Kurenai's Great Achievement

"The guy in the middle should be Luren Murata. But the ones beside him... are they just a bunch of ordinary children?"

What was going on here?

The scene unfolding within his Byakugan caused Genye's brain to momentarily short-circuit.

"Genye?... Genye!"

It wasn't until Asuma nudged him that he snapped back to reality and relayed what he had seen to his two companions.

"Children?"

Asuma's brows knitted together. "Are you saying this rogue ninja adopted a group of six or seven-year-old kids while on the run?"

"It's baffling, but that certainly seems to be the case." Genye nodded.

"Could he be using these children as hostages to make us hesitate?" Kurenai guessed, sounding uncertain.

"Hard to say, but as a ninja, he shouldn't be that naive," Genye replied.

The three of them looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

"So... what should we do now? If we attack recklessly, might we hurt those children?"

After a long silence, Kurenai Yuhi spoke up hesitantly, looking at Genye with an inquiring gaze.

"Hmm, I don't know either." Genye shook his head; he didn't have any good solutions either.

If it were other ninjas, they would have charged straight in long ago.

What? You say you're hostages?

Bullshit, you're clearly reinforcements brought in by the enemy. I'm not listening, I'm not listening—everyone just die for me!

(Hostage: "Big Brother Kidnapper, give me a kunai, let's charge out together!")

But Genye and his team were still green, and for the moment, they couldn't bring themselves to be that ruthless.

"If you ask me, let's just set some traps outside the village and call that rogue ninja out to confront him directly!"

Asuma spoke slowly. "Besides, there are three of us; we don't have to worry about him running away once he hears us."

Genye and Kurenai exchanged a glance and nodded, agreeing with Asuma's proposal.

"Fine, let's do as you say."

The three of them were confident in their own abilities; with three against one, they should be able to keep the situation under control.

They crept silently toward the village, and after confirming there were no traps outside, they turned the tables and laid a wave of their own.

Then, the three of them split up and approached the village from another direction.

"A foolish choice."

Hidden in the shadows and witnessing the entire process, Shimura Hofu shook his head.

"Listen up, people inside! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately!"

As soon as Genye opened his mouth, the lines in his head slipped out uncontrollably, causing Kurenai and Asuma to stare at him with strange expressions.

A moment later, a young man of about twenty with an unremarkable appearance appeared in their line of sight.

It was Luren Murata!

Murata gave a bitter smile. "I didn't expect Konoha to find me so quickly."

"Luren Murata, you..."

Just as the three of them were about to say something, a group of children rushed out from the dilapidated tile-roofed house behind him.

"Don't you dare hurt Uncle Murata!"

The children stood in front of Murata, baring their teeth and claws at the three Konoha ninja.

Murata's expression changed, and he pushed at the children. "Didn't I tell you to stay inside and not come out? Go back, be good!"

"We aren't going back!" a little girl cried, clutching the hem of Murata's clothes with tear-filled eyes.

"If it weren't for Uncle Murata, we would have died out there long ago. It was Uncle Murata who gave us food and water so we could live like human beings! If they want to hurt Uncle Murata, they're the bad guys, and we're going to help you drive the bad guys away!"

"That's right, we're going to help Uncle Murata drive them away!"

"You... sigh!" Murata's hand, which had been trying to shoo the children away, froze in mid-air, and he let out a dejected sigh.

Genye frowned.

Could it be that these children really weren't hostages, but were taken in by Murata out of the kindness of his heart?

Or perhaps they were being used by Murata, yet remained completely unaware of it?

"Genye, do you think he might have exposed his tracks at the nearby market just to buy things for these kids?"

Kurenai whispered into Genye's ear.

"That's not important," Asuma said in a low voice. "What's important is, are we going to make a move now?"

The two of them looked at Genye.

Genye did not speak. His gaze drifted past the indignant children and fixed on Luren Murata for a long moment before he finally spoke.

"Luren Murata, for the sake of these children, we will give you one chance. If you are willing to return to Konoha with us, there may still be a way to turn things around."

Murata shook his head, refusing without a moment's hesitation: "I am sorry, but I will not return to Konoha with you."

"If that is the case..."

Genye exhaled heavily, his eyes turning cold and sharp: "Then we have no choice but to kill you."

"Genye, do we really have to do this?" Asuma and Kurenai's expressions both shifted.

"Regardless of whether his kindness is genuine or a facade, two of our comrades from Konoha died because of him; that is an indisputable fact. He must pay the price for this. That will not change just because he is a good person."

Genye stated this calmly, as if trying to convince his two companions, or perhaps himself.

"Furthermore, the intelligence he possesses—if that information falls into the hands of other nations, it will plunge Konoha into crisis. Since he is unwilling to return with us, we have no choice but to kill him."

"He is right." Murata looked at the crying children beside him, a complex look flashing through his eyes.

"Killing me is your best choice, and it is also my best destination. I am tired of running."

Every time he fell asleep, he would dream of his fallen teammates; he could not bear the look of disappointment and anger in their eyes.

"Let this life end quickly, no matter the method..."

Murata forced himself to turn around, putting his back to the children, and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"So, please try to kill me. Of course, I will not sit idly by and wait for death."

As he spoke, Murata gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, pushed off the ground with his toes, and lunged forward, leaving the crying children behind as he charged toward the three of them.

"Asuma, Kurenai, prepare to engage!"

Genye let out a low shout, pulled four shuriken from his ninja tool pouch, and swung his arm in a wide arc to throw them at Murata.

Using a specialized technique, the four shuriken spiraled and scattered, flying toward Murata from different angles like falling flower petals.

"Sword Style: Water Surface Slash!"

Facing the incoming shuriken, the long sword at Murata's waist suddenly unsheathed, carving a biting, icy arc through the air.

Clang!

Amidst the sound of clashing metal, all four shuriken were intercepted by the blade, losing their momentum and falling to the ground.

Having easily blocked the shuriken, Murata did not slow down. His figure flickered as he attempted to break through the gap between the three of them.

"Don't think you're getting away! Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Asuma, standing to the side, seized the opportunity, opening his mouth to spew a stream of scorching flames directly at Murata.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Murata formed a seal with one hand and exhaled a violent gust of wind, which roared forward to block the flames.

However, this delay forced his escape plan to a halt, and Kurenai and Genye were already closing in on him from both sides.

"Gentle Fist!"

Genye took a step forward, appearing at Murata's side, and struck backhanded toward his lower waist.

Swish!

Murata flicked his wrist, executing a rapid, short-arc swing, slashing toward Genye's arm with speed and ferocity.

The strike was too fast. Genye broke into a cold sweat; he had underestimated his opponent!

Under the lightning-fast slash, there was simply no time to retract his arm!

I might not be able to use my arms ever again, Genye thought pessimistically.

However, at this critical juncture, Murata faltered, and the sword in his hand slowed down.

In his eyes, Genye had transformed into the appearance of the little girl from earlier.

"Illusion: Mirage!"

The little girl's eyes were red, and she looked at Murata with a pitiful, aggrieved expression, her voice trembling with tears:

"Wuu wuu, Uncle Murata, why are you using your sword to cut Yinyin? Did Yinyin make you angry?"

"Yi... Yinyin?"

Even though he knew it was an illusion, Murata's hand involuntarily stalled.

"An opening!"

Genye did not know what had happened, but he instinctively seized the fleeting opportunity.

"Gentle Fist—Double Strike!"