Chapter 60: Change and Stagnation

Chapter 60: Change and Stagnation

The three of them sat down and chatted for a while longer about the concept for the new sealing technique before Uzumaki Kushina went to the kitchen to get busy.

"Genichi, you should know Kakashi very well, right?" Minato Namikaze asked.

Genichi nodded. "I know him reasonably well."

"Are you becoming a Jonin leader, Minato-niisan?"

Minato nodded. "You've probably sensed it too. The situation in the shinobi world has been gradually getting more tense recently. So, Lord Third has assigned Kakashi to me. Once the new students graduate, we will form a new ninja squad."

Everything seemed to be returning to its original track. But Genichi knew very well that things were different now.

"That guy Kakashi is a genius. Swordsmanship, Lightning Release, Earth Release... his combat intuition is sharp. If you give him a task, he can complete it very well within the scope of his abilities."

"He's a little bit tsundere, has a bit of a sharp tongue, but his heart is good, and he thinks about his comrades."

Genichi looked at Minato and said, "You must have heard about that incident, right, Minato-niisan?"

Minato nodded. "That incident seems to have hit him pretty hard."

Genichi sighed. "Kakashi feels guilty. He thinks that if it weren't for him, Yōkan-senpai wouldn't have died in battle."

"Although I managed to talk him down, and he didn't fall into depression—in fact, he's been training even harder—it's possible he could become extreme."

"I'm afraid he might be trouble for you then, Minato-niisan."

Minato nodded, then smiled. "Don't worry, it should be fine."

I hope so. Genichi knew very well that some things were very difficult for him to change.

After eating lunch, Genichi left Minato's house. Yes, Minato and Kushina were now living together. It truly made one envious. Unfortunately, Shizune was still growing up.

He went alone to the riverbank, walked to the center of the river, and then sat down cross-legged. He first performed the Art of Zai, then the Art of Kai. Finally, he brought his hands together and lowered his eyes.

He was trying to develop a genjutsu, one based on Water Release. This was the inspiration born on the surface of the sea during the Hōzuki Castle mission. For several months, he had been trying, step by step, to perfect his concept.

It had to be said, developing a new ninjutsu from scratch was indeed very difficult. A sudden flash of inspiration or a single thought was not enough to support a refined and complete technique. The theory alone required a long time to design and perfect. And putting it into practice was another difficult hurdle.

However, although this long-term development had not yet yielded definite results, the incidental gains were not few. For example, his understanding of Water Release and genjutsu had deepened considerably. The application of the Art of Zai had also been extended to genjutsu during this process. And the Art of Pyo had been extended to enhance any type of jutsu.

Before, he could only use one "Art" at a time, but now he could stack them. For example, using the Art of Pyo on a jutsu like the Water Severing Wave (Suiton: Suidanha) could increase the speed of the water flow and the casting speed, which in turn increased the jutsu's power and firing speed. And the power of the Water Severing Wave (Suiton: Suidanha) itself was largely dependent on its speed. Only a high-pressure, high-velocity water blade possessed formidable killing power. And only with rapid casting could one spit out more high-pressure, high-speed water jets in a very short time.

There was also the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (Fūton: Daitoppa) technique. Increasing the wind speed also increased the power of the jutsu.

The more he studied, the more he discovered the great power hidden within the Kuji-kiri. Unfortunately, it was too profound and required a great deal of time to explore and research. Fortunately, the one thing Genichi did not lack was time. Of course, the thing he lacked the most was also time. Who, that wasn't a mediocre person, would ever feel they had more time than they could use?

...

4 PM.

On the river's surface, Genichi opened his eyes. He turned his head slightly and saw Yamanaka En on the bank.

En smiled. "Genichi, your senses are getting sharper and sharper."

Genichi smiled, then asked, "Is there a mission?"

En nodded, tossing a stone into the river. "Meet at the village gate tomorrow morning at nine."

The stone plunged into the river, sending water splashing. The individual droplets of water glittered dazzlingly in the sunlight. Genichi, sitting on the surface of the river, was instantly captivated.

