"Is... is that Genye's voice?"
Obito's eyes flew open. A frail figure stood in front of him, punching toward the boulder crashing down from above.
"Damn it, I'm almost dead. Why would I imagine Genye of all people?"
Thoughts raced through a person's mind in an instant. As Obito teetered on the brink of death, his brain worked at lightning speed, and the world before him seemed to stand still.
"Could it be that who I really like is...?"
No!
Obito realized in an instant that the Genye before him wasn't an illusion.
He had no idea how it had happened, but the other boy was truly standing right there in front of him!
"Idiot, forget about me and run!" Obito screamed inwardly.
"You actually charged at a boulder that huge? Are you an idiot, Genye?!"
The thought that this damn idiot was about to die because of him made Obito's eyes bulge with anguish, the red in them almost spilling over.
Boom!
The next instant, the frozen world started moving again. A deafening roar that split stone and pierced the clouds exploded, rattling Obito's ears and leaving his mind blank.
The boulder, a good seven or eight meters across, burst apart, sending shards and even dust flying everywhere.
...No, it wasn't just the boulder!
After Genye punched through it, the terrifying force of his blow continued unabated, boring straight through the entire mountainside and leaving behind a round hole.
The sky was visible now.
A ray of sunlight slipped into the dim cave and fell across Genye's flawless profile.
At that moment, he was so handsome it was explosive!
Genye held his pose, back turned as he punched. He looked impossibly cool, but his cheek kept twitching.
"Damn, it still hurts. I can't use my left hand for now. But whatever. The pain is temporary; looking cool lasts forever."
"At worst, I won't be able to reward myself for two days. No big deal."
Genye's punch had severed the chakra flow Kakkō was using to destroy the cave. The cave, which had been on the verge of collapse, settled down again.
It wasn't exactly scientific, but the Shinobi World didn't care much about science anyway. All that mattered was being powerful. Who Newton was didn't matter.
"Genye!"
The moment Genye turned around, Obito threw his arms around him, tears streaming down his face.
"(ÒωÓױ) Holy shit? Three Tomoe?!"
Genye glanced at Obito's eyes and gaped. "Obito, you're not in love with me, are you?"
"You idiot! I thought I was going to die! I thought you were going to die! Damn it!"
Obito cried and cursed at the same time, unable to tell whether the wetness around his mouth was tears or snot.
"Okay, okay, it's all right. There, there. Don't cry."
Genye patted Obito on the head, quietly relieved.
He'd made it in time!
Genye had no idea how the three of them had made it deep into enemy territory.
But he had both a see-through cheat and a teleportation cheat, and even so, he'd had to take out several squads of Rock Village shinobi along the way before he could get there.
"Genye, what are you doing here?!" Nohara Rin asked, both surprised and delighted.
"Long story. Let's deal with the guy outside first." Genye waved a hand and "looked" toward Kakkō outside.
Kakashi hadn't said a word the whole time.
He silently stared at the enormous "fist mark" above the cave, his expression complicated.
Back when Genye had said he'd badly injured two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Kakashi had scoffed, convinced Genye had made it up.
He'd thought that even he couldn't handle two elite jonin at once, so he'd arrogantly decided Genye couldn't do it either.
But now it was clear that Genye had been telling the truth all along. Kakashi, meanwhile, had accused him of making things up and said such conceited things!
Remembering the scene made Kakashi want to disappear on the spot. His face burned beneath his mask, and for the moment, he couldn't bring himself to talk to Genye.
Outside the cave, Kakkō looked at the completely buried entrance and smiled smugly.
"They were a rare source of information, but there's nothing to be done. Killing them is simpler."
Boom!
Just as Kakkō turned to leave, a deafening roar came from behind him. He turned around, his face darkening.
"Damn brats, why won't you just die already?!" Kakkō hissed through clenched teeth.
"Sorry. It's a little unfair, but I'm in a hurry."
A gentle voice suddenly came from behind him. Kakkō was instantly horrified.
"When did he...?!"
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm—Collapse!"
The gentle voice turned cold. At that moment, Kakkō's thoughts ground to a halt as a devastating force burrowed into his body, instantly rupturing his internal organs.
"Whew."
Watching Kakkō's body fall, Genye exhaled and grinned. "Great! I also got this week's chakra pathway rupture training done."
(Chakra pathways: 6.)
Genye turned to face Obito and the others as they climbed out of the cave, and spoke candidly.
"As you can see, I have a secret. I've been hiding my strength because if it gets out, it'll get me killed."
"So, could you keep this secret for me? Pretend I was never here?" Genye asked earnestly.
The three exchanged glances and nodded in unison. "Of course!"
They had no idea what had happened or why, but Genye had risked his life to save them. How could they repay him by betraying him?
"Oh no, the enemy reinforcements are here!"
Genye's expression suddenly changed. "I'll hold them off. You need to go!"
"But..."
"Go! You'll only get in my way!" Genye said urgently. "I can get away, so don't worry about me!"
"Then be careful, Genye!"
"Don't worry. Go on!"
Watching the three he'd tricked into leaving, Genye chuckled and used his ocular technique to leave.
He'd earned their goodwill; Namikaze Minato could handle the grunt work once he arrived at the battlefield.
Time to get out of here.
Thinking of Namikaze Minato reminded Genye of his own teacher.
"I wonder how Hefeng is doing. Has he finished his mission? When will I get to see him again?"
Konoha, Root.
As Danzo sat on the dais, his expression stern and imposing, a shinobi knelt trembling before him, bracing himself to speak.
"Lord Danzo, Hefeng-sama... sacrificed himself to cover Sarutobi Inosuke's retreat."
Bang!
Danzo shot to his feet, his eyes glinting with savage fury.
He walked up to the shinobi and looked down at him.
"What did you just say? Say it again!"
The shinobi pressed his forehead to the floor, fighting to control his trembling as he forced himself to answer.
"Lord Danzo, Hefeng-sama sacrificed himself!"
"Bastard!"
Danzo kicked the shinobi away and, unable to contain his fury, swept everything he could see onto the floor.
"Is Sarutobi Hiruzen's son's life worth more than my son's?!"
"Why did you make my son stay behind for that useless fool? Why?! What gave you the right?!"
Seeing Danzo howl like a madman, all the Root shinobi dropped to their knees, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Their lord was usually a man who never showed his emotions.
This was the first time they'd seen Lord Danzo so furious. They were afraid even a loud breath might make him take his anger out on them.
"Whew..."
After venting his fury, Danzo sat back down and half-closed his eyes, returning to his usual, placid self.
He tapped the armrest with his knuckles and spoke calmly.
"Before this war ends, I want Sarutobi Inosuke erased from the Shinobi World. I don't want to hear his name again."
"Yes, sir!" the Root shinobi replied respectfully.
In Root, Danzo's orders were absolute. Even if he told them to assassinate the Hokage, they would carry them out without hesitation.
"If I were Hokage, none of this would have happened. My son wouldn't have died..."
After dismissing his subordinates with a wave, Danzo opened his eyes again, fury blazing within them.
"Hiruzen, I'll take back the Hokage Position that should have been mine!"
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