Chapter 89: Seizing Samehada
The morning's dense fog had not yet dispersed, making the Village Hidden in the Mist appear indistinct and adding to its mysterious atmosphere. Genichi, however, led Ina at a leisurely pace, strolling into the village as if they owned the place. As for the gate guards, under the influence of a Sharingan genjutsu, they simply ignored the two of them.
After entering the village and walking a considerable distance, the initial tranquility suddenly vanished, replaced by a bustling atmosphere. There were children chasing each other and playing, people shouting and selling their wares, ninja coming and going in a hurry, and long lines of people in front of shops.
The liveliness here was no less than that of Konoha, which instantly changed Genichi's stereotypical impression of the Mist Village. After all, this place was known as the "Village of the Bloody Mist."
The era of the Bloody Mist did not begin with the Fourth Mizukage, but with the Third. It was Momochi Zabuza who killed all of his fellow students, leaving only himself, which led to a change in the graduation exam rules of the Mist Village. And his age was comparable to Genichi's. However, Genichi couldn't remember at what age Zabuza had graduated.
"Ina, come on, let's get some breakfast first!"
Genichi led Ina into a dango shop. The dango here was mainly seafood-based, very different from what his family sold. The two of them sat down in the shop and ate, while secretly observing the goings-on inside. At this time, quite a few Mist ninja were eating breakfast in the shop.
"That kid who graduated this year is too ruthless. He actually killed everyone else who took the exam!"
"What? It seems a very formidable brat has appeared!"
"What's his name?"
"Momochi Zabuza. He's a tough character!"
"I hear that because of him, Lord Third is considering reforming the graduation exam."
...
Listening to the discussion of the few Mist ninja not far away, Genichi's eyebrows couldn't help but raise slightly. Momochi Zabuza, huh! By the way, shouldn't the future Fifth Mizukage, Terumī Mei, be about the same age? It seems he graduated early.
After finishing breakfast, the two left the shop.
Ina couldn't help but ask, "Why would a graduation exam require killing all the other students?"
"That's too cruel!"
Genichi smiled. "Because the method of the graduation exam is to have the students participating kill each other."
"This is one of the origins of the name 'Bloody Mist'."
Ina frowned, unable to agree with this method. But Genichi understood that the ninja trained in this way—survival of the fittest, cold-blooded and ruthless—were true killing machines, excellent tools.
Konoha also had a similar way of training ninja: the Root organization, led by Danzō. That guy liked to collect war orphans and subject them to similar training, carefully selecting the best and teaching them Konoha's secret techniques to cultivate extremely outstanding Root ninja. The ninja cultivated in this model were pure mission machines, lacking in emotion, who would stop at nothing to complete a mission.
As for the right or wrong of this training method, Genichi made no judgment. Because right and wrong were never set in stone, but depended on one's position. Your position determines your mindset, and your mindset determines right and wrong. As for morality... similarly, it exists when you need it and doesn't when you don't.
Did Hiruzen have morals? In the eyes of the students at the Ninja Academy, he was a kind and amiable Third Hokage. However, it was impossible for him not to know that Danzō was using war orphans for cruel training.
A person's bottom line is always flexible. And people are always prone to double standards. Genichi himself was no exception. He was by no means a good person in the traditional sense. Because to be a good person... you need strength!
Walking through one street after another, Genichi led Ina to sample the various delicacies of the Mist Village. But at the same time, he committed every road he walked to memory.
After wandering for a whole morning, Genichi finally found an inn for him and Ina to stay in. There were also merchants coming and going in the Mist Village, so naturally, there were inns. However, Genichi was also well aware that if anything happened, he and Ina would be exposed very quickly. He would absolutely not underestimate the Village Hidden in the Mist, one of the five great ninja villages. This was also why he had made thorough preparations before entering the village. He was not here to seek death.
They first stayed at the inn. In the afternoon, they continued to wander through the bustling streets of the Mist Village, either tasting food or sightseeing. But in reality, Genichi was also paying attention to every Mist ninja he saw, selecting his target.
Three days passed in a flash.
Late at night, Genichi went out alone, moving stealthily in the darkness, and finally arrived at the home of a Mist Chunin. This person's name was Sanshō. He had no parents, was single, had a relatively taciturn personality, and not many friends. And his strength was just right for Genichi's purpose—not too high, not too low. If it were a Jonin, the difficulty of impersonating him would be a bit high. A Chunin was just right.
While his target was asleep, Genichi slipped into the bedroom and directly used the Temporary Paralysis Technique (Kanashibari no Jutsu) to control his body. The deeply sleeping Sanshō was startled awake. He opened his eyes and was immediately met with Genichi's three-tomoe Sharingan. His gaze instantly became dull.
After hypnotizing him with genjutsu, Genichi began to extract information. What he liked to eat, what he didn't like to eat, what ninjutsu he was good at... all the most basic information.
After squeezing out all the information, Genichi finished off Sanshō and then transformed into him. As for the body, it was directly sealed into a sealing scroll.
Leaving his real body behind, Genichi sent out a shadow clone to return to the inn. The very next morning, the clone left the Mist Village with Ina, joining a merchant caravan. From then on, Ina would be at a port town in the northern part of the Land of Water, acting as his support, while Genichi, from this day forward, became the Mist Chunin Sanshō, an unremarkable chunin among many.
His goal was not the intelligence of the Mist Village, but the wielder of the greatsword Samehada among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Suikazan Fuguki.
However, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were a creation of the Mizukage, specifically for carrying out high-difficulty missions. An unremarkable chunin would basically have no interaction with them. But, being in the same village, even through hearsay, it was still possible to get some information. For example, where Suikazan Fuguki lived.
For Genichi, once he had this piece of information, the rest would be relatively simple. He could either make a move within the Mist Village, or when Fuguki was out on a mission. To make a move within the village, he would have to ensure that the battle was over in an extremely short amount of time. And to make a move when he was on a mission, he would have to simultaneously face Fuguki's comrades, or rather, his subordinates.
Fortunately, after a few days of living as a Mist ninja, Genichi confirmed that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen did not always go out as a full group of seven. They each had their own squads. Only for a few extremely high-difficulty missions would it be possible for all seven of them to be dispatched at the same time. This greatly reduced the difficulty. After all, each of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was at least at the Jonin level. Facing one was completely different from facing seven at the same time.
As for why he had to risk stealing Samehada, after all, Genichi's chakra capacity was already very large now, especially after obtaining the horn of the Eight-Tails. Under normal circumstances, he would basically not run out of chakra. But this did not mean that the greatsword Samehada was useless. The reason Kisame could single-handedly take on the jinchuriki of the Four-Tails and the Eight-Tails was largely due to Samehada.
Samehada could plunder the enemy's chakra and convert it into stamina for the wielder. Before, Genichi had wanted Samehada because of his chakra capacity. But now, it was because he had died at the hands of the A-B Combo in his last future overdraft. Against a jinchuriki, Samehada could be said to be a powerful weapon.
Although there was a possibility of Samehada betraying him, at least against the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Genichi was confident that Samehada would not betray him, since he also had the chakra of the Eight-Tails. If he really couldn't obtain it, Genichi wouldn't force it. Anyway, he had already prepared a way out.
About half a month passed in a flash. Genichi had still not been exposed. Although he had not found an opportunity, he had become more and more familiar with the Mist Village.
This village was completely different from Konoha. In Konoha, even the great clans like the Uchiha and the Hyuga lived clustered together within the village. But in the Mist Village, many of the kekkei genkai clans had their own villages. Or rather, they lived in their own communities outside the Mist Village. It gave off a feeling of them obeying orders but not summons.
And among these kekkei genkai clans, the main ones were the Kaguya and the Yuki clans. The Kaguya clan's Dead Bone Pulse (Shikotsumyaku), and the Yuki clan's Ice Release (Hyōton). Especially the Kaguya clan, who revered combat and slaughter, and even took pleasure in it. They were the most disobedient to the orders from the Mizukage's office.
Of course, the Mist Village was not just these clans. The Hōzuki clan was also renowned. The Second Mizukage came from the Hōzuki clan, and the Hydrification Secret Technique (Suika no Hijutsu) was his trademark. But this was not a kekkei genkai.
Of course, the kekkei genkai of the Mist Village were not just the Dead Bone Pulse and Ice Release. There was also Dark Release (Meiton). The Mist Jonin Chūkichi was also a famous sensory ninja.
During this time, Genichi keenly felt that the internal division in the Mist Village was also very serious and very obvious. There were also conflicts within Konoha, but at least for now, the Uchiha clan and Konoha were still on good terms. But in the Mist Village now, many ninja were already implicitly ostracizing the kekkei genkai ninja, especially the Kaguya clan.
And it seemed that the situation of the Third Mizukage was not very good. It probably wouldn't be long before the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, took power.
A few more days passed. Genichi's clone, which was watching the Mizukage's office, sent back a memory: Suikazan Fuguki was leaving on a mission.
He immediately set out. After Fuguki and his team had left the village, he also left, and then followed them from a great distance. With his sensory ninjutsu, Heavenly Water, Boundless (Tensui Mukai), even from a great distance, Genichi was not afraid of losing them.
Just like that, the two sides, one in front and one behind, moved far away from the Mist Village. Genichi followed them for half a day. After confirming that they were far enough from the village, he immediately sped up.
