If Genji hadn't been operating in the village for many years, was highly respected, and had some trump cards that even Mizukage was afraid of, he might have been secretly executed as a traitor. But even so, after that incident, Genji's status in the village plummeted, and he was completely marginalized. He could only complain of illness in the mansion every day.
When the master was in trouble, Gonbei, as a confidant, naturally could not survive alone. He was deprived of all real power, was stripped from Kirigakure's high position, and even the high-end ninja tools he had been issued were taken back. Nowadays, in addition to being a confidant responsible for protecting the safety of the Genji mansion, he can only teach some Ninjutsu to the children in the village to pass the time in exchange for a meager salary.
Downcast, marginalized, and not taken seriously, yet reasonably existing within the system of Kirigakure.
Such an identity is the most suitable for Senju Chen who needs a perfect disguise to sneak into the core of Kirigakure.
Half a month ago, Kirigakure.
A heavy rain that lasted for three days and three nights turned the whole village into mud. It was like there was a big hole in the sky, and the heavy rain poured down. The raindrops hit the bluestone, splashing muddy water and making a deafening sound.
Gonbei had just finished tutoring a few civilian children in a house on the edge of the village. He declined a few shriveled salted fish handed over by the children's parents, and held a worn-out oil-paper umbrella alone, one foot deep and one foot shallow Earth Flow in the dark and narrow alley.
The rainwater flowed down the umbrella ribs, forming a curtain of water in front of his eyes. Gonbei's eyes seemed a little hollow, and his thoughts were far away in the rainy night.
He thought of the extremely oppressive atmosphere in the village now, and those Kekkei Genkai ninjas who disappeared inexplicably every day; he thought of Master Genji's increasingly stooped back and coughing all night long; he even thought of the inexplicable disaster two years ago, and those seven bastards who seemed to have evaporated from the world.
"Hey..." Gonbei sighed secretly in his heart, and the hand holding the umbrella handle unconsciously tightened. As a former intelligence chief, he had keen intuition. He never believed that Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would rebel collectively. There must be a huge conspiracy hidden behind this that could subvert Land of Water.
But more than two years have passed, and he can't do anything now. He is like a wolf with its teeth pulled out, and can only survive in this muddy alley.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the water in the alley was already up to the ankles.
Gonbei didn't notice that in the stagnant water a few meters behind him, there was a shadow that was deeper than the surrounding rain, just like a disembodied ghost, biting his steps.
Mayfly Technique.
Senju Chen used the characteristics of White Zetsu Clone to completely integrate himself into the water and mud on the ground, without even a trace of Chakra's fluctuations leaking out. He was like a patient hunter, quietly following his prey, waiting for the opportunity to kill with one strike.
When Gonbei came to an abandoned blind spot with towering stone walls on both sides and no way out, a sudden change occurred!
There was no warning, not even a hint of wind. The water under Gonbei's feet suddenly started rolling violently like boiling water!
"Who?!"
After all, Gonbei is an elite ninja who has experienced hundreds of battles. Even if he is now down and out, his body's instincts are still there. At the moment when the accumulated water moved, his eyes flashed with light, and he threw the oil-paper umbrella in his hand backwards as a hidden weapon. At the same time, his body rolled forward with the help of force. His right hand was already on the handle of the short knife at his waist, and his left hand was Hand Seals.
"Water Release·Water Formation Wall!"
However, the reaction speed that he was proud of seemed so feeble in the face of the overwhelming strength.
Water Formation Wall has not yet been fully formed, but several wooden vines as thick as giant pythons and covered with sharp barbs have broken out of the ground without warning!
"Crack! Click!"
The hard bluestone was easily torn apart like fragile biscuits. The vines were incredibly fast, and with a sickening sound of breaking through the air, they instantly penetrated the wall of water that had not yet solidified, and wrapped around Gonbei's limbs and torso in an extremely violent manner.
"Uh-huh!"
Gonbei let out a painful groan, and the short knife fell into the muddy water before he could pull it out. He looked at the thing wrapped around him in horror, his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets due to the extreme shock.
"Woo...Wood Release?! How is this possible!"
Wood Release, that is the legendary power of God that First Hokage brought to peace in troubled times. How could it appear in Land of Water?!
But Senju Chen's clone did not give him any chance to ask questions. The powerful paralyzing toxin secreted from the vines, the moment it pierced Gonbei's skin, flowed into his body along with the blood. In just one second, Gonbei felt that all the strength in his body was drained, and even moving his fingers became a luxury.
A white figure slowly rose from the muddy water, standing in front of Gonbei as if Death God was coming.
Senju Chen's clone didn't say anything nonsense. He stretched out his right hand expressionlessly, spread his five fingers, and pressed it firmly on the top of Gonbei's rain-wet head.
"Ahhhhhh--!!!"
The extremely sad screams rang out in the deep alley on a rainy night, but were instantly covered up by the violent sound of rain.
Gonbei's eyes instantly turned white, and his body twitched violently under the restraints of the vines, as if an invisible big hand was rummaging and tearing through his mind.
"Ding! An effective kill was detected, a small amount of Chakra and a large amount of combat experience were stolen."
A large amount of information poured into Senju Chen's mind like a flood.
He saw the brutal training Gonbei received from Kirigakure since he was a child; he saw his trembling hands when he killed someone for the first time; he saw him as a mentor patiently teaching the shy boy named Chōjūrō how to hold a knife...
After several months of investigation and tracking using Mayfly Technique, as well as the experience information fed back by the system after the kill, Senju Chen was already confident that it could perfectly replace Gonbei.
"I will temporarily accept your identity." Senju Chen's voice sounded cold and ethereal in the rain.
Immediately afterwards, White Zetsu Clone's devouring characteristics were fully activated. The surface of the Wood Release vines wrapped around Gonbei suddenly cracked with countless small holes, like countless greedy mouths.
Creepy chewing and sucking sounds were heard. Gonbei's body, along with his clothes and ninja tools, were drying up and melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, and eventually turned into the purest nutrients, which were all absorbed by Senju Chen's clone.
The whole process lasted less than a minute.