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"Kakashi's Lightning Release…"
After parting ways with Kakashi, Kitagawa Gen sprinted straight toward his home.
Right now, his mind felt bloated, as if it were about to burst. A flood of knowledge had surged into his brain all at once.
The system's rewards were as straightforward as they were forceful—it didn't explain, didn't instruct. It simply crammed the information directly into his mind, including the theory, the execution, and all the subtleties of the techniques.
Of course, this approach had its obvious drawbacks.
For instance, while you technically knew how to use a technique, whether your body could actually handle it was a whole different matter.
Beyond that, this overwhelming rush of knowledge didn't feel like swimming in the vast ocean of wisdom. It was more like an itch deep in your skull, a sensation so bizarre it made you think your brain might actually be growing.
"And seriously, these Lightning Release techniques are kind of... extreme."
Browsing through the information now lodged in his mind, Kitagawa Gen felt a dull ache behind his eyes. Kakashi certainly excelled in Lightning Release, and there were a great many jutsu under his belt.
However, the majority of them had evolved from Chidori, and for someone like Gen without a Sharingan, their value was questionable.
That said…
"These jutsu can all be modified."
As he pondered the knowledge embedded in his head, a strange expression spread across his face.
He had stumbled upon a rather fascinating realization—altering these techniques was not as difficult as he had once believed.
And he wasn't talking about chiseling a face onto a mudd wall like the Hokage Monument. No, he was thinking of reworking the very method of how a jutsu functioned, even transforming its fundamental nature.
A regular shinobi would never dare entertain such an outrageous idea.
But for him, things were different. With the system having granted him full insight into Kakashi's Lightning Release arsenal, and his own bloodline granting extraordinary sensitivity and control over chakra...
It became a whole new story.
The knowledge in his brain gave him a bird's-eye view. From that perspective, these jutsu were nothing more than specialized applications of chakra. When combined with his body's natural affinity for controlling such power, it felt like molding clay in the palm of his hand.
He now realized that without expending much effort, he could absolutely create things like the "Chidori Stream" or even "Purple Lightning".
Granted, the power would still depend on his chakra level, but even so, that wasn't bad at all.
"Tch…"
Suddenly, Gen felt a twinge in his teeth, as if he were suffering from phantom pain.
It hit him—ever since awakening the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, he had become almost absurdly gifted.
"And that means there are even more jutsu I'll need to… 'whitewash.'"
After all, every technique needed a plausible origin. Without that, it would be hard to explain the source of so many strange and unusual abilities.
Even if Danzo, that old fox, had been temporarily stripped of his authority after the Uchiha massacre, which meant he couldn't stir up trouble for now…
"I still have to be careful. Who knows when he'll be reinstated? And I'll need a clean explanation for Kakashi too… at the very least, a credible source for these techniques."
Rubbing his temples, Kitagawa Gen sighed. He simply wasn't strong enough yet. If he were, he wouldn't have to concern himself with such trivialities.
But to truly grow stronger, he needed to dig deeper into the potential of his bloodline.
"Gen! You damn bastard, there you are!"
Right at that moment, a voice rang out not far off. Turning his head, Gen saw none other than that rascal Naruto charging toward him.
And he wasn't alone. Three more little troublemakers followed close behind.
"Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji?"
Seeing this particular combination, Gen immediately understood what was going on. But before he could speak, Naruto had already stormed up to him, baring his teeth in outrage.
"You jerk! You made me pay again! How many times has it been? Damn it, give me my money back!"
Watching Naruto's flustered face, Gen shrugged and asked with feigned innocence.
"Hey hey hey, aren't we friends?"
"Uh… well, yeah."
Naruto paused for a second but eventually nodded.
Gen was one of the rare few who treated him without malice, even if he was admittedly a bit of a pain.
"Well then, since we're friends, it's only natural for you to treat me to a celebration after I became a ninja, right?"
Gen blinked at him, then sighed in mock disappointment.
"Ah, Naruto, it seems our bond has grown distant."
"You—"
Naruto was a little speechless for a moment. He had a strong feeling that Gen was talking nonsense, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of a single proper comeback.
"And by the way, it's class time right now. What are you even doing here?"
Gen pressed the advantage, squinting at Naruto suspiciously before breaking into a grin.
"I get it now. You skipped class, didn't you? And surely you wouldn't want Iruka-sensei to find out about that, would you, Naruto-kun?"
(・_・;)
In that moment, Naruto's little face went completely pale.
"Um… Gen-senpai?"
