I’m Not Naruto, But I Got a Better Bloodline

"Hey, hey, hey! How many bowls is that already?!"

"I'm seriously starving, Naruto. Didn't you say this one's on you? What, having second thoughts?"

"I did NOT—! Aaargh! You bastard! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"

"Correct. Too bad there's no prize."

The sun was setting over Konohagakure. At Ichiraku Ramen, Kitagawa Gen slurped his noodles contentedly. The bowls in front of him were stacked high.

Naruto looked at him with despair. For a moment, he genuinely considered turning around and running.

But then he remembered—he probably couldn't outrun this elusive guy anyway. In the end, he gave up.

"Hey… could you maybe eat a little less?"

"I told you, I'm really hungry."

Kitagawa Gen shot Naruto a casual smile, then turned to the side toward Ichiraku's chef.

"Another bowl, please, Teuchi-ojisan!"

"Coming right up," Teuchi said with a chuckle before turning around to cook. Naruto slumped down in his seat. At this point, he didn't even want to speak.

But Gen was in a fantastic mood. Sipping the broth, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks for the treat. You really are a great friend!"

"…"

Naruto pursed his lips, unsure what to say. Having a friend like this… was kind of unfortunate.

"Alright, Gen, cut him some slack," said Teuchi with a good-natured smile.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Last time you three ate here, there was plenty of money left over. More than enough to cover today."

"Huh?"

Only then did Naruto remember—last time he'd come here with Gen and Jiraiya, it had been the others who paid!

Relieved, he tried to hide his smile and muttered, "Tch… You jerk. Why'd you scare me like that? And hey, I told you guys I was treating you that time—why did you pay anyway?"

"If I really asked you to pay, you'd probably start complaining again."

Kitagawa Gen raised an eyebrow, smiling as he spoke.

"How about this time—"

"Ah! Hey, look, nice weather today, huh?!"

Naruto abruptly changed the subject with stiff awkwardness, though he couldn't help but give Gen a closer look.

Something felt… different about him today.

Still the same infuriating guy, sure—but there was something he couldn't quite put into words.

After staring for a while, he finally asked curiously, "Did you... redye your hair or something?"

"…"

Gen shot Naruto a speechless glance, but Naruto didn't care. Squinting, he examined him up and down, then went on.

"It's weird—it actually looks better than before. Last time it was obviously dyed, but now... it kind of looks natural."

"Of course. This time it was way more expensive."

Gen arched his brow again, then chuckled and asked, "So, what do you think? Wanna come dye yours with me?"

"Nope!"

"People have to try new things sometimes, so—"

"No! Absolutely not!"

Seeing how firm the little blondie was, Gen could only laugh.

As another steaming bowl of ramen was placed before him, he immediately lowered his head and dug in.

Right now, he was really hungry.

He wasn't sure if every increase in his bloodline's purity made him this ravenous...

But lately, he felt like he could just keep eating endlessly.

'Well, that makes sense. The 'appetite' of an Ōtsutsuki isn't something normal food can satisfy. And—'

While slurping noodles, Gen glanced at the ends of his hair from the corner of his eye.

The color did look more natural now—because it was. His hair was the real deal.

[Name: Kitagawa Gen]

[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development Level: 31%)]

[Dōjutsu: Tenseigan (Newborn Eye)]

[Chakra Capacity: SSS (Super Kage-average level)]

[Chakra Attributes: Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, Yin, Yang]

[Special Techniques: Ice Release, Magnet Release]

Looking at his status panel—especially the 'Dōjutsu' section—Gen was feeling especially thrilled right now.

The Tenseigan… the very thing he had longed for.

'The development rate isn't quite as high as I expected, but I guess that's normal.'

He still didn't know exactly how a true Tenseigan was formed—whether it needed Tailed Beasts, for example.

But he did know this: his situation was unique.

Because, just like how the Rinnegan had to be "grown" into the Ōtsutsuki, his own eyes were following a similar "tree-planting" process.

Only his path was more direct—by using Tailed Beast chakra in combination with his bloodline progression, he had managed to awaken it!

And to think, the Tailed Beast chakra he used wasn't even from one of the more powerful ones.

"Still, not bad at all. Even someone as powerful as Uchiha Madara had to push himself to the brink of death to awaken the Rinnegan!"

True, Madara had succeeded in one go, but he was on the verge of death by the time it awakened.

Gen, on the other hand, didn't have to wait at all—once his bloodline reached the threshold, his eyes simply opened.

And his eyes... were by no means weak.

'After running some tests, I've confirmed I can see farther than ever—and I've also gained a few interesting abilities."

