Chapter 62: Feints and Deceptions
Genichi formed hand seals with both hands, once again using the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (Genjutsu: Kokuangyō no Jutsu).
The two charging Cloud ninja were instantly blinded, but they did not panic. Instead, they maintained their original attack, their ninja blades slashing towards Genichi.
Genichi leaped into a split, kicking away the incoming swords. After his figure landed, he immediately sprang up again. At the same time, his right hand drew his short sword, and he finished off the Cloud ninja on the right (Cloud Ninja C) with a single blow. He then twisted his body, his left hand drawing the long sword from his waist. With a clang, it collided with the ninja blade of the fire-style user, Cloud Ninja B.
After several more clashes, Genichi used his foot to kick up a large splash of water as a feint, then struck down his opponent, killing Cloud Ninja B.
By this time, the Cloud ninja on the left (Cloud Ninja A) had still not broken free from the Bringer-of-Darkness. Since Genichi had only targeted two people, the precision of the genjutsu was greatly increased. But the water vapor had now dissipated, and Genichi, having killed two people, immediately vanished from the spot.
The next moment, several bolts of lightning crashed down where he had been, sending water splashing everywhere. Four Cloud ninja quickly closed in, landing on the water's surface. Genichi once again marked them as A, B, C, and D.
The four of them split up. Cloud Ninja A rushed towards the still-blinded original Cloud Ninja A, while the other three surrounded Genichi.
Facing the assault of three ninja, Genichi was on the defensive. After a few exchanges, he was kicked away by Cloud Ninja C. Among the three, Cloud Ninja C was the strongest.
Genichi had only just stabilized his figure on the water when a bolt of lightning struck. This time, he truly couldn't avoid it. The lightning hit him precisely. His body went rigid, and the three Cloud ninja—B, C, and D—immediately moved in for the kill.
But before their ninja blades could descend, Genichi's body dissolved into water with a splash.
"A water clone!"
"He might be underwater!"
"Scatter!"
The three Cloud ninja immediately leaped up, retreating in three different directions while scanning the area, searching for Genichi's real body. But just as they launched themselves into the air, pillars of water shot out from beneath the surface.
"Aargh~"
Cloud Ninja B screamed as a water pillar pierced through his abdomen from behind. Caught in a blind spot, he had no time to react. The other two were not so easy to deal with. Cloud Ninja D only suffered a graze on his arm, while Cloud Ninja C completely avoided the sudden attack.
"He really is underwater!" The injured Cloud Ninja D immediately took several kunai with explosive tags attached from his tool pouch and threw them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Columns of water were blasted into the sky, along with billowing steam.
Cloud Ninja C, who had landed in a tree, took out a scroll and opened it. After unsealing it, a strange ninja tool appeared in his hand: four giant iron spikes connected by chains. With a series of plunks, the spikes entered the water and drove into the riverbed. The source of the four chains was in his hand.
The next moment, lightning sparked on his hand and then traveled down the chains into the water.
Lightning Release: Conduction (Raiton: Dōrai)!
Intense electricity bloomed on the iron spikes, radiating inwards and forming a zone dense with electrical current. However, there was no movement from underwater.
Not far away, the original Cloud Ninja A, who had just been freed from the Bringer-of-Darkness and had been observing the battle, suddenly sensed something. He turned his head slightly and saw the water begin to spin, forming a vortex.
"He's over here!" he shouted. The original Cloud Ninja A and his partner quickly retreated while forming hand seals.
The next moment, a torrent of water surged upwards at high speed, and a huge water dragon materialized, pouncing towards them. The original Cloud Ninja A used a fire jutsu, while his partner used a wind jutsu. The wind fanned the flames, and the fireball grew to be over ten meters thick, but it was still torn apart by the water dragon.
Rumble!
The water dragon slammed into the water's surface, sending up columns of water. The two Cloud ninja leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Cloud Ninja C and D circled around the water dragon but couldn't find Genichi.
