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To recreate the fully realized form of the Ōtsutsuki as he had imagined it, many elements were required.
But fortunately, most of them had already been planned out in his mind, and none of them were easy to obtain in the first place.
Now, however, his resolve had become even more steadfast. He was truly filled with curiosity about what kind of sights awaited him on the path to the top.
"But the eyes nurtured from the chakra seem to be developing slower than expected. Maybe I still need to develop the bloodline further. Strange... I remember that the Byakugan of the Ōtsutsuki was supposed to be innate."
After taking a shower, Kitagawa Gen stood before the mirror, gazing at his own handsome reflection with satisfaction. Yet even as pride welled in his heart, he could not help but murmur to himself.
Perhaps it was because this bloodline, being a blank slate, required everything to be built up from scratch.
But that did not worry him. With this bloodline as his foundation, he believed he would reach the summit one day. Time, after all, was on his side, so...
"The advantage is mine."
Imitating a foreign accent he had not quite mastered, he casually mimicked a line, then dressed and leapt straight out of the window.
He was a ninja now, after all. It was only natural to master the traditional skills of a shinobi.
"Hey, are you ready? It's time to go."
Landing on Naruto's house windowsill, Kitagawa Gen pulled the window open and called into the room.
"You bastard! Have you never heard of a door?"
Naruto jumped, startled by his sudden appearance, and complained with a scowl. Kitagawa Gen only shrugged in response.
"Didn't you come into my house through the window the same way? Enough talking. Get ready, we're leaving."
"That was only because you never gave me a key..."
Naruto pouted as he stood up, holding out a box of instant ramen.
"Here, take this. Congratulations on completing your first ninja mission."
"...Wait, this is what you're giving me to mark the occasion of my first mission?"
Gen almost burst out laughing, half-exasperated and half-amused. But Naruto's face twitched at the comment, and he puffed out his cheeks in protest.
"Asshole! This is a limited-edition cup of Ichiraku Ramen. It's super tasty and really expensive!"
"Thanks. You keep it. One day, when you become a real ninja and complete your first mission, give me your kunai instead."
Kitagawa Gen didn't quite understand why Naruto would value something like this, but he had no intention of mocking another's preferences.
Besides, he had noticed something rather interesting. That little blond rascal had actually nailed the kunai Gen had gifted him onto the wall with great care.
Clearly, he truly cherished it. If that was the case, then Gen felt it would be more meaningful to ask for a similar keepsake in return.
"But you'd better make sure you become a ninja for real. I heard your grades aren't exactly stellar..."
"Aaaargh! You jerk! I will make it! Not only that, I'm going to become Hokage—just you watch!"
Just one sentence from Kitagawa Gen had Naruto bristling like an angry cat. Thankfully, Gen had no intention of teasing him further, and the two quickly set off together.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the hospital. Naruto looked up at the building, puzzled.
"Gen, didn't you say we were going out to celebrate? Why did we come to the hospital? Weren't your two teammates already discharged?"
"It's not about them. I'm here to visit my jōnin instructor."
Kitagawa Gen had nearly forgotten he even had teammates. He gave a light shrug as he explained.
"He got himself beaten up and ended up hospitalized. But the one treating us to a meal is also here. We're meeting up first."
"I see..."
Naruto scratched his ear, finding the situation a bit odd. He couldn't help but think this instructor must be terribly unreliable.
Soon enough, worry began creeping into his heart, and he asked with a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"Hey... are you sure it's okay for me to tag along?"
"Relax. No need to be nervous."
Kitagawa Gen paused for a moment, then quickly understood what Naruto meant.
"Those people may seem a bit eccentric, but they're all good at heart. Besides, I'm sure they'll like you."
"O-oh... okay."
Naruto nodded, though he still looked a little unsure.
He knew he was not well liked in the village. Even though he tried not to let it bother him, he still longed for everyone's approval.
He also did not want Kitagawa Gen, one of the few people who treated him like a friend, to be affected just by being associated with him.
But this time, it seemed his worries were unfounded. Perhaps he was simply overthinking it.
