A Troubling Situation

"Gengetsu, why are the Mist Ninja after you? Is it because you're from the Uzumaki Clan?"

While treating their wounds, Kanzuki Chiba could not help asking.

"Yeah. Those Mist Ninja have something wrong with their heads."

Gengetsu smiled and nodded without explaining further. He was not supposed to know about the Jinchuriki.

Looking at his red hair, Kanzuki Chiba hesitated before suggesting, "Gengetsu, you could dye your hair another color!"

Swish!

Six pairs of eyes fixed on her. Kanzuki Chiba broke out in a cold sweat. "Well, red hair is pretty too..."

"No..."

Gengetsu's Main Body stroked his chin. "Chiba, that actually makes some sense. But we don't seem to have the tools."

Kanzuki Chiba let out a breath of relief, then pulled several colorful boxes from her backpack with a sweet smile. "I have dye! Gengetsu, what color do you want?"

"A girl's backpack really is magical. Even ninja aren't an exception..."

Gengetsu's Main Body grumbled inwardly, then pointed. "Black."

After the treatment was done and the Shadow Clones had been dismissed, Gengetsu took off his forehead protector, immediately drawing cries of surprise.

Kanzuki Chiba reached out and tapped the diamond-shaped crystal on Gengetsu's forehead. "Kawaii..."

Sarutobi Kazuhara was secretly startled. "The same mark as Tsunade's, at such a young age... He really is a genius!"

Gengetsu's face darkened. "Hurry up, or the Mist Ninja will be here to kill us!"

Kanzuki Chiba hurriedly looked around before calmly dyeing Gengetsu's hair black. With that, his whole aura changed, gaining a touch of coolness.

"This looks much more normal!"

Uchiha Shinsui said. In his eyes, black was the normal color.

Gengetsu was speechless. You're the most abnormal one here!

"Alright, let's move out!"

Sarutobi Kazuhara spoke, cutting off the exchange between the three youngsters.

"Wait!"

Gengetsu formed hand seals and created four Shadow Clones. Then, three of them used the Transformation Technique to become Sarutobi Kazuhara, Uchiha Shinsui, and Kanzuki Chiba.

"The effect may not be great, but it should buy us some time!"

Gengetsu chuckled as the four Shadow Clones headed toward Konoha.

Sarutobi Kazuhara's face twitched. It was not that he had not thought of using a plan to confuse the enemy, but his Chakra simply would not allow it.

"Gengetsu, make sure to conserve your Chakra!"

Sarutobi Kazuhara could not help reminding him.

"Don't worry, Teacher Kazuhara. I still have plenty of Chakra!"

Gengetsu smiled. Having lots of Chakra meant he could be as willful as he liked.

"..."

Sarutobi Kazuhara really wanted to hit someone. Uchiha Shinsui and Kanzuki Chiba, meanwhile, were filled with envy. Having lots of Chakra was great!

Half an hour later, figures appeared one after another amid the battlefield ruins. There were eight people in total. Aside from the Mist Ninja who had escaped earlier, every one of them carried a different blade.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!

"Ji, looks like you were lucky to survive!"

Looking at the huge crater caused by the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, Biwa Juzo, who carried the Kubikiribōchō on his shoulder, broke out in a cold sweat. "With that kind of power, even I probably wouldn't survive a direct hit!"

"But Ji, are you sure it was that Kid? A nine-year-old Kid shouldn't be able to use a ninjutsu like that!"

Raiga Kurosuki was deeply skeptical.

Ji's face darkened as he said unhappily, "There were only four of them at the time. If it wasn't that Kid, who else could it have been? Besides, do you know who that Kid is? Don't get careless, or the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist might need a replacement!"

"Hm?"

Raiga Kurosuki revealed a grim smile. "Ji, are you asking for a spectacular funeral?"

Ji stiffened, snorted coldly, and said nothing more.

"Hey, stop arguing! The Konoha people made Clones to throw us off. Should we split up to pursue them, or..."

Biwa Juzo roared.

"Chase the ones heading toward Konoha. Even if we choose wrong, we can intercept them at the border when they return to Konoha!"

Suikazan Fuguki decided.

Gengetsu, who was heading toward the next ruin, suddenly stopped short. His expression changed drastically. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!"

"Gengetsu, what happened?"

Sarutobi Kazuhara and the other two stopped at once.

Gengetsu's expression was grave. "It's the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. My Shadow Clones were taken out by them at the border of Whirlpool Country!"

"What?"

Sarutobi Kazuhara's face changed drastically, cold sweat pouring down his back. "They actually sent out a team like this... They really are..."

"Are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist that powerful?"

Kanzuki Chiba suddenly asked.

