Chapter 68: Don't Say It, Just Do It
At the Root headquarters, Danzō was also listening to his subordinate's report.
"As expected, there was a problem," Danzō snorted coldly after hearing the full account. "It seems this 'line' can no longer be used."
"However, is that kid named Kinoshita Genichi really that outstanding?"
The reporting Root ninja quickly replied, "Yes, Lord Danzō."
"This boy's combat intuition is sharp, no less than that of a Jonin. And on this mission, more ninja died at his hands than at Hatake Sakumo's."
"His genjutsu and Water Release are both at the Jonin level."
"No, besides the Uchiha clan, I'm afraid there are no Jonin who can surpass him in genjutsu."
"And as for his Water Release... I'm afraid there is no one like him."
This Root ninja was from the Yamanaka clan and could use genjutsu himself, but his skills were more focused on his clan's secret techniques and sensory ninjutsu. He was, however, very knowledgeable about the state of affairs in Konoha.
If the Kurama clan had not fallen into decline, Genichi's genjutsu might not be considered much. But the Kurama clan had already declined, and it was difficult for even a Jonin to emerge from their ranks. Besides the Kurama clan, Jonin who were proficient in genjutsu were few and far between. The only famous one was Yuhi Shinku. But Shinku's best technique was the Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death (Magen: Jubaku Satsu); he hadn't even mastered the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (Genjutsu: Kokuangyō no Jutsu).
While this wasn't to say that the Bringer-of-Darkness was necessarily superior to Tree Binding Death, on this mission, if not for Genichi's genjutsu abilities, he felt that he himself would have died. It was even possible that only Sakumo would have been able to fight his way out.
Danzō was naturally aware of the genius, Genichi; he had also been watching during the Chunin Exams. But Genichi's performance this time had still exceeded his imagination. Several Jonin had already died at his hands. This level of strength was something that even the Sannin or Sakumo himself at the same age could not have achieved.
During the last Chunin Exams, Danzō had looked down on Genichi. But now... perhaps he could be won over?
But Danzō immediately vetoed this idea. Genichi was Hiruzen's man. However, Danzō felt that he might be useful in the future and that he should be paid more attention.
Just then, the Yamanaka ninja added, "Lord Danzō, on this mission, the White Fang and his team will probably think that we deliberately used their squad as bait..."
Danzō's expression was blank. "It was a necessary sacrifice for the good of the village!"
"If not the White Fang's squad, it would have been someone else."
"Without such sacrifices, how could the village have its current peace?"
At that moment, another Root ninja appeared at the door. "Lord Danzō, the Third Hokage summons you!"
...
At the Konoha Hospital, Tsunade finished her diagnosis and said to Genichi and the others, "The chakra pathways have sustained permanent damage. To fully recover, the original wound will need to be re-opened and the pathways re-attached. As for the bone injury, although it will take longer to recover, it's actually not as severe."
"Prepare yourselves. The surgery will begin in an hour."
Genichi was completely relieved. If there were any long-term effects, Sakumo's strength would inevitably be affected.
Tsunade went to prepare for the surgery. Genichi said to Sakumo, "Sensei, I'm preparing to focus on my training for a period of time, and then I'll travel outside the village."
En, who was there, was surprised. "So soon?" He had heard Genichi mention it before, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. Is it because of Namiichi's death in battle? En was worried that Genichi had been hit too hard by the blow.
Sakumo, however, did not press for details. He knew this disciple of his was very strong-willed. He simply nodded. "Alright. I will go and explain it to Lord Third."
Genichi quickly thanked him. He had been planning to travel and take care of some things on his own for a while, but he hadn't been so anxious about it before. But the recent missions had been too frequent, so much so that even the progress on his genjutsu development had been affected. So, he decided to take a leave of absence to train, and then after his overdraft in March, he would leave Konoha directly to travel.
...
An hour later, Sakumo was sent into the operating room. Tsunade was personally leading the surgery, so Genichi was completely at ease. He and En left the hospital first.
After returning home, washing up, and eating his fill, Genichi went out again and came to Kakashi's house. But Kakashi was out on a mission and had not returned, so Genichi went back to the Konoha Hospital alone.
Not long after, Sakumo was wheeled out of the operating room and sent to a hospital room.
"Don't worry, the surgery was very successful," Tsunade said.
Genichi immediately bowed. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"
Tsunade waved her hand, then said, "Follow me to my office for a moment."
Genichi quickly followed.
In the office, Tsunade sat down and took a large gulp of water. Her uninhibited posture made it a little hard for Genichi to know where to look.
"Was there a problem with this mission?" Tsunade asked, putting down her water glass.
Genichi collected his thoughts and said honestly, "There's no proof."
"But I think there was a problem."
"At the very least, Root was aware of a problem but did not inform us beforehand."
Tsunade snorted coldly. "That guy Danzō has always been like this."
"He was unsure of the situation, so he used you as bait."
After speaking, Tsunade looked up at Genichi. "Do you regret becoming a ninja now?"
"After all, in the eyes of some people, ninja are just tools for completing missions and achieving objectives."
"And sometimes, there are so-called necessary sacrifices."
Genichi met Tsunade's gaze and asked directly in return, "If it were you, Lady Tsunade, I don't think you would do that."
Tsunade was taken aback for a moment, then she pursed her lips in disdain. "Become Hokage?"
"Only a fool would become Hokage!"
"Besides, even if I became Hokage, I couldn't avoid things like this."
"That bastard Danzō's style isn't something the Hokage can change."
Genichi looked at Tsunade and said bluntly, "Then just sweep people like that into the dustbin of history."
Tsunade was shocked and looked Genichi up and down. "You've got a lot of nerve. I underestimated you before."
"But you'd better not say things like that in the future."
Genichi nodded. He understood.
Don't say it, just do it! If you say it, people will object. But if you do it, then no one can object.
Tsunade was very satisfied with Genichi's attitude. She then asked, "Your master will need some time to recover. You probably won't have any missions during this time. What are your plans?"
"Do you want to learn medical ninjutsu with Shizune and me?"
Genichi said, "I plan to first complete the genjutsu I'm working on."
"As for medical ninjutsu... I'd like to first learn Monstrous Strength (Kairiki) from you, Lady Tsunade."
Hearing this, Tsunade immediately became prideful. "Monstrous Strength (Kairiki)... hmph, it's not something just anyone can learn."
Should I kneel down and call you Godmother? Genichi couldn't help but have this mischievous thought, but considering the God of Censorship, he asked honestly, "Then, Tsunade-sensei..."
Tsunade immediately waved her hand and snorted lightly. "There's no need for a formal apprenticeship."
"For Shizune's sake, I can teach you."
Genichi immediately bowed. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"
He didn't want to become a formal disciple either. After all, he didn't want to be a traitorous disciple in the future.
(End of Chapter)
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