Kekkei Genkai! (Seeking Follow-ups and Monthly Votes)

After giving the warning, Shita Genichi leaped down from the treetop and dashed toward the direction of Yamanaka En.

Rumble!

A thunderous roar erupted as rolling flames and smoke surged into the sky.

Shita Genichi glanced over, knowing that was the direction Uchiha Namiichi was responsible for. A trap had been triggered, which meant Uchiha Namiichi's Shadow Clone would soon be engaging the enemy.

He immediately formed hand seals and activated the Soldier Mantra.

In an instant, his speed surged.

Ahead, the sounds of explosions continued to ring out.

The battle seemed incredibly intense.

After another moment, Shita Genichi finally arrived.

In front, Yamanaka En and Nara Kakuto were working together, the latter using the Shadow Possession Technique to restrain a middle-aged man with red hair.

Yamanaka En was using the Mind Body Switch Technique, directly transferring his consciousness to control the red-haired man.

On the other side, the massive Akimichi Dozō and Yamanaka Jing were teaming up against another enemy, a young man in black hair and black clothes.

This person's agile speed and sharp Kenjutsu left the two of them unable to do anything.

Akimichi Dozō could not pin the enemy down, making it difficult for Yamanaka Jing to employ the Mind Body Switch Technique, and with close-quarters combat and Genjutsu proving ineffective, they were at a stalemate.

As soon as Yamanaka En secured control over one enemy, the black-haired man immediately attempted a rescue.

However, he did not charge directly at his companion, but instead lunged toward Yamanaka En.

He possessed some intelligence regarding the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique.

Most importantly, he knew that attacking what the enemy must save was the only way to rescue his companion.

Seeing this, Nara Kakuto immediately used his Shadow Secret Technique to intercept the charging black-haired man, attempting to block him.

Behind the black-haired man, Akimichi Dozō and Yamanaka Jing also closed in.

Having already taken control of the enemy, Yamanaka En immediately took a blade and stabbed it into his own chest.

After driving it halfway in, he immediately withdrew.

With the enemy severely wounded, Yamanaka En returned to his own body.

Seeing this, the other enemy immediately threw a smoke bomb.

Boom!

Thick smoke billowed out, obscuring the vision of Nara Kakuto and the others.

They immediately went on high alert, but heard the sound of dense clashing metal ringing in their ears.

Outside the smoke, Shita Genichi intercepted the retreating enemy, his short blade colliding repeatedly with the opponent's ninja sword, sending sparks flying.

The two engaged in a high-speed clash within the forest.

After a dozen exchanges, their figures crossed in mid-air before each landed on the ground.

Shita Genichi turned around, while the black-haired man opposite him looked down at his restrained shadow and gritted his teeth: "Damn Shadow Secret Technique!"

He struggled to raise his hand, but it trembled and refused to lift.

At this moment, his shadow was indeed linked to Nara Kakuto's.

Swish, swish, swish!

Just as Shita Genichi was about to finish the enemy with a single strike, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

A dense barrage of shuriken whistled toward them.

"Watch out!"

Akimichi Dozō shouted.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~

Everyone dodged behind the trees.

Boom, boom, boom!

Some of the shuriken were equipped with Explosive Tags; flames and smoke soared into the air, accompanied by rolling heat waves.

The smoke cleared.

Shita Genichi stepped out from behind a tree to see that two more people had appeared on the opposite side.

One tall, one short; one male, one female.

"Ling, you really are in a sorry state!"

The woman with long gray hair and exposed fair arms chuckled, seemingly indifferent to the death of their other companion.

The black-haired man gave a cold snort: "Just bad luck."

The tall man said: "Let's finish these guys off first!"

The black-haired man stared at Shita Genichi and said coldly: "Leave this brat to me!"

Behind Shita Genichi, Yamanaka En whispered, "I don't have much chakra left."

He was merely a Shadow Clone.

Shita Genichi nodded slightly; he was also just a Shadow Clone.

In this battle, the main force was still Akimichi Dozō and the others.

So then...

Shita Genichi sheathed his blade and formed the Tiger seal with both hands: Genjutsu, Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!

In an instant, the vision of the three opponents was stripped away.

"Their sight has been taken; finish this quickly!"

Shita Genichi shouted, and his body exploded into a puff of smoke.

The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique had completely exhausted this Shadow Clone's chakra.

The three opponents immediately tried to form seals to dispel the Genjutsu, but Yamanaka En had already raised his hand and thrown several shuriken at them.

Clang, clang, clang!

All the shuriken were deflected.

Nara Kakuto, having reacted, used the Shadow Secret Technique to restrain the tall man: "Dozō!"

Multi-Size Technique!

Akimichi Dozō's body expanded rapidly, and as he brought his long staff crashing down with a boom, the immobilized tall man was smashed into the ground, turning into a pile of mush.

Meanwhile, Yamanaka Jing used the Mind Body Switch Technique to swap bodies with the female ninja, and Yamanaka En raised his hand to throw another shuriken.

At the last moment, Yamanaka Jing left the female ninja's body and returned to his own, but the female ninja was unable to block the shuriken in time; it struck her directly in the neck, and she fell to the ground with a scream.

In the blink of an eye, only the black-haired man remained of the three enemies.

He finally dispelled the Genjutsu and regained his sight.

But the next moment, his body stiffened.

He had been controlled by Yamanaka En's Mind Body Switch Technique.

However, after only a second, Yamanaka En's body exploded with a bang.

Chakra exhausted!

The black-haired man recovered and immediately leaped into the air, narrowly dodging Nara Kakuto's shadow capture.

Clang, clang, clang!

Wielding his blade in mid-air, the black-haired man deflected all of Yamanaka Jing's shuriken before using the tree branch to propel himself.

The next moment, the branch exploded—it was an attack from Akimichi Dozō's long staff.

On the other side.

Eight figures moved along the river toward the mine.

After they departed, Shita Genichi emerged from the river.

However, among the eight who had left, a man in blue with black hair suddenly frowned and held up one hand: "Someone was actually hiding behind us; I almost overlooked it."

He immediately shouted to the others: "You go ahead; I'll deal with the guy behind us!"

With that, the blue-clad, black-haired man turned and walked back.

On the river surface, Shita Genichi suddenly stopped and looked at the man opposite him: "I've been discovered, then!"

The blue-clad, black-haired man smiled: "I didn't expect it to be just a brat!"

Although Shita Genichi had grown much faster than his peers over the past two years, reaching a height of nearly 1.6 meters, he was indeed still a brat in the eyes of the blue-clad, black-haired man.

Shita Genichi stared at the person opposite: "You are... Mist Ninja!"

The blue-clad, black-haired man smiled: "You are very smart."

"That is why I will use my full strength to kill you."

As he spoke, he raised his hands to form seals.

But Shita Genichi was faster; he pressed his palms together, and the river water immediately spiraled upward.

"What?"

The blue-clad, black-haired man was shocked, but the water current opposite had already surged toward him in a counter-current.

There was no time to form seals!

Rumble!

The surging water swept past beneath the blue-clad, black-haired man, and just as he landed on the water's surface, the water behind him surged back again.

The blue-clad, black-haired man had no choice but to leap into the air once more, simultaneously throwing out needles that collided with the shuriken launched by Shita Genichi.

Shita Genichi was startled: "Ice Release!"

The needles used by the blue-clad, black-haired man were clearly made of condensed ice.