Gengetsu looked at her speechlessly. Had she really been a Chunin for one or two years?

Uchiha Shinsui explained coldly, "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are all Jonin, and each of them possesses a unique ninja blade. Rumor has it that their power is tremendous!"

"We must inform the village!"

Sarutobi Kazuhara formed hand seals and used the Summoning Technique to summon a monkey, ordering it to deliver the intelligence to the village.

"From here on, we need to hide our tracks carefully. We can't let the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist catch up to us!"

Only after dismissing the Summoning Technique did Sarutobi Kazuhara give this reminder and continue onward.

That night, inside a hidden cave, Gengetsu sat before the flickering Campfire, carefully reading a scroll. Uchiha Shinsui and Kanzuki Chiba beside him were doing the same, while Sarutobi Kazuhara stood guard at the cave entrance.

However, after reading for a while, Kanzuki Chiba felt her head spinning. She tossed the scroll aside and looked at Gengetsu eagerly. "Gengetsu, can you understand it?"

"Yeah, it's very interesting!"

Gengetsu did not even raise his head, engrossed in reading. The scroll in his hands recorded Sealing Technique, and it had inspired him greatly.

Kanzuki Chiba turned to Uchiha Shinsui. "Shinsui, can you understand it?"

Uchiha Shinsui raised his eyelids and uttered two words. "No."

Kanzuki Chiba nearly lost it. "Then why are you reading it so seriously if you don't understand?"

Uchiha Shinsui put down the scroll and said earnestly, "It might come in handy someday!"

I... I really have it hard with teammates like these!

Kanzuki Chiba sagged in defeat. She had no foundation in Sealing Technique at all and truly could not understand it.

After finishing one scroll, Gengetsu looked at the large pile beside him and immediately formed hand seals, creating thirty Shadow Clones to read alongside him. Sarutobi Kazuhara and the other two were dumbfounded.

Kanzuki Chiba swallowed. "Teacher Kazuhara, can Shadow Clones be used like that?"

Sarutobi Kazuhara wiped away his sweat. "I... suppose so!"

But perhaps only someone with a body as powerful as the Uzumaki Clan's could use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique so freely!

Sarutobi Kazuhara thought to himself, then explained the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to Kanzuki Chiba and Uchiha Shinsui.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, one of Gengetsu's Shadow Clones let out a surprised sound, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"What is it?"

Kanzuki Chiba hurried over.

Gengetsu's Shadow Clone looked up and smiled. "I found something good. This scroll records a Sealing Technique called the Fire Sealing Method. Unfortunately, it's incomplete. But it also contains the complete method for making Exploding Tags!"

Kanzuki Chiba had no interest whatsoever in the Fire Sealing Method. Instead, she was far more curious about the method for making Exploding Tags. Exploding Tags were an important supporting tool for ninja, and their power was considerable. Most importantly, they were valuable!

But after taking a quick look, Kanzuki Chiba could not help feeling discouraged. "It actually requires Sealing Technique!"

Then another thought struck her, and she smiled. "Gengetsu, this shouldn't be difficult for you, right? Doesn't that mean you can make Exploding Tags yourself in the future? Well, our team's Exploding Tags will be up to you from now on!"

"OK!"

Gengetsu's Shadow Clone nodded. Looks like I need to get my hands on the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags technique. Heh, six hundred billion of them... Just thinking about it is exciting!

At that moment, Gengetsu's Main Body raised the scroll in his hand. "I found something good here too: a powerful Chakra Sensory Technique!"

A Chakra Sensory Technique?

Those words drew everyone's attention. Even Sarutobi Kazuhara was no exception, and they all gathered around Gengetsu.

"Mind's Eye of the Kagura, a unique Chakra Sensory Technique of the Uzumaki Clan. Legend says its range is no worse than the Byakugan's!"

Sarutobi Kazuhara glanced over the scroll and exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Unfortunately, it's incomplete! I took this scroll from the Mist Ninja. The latter half may be with the other Jonin who escaped!"

Gengetsu said regretfully. Earlier, he had exchanged the Hard Vortex Tornado technique with Konoha for the Second Hokage's Chakra Sensory Technique. Minato had also trained in that formidable sensory technique and had successfully mastered it.

Unfortunately, even with Minato's guidance, Gengetsu had yet to fully master the Second Hokage's Chakra Sensory Technique. Instead, he had developed the Hidden Mist Technique himself and used it for sensing.

Unexpectedly, he had now obtained Mind's Eye of the Kagura, a sensory technique suited to the Uzumaki Clan. Although incomplete, it would likely be more useful to him than the difficult-to-learn Chakra Sensory Technique of the Second Hokage.