Konoha 44, Replication Count Refreshed

So fast!

Genye was startled. He drew his kunai with a backhand motion and, aided by his Byakugan, barely managed to parry the blade by a hair's breadth.

"Sword Technique: Shredding Slash!"

Asuma, who was nearby, rushed over quickly, his blade slashing fiercely across Linren's neck.

Blood sprayed as Linren's artery was deeply severed.

"That stings, you brat!"

Linren shouted, abandoning Genye in front of him to turn and swing his blade at Asuma.

Clang!

After knocking the cleaver aside with his trench knives, Asuma quickly put some distance between himself and Linren, refusing to get bogged down in a prolonged engagement.

"Gentle Fist: Double!"

Genye struck Linren's back with a palm, the terrifying force instantly piercing through his heart and lungs, pulverizing his internal organs.

However, this blow, which would have killed an ordinary person, not only failed to finish Linren off but actually seemed to excite him.

"Ah, so this is what it feels like to have your heart torn out? It's enough to make me tremble with pleasure!"

Although Genye had warned him beforehand, Asuma couldn't help but curse, "What a monster! He's still not dead after that!"

"Dead?"

Linren spat blood, saying disdainfully, "A mere fatal wound? Are you looking down on this great master?"

With that, he raised his cleaver once more and charged at the two of them, shouting and hollering.

"Haha, Wild Boar Charge! Charge! Charge!"

On one side was a monster who feared neither death nor injury, and on the other were flesh-and-blood humans who were hesitant and terrified of getting hurt.

Even though the goal of this battle was merely to stall for time, it remained fraught with danger for Genye and Asuma.

This can't go on. We have to find a way to sever his limbs and restrict his movement!

Genye and Asuma exchanged a glance, their minds meeting in perfect sync.

"Upper right?"

"Upper right!"

Neither of their individual attacks was strong enough to instantly sever Linren's limbs; only by combining their efforts could they succeed!

"Hey, you two brats, what kind of secret code are you whispering that this great master can't understand?"

Linren grumbled, tirelessly swinging his blade horizontally at Asuma.

Screech—

The two trench knives scraped against the cleaver, throwing off a shower of sparks and producing a teeth-grinding sound.

Asuma slid under the blade to get behind Linren, retracted the knives he had used to deflect the cleaver, and slashed fiercely at Linren's left calf.

"Shredding Slash!"

The trench knife bit deep into Linren's muscle but was caught by the leg bone, forcing Asuma to abandon the weapon and roll to the side.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm: Double!"

At that moment, Genye let out a low shout, aiming at the trench knife embedded in Linren's leg, and unleashed the technique he had just been experimenting with.

Bang!

A mist of blood exploded as the terrifying force instantly shattered the muscles and bones of Linren's left leg.

"Ah, you damn brats!"

Linren shrieked as his body separated from his lower leg, causing him to lose his balance and crash to the ground.

Strike while the iron is hot!

Having risked everything to take out Linren's left leg, Genye and Asuma no longer had anything to fear.

"What are you doing? Don't come over here~~!"

Five minutes later.

Looking at Linren, who had been chopped into several pieces but was still trying to pull himself back together, Asuma's face turned green.

"What kind of monster is this guy?"

He kicked Linren's cursing head away and looked at Genye, asking, "What is he?"

"I've only heard rumors. They say there's a cult in the Land of Hot Water that finds joy in slaughter. They possess immortal bodies and can curse others through their blood."

Genye said with a bitter smile, "I always thought it was just a ghost story. Who knew we'd run into a real one today?"

"(#`O′) Hey, brat, where are your manners? How can you use 'a' to refer to this..."

Before the rolling Linren could finish his sentence, Genye kicked him flying again.

"Let's dispose of him so he doesn't go on to harm anyone else!" Asuma said, full of a sense of justice.

"Agreed." Genye nodded.

The two of them further dismembered Rintō, then dug several pits to bury the monster deep underground.

"Genye-kun, Asuma!"

Outside the woods, seeing the two of them emerge unscathed, Yuhi Kurenai rushed over and hugged them, her eyes red.

She knew that staying behind earlier would have only made her a burden, but the inability to face danger alongside her teammates still left her feeling deeply guilty.

"Go on, go on, if you two want to hug, go do it somewhere else—don't drag me into it."

As he spoke, Asuma broke free from Kurenai's embrace; he hated it when people got sentimental in front of him.

If I ever sacrifice myself, I have to die looking cool, Asuma thought to himself. No last words, just have someone light a cigarette for me.

"See? I told you C-rank missions were dangerous. Do you believe me now?" Genye said to the daydreaming Asuma while comforting Kurenai in his arms.

Asuma gave him a punch in annoyance. "Alright, enough with the hugging, let's get moving!"

Returning to Konoha, the three reported the details of the mission to Shimura Hofu.

"...I understand. I will handle the mission submission for you; you all should go back and rest."

Shimura Hofu waved them away, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

He had heard vague rumors about Jashin Cult activity in the Land of Hot Water, but a monster that couldn't be killed? That was certainly the first time he had heard of such a thing.

"It's worth sending someone to investigate. It might provide some new inspiration for Father and Orochimaru's research," Shimura Hofu murmured.

After their return, Team 8 was quickly filled with training and missions, leaving them no time to rest.

It wasn't until the end of the year that Shimura Hofu finally granted them a week of vacation.

Konoha Year 44, New Year's Day, early morning.

Genye had just fallen asleep when he was startled awake by the system notification in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 5 Replication Chances!]

"What the...?! What the hell!"

Genye exclaimed, leaping out of bed. Ignoring the biting cold, he went straight to the neighbor's house to visit Mei.

With gacha chances in hand, who could resist pulling?

Even a monk would have to reward himself with a pull!

"Mei, Mei, open up!"

Genye pounded on the door, the rhythmic thumping echoing through the quiet morning.

"( '-ωก̀ ) Mmm, what is it, Genye-ge? Is something wrong?"

Mei opened the door, her eyes bleary with sleep. She could barely keep them open, struggling to stay awake as she spoke to him.

"Nothing, I just wanted to be the first to give you my New Year's blessings, Mei!" Genye said affectionately.

Before pulling, it was absolutely necessary to farm some favorability!

"Eh?"

Hearing this, Mei was no longer sleepy. Her large eyes snapped open, and she began to stutter.

"Genye-ge, you, you, you..."

"I know, Mei. My sincerity must have moved you deeply."

Genye flashed what he considered a charming smile.

"No, Genye-ge, you...!"

"I know, Mei, you don't have to be so moved, really."

"No, Genye-ge, you..."

"I know, Mei..."

"No, you don't know!" Mei covered Genye's mouth with her slender hand. "Genye-ge, you aren't wearing any clothes!"

"(ÒωÓױ)! Huh?!" Genye looked down and was instantly stunned.

No wonder he felt so cold—he'd been in such a rush to leave that he'd forgotten to get dressed!

Whoosh!

Genye vanished in the blink of an eye, his speed so great that one might have thought he had mastered a Jonin-level Body Flicker Technique.

A while later, Genye reappeared before Mei, fully dressed.

Looking at Mei, who was covering her mouth to hide her giggles, Genye felt rather depressed. He felt like he would never be able to hold his head up in front of her again.

But according to the Law of Conservation of Luck, since I just made a fool of myself, I'm bound to pull something good!

After silently comforting himself, Genye rubbed his hands together and opened the system interface.

"System, give me a replication!"