Genye's Choice

Genye dodged the long blade and slammed a palm into Murata, his terrifying force instantly rupturing the other man's meridians.

"Pfft!"

Murata spat out a mouthful of blood, which also broke him free of the genjutsu. Staggering, he swung his blade at Genye.

"Blade Art: Tide Strike!"

Despite his grave injuries, Murata's blade still struck with the sound of crashing waves. Genye couldn't help feeling a chill in his heart.

This guy...

He swiftly dodged to the side. The long blade grazed his skin as it sliced past, its icy touch raising goosebumps all over him.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Asuma opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of flames. The scorching fireball hurtled toward Murata from the other side, forcing him to turn and deal with it.

Whoosh!

Genye hurled a shuriken and used the opportunity to retreat. He had no intention of continuing to fight Murata.

No matter how strong a ninja was, being struck by Gentle Fist meant certain death or serious injury, because internal organs couldn't be trained.

(Of course, freaks like Madara and Hashirama were exceptions.)

In Genye's eyes, Murata's internal organs had all been ruptured. He was like a candle guttering in the wind, with little time left to live. There was no need to keep fighting him.

They only had to wait quietly for him to die.

"Though it's my first time killing someone, I feel nothing at all." Genye looked at his hands and mused to himself.

"Looks like I'm gradually getting used to this cruel world."

On the other side, Murata suddenly fell to his knees in agony, coughing up blood nonstop.

"Is it over?" Asuma landed beside Genye and asked with a frown.

"Yeah. He's beyond saving." Genye gave him a definite answer.

"Oh." Asuma nodded and said nothing more.

The mission was nearly complete, but he wasn't as excited as he'd imagined. Instead, he felt somewhat troubled.

It had happened in a flash. From the moment Murata tried to break through to now, barely a minute or two had passed.

"Uncle Murata!"

The children came running over, crying out. Ignoring the blood, they threw themselves one after another onto Murata.

Genye's eye twitched at the sight.

You're putting pressure on his organs like that. You'll only make him die faster and in more pain, hey!

Yet the pained expression on Murata's face gradually faded. Looking at the children around him, he even struggled to force a faint smile.

Murata laboriously turned his head toward the three of them. Blood kept spilling from his mouth as he spoke indistinctly.

"I... It's my fault... Let... the children go."

"Don't worry. We definitely won't hurt the children," Yuhi Kurenai said in a trembling voice.

Unfortunately, Murata never heard Kurenai's reply. He had already stopped breathing after saying those words.

"Ah! Uncle Murata's dead! Uncle Murata's dead!" the little girl wailed.

A little boy turned to look at Genye, his eyes brimming with hatred.

Summoning all his strength, he lifted Murata's long blade and dragged it toward Genye, roaring:

"I'll kill you and avenge Uncle Murata! Aaaaah—"

Thud!

The next moment, the little boy went flying and slammed hard into the ground, too pained to speak.

"Whew." Genye clapped his hands, finally feeling a little better.

"Genye..." Kurenai looked troubled.

"The mission's complete. Take care of that man's body, then let's go back to Konoha," Asuma said gravely.

Ignoring the children's attempts to stop them, the three of them used a combination of Fire Release and Wind Release to reduce Murata to dust and ashes.

Then the three of them turned and left.

"When we grow up, we'll definitely go to Konoha and kill you!"

Watching the three of them walk away, one of the children cursed them.

The other children immediately joined in.

"That's right! We'll kill you and avenge Uncle Murata!"

"No, we should kill their families, so they can feel the pain of losing their loved ones too!"

Born into an age of chaos, they had endured a life of constant upheaval and been exposed to too much. They'd long since lost the innocence of childhood.

Perhaps it was no longer right to think of them as children.

"..."

Asuma walked ahead with his head lowered, seemingly not hearing the children's curses.

"Y-you...!"

Yuhi Kurenai turned around. The children's hostile, venomous glares sent a chill down her spine.

"Hmph!" Genye turned around too and swept them with a cold glance.

If they dared threaten him, they were his enemies. And enemies had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

The palpable killing intent radiating from Genye frightened the children. They immediately lowered their heads, not daring to speak again.

This white-eyed monster is different from the other two. If we anger him, he really might kill us!

That was what they were thinking at that moment.

"Genye, let's go," Yuhi Kurenai said softly, tugging at the hem of his clothes.

Seeing the guilt and self-reproach on Kurenai's face, Genye hesitated for a long while but ultimately didn't strike.

"Hyuga Genya."

As the three of them had just entered the woods, Genye suddenly heard Shimura Hofu's voice in his ear.

He looked at his companions and saw that neither of them had reacted. They kept walking ahead with their heads lowered, as if he were the only one who could hear the voice.

Genye looked around in surprise, but his Byakugan gave him no clues. That made him feel threatened.

My Byakugan is still too weak. I need to find a way to upgrade it further, or get another Kekkei Genkai!

Then Shimura Hofu's voice sounded again. "Don't look around. I'll speak, and you'll listen."

Genye couldn't find where he was, so he nodded toward the empty air to show that he understood.

"Tell me, in the situation just now, if you had another chance, would you choose to exterminate them and eliminate future trouble?"

"Or would you show foolish mercy and let them go? Let them grow unchecked where you couldn't see them, until they became a threat to you, your family, or even the village?"

"You don't need to speak. If you agree with the first option, nod. Otherwise, shake your head," Shimura Hofu said.

Well, would you look at that? He's given me a multiple-choice question.

Genye fell into thought. After a long while, he nodded firmly toward the empty air.

"Then, as you wish." In the shadows, Shimura Hofu smiled with satisfaction.

At Konoha Root, a figure with bandages wrapped around his right cheek and right arm emerged from the shadows.

He was the inheritor of the Will of the Pot and the greatest pot-carrier in Naruto—Shimura Danzō.

"How was it, Hofu? Did you find any promising children in this year's class?"

Danzō swept his sleeve aside and sat in a grand armchair, his eyes half-closed.

"There's one promising candidate. I plan to observe him for a while longer."

Shimura Hofu knelt on one knee before Danzō and replied respectfully.

In Hofu's view, to achieve anything in an age of chaos, strength was only part of the equation. More importantly, one needed steadfast resolve and a ruthless heart!

Only Genye came close to meeting his expectations.

"Oh?" Danzō raised his eyelids and casually asked, "Is it Hiruzen's son?"

"No." Hofu shook his head. "It's a little fellow from the Hyuga Branch Family."

"Oh." Hearing that the boy had nothing to do with Hiruzen and was from the Hyuga Branch Family, Danzō lost interest and spoke indifferently.

"Just a member of the Hyuga Branch Family. The Caged Bird Seal limits him, so his potential is bound to be limited. With war approaching, don't waste too much effort on him."

"This war is a challenge to my Konoha, but it's also an opportunity for us, father and son, to make our mark. Don't disappoint me."

"I understand, Father," Hofu replied solemnly.