Possibility! (Seeking Follow-ups)

"Damn Konoha brat..."

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.

Shita Genichi let out a soft hum and kicked the middle-aged man unconscious.

Turning his head, he saw that the battle involving Hatake Sakumo and the other two had also concluded.

Beside Uchiha Namiichi lay two corpses, and Shita Genichi noticed that his eyes were clearly the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

Yamanaka En also had one corpse beside him.

Hatake Sakumo had two by his side.

Then, footsteps echoed. Shita Genichi looked toward the edge of the village to see another Hatake Sakumo walking over, carrying two people.

Eight enemies, exactly.

Clearly, Yamanaka En, acting as the sensory ninja, had long since discovered that the enemy had split into two groups.

Thus, Hatake Sakumo had guarded the village edge.

Poof!

The two enemies were tossed down by Hatake Sakumo before their bodies exploded into smoke with a poof.

It turned out that the one ambushing at the village edge had been a Shadow Clone.

Shita Genichi had actually thought the one on this side was the clone.

But as his thoughts shifted, he understood.

To be safe, Hatake Sakumo had to keep his real body here to ensure he could provide timely rescue if his subordinates ran into trouble.

Especially for a newcomer like him.

"Genichi, well done!"

Hatake Sakumo praised him with a smile.

Shita Genichi had dealt with two people on his own.

One had used a blade, the other had used Water Release.

Moreover, he had chosen to use a Water Clone from the start while keeping his real body hidden, which was an excellent way to handle the situation.

It was precisely because Hatake Sakumo had witnessed this that he allowed one enemy to engage Shita Genichi.

Furthermore, he saw that Shita Genichi's swordsmanship was quite good.

His use of the Draw-Sword Strike was excellent, catching his eye.

"My speed was still a bit slow; I didn't dodge that Wind Release."

Shita Genichi said modestly.

Uchiha Namiichi remarked, "Clones are meant to lure the enemy, aren't they?"

Shita Genichi's performance had also made him look at him in a new light.

He didn't look like a rookie who had just graduated from the academy at all; he was just like the ninjutsu he mastered—as skilled as a seasoned veteran.

"Namiichi, En, you two are in charge of interrogating them for intelligence."

"These guys are all ninjas from the Sky Ninja Village."

Hatake Sakumo said.

Sky Ninja Village.

Shita Genichi suddenly realized.

He remembered that this village seemed to have been wiped out by the Land of Fire during the Second Shinobi World War.

Later, they would even attempt to assassinate Danzo as he traveled to the Five Kage Summit.

They also attacked Konoha in a movie.

And there was the Zero-Tails...

The Zero-Tails!

Shita Genichi's eyelids twitched.

Does the Sky Ninja Village have the Zero-Tails right now?

Could he snatch it and try to become the Zero-Tails Jinchuriki?

Although the Zero-Tails was trash, its chakra reserves would not be small.

And as an aggregation of Dark Chakra, as long as darkness existed, the chakra would be inexhaustible.

Would the world of ninjas ever lack darkness?

As his thoughts raced, Shita Genichi had already added a new plan to his list.

By this time, Uchiha Namiichi and Yamanaka En had already begun interrogating the captives.

Half an hour later, the interrogation ended, and the three captives were executed directly by Uchiha Namiichi.

Shita Genichi watched, but he didn't react at all.

If you don't kill them, are you going to keep them for dinner?

After rekindling the campfire, Uchiha Namiichi and Yamanaka En took turns reporting the intelligence they had gathered to Hatake Sakumo and Shita Genichi.

"They have another base in the mountains with thirteen ninjas remaining, but only one is a Jonin."

"This is just one base for the remnants of the Sky Ninja; they should have others, but these three didn't know anything else."

"This is a trap, intentionally set to lure our Konoha ninja squad here."

Under normal circumstances, a mission like this wouldn't typically involve a powerhouse like Hatake Sakumo.

It would basically be a Chunin squad.

