Karin was, without a doubt, a direct descendant of the Uzumaki Clan.

That unmistakable red hair, coupled with her exceptional sensory abilities, instantly brought to mind an image of Uzumaki Kushina.

Her regenerative ability was also remarkable—strong enough that even after being run clean through by Sasuke, she could still make a full recovery.

'Although she’s set to head to Konohagakure next year to take part in the Chūnin Exams… I guess there’s nothing stopping me from taking her beforehand, is there?'

Kitagawa Gen thought to himself. As long as her identity as an Uzumaki was confirmed, even Konoha would have a hard time refusing someone like her.

The thing was, sometimes Konoha had a bit too much pride, placing excessive importance on so-called “ninja professional spirit”—just like that Zabuza guy.

But…

'I’m not your run-of-the-mill shinobi!'

Even now, he still hadn’t forgotten about that Gato fellow.

Besides, if he hadn’t wanted to stir up too much trouble, he remembered that the Land of Grass still had the Box of Ultimate Bliss, rumored to be one of the Six Paths’ ninja tools.

“Gen, we should get going,” Kakashi suddenly spoke up.

“This trip alone has made me happy enough—I feel lighter inside.”

“Mm.”

Kitagawa Gen nodded. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do you want to stop by another place? You could say it’s…”

“Rin’s place?”

Kakashi paused, then, spotting the flowers on the ground, he asked with a faint smile, “You’re not planning on using up all the flowers you brought, are you?”

“Yeah, I bought quite a few this time.”

Kitagawa Gen nodded again, then lowered his voice.

“And didn’t that Hanzō of the Salamander say someone might have their eyes on us? Are we really just going to ignore that?”

“That’s the thing—every time we go out, something bad happens.”

Kakashi rubbed his chin. He was starting to wonder about something.

Was there something wrong with himself…

…or with Kitagawa Gen?

He’d always considered himself unlucky—after all, the people most important to him had always ended up being “sent away” for one reason or another.

But ever since meeting Kitagawa Gen, everything had changed.

The bad luck was still there—worse, even—since every trip seemed to bring them face-to-face with impossibly troublesome opponents.

Yet at the same time, the constant nightmare that used to loom over him had disappeared, even if he was still the one taking all the hits.

For a while, he’d wondered if his luck had somehow turned around… but now it seemed…

…more like he’d been caught up in Kitagawa Gen’s “overwhelming luck.”

“What kind of people do you think we’ll run into this time?”

“I’m not sure. But I doubt they’ll be the simple sort. And that Hanzō of the Salamander earlier gave me a strange feeling.”

Kitagawa Gen thought for a moment, then lowered his voice.

“The chakra inside that Hanzō wasn’t much… and he didn’t seem to have any signs of aging. So…”

“A fake?”

Kakashi frowned. He fully trusted Kitagawa Gen’s words.

“Or maybe… some kind of stand-in?”

“Not sure. But I think we’ve got trouble coming.”

Kitagawa Gen was about to say more when he suddenly sensed something. Kakashi caught on at the same moment and nodded.

“Yeah… looks like we can finally be sure who’s here to cause us trouble this time, right, Obito?”

The moment the words left his mouth, space suddenly twisted.

In the next instant, several figures appeared before them.

“Oh… Hatake Kakashi. You really are a dangerous one,” Raiga said with a cold snort upon seeing the man before him.

“Your sensory skills have gotten sharper, Kakashi.”

Uchiha Obito’s gaze was just as cold, but it couldn’t help drifting toward the stone mound behind him—

—and the bouquet of flowers resting upon it.

“What a useless fool… still drowning in the past? I’m not even dead yet!”

“What I remember fondly is the Obito from back then—the real Obito—the one who guided my beliefs.”

Kakashi’s expression gradually hardened. Slowly, he lifted his forehead protector, revealing the scarlet Sharingan beneath.

“Not the stray spirit roaming the shinobi world, bringing destruction to all.”

“Hmph. You know nothing, yet you dare judge me?”

Obito’s fists clenched tighter, his chakra beginning to surge.

