—as long as he didn’t encounter one of the truly monstrous freaks of the shinobi world.
And as his bloodline continued to develop, he firmly believed that one day, he himself would become one of those “monsters.”
Perhaps he would even surpass them…
“Still, I need to come up with a plausible cover story for this technique. Forget it. I’ll worry about that later. For now, I should get ready for tonight’s celebration.”
Gen stretched.
He had been sitting here for a long time, and even his body was starting to feel stiff.
“Hmm?!”
But just then, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
He abruptly realized that the chakra inside his body was surging far more violently than it should have.
Not only that, he could actually feel his physical strength increasing.
And on top of that, he faintly sensed a tiny stream of chakra continuously flowing toward his eyes, as though something were slowly being nurtured there.
“Could it be…?”
Gen hurriedly opened his status panel.
When he saw the information displayed there, he froze completely.
[Name: Gen Hoshino]
[Age: 13]
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development: 5%)]
[Total Chakra: S- (below the level of an Elite Jōnin, but approaching Kage-level)]
“It actually has an effect like this?”
Gen’s breathing quickened.
He had only just obtained Sage Jutsu.
His first attempt at using it had still been somewhat clumsy, yet he had somehow managed to advance his bloodline as well.
Even if a five-percent development rate still left him firmly in the category of “weakling”…
At least he’d reached 5%!
“So natural energy is actually part of the Ōtsutsuki’s power?”
Gen frowned.
But he quickly shook his head.
“Not necessarily. Perhaps… Ōtsutsuki who possessed the power of the Ten-Tails simply gained access to natural energy indirectly.”
At this thought, a trace of excitement appeared in Gen’s eyes.
He had originally been worried about whether his plan to collect all those different forms of power would actually work.
What if something went wrong?
But now he understood.
As long as he didn’t deliberately push himself to the brink of death, his bloodline seemed capable of protecting him and cleaning up the consequences.
Such a powerful bloodline itself gave him confidence.
That meant he could completely follow the path he’d envisioned—the path toward becoming a complete Ōtsutsuki!
“It’s just that… there are way too many things I need to collect…”