Wrong Judgment

"Leaf-Style—Dynamic Entry!"

Genye roared, the cyclone trailing behind him resembling the phantom of a dragon's head, and the sonic boom from his leg strike echoed like a dragon's cry from the heavens!

For a fleeting instant, Kushimaru Kuriarare's thoughts ground to a halt.

He felt as though he had made a grave miscalculation just moments ago.

If he had been more cautious, if he hadn't charged in so recklessly, perhaps...

Snap.

That was the sound of Nuibari breaking. Known as the indestructible Seven Ninja Swords, two had been snapped in a single day.

Of course, along with the blade, at least half of the bones in Kushimaru Kuriarare's body had shattered as well.

Bang!

Kushimaru Kuriarare was sent flying backward like a straw doll, drifting even further than Juzo Biwa, whom he had mocked just moments before.

Thud.

The kick had drained every ounce of Genye's strength. As he fell from the air, his legs went limp, and he collapsed to his knees.

Lacking the energy to keep track of Kushimaru Kuriarare, Genye watched as the world before his eyes grew increasingly blurred, his eyelids becoming too heavy to lift.

After struggling for a few seconds, Genye's head slumped, and he pitched forward onto the ground.

"...Genye... Genye..."

Before he lost consciousness entirely, he vaguely heard someone calling his name—or so he thought.

When he opened his eyes again, Genye found himself lying in a clean, bright hospital room.

"Phew, I made it..."

Seeing the familiar Konoha aesthetic in the room, Genye let out a sigh of relief.

He tried to prop himself up, only to find his limbs felt like limp noodles, completely devoid of any strength.

Not only that, as his consciousness sharpened, the pain began to escalate, and the agony radiating from his entire body made him gasp.

"Brother Genye, you're awake!"

Mei, who had been dozing off while leaning against Genye, was startled awake. Her expression shifted to one of pleasant surprise, and she scrambled to her feet in a flurry.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get the doctor!"

Soon, several doctors arrived, performed an examination, and left only after confirming that Genye was out of danger.

"Brother Genye, are you thirsty? Let me get you some water."

Mei poured a cup of warm water, propped his head up, and fed it to him bit by bit.

"Thank you, Mei. Have you been the one taking care of me all this time?"

Just moments ago, Genye had learned from the doctor that he had been in a coma for three full days; today was the fourth.

"Well, it wasn't just me. Your friends were here too, taking turns watching over you," Mei said.

"I see." Genye nodded, then asked, "My two teammates, they're alright, aren't they?"

Mei's eyes reddened, and she suddenly choked up. "Everyone is fine. It's just... it's just you, Brother Genye..."

"What the hell? What's wrong with me?!"

Seeing Mei suddenly burst into tears, Genye's heart jumped into his throat.

Could it be that he had suffered some grave injury and was on the brink of death?!

Or worse... had he turned into a girl?!

"Brother Genye's meridians are too severely damaged. The doctor said..." Mei sobbed, "The doctor said you might never be able to be a ninja again."

"Is that all?" Genye exhaled in relief. "I thought something serious had happened. You scared me."

Mei: "???"

His meridians were shattered, he could never be a ninja again, and in Brother Genye's eyes, this wasn't a big deal?!

It's over, Brother Genye's brain must be broken!

Looking at the bewildered Mei, Genye grinned.

He wasn't Lee, who could use a cheat for six minutes and then get banned for 600 episodes; his youth was far superior to Lee's!

It was just a mere severe injury; he would definitely be fully recovered in a few months at most.

Funny. I opened this cheat with my own skill; who could possibly ban me?

In the afternoon, upon hearing the news of Genye's recovery, Namikaze Minato came to ask him a few questions.

Behind Minato followed two ninjas tasked with recording the statement, as well as Kakashi, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Minato was currently a favored aide to the Hokage, and given the gravity of the situation, his presence was not entirely unexpected.

"Genye, your answer may affect the overall strategic layout of Konoha moving forward."

Namikaze Minato looked at Genye with a grave expression. "Therefore, you must answer as accurately and detailed as possible!"

Genye nodded and replied solemnly, "I understand, Minato-senpai."

The questioning began, with Minato asking and Genye answering.

After a while, the two ninjas responsible for taking notes stopped writing simultaneously, giving up on recording entirely.

The two exchanged glances, seeing the speechlessness in each other's eyes.

What kind of nonsense is this kid spouting?

Genye's previous answers could basically be summarized in two sentences.

"Those were two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; I was scared to death at the time!"

"In a state of extreme fear, I accidentally almost beat them to death!"

Almost beat two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to death? A little brat who just became a chunin would be lucky to even put up a fight against one of them!

The two ninjas rolled their eyes wildly; if one didn't know better, they would think they were the ones from the Hyuga Clan.

"...Is that so? I understand."

Minato shook his head slightly as he listened. He felt that the questioning could end here; there was no point in continuing.

Genye didn't seem to be lying, but what he described was likely just a fantasy he believed to be the "truth."

The Konoha ninjas who arrived later had found no signs of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen being injured at the scene; they had only found Genye lying on the ground, unconscious and severely wounded.

Was it more likely that a fledgling little guy had single-handedly severely wounded two elite jonin?

Or was it more likely that he had exhausted all his strength to stall one elite jonin before falling into a coma and being saved by reinforcements?

Minato had already made his judgment.

There was no peerless prodigy who fought two heroes alone; it was merely the fantasy of a dying youth.

"Sorry to have bothered you, Genye."

Minato offered an apologetic smile and gently patted Genye's quilt, his azure eyes filled with tenderness.

"Your act of stepping forward for your comrades was very brave. Now, you can rest easy."

"Yes, Minato-sama!" Genye replied with a hint of excitement.

Namikaze Minato was simply too handsome and charismatic.

With that one smile, Genye felt that even he, a grown man, was nearly falling for him!

"Then, farewell."

Minato led the way out of the ward, the two ninjas followed closely behind, and Kakashi walked at the very end.

Before leaving, Kakashi turned back to glance at Genye and said coldly.

"Failing a mission is failing a mission. Making up such a clumsy lie only makes me look down on you."

With that, he slammed the door shut and strode away without looking back.

"Hey, this brat!"

Genye was so angry he wanted to chase him out and beat him to a pulp on the spot.

He knew that Kakashi, during this period, had a deep obsession with mission completion due to the suicide of Hatake Sakumo.

But he was still furious!

Just you wait, brat. When your team falls into a desperate situation and I descend from the sky to save you, I can't wait to see the look on your face!

Genye thought, gritting his teeth.