Overdrafting the Future, Starting in Naruto

Back home, Kinoshita Genichi first emptied his mind, thinking of nothing as he soaked comfortably in the bath. After returning to his bedroom and lying on his bed, his thoughts finally became active again.

The beating he gave Danzō today was something he had planned for a while, and it went very smoothly. This was thanks to his deep understanding of Danzō.

"Although Orochimaru is now in charge of Root, he has no way of truly controlling the Root ninja whom Danzō personally trained and placed under a curse mark."

"The Root that Orochimaru controls is little more than an empty shell."

"However, this is for the best. Orochimaru should be thanking me."

A smile appeared on Genichi's face. This was because Root held many secrets, a wealth of information, and numerous jutsu. For example, the Uchiha clan's secret Sharingan techniques. Coincidentally, this was also what Genichi wanted.

Izanagi came at a great cost, but Genichi believed that while he might not need to use it, he couldn't afford not to master it.

Moreover, the Izanagi genjutsu itself held immense research value. Genichi felt that calling this ultimate genjutsu, which could practically reverse life and death, was well-deserved. In his eyes, Izanagi had more research value than even Tsukuyomi, Infinite Tsukuyomi, or Kotoamatsukami.

"Shisui, Itachi…"

Genichi pondered the future. This was why he had left Danzō alive.

"The dōjutsu of this Sharingan of mine is constantly improving as I acquire power from the future, but it's still uncertain whether it can break its limits and evolve into a Mangekyō."

"But regardless of whether it can evolve, it is essential to acquire another Mangekyō Sharingan from the future."

So far, Genichi knew he was still a great distance from the Six Paths level. Although his 'cheat' gave his future infinite possibilities, those possibilities depended on the present. Therefore, Genichi felt it was necessary to accumulate power in every 'present' moment to eventually challenge the Six Paths level, and perhaps even higher.

Since the Sage of Six Paths, the only one to reach that level was Six Paths Madara, who became the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki. Sasuke Uchiha received a gift from the Sage and awakened the Rinnegan with tomoe. Naruto also received a gift from the Sage, gaining Six Paths Sage Mode on top of the Tailed Beasts' power. Among them, the Six Paths power Naruto received would eventually be depleted, which was different from Sasuke's permanent Rinnegan. Furthermore, after Sasuke used up the chakra given by the Sage, his power would also decline, just like Naruto's.

In other words, since Kaguya Ōtsutsuki ate the fruit of the God Tree, only two people in the ninja world had truly reached the Six Paths level: Kaguya herself, and the Sage of Six Paths. In Genichi's eyes, no one after them truly counted. There was also Hamura Ōtsutsuki, but Genichi couldn't currently determine his strength. However, judging by his ability to create his own Truth-Seeking Orbs, he was at least above Kage level, perhaps even a quasi-Six Paths being, similar to Obito after becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki.

"The Ten-Tails' jinchuriki…"

"The Rinnegan…"

Genichi subconsciously furrowed his brow. In his opinion, becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki was unsafe. He was almost certain that the Gedo Statue—the husk of the Ten-Tails—contained a part of Kaguya's consciousness. In other words, Kaguya's consciousness was split into three parts: the Ten-Tails, Black Zetsu, and her main body sealed on the moon.

"The fruit of the God Tree would be best," Genichi mused. "I'll take it one step at a time. I must acquire the Tailed Beasts. I already have a portion of the Eight-Tails' chakra. I can try to obtain the chakra of the other Tailed Beasts during this Great Ninja War. I won't become the Ten-Tails' jinchuriki, but I can possess the power of all nine Tailed Beasts within me, becoming a sort of 'mini Ten-Tails,' indirectly gaining various Kekkei Genkai abilities."

"And as for the Rinnegan…" Genichi secretly shook his head. Without transplanting external cells, it was impossible for him to awaken it. However, the relationship between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan wasn't necessarily one of lower and higher tiers. The dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan were not necessarily inferior to the Rinnegan. Coincidentally, Genichi's own talent for genjutsu was strong. If he continued to develop it, it might not be any weaker than the Rinnegan.

"However, even if I awaken the Mangekyō, I likely won't have Susanoo."

Genichi pondered, setting goals in his mind before quickly falling into a deep sleep.

