Chapter 85: The Hōzuki Clan
The Mist ninja were shocked, but at that moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was overjoyed. "It's Genichi!" He possessed sensory ninjutsu, so he could clearly remember Genichi's chakra. And he was even more clear on Genichi's strength. With Genichi here, escaping would not be so difficult.
Shinnosuke watched his surroundings vigilantly. Inside the Hidden Mist Technique (Kirigakure no Jutsu), sensory perception was nullified, vision was almost useless, and the role of one's ears became paramount. The best choice was to remain still and react to changes. The reason the Mist Village's Silent Killing (Musshō Satsujin Jutsu) was so famous was that under the cover of the Hidden Mist, it was as if the opponent had lost their chakra perception, vision, and hearing.
Although vision and hearing weren't completely taken away, in such an environment, it could still create a powerful advantage. In a life-or-death battle, the slightest advantage was enough to change the outcome, let alone attacking on three fronts.
Fortunately, the one casting this jutsu now was not an enemy, but a comrade!
On the other side, before he had even landed on the water's surface, Genichi formed another hand seal.
Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death (Genjutsu: Nehan Shōja no Jutsu)!
His targets were the school of sea creatures underwater. He put them all to sleep at once. One by one, the various sea creatures immediately fell into a slumber and began to sink. And below, the Mist ninja who had seen his Water Dragon Bullet Technique (Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu) get blown apart by a single punch and was then blinded by the Hidden Mist, did not move recklessly, even as the torrent of water crashed down from above. Instead, he drew his ninja blade and stood on guard. He adjusted his breathing, preparing to use the Silent Killing technique, although he was not very proficient in it.
He had also noticed the movement of the many summoning animals; because these sea creatures were summoning animals, as they fell asleep and sank, the summoning would naturally be released and they would disappear.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered in the corner of the Cloud ninja's vision. He raised his left wrist, and a shuriken had already been fired.
It missed!
At that moment, a faint sound came from behind him. But just as he was about to turn, he found that his body could no longer move.
"Genjutsu!" The Mist ninja's expression changed. A gust of wind blew the hair at his temples, and then he couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Shar..."
Their eyes met. The Mist ninja couldn't control himself. His eyelids felt abnormally heavy and slowly drooped.
Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death (Genjutsu: Nehan Shōja no Jutsu)!
Powerful hypnosis!
However, as a Jonin, his spiritual will was firm. His body trembled and struggled, and his drooping eyelids kept twitching, as if he would wake up at any moment. But he would not get the chance.
Genichi's right palm was covered in wind chakra. With a gentle swipe, the sharp edge of his hand sliced open the Mist ninja's neck.
Next was the next Mist ninja.
A clone to attract attention, the Temporary Paralysis Technique (Kanashibari no Jutsu) to immobilize, the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (Genjutsu: Kokuangyō no Jutsu) to steal their vision, the Tree Binding Death (Genjutsu: Nehan Shōja no Jutsu) to hypnotize, and then, a slit throat!
Executing this set of tactics, without even needing the Silent Killing technique, Genichi at this moment was like a god of death from hell.
By the time the Mist ninja on the two ships behind them had worked together to cast a larger-scale wind jutsu and finally dispersed the dense fog, there was not a single Mist ninja left standing on the surface of the sea.
On the ships, the faces of the remaining Mist ninja were incredibly grim. The reason they hadn't all ganged up on Shinnosuke and his team before wasn't because they were playing around or were stupid. It was because Shinnosuke had previously almost broken through their blockade to destroy their ships. That was why only one squad of four was responsible for the sea pursuit. They were in the rear, on one hand to prevent Shinnosuke and his team from going crazy and destroying their ships at all costs.
In this vast sea, even if a ninja could walk on water, it still consumed chakra. Even with sea creatures as summoning animals, it still consumed chakra. Therefore, taking turns to pursue them, not giving them any time to rest, was the optimal plan. They had never expected a powerful ally to appear halfway through, and one who happened to specialize in Water Release.
