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NBB Chapter 16: Brothers, Ramen, and Resolve
🕑 Added 2025-05-21 19:53:06 +0000 UTCOnce Jiraiya and Kakashi left, Hiruzen let out a helpless sigh.
“What a mess…”
Kakashi’s condition was definitely troubling. While ANBU did gather intel, it was ROOT that had far deeper infiltration capabilities.
Much of the most secret intelligence from other villages had always come from ROOT. But officially, ROOT had already been disbanded—by his own hand.
Unless it was reactivated, there wasn’t much he could do… not even as Hokage.
“Screw it. If things are truly that serious, then I’ll go see Danzō. Besides, it’s been a while since we last spoke anyway.”
After a long silence, Hiruzen finally made up his mind. He stood up and walked over to the window.
Looking out at the bustling village of Konoha, it was a while before he murmured softly—
“Well, at least Jiraiya coming back isn’t all bad news. At least… he came back. At the very least…”
“It seems... another genius has been born in Konoha.”
...
“So easily, just like that?”
Feeling the changes within himself, Kitagawa Gen couldn’t help but show a strange expression on his face.
Even though he had already suspected it, mastering Sage Mode had never been an easy feat.
Just look at Jiraiya—he trained for years before succeeding.
And even then, he still needed the assistance of the two toad sages from Mount Myōboku, and it took him considerable time to enter Sage Mode successfully each time.
Naruto, though much faster, still had to endure a brutal beating in Mount Myōboku before achieving his breakthrough.
But Kitagawa Gen—relying solely on Jiraiya’s knowledge, without even a single auxiliary tool—had managed to enter Sage Mode on his first attempt!
“Bloodlines… are the ultimate cheat.”
After a long moment, Kitagawa Gen ground his teeth and cursed aloud.
Thinking back on his thirteen miserable years, he couldn’t help but feel a little dejected. If only that starter pack had arrived earlier...
“Forget it. Even Naruto and Sasuke had to suffer through years of hardship before fully unlocking their cheats.”
Rubbing his temples, Kitagawa Gen consoled himself with that thought—but he couldn’t quite hold it in for long.
Naruto and Sasuke’s hacks had kicked in all at once, while his had to be built up little by little!
Sure enough, some people are born in Rome… while others are born as beasts of burden.
“Well, at least I’ve finally got a more powerful offensive technique now!”
The strength of Sage Mode—aside from Jiraiya—had been showcased to perfection by both Naruto and Senju Hashirama.
Combined with the steadily refined Purple Lightning, he now had countermeasures against nearly anyone, as long as they weren’t utterly monstrous.
And as his bloodline continued to awaken, he was confident that one day he would be one of those so-called monsters—perhaps even surpassing them entirely.
“Still, I’ll need to find a way to clean up the origin of this technique a bit… whatever, I should get ready for tonight’s dinner party first.”
Stretching his back, Kitagawa Gen realized he’d been sitting here for quite a long time. His body was starting to feel numb.
“Hmm?!”
But just then, he suddenly sensed something strange.
He sharply noticed that the chakra within him was surging far more violently than before.
Not only that—he could feel that his physical strength had clearly increased!
On top of that, there was a faint chakra flow continuously converging into his eyes, as though something was slowly being nurtured within them.
“Could it be…”
He quickly opened his status panel—and the moment he saw the information on it, he froze.
[Name: Kitagawa Gen]
[Age: 13]
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Unlocked: 5%)]
[Total Chakra: S- (Between elite jōnin and a weak Kage-level)]
“There’s… an effect like that?!”
Kitagawa Gen’s breathing quickened. He had just learned Sage Mode, and his first attempt had even been a little clumsy—yet it had unexpectedly triggered his bloodline to develop?
Even if 5% still qualified as 'weak as hell', at least it was something!
“So… does that mean natural energy is actually part of the Ōtsutsuki power set?”
He frowned slightly, but quickly shook his head.
“Not necessarily. Maybe the Ōtsutsuki who wielded Ten Tails power only obtained natural energy indirectly.”
