White Yasha

Two years later, on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

"Run! Run! It's the White Yasha!"

"Damn it, he's a demon!"

"Is this the legendary future God of Shinobi? Is this the kind of power a ninja can have?"

The screams of the Rain ninjas rang out across the battlefield.

A white-haired figure dressed in a black, close-fitting combat suit and red layered armor, with a large scroll strapped to his back, was dancing wildly across the battlefield.

He was only using Taijutsu, yet no one on the battlefield could stand against him.

One moment, the Rain ninjas saw his figure; the next, they were flying backward over the heads of the crowd.

"Yasha means demon, you know. I'm this handsome and dashing, and you're calling me a ghost? You've clearly never seen the world."

Senju Genma stood on a Rain ninja's head and pursed his lips in displeasure.

Senju Genma had changed a great deal over the past two years.

He had grown rapidly. His build was approaching that of an adult, and at 1.6 meters tall, he was only a little shorter than Tsunade. His face was still somewhat youthful, but he could already handle plenty of grown-up matters.

"Just as expected of Lord Genma! You're amazing! White Yasha!"

"White Yasha!"

"White Yasha!"

At the edge of the battlefield, Konoha's ninjas had embraced the title even faster than Senju Genma himself, excitedly shouting the name White Yasha.

To them, it was recognition of their village hero's strength.

Senju Genma looked utterly baffled.

He could understand the Rain ninjas shouting it, but what did it mean for his own people to shout it too? Was this a betrayal?!

While Senju Genma grumbled to himself, he noticed that the Rain ninjas weren't running away. Instead, they were coming toward him.

This was getting out of hand!

"Sage Art: Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"

Senju Genma shouted. Several long wooden spikes sprouted from his arms and skewered his enemies.

After piercing the Rain ninjas, the spikes branched out and kept growing, stabbing through their bodies from within.

A Rain Chunin, panic-stricken and seemingly out of his mind, charged straight at Senju Genma.

Senju Genma grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.

"You want to dance too?"

Senju Genma tossed him into the air and kicked him.

The Chunin's body, along with the ninjas behind him, went flying.

"Sage Art: Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Senju Genma spat out a massive sphere of water, scattering the Rain ninja forces around him.

Konoha's ninjas seemed to be fired up by Senju Genma as well.

"Charge! Drive those Rain ninjas out!"

"Hey, hey! We're in the Land of Rain right now, aren't we?"

"We're maintaining peace in the Ninja World, get it? We're not bullying civilians!"

"Lord Genma looked at me! I'm going to give my life for Lord Genma!"

"Fight! Fight with all your heart!"

"Lord Genma, I want to have your children!"

"Aren't you a man?"

"What's it to you?!"

Senju Genma stood at the center of the battlefield, feeling the breeze as his white hair fluttered in the wind. He folded his arms and looked down on the world around him.

He was starting to get carried away.

He had to admit, being admired felt pretty good.

Of course, it would've been even better if no men wanted to have his children.

"Genma really is popular," Orochimaru remarked, watching Senju Genma's impressive figure charge across the battlefield.

Tsunade stood on a tree, gazing into the distance with an infatuated look.

Jiraiya, however, seemed somewhat downcast. He murmured, "He really is."

He had once liked Tsunade too, but she wasn't interested in him.

When it came to romance, Jiraiya was like a child.

He used to tease Tsunade mostly because he wanted to get her attention.

But after spending the past two years with Tsunade and Senju Genma on the battlefield, he knew he had no chance at all—unless Senju Genma died.

Still, he was a good person. He could never kill a comrade over his own feelings.

The perceptive and gentle Namikaze Minato noticed something was off with his teacher, but he had nothing to say.

One was his friend, the other his teacher. All he could do was admit there was nothing he could do.

Namikaze Minato had graduated from the Ninja Academy a year early, then came to the battlefield with Jiraiya's permission.

Watching Senju Genma on the battlefield, he felt a little envious. He wanted to fight on the front lines too, and he believed his strength was already enough.

Namikaze Minato truly was a genius. Though he hadn't learned the Flying Thunder God Technique yet, he had independently developed the Rasengan while training with Senju Genma. His current strength was on par with a Special Jonin.

But Jiraiya refused his request, assigning him only simple missions on the grounds that he was still a Genin.

On the battlefield, Senju Genma charged toward the Rain ninjas again, like a tiger among sheep, unstoppable in his path.

Konoha's ninjas followed close behind, clashing fiercely with the Rain ninjas.

Konoha's overall strength was already greater than that of the Rain ninjas. With Senju Genma leading the charge, the Rain ninjas were even less able to resist. They were routed, abandoning their weapons and armor as they fled.

With the Rain ninjas defeated, the small-scale battle soon came to an end. Surrounded by his comrades, Senju Genma returned to the main force.

Tsunade was just about to hug Senju Genma and give him a proper reward when Orochimaru spoke first, interrupting her. His eyes were full of admiration.

"Not bad, little Genma!"

"I'm not little at all!" Senju Genma immediately retorted.

Tsunade nodded too. She could attest that Senju Genma really wasn't little.

Orochimaru simply walked into the command tent, leaving the two of them alone.

He knew that both Tsunade and Senju Genma had somewhat strange ways of thinking. Arguing with them would only drag him onto their wavelength.

He still had a battle to command. He couldn't afford to have his head full of weird and useless thoughts.

Inside the tent that served as the command center, Orochimaru pointed to the map on the wall.

"After this battle, we've eliminated all of Amegakure's outposts on the outskirts."

"Our next objective is to attack Amegakure's headquarters directly."

"Jiraiya, you're in charge of the intelligence unit. Tell us where Hanzo is now."

Orochimaru was only concerned with Hanzo. Hanzo was the greatest variable in this war.

In his view, even if Amegakure had hidden forces, they posed less of a threat than Hanzo alone.

Jiraiya cleared his throat, stood up, and spoke loudly. "According to our intelligence, Hanzo was seen on the battlefield against Sunagakure a day ago. Judging by the distance from that battlefield to Amegakure's headquarters, it'll take him at least two and a half days to return."

Orochimaru nodded. He still had faith in Jiraiya's abilities.

After thinking for a moment, he began issuing orders. "For our next operation, we'll launch a full-scale attack on Amegakure from the north."

"Remember, we are an army of peace. We won't take so much as a needle or a thread from the civilians. Once we breach Amegakure, make sure your troops are kept under control!"

"Everyone, we will win this battle!"

"That's all!"