"Orochimaru, so you were here after all!"
Amid the rubble, having just dodged the energy that burst in the sky, Orochimaru suddenly heard Jiraiya's voice.
This made him raise an eyebrow. Turning his head, he saw Jiraiya already leaping toward him.
"So it's you again, Jiraiya."
Orochimaru felt a headache coming on, memories from the past surfacing in his mind.
He had finally lived in peace for three years, and yet on his first move after those three years, he ran into Jiraiya again.
Now he seemed to understand how the Akatsuki felt, and why this time they had mobilized their entire force.
That damned organization really was cursed—running into ghosts at every turn!
"Why aren't you staying put in Konohagakure? I heard your next Hokage is Kitagawa Gen? Pathetic, that you weren't even considered."
"Hmph, I've never once thought of becoming Hokage. Don't waste your breath on such nonsense."
Jiraiya stared at Orochimaru with a stern face, his fists clenched.
"And back then, you lied to me, claiming you weren't part of Akatsuki. What do you have to say for yourself now?"
"There's indeed nothing to be said between us."
Orochimaru tilted his head, licked his tongue, and smiled.
"But do you really think you can drag me back just like that?"
"Why must you remain so obstinate?"
"Obstinate? You never understood me, Jiraiya. Forget it—I never expected an idiot like you could."
"You—"
"Let me ask you something. Is he your new 'Child of Destiny'?"
Child of Destiny?
Jiraiya froze for a moment at the question, his gaze shifting into the distance—there, a figure wrapped in violet lightning was charging straight at Nagato.
He sighed inwardly. The Great Toad Sage had long since stopped speaking of any 'Child of Destiny.'
"I know what you're trying to say, Orochimaru."
Jiraiya lifted his head, looked at Orochimaru seriously, and spoke every word with conviction.
"You're trying to ask if he'll end up like the others."
"But let me be clear—Gen is different. He has always been different!"
"Whether or not he is the Child of Destiny, he will change this world."
"Of that, I have absolute faith!"
...
"Tch, so it's erupted over there too."
Kitagawa Gen and Nagato were locked in a battle shaking the heavens, Kakashi and Obito clashed with distortions twisting reality itself, and Jiraiya and Orochimaru had crossed paths once more.
The remaining Akatsuki members, relieved that the most dangerous foes weren't focused on them, even began watching like spectators.
"But let's first retrieve the Seven-Tails."
Kakuzu glanced at the battlefield, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.
"Whatever the outcome, let's finish what we came here to do. No need to invite more trouble."
"It won't be easy to do anything now."
However, Kisame smiled at this moment.
"Because more people are coming."
As he spoke, two kunai whistled in and, in an instant, two figures appeared before them!
One in orange, one in black, their eyes swept coldly over everyone present.
The Akatsuki members couldn't help sizing them up. Hiruko raised a doubtful brow.
"Flying Thunder God Technique? These two brats can use that?"
"Not only that—one of them is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and the other…"
Kakuzu split his mouth in a grin and glanced toward Uchiha Itachi, while the others also noticed the scarlet in Sasuke's eyes.
"Seems he's got something to do with Itachi-kun."
"Mm. Uchiha Sasuke."
Uchiha Itachi took a step forward, his gaze fixed on Sasuke—expressionless, yet with faint ripples beneath.
"Didn't expect you to be here too—and to have learned the Flying Thunder God Technique. That is surprising."
"Surprising?"
Sasuke stared icily at Uchiha Itachi. In his eyes there was nothing but cold and hatred.
"Is it surprising you ran into me here—or surprising at your imminent death?!"
[Boom—]
Sasuke had no intention of wasting words with Uchiha Itachi. In almost the same instant, he moved.
Purple lightning flashed, roaring straight toward Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi's reaction was just as swift. In the blink of an eye his body split apart, scattering into countless crows.
At the same time, his true body reformed elsewhere, his gaze growing a shade more solemn.
"Purple Lightning? Kitagawa Gen's technique…"
"That's right. Back then, it was sheer luck Gen-senpai's blade didn't finish you—otherwise I'd have had no chance."
Sasuke drew a deep breath as purple lightning slowly sheathed his body. His scarlet eyes locked hard on Uchiha Itachi.