“And besides… do you really think you can make proper use of that eye, Kakashi?”

By now, the tension between the two had reached its peak, as though a single spark would set them off.

But before either could move, and with the Six Paths of Pain and Kurosuki Raiga already poised to strike, Kitagawa Gen made his move.

[Vmmm—]

A raging, ultra-high-pressure stream of water blasted forth in a straight line, like a razor-sharp blade, tearing toward the Akatsuki members in an instant.

[Boom—]

Trees all around were shattered in a single stroke; had Pain and the others not dispersed in time, they would have been in serious trouble.

“That kind of Water Release…”

Coming from Kirigakure himself, Kurosuki Raiga’s eyes widened at the sheer power of the jutsu.

But now, there was nothing left to say—Kakashi and Obito clashed instantly, the space around them twisting and warping.

Still, they remained locked in place, and Kitagawa Gen was more than happy to leave them to it.

He himself charged straight toward Kusagakure with the Six Paths of Pain and Kurosuki Raiga in tow—that was where his true objective lay.

“Universal Pull!”

Just as he accelerated, an immense gravitational force yanked him backward, making him raise an eyebrow.

In that same moment, he flicked the kunai in his hand, and the instant he was pulled in, he reappeared back where he had been.

“This time… it’s time we settle our score,” the Deva Path said coldly as he faced Kitagawa Gen, the other bodies of Pain fanning out quickly.

They didn’t move to surround him, instead forming a barrier before the Deva Path, their eyes fixed coldly on him.

“This time, you’ll face my full strength.”

“Your full strength, huh?”

Kitagawa Gen looked at the six figures before him and smiled.

“Looks to me like your body’s in pretty bad shape—otherwise, why aren’t you fighting with your real body, and instead sending out a bunch of corpses?”

‘Real body? Corpses?’

Kurosuki Raiga was baffled by the exchange. He didn’t understand what they meant, but he could feel that something about the aura between these two was… off.

'That brat… he gives off an extremely dangerous feeling.'

“Let me guess.”

Seeing Pain remain silent, Kitagawa Gen continued speaking.

“Last time, I found your real body—but you ran fast. Clearly, you didn’t want me getting close."

"That means either your body is seriously injured, or there’s something you absolutely have to do… something that makes it impossible for your real body to move.”

“…”

Pain’s gaze grew even more dangerous. This brat had guessed that much?

“And there’s something else I’ve been thinking about.”

Kitagawa Gen showed no signs of stopping. Feeling the battle between Kakashi and Obito in the distance intensifying, he too was ready to strike.

“If your real body has already taken such severe damage, yet you still managed to make it here… that tells me one thing—there’s probably someone taking care of you, right?”

In an instant, an invisible force slammed down, shaking the earth violently.

Thick plumes of smoke billowed upward, and a massive section of the ground cracked apart.

The sudden eruption left Kurosuki Raiga stunned. He hadn’t even seen what happened before it was already over.

“What the hell is…?”

Raiga swallowed hard, but Kitagawa Gen’s voice rang out again.

“Looks like I was right. And the person looking after you… they matter to you a lot.”

Turning his head, he stood wreathed in violet lightning, the natural energy flowing steadily around him, his pale eyes fixed on them.

In the next instant, his figure blurred, the White Fang short blade flashing free as purple lightning filled the air.

“Raaagh!”

With a beast-like scream, a burst of crimson blood sprayed through the sky, falling like rain to spatter across the ground.

“An invisible beast… did you really think I couldn’t sense you? Oh, and while I’m at it, let me ask you something.”

Kitagawa Gen landed firmly, his eyes calmly locked on the Six Paths of Pain.

“When we went to the Land of Rain, Jiraiya-sama asked us to bring flowers for Yahiko. I could tell he still cares about certain people. So, I’m curious about something—”

Before he even finished, Kitagawa Gen vanished again, purple lightning flashing like a storm across the heavens.

His voice echoed not only in the ears of the Six Paths of Pain, but also in Nagato’s, far away, controlling them.

“If all of you died… do you think Jiraiya would mourn for you?”

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. /TitoVillar

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