After all, one of them was his father's teacher, and the other was his father's student.
"Kakashi-sensei."
After asking around for a while, they soon found Kakashi's hospital room. As they pushed open the door, they were surprised to see Might Guy inside as well.
"Guy-sensei. It's been a while."
"Yo! It's Gen!"
As soon as Might Guy caught sight of Kitagawa Gen, his eyes lit up at once. With a booming laugh, he strode over and gave the boy a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"I've already heard all about you from Kakashi. Not bad at all, kid. You really showed your mettle."
"I have to thank you, Guy-sensei. It's all because of your excellent guidance."
Kitagawa Gen responded with genuine humility, though he genuinely meant his thanks.
If he had not trained under Guy, then even with his own hidden advantages, he might not have been able to handle Jūzō Biwa so smoothly and decisively.
"Oh right, Guy-sensei. We're celebrating the successful completion of my first mission tonight. Will you be joining us?"
"Hey hey hey, brat, I'm the one footing the bill and now you're trying to make it look like you're the one inviting people?"
From within the room, Jiraiya stepped out, his voice full of mock indignation as he shot a glare at Gen. But the expression quickly faded into a grin.
"Whatever. Kakashi's here too, after all. If things get too expensive, we'll just make him cover the rest."
Seated on the hospital bed, Kakashi said nothing, but his eye twitched slightly as he gave a dramatic eye-roll.
He was, after all, a devoted fan of Jiraiya's novels. Was this really the treatment he deserved?
Just then, Kakashi's sharp gaze noticed someone else standing quietly behind Kitagawa Gen. That figure was...
"Na... Naruto?"
"Huh?"
"Naruto?"
Guy had spotted him as well. He glanced at Jiraiya and Kakashi, then at Kitagawa Gen once more. After a moment of thought, he simply smiled and stepped aside to make way.
Hearing that name, Jiraiya was momentarily dazed. That was the name of the protagonist in his very first novel, Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja.
More than that, it was also the name of his beloved disciple's child—Minato Namikaze's son.
Could it be...
"Yes. Naruto."
Kitagawa Gen nodded with a smile, and with a tug, pulled out the blond-haired boy who had been half-hiding behind him like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
"Didn't you say I could bring some friends along, Jiraiya-sama? He lives nearby, and we've practically grown up together. He's a friend of mine."
"A friend, huh..."
Jiraiya was caught a bit off guard. Even though he had been away from the village for some time, he still knew well enough that Naruto's life in Konoha had not been easy.
Such was the standard approach to raising a jinchūriki—forge a path of hardship early. By forcing the jinchūriki to grow up in misery, they hoped to cultivate resilience through pain and reduce the chances of the tailed beast losing control in the future.
Jiraiya had never openly agreed or disagreed with that method. He had simply chosen to stay away from the village, perhaps believing that turning a blind eye would bring him a little peace of mind.
He had considered sneaking a glimpse of Naruto during this visit, uncertain whether he was ready to face the boy directly. Yet now, this brat Gen had brought Naruto right here, declaring without hesitation that they were friends?
"Yeah, although this guy's kind of an idiot. And in the village…"
Gen trailed off, then smiled as he pulled Naruto up beside him to stand before Jiraiya.
"But Kakashi-sensei told me there's a lot of misunderstanding surrounding all this. And I've known Naruto for years now. I've never seen anything off about him. Naturally, we became friends."
"You're the idiot here..."
Naruto tugged at Gen's sleeve, grumbling in protest. But the moment he remembered how many bowls of ramen this jerk had scammed from him over the years, his shoulders slumped in quiet defeat.
"Naruto, huh?"
At that moment, Jiraiya suddenly crouched down, gently placing his large hand atop the boy's bright yellow hair as he gazed intently at Naruto's face.
Those blue eyes, that golden hair—they stirred something in him. For a fleeting instant, he seemed to see the face of Minato Namikaze.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. Jiraiya could still remember the day he first met Minato, and now, somehow, that little boy had grown and left behind a son of his own.
After a long silence, Jiraiya finally smiled.
"I must say... that really is a fine name."
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[Chapter End's]
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