At that thought, a hint of excitement lit up in his eyes.
He had been genuinely worried—wondering whether his plan to gather everything had any merit. What if it ended up backfiring?
But now he understood: as long as he didn’t go looking for death, his bloodline might always be there to catch him.
Such a powerful bloodline—was his confidence.
Which meant, he could absolutely pursue the complete form of the Ōtsutsuki he had envisioned from the start!
“It’s just… there really is a lot I need to work on.”
To assemble the complete form of the Ōtsutsuki he had envisioned would indeed require a lot.
Fortunately, most of it had already been accounted for in his initial planning—and it was never going to be easy to begin with.
But now, his conviction had only grown stronger. He was truly curious: what would the view be like at the top?
“But the eye nurtured by chakra seems slower than I expected. Maybe I need to further develop the bloodline... That’s odd. I thought the Byakugan of the Ōtsutsuki was supposed to be innate?”
After taking a shower, Kitagawa Gen stared at his handsome reflection in the mirror. As satisfied as he was, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
Maybe it was because this bloodline was a blank slate—everything had to start from scratch.
But that didn’t bother him. After all, with this bloodline as his foundation, he was confident he could reach that point—and time was on his side.
“The advantage is mine!”
Gen got dressed, then flung the window open and leapt out.
He was a ninja, after all—so naturally, he had to master the traditional ninja arts!
“Hey, you ready? We’re leaving.”
Landing on Naruto’s windowsill, Gen pulled open the window and called inside.
“You bastard—does my house not have a door?”
Naruto was startled and couldn’t help but complain, but Gen simply shrugged.
“You’ve climbed in through my window too. Alright, quit whining—let’s get moving.”
“That’s because you never gave me a key...”
Naruto pouted slightly as he stood up, holding out a cup of instant ramen.
“Here, for you. Congrats on completing your first ninja mission.”
“Wait—you’re giving me this for my first completed mission?”
Gen was caught between laughter and disbelief. Naruto’s forehead twitched at that comment, and he pouted in protest.
“Idiot! This is a limited-edition Ichiraku Ramen cup! Super delicious! And it wasn’t cheap, either!”
“Thanks—but keep it for yourself. Once you become a ninja and complete your first mission, just give me your kunai instead.”
Gen didn’t quite understand why Naruto would go out of his way for something like that, but he wasn’t about to comment on someone else’s preferences.
Besides, he had noticed something interesting—Naruto had actually nailed the kunai he gave him onto the wall.
Clearly, he genuinely liked it. In that case, Gen figured he’d just ask for a similar gift in return.
“But hey, make sure you actually become a ninja. I heard your grades aren’t exactly ideal...”
“Aaaargh! You bastard! I’ll definitely make it—and I’ll become Hokage, too!!”
That one jab was enough to make the blond brat explode. Thankfully, Gen didn’t press any further, and the two of them set off soon after.
Before long, they arrived at the hospital entrance. Naruto looked at the building, his face full of confusion.
“Gen, I thought we were going to celebrate with food. Why are we at the hospital? I heard your two teammates were already discharged.”
“It’s not about them—it’s my jonin instructor.”
Gen had long forgotten he even had teammates. He shrugged as he explained: “He got beaten up and ended up in the hospital. But the one treating us to food is here, too. We’re meeting up here first.”
“I see...”
Naruto scratched his ear, thinking this jonin instructor didn’t sound very reliable.
But soon enough, he started to worry a little. He glanced sideways and cautiously asked: “Hey... is it really okay for me to tag along?”
“Relax. Don’t be nervous.”
Gen paused, then quickly understood what Naruto meant.
“They might be a little unreliable, but they’re good people. And I’m sure they’ll like you.”
“Oh… okay.”
Naruto nodded, though his expression still showed some unease.
He knew he wasn’t exactly welcome in Konohagakure. Even if he pretended not to care, deep down he still yearned for acceptance.
And he didn’t want Gen—his only real friend—to be affected because of him.
But this time, he was clearly overthinking it.
After all, one of them was his dad’s sensei, and the other was his dad’s student.
