Chapter 26 Completed (Seeking Follow-up Reads and Monthly Votes)

After watching Uchiha Nami leave, Genichi Kishita turned his gaze toward the corpses on the ground, mentally replaying the battle.

His performance had been flawless. If a Jonin hadn't been present, it would have been perfect.

"Even with their vision deprived, it was impossible to kill a Jonin."

"Yet, Master Sakumo did it in only two strikes."

"The gap is too vast, and it isn't just a matter of chakra levels."

Genichi couldn't help but ask himself: "Is my current chakra reserve insufficient to support becoming a Jonin?"

Not necessarily. His swordsmanship simply wasn't refined enough. If he possessed swordsmanship as exquisite as Sakumo Hatake’s, combined with the Darkness Technique, he could certainly secure a place among the Jonin. However, achieving that level of skill was no easy feat.

"I can barely even manage it; after all, the nature transformation of Water Release doesn't seem well-suited for swordsmanship..." Suddenly, Genichi raised an eyebrow. "Or perhaps that isn't necessarily true."

Sakumo Hatake walked the path of high attack speed; perhaps he could pursue the path of the heavy blade? The Hozuki clan possessed secret techniques that used Water Release to enhance physical strength.

Genichi pondered this carefully, then sighed. The road ahead was difficult.

"I'll leave the heavy blade path for later. I need to keep grinding my quick-draw techniques and work on my speed. I don't know Lightning Release, and even if I tried to train in it, it would be difficult to see results. It’s better to place my hope in the Nine Syllable Hand Seals."

"The Nine Syllable Hand Seals—perhaps this is my way out..." Genichi mused to himself.

Rumble!

A thunderous sound suddenly erupted from the distance. Genichi looked up to see fire soaring into the sky. Uchiha Nami had made his move.

Genichi braced himself. Five minutes—at most five minutes. If Nami didn't return by then, he would go to check on him. Fortunately, after only about three minutes, Genichi saw Nami leaping toward him.

He was injured! Genichi saw Nami’s left arm hanging limply at his side.

"You go first!" Genichi barked, his hands forming signs. "Water Release: Water Shockwave!"

Nami said nothing, flashing past Genichi. Once he had cleared the area, the water from the entire lake surged upward, crashing down like a tidal wave toward the pursuers. These pursuers included both ninja and samurai, but faced with the sheer force of Genichi draining an entire lake, they were forced to retreat.

Genichi did not withdraw immediately. Instead, he stepped onto the massive wave, riding the surging torrent forward.

*Snap!*

The water exploded, and Genichi launched himself into the air, drawing his blade. Under the moonlight, the blade’s glimmer was like a flash of silk; a ninja who had just dodged the water impact was sliced in two and fell.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

Riding the momentum of the water, Genichi killed three more before rapidly retreating. By the time the water subsided, the pursuers had all come to a halt. They were afraid. Besides, the Daimyo was already dead—was there really a point in continuing the chase? Shouldn't they be focusing on crowning a new Daimyo instead? The leaders exchanged glances, then gave a low command and led their men back.

On the other side, Genichi glanced back. Seeing that no one was following, he let out a sigh of relief. He swallowed a military ration pill, gritted his teeth, and quickened his pace to catch up with Nami.

"Let's perform emergency treatment first!" Genichi called out to stop Nami, then began bandaging his arm with practiced ease. He had taken a slash to the arm, but the wound wasn't too deep. After the emergency care, the two continued their retreat, though they changed their route to avoid the path Sakumo Hatake had taken, ensuring they wouldn't run into returning pursuers.

Despite the detour, the two arrived at the meeting point before Sakumo and reunited with Yan Yamanaka.

"Where is the Captain? Was the mission a success?" Yan asked anxiously.

Nami offered a faint smile. "The mission is complete. As for the Captain, he should be here soon."

"Get ready." Yan breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on the other end of the bridge. They had chosen this meeting point specifically so they could blow up the bridge to delay any pursuers.

Genichi didn't worry about Sakumo’s safety. He reached out to unwrap the bandages on Nami’s left arm and began using the Mystical Palm Technique to heal him.

Yan turned back. "How is the injury?"

"Not serious," Nami replied.

Genichi added, "My chakra is running low. For now, I can only stop the bleeding and heal part of the wound; I can't fully cure it."

Nami replied nonchalantly, "A scratch like this won't affect my combat ability."

*Stubborn,* Genichi thought. "Recover your chakra as soon as possible. There might be more fighting later."

Nami silently took a military ration pill. About five minutes later, Yan spoke softly: "He’s here!"

Genichi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them to see Sakumo sprinting toward them, with only three pursuers behind him. Seeing that Sakumo had already crossed more than halfway, Yan raised a single hand.

*Boom!*

The bridge on the other side collapsed, and the pursuers atop it were forced to retreat.

"Move!" Sakumo’s figure didn't pause. Genichi and the others immediately leaped to follow.

At the other end of the bridge, the three Sand ninja watched the four leaf ninja depart, deciding not to pursue further. Their expressions were grim. Once they realized they had been dealing with a shadow clone of Sakumo Hatake, they knew it was already too late.

"Captain, are we not going to pursue?" one Sand ninja asked, unwilling to give up.

Ryosugi, the captain, shook his head. "That is the White Fang of the Leaf. There is no way to take them down." He was frustrated too, but what else could they do?

...

On the other side, once they were certain no enemies were following, Sakumo ordered a halt by a river to rest. Genichi sat down, feeling as though he couldn't move another muscle.

Sakumo removed his mask and smiled. "Genichi and Nami, you both did very well on this mission."

Nami grinned, his vanity greatly satisfied. After all, he was the one who had killed the Daimyo!

Genichi removed his mask and responded with his habitual modesty: "It was because you, Master, drew the enemy's attention, and Nami took care of the target. And without Yan’s support, we wouldn't have been able to shake off the enemies so easily." Credit, he knew, was never just for one person.

Sakumo smiled. "I will report your performance accurately to the Hokage. Nami, how is your injury?"

Nami lifted his arm. "With Genichi’s treatment, it’s nothing major."

Sakumo nodded. "Then we’ll rest for an hour before continuing. We’ll get a proper rest once we enter the Land of Fire."

Genichi and the others had no objections. They were still in the Land of Rivers, and danger remained. If the Sand ninja managed to catch up, it would be troublesome. After resting for an hour, the four set off again, crossing the border in one go and only stopping once they were inside the Land of Fire. By then, it was already dawn.

Genichi leaned against a tree trunk, eyes drooping. "This should have changed the original plot..." Though personality often dictates fate, as long as Sakumo’s character and principles remained unchanged, a situation where he prioritized comrades over missions might eventually arise again. But at least for the short term, Sakumo would not commit suicide.

"I’ll be able to learn more, too."

"Still, it feels a bit too calculating..." With that thought, Genichi drifted into a deep sleep.