Kekkei Genkai

"Sir... we need to conserve our strength, don't we..." The White-Clad Samurai, catching the probing tone in the Bandaged Samurai's voice, stepped between him and Tenzo's squad.

"White, no need to worry. Since we'll be traveling together for the next few days, we naturally need to confirm whether they're worthy of entrusting our backs to..." The man's tone was icy, brimming with confidence in his own strength and undisguised testing intent.

"But you have a point, White. I trust you—test their abilities for me..." The White-Clad Samurai's words had some effect on him. Though he wanted to personally cross blades to gauge the famed Konoha ninja, he figured this wasn't the only chance and gave his permission.

The White-Clad Samurai nodded his masked head, switching to a forward grip on his blade, his other hand poised for a drawing cut at any moment.

"I will not betray your trust, sir..." A cool voice came from beneath the White-Clad Samurai's mask. Only now did Zi Xu and the others hear it clearly—a neutral, youthful tone, sounding no older than them.

Tenzo wasn't surprised by this. He glanced around, judged the area unsuitable for combat, and suggested they travel first to a more open space before sparring. The Bandaged Samurai agreed. The two groups, wary of each other, split into two distinct squads.

"Don't panic when this happens. It's common during missions—both a test of us and a warning..." Tenzo began explaining to Zi Xu and the others.

Chino and Zi Xu kept their focus on the White-Clad Samurai, while Hatsumi left a few bugs along the path at intervals. Hearing Tenzo's words, she turned back in confusion:

"A warning? Isn't it just that they don't trust our strength? What kind of warning is that? It's clearly looking down on us." She adjusted her glasses, slightly askew from the fast run.

"That's part of it, but testing our strength also carries the meaning of 'if you're not strong enough, don't come to die'..." Tenzo noticed Zi Xu and Chino weren't looking at him and curiously followed their gaze.

"You noticed too, didn't you..." Chino tilted her chin at Zi Xu, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Yeah, a bit. The temperature around that White-Clad Samurai is very low..." Zi Xu replied, but didn't say everything. In his vision, the samurai's body was surrounded by blue-white cold air, like a block of ice.

Chino met Tenzo's eyes as he turned back. She was about to ask something when a cold voice from behind interrupted.

"This place is open enough. Let's do it here. I don't want to keep sir waiting. If you're not strong enough, you can head back—it's not far from your village..." The temperature around the White-Clad Samurai dropped further, visible white mist spreading from his surroundings.

"I'll go first then..." Hatsumi had long been annoyed by his arrogant attitude and wanted to take the field herself.

"No, all three of you come at once. It'll be faster." The White-Clad Samurai shook his head gently, the bells on his topknot chiming crisply.

"Don't underestimate White. All of you, come together..." The Black-Clad Samurai crossed his arms, looking down on them with an air of superiority.

Hatsumi said nothing more. With a Body Flicker Technique, she appeared about two meters to the White-Clad Samurai's left, tossing a few pale green bugs toward him while her hands seemed coated in a layer of flowing water. A kunai wrapped in faint blue energy stabbed toward the samurai's front.

"An opening!" A sharp gleam flashed beneath the White-Clad Samurai's mask. Just as Hatsumi was about to exit the Body Flicker state and regain full control of her body, a blade light swept past. A flash of white halted before Hatsumi—not because he held back, but because several straw-doll-like puppets had taken the blow for her.

"Grass Puppet Bugs—they can merge into the grass, build bodies from leaves to fight, and have some self-healing ability..." Chino recalled Hatsumi's recent demonstration. So this was it.

"The flat of the blade? Not taking it seriously?" Zi Xu noticed the White-Clad Samurai had used the back of his sword for that strike, which was why the Grass Puppets could block it. This samurai had real skill.

"Hatsumi, fall back. He's tough for you." Zi Xu rushed forward, pulling Hatsumi behind him under the Grass Puppets' protection, ready to face this enemy himself. He wanted to test how far he'd come.

"Pardon me..." The White-Clad Samurai didn't stop. He swung another reverse slash—cold light arriving before the blade, angled sharply toward Zi Xu's left shoulder.

To Hatsumi, that strike was too fast to dodge. Chino, with her Byakugan, could trace the blade's path, but her body couldn't keep up.

But Zi Xu, as if tripping on a stone, spun in a clumsy circle and perfectly evaded the slash. The movement was so natural that Tenzo couldn't tell it was deliberate.

"As expected, sensing the energy shifts around him lets me predict his moves. Master this, and it's no weaker than Observation Haki. Maybe I can even Awaken Observation Haki through it."

After turning, Zi Xu began throwing shuriken at the samurai.

"Clang, clang, clang." Amid the flash of steel, all the shuriken were knocked down by the White-Clad Samurai. But Zi Xu had achieved his goal—when the samurai deflected the last one, his hands blocked Zi Xu from view for a few seconds. Zi Xu used that time to activate the Body Flicker Technique.

His figure vanished like a phantom dissolving in the wind, just as Hatsumi had done earlier.

"Fooled." The White-Clad Samurai's lips curled beneath his mask as he swung a long-prepared slash, right where Zi Xu's reappearance would land.

"Fooled." Zi Xu's lips twitched upward almost imperceptibly. His body, still in a stiffened state, seemed to hit fast-forward, vanishing again. The samurai's confident strike cut only air.

"Hm?" The Black-Clad Samurai, watching from the sidelines, narrowed his eyes.

"Used the Body Flicker twice? Or briefly showed himself mid-transit... Interesting."

When Zi Xu reappeared, it was to the White-Clad Samurai's left. The samurai's right arm was mid-swing, old force spent and new force unformed. Zi Xu didn't hold back—he punched the wide-open samurai square in the chest.

"Boom~" The White-Clad Samurai staggered back several steps. Zi Xu looked curiously at the spot he'd struck, where several cracked ice shards had formed.

"Is this... a Kekkei Genkai? Ice Release?" Tenzo, staring at the broken ice, spoke in surprise.

Author's Note:

The drop rate for Edo Tensei Hashirama is really low...