Gathering all the pieces needed to realize the complete Ōtsutsuki form he’d envisioned would indeed require quite a lot.
Fortunately, most of them were things Gen had already planned for, and the difficulty had never been low to begin with.
Now, however, his resolve was even stronger.
He was genuinely curious to see what kind of scenery awaited him as he climbed higher and higher!
“Still, the eye that’s supposed to be nurtured by my chakra seems to be developing slower than I expected. Maybe I need to develop my bloodline further first. That’s strange… I remember the Ōtsutsuki’s Byakugan was supposed to be innate.”
After taking a shower, Gen Hoshino looked at his handsome reflection in the mirror.
He was quite pleased with what he saw, but he couldn’t help muttering to himself.
Perhaps because this bloodline had started out as a Basic bloodline, everything had to be developed from scratch.
But Gen wasn’t worried.
With this bloodline supporting him, he believed he could eventually reach that level.
And time was on his side.
So…
“The advantage is mine!”
He casually imitated the phrase in an accent he wasn’t particularly good at.
After getting dressed, Gen opened the window and jumped straight out.
Now that he was a shinobi, naturally he had to master one of the traditional shinobi arts!
Using windows instead of doors.
“Hey, are you ready? We’re leaving.”
Gen jumped onto the windowsill of Naruto’s apartment, pulled open the window, and called inside.
“Do you think my house doesn’t have a door?”
Naruto was startled by Gen’s sudden appearance and couldn’t help complaining.
Gen merely shrugged.
“You came through my window too. Enough talking. Let’s go.”
“That was because you didn’t give me the key…”
Naruto pursed his lips.
He stood up and handed Gen a cup of ramen.
“Here. This is for you. Congratulations on completing your first shinobi mission.”
“Seriously? For my first completed mission, you’re giving me this?”
Gen nearly laughed in disbelief.
Naruto’s forehead twitched when he heard that.
He immediately puffed out his cheeks in dissatisfaction.
“Jerk! This is a limited-edition Ichiraku Ramen cup! It’s super delicious, and it’s expensive too!”
“Thanks. You keep it. When you become a shinobi and complete your first mission, just give me your kunai.”
Gen didn’t really understand why Naruto would spend money on something like this, but personal preferences weren’t something he would criticize.
Besides, he had noticed something interesting.
Naruto had actually carefully mounted the kunai Gen had given him on the wall.
It was obvious that the kid genuinely treasured it.
Since that was the case, Gen figured he’d just ask for an identical gift in return someday.
“Just don’t fail to become a shinobi, though. I heard your grades aren’t exactly ideal…”
“AAAAH! You jerk! I’ll definitely succeed! And I’m definitely going to become Hokage!”
One sentence from Gen was enough to make the blond-haired boy explode.
Fortunately, Gen had no intention of teasing Naruto any further.
The two soon set off.
Before long, they arrived at the hospital entrance. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
Naruto looked at the building with confusion.
“Gen, I thought you said we were going out to eat to celebrate. Why did we come to the hospital? I heard your two teammates have already been discharged.”
“Not them. It’s my jōnin instructor.”
Gen had already forgotten that he even had teammates.
He shrugged.
“He got beaten badly enough to end up in the hospital. But the person paying for dinner is here too, so we’re meeting up here first.”
“Oh…”
Naruto scratched his ear.
That jōnin instructor sounds pretty unreliable.
But then concern appeared on his face, and he asked cautiously,
“Come to think of it… is it really okay for me to come along?”
“Relax. Don’t be nervous.”
Gen paused for a moment before realizing what Naruto meant.
“They may not be very reliable, but they’re good people. And I’m sure they’ll like you.”
“Oh… Okay…”
Naruto nodded, but he still looked conflicted.
He knew he wasn’t exactly popular in Konoha.
Even though he didn’t care much about it and still wanted to earn everyone’s recognition, he didn’t want his presence to cause trouble for his friend Gen.
