Chapter 66: The Eye
Clang, clang, clang!
Boom!
Shuriken, Lightning Release, close-quarters swordplay... Faced with the continuous, non-stop assault from the three Cloud ninja, Genichi was forced into a constant retreat. It was only thanks to the speed boost from his Art of Pyo, combined with his rich combat experience and decent swordsmanship, that he was able to barely withstand their relentless attacks.
But Genichi also knew very well that he could not maintain this for long. Of these three Cloud ninja, one was a Jonin, and the other two were veteran Chunin. If he revealed even the slightest opening, he could be seriously injured, or even lose his life.
Therefore, he had to find an opportunity to form hand seals.
After several more exchanges, Genichi found his chance. He allowed himself to be sent flying by a kick, tumbling at high speed across the surface of the river.
But Genichi endured the sharp pain in his chest, and as his body rolled, his hands flew through a series of seals.
Boom!
The descending Cloud Jonin was stopped by a surging pillar of water.
Genichi flipped over and leaped backward, simultaneously completing the Tiger seal.
Bringer-of-Darkness Technique (Genjutsu: Kokuangyō no Jutsu)!
The two charging Chunin were instantly plunged into darkness. Seeing the Jonin coming at him, Genichi continued to form seals as he retreated.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique (Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu)!
A torrent of water surged up and coalesced into a water dragon, which then charged at the Cloud Jonin. Genichi finally had a moment to catch his breath, but he couldn't help but cough up a few mouthfuls of blood. That last kick was not light.
Taking a deep breath, Genichi formed seals again.
Water Release: A Thousand Killings Water Soaring (Suiton: Sensatsu Suishō)!
Droplets of river water suspended themselves in the air, then condensed into senbon, and then shot towards the three Cloud ninja with a whistling sound. The two Chunin had not yet broken the genjutsu, but they retreated under the Jonin's warning. Still, they were unable to avoid all of the senbon, and their bodies were pierced, blood flowing freely.
"Retreat to the shore!" the Cloud Jonin's face was grim. He led his two injured comrades in another retreat.
They had just reached the shore when a massive torrent of water surged towards them. The Cloud Jonin had no time to help his comrades break the genjutsu. He could only slam his ninja blade into the ground and form seals with both hands.
The next moment, thick bolts of lightning descended from the sky, crashing down on the sweeping tide of water and blasting it apart.
The water receded, but Genichi had vanished from the river's surface.
"Where did he go?" The Cloud Jonin hastily searched for any trace of Genichi, and then he saw a figure descending from the sky.
The next thing he knew, his vision went black, and he heard the sound of something cutting through the air.
Pulling his sword from the ground, the Cloud Jonin deflected the incoming shuriken. But the next moment, the screams of his comrades came from behind him.
"Damn it!"
"This annoying genjutsu!"
With no time to break the illusion, the Cloud Jonin immediately leaped away from his original spot.
After killing the two of them, Genichi did not pursue the last one. Instead, he quickly retreated along the river. Because Sakumo and the two remaining Root ninja were also retreating.
One of the three Root ninja, the one from the Aburame clan, had been killed. But of the four Cloud ninja they had been fighting, two were dead. And of the six Cloud ninja who had been fighting his master, Sakumo, only two remained.
But Genichi also saw that his master's left arm was stained red with blood. When he got closer, he saw that the wound on his upper left arm was so deep the bone was visible. It had almost been completely severed.
Genichi stopped on the surface of the water, his hands forming seals. The five pursuing Cloud ninja were instantly deprived of their vision. At this moment, Genichi also saw that the Lava Release user, Dodai, now had a scar over his left eye.
"Genichi, don't get tied down in a fight!" Sakumo's voice sounded from behind him.
Genichi had no intention of counter-attacking. After completing his ninjutsu, he immediately retreated. The five Cloud ninja, after breaking the genjutsu, continued their pursuit.
The two sides, one in front and one behind, entered the Land of Hot Water, constantly switching between fighting and fleeing, from night until day.
...
In the forest, his figure landed. Genichi looked at the several corpses on the ground. Two from Root, one from the Cloud Village.
This made Genichi's expression grave. Because it meant that behind En, only two people were left: one Root ninja, and the injured Namiichi. And Namiichi was very likely to run into the other group of Cloud ninja.
"Don't overthink it!" Sakumo said.
Genichi nodded and continued forward, but he unconsciously quickened his pace. Behind them was one last Root ninja. Of the original three, only one remained, from the Yamanaka clan. If you included the other group, then only two were left. Their losses were heavy.
Genichi himself was not in good shape either, with several new wounds on his body. And the Cloud ninja were still in hot pursuit behind them. There was also the injury on his master's left arm. Without proper treatment, it would probably be crippled.
Seeing that they were getting closer and closer to the border of the Land of Fire, Genichi's nose twitched. There was a faint smell of blood in the air.
Soon, Genichi saw three figures.
Swish, swish, swish~
Genichi landed beside Namiichi Uchiha.
At this moment, Namiichi was half-leaning against a tree trunk, his eyes tightly closed, his breathing shallow. His abdomen had been sliced open, his intestines and organs exposed.
Genichi quickly pushed them back in, then used his Art of Pyo to heal the wound. The effect was better than the Mystical Palm Technique (Shōsen Jutsu) he had mastered.
"Don't... don't waste your chakra," Namiichi suddenly opened his eyes.
He knew his own injuries. They were too severe. With Genichi's medical abilities, it was impossible to heal him.
The green light in Genichi's hands gradually dimmed. He turned his head and saw two Cloud ninja rapidly retreating, choosing not to engage Sakumo's group.
"Genichi, don't pursue them! Take Namiichi and retreat immediately!" Sakumo said.
Namiichi grabbed Genichi's hand, but his gaze was on Sakumo. "Captain... I can't go on."
"Although... although I don't want to die here, I can't drag everyone down. I can't bring shame to the Uchiha name."
Namiichi's eyes moved, landing on Genichi. A smile squeezed onto his lips. "Genichi, take this eye of mine. I can no longer continue to see this world. You..."
"You use it to help me continue to see this world!"
Genichi's heart trembled. He subconsciously opened his mouth to refuse, but his hand was gripped tightly by Namiichi. "I still have so many things I haven't done... I don't want to die... but... Genichi, use it to live on in my place."
His nose stinging, Genichi took a deep breath. Looking at Namiichi, who was in his final moments, he nodded heavily. "Alright!"
Hearing this, Namiichi revealed a smile of relief. "Come... come on!"
Genichi raised his hand, but he couldn't stop it from trembling. In his mind, flashes of his time fighting alongside Namiichi played out again and again.
At that moment, Genichi suddenly understood Tsunade. For someone who had killed countless people herself to develop hemophobia seemed like a joke. But when you watched a comrade to whom you could entrust your back die before your very eyes, and you were powerless to do anything, that kind of sorrow and pain, and that inexplicable fear, was difficult to put into words.
"The Cloud ninja are catching up..." the Root ninja from the Yamanaka clan suddenly said.
Genichi steadied his hand and took Namiichi's right eye.
"Genichi, from now on... I'm counting on you~" Namiichi smiled, and his expression froze forever.
Genichi took the backpack Namiichi had been carrying for him, took out a sealing scroll, preserved the eye, and then sealed Namiichi's body.
These were things originally prepared for enemies, but Genichi had never thought that one day he would use them on his own comrade.
How unpredictable the world truly was!
(End of Chapter)
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