Chapter 255 – The Shaking Ninja World, White Kāma?
The clash between Kitagawa Gen and Ōtsutsuki Genshiki—this so-called "civil war"—had finally come to an end.
Though the battle had scarred the Land of Earth, altering mountains and valleys beyond recognition, the news itself brought an odd sense of relief to many.
---
At an ANBU safehouse in Konoha
"So Jiraiya's hunch was right. Gen really can stand against Ōtsutsuki Genshiki."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face showed rare excitement as he looked toward Hashirama and Tobirama.
"Yin–Yang Release… it's unbelievable. Even a godlike being can be resisted."
"Don't get carried away, monkey."
Tobirama's voice was sharp, his head shaking.
"Jiraiya wrote it plainly—Gen can hold his own, but that doesn't mean he can defeat him. And Genshiki's attitude was strange."
"'Evolution'…" Hashirama murmured, curiosity piqued. "What does he mean by that? Jiraiya said Gen is constantly evolving… and that Genshiki was trying to tempt him onto a darker path?"
"The road of the strong is a lonely one. In some sense… we've already become Gen's burden."
Tobirama glanced at his brother, irritation flashing in his eyes.
"I don't know exactly what Genshiki meant—maybe he finds the world boring and is looking for entertainment. Or maybe something else entirely. Either way, Jiraiya was clear: Gen hasn't wavered."
Hiruzen smiled faintly at that, earning an icy glare from Tobirama.
"And if he did waver? What exactly could we do about it?"
"Hey, you bastard! Still so damned annoying."
Hashirama slammed the table, glaring at his younger brother.
"You're doubting Gen?!"
"Doubt him? I don't even have the right to doubt him."
Tobirama sneered, then shook his head.
"My point is: Gen is resolute. The least we can do is avoid dragging him down. We can't become his shackles."
"Ah… so that's what you meant."
"What else? He's our Fifth Hokage! I say we should back him fully—whatever he wants."
"Everything? Isn't that going too far?"
"Too far? Even if you were alive, brother, you wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"…."
Hashirama faltered, unable to argue. His gaze drifted to the reports on the table, and he sighed.
Forget Genshiki. Even just Gen shattering Susanoo with a kick, or overwhelming Madara with True Several Thousand Hands—that was already beyond belief.
"…Wait."
A thought struck Hashirama.
"You haven't once complained about Madara?"
"What's the point?"
Tobirama gave him a sidelong glance.
"He's just a relic of the old era. Not even worth the words. Better to wait for Gen to return—he said he gained much more than we know."
"Tch."
Hashirama huffed, but then a grin spread across his face.
"Madara, to think you'd see the day…"
"…."
Tobirama turned away, expression cold—but in his heart, he was laughing.
Uchiha Madara, even you've been humbled. My student would've been proud.
---
Mount Myōboku, in the Great Toad Hall
"'Evolution,' you say?"
The Great Toad Sage's hazy eyes opened fully for the first time in centuries.
"Hey, old fool! Were you even listening?!"
Lady Shima's voice cracked like a whip.
"I've told you the story three times already! Three times!"
"Important things are worth repeating."
The Great Toad chuckled lazily.
"And forgive me—I am over a thousand years old."
"Tch." Shima crossed her arms in irritation. Fukasaku hurried to smooth things over.
"Enough bickering. What matters is, Gen's power has been proven. But Genshiki is strange, Great Sage… what do you think?"
"…I don't know."
The elder's answer made Fukasaku's face darken. But after a moment's thought, the Great Toad spoke again.
"To an Ōtsutsuki, 'evolution' likely means transcending one's very plane of existence. To them, everything else is just… lesser creatures."
"Lesser creatures? Their arrogance runs that deep?"
"Indeed. And perhaps only Kitagawa Gen—who has undergone some unforeseen metamorphosis—earned Genshiki's recognition. That's why he could master so many Kekkei Genkai, even Kekkei Tōta, and wield Yin–Yang Release…"
The millennia-old sage quickly saw the pattern. Fukasaku and Shima exchanged uneasy glances, nodding.
But the elder's heart was heavy.
Evolution… such a thing had never been witnessed in humankind, not in all his thousand years.
So what, truly, did Gen's "evolution" signify?
"…A pity. If only he didn't despise toads, I could bring him here and learn far more."
The Great Toad sighed. But then his eyes sharpened with resolve.
"So what if he's different? Hamura and Hagoromo were once the children of the Rabbit Goddess herself. Whatever path he takes—Kitagawa Gen is one of ours. Myōboku will give him everything we can."
---
In the Pure Land
Hamura and Hagoromo watched in silence, their faces twisted into odd expressions.
