'Where is this…?'

The Nine-Tails was in a frenzy, and Kitagawa Gen himself was a little dazed.

Even he hadn’t expected this—the Nine-Tails seemed far more sensitive than he had imagined!

'And all I did was glance at him, yet I ended up deep inside Naruto’s spiritual world?'

Looking around casually, he realized that he seemed to be in some kind of prison.

At this moment, he was floating midair, while streams of stagnant water rippled across the ground.

Through those watery surfaces, Kitagawa Gen suddenly caught sight of himself—and it almost gave him a fright!

'Is that… me?'

Reflected in the water was a figure entirely wrapped in chakra, standing suspended in the air.

The azure glow of chakra blurred his features, leaving only a pair of stark white eyes gleaming with clarity.

And under the weave of that chakra, faint horn-like protrusions seemed to emerge atop his head.

Mysterious. Majestic. The complete appearance of an Ōtsutsuki.

'So even inside the spiritual world, my form has changed?'

Kitagawa Gen gradually calmed down. To appear like this didn’t seem like a bad thing.

If he had shown up in his ordinary form, that would have been troublesome.

“Who the hell are you!”

Just as he was lost in thought, the distant Nine-Tails roared once more.

Looking up, he saw the beast’s entire figure looming vividly, its fangs bared as it glared furiously at him.

Its already massive body bristled with raised fur, making it appear even larger. Cold, sinister chakra surged around it, so overwhelming that it stirred the waters into violent waves, rippling outward in circles.

“Who am I? You mean you truly don’t know?”

After a pause, Kitagawa Gen deliberately shifted into the tone of “Ōtsutsuki Genshiki” and asked in a probing voice.

“Stop pretending to be some god! I don’t know who you are!”

The Nine-Tails’ roar grew louder, its chakra more violent, yet the seal still bound it firmly.

No matter how it struggled, there was no breaking free!

Yet despite its fury, a flicker of fear glinted in its eyes.

'This guy…'

The Nine-Tails did not actually recognize the one before it. But upon seeing him—or rather, upon feeling his presence—an instinctive reaction surged from within.

It was like a response from the very soul itself, one that filled him with unease and dread!

'And why does this guy carry a chakra so similar to that old man’s?'

The Nine-Tails’ tails swayed restlessly. The aura was similar, yet not the same—and that difference was what terrified him most!

'Seems like he’s misunderstanding me… but that doesn’t really matter.'

Listening to the Nine-Tails’ response, Kitagawa Gen quickly realized the beast had drawn the wrong conclusion.

But thinking it over, it wasn’t actually a problem. After all, spiritual and soul states were not the same as the normal one.

And with his control over his own power having grown much stronger, it made sense that even with his Byakugan peering in from afar, the Nine-Tails wouldn’t be able to discern the truth.

At that thought, Kitagawa Gen suddenly revealed a sly smile.

“Little fox, you don’t know me—but I know you. Or rather, I know you as the Ten-Tails… or even as the God Tree itself.”

“You!”

The Nine-Tails’ chakra surged like a raging storm.

The Ten-Tails… the God Tree… such distant, ancient names.

Perhaps people might still speak a little of the Ten-Tails, but the God Tree—this was something no ordinary person should know!

The fear within him grew stronger, that unease born from the depths of his soul magnifying again and again.

...

“Hm?”

In the outside world, Naruto, who had just been about to move, suddenly froze. In the next instant, red chakra erupted from his body!

“Naruto, what’s wrong…?”

Iruka was startled. Naruto had collapsed to his knees, completely unable to move.

“The Nine-Tails? Tch, now this is perfect timing!”

Mizuki’s brows arched as he saw Naruto suddenly become immobile.

The events of this day had already taken too many twists—even he was having trouble reacting.

“But luck seems to be on my side after all. Iruka! Naruto!”

“Damn it…”

Seeing Mizuki raise that massive shuriken and take aim at them, Iruka clenched his teeth hard.

The moment the giant shuriken was thrown, he ignored the pain tearing through his body and hurled himself toward Naruto!

...

“You fox really are unruly, aren’t you?”

Inside Naruto’s spiritual world, Kitagawa Gen watched as the Nine-Tails thrashed wildly, churning the already turbulent waters into even greater waves. He shook his head slightly.

“I originally just wanted to ask you a few questions, but since you clearly don’t want to cooperate, forgive me for being a little impolite.”

“Who the hell are you!”

The Nine-Tails let out a thunderous roar—but in the next moment, he felt an overwhelming repulsive force slam down upon him.

In almost an instant, his colossal body was driven into the floodwaters, pinned down and unable to move!

'This seal really is useful…'

Even Kitagawa Gen was a little surprised. His intent had only been to make the Nine-Tails behave, especially since he could still sense the situation outside.

But he hadn’t expected the effect of this “repulsion” to be so strong. After a brief observation, he roughly understood why.