"Not good!" The two of them sensed something was wrong. They turned around and sure enough, the original Cloud Ninja A, who had just landed on the water's surface, was being wrapped up by several streams of water and dragged under. Before his partner could try to rescue him, clouds of blood began to rise to the surface.
"Bastard!"
"Damn it!"
Another comrade was dead, leaving the remaining three Cloud ninja both shocked and furious.
"Get out of this body of water! We can't fight him here!" The three Cloud ninja didn't lose their heads. They gritted their teeth and retreated in the direction Namiichi and the others had fled, leaving the flooded area Genichi had created. They were at too much of a disadvantage fighting here. Seven of them had surrounded him, and instead, four of them had been killed, and one lightly injured. Among the four dead, one was a Jonin.
Two Jonin and five Chunin, yet the fight had turned out like this. How could they not be enraged?
However, after the three Cloud ninja withdrew from the water and stared at the area for a long time, everything remained calm.
"The one underwater just now... was another clone?"
The three Cloud ninja looked at each other, their faces all grim. They then vanished from their spots in unison. "After them, quickly!"
...
At the same time, Genichi's real body had already caught up with the Cloud ninja pursuing Namiichi and En.
There had been more than a dozen pursuing Cloud ninja initially. Although Genichi had intercepted all of them at the beginning, only seven had actually stayed behind to engage him. The others had quickly broken off from the battle to continue their pursuit.
And when Genichi had cast his first water jutsu, he had already swapped his real body with a water clone, while his real body hid within the jutsu itself. This move had already become a common tactic for him. The real body would hide in the water, waiting for an opportunity, while on the surface, a water clone did the fighting.
Later, after using the Water Shockwave to kill one person, Genichi had used the same trick again. Only this time, he used a Shadow Clone (Kage Bunshin), while his real body quietly left the battlefield and used the Transformation Jutsu (Henge no Jutsu) to disguise himself as the Cloud ninja who had used the chains to cast the lightning jutsu. From their brief exchange, Genichi had judged that this guy was a Jonin. Therefore, disguising himself as him was the choice least likely to arouse the suspicion of the other Cloud ninja.
"Yun, why are you alone?"
As Genichi approached, he was immediately discovered by the Cloud ninja ahead. One of them, a dark-skinned ninja, turned around and asked.
"That bastard's Water Release and genjutsu were too powerful. The others are already..." Genichi's face was full of grief and looked terrible. "These Konoha bastards... we have to kill all of them later!"
The other Cloud ninja were shocked to hear this. Seven against one, yet six had died.
"As expected of a Konoha genius, the disciple of the White Fang!"
"I wonder what the situation is like back in the town. They're facing the White Fang himself!"
"Even A couldn't get the upper hand against him!"
"Even if it is the White Fang, facing an assault from so many powerhouses, he surely has no path but death!"
One by one, the Cloud ninja spoke, their tones filled with anger and killing intent.
Genichi also chimed in occasionally. For the time being, he was not suspected, and he did not make a move immediately.
Before long, they could already see the figures of Namiichi and En up ahead.
They had caught up!
The nine Cloud ninja, plus Genichi, making ten, split into three groups. Three on the left and three on the right, for a pincer attack. The remaining three, along with Genichi, accelerated.
"En, you go first!" Namiichi stopped on a tree branch, then turned and drew his sword to meet the charging Cloud ninja.
En looked back, opened his mouth but said nothing, then gritted his teeth and continued to flee.
The three Cloud ninja on the left pounced towards Namiichi, while the three on the right did not stop, continuing to chase after En.
Genichi knew he couldn't wait any longer. Falling to the rear, he formed hand seals with both hands.
Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (Genjutsu: Kokuangyō no Jutsu)!
The moment he completed the seals and instantly deprived all the Cloud ninja of their vision, Genichi shouted out the name of the jutsu. This was for Namiichi to hear.
(End of Chapter)
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