Chapter 25: A Sudden Counterattack!

It is now two against two.

Genichi Shitashita stared at the two men opposite him, his expression remaining grave. Uchiha Namiichi felt the same.

At this moment, Kaie was stunned, while the Jōnin, Shijin, was shocked and furious: "Bastards!"

Two mere brats had managed to inflict such heavy losses on them.

The one wearing the tiger mask, Genichi Shitashita, was especially problematic, as he had kept his true capabilities deeply hidden. Kaie hadn't even noticed Genichi casting the Darkness Technique earlier, which led to Shijin’s group suffering a massive blow, losing four men in an instant.

Counting them all up, eight men had been lost, three of whom belonged to the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers.

Even so, Shijin was now furious to the point of rage: "You... are dead!"

Uchiha Namiichi sneered, "That is hardly certain!"

"Even if we are to die, your companion will definitely perish first!"

Kaie gritted his teeth. He had become a liability. It was true; wounded as he was, he had no confidence in holding off either Uchiha Namiichi or Genichi Shitashita. He had fought Namiichi before—the man was strong, and he stood no chance in a one-on-one. As for Genichi, though he looked very young, his Water Release was absurdly powerful. More than half of the casualties had been caused by him. He couldn't be underestimated; Kaie knew he couldn't beat him either.

Yet, in reality, Genichi was currently exhausted. Although he had recovered the chakra used for his water clone at the start, and the chakra cost of using the lake for his Water Release wasn't too high, the two instances of casting the Darkness Technique had drained him significantly. If he were to cast it again, he would be completely spent. He could still manage in close-quarters combat with his blade, but compared to Uchiha Namiichi, his swordsmanship likely posed little threat to Kaie.

If Uchiha Namiichi were to face the Jōnin Shijin alone, he would have no chance of winning. He wouldn't even be able to stall for much time.

Nevertheless, they had to put on a brave face. Seeing the infuriated Sand Village Jōnin hesitating to strike, Genichi locked his gaze on Kaie. "Kill him first!"

As he spoke, he began forming hand seals. Uchiha Namiichi’s eyes also fell upon Kaie.

Kaie felt his hair stand on end, as if he were being watched by two venomous snakes.

Shijin snorted and shouted, "Kaie, retreat! Leave them to me!"

Kaie turned his gaze, nodded, and immediately leaped backward, vanishing into the darkness. Once he was gone, Shijin had no more distractions. He raised his hand and fired several shuriken at Genichi and Namiichi. The ones aimed at Genichi were attached with explosive tags.

Genichi, who had been faking the hand seals, immediately leaped backward.

*BOOM!*

The explosive tags sent up a massive spray of water.

"Little brat, your chakