Completion (Seeking Follow-up and Monthly Votes)

Watching Uchiha Namiichi depart, Shita Genichi turned his gaze toward the corpses on the ground, replaying the previous battle in his mind.

His performance had no flaws.

If no jonin had been present, it would have been perfect.

Even if their vision is stripped away, there is no way to kill a jonin.

Yet Hatake Sakumo only needed two strikes.

The gap is too vast, and it is not just a difference in chakra.

Shita Genichi could not help but ask himself: "Is my current chakra volume insufficient to support becoming a jonin?"

Not necessarily!

His swordsmanship was not refined enough.

If he possessed swordsmanship as exquisite as Hatake Sakumo's, combined with the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, he would have a place among the jonin.

However, achieving swordsmanship like Hatake Sakumo's was not easy.

"It is difficult for me to even manage it; after all, Water Release nature transformation does not seem well-suited for the application of swordsmanship..."

Suddenly, Shita Genichi raised an eyebrow: "Perhaps that is not necessarily true."

Hatake Sakumo followed a path of high attack and high speed; perhaps he could follow a path of heavy blades?

The Hozuki Clan possessed secret techniques that used Water Release to enhance strength.

Shita Genichi pondered carefully, then could not help but sigh.

The road ahead was difficult!

"The heavy blade path can wait; I must continue to grind my Draw-Sword Strike, and I also need to increase my speed. I do not know Lightning Release, and even if I were to train in it, it would be hard to see results. It is better to place my hope in the Nine Syllables Hand Seals."

Nine Syllables Hand Seals, perhaps this is my way out...

Shita Genichi thought to himself.

Rumble!

A roaring sound suddenly erupted from the distance.

Shita Genichi looked up to see flames soaring into the sky.

Uchiha Namiichi had made his move.

Shita Genichi focused and prepared himself.

Five minutes, at most five minutes; if Uchiha Namiichi did not return, he would have to go and see for himself.

Fortunately, after only about three minutes, Shita Genichi saw Uchiha Namiichi leaping toward him.

He was injured!

Shita Genichi saw Uchiha Namiichi's left arm hanging limply at his side.

"You go first!"

Shita Genichi shouted in a low voice, forming hand seals.

Water Release-Water Colliding Wave!

Uchiha Namiichi did not speak, simply streaking past Shita Genichi.

Once he had passed, the water of the entire lake surged upward, then swept toward the pursuers like a landslide.

These pursuers included both ninja and samurai.

However, faced with the momentum of Shita Genichi draining the entire lake, they had no choice but to retreat.

Shita Genichi did not immediately fall back; instead, he stepped onto the giant wave, moving forward along the surging torrent.

Snap!

The water exploded, and Shita Genichi leaped into the air before drawing his blade.

Under the moonlight, the blade's gleam was like a ribbon of silk; a ninja who had just dodged the water's impact was sliced in two and fell.

Clang, clang, clang~

Riding the momentum of the water, Shita Genichi killed three more men before quickly retreating.

When the water receded, the pursuers all came to a halt.

They were afraid!

Besides, the daimyo was already dead; was there any need to continue the pursuit?

Was it not more important now to enthrone a new daimyo?

The several leaders exchanged glances, then shouted in unison, leading their men back the way they came.

On the other side, Shita Genichi looked back, and seeing that no one was following, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He then swallowed a Military Ration Pill, gritted his teeth, and accelerated to catch up with Uchiha Namiichi.

"Let's perform emergency treatment first!"

Shita Genichi called for Uchiha Namiichi to stop, then began bandaging him with practiced ease.

A blade grazed his arm, but the wound was not too severe.

After providing emergency treatment to the injury, the two continued their retreat, though they changed direction, opting not to follow the route Hatake Sakumo had taken earlier.

This was to avoid running into any returning pursuers.

However, even with the detour, the two still managed to leave the Daimyo Palace before Hatake Sakumo and rendezvous with Yamanaka En.

