Chapter 195: Bread Worth 500,000 Ryō Each
Home visits.
It was a strangely unfamiliar word.
At least for Kitagawa Gen, it was. After all, when he graduated, nobody ever did a "home visit."
When he became a jōnin and continued to idle alongside Kakashi, there wasn't much need for one either. Their team only had two people at most, and with Kakashi around, Gen didn't have to worry about such trivialities. Kakashi handled everything.
That was precisely why Gen enjoyed staying in his current squad—Kakashi was just too versatile.
"So… why didn't they just let me handle Sasuke's home visit instead?"
Gen sighed in annoyance. Sasuke's situation was simple enough: just dig up a grave, grab some material, and summon what was needed.
Naruto, on the other hand, was a headache. Kushina's spirit was fine, but his father? His soul was sealed in the belly of the Shinigami.
"It seems there are only two options—either I 'visit' at the grave, or…"
His eyes drifted toward Naruto's stomach.
That look immediately made Naruto shift uncomfortably.
"Huh? What's with you staring at me like that?"
"Nothing," Gen replied smoothly. "Just thinking about something else."
Still, in the back of his mind, he was already working through the problem. At his current level, controlling chakra was almost effortless. If he really wanted to manipulate something on that scale, it wouldn't be hard.
"The only tricky part," he mused, "is what form I'll actually take once I enter the spiritual world."
The last time he met the Nine-Tails, he had automatically transformed into an Ōtsutsuki form…
"...I should be able to control it. Better to deal with this later, though. For now—"
He stopped. A squad of masked ANBU had appeared before him.
"Captain Gen, Lord Hokage requests your presence in his office."
They were unusually polite, speaking only after bowing slightly.
"I understand. I'll head there now."
Gen nodded. He hadn't filed a proper report since his return anyway. Last night's circumstances had made it impossible, but now was as good a time as any.
Still, he didn't forget about his companions. Turning back to Naruto and Karin, he said:
"You two, go back and plant those for me. Don't overwater them. And wait at my place."
"Got it."
The blond and the redhead both nodded at once. With that settled, Gen followed the ANBU away.
Before long, they arrived outside the Hokage's office. The ANBU quietly took their leave, leaving Gen to step inside alone.
"Gen, you've arrived."
The wrinkled face of Hiruzen Sarutobi lit up with a smile. Standing beside him were Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Two ANBU, along with Tsunade, were also present.
"Mm. Good to see you all."
Gen returned the greeting with a smile. Hiruzen wasted no time.
"This time, I called you here to hear about your recent mission. Frankly… it's almost unbelievable."
"Indeed," came another voice. Tobirama Senju nodded gravely. He and Hashirama had already released their transformation jutsu.
"You… used my elder brother's jutsu, didn't you?"
"Yes. I did."
Gen answered lightly, knowing exactly what they were curious about.
"With the First Hokage's notes, Wood Release really isn't that difficult for me. The records are messy, sure, but—"
Both Senju brothers stared at him, speechless.
Not that difficult?
Messy notes?
Meanwhile, Hiruzen, Tsunade, and the advisors remained calm. They had already seen Gen use Dust Release in front of them—Wood Release seemed almost tame by comparison.
Still…
"Gen, Wood Release is no ordinary ability. Konoha has another who can use it, but his Wood Release is…"
Hiruzen trailed off, clearly hinting at something.
"Not powerful enough?" Gen finished for him. "That's no surprise. He's likely missing an essential trait."
"Oh?"
Tobirama's brow furrowed. He turned toward his elder brother.
"Brother, did you use anything in addition when wielding Wood Release?"
"Eh? Not really, I think?"
Hashirama scratched his head in confusion. He never paid much attention to such details.
"The key," Gen continued smoothly, "is the application of Yang Release."
In truth, he was improvising. His Wood Release didn't come from any conventional source—it came directly from the God Tree itself. But that didn't matter. As long as he gave an explanation that was both plausible and obscure, no one could refute him.
"Yang Release?"
Tobirama's eyes narrowed. Hiruzen and the others looked thoughtful, while Tsunade seemed to grasp something.
"You mean channeling Yang Release chakra to support Wood Release?"
"Exactly. I've fought Uchiha Obito before—I could feel it from his Wood Release."
Gen nodded and shamelessly shifted the blame onto Obito.
"He probably doesn't even realize it himself, but whenever he used Wood Release, there was a current of Yang Release intertwined within."
"Yang Release…"
Hashirama blinked and nodded faintly. "So that's what it was…"
"I've also studied samples of Obito's tissue," Tsunade added, frowning. "There was indeed a strange Yang Release energy present. But… it's notoriously difficult to control. Hard to even manifest. You—"
"He likely balanced it with his Sharingan's Yin Release."