Swish! Swish!
Two figures appeared on Genichi's left and right.
Shinnosuke, on his left, kept his eyes on the Cloud ninja and asked, "Genichi, what are you doing here?"
Genichi smiled slightly. "I was nurturing my summoning animal and happened to be nearby trying my luck to find some sea summons when I sensed your chakra."
Shinnosuke was shocked. "You've mastered a sensory ninjutsu."
Genichi nodded. "I just finished developing it."
Shinnosuke opened his mouth, unable to hold back his admiration. "As expected of Genichi. You've developed another new jutsu."
Genichi smiled. "Please don't praise me, senpai. Let's deal with these guys first!"
The young man on his right said in a heavy voice, "Be careful of the guy in green on the right ship. He's from the Hōzuki clan."
"Two of our comrades died at his hands. If Shinnosuke wasn't also proficient in Lightning Release, we wouldn't have been able to stop this guy."
Shinnosuke looked a little ashamed. "I still can't compare to him." If he had been a little stronger, those two comrades wouldn't have died. And if they had abandoned this mission earlier, no one would have had to die. But this thought only flashed through his mind for a moment.
Listening to their words, Genichi's gaze fell on the man in green on the right ship. He looked to be in his thirties and wasn't carrying a sword. A pity, it seemed he was a ninjutsu-type ninja.
"Then leave him to me!" Genichi said.
Shinnosuke hesitated for a moment, then reminded him, "The Hōzuki clan's Hydrification Technique (Suika no Jutsu) grants them immunity to physical attacks."
"The only thing that can counter them is Lightning Release (Raiton). Have you mastered Lightning Release (Raiton), Genichi?" He knew Genichi's file. Besides Yin and Yang, his only innate nature transformation was Water. He had later mastered Wind, but he hadn't heard of any others.
"I haven't mastered Lightning Release (Raiton)," Genichi shook his head, then smiled. "Leave him to me, Shinnosuke-senpai. Let me see the Water Release of the Hōzuki clan."
"To be honest, I really want to take his body back for research."
"As for the Hydrification Technique (Suika no Jutsu), you don't necessarily have to use Lightning Release (Raiton)."
Shinnosuke looked at Genichi's confident side profile, then nodded. "Alright, he's yours. The rest are ours."
"Our chakra is not plentiful, but we can still hold on for a while."
"However, safety and the mission are paramount."
Genichi heard this and nodded. "Since that's the case, then I will be the main attacker and create an opportunity for you, senpai."
"You should know my specialty, right, senpai?"
Shinnosuke nodded. "Genjutsu, Water Release..."
The young man on the right, Feiyun, wanted to say something but held his tongue. He of course knew of Genichi, the disciple of the White Fang, the genius of Konoha, but wasn't he being a bit too arrogant? After all, he was only nine years old, although he didn't look like it. But he still didn't speak up. He trusted Shinnosuke, so now he had to trust Genichi as well. And once the battle began, he would trust him completely.
Genichi clapped his hands together and added, "And Sealing Techniques (Fūinjutsu)!"
As his voice fell, under the slightly shocked gaze of the young man, the surrounding seawater shot up into the sky. He then saw Genichi wave his hands forward, and the massive, surging column of water immediately became a terrifying wave, dozens of meters high, and swept towards the two Mist ninja ships.
And he saw that Genichi had created a clone, and he couldn't tell whether it was the real body or the clone that had merged into the rolling wave that was rushing forward.
"Go!" Genichi shouted softly, his figure following behind the terrifying wave, speeding across the surface of the water.
"As expected of the disciple of Konoha's White Fang!" the young ninja, Feiyun, exclaimed.
Shinnosuke smiled. "Feiyun, you're about to be even more shocked."
"Let's go!"
Shinnosuke rushed out, and the young ninja named Feiyun also immediately followed.
(End of Chapter)
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