Lightning Flicker

"Retreat!"

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Hikō sheathed his sword and pressed both palms to the ground.

Rumble!

The earth shook, then rapidly split open, forcing Hatake Sakumo to stop pursuing them.

Hikō and Taiseki seized the chance to retreat and escape.

"Don't chase them!"

Hatake Sakumo stopped Genma.

The mission mattered more than taking out the enemy.

Genma was a little disappointed. He sheathed his blade, then bounded over to Yamashiro Aoba and helped him up. "Are you all right?"

Yamashiro Aoba coughed several times before catching his breath. "I-I'm fine."

The kick had knocked the wind out of him. He'd nearly passed out.

"Those three just now were probably all Jonin, right?" Yamashiro Aoba asked.

Genma supported him. "Probably. The one I fought could turn invisible and harden his body. He was strong."

If his Shadow Clone and Yamashiro Aoba had held out for a few more seconds, Genma could have killed Taiseki.

And if not for Hardening Technique, that slash would have taken his life.

Genma had realized that, as an Iwagakure Jonin, the enemy was likely skilled in Hardening Technique. That was why he'd suddenly switched to swordsmanship and Lightning Release chakra nature transformation, using them to counter Earth Release.

Otherwise, he might have dealt a blow that looked impressive but did no damage.

The other one was probably the Iwagakure Jonin Hikō. His swordsmanship and Taijutsu were both excellent, and he was fast.

From the moment their teacher, Hatake Sakumo, entered the fray to the end of the battle, the whole fight had lasted less than three minutes.

No wonder Jonin were so hard to kill!

Only someone as strong as their teacher, Hatake Sakumo, could defeat Mahiru, who was also skilled with a blade, take out all his clones, and kill his real body in such a short time.

"Shizune, check Aoba over once more."

Genma handed Yamashiro Aoba over to Shizune.

Just then, three Anbu Ninja finally arrived.

Hatake Sakumo went over and spoke with them briefly, then the three Anbu Ninja hurried off.

"They went after them?"

Genma withdrew his gaze from the three Anbu Ninja, then felt his father watching him. He immediately turned his head.

Yu Fenglan looked at his son, who had performed so well, and beamed. He gave him a thumbs-up, praising him without a word.

Genma smiled and returned the gesture.

Yu Fenglan looked even happier.

Hatake Sakumo came over. "Ran'ya, what do you make of this?"

Yu Fenglan's smile faded, and his expression turned solemn. "There are two possibilities. The village leaked the information, or Kusagakure did."

"But I think the second is more likely."

"Anyone who can crack codes and analyze intelligence clearly knows a lot of secrets. It's no surprise that Iwagakure would make a move."

Hatake Sakumo nodded in agreement, then said, "Although it's unlikely Kusagakure was involved, the possibility of a hidden threat remains."

"So once we reach Kusagakure, you must have someone guarding you at all times."

Yu Fenglan hesitated, then nodded. "I'll leave the arrangements to you, Sakumo!"

He left the professional work to the professionals. All he needed to do was complete his mission without causing his son any trouble.

Meanwhile, Shizune finished examining Yamashiro Aoba and confirmed that he was fine.

Once that was settled, Hatake Sakumo ordered them to move out.

Their pace slowed considerably. Even with Anbu leading the way, Hatake Sakumo remained cautious.

Genma relaxed a little and shifted some of his attention to the [Setting Collection].

His teacher, Hatake Sakumo, had killed the Iwagakure Jonin Mahiru, and Genma had gained 1 Setting Value.

"Was it because I saved my teacher, allowing him to kill Mahiru during this mission and affect the later Battle of Kannabi Bridge?"

"Or was Mahiru, as a Jonin, worth 1 Setting Value just for being killed?"

Genma wasn't sure, but gaining Setting Value was a good thing.

That brought his savings to 3.1 Setting Value.

If he'd had Lightning Flicker in that fight, Genma was confident he could have killed Taiseki—and maybe even the other Jonin, Hikō.

"As expected, it's the person who's powerful, not the jutsu."

Genma sighed inwardly.

If his Substitution Technique were in the hands of his teacher, Hatake Sakumo, he could probably kill people like Hikō as easily as chickens.

Just as Namikaze Minato had effortlessly dealt with Mahiru in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.

"Maybe I should modify my neural reaction speed first."

The thought crossed Genma's mind.

He'd decide once they reached Kusagakure.

Putting those thoughts aside, Genma focused on the journey.

They encountered no more danger along the way. When they were just over twenty kilometers from Kusagakure, they met a squad of ninja sent out to escort them.

With the group reinforced, they picked up the pace and reached Kusagakure just in time for lunch.

After eating their fill under Kusagakure's hospitality, Genma and the others returned to the lodgings arranged for them and rested.

"Genma, you and Aoba take a rest together."

Once they were back at the lodgings, Hatake Sakumo made the arrangements. He would accompany Shizune and Yu Fenglan first.

Genma followed orders and shared a room with Yamashiro Aoba.

Yamashiro Aoba lay down and soon fell asleep, but Genma's attention remained on the [Setting Collection].

The life-or-death battle that day had exposed more of his weaknesses. Making changes had become urgent.

"Adding the neural reaction setting costs 1 Setting Value. I'd have 2 left to modify the original setting, but it's hard to say how much of an effect 2 Setting Value would have."

In the Ninja World, the gold standard for neural reaction speed was undoubtedly Namikaze Minato.

Two Setting Value probably wouldn't be enough to match Namikaze Minato.

Previously, Genma had spent a full 8 Setting Value to get One-Tail-level chakra.

Even Jiraiya's level had cost 5 Setting Value.

"Lightning Flicker can increase both movement speed and neural reaction speed. It kills two birds with one stone."

Genma pondered.

But he'd had another target for modification: Summoning Technique.

One option would make him stronger now; the other could earn him more Setting Value and make him stronger in the future.

Genma thought it over and chose the first.

He was afraid of dying!

Once he'd made up his mind, Genma immediately tried to modify the Lightning Flicker setting.

It took him three tries to succeed.

Lightning Flicker 1.0: Can freely use Lightning Release chakra to activate any cell in the body, greatly increasing strength, explosive power, speed, and neural reaction speed.

Genma tried to make Lightning Release chakra form Lightning Armor, but failed.

He tried to use Lightning Release chakra to activate his cells and increase his physical strength, but failed.

Three Setting Value clearly weren't enough to achieve either of those.

"Hopefully the results won't disappoint me."

Closing the Setting Collection, Genma quickly fell asleep.

He slept until evening.

Shizune brought dinner back from outside.

After they ate and changed shifts, Genma and Yamashiro Aoba accompanied his father, Yu Fenglan, to a meeting organized by Kusagakure.

It was really just a discussion of the schedule and arrangements for the next three days of exchanges.

They finished after about an hour, then the three of them headed back the way they'd come.

On a stretch of road with no one else around, Genma quietly created a Shadow Clone, transformed it into a stray cat, and sent it off into the darkness.

Yu Fenglan noticed his son's little move and gave him a questioning look: What's going on?

Genma blinked: Just in case.

Yu Fenglan quietly gave him a thumbs-up.

Yamashiro Aoba, walking in front, had no idea the father and son behind him had communicated without a sound.

The stray cat that slipped away was, of course, going to look for Karin's mother.

Now that they were here, whether or not he'd go through with it, he needed to gather intelligence first.