"I was worried I wouldn't run into you, but it seems I overthought it. Gen-senpai was right—we were always going to meet you!"
"Gen-senpai…"
Uchiha Itachi frowned. He felt Kitagawa Gen's influence on Sasuke might be a bit much.
In just a few sentences, Gen had already come up two or three times. He couldn't tell if that was good or bad.
But thinking too much now was useless. This was his chance—to confirm whether Sasuke was still walking the path he had set!
"Looks like Kitagawa Gen's helped you a lot. I'm curious—how far can your eyes see now?"
"What I see in my eyes is—"
Chakra burst even more fiercely from Sasuke's body. In almost the same instant, he had already charged.
"—nothing but how you'll look when you die!"
[Ding—]
[Ding—]
[Ding—]
A fierce fight erupted without warning. The two moved at extreme speed; only the clashing of kunai and longsword rang out a few times.
They turned into two flickering silhouettes of chakra and flashed rapidly into the distance, leaving behind the Akatsuki members, and
Naruto, whose face had gone a little stiff.
"Crap!"
Watching Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi run farther and farther off, and the Akatsuki members' gazes, one after another, all turning toward him—
It made his scalp prickle, even as a fighting itch rose up.
He knew that at his age, Kitagawa Gen had made Akatsuki's scalps prickle!
"If I want to become Hokage, I have to walk that bastard Gen's road too…"
"Yosh, let's go, Naruto!"
...
[Boom—]
On the outskirts of Takigakure, Kitagawa Gen stood atop a pile of ruins. Looking at Nagato not far away, he gave a playful smile.
"Truly unexpected. The last time I saw you, you were skin and bones. Didn't think you'd look somewhat human now. And it's just you this time?"
"Thanks to you, I learned how to use my power to the fullest."
Nagato patted the dust from his clothes and fixed his gaze on Kitagawa Gen, speaking coldly.
"And I should thank someone else as well—he made me feel what my true power is, where my true limit lies!"
"Is that so?"
A smile touched Kitagawa Gen's face, while Nagato drew a deep breath.
"I'm not who I was three years ago. This time, I'll make you feel my change—and make you understand my will!"
"Is that so?"
Kitagawa Gen nodded, then asked with some curiosity, "You've always believed you were right. You've worked so hard because of Yahiko's death, haven't you?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm curious. Orochimaru has already used Edo Tensei, and Yahiko's body is in your hands. Why haven't you brought him back with Edo Tensei?"
"..."
"In truth, you don't dare face him, do you? Because what you've done has already strayed from your ideals—right?"
"..."
"Seems you're just deceiving yourself, completely afraid to face the real reality!"
"..."
Kitagawa Gen's words left Nagato stunned, but Gen didn't give him time to think.
[Vmmm—]
Almost in the instant of his distraction, Kitagawa Gen's White Fang short blade was already in motion, and Nagato heard Gen's voice in his ear again.
"And another thing—you've got a filthy mouth."
"I'm not that evil Senju old ghost, Senju Tobirama!"
...
Kitagawa Gen had always been very clear that Nagato's upper limit was extremely high.
And he felt that not only he knew it — Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara were probably also well aware.
'To force Nagato into having no choice but to use White Zetsu cells to increase his strength, it seems my blows really were a bit too heavy on them.'
Kitagawa Gen still had some self-awareness. After being beaten back and forth by him again and again, anyone's mentality would collapse.
'And Nagato, after using White Zetsu cells, does seem to have grown much stronger.'
As Kitagawa Gen tangled with Nagato, he couldn't help but also gauge this guy's current strength.
Very strong.
That much was undeniable!
He was born with Asura's bloodline and could withstand the power of the Rinnegan. Now, without even talking about anything else, just his physique alone had already surpassed imagination.
If before, when Nagato used large-scale 'Shinra Tensei' or 'Chibaku Tensei,' it came at the cost of overdrawing his life force—
Then now, Kitagawa Gen estimated, using those techniques would merely place extra burden on him.
Only—
'For others he may be difficult to deal with, but for 'Ōtsutsuki Genshiki' he's still just…'
Kitagawa Gen shook his head. Not only for 'Ōtsutsuki Genshiki,' even his true body, though it might be a bit more troublesome to handle,
The foundation of the Ōtsutsuki was there. At most, only a bit troublesome!
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