Chapter 71: Sage Mode Can Change the Eyes?!
"Looks like… we're in the clear for now."
Deep in the dense forests of the Land of Hot Water, within the shelter of a hidden cave, Kakashi and Kitagawa Gen sat side by side, slumped against the cave wall. Nearby, Might Guy kept watch on their surroundings.
All three looked thoroughly worn out—their clothes were tattered, Gen's shirt had been completely destroyed, and Kakashi's green flak vest was missing altogether.
Only Guy seemed relatively untouched. After ensuring the area was safe, he returned to the cave and, seeing the sorry state of his comrades, grinned brightly and gave them a thumbs-up.
"Yosh! Looks like I win this round! Now it's my turn to protect you two—so sit back and witness the power of youth!"
"Oi, oi… not the time for speeches like that…"
Kakashi groaned and rubbed his temple, still feeling woozy. "What we need to do now is gather all our intel and send it back to the village. And then get the hell out of here."
He was completely exhausted. Using the Mangekyō Sharingan for the first time had left him drained—it felt like his chakra had been siphoned out, leaving him nauseous and cold.
Thankfully, he could shut the eye's power off. Otherwise, he wasn't sure how much longer he could've lasted.
Still, a sigh escaped his lips. "Damn… I couldn't stop Obito."
"There was nothing you could do, Kakashi-sensei," Gen responded quietly, fatigue thick in his voice. "That guy's space-time jutsu is just too slippery. Under those circumstances, I doubt anyone could've held him down."
"He's right, Kakashi," Guy nodded in agreement. But then, his eyes shifted to Gen. "Still, Gen—you were incredible out there. If you hadn't made such a huge impact, we'd probably still be stuck in battle."
"Heh… just lucky, I guess…" Gen gave an awkward chuckle, but Guy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Your energy back there… was off. If I hadn't dodged in time, I might've been caught in the blast myself."
"The guy I was fighting got torn apart by your shockwave. Scary stuff. But it was thanks to that attack that Uchiha Obito had no choice but to retreat and save his comrade."
"I got hit by the shockwave too," Kakashi added, narrowing his eyes at Gen. "Seriously, what was that?"
"Eight Gates."
Before Gen could respond, Guy stepped forward—his expression serious. "You must've opened some of the Eight Gates… maybe even added something else on top. Am I right, Gen?"
Kakashi's brows furrowed too, joining Guy in a concerned stare. Gen rubbed his neck, clearly flustered. But thankfully, Guy's guess aligned with the excuse he'd prepared.
"Something like that," he nodded. "The guy I fought had multiple hearts. He used a secret technique to turn each one into a fighting monster—and every one of them had a unique chakra nature."
"He also figured out I could use the Flying Thunder God, so he was on guard the whole time. His taijutsu and ninjutsu were both strong, so I had no choice but to go all out. Since he didn't have intel on my Eight Gates… I took the risk."
"Multiple hearts… turned into fighting creatures through secret techniques?" Guy stroked his chin again, and Kakashi frowned deeply.
"That kind of enemy is dangerously tricky. But you can't be reckless either—the Eight Gates scramble your entire chakra system. Using them without caution could ruin your body."
"Exactly."
Guy sighed heavily, but his eyes remained stern as he looked Gen in the face. "You were lucky this time. But the Eight Gates… are not something you gamble with, understand?"
The two older shinobi both spoke with the concern of mentors—though neither seemed entirely surprised by Gen's explosive potential.
Over the years, they'd all experienced enough to become somewhat numb to certain things.
After all...
A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Obito had once orchestrated the Nine-Tails Incident, killing the Fourth Hokage and his wife in the process...
A similarly aged Uchiha Itachi had massacred his entire clan and even taken down Kakashi in an instant...
So, even though Kitagawa Gen was just a civilian-born ninja, his Purple Lightning and Flying Thunder God Technique made it clear—he was no ordinary shinobi.
Especially when compared to the legendary Minato Namikaze, who during the Third Great Ninja War had wiped out fifty Iwa-nin in an instant—regardless of whether they were jōnin or genin. The difference meant nothing. They all fell just the same.
Considering that Gen's opponent had no full intel on him, a sneak attack was more than viable...
"I understand. I'll be more careful with it in the future."
Gen nodded seriously. He truly meant it.
The Eight Gates Technique… yes, it was powerful. But also... not too powerful.
As an Ōtsutsuki, he was something of a "cheat character" in terms of chakra control and bloodline. So he could handle the initial chakra turbulence.
But as he opened more gates, his control began to slip. The moment he opened the Sixth Gate, it was like—"Genshin Impact has launched!"
For a moment, his blood felt like it was boiling, his chakra became wild and chaotic—but at the same time, he felt invincible.
"Still… the aftermath is no joke."
That burning power wasn't truly his—and once it passed, what remained was an overwhelming emptiness and exhaustion.
Luckily, he had integrated White Zetsu's cells, which had drastically improved his body's regenerative capabilities.
Otherwise, he might not even be able to stand right now. As it was, the fatigue would pass in a few days with proper rest.
"This technique shouldn't be used lightly… only when there's no other option. So…"
He needed something more stable—something powerful but less taxing.
"Sage Mode..."
Naturally, his thoughts turned to the Senjutsu he had obtained long ago but never fully mastered. A method of power that didn't squeeze out his future for short-term gain.
"And when Sage Mode is activated… doesn't the user's eyes change color too?"
He recalled Naruto's Sage Mode—his blue eyes had turned golden.
So if his eyes turned from black to white, wouldn't that be... perfectly reasonable?
"Let's hope he actually listened this time…"
Kakashi tilted his head as he looked at Gen, but eventually shook it and sighed. He decided it might be best to have Jiraiya help talk some sense into the kid.
"Anyway, let's drop it. At least I got a better understanding of Obito's abilities this time. What about you, Guy? Any intel from your side?"
"Me? Hmm… honestly, it wasn't too bad."
Guy was also thinking about how he'd lecture Gen later, but he took a moment to reflect seriously.
"The guy I faced had decent taijutsu, but in terms of ninjutsu, he didn't really show anything. However…"
That single "however" pulled both Kakashi and Gen's attention straight to him. Especially Gen—he had used the Eight Gates partly out of concern that Guy might run into real trouble.
Yet somehow, Guy was the one who came out looking the least injured!
He couldn't help but wonder—how the hell did Guy pull that off?
"However… that guy's secret technique was incredibly strong."
Secret technique?
Gen's eyes widened—did Hidan seriously spill his secret by accident?!
"His regeneration is insane. No matter how many bones I broke, he healed right back."
"...?"
"Also… his fighting style was the exact opposite of youthful! He poisoned his weapons! Tried to kill me with poison!"
"..."
"So the solution? Easy! Just dodge the weapon attacks, and when you get the chance—smash his head off!"
"....."
Gen stared at Guy, completely stunned. Wait… how did you get the result completely right… with the logic completely wrong? Or… was it the logic that was right and the result that was wrong? Something doesn't add up here…
At that moment, Gen's system suddenly flickered to life.
---
[Side Mission Complete]
[This Team Can't Go Without Me!]
[Objective: Travel to the Land of Hot Water and assist Kakashi and Might Guy.]
[Reward Being Calculated…]