"68%? That's quite the leap!"
Kitagawa Minamoto stared at his Status Panel, clearly surprised.
Over the past three years, he had been focused on studying. While he completed some Side Quests, they were all minor tasks. No Exclusive Side Quests, no major breakthroughs—his progress had indeed been slow.
Although he had strengthened himself in other ways, such as deepening his understanding of Yin Release and Yang Release... Or refining the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, integrating Kekkei Genkai, and experimenting with the fusion and development of Kekkei Mōra. These efforts had greatly enhanced his combat readiness, but his bloodline development had seen little tangible progress.
"But things are looking better now. The absorption from the Divine Tree Source is truly astonishing, but still..."
Raising his head, he gazed at the massive tree towering above him—a sight that could only be described as "blotting out the sky and sun." Despite its overwhelming presence, Kitagawa Minamoto nodded in approval. This entity had brought him substantial benefits.
"The unique powers of the Tailed Beasts, huh?"
As he pondered, a surge of energy enveloped him. Golden chakra spread across his body, making him resemble Naruto in his future Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
At the same time, Kitagawa Minamoto raised his hand, and several chakra spheres materialized instantly. One sphere gleamed with a blue-black hue, another intertwined white and black, while others radiated different colors. These were manifestations of the Tailed Beasts' powers. At this moment, he seemed capable of wielding the unique abilities of the Tailed Beasts with ease!
"Not bad at all. This adds more variety to my 'alternate account' combat methods."
Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki's body had always been slightly lacking in attack diversity—a limitation he couldn't easily overcome. While his strength was indisputable, his battles often relied heavily on Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and the inherent power of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline. Even though he had developed Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, it remained a trump card, leaving gaps in his arsenal.
Now, with the advent of these Tailed Beast powers, he had gained more attack options and even unique effects. This development pleased him greatly!
"Besides that, my proficiency and control over ocular techniques have also seen significant improvement."
Clenching his fist slightly, his eyes transformed into a radiant blue glow. Almost instantly, the surrounding environment distorted. The yellow sand on the ground began to flow unnaturally, defying gravity as directions shifted and inverted.
As Kitagawa Minamoto intensified his efforts, the sand seemed to sense a unique gravitational pull. In mere moments, the grains spread out smoothly and uniformly before him.
"Impressive..."
The level of control brought a smile to Kitagawa Minamoto's face.
"Although the range isn't large, as long as the distance is close..."
Even a true Ōtsutsuki would meet their end if caught off guard by this technique!
The improvements from the Divine Tree Source were exhilarating, and the advancements in his bloodline development were equally remarkable. Beyond the continual strengthening of his basic Ōtsutsuki abilities, his bone absorption seemed to have slowed considerably.
"Does this mean the ability hasn't fully 'hatched' into Kekkei Mōra yet?"
Kitagawa Minamoto hesitated slightly but didn't dwell on it. Even if he hadn't reached the level of All-Killing Ash Bones, his current bone-based abilities, combined with the foundation of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, had elevated his physical strength to an absurd degree.
Now he understood why Jigen could shatter Susano'o with a single kick after activating his Kāma. The physical strength of the Ōtsutsuki was truly terrifying...
"I'll find an opportunity to test this against Madara Uchiha later. And then, there's Itachi Uchiha..."
Kitagawa Minamoto raised his head, looking at the giant flower bud next to the Divine Tree. Feeling its continuous absorption of energy and its resonance with the eye on his forehead, an idea suddenly struck him.
"Could I use Infinite Tsukuyomi someday?"
"But for now, my focus needs to shift to Kekkei Mōra development..."
"And dealing with those Ōtsutsuki!"
"So, the search for the Uchiha stone tablet begins?"
Late at night, under the enchanting moonlight...
In Konohagakure, Black Zetsu stealthily emerged, observing the village's movements. Noticing activity among the Uchiha Clan, especially around Naka Shrine, he sighed in relief.
Over the past three years, Black Zetsu had delivered numerous items to Kitagawa Minamoto to guide him and make him stronger. But this guy...
"He's learned plenty, but he rarely explores. Are you waiting for me to hand you the answers on a silver platter?!"
Black Zetsu was starting to lose his patience, but he had no choice but to continue pondering ways to guide Kitagawa Minamoto. Now that someone in the Uchiha Clan was searching, particularly around Naka Shrine, Black Zetsu felt genuinely happy.
"But why isn't he doing it himself? Wouldn't it be better to keep such secrets to himself?"
Black Zetsu couldn't understand Kitagawa Minamoto's thought process, but he didn't care much. At least the search was underway, giving him a glimmer of hope! After all, plans often couldn't keep up with changes...
"Next, I need to find a way for him to uncover the Senju Clan's secrets too."
Black Zetsu muttered to himself, slowly sinking underground and heading toward the Hyūga Clan. This time, he wasn't just checking on his preparations and Kitagawa Minamoto's progress. He also needed to observe the Hyūga Clan's movements!