After all, Konoha had only rated this mission as C-rank.

Now, the mission was clearly going to be upgraded.

After hearing the intelligence, Hatake Sakumo immediately decided: "Rest for the night, we enter the mountains tomorrow."

Shita Genichi and the others nodded in succession: "Yes!"

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Shita Genichi and the other three set off into the mountains.

The base of the Sky Ninja remnants wasn't hard to find; by following the tracks left by the eight people from yesterday, they soon located a valley.

A row of wooden cabins had been built here along a stream.

Hiding in the bushes on one side of the valley, Yamanaka En performed a sensory ninjutsu, and after a moment, he signaled with his hands.

Thirteen people, no mistake.

Hatake Sakumo nodded, then signaled to Shita Genichi.

The stream is still here, water attack!

Shita Genichi nodded slightly, then vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

Inside the valley.

Shita Genichi landed on the surface of the stream, spread his hands, formed the "Zai" seal, and then pressed his palms together.

The water beneath his feet swirled and rose, circling around his body.

The water from the stream was continuously drawn up, the momentum growing ever greater.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures shot out from the wooden cabins and landed on the roofs.

"It's people from Konoha!"

The Sky Ninja remnants spotted the forehead protectors worn by Shita Genichi at a glance.

Shita Genichi swung his hands forward, and the spiraling, rising water surged ahead with a thunderous roar.

Water Style: Water Shockwave!

However, the scale of this attack was more like Kisame's Exploding Water Colliding Wave.

Under the impact of the water, the wooden cabins exploded and collapsed.

The Sky Ninjas leaped into the air one after another, then landed on the water's surface.

Just then, fireballs appeared in the air and came crashing down.

"Watch out!"

The Sky Ninjas cried out in alarm, scattering to dodge once more.

Boom!

The fireballs slammed into the water, sending steam billowing everywhere.

Shita Genichi formed seals again.

Zai-Si-Yin!

The water surged upward, condensing into a Water Dragon that, accompanied by a whistling sound, bit down on one leaping Sky Ninja before the dragon's head dove downward, slamming into another Sky Ninja and sending both flying.

Taking advantage of the billowing steam, two figures charged into the crowd one after the other.

Leading the way was Hatake Sakumo; wherever his brilliant white blade-light passed, Sky Ninjas fell.

Having already killed three, Hatake Sakumo reached the Sky Ninja Jonin, and the dense sound of clashing metal rang out.

Shita Genichi had no time to worry about the others' battles, as two Sky Ninjas were charging straight at him.

In their eyes, this brat posed a significant threat.

Shita Genichi stood his ground, his hands forming seals so quickly they left afterimages.

Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!

With their vision sealed, Shita Genichi raised his hand and threw several shuriken, but they were all blocked.

The two Sky Ninja halted their movements, standing back-to-back in a defensive stance.

Clap, clap, clap!

Shita Genichi sprinted across the water's surface, feinting to the east while striking to the west, felling one man with a Draw-Sword Strike.

The remaining ninja sensed his comrade collapse and was seized by inexplicable terror, roaring, "Konoha brat, you bastard, come out!"

"I'll kill you for sure!"

He roared while weaving hand seals, unleashing a whistling fireball from his mouth.

But it clearly missed its mark.

Shita Genichi closed the distance, attacking from various angles, though these were merely probes.

This caused the Sky Ninja to lose his composure entirely, swinging his blade wildly until Shita Genichi easily found an opening and finished him with a single strike.

Just like that, four men were dead.

By now, the battle had concluded.

Drenched corpses lay scattered across the sodden ground.

Yamanaka En emerged from the woods and gave Shita Genichi a thumbs-up.

Shita Genichi smiled and flicked his blade back into its sheath.

In an environment with water, he was indeed capable of unleashing combat prowess that was far from ordinary.

In a waterless environment, given his chakra levels, it would be absolutely impossible for him to perform such large-scale Water Release techniques.

Well, he could actually perform them, but he would be completely drained afterward.