"Clan leader…"
Three Tsugawa shinobi from different affiliations had temporarily formed a squad. One of them attempted to charge toward the central battlefield, aiming to support their clan leader, who was locked in fierce combat with the enemy.
However, the other two disagreed.
"We should prioritize rescuing our clan members. The enemy can be handled by the clan leader. We have to trust in his strength."
The other ninja immediately chimed in, "Exactly. Our first duty is to ensure the safety of our people. The entire village has become a battlefield. If we don't protect them, the non-combatant clan members will suffer catastrophic losses."
"We need to evacuate the civilians as quickly as possible."
To put it bluntly, a powerhouse like the clan leader could hold his own in both offense and defense. Delaying support for him likely wouldn't matter much. But for the civilians, a single second's delay could mean immediate death.
Though many viewed shinobi as cold-blooded killing machines, even they had blood kin they valued deeply.
With the clan's organization in disarray, these shinobi began relying on their own judgment to decide their actions.
In such moments, choosing to save one's own kin was an instinctive priority.
After a brief argument, the majority prevailed. They offered mental support to the clan leader fighting in the distance but chose to focus their efforts on aiding the "ordinary clan members."
The trio navigated the war-torn village, locating and shielding a group of civilians before escorting them toward the village's outskirts.
Naturally, while some shinobi opted to protect civilians, others remained determined to aid the clan leader.
But their efforts were hampered. For one, they were scattered and disorganized, unable to form a cohesive force. For another, even those who tried to reach the clan leader were obstructed.
Some, rushing toward the battlefield, were so focused on the clan leader's plight that they ignored their surroundings. Explosions rang out, and they were either killed or gravely injured.
Explosive tags. Thin, intricately woven steel wires formed a web-like trap, each thread rigged with tags that detonated on contact.
At some point, someone had laid an extensive network of traps around the area.
Only the glint of firelight reflecting off the wires in the darkness revealed their presence… Trap-setting was a specialty of Fuma Goro.
Yet the darkness concealed dangers far worse than traps—like a pair of Sharingan eyes.
And then…
"Elder… why…?"
Several shinobi froze, their faces unable to mask their shock.
Moments ago, they had witnessed the clan's last remaining elder ruthlessly cut down the final combat squad leader.
Given their understanding, it was unimaginable that a master like the elder could fall under an enemy's genjutsu. Their immediate assumption was that the elder was either a long-planted enemy spy or had betrayed the clan outright.
In the next instant, the blood-soaked, expressionless elder charged toward them.
Fear and chaos were twin siblings, and in this moment, they fed off each other, spiraling upward in a frenzy.
Genma was sent flying by a brutal slap, his body skimming across the water's surface before crashing into a nearby building with a thunderous boom.
Dust and debris billowed in the aftermath.
The searing pain in his chest and back nearly stole his breath, but instinctively, he activated "White Zetsu-ification" in his torso. The lingering pain vanished, and he regained control of his body in an instant.
But Tsugawa Taishi, whom Genma had kicked away, wasn't idle either. Landing on the water's surface, Taishi ignored the agony in his abdomen and began forming hand seals in rapid succession: Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!
A barrage of head-sized water spheres, linked like a chain, hurtled toward the spot where Genma had crashed.
If Genma couldn't react in time, such a saturated, area-of-effect attack could deal devastating damage.
But Taishi hadn't anticipated that Genma, despite being sent flying, showed no signs of being stunned. He burst out of the rubble, and by the time the water bullets smashed into the building, Genma was already back on the water's surface.
Seeing Genma preparing to unleash another chakra-draining, high-speed assault, Taishi, who had already suffered from it once, remained calm. He was ready this time.
As Genma charged halfway toward him, he suddenly felt his steps falter. The surrounding water grew impossibly heavy, enveloping him.
"This is…"
Water Prison Technique? How could this man use a technique from Kirigakure… no, from the Hozuki clan? Why could Tsugawa Taishi wield a Hozuki clan technique?
Trapped inside a water sphere, Genma instinctively glanced back. Sure enough, a clone of Taishi stood outside the sphere, one hand plunged into the water to maintain the technique.
The Water Prison Technique was only a C-rank jutsu. Though highly practical with excellent binding effects, it required the caster to continuously supply chakra to sustain it… a glaring weakness, in Genma's view.
Genma's surprise lasted only a moment before he regained his composure. You really haven't seen how ruthless I can be, have you?
Taishi's water clone suddenly felt its chakra draining at an alarming rate. In the blink of an eye, it could no longer maintain its form. The clone dissolved into a puddle, and the water prison shattered.
Caught off guard by his "control technique" being broken so quickly, Taishi's eyes widened in shock. But they soon hardened with resolve.
Don't think you're the only one who excels at high-speed attacks. Let me show you the Tsugawa clan's Water Release techniques: Water Release: Winged Water Slash!
A thin, cicada-wing-like membrane of water formed behind Taishi. With a burst of chakra from his feet, he shot forward, skimming the water's surface at breakneck speed.
He moved like a swift darting through a spring rain.
Genma, still seemingly affected by the water prison, was coughing lightly, trying to expel the water that had choked his throat.
He noticed that a large number of shinobi had gathered nearby, but Uchiha Shichimi and Fuma Goro's interference prevented them from immediately aiding their clan leader. Genma realized the "stage" was set.
"Your Water Release is just so-so. Now, let me show you my Water Release…"
Taishi, still gliding across the water, gripped a short blade. At this speed, even a graze would tear his enemy apart.
Genma crouched on the water's surface, head lowered as he coughed up water, seemingly oblivious to the impending death rushing toward him.
But just as Taishi closed within a few body lengths, ripples broke the calm water. Two figures erupted from beneath, shoulder to shoulder, arms aligned—one's right hand and the other's left—cradling a brilliant blue chakra orb.
Genma, a shinobi trainee of one and a half years, had a fondness for blue balls, basketball, and blue balls.
Rasengan struck Taishi dead-on. Like a high-speed drill, it bored into his abdomen, then erupted as if an explosive had detonated inside him. A violent shockwave burst from his back.
The Rasengan was a technique designed for invasive internal destruction. In theory, it should finely shred a portion of the target's organs into mincemeat upon impact.
The way Genma's Rasengan manifested showed his lack of mastery—his chakra wasn't condensed enough.
But it didn't matter. The destructive power was more than sufficient.
Not every shinobi had the keen perception to notice every hand seal their opponent formed. It was precisely because Taishi had underestimated Genma's "excessive" seals that Genma had managed to conceal two water clones beneath the surface.
Using two techniques at once naturally required a few extra seals.
Genma's Rasengan couldn't be executed instantly, so he had to resort to this roundabout method.
The strike landed, and the two water clones dissipated. Taishi's high-speed charge faltered. His feet hit the water, and inertia carried his stumbling body forward.
Genma always kept his promises. He began showcasing his (limited) Water Release techniques: Water Release: Water Severing Wave!
The Rasengan had already been lethal, but Genma was nothing if not thorough.
A high-speed water blade sliced diagonally from Taishi's right shoulder to his left ribs, cleaving him in two. Such a dramatic death was reserved for only the most elite.
Taishi's face was frozen in a dazed expression. Genma reached out, pressing a hand to his left shoulder, holding half of him in place for a friendly face-to-face.
The other half, still obeying the brain's final commands, staggered forward a dozen meters before collapsing to its knees and sinking slowly beneath the water.
Only now could Genma finally engage in some calm, casual conversation with his foe.
"Hello…"
"…Pleasure to meet you."
"Goodbye…"
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