"That Kaguya Kimimaro is such a troublesome case..."
Black Zetsu was well aware of Kimimaro's issues. After all, Kimimaro was essentially constructed from Kaguya's chakra! Over the years, Black Zetsu had worked to stabilize Kimimaro's condition, but it was merely a measure to keep him alive.
"Madara Uchiha's new body is almost complete. If I don't act soon, things could go wrong..."
Black Zetsu was deeply frustrated. Even though he didn't want to, he had to make necessary preparations.
"Honestly, even if he's revived, he won't be a match for Ōtsutsuki Minamoto-shiki."
Black Zetsu knew this all too well. Kimimaro's potential was impressive, awakening such incredible powers... But he also knew the limits of those powers. Even gaining the Byakugan was merely a way to balance out his abilities. Reaching the pinnacle was nothing short of a dream!
"Fine, since you want it, I'll help you investigate. Besides..."
Black Zetsu suddenly realized something. He had always suspected Kitagawa Minamoto might be connected to the moon.
"Could I exploit this somehow?"
With this thought, Black Zetsu fell silent. For him, as long as he could save his mother, any means were acceptable!
"Good morning, you two are early."
The next day, at the entrance of Konohagakure...
Kitagawa Minamoto, Kakashi, and Jiraiya arrived leisurely at the meeting spot. Sasuke was fine, but Naruto seemed a bit strained.
"Too slow! Kakashi-sensei and Minamoto, I can understand—they're habitual latecomers. But why are you late too, Pervy Sage?"
"Hey, the time hasn't passed yet. What's your rush?"
Jiraiya didn't care. Even though Minato and Kushina were inside Naruto, Jiraiya was still his teacher!
"Besides, Takigakure isn't interesting. We've all been there; it's nothing special."
"True."
Kitagawa Minamoto stroked his chin and nodded.
"That place is pretty average. The village isn't as big as Konohagakure, the population isn't as large, and our last visit wasn't exactly pleasant."
"Not pleasant because of Akatsuki?"
Kakashi flipped open a book and casually asked.
"Encountering them wasn't exactly a joyful experience."
"More or less. And this time, the team isn't fully assembled either."
Kitagawa Minamoto shrugged, then sighed.
"Last time, we even had the Fourth Raikage with us..."
"..."
Kakashi and Jiraiya nearly stumbled, staring at Kitagawa Minamoto in disbelief. Wasn't the Fourth Raikage the one you took down?
"Are you pretending to be sad over him?"
Jiraiya asked, exasperated, while Kitagawa Minamoto replied earnestly.
"No, I just think it's a pity to lose someone so durable. But given his distrust of me, he kind of deserved it."
"Distrust? Wait, didn't you leave Flying Thunder God marks on him? How could he distrust you?"
"It's because I'm too good at reading people. Besides, wasn't this hinted at by the Hokage? Didn't he say—"
"Stop! Don't say more. Naruto and Sasuke are here!"
"Also, the saying isn't 'pretending to be sad over him'; it's 'crying crocodile tears.'"
"..."
Jiraiya didn't understand what "pedantic nitpicking" was, but he was already too annoyed to speak.
"Um..."
Fortunately, Kakashi intervened to prevent further awkwardness.
"Sasuke, how's the search for the stone tablet going?"
"We haven't found it yet, but it's tied to the Second Hokage's strategy."
Hearing Kakashi call his name, Sasuke adjusted his attitude and replied.
"Since it's a secret operation, we haven't mobilized ANBU. We're relying entirely on ourselves. And it's not just Naka Shrine; we're searching other locations with stone tablets too."
"Covering all bases, huh? That's definitely his style."
Kitagawa Minamoto nodded. Tobirama Senju was meticulous in everything he did, leaving no room for error. Given Hashirama's uncertainty about whether the Senju Clan had similar items, Tobirama would naturally be cautious about trusting his brother's memory.
"No matter. By the time we return, there should be results. Let's get ready to depart."
"Huh? Where's Sakura?"
Naruto asked curiously, but Sasuke's glance made him purse his lips. Sakura was technically still part of their team, but she had fallen behind significantly. Even though she was officially part of the squad, some missions were simply unsuitable for her.
"Alright, let's move out."
Kitagawa Minamoto shook his head, then added thoughtfully,
"There's a reason Sakura wasn't included. Every time Kakashi-sensei, Pervy Sage, and I go out, we always run into trouble."
"???"
Kakashi and Jiraiya froze. Were they the source of the trouble? Could it be that they were the jinxes?
"So, for safety, we need a streamlined and competent team."
"..."
"Also, be prepared to encounter Akatsuki."
"..."
"With Kakashi-sensei and Pervy Sage around, the odds of meeting them are really high!"
"..."
Just as Kitagawa Minamoto finished speaking, his eyelid twitched. At that moment, he understood.
[New Side Quest Unlocked] [Three Years—Do You Know What I've Been Through?] [Defeat the incoming enemies and show them what you've been through over the past three years.]
(End of Chapter)
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