At 5 p.m., Genichi got up, washed, ate dinner, and went out. However, he didn't go looking for Shizune or Ina and the others. Instead, he returned to the Root headquarters.

The moment he appeared inside the base, Root ninja rushed out, on guard, their vigilance mixed with a hint of fear.

They're treating me like a major villain… Genichi sighed inwardly and said in as gentle a tone as possible, "I'm here to visit Orochimaru-senpai."

"Yes, I'll report it immediately!" a Root squad leader said quickly before vanishing.

A moment later, Orochimaru emerged. He waved his hand to dismiss the other Root ninja, then smiled at Genichi. "I knew you would come, Genichi-kun. I just didn't expect you to be so eager."

Genichi spread his hands. "Senpai's insight is as sharp as a torch."

"Follow me." Orochimaru turned and led the way.

Genichi followed, smiling. "It seems Senpai has had a bountiful harvest."

Orochimaru turned his head slightly and smiled. "Indeed, quite a lot. I should be thanking you for this, Genichi-kun."

"It's mutually beneficial," Genichi said shamelessly.

Orochimaru smiled slyly. "Genichi-kun, how about we form an alliance?"

"An alliance?" Genichi feigned surprise. "Senpai, I'm just a jonin."

Orochimaru chuckled. "I can support Tsunade in becoming the Fourth Hokage."

So he did figure it out. Genichi wasn't surprised. He asked, "What does Senpai want? I don't think I have anything you would value."

"Genichi-kun," Orochimaru said with a light laugh, "I'm betting on you."

Genichi remained noncommittal. "Senpai, you should know Lady Tsunade's personality better than I do. If she becomes the Fourth Hokage, I doubt she will allow you to conduct certain human experiments."

"That would be for the best, wouldn't it?" Orochimaru said meaningfully. He then immediately changed the subject. "As far as I know, that Sharingan of yours was originally a two-tomoe, wasn't it? I didn't expect it to already be a three-tomoe. Can a Sharingan evolve even after being transplanted into a non-Uchiha?"

"I can't be certain on that point," Genichi said seriously. "Namiichi was actually on the verge of evolving before he died. He had just exhausted his stamina, so it immediately transformed into a three-tomoe after I transplanted it. However, the dōjutsu of this eye has indeed been steadily increasing over the past few years, which is related to my own power."

Orochimaru listened, a thoughtful look on his face. This information was crucial to him.

"We're here." The topic was paused as Orochimaru led Genichi into a room filled with scrolls and documents.

"This should be what you're looking for, Genichi-kun." Orochimaru pointed to two scrolls spread out on a table. Genichi could tell that Orochimaru had been studying them himself.

He stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over them, and nodded with a smile. "Izanagi, and the Transcription Seal…"

Orochimaru smiled. "Genichi-kun, a forbidden jutsu like Izanagi is a top secret even within the Uchiha clan. I'm very curious how you came to know about it. Uchiha Namiichi couldn't possibly have known this jutsu."

Without looking back, Genichi said, "Senpai, I was the one who brought back the intel about the Third Kazekage's disappearance from the Kazekage's tower in Sunagakure. I've also been to Kirigakure. Oh, and one of their Seven Ninja Swordsmen was assassinated by me."

A look of surprise crossed Orochimaru's face. "As expected of you, Genichi-kun. That incident in Kirigakure, hehe…" He stuck out his tongue. Orochimaru understood Genichi's implication: My infiltration skills are formidable.

"Senpai, does Danzō have any more Sharingan?" Genichi asked, turning around.

Orochimaru smiled. "Danzō used the last one before he left. He should have only had two three-tomoe Sharingan."

"Genichi-kun, you want more Sharingan? Is that one of the reasons you didn't kill Danzō?"

At this moment, Orochimaru was no longer treating Genichi as a ten-year-old child, but as an equal.

Genichi shook his head. "Using three-tomoe Sharingan as disposable items? Only a fool like Danzō would do that. Besides, would I have to wipe out the Uchiha clan for them? Izanagi is a jutsu I likely won't ever need to use," Genichi said with a smile. "And for me, this forbidden jutsu only holds very high research value. This is something I learned from you, Senpai."

Orochimaru was quite pleased to hear this. "It seems Genichi-kun has given up on cell transplantation?"