"Where is the captain?"

"Was the mission a success?"

Yamanaka En asked hurriedly.

Uchiha Namiichi revealed a smile: "The mission is complete. As for the captain, he should be here soon."

"Get ready."

Yamanaka En breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on the other end of the bridge.

Yes, they had chosen this as the rendezvous point specifically so they could blow up the bridge to delay any pursuers.

Shita Genichi did not worry about the safety of Hatake Sakumo; he reached out to unwrap the bandage on Uchiha Namiichi's left arm and began to perform the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the wound.

Yamanaka En turned back: "How is the injury?"

Uchiha Namiichi said: "It's not heavy."

Shita Genichi said: "I don't have much chakra left. For now, I can only stop the bleeding and heal part of the wound; I have no way to fully cure it."

Uchiha Namiichi said nonchalantly: "This little injury won't affect my combat capability."

Stubborn!

Shita Genichi said: "Recover your chakra as quickly as possible. There might be more fighting later."

Uchiha Namiichi silently took out a Military Ration Pill and ate it.

About five minutes later, Yamanaka En gave a soft shout: "He's here!"

Shita Genichi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them to see Hatake Sakumo sprinting toward them, with only three pursuers behind him.

Seeing that Hatake Sakumo was already halfway across the bridge, Yamanaka En immediately held up one hand.

Rumble!

The bridge on the other side collapsed and disintegrated, and the pursuers on it immediately retreated.

"Let's go!"

Hatake Sakumo did not stop his momentum.

Shita Genichi and the others immediately leaped to follow him.

On the other side of the bridge, the three Sunagakure Ninja watched Shita Genichi and the four others leave, making no move to pursue further.

However, their expressions were all very grim.

Once Hatake Sakumo's Shadow Clone was exposed, they realized something was wrong.

But it was already too late.

"Captain, are we not going to pursue them?"

One Sunagakure Ninja said, unwilling to let it go.

Ryosugi, acting as the captain, shook his head: "That is the White Fang of Konoha. There is no way to take them down."

He was frustrated too, but what else could he do?

On the other side.

After confirming that the enemy was no longer pursuing them, Hatake Sakumo ordered them to stop and rest by a river.

Shita Genichi sat down with a thud, not wanting to move a muscle.

Hatake Sakumo took off his mask and smiled: "Shita Genichi and Uchiha Namiichi did very well on this mission."

Uchiha Namiichi smiled, his vanity greatly satisfied.

He was the one who killed the Daimyo!

Shita Genichi took off his mask and said with his habitual modesty: "It was you, Teacher, who drew the enemy's attention, and Namiichi who took care of the target."

"Besides, without En's support, it wouldn't have been so easy for us to shake off the enemy."

The credit certainly didn't belong to just one person.

Hatake Sakumo smiled and said: "I will report your performance truthfully to the Hokage."

"Namiichi, how is your injury?"

Uchiha Namiichi raised his arm: "With Genichi's treatment, there is no major problem."

Hatake Sakumo nodded: "Then we will rest for an hour before continuing our journey. We can rest properly once we enter the Land of Fire."

Shita Genichi and the others naturally had no objections.

They were still in the Land of Rivers, and danger remained.

If the Sunagakure Ninja caught up again, it would be troublesome.

Thus, after resting for an hour, the four of them set off once more, crossing the border in one breath and only stopping to rest again once they had entered the Land of Fire.

By then, it was already dawn.

Shita Genichi leaned against a tree trunk, eyes downcast. This should have changed the original plot, right...

Although it was said that character determines fate, as long as Hatake Sakumo's personality and values remained unchanged, he would sooner or later find himself in a situation where he abandoned a mission for the sake of his comrades.

But at the very least, Hatake Sakumo would not commit suicide in the short term.

I'll be able to learn more things, too.

Though, that's a bit too utilitarian...

As Shita Genichi pondered this, he drifted into a deep sleep without even realizing it.