The seal had clearly been reinforced by Jiraiya, making its suppression far more potent. And on top of that, this Nine-Tails possessed only half its chakra.

'No wonder when Sasuke entered here with the three-tomoe Sharingan, he was able to casually crush the Nine-Tails’ chakra and walk away unharmed.'

Kitagawa Gen nodded to himself. Then, with a faint smile, he asked casually: “Now that you seem much calmer, my first question—where is the other half of your chakra?”

“Damn you!”

The Nine-Tails was already furious, and upon hearing this question he grew even more violent. Even crushed under such force, he still struggled madly.

Losing half of his chakra—that was a wound he could never forget!

“My second question—though you’ve been divided, your ancient memories should remain. Where is Ōtsutsuki Kaguya? And where is your true body?”

Kitagawa Gen’s tone stayed calm and deliberate, but his questions struck the Nine-Tails once again like burning blades.

“ROAR!”

The Nine-Tails bellowed to the sky, its thrashing growing more desperate. But Kitagawa Gen’s eyes lit up slightly.

'So it really is inside here. Awakened little by little, each time the Nine-Tails erupts…'

Kitagawa Gen had entered this time mainly to observe the Nine-Tails, as well as to learn more about Naruto’s parents, who slumbered here within the seal.

It was a pity that the Nine-Tails was far from cooperative. Still, for now, he had more or less obtained what he wanted.

'In fact… I could even add a little more.'

Watching the Nine-Tails thrash and roll, Kitagawa Gen put on a look of regret.

“Seems you either have no intention of cooperating, or your memories have been damaged. In that case, I’ll let you off for now. Hopefully, the next time we meet, you’ll give me the right answers.”

“Who the hell are you!”

The Nine-Tails roared, its chakra surging so violently that the entire space seemed to shake. Kitagawa Gen, however, remained utterly calm.

“Don’t strain your voice—it’s useless. As part of the Ten-Tails’ chakra, there’s one truth you should understand.”

Here he paused. His figure began to fade slowly, and as he looked at the increasingly frenzied Nine-Tails, his voice rang out clear and sharp.

“Having vitality unmatched by strength is nothing but a flaw.”

“So the next time we meet, I suggest you show some manners—because it won’t just be my chakra you encounter then.”

“And since you keep asking who I am…”

“Then remember this name well—”

“Ōtsutsuki Genshiki!”

As Kitagawa Gen’s voice fell, an infinite surge of repulsive force exploded forth. The Nine-Tails howled, crushed to the ground and unable to move.

Its once-turbulent chakra scattered in an instant, and the entire space sank once more into boundless darkness.

...

“Huh?”

Outside, Naruto—who had been writhing in agony—suddenly froze. To his astonishment, the raging chakra within him began to fade away.

That chakra, heavy with pain, anger, and fear, slowly dissipated, and clarity seemed to return to him.

“Iruka-sensei!”

At that very moment, he saw Mizuki hurl the giant shuriken—and Iruka rushing in, desperate, as if intending to block it with his body.

He struggled to rise. Though Iruka usually struck them with “heavy fists” during training, Naruto had already felt the true intent behind his sensei’s actions.

There was no way he would ever allow Iruka-sensei to be injured in front of him. No matter what, he refused to let such a thing happen!

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

At that critical instant, a wall of earth suddenly surged upward, blocking the path of the giant shuriken.

At the same time, a voice slowly echoed through the forest.

“Tch. I thought you’d be something impressive, but this is all you’ve got?”

Looking up, they saw a white-haired figure standing atop the Earth Flow Wall, though no one knew when he had appeared.

His back was silhouetted against the moonlight, hiding his face, arms folded as if overlooking everything.

“Gen-jōnin?”

“Gen!”

Iruka froze in place, while Naruto let out a smile both delighted and embarrassed.

Mizuki, however, turned pale in an instant. He had never seen Kitagawa Gen fight before, but he had heard from other jōnin that Gen had once defeated Jiraiya!

Facing someone like that, he knew he stood no chance whatsoever.

“Gen-jōnin, you’ve come at the perfect time!”

Suddenly Mizuki raised his voice.

“Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals, they—”

“Your schemes are already fully exposed, Mizuki-chūnin.”

Kitagawa Gen cut him off coldly, giving him no chance to continue.

“The Hokage himself sent me to see what you were plotting. I didn’t expect your ambition to reach this far.”

“You—”

Mizuki knew he was finished. Clenching his fists, he began to secretly gather strength. He had no intention of being left behind here!

“Hm?”

Kitagawa Gen arched a brow, sensing that Mizuki seemed to be invoking Orochimaru’s curse mark.

And just then, his system pinged!

[Side Mission Complete: As a silver-haired character, of course you need to clear them out as much as possible]

Calculating rewards]

[Naruto’s Exclusive Mission Complete: Results less than ideal]

[Calculating rewards]

---

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

---