Fortunately, Shikamaru and the others had finally caught up. When they saw Gen, they looked clearly surprised.
Kiba especially seemed taken aback. He gave Gen a long once-over before finally speaking up.
"I heard from Naruto that you beat your teammate into the hospital and then graduated alone. Is that true?"
(ಠ_ಠ)
Gen cast a sharp glance at Naruto. Was this kid spreading rumors now?
Though, come to think of it, that was more or less what he'd told him.
"Something like that. My case was a little... special."
"Tch, you can do that?"
Kiba smacked his lips, then gave Naruto a sly look, clearly up to no good.
"Hey, Naruto. Since you're aiming to graduate early, how about we team up?"
"What the hell are you thinking, you idiot!"
Naruto snapped, pointing at Kitagawa Gen as he shouted.
"And besides, I'm not gonna copy him. I'm gonna graduate early fair and square, believe it!"
"Well, the version I heard is a little different from yours. Besides, Konoha doesn't allow early graduation anymore. And even if they did, you probably wouldn't make the cut."
Shikamaru gave Naruto a half-lidded stare, clearly still half-asleep, then turned his attention toward Gen with a hint of curiosity.
"Speaking of which, Gen-senpai, you're officially a genin now, right? Shouldn't you be out on a mission?"
"Yeah, I also heard genin get swamped with lots of tasks," Choji munched on his chips as he chimed in supportively with Shikamaru's comment.
"Stuff like weeding fields or cleaning out riverbeds and all that. Sounds pretty exhausting."
"Huh? Isn't becoming a ninja supposed to mean going out on exciting missions?"
Naruto blinked at the chubby boy, clearly confused. When it came to how things really worked for ninjas, he was completely clueless.
"It's not that simple. The path of a ninja is a hard one."
Kitagawa Gen shrugged and spoke with a casual smile.
"Choji's not wrong. When you first become a genin, you start with the basics. You need to build up experience, step by step."
"Is that so?"
Naruto rubbed his head. This was clearly not how he imagined things.
"What else did you expect? Becoming a ninja isn't easy at all."
Kitagawa Gen lifted his shoulders again and continued with a light laugh.
"A ninja needs talent. Every year, there are students who drop out of the academy. Haven't you noticed?"
"And even if you make it through that phase, there's still the real graduation exam. If you fail that, you have to repeat the whole year. My own team is a good example. If they'd failed again, they probably wouldn't have been able to become ninja at all."
"It's really that tough?"
Naruto swallowed hard, looking slightly overwhelmed. The others were also surprised, even Shikamaru's drowsy eyes opened a little wider.
"Of course. Just look at the Land of Fire. There are so many people in the Hidden Leaf, yet how many are actually ninja?"
Kitagawa Gen nodded, his smile unchanged.
"Besides, becoming a genin is only the start. Some people never even make it to chunin before losing their lives. Others become chunin but lose the drive to keep going. Only a tiny fraction ever truly advance."
"That's why being a ninja isn't just some childhood game. For most people, they'll never make it as ninja at all. And even for people like us, genin might be the end of the road."
Kitagawa Gen's words left the group of truant little troublemakers in a heavy silence. For a moment, all of them seemed to regret having skipped class.
Especially Naruto. He had always shouted about graduating, but this was the first time he truly realized how difficult and harsh the world of ninja could be.
But then—
"Hmph, no matter how hard it gets, I'll push through!"
Naruto suddenly clenched his fists, his eyes lighting up with determination.
"Whatever happens, I will become a ninja. No matter what, I will work hard to become Hokage. I will never back down!"
"Tch, don't act like you're the only one trying."
Kiba instinctively voiced a challenge in response, though the look in his eyes clearly acknowledged Naruto's spirit.
"There are plenty of others working hard too."
"You two..."
Shikamaru looked at Naruto and Kiba and couldn't help rubbing his temples. The conversation had completely gone off track.
Thankfully, Choji remained clear-headed. As he crunched his chips, he looked toward Kitagawa Gen and asked curiously,
"But, Gen-senpai, you still seem pretty relaxed. Don't tell me you're also planning to stop at genin?"
"Ah, that..."
Gen tilted his head slightly, then gave a rather mischievous grin.
"That's because I might be heading out on an external mission starting tomorrow. Who'd stick around the village just to do those basic chores?"
"Huh?!!!"
Naruto and the others widened their eyes in shock. This didn't quite match what he had just told them a moment ago.
"As for 'stopping at genin'... that was just something I said for your sake. My goal is to gain both fame and fortune."
"..."
..
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[Chapter End's]
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