Chapter 48
If there were one thing Genma liked about this place, it would be the ice cream. He didn't know why or how they were making it, but the popsicle was a gift from heaven on such a hot day in June. It was the only thing that made this stakeout mission possible for him. For days now, he had been on lookout duty, and the days only got drier and hotter.
But it was the mission that was getting on his nerves. Sure, if he were unlucky, he could encounter two S-rank shinobi who would likely kill him, but it was only a twenty percent chance since there were five major roads leading to Kusa. And they probably wouldn't even take a road. So, in the end, he didn't think he had anything to worry about.
Yet the boredom was killing him. It wasn't entirely the mission or his new role as the literal caretaker for Kusa that made him feel this way. He realized that he just didn't have it in him to continue this kind of work. He was too young to retire, and he didn't know anything else he could do, but after the Fourth's death, he lost his purpose.
The Fourth had thought too highly of him and chose him as one of his guards. He failed miserably at that, and with the Fourth's death, he felt nothing but numbness. Missions became pointless errands to him. Find someone, kill someone, protect someone, retrieve something, find information about something. It didn't matter what he did; ultimately, it felt pointless.
At this point, a mission to fetch eggs was as significant to him as assassinating a Daimyo. He didn't know why; he just couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't like the missions were easy; each posed a challenge or two, and with the tiniest mistake, he could be killed at any moment. Yet, none of it stirred anything within him. He just went through the motions he had practiced thousands of times over the years, like a cloud drifting through the sky.
"Damn, maybe I should try writing some poetry?" Genma thought out loud. "Nah, who would even want to read it when even I am not that interested in it?"
There was something deeply wrong with him. But he couldn't find the motivation to understand it. He guessed that in the end, he would just drift along, completing missions until he finally made a mistake, leading to his demise. That's why he took missions nonstop. Even stationed here, he took the missions that should have been given to Konoha.
Of course, to no one's surprise, Kusa wasn't very happy to delegate most missions above B-rank to Konoha shinobi, but it was their fault for being too weak to handle them. Still, they should be grateful that since they started outsourcing their missions, their village's success rate has skyrocketed. By that statistic, they ranked among the best villages around. So, they had nothing to complain about.
"Maybe I should help Ebisu more?" Genma wondered, feeling a bit bad for his teammate and old friend. "Nah, that bastard did everything by the book; he couldn't let me interfere or I might mess something up."
Genma was quite surprised by how keen the Third's eye was. He was sure that no one, not even their old sensei, was aware of Ebisu's talent for bureaucracy. Without Ebisu, by the book, tactics, Kusa would probably have found many loopholes and reasons to disregard the contract they had with Konoha. Then Genma would have to enforce them, which he didn't find appealing.
"I guess it is my lucky day after all," Genma said as he rolled and dropped from the tree he had been lying in.
He looked at two very suspicious individuals casually walking down the road before him. They were dressed in black coats with red clouds and straw hats that cast shadows over their faces. It was far too hot to be dressed that way. One was a massive guy with an excessively large weapon wrapped in bandages on his back, while the other was a hunched, monstrous humanoid. They were indeed suspicious.
"Why would you say that?" The distorted and mechanical voice came from the smaller guy. "Since you're from Konoha, I guess you should know you're going to die, right?"
"Unlike my friends, I'm not very good at anything else but killing," Genma replied. "So, I'm lucky you came down this road and not one of the others."
"Funny," the big guy said. "I could say the same about myself."
"Somehow, I don't think you have any friends, though." Genma drew his kunai as a plan of attack instantly formed in his mind. "I'm getting the feeling you're not here to make friends either. So, I welcome you to turn around and leave."
"You would be right to think so," the little guy replied. "We are not the friendly bunch, but if you can prove yourself useful, you might find some companionship with me."
"That sounds rather horrible," Genma said. "I would prefer if you just killed me quickly."
Genma threw the kunai, and just as it was about to pierce through the big guy's eyes, he caught it between his fingers. What a showoff, flexing his speed like that. It made Genma a bit nervous, especially when the big guy decided to showcase his strength too by snapping the kunai in two with his fingers. But that didn't matter as the paper tag tied to the kunai exploded into purple smoke that rose into the air.
"Smoke? And I thought this would be an explosive tag." The big guy smiled viciously, pleased by what he had witnessed. "I guess I can play with you while we wait for your friends. Don't die too quickly."
Scary bastard- he had no concern for who might be waiting for him. He knew that with Genma here, Konoha was aware of his presence in these parts, but he didn't care and even relished the idea of facing more opponents. And this monster was supposed to be the same age as him. That's why Genma was considering an early retirement.
"Like I have said," Genma smiled back, though, "I am not good at anything else but killing. Dying is included in that."
Before he made his first move, Genma vanished in a flurry of leaves and appeared behind the big guy, a kunai aimed at his neck. What tough skin it was to pierce; it surely wasn't human. But it mattered little as he threw another kunai, this time with an explosive tag, at the little guy and kicked off the big guy's back to create distance.
As the explosion erupted, Genma quickly maneuvered, noticing the air shifting within the smoke. A stinger attached to a mechanical tail whizzed perilously close to Genma's face as he dodged the attack. It was quite an unsightly thing; it surely would hurt to be pierced by something like that.
"Where are you running off to?" A hand seized Genma's throat before he could even realize it.