Gen had done many outrageous things before… but to fight an all-out battle against himself?
The spectacle—the earth-shaking power, the towering clash—left them both speechless.
Even rigged fights weren't fought like that.
Thank goodness no outsider could see through the illusion. Otherwise, the farce would've been exposed.
"…Maybe we really are falling behind the times."
Hamura sighed at last.
"Perhaps. Young people… they like to play."
Hagoromo winced.
"But whatever the case, with him here, both Indra and Ashura's reincarnations have already diverged from fate. His power grows ever stronger… the fruit of relentlessly pushing his bloodline to its limits."
"With such strength…" Hagoromo's eyes softened. "When Mother—or greater calamities—return, our chances will be far better."
The ninja world's crises were unending. And the day the "celestial ones" descended fully… disaster would follow.
The stronger Kitagawa Gen became, the safer the world was.
A little "theater," a few deceptions—none of that mattered.
"Maybe he's just making things more 'interesting' for when he finally fuses with this Ōtsutsuki Genshiki," Hamura mused with a wry smile.
Then he glanced sidelong at his brother.
"By the way, you sure you weren't always a little biased toward Indra?"
"…?"
Hagoromo blinked, genuinely confused.
"What are you talking about? I—"
"Then why did you leave a stone tablet only for Indra?"
"…"
"And why guide him, but not Ashura? Even your warnings weren't equal. Don't tell me you actually favored him?"
"…"
Hagoromo stared at Hamura's smug grin and instantly knew where this idiotic rumor had started.
Without a doubt—this rumor had to come from that damned gossip-monger.
At that moment, Hagoromo's fist clenched tight, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"A mere thousand years… and the education of the ninja world has already rotted this far?"
"Such exceptional children… yet this is what they've been taught?"
"The education of the shinobi world is truly finished."
---
Meanwhile, word of the battle spread everywhere.
Through Konoha's channels, its allied villages had also received the reports.
Some were shocked.
Some thoughtful.
Some found it unbelievable, while others were downright excited.
But all came to the same conclusion:
Konoha was about to enter another "Era of Two Gods."
Of course, this was mere speculation born from hearsay. None of them had seen the battlefield with their own eyes—and no one cared to correct them.
---
In Iwagakure, atop a high terrace
"How long until Naruto finally figures it out?"
Kitagawa Gen leaned lazily against a wall, resting after the chaos. Jiraiya approached with two bottles of lemon water, offering one to him.
"No idea. It'll take some time. Naruto's situation is complicated… too many 'tenants' living inside him."
"That's hardly an excuse. Doesn't take that long to sort things out."
Gen yawned, stabbed the straw into the bottle, and drank without a care.
"Honestly, we should head back soon. Sasuke's not where he needs to be, Naruto's not there either. They both need harder training. More pressure. Heavy-handed drills."
"…."
Jiraiya swallowed nervously.
Could it be that just because he hadn't landed in the hospital this time… Gen had decided to make those two brats his new targets instead?
After all, this time there was no "Second Hokage is already dead, so he can't be hospitalized from stress" excuse to hide behind.
"…Fine, I'll go check on them. You're right—they do need to speed up. And honestly, I want to head home too."
Jiraiya decided it was probably best to let Gen "train" those two into the hospital.
He was far too old to endure that kind of torment himself.
But then another thought came to him.
"Oh, right—when we get back, I need your support on something."
"What is it?"
"The Akatsuki. I want to investigate them thoroughly. You might not fear them, but they're becoming too dangerous. Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara, Nagato… you not fearing them doesn't mean the rest of the world is safe."
At that, Jiraiya's face turned grim.
"So…"
"…That, huh?"
Gen's expression twisted slightly. He couldn't understand why Jiraiya suddenly fixated on Akatsuki again.
After a long pause, he chose not to give a clear answer.
"We'll talk about it when we get back. It's not that simple. And honestly—what can you even do by yourself?"
"Tch. Fine."
Jiraiya didn't like the non-answer but let it drop. Rising to his feet, he walked toward Naruto's direction.
Gen remained where he was, watching Jiraiya's retreating back. After a moment, he shook his head—then vanished in a flicker.
---
Within the Amenominaka:
Gen appeared atop a towering tree, pulling two scrolls from within his robes.
"Time to examine the spoils. This time, the harvest was… considerable."
He muttered softly.
A translucent panel shimmered into his sight:
[Special Side Quest Completed: Who Dares Claim Invincible, Who Dares Say Unbeaten]
[Reward Obtained: Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's "White Kāma" Information]
"...?"
Gen's eyes narrowed.
White Kāma?