At that moment, the entire world seemed to slow down.

Genichi saw that each falling droplet of water reflected the entire world, including himself, and also En on the bank.

Splash!

One by one, the splashing droplets of water fell onto the river's surface, merging back into the river. Genichi's gaze followed them, seeing the rippling surface of the river reflect the sun, the blue sky and white clouds, himself, and the two banks.

En watched Genichi and opened his mouth, but said nothing.

But Genichi's face suddenly broke into a smile. He stood up tall. "En, thank you!"

"Huh?" En was a little bewildered.

Genichi smiled. "My new jutsu is almost complete."

"Hmm?" En was stunned. "Because I threw a stone?"

Genichi smiled and nodded.

En couldn't help but grit his teeth. "You damned genius!"

"You really make people jealous!" With that, En turned and ran. It was too demoralizing! The pressure was too great!

Genichi smiled, then sat down and continued his training. It wasn't until the sun had set that he returned home.

The next day at nine o'clock, Genichi arrived at the village gate on time, and the squad set out.

This day was January 15, Konoha Year 45.

After leaving the village, Genichi's squad of four headed north, then turned northeast, and then crossed the border into the Land of Hot Water. The next day, the group arrived at the northeastern border of the Land of Hot Water. Further north were the Land of the Moon and the Land of the Sun, and continuing northeast from there was the Land of Lightning.

"This mission is an intelligence handover. A-rank."

Under a large tree, after stopping to rest, Sakumo began the mission briefing. "The location is the Land of the Sun. When the time comes, we will split into two groups."

"Group A, Namiichi, En, you are responsible for the outer perimeter. Monitor the surrounding situation. If an enemy appears, immediately release a signal and retreat to the enemy's outer circle to provide support."

Namiichi and En both nodded.

"Group B, myself and Genichi." Sakumo looked at Genichi. "Genichi, after you receive the intelligence, you will be responsible for keeping it safe."

"If anything unexpected happens, your first priority is to retreat with the intelligence."

Genichi nodded. "Understood!"

Sakumo concluded, "We will spend the night here today. Tomorrow morning, we enter the Land of the Sun."

The night passed without incident.

Around 8 AM the next morning, Genichi's squad of four crossed the border into the Land of the Sun. The Land of the Sun was to the east of the Land of the Moon, bordered the sea, and was long and narrow from north to south.

Both the Land of the Moon and the Land of the Sun were within the sphere of influence of the Village Hidden in the Cloud. One could imagine that the intelligence they were about to receive, nine times out of ten, came from a Cloud Village source.

On a mountain no more than eight or nine hundred meters high, Genichi's squad of four looked down at a town by the sea below. The intelligence was in that town.

"Genichi, follow me!" Sakumo leaped down the mountain. Genichi waved at Namiichi and En, and then also followed.

Watching the two of them disappear from sight, En and Namiichi immediately sprang into action. They quickly caught a sea hawk, and then En used the Mind Body Switch Technique (Shintenshin no Jutsu) to control it, circling high in the air. This was more effective than conventional sensory ninjutsu and had a wider surveillance range. Namiichi, meanwhile, was responsible for guarding En's side. This mountain was not lacking in wild beasts, and at the same time, they had to be on guard against a surprise attack from the enemy. The current En had no ability to fight back.

On the other side, Genichi and Sakumo used the Transformation Jutsu (Henge no Jutsu) to turn into ordinary people and entered the town. The two of them first strolled around the town, changing their appearances several times in the process, and finally entered an inconspicuous general store.

Sakumo bought a box of cigarettes and a lighter from the store, and then left with Genichi.

He took out a cigarette and lit it, then handed both the cigarettes and the lighter to Genichi. The two of them then strolled out of the town.

"Hm?" Sakumo looked up and saw the circling sea hawk. A sharp cry from the hawk pierced the sky.

Genichi's expression changed slightly.

"Genichi, take the intelligence and rendezvous with Namiichi and their team!"

The cigarette fell from Sakumo's mouth, and his Transformation Jutsu (Henge no Jutsu) was instantly dispelled.

(End of Chapter)

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