Unfortunately, he was worrying for nothing.
After all, one was his father’s teacher, and the other was his father’s student…
“Kakashi-sensei.”
After asking around, they soon found Kakashi’s hospital room.
When Gen opened the door, he was surprised to discover that Guy was there too.
“Guy-sensei, long time no see.”
“Oh! It’s Gen!”
Guy’s eyes lit up when he saw Gen.
He laughed heartily and walked over, patting Gen on the shoulder.
“I’ve heard all about it from Kakashi. You did an excellent job, kid!”
“I have to thank you for your excellent instruction back then, Guy-sensei.”
Gen was extremely modest.
He genuinely was grateful to Guy.
If he hadn’t trained with him before, then even with his cheat, he wasn’t sure he could have handled Hoshigaki Jūzō so smoothly.
“By the way, Guy-sensei, I’m celebrating my first successful mission tonight. Would you like to come?”
“Hey, hey, kid! I’m paying for the dinner, and you’re using it to win favors?”
Jiraiya walked out from inside as well.
He glared at Gen before breaking into a grin.
“Forget it. Kakashi will be there too. If the bill gets too expensive, we can always make Kakashi pay me back.”
Kakashi, sitting on the hospital bed, said nothing.
He merely rolled his eyes.
I’m a loyal fan of Jiraiya’s books, you know.
Does he really have to treat me like this?
But Kakashi had sharp eyes.
He suddenly noticed someone standing behind Gen.
And that person was… You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Nar… Naruto?”
“Hm?”
“…Naruto?”
Guy had noticed Naruto as well.
He immediately looked at Jiraiya and Kakashi, then back at Gen.
After thinking for a moment, he simply smiled and stepped aside, clearing a path.
Jiraiya also became momentarily dazed when he heard the name.
That was the name of the protagonist of his first novel, Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.
And it was also the name of the child of his most beloved student, Minato Namikaze!
Could it be…?
“Yes, Naruto.”
Gen smiled and nodded.
Then he grabbed Naruto, who had been hiding behind him and trying his best to make himself invisible, and pulled him out.
“Jiraiya-sama said we could bring some friends, right? This kid lives near my house. We basically grew up together, so he’s my friend.”
“Your friend…”
Jiraiya was somewhat surprised.
Even though he hadn’t been in Konoha, he knew that Naruto’s life had probably been rather miserable.
This was also, in a sense, part of the way a jinchūriki was cultivated.
By forcing a jinchūriki to become accustomed to a harsh life from a young age and cultivating an unyielding personality, they could supposedly reduce the possibility of the Tailed Beast running wild in the future.
Jiraiya didn’t particularly approve or disapprove of such methods.
He had simply chosen not to return to Konoha.
Out of sight, out of mind.
This time, he had even considered secretly taking a look at Naruto.
He never expected Gen to bring the boy straight to him.
And they were actually friends?
“Yeah. He’s kind of an idiot, and the village…”
Gen smiled as he pulled Naruto over to Jiraiya.
“But Kakashi-sensei told me there were some misunderstandings involved. And I’ve known him for so many years without ever finding anything wrong with him, so naturally we became friends.”
“You’re the idiot…”
Naruto tugged at Gen’s clothes and muttered a dissatisfied retort.
But then he remembered all the ramen this bastard had managed to mooch off him over the years, and his shoulders immediately slumped.
“Your name is Naruto, right?”
At that moment, Jiraiya suddenly crouched down.
He placed a hand on Naruto’s blond hair and carefully studied the boy’s face.
Those blue eyes.
That blond hair.
Even his overall appearance…
For a moment, Jiraiya felt as though he were looking at Minato Namikaze.
Time had flown by.
Jiraiya could still vividly remember the first time he had met Minato.
And now, before he knew it, his student’s child had grown so much.
After a long moment, Jiraiya finally smiled.
“I have to admit… that’s a wonderful name.”