It was likely the effect of the 'Newborn Eye'—at this stage, he could use three abilities:

Attraction, repulsion, and chakra control!

Yet these three gave him a distinct Rinnegan déjà vu.

'Why do they feel so much like Shinra Tensei, Banshō Ten'in, and the technique used to craft the Six Paths puppets?'

Maybe it was because these were, by nature, "eyes of the same origin." That would explain the similarity.

'Even though the abilities are still limited and need further development, I've got time. Besides, this isn't the only thing I've gained.'

Looking at the word "Super Kage" on his status panel, Kitagawa Gen felt even better.

'Even if it's just my chakra reserves…'

Having a large amount of chakra doesn't automatically mean strength—but without it, you don't even have the right to expend energy in battle.

Now that he'd acquired an ability like repulsion, he was already wondering: could he unleash his own version of a "Super Shinra Tensei"?

Shaking his head, Gen looked up toward the sky.

'It's getting clearer… feels almost within reach, but somehow still too far away…'

Right now, he could sense more distinctly what was hidden on the moon.

And that power—it was pulling on him more and more with each passing day!

He knew very clearly what it was:

The Tenseigan—the Tenseigan hidden deep within the moon.

'I'll definitely be coming for you later—after all…'

Although Kitagawa Gen's eyes didn't require any kind of "second" or "third" awakening, he still had to take the initiative to absorb power in order to truly complete it.

That massive eyeball… and one that was, in a way, the same kind of eye as his own.

If he didn't go and claim it—he'd be doing himself a huge disservice!

"Hey, why do you keep staring at the sky?"

While he was deep in thought, Naruto, sitting beside him, couldn't help but ask curiously.

"It's nothing. I just feel like—"

Gen wasn't annoyed at all. On the contrary, he smiled cheerfully, set down his chopsticks, and gently wiped his hands with a napkin.

Then, all of a sudden, he swept his hair back and revealed a cold, aloof expression.

"No one has ever stood at the top. Neither you, nor I, nor the gods. But that unbearable vacancy at the summit shall be filled. From now on, I—"

"Gen!"

But before he could finish, a voice called out from the distance. Turning around, he saw Kakashi walking over toward them.

"Hokage-sama is looking for you. Come with me, quickly."

"…Oh."

Gen rolled his eyes, but still stood up obediently and followed Kakashi, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Naruto watching him walk away.

"What the hell? What's he even talking about?"

"What… summit? What vacancy? None of it makes any damn sense."

"But wait… why would Hokage-ojiichan be calling him? Hold on—wait, Hokage-ojiichan?!"

"Hiss! Oh no—don't tell me he wants to become Hokage?!"

...

Torrential rain poured from the sky.

Inside a hidden underground chamber in Amegakure, both Nagato and Konan remained unusually silent.

The battle in the Land of Waterfalls was still weighing heavily on them.

Especially for Nagato—the defeat this time had been far too bitter to accept.

Worse yet, he had lost Yahiko's body.

"It wasn't your fault, Nagato."

Konan looked at the silent Nagato, her own heart heavy with sorrow. She couldn't help but speak up in consolation.

"The situation back then was far too complicated."

"It was my own carelessness."

Nagato shook his head and let out a sigh as he closed his eyes.

"If I had brought a few more paths with me... maybe the outcome would've been different. That kid's talent was even more terrifying than we imagined."

His words were calm, but there wasn't a shred of peace inside him.

That battle with Kitagawa Gen had truly opened his eyes to the power of space-time techniques.

And he'd also witnessed just how cunning Kitagawa Gen was—and how frighteningly sharp his instincts for information were.

Just one second!

If he had one more second, he could've used Shinra Tensei again. Even if the next five seconds would've still been filled with Kitagawa Gen's relentless barrage...

If he could've blocked that one wave of attacks, maybe he would've been able to withdraw Yahiko's body in time.

'Or if I had even one more path, the situation would've been much easier to manage.'

The Rinnegan... was no joke.

Just having Preta Path would've been enough to counter long-range ninjutsu. He could've used Animal Path to summon creatures for disruption, and so much more.

'Even just buying time would've been enough—for me to unleash Demonic Statue Chains, Chibaku Tensei, or even—'

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the Gedo Statue, still absorbing his chakra.

Even though it hadn't fully recovered yet, it was still usable in combat. After all, he had once used it to fight against Hanzō.

But this time... he couldn't do a damn thing.

All he could do was watch Kitagawa Gen crush Yahiko's body.

Even severing the control link between himself and Yahiko's body.

That kind of pain—was beyond words.

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