Genichi nodded. "I believe the path Senpai is on is the correct one. The rejection from cell transplantation is too strong, and the probability of success is too low. Without special circumstances, it's basically a matter of luck. It's better to study the abilities themselves. The Third Kazekage was able to develop Magnet Release by studying the One-Tail, so why can't we?"

Orochimaru looked at Genichi with growing appreciation. There were far too few people in Konoha with this kind of spirit. It made him feel very lonely.

Just then, Genichi suddenly asked, "Senpai's research into the Eight-Tails' power must be quite advanced. You should be able to apply its power by now, right?" Here, "it" clearly didn't refer to the Eight-Tails' chakra itself, but to some of the abilities and characteristics the beast possessed.

Orochimaru smiled. "I have indeed gained a lot. As for application, it still requires more research. Genichi-kun seems to be very interested in the Eight-Tails' power."

Genichi thought for a moment and said seriously, "Senpai, how about we make a trade?"

Orochimaru opened his arms. "We are allies. I would be delighted."

"I want the research data on the Wood Style," Genichi said, "as well as the Eight-Tails' horn that Senpai has cultivated."

Orochimaru was very generous, agreeing at once. "No problem. And what does Genichi-kun plan to trade for it?"

"A piece of information," Genichi replied. "Wood Style—no, or rather, Hashirama's cells and the Sharingan have an extremely close relationship. Or to put it another way, the two completely opposite nature transformations of Yang Release and Yin Release have a powerful, mutually beneficial effect on each other."

Orochimaru fell into thought upon hearing this. The two nature transformations of Yang and Yin were indeed special. Yang Release was often seen as the representation of physical energy, or the power of life itself. Yin Release, on the other hand, was seen as the representation of spiritual energy.

Seeing the pensive Orochimaru, Genichi continued, "Although I have not witnessed the First Hokage's Wood Style, I know a little. Wood Style works by converting chakra into life force to create or control plants. The difficulty in transplanting the First's cells isn't just rejection, but their inherent proliferative power, correct?"

"That's right," Orochimaru nodded. "The First's cells will devour the life force of others and then erupt with Wood Style power. So, the difficulty in transplanting his cells isn't the Wood Style itself, but the terrifying life force contained within them." He then smiled. "In fact, that is precisely what I need."

Genichi nodded and pointed to the Izanagi scroll on the table. "The user's eye goes completely blind after using this forbidden jutsu. Although I don't have a sample to study yet, we can make some guesses. The reason for such a great cost is likely one of three things."

"Is it related to Yang and Yin Release?" Orochimaru asked, his interest piqued.

Genichi nodded. "The Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, at its core, is formed by the fusion of Yin and Yin nature transformations, with Yin Release being the dominant one. The reason a user must sacrifice an eye to use Izanagi is because either their Yang Release power is insufficient, their Yin Release power is insufficient, or both are insufficient at the same time."

"By your meaning, Genichi-kun," Orochimaru smiled, "could it be said that it's a lack of chakra? If one had enough chakra, would they not need to sacrifice an eye?"

Genichi shook his head. "It's not just a problem of chakra, but of the nature transformation itself. Senpai has done deep research on the First's cells and the Eight-Tails' chakra. You should know better than me that their chakra is stronger than ours in more than just quantity, right?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. He looked at Genichi and smiled. "Genichi-kun, your keen insight is truly enviable." He didn't doubt how Genichi could know so much without having researched Wood Style or the First's cells himself. This was something that could be discerned from chakra itself. Genichi had witnessed the power of the Eight-Tails. Furthermore, the Sharingan could see chakra. And on top of that, Genichi's own proficiency in Yin Release was extremely high.

But it was precisely for these reasons that Orochimaru said he was envious. He himself had conducted countless experiments to perceive the secrets hidden within, to modify his own body and change the very essence of his chakra. Unfortunately, Orochimaru didn't know that the person standing before him had a 'cheat' and possessed far more information than he did.

Just then, Genichi asked, "Senpai, do you have the eye that Danzō discarded?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "Danzō destroyed it."

"A pity," Genichi said with a hint of regret. "However, the eye's condition was most likely that all its cells had died. I can't be sure if Danzō's soul was affected… but a jutsu like Izanagi probably doesn't involve the soul."

Orochimaru's pupils constricted. "The soul?"

(End of Chapter)

❃❃❃

⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!

⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!

❃❃❃

♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!

🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn

(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)

💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!

Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!