“Is this the Tenseigan Chakra Mode?”

Looking at the information that surfaced on his interface, he wasn’t too surprised.

After all, when he connected to that massive Tenseigan, quite a lot of information had already poured into his mind.

Among that information was the hand seal sequence for the Tenseigan Chakra Mode!

The Tenseigan Chakra Mode was certainly something worth looking forward to, though he couldn’t use it under normal circumstances.

“But Ōtsutsuki Genshiki can’t just rely on a handful of techniques. Even with Sage Arts as a backup, once exposed, it would be troublesome.”

Kitagawa Gen had even considered faking a “Karma” mark for himself, to smoothly transition into the role of Ōtsutsuki Genshiki. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized the risk was far too high.

“After all, Black Zetsu really knows his stuff. If he starts spreading rumors, it’ll become a problem.”

Kitagawa Gen preferred steady development. He had always suspected that it was only because Uchiha Madara and the others went too far that the Ōtsutsuki were drawn here in the first place.

Of course, he was also wary of Isshiki’s existence. That was why he acted with extra caution.

As for the future?

Once his strength reached the true peak, so what if he was Ōtsutsuki Genshiki? Who would dare to say otherwise?

“That’s something for later. For now, this Tenseigan Chakra Mode solves some of my small troubles. But…”

His eyes are only in their second stage of awakening...

Normally, he shouldn’t have been able to use the Tenseigan Chakra Mode at all. But his situation was a special one.

Especially since on the moon, there was a massive ‘power bank’ for him to draw from!

“In short, using this mode requires that eye’s assistance, but for me, that’s no trouble at all.”

Even if the Ōtsutsuki on the moon tried to interfere, he could feel that his own authority had already risen considerably.

With that authority, he believed that even if they caused problems, he could still guarantee a clean “output!”

“Still, I really should find a way to reach the moon. I can’t let them keep pestering me.”

Kitagawa Gen’s gaze sharpened as if he could pierce through the clouds and lock onto the massive moon above.

Now and in the future, that colossal Tenseigan would always be a treasure. There was no way he would ever let go of it!

“Time to head back. I wonder what’s happened inside Konoha.”

With that thought, a faint surge of chakra stirred within him, and in the blink of an eye, he was already back in his own room!

His bloodline development had reached 40%, which made his sense for space far sharper.

Even though he was far from Konoha, he could return home with ease.

Dissolving the barrier and releasing his shadow clone, he nodded slightly.

“Looks like no one came looking for me. Kakashi handled things pretty well.”

He had left behind a clone precisely to guard against Hiruzen suddenly summoning him. For now, it seemed there was nothing to worry about.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Kitagawa Gen seemed to sense something. He walked over to the window, pushed it open in one swift motion—only to hear Naruto’s miserable scream.

“Aaaahhhh—!”

“You little brat, what the hell are you doing now?”

Before Naruto could topple headfirst, Kitagawa Gen had already caught him in one swift grab and, with a slight tug, pulled him back up.

“Damn it! You come back without saying a word, and you even keep your doors and windows locked so tight.”

Naruto glanced down at the ground, still a little shaken, and spoke with lingering fear.

“You bastard, wasn’t I just coming over to water your flowers? You’re always gone for so long—if it weren’t for me, your flowers would’ve died already!”

“...”

Kitagawa Gen looked at the flowers outside his window. He was grateful that what he’d bought were the kind that couldn’t be killed no matter how they were watered.

Otherwise, with Naruto coming here every day and him occasionally watering them too, his flowers probably would have died a long time ago.

“Well then, I really should thank you.”

“Tch, no big deal.”

Naruto hopped into Kitagawa Gen’s room and grinned as he asked, “By the way, you just got back from a mission, right? You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Want me to treat you?”

“No. I’ve got a feeling you’re up to something.”

“No way, no way! I’m not you!”

“?”

“Uh, what I mean is, I—”

“That makes me even less interested. You’d just say later, ‘I treated you, you ate so much, why won’t you cut me some slack,’ or something like that. Too much hassle.”