Gen interjected smoothly, once again tossing Obito under the cart.
The words stunned the room.
Sharingan as Yin Release… suppressing Hashirama's cells…
That line of thought made unsettling sense.
"Besides," Gen added casually, "controlling Yang Release isn't as hard for me as you might think."
As they pondered, he raised his hand.
Golden chakra instantly flared to life in his palm—rich, radiant, brimming with vitality.
"This is…"
Everyone's eyes widened at once.
From that chakra, they could feel life itself.
"Manifested… Yang Release?"
Even Tobirama, usually composed, could no longer remain calm. The others were struck dumb.
Yang Release itself wasn't particularly rare, but manifesting chakra directly into tangible form—that was beyond anything they could have imagined.
Even among the great clan secret techniques, no one had managed this!
"No wonder you were able to create Dust Release on your own… and even wield Wood Release."
It was only after a long silence that Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a heavy sigh.
"Your control over chakra has already surpassed what we thought possible."
The others nodded in agreement. Kitagawa Gen's mastery over chakra was downright terrifying.
He had barely graduated, yet he had already developed Purple Lightning, a technique that pushed both shape transformation and nature transformation to their limits.
"Thank you for the compliment," Gen replied with a light smile—before shifting into a regretful tone.
"But I'm still not very skilled with Wood Release."
"Not… skilled?" Hiruzen's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"That's right," Gen said seriously.
"My first time using it in real combat, I couldn't control the precision at all."
"..."
"So in the end, I had no choice but to go all out… and use True Several Thousand Hands to end the fight."
"..."
Everyone in the room was at a loss for words.
Except Hashirama, who rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Actually… that does sound about right."
"Shut up, big brother!" Tobirama snapped, glaring at him before turning back to Gen with a sigh.
"Your Wood Release still needs training. My brother's not reliable, but if it's about Wood Release, at least he can guide you."
"Indeed, Gen, Wood Release isn't an ordinary power," Hiruzen quickly cut in, changing the subject before the Senju brothers started bickering again.
"You should refine it further. But, more importantly… since you were the ones who captured Kumogakure, what are your thoughts?"
The room grew quiet.
Gen was clearly destined to become Hokage one day—his opinions carried weight.
"You mean about the post-war spoils of Kumo?"
Gen's eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
"Actually, Deidara, Mei, and I discussed this thoroughly on our way to the village."
"Oh? And what did you three conclude?"
"We agreed that Kumo must cede some of their mining regions to us!"
"..."
"On top of that, a hefty amount of war reparations, and every secret technique they've plundered—all of it must be surrendered."
"..."
"And of course, their mission quotas—they'll have to hand those over as well. That way, Konoha benefits across the board."
"..."
By now, Hiruzen and Hashirama looked like they had migraines. The first demands were harsh but negotiable—what followed was practically a death sentence for Kumo!
"Not bad. That idea has merit."
To everyone's surprise, Tobirama nodded, eyes gleaming with interest.
"Anything else, more specific?"
"Of course!" Gen beamed, delighted to have found a kindred spirit.
"Since they won't have mission quotas anymore, why should they maintain such a large shinobi force?"
"You want to cut down the size of their military?"
Hiruzen and the others gaped, but Tobirama's eyes shone even brighter.
"Excellent. Without that many missions, their numbers are unnecessary anyway. This will prevent future trouble—and even turn the situation to our advantage."
"Exactly, exactly!" Gen grinned wider.
"Deidara wanted to put their excess shinobi to labor, but I think there's no need. Just force them to convert into a local police force."
"Police force? That would drain their finances nonstop, bleeding the Land of Lightning's daimyo dry, and drive wedges between them?"
"Precisely. And we can even test if they'll break shinobi-world conventions and resort to dirty tricks. For instance…"
Gen's smile turned sharper.
"They might try assassinating their own daimyo for money. If they don't, they'll starve. If they do, well… once that taboo is broken, others will follow suit."
Tobirama looked positively thrilled.
The others, however, wore expressions of sheer discomfort.
The plan was indeed perfect for Konoha—and absolute hell for Kumo.
It was ruthless. Excessively ruthless.
"Gen, isn't this a bit too extreme? All you'll do is fuel more resistance from Kumogakure…"
Hiruzen finally voiced his protest.
But Gen only tilted his head, as if considering it seriously, before speaking with absolute conviction:
"Maybe. But as long as bread doesn't cost 500,000 ryō a loaf, I doubt there'll be any real problems."
"..."
"Oh, and while we're at it—ban their taverns too. That way there'll be no problems at all!"
"..."