Chapter 56: The Serpent Arrives

Chapter 56: The Serpent Arrives

On the Cloud ninja ship, the atmosphere was as gloomy as an overcast sky.

"A, my apologies!" Shū said, apologizing to A in shame.

A looked at Killer Bee, who was no longer in mortal danger, and said in a heavy voice, "It's not your fault. I was the one who miscalculated the strength of the White Fang's team."

"Konoha's White Fang is a powerhouse with the strength to contend for the title of Kage."

"And that other guy who uses Water Release and genjutsu... he was the other key to this battle."

Shū nodded with a grim expression. "That guy controlled the tempo of the battle from the very beginning."

"His proficiency in Water Release and genjutsu is not his most powerful aspect."

Beside them, Ryūun said, "That brat's casting speed is too fast. If Shū hadn't created an opportunity, I'm afraid I would have been finished off by his Water Release."

"A person like that shouldn't be unknown in Konoha. I'm afraid he's another one of Konoha's new geniuses."

A immediately said, "Investigate his identity as soon as we return to the village!"

"The next time we meet, we must have our revenge!"

...

After coming ashore, Genichi's group did not immediately rush back to Konoha. Instead, they spent another night in the town. It was the next morning when they parted ways with the Grass ninja, Hidemi and Mui, and headed for Konoha.

They passed through the Land of Waterfalls into the Land of Fire, and by the time they returned to Konoha, it was around 11 AM on the third day.

This time, Sakumo did not disband the squad at the village gate. Instead, they all went to the Hokage Tower together. Genichi, Namiichi, and En were responsible for guarding the Cloud ninja captive, with two additional Anbu ninja, while Sakumo went to meet with the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

In the Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen smoked his pipe, listening as Sakumo recounted the entire process of the mission. Of course, it wasn't a rambling, detailed account, but a summary of the key points, such as the performance of Genichi, Namiichi, and En this time, as well as the clash with the Cloud ninja. The encounter with the Third Raikage's son and the Cloud's jinchuriki was especially important.

After listening, Hiruzen slowly spoke. "Hmm~ It seems the Cloud Village's new Eight-Tails Jinchuriki has gradually matured."

Sakumo nodded. "Although the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki did not display the power of the Tailed Beast in this battle, he was able to quickly break free from Namiichi's Sharingan genjutsu. I'm afraid the power of the Tailed Beast played a role in that."

"Moreover, his swordsmanship is also extremely outstanding. It's foreseeable that he will become a powerhouse in the future, even without the power of the Tailed Beast."

Hiruzen nodded slightly, then asked, "How does he compare to Genichi?"

Sakumo said, "In terms of pure talent for swordsmanship, Genichi probably can't compare to the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

"However... this child Genichi's talent in Water Release and genjutsu is extremely outstanding. What's even rarer is that he possesses sharp combat intuition, insight, and the ability to control the entire battlefield."

As he spoke, Sakumo gave a detailed account of the battle on the sea. From Genichi anticipating the Cloud ninjas' use of a visual genjutsu, to using a water clone to divide the battlefield, to his real body taking on four enemies at once, killing two of them with his outstanding Water Release and genjutsu abilities...

Clearly, although Sakumo had been fighting A at the time, and was also looking out for Namiichi and the others, he had also been paying close attention to the battle Genichi's real body was fighting outside.

Hiruzen's eyes couldn't help but show a hint of surprise as he listened.

Genichi was a genius; there was no doubt about that. His performance on his previous few missions had also been outstanding, and he had a mature way of thinking. But what surprised Hiruzen this time was the ability Genichi had displayed to control the overall battle situation. This meant that in the future, Genichi could become a talent capable of holding his own and guarding a front by himself.

Speaking of which, even Sakumo himself did not possess this particular quality. Sakumo was an assassin-type powerhouse, Konoha's sharp blade and fang, capable of striking directly at the enemy's heart. In the last Great Ninja War, he had single-handedly broken through the enemy's battle lines on several occasions.

"Sakumo, you have taught a good disciple," Hiruzen said with a smile.

Sakumo said, "It is the child Genichi's own talent."

Hiruzen didn't comment further. He said, "Leave the Cloud ninja captive to the Anbu for processing."

"You should all take a good long rest."

Sakumo nodded, then bowed respectfully and left the office.

Behind the desk, Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke. "Shinnosuke, what do you think about transferring Genichi to the Anbu?"

The masked Sarutobi Shinnosuke emerged from the ground. "Genichi's excellence is without question. But isn't it too early now? Although he is mature, he is, after all, only eight years old."

"Perhaps delaying for another year or two would be more appropriate. After all, the missions in the Anbu are much more demanding. I believe Genichi needs more time to improve himself right now. His progress is very fast."

Hiruzen slowly nodded. "Then let it be. We will reconsider in two years."

Shinnosuke bowed, and then his figure slowly sank back into the ground.

...

In front of the Hokage Tower, after completing the handover, Sakumo smiled. "Dismissed. If there are no surprises, you will have a vacation for a while."

"However, in three days... in three days, the squad will assemble for training. Go on!"

The three of them replied in unison, then used the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu) and vanished.

...

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

Inside the dango shop, Genichi shouted.

From the kitchen, his father and mother immediately came out. "You're finally back!"

"Are you okay?"

"Was the mission successful?"

"Are you injured?!"

The two of them hovered around Genichi.

"Relax, relax, I'm fine!" Genichi chuckled.

There were also many regular customers in the shop, who now also spoke up.

"Our Genichi is a genius, how could anything happen to him? Don't worry, Mrs. Kinoshita!"

"I'm so envious, to have such a smart child!"

"Yes, yes, and that bicycle is really useful!"

...

Amidst a flurry of envious remarks, Genichi went upstairs.

His parents left the shop's affairs to their employees and also followed him upstairs to prepare delicious food for their son.

By the time Genichi came out of a bath, a table full of delicious food was already laid out.

"It's good to be home!" Genichi plopped down at the table and began to feast.

About an hour later, with the entire table of food in his stomach, Genichi leaned back comfortably in his chair, his eyes half-closed, his thoughts flying.

"The difference between one talent and another is truly night and day... That guy Killer Bee's talent for swordsmanship is probably among the top in the entire shinobi world. And right now, he's only using two swords."

"Bee should only be twelve or thirteen right now, a few years younger than Namiichi. Even with the aid of the Sharingan, Namiichi's swordsmanship is still a step behind."

"It's foreseeable that Bee will soon surpass Namiichi. As for me, he would probably wipe the floor with me." Genichi couldn't help but think of the scene where Sasuke was beaten by Killer Bee.

"I still have to continue to hammer away at my swordsmanship, but I have to go in the direction of nature transformation. Otherwise, I won't be able to compare to a swordsmanship genius like Bee."

"And that inspiration about combining Water Release and genjutsu..."

Before he knew it, it was three in the afternoon. Genichi had more or less digested his food, and his sleepiness had vanished. He got up, changed his clothes, and went out with a sealing scroll.

At the Konoha Hospital, in Tsunade's laboratory, Orochimaru looked at the data in his hands and revealed a smile. "Tissue typing... interesting..."

Tsunade glanced at him and snorted lightly. "Can you not make such a disgusting smile? Otherwise, I won't mind sending you flying out of here."

(End of Chapter)

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