Kitagawa Gen gave him a dead-fish stare. This brat really must have been scared by him before.

Whether Naruto graduated or not depended entirely on Iruka and Kakashi and the others. What did that have to do with him?

And now this kid looked like he was trying to ‘buy him off.’ Did he really think he was that kind of person?

“Unless you hand over half your living stipend to me.”

“Arghhh, you bastard!”

Naruto couldn’t hold it in anymore. He really felt his life was hopeless.

Running into such a rotten guy—how was he supposed to graduate like this?

“Damn it! Don’t tell me you’re worried I’ll graduate and steal the Hokage title from you?”

“Huh? Me?”

Kitagawa Gen looked puzzled. He stroked his chin and said, “Didn’t I already tell you what my dream was?”

From what he remembered, every Hokage—aside from Tsunade, that slacker—had all been worn down and overworked.

Especially Naruto himself. His family life didn’t seem too harmonious, yet he was always busy with something. Though Gen wasn’t sure what exactly he was so busy with.

“Tch, your dream is way too plain.”

Naruto picked at his ear, but quickly perked up again, his energy surging back.

“Forget it. I, the great Naruto, won’t back down! My dream is to become Hokage, and I’ll never give that up!”

“Not bad. But why are you always so hung up on becoming Hokage?”

“Because only by becoming Hokage can I gain everyone’s recognition!”

Naruto gave a short snort, clenched his fists tightly, and declared, “Even though no one says it, I can feel it. Except for you, Hokage-ojiichan, and a few others, people didn’t really like me before."

"I don’t even know why. That’s why I’ve always tried so hard to get people to notice me, to earn their acknowledgment."

"The Hokage is the strongest person in the village. As long as I become Hokage, I’ll gain everyone’s recognition. That’s something I will never give up on!”

Looking at the spirited Naruto before him, Kitagawa Gen couldn’t help but smile.

This kid really hadn’t changed at all. Even though, because of him—and because of Kakashi and Jiraiya—Naruto had been forced to behave a little better.

At least he wasn’t pulling stunts like painting his father’s statue anymore. But his dream, his personality, those hadn’t changed one bit.

'Still the same kid I remember.'

Kitagawa Gen chuckled. He stood and patted Naruto on the shoulder.

With his strength growing again, his control had become sharper—he no longer needed to fear the Nine-Tails suddenly going berserk.

“You forgot Kakashi-sensei, the Pervy Sage, and guys like Kiba and Shikamaru. They’d be pretty upset, you know.”

“Uh—”

“Also, can you even graduate?”

“Ah! You bastard!”

“And another thing—you’ve got it wrong.”

Kitagawa Gen shrugged, speaking as though it didn’t matter.

“It’s not that becoming Hokage earns you everyone’s recognition. It’s that only those who already have everyone’s recognition can become Hokage.”

“Huh?”

Naruto froze, stunned by his words.

Only someone recognized by everyone… could become Hokage?

“Otherwise, if nobody acknowledges you, what right would you have to be Hokage?”

Kitagawa Gen looked at the boy who had gone silent. Folding his arms across his chest, he smirked.

“So, graduate first. Then work hard to become a dependable shinobi, someone people admire. Only then will you have a chance at becoming Hokage.”

“I see…”

Naruto sank into thought. But Kitagawa Gen spoke again.

“Otherwise, what do you think? Want to earn your first recognition right now?”

“Huh?”

“Recognition from a Konohagakure jōnin—Kitagawa Gen.”

“You can’t seriously be after half my allowance, can you?”

“No need. Barbecue. Bring your little friends. I happen to be hungry. You treat.”

“You bastard…”

Naruto pressed his lips together, but in the end, he laughed.

So it was that—gaining everyone’s recognition before becoming Hokage?

It seemed… even if not many people acknowledged him yet, that was at least something to work toward.

And, without realizing it, maybe there were already quite a few who did recognize him…

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

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