The kunai still protruded from the big guy's neck, yet it didn't seem to have affected him at all. And the grip on Genma's throat was quite tight. He would be the first to admit to anyone who asked that he wasn't particularly strong. After all, Genma came from a generation that included Kakashi and Asuma, not to mention that beast Might Guy. Compared to them, he was nothing special.
So, to this day, he could not fathom why the Fourth Hokage chose him as his guard and even wasted his time teaching him. As much as he didn't care about dying right now, he thought it would be quite a shame to meet the Fourth so soon. He didn't want to see that disappointed look. That's why Genma matched the smile of the big guy's and twisted his body, kicking the kunai deeper into his neck.
"What kind of monster are you supposed to be?" Genma asked as the big guy reacted this time to the wound and let Genma go.
But seriously, no matter how he looked, he couldn't understand how someone could survive that injury and simply pull the kunai out like it was nothing. He just rubbed the wound, and it appeared fine afterward. Genma would need something much bigger for that guy to feel anything at all.
"I like your eyes."
"I don't swing that way."
Genma shouldn't have replied to that comment, as it gave the little guy the chance to strike with his tail again. There was no time to dodge it, so it was a good thing he already had drawn two more kunai, which he used to block the stinger. But the force alone broke the kunai and sent him flying into a nearby tree.
"Did you kill him?" Genma heard the big guy's voice.
"No, he blocked the attack; he is only pretending."
"Nah," Genma replied. "I just got bored and decided to take a nap. After all, I wouldn't want to get in their way. Those guys are quite scary, even to me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, have you not noticed?" Genma asked, sitting up with a relaxed smile. "You've already been surrounded. After all, you expected them, right? My job was to signal them to come here and wait for them. Now that I'm done with my job, I think I'll take a nap while they finish the rest."
"Oh, finally it got good." Kisame took out his weapon. "Come, I'll have a taste of you all; it's been so long after all since I killed you tree-hugging hypocrites."
"He is lying," the little guy said after a long moment of silence stretched out. "They are still not here."
"Well, you got me," Genma chuckled as he rolled out of the big guy's weapon's way.
The ground trembled under the attack as Genma tried to create some distance, but that damn stinger instantly stopped him. Now, he was caught between the two. If only they were girls, and pretty at that, too. And not some monstrous humanoids. There was no romance in the air with these two.
"I'm getting tired of you," the little one said. "And I no longer consider you worthy of my collection."
Genma didn't even have time to shoot a sarcastic reply before he was engulfed in a torrent of flame. Well, a log was, as he was on top of a tree at that moment. He really wished they hadn't noticed it, but the big guy followed his movements, and a torrent of water was flying straight at him. This time, he could only trust gravity to get him out of the way. As much as he liked the old trusty log, it was now nothing but ashes.
Too bad gravity wasn't his friend. In the air, it was impossible to move out of the way when a stinger flew for his head. With his only friend gone, he had no choice but to face the attack head-on. Being a student of Choza Akimichi, one must learn to strengthen one's jaw to eat one's food, as none of it can go to waste. And Ebisu wasn't a big eater.
"I stand corrected," the little guy said as he saw Genma catch the stinger with his teeth. "I think I will take you into my collection, after all."
Genma would have said he didn't think that kind of relationship would work out with him if he weren't giving his all, holding the stinger in place while taking out an explosive tag and attaching it at the end of it. There was no other way to get rid of it, as it still pushed forward, and if Genma relaxed even for a moment, his head would be split wide open. So, he would rather take an explosive tag to his face and get rid of the stinger.
It was a good thing he didn't have to, as a newcomer came to save him by kicking the stinger out of the way and caught Genma before moving away from the explosion. Ebisu surely knew how to make an entrance. Genma was thankful for that; even though he could take an explosive tag to the face, it would undoubtedly hurt like hell.
"Sorry, I was late," Ebisu said, but Genma could tell from his uneven breathing that he had rushed as fast as possible.
"You arrived just in time," Genma replied.
"Any idea what those monsters are?" Ebisu asked, glancing at their opponents.
"The big fish over here is one of the Seven Swordsmen."
"Yeah, I remember that sword on his back; it might be a bit problematic to deal with."
"You're telling me," Genma replied with a chuckle. "I couldn't handle him when he hadn't even drawn his sword. As much as I appreciate you saving my face, it seems you arrived just in time to die."
"Well, if they want to deal with the two of us, they'll have to get serious, after all."
Ebisu liked to act cool from time to time. He probably would never grow out of it, but that was one of the reasons Genma liked him, so he let it go. If he was going to die, he couldn't have a better friend to do it with than Ebisu. If it were Guy, that beast would take it seriously and would need to have every bone broken before even considering that he might die. That wasn't the vibe Genma wanted in his last moments.
A.N. You are probably wondering why there was no chapter last week and why this one is posted today rather than on Sunday like usual. Well, I hate summer, and I am never getting out again, that's why. Just on the day, a few that we have in my country, which was beautiful and sunny, I decided to work on my parents' yard. I forgot sunscreen and did not want to dirty my shirt, so I got a horrible sunburn on my whole back. I thought it would end with a few days of pain, but now in the second week, I still get a horrible itch on my back, unable to sleep or concentrate.
So yeah, I'm never getting out anymore. Still, I have an appointment tomorrow with the clinic to check if there is any more damage to my skin so that I will be gone tomorrow. Again, sorry for the delay. And I hate summer.
As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.