Chapter 4: Earth-Style Wall... Can Be Used Like That?!
North River Gen (Kitagawa Gen) had a pretty good relationship with Naruto.
They lived in the same district, in those identical housing units. Both were orphans, too.
And since Gen was a transmigrator, there was no way he'd bear any malice toward Naruto. After all, he knew the truth behind Naruto's situation. So over time, they naturally grew close.
At first, Gen was a bit wary—Naruto was probably being watched by the Anbu, or even Danzo's Root.
But after a while of interacting with him, Gen realized something shocking.
No one was watching. No one came knocking. No one followed him. No shady fuguree breathing down his neck.
"Guess I'm still too young, and I've got no background. Not a Uchiha or anything... so what the hell was I scared of?"
Even Sasuke, an actual Uchiha, was in the same class as Naruto, wasn't he?
And on top of all that, Naruto was loaded. His government allowance wasn't your average pocket money—it was hefty.
Problem was, the villagers didn't treat him kindly. A lot of shops outright refused to sell to him. So whenever he could buy something, he'd hoard it—only for it to expire at home.
He also had a bad habit of buying weird "limited edition" instant ramen—expensive stuff.
Gen wasn't exactly dirt poor, but it was still nice to have a rich friend who treated him every now and then.
"Honestly, I should thank him—he gave me a huge hint..."
Back home, Gen flopped onto his bed, thinking back to that strange sensation when he and Naruto first met.
He had a general idea of how Otsutsuki powers worked, but with his "blank slate" bloodline, he wasn't sure how to unlock its potential.
If he had been an Uchiha or even a Hyuga, it would've been easier. Wait a few years, beat up some blind dude on the moon, boom—power unlocked.
But after meeting Naruto, he noticed something odd. Naruto's body emitted two very familiar, yet foreign energies... and somehow, Gen's bloodline resonated with it.
That got his thoughts running wild.
"If I'm truly a whiteboard-type Otsutsuki, wouldn't that mean my compatibility and flexibility are off the charts?"
In that case—why not gather all power sources related to the Otsutsuki?
Like Indra and Asura's chakra? Sure, those were technically mutations of Kaguya's divine tree fruit powers, but weren't they still from her?
And what about the Tailed Beasts? They were literally split from the Ten Tails, which was Kaguya's pet-slash-power-source.
"Even that bamboo-eating clan with Uchiha-style insanity and Senju-level physique... what were they called again...?"
He wasn't sure if the Kaguya clan were confirmed descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, but they had to be in the bloodline mix somewhere, right?
Especially since Kaguya herself used a technique called All-Killing Ash Bones. That required some serious genetic juice.
And the Byakugan... Gen still hadn't awakened it.
"Maybe if I develop my bloodline properly, I'll get it naturally? Hopefully?"
He used to worry about accidentally turning into a "Hyuga Gen," but nothing like that happened.
No activated dojutsu, no cursed seal drama.
Maybe he needed to collect more power... or maybe he hadn't hit the trigger point yet.
But now, at least he had a plan.
Step one: go outside the village and meet more powerful people. The only way to unlock higher-tier side missions and potential evolutions.
One day later....
"Wait—what do you mean you haven't figured it out yet?!"
At a training ground the next morning, Gen stared dumbfounded at Kakashi.
"You're joking, right?"
"No need to be so surprised," Kakashi replied lazily, ruffling his already messy hair and giving Gen a helpless shrug.
"Your case is a bit... unique. Based on what happened yesterday, you're clearly way past D-rank missions. I haven't figured out a suitable path for you yet. Don't forget—I just left the Anbu myself."
That part was true. Kakashi really hadn't given it much thought.
Mostly because... he spent the entire morning standing in front of the Memorial Stone, spacing out.
But he also had his reasons.
"Can't you just train me the way you were trained?" Gen asked, frowning.
"I was a special case. It was wartime back then. Things were different."
Kakashi shrugged again, and Gen couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Different how? Ninja are basically hired blades—take a mission, cut someone down, earn some cash. What's so complicated?"
"Technically not wrong... but that's a little too aggressive."
Kakashi's eyelid twitched.
Gen scratched his chin, clearly not giving up. "I heard from a merchant... there's this guy named Gato—some fat cat trying to take over the trade routes in the Land of Waves. What if we just..."
He made a pulling gesture like snapping a trap.
"Boom. We get rid of him and make some cash for the village at the same time!"
"..."
Kakashi was speechless for a moment.
Was this kid really the one who gave that heartfelt line about protecting his comrades?
Maybe those two classmates beating each other half to death yesterday... actually made sense?
"No. Absolutely not. That's too extreme. We only take official missions. Got it?"
"Yes, yes..."
Gen pouted. He'd thought about submitting a mission himself just to trigger one, but he didn't have the money. Plus, all missions were logged. It wasn't something he could fake.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was rubbing his temple.
"This kid is going to be a handful..."
Still, he could tell Gen had genuine "Will of Fire"... just expressed through slightly criminal tendencies.
"This is going to take some real work..."
"Alright. Enough with the crazy ideas. Let's just start with something simple today," Kakashi sighed.
Gen didn't look thrilled, but nodded.
"I noticed during your fight yesterday—you've picked up some Earth and Fire techniques from Might Guy?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, recalling the fight.
"In that case, I'll teach you an Earth-style jutsu."
Gen blinked. You're a ninja from the Land of Fire... and you're teaching Earth-style?
But then something popped up in his system:
[New Side Quest Unlocked]
Who's the Real Copy Ninja?
Accept Mission
Y/N?
Before Gen could respond, Kakashi continued, "Being a ninja isn't all about offense. Let me show you a defensive technique—this one's very useful for protecting teammates."
He formed a long, slow series of hand seals—clearly for Gen's benefit.
Then, slamming his hands onto the ground, he channeled his chakra.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
The ground rumbled, and a thick wall of earth shot up from the ground.
"Got all that?" Kakashi asked, already pulling out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
"It's not hard—just take your time learning it."
"Actually..." Gen raised his hands, his fingers already forming seals. "Thanks for slowing it down, that helped a lot."
Kakashi blinked. "Wait, are you—?"
Boom!
With a surge of chakra, Gen slammed his hands into the earth.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
The grass trembled.
To Kakashi's shock, a wall just as sturdy and tall as his own erupted from the ground.
"Wha—"
But Gen wasn't done.
"I think I can refine the technique a bit more. Like, say... this—"
The wall changed.
Intricate carvings began to form across its surface—the faces of all past Hokage, sculpted in earthy relief.
Kakashi could only stare.
This jutsu... can be used like that?!