...
"Captain, there's someone following us!" one of Suikazan Fuguki's subordinates suddenly said. He was not a sensory ninja, but his hearing was naturally sharp. He had already detected someone moving quickly behind them.
Fuguki didn't even turn his head. He said faintly, "Stay on alert!" He didn't think there was any danger. Perhaps the Mizukage had new orders. Or perhaps it was another squad from the village on a mission.
Soon, Genichi caught up. At this moment, he was not in the guise of the Mist Chunin Sanshō, but was wearing the mask of a Mist Anbu member, also impersonating one.
When he was only a few dozen meters away from Fuguki's squad of four, Genichi shouted, "The Third Mizukage has new orders!"
The four of them immediately stopped and turned to face Genichi. Genichi slowed down and walked towards them.
But Fuguki suddenly shouted coldly, "You're not an Anbu sent by Lord Third!"
"Kill him!"
As the shout fell, Fuguki's figure immediately leaped backward. His three subordinates were first taken aback, then they executed his order without hesitation, either forming hand seals or drawing their blades.
"What sharp intuition!" Genichi secretly marveled at Fuguki's instincts, but his own movements were not slow at all.
His Sharingan opened. Temporary Paralysis Technique (Kanashibari no Jutsu), Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (Genjutsu: Kokuangyō no Jutsu), Silent World (Jakujō no Kai)!
He unleashed three genjutsu in a row.
The three Mist ninja were first bound. Although two of them forcefully broke free from the genjutsu in just a second, they were immediately plunged into darkness, and then they lost their sense of hearing as well.
The Silent World jutsu was being used by Genichi for the first time in a real battle.
Having lost their sight and hearing, the two Mist ninja who had broken free from the paralysis instinctively leaped into the air. However, the charging Genichi opened his mouth and spat out a high-pressure jet of water. He swept it horizontally, and the three bodies fell from the air.
He then threw a punch, sending the other paralyzed Mist ninja flying. At that exact moment, Fuguki's ninjutsu activated. His hardened hair turned into a dense barrage of senbon that shot towards him. But Genichi used the body of the ninja he had just punched as a shield to block them.
Slap!
Clapping his hands together, Genichi opened his mouth and the Water Severing Wave (Suiton: Suidanha) appeared again, piercing through the flying Mist ninja and heading straight for Fuguki behind him.
The towering Suikazan Fuguki immediately drew the Samehada from his back and, with a downward slash, collided with the high-pressure water jet.
Boom!
The water jet exploded, and the bandages wrapped around Samehada also burst into pieces.
And at that very moment, Genichi's Sharingan met Suikazan Fuguki's eyes.
"The Sharingan! You're..."
Fuguki sensed that something was wrong and was about to close his eyes, but his vision had already gone dark, and his hearing was lost immediately after. Less than a second later, his body was also immobilized.
"Damn it, the Uchiha clan of Konoha!" Fuguki was shocked and angry.
And in just a moment, his body regained its freedom, but his right palm, which was holding Samehada, was covered in blood. However, he still held onto Samehada, and a stream of chakra flowed from the sword into his body. The genjutsu was dispelled, and his sight and hearing were also instantly restored.
"Die!"
Watching the enemy who had charged right in front of him and was about to swing his blade to finish him off, Fuguki suddenly exploded with power, the greatsword Samehada in his hand slashing upwards with terrifying force. It first knocked away Genichi's ninja blade, then slashed into his body, and then suddenly changed its upward momentum, strangely pulling back.
Rip!
Clothes were torn, and blood flew. Genichi was sent flying, but in mid-air, his body suddenly exploded into a mass of water with a poof and fell with a splash.
"A water clone!" Fuguki was shocked. He immediately turned around, his sword also instantly cutting out horizontally.
Clang!
Metal clashed against metal, and sparks flew. Genichi blocked the blow with his ninja blade.
At this moment, Fuguki's hair hardened and shot out, piercing through Genichi's body.
Sploosh!
Genichi's body once again turned into a stream of water and scattered.
"Another water clone... that's not right!" Fuguki realized something was wrong. "Genjutsu!"
Spurt!
A sharp pain came from his chest. Fuguki looked down and found that there was now a bloody hole where his heart was. And the scene around him was fluctuating and distorting, then collapsing.
Suikazan Fuguki's tall body stood propped up by his sword. He looked at the masked Genichi in front of him. "Who... are you?"
Genichi did not answer. He picked up the ninja blade belonging to a Mist ninja from the ground, then swung it down, cutting off Fuguki's head.
The Mist Jonin, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the master of the greatsword Samehada, was dead!
(End of Chapter)
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