In the blink of an eye.
Genya arrived beneath the tall building by the gate.
Inside the fence
stood more than a dozen wooden houses.
At that moment, over a dozen Kirigakure deserters had gathered together, drinking and eating meat.
Genya's gaze sharpened, killing intent surging from his body.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Release: Gale!"
Genya stood over twenty meters away from the deserters.
Empowered by the Wind Release, the Fire Style transformed into flames that filled the sky and swept toward the deserters enjoying their meal!
The powerful Jonin and Chunin reacted in time, hurriedly using Ninjutsu to escape.
The Kirigakure deserters who failed to flee in time
were instantly swallowed by the sea of fire.
Genya had no intention of letting them off easily.
They were materials for upgrading his Kekkei Genkai.
Genya clapped his hands together and swiftly used Wood Release!
Thriving trees coiled around five or six deserters like spiritual snakes!
With that single ambush,
the Kirigakure deserters provided Genya with over 1,500 energy points.
"Wood Release!? Are you from the Senju Clan of the Land of Fire?" the deserter leader, Tsuruta Zetsu, cried out in shock.
Relying on Wood Release, Hashirama Senju had nearly crushed the other four great hidden villages, and his fame had spread far and wide.
Thus, the moment he saw Wood Release, even though Genya wore a Black Cat Mask, Tsuruta Zetsu assumed he was a ninja of the Senju Clan.
But hadn't Konoha lost all its Wood Release ninja? Who was he?
However,
Genya appeared rather young.
Tsuruta Zetsu believed that after using three Ninjutsu in succession, Genya's chakra would soon be exhausted. A smile rose to his lips.
As long as they stalled for time,
their opponent would surely run out of strength soon.
Then they could capture and kill him.
It had to be said,
deserters from ninja villages were indeed better at analysis than rogue ninjas. He had found the crux of the matter.
But Tsuruta Zetsu's guess simply would not work against Genya!
Because Genya had a full 8,000 points of reserve chakra!
Holding a kunai purchased from Granny Cat's weapon shop, he infused it with Wind Style chakra, making it incomparably sharp, then charged toward a Chunin.
Genya was incredibly fast.
In an instant, he reached the Kirigakure deserter.
The sharp kunai gleamed coldly as it cleaved downward.
The deserter was horrified and hurriedly raised his kunai to block.
With a clang, a faint squelch followed in the next instant, accompanied by spraying blood.
One strike, one kill!
Level 3 Sage Body
At that moment,
both Genya and the Kirigakure deserters had gone bloodshot with killing intent.
It was kill or be killed.
Especially the Kirigakure deserters.
Seeing so many of their comrades die at Genya's hands, their eyes turned crimson as they wished they could devour him alive!
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!" Tsuruta Zetsu formed hand seals, and mist rapidly rose around them.
Visibility in the area instantly plummeted.
They could only see about half a meter ahead.
All the deserters
hid within the mist.
Kirigakure was shrouded in mist year-round, so the Kirigakure deserters possessed exceptionally keen hearing. They had created a battlefield that favored them.
Holding his kunai, Genya vigilantly watched everything around him.
At the same time, he slowed his breathing, sensing his surroundings and feeling out the enemies' chakra.
A Kirigakure deserter silently approached Genya from behind and to his left. There was not the slightest sound of footsteps, as though he were a ghost.
A savage smile appeared on his face. He suddenly burst into motion, his body exploding with astonishing speed as the kunai in his hand stabbed toward Genya's back!
"You're dead!"
Bang!
Genya's body turned into a block of wood.
Substitution Technique!
When had he used the Substitution Technique!? The Kirigakure deserter was terrified, every hair on his body standing on end. Knowing he was in danger, he tried to slip back into the mist and hide again.
But
it was too late.
Genya had already appeared behind him.
A bright blade flashed.
The Kirigakure deserter's throat was cut open, and blood sprayed across the ground.
He tried to cover the wound, but it was useless. The light gradually faded from his eyes, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.
Genya's body
silently vanished into the mist once more.
The sounds of weapons clashing—clang, clang, clang—occasionally echoed from all around.
Relying on his keen senses and sensitivity to chakra, Genya was like a tiger among sheep.
Every time he swung the blade in his hand,
he might claim the life of a Mist ninja.
"No, we'll definitely die if this continues!" Tsuruta Zetsu roared furiously, then dispelled the mist.
Only two Kirigakure deserters remained.
Tsuruta Zetsu was a Jonin. He only had a small cut on his arm.
The other was merely Chunin-level and much weaker. Several wounds deep enough to expose bone covered his body, and he had lost more than half his fighting strength!
"Little brother, let us go, and I'll give you all the wealth I've collected!" Tsuruta Zetsu finally understood.
If they kept fighting,
the two of them might not leave alive.
The youth in the Black Cat Mask possessed strength beyond imagination.
Genya did not answer. He stared at the three of them with a faint smile, making them shudder.
Their chakra was material for upgrading Genya's Kekkei Genkai.
Let them go?
Of course not!
Tsuruta Zetsu let out a roar and shouted, "Kid, don't push people too far!"
Since he knew the other party would never spare the two of them, Tsuruta Zetsu decided to fight to the death.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Rushing river water rose high from the river, then gathered into a water dragon over ten meters long.
Tsuruta Zetsu pointed at Genya.
As though receiving an order, the water dragon descended from the sky. Its roar faintly resembled a furious howl as its massive watery body lunged down to devour Genya on the ground.
A disdainful sneer appeared on Genya's lips as he formed hand seals and used "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique" was only a C-rank Ninjutsu.
Its rank was not high.
But empowered by Genya's abundant chakra, its power was still terrifying.
Water and fire collided.
A sizzling hiss, hiss, hiss immediately rang out.
Water vapor billowed.
Heat filled the air.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Genya vanished from where he stood.
"So fast! He's coming—watch out!" Tsuruta Zetsu cried out in horror, hurriedly telling his companion to flee.
But it was too late.
Genya was simply too fast. In an instant, he arrived beside the other Kirigakure deserter, like the whisper of the Death God lingering at the latter's ear.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique."
A wooden spike pierced the Kirigakure deserter's body.
Immediately afterward,
one wooden spike after another grew from his body.
He was instantly riddled like a beehive.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!" Tsuruta Zetsu was horrified. He hurriedly formed hand seals and spewed out a massive torrent of water.
Just as it was about to crash into Genya, the latter leaped high into the air, then landed steadily atop the water's surface.
"Hm? Explosive Tags?" Genya's eyes narrowed as he discovered that several Explosive Tags had somehow been stuck to his body.
"Die!" Tsuruta Zetsu laughed madly.
"Boom!"
Several Explosive Tags detonated at once with astonishing force, even creating a temporary empty space within the torrent.
Soon,
a mangled corpse floated to the surface.
Crimson blood dyed the water red.
"Brothers, I've avenged you!" Tsuruta Zetsu laughed maniacally.
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