Yamashiro Aoba looked to the left. He hadn't sensed any enemies in that direction.
But he had sensed them behind.
Had Genma sensed them wrong?
Yamashiro Aoba adjusted his sunglasses and said quietly, "Genma, I didn't sense any enemies on the left."
Genma raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Perhaps it's some kind of concealment technique."
He trusted his own sensory abilities.
Hatake Sakumo also trusted his student. He drew the short sword from his back and ordered, "Genma, keep an eye on the enemy to the left."
"Aoba, you're responsible for the rear. Shizune, stay where you are."
The three nodded in unison.
Genma then untied the scroll on his back and handed it to Shizune. "Open it when I give the order."
Shizune nodded seriously. "Yes."
At that moment, Mahiru stood on the broad cap of a giant mushroom, his body hidden behind a tree trunk. He leaned out slightly and looked at the Konoha Ninja squad, which had come to a halt. "Looks like they spotted us~"
"Hmm?"
"Those two brats are both sensory ninja, and the one carrying the scroll even saw through Taiseki's technique!"
Mahiru was startled. Then he saw Hatake Sakumo draw his short sword. "That guy..."
Silver hair, and a short sword!
"Don't tell me... he's the White Fang of Konoha?"
Cold sweat broke out across Mahiru's forehead.
Having issued his orders, Hatake Sakumo attacked without hesitation. His chakra-infused short sword shone with a blinding white light, and he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow.
"So fast! No wonder he's the White Fang of Konoha!"
"But I only need to buy a little time..."
Mahiru didn't back down.
One of his Shadow Clones charged out, only to explode an instant later.
Then a second, a third... Hatake Sakumo maintained his tremendous speed. Yamashiro Aoba and Shizune couldn't even make out where he really was. They could only see his blade flashing like fangs.
Genma had no time to pay attention to the fight in front of him. He had sensed an enemy to his left, but couldn't see him.
So it really was a concealment technique!
"Iwagakure Ninja?"
The thought flashed through Genma's mind. He formed Hand Seals, leaving a Shadow Clone behind, then sprang into action.
Rumble~
The moss-covered boulder shattered into pieces. The ground sank, and a cloud of dust rose.
Genma had punched a crater into the earth. He immediately turned to look at a thick branch ahead and to his right.
A burly figure appeared on it.
"My technique is completely useless against this brat!"
Taiseki looked at the crater Genma had punched into the ground. "And this brat's strength is astonishing, too."
"I'd better be careful, or I might get taken out by a kid."
"So it really is an Iwagakure Ninja!"
The Iwagakure uniform was easy to recognize.
Genma was almost certain the enemy was using the Camouflage Concealment Technique. Kakashi had suffered greatly from it during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.
Kakashi might have had a dog's nose, but this technique could even erase a person's scent.
"Camouflage Concealment won't work on me. I'll end this quickly!"
Genma vanished from where he stood, then flickered twice through the air before abruptly appearing above Taiseki.
He was too far away to get close with a single Substitution Technique, so he used it several times in succession, switching places with the air each time.
He didn't create clones to confuse his enemy; he was simply using it as an incomplete version of Amenotejikara.
The moment Genma vanished, Taiseki went on high alert.
Genma's two sudden appearances made him feel an enormous threat. Drawing on his extensive battle experience, he immediately used the Hardening Technique without hesitation.
His skin hardened until it was as tough as diamond.
The moment the technique took effect, the crackle of electricity scraping against the air rang out. Genma held his short sword and slashed at Taiseki's face.
Taiseki screamed as he was sent flying. The thick branch exploded an instant later.
At the same time, sharp wooden stakes rained down on Shizune and the others.
Yamashiro Aoba was ready. Before Genma's Shadow Clone could move, he opened his mouth and launched a fireball, setting every falling stake ablaze.
Then a figure hurtled toward Yu Fenglan from the side at incredible speed.
Genma's Shadow Clone flashed in front of Shizune and his father, Yu Fenglan, blocking the enemy's attack with a Kunai in each hand.
Metal clanged against metal, sparks flying.
The enemy wielded a pair of short swords, narrow at the tip and broad at the hilt, with double-edged blades. They were connected to his hands, as if they were extensions of his palms.
Looking at the Iwagakure Ninja before him, Genma immediately thought of a name: the Iwagakure Jonin Hikō!
The thought flashed through his mind as his hands moved on instinct. His Kunai clashed at high speed with Hikō's twin swords, the ring of metal on metal ringing out nonstop.
Suddenly, Genma shifted positions and appeared behind Hikō.
But Hikō seemed to have anticipated it. He leaped aside to evade Genma's attack, spinning in midair as his twin swords swept down from above.
Genma was secretly startled and changed positions again.
Clang!
Hikō barely managed to block Genma's Kunai.
"This guy must have noticed the battle on my main body's side and figured out the mechanics in almost no time."
You couldn't underestimate a Jonin!
As Genma analyzed the fight, he kept changing positions and attacking from every angle.
The two of them constantly shifted locations, now on the ground, now in the trees, now in midair. They clashed again and again, sparks flying.
Yu Fenglan stared in disbelief. "That's my son?"
"My son's a genius, sure, but... how is he this strong?"
It seemed too absurd to be true.
Yamashiro Aoba's eyes widened. He'd already seen how much stronger Genma was than him.
But now, he felt Genma might be on the same level as their teacher, Hatake Sakumo.
Shizune clenched her fists and held her breath, even though she knew it was only a Shadow Clone.
Genma knew very well that without the Substitution Technique, his Taijutsu and swordsmanship alone wouldn't be enough to hold off Hikō, an Iwagakure Jonin.
At the same time, he'd discovered a flaw in the way he used the Substitution Technique: his reactions weren't fast enough.
It worked well enough against ordinary ninja, and the weakness wasn't obvious. But against a Jonin—especially Hikō, who had already figured out some of the technique's mechanics—the brief interval between switching places and attacking gave Hikō time to react.
Any Chunin would've been dead already.
The two moved faster and faster.
Suddenly, blood sprayed through the air.
A Kunai cut Hikō's arm, but he also landed a kick in Genma's chest.
"Shizune!"
As a clone, he shouted the warning just before he disappeared.
Shizune, who'd been watching the fight intently, immediately opened the scroll. Yamashiro Aoba had already prepared a jutsu and sent a Great Fireball flying, but Hikō easily dodged it.
With no choice, Yamashiro Aoba braced himself and rushed at Hikō with his Kunai. After just a dozen exchanges, Hikō sent him flying. Aoba crashed into a tree and slid helplessly down the trunk.
Whether it was Genma or Yamashiro Aoba, their Taijutsu and swordsmanship fell far short of Hikō's, as a Jonin.
But Yamashiro Aoba had bought them time.
On the other side, after receiving his clone's memories, Genma's main body immediately gave up chasing Taiseki. He shifted positions several times and returned to Shizune's side, about to use the Summoning Technique and activate Wood Release Chakra Mode, when Hatake Sakumo suddenly appeared and kicked Hikō, who was charging toward them, flying.
"It's the White Fang of Konoha! Mahiru's dead, and they have reinforcements! Retreat!"
Taiseki appeared in a flash and caught Hikō as he flew backward.
By then, his left eye was blind. A diagonal slash ran from his left eye to the right, cutting through the bridge of his nose and down to his cheekbone. The wound was charred black.
It was the work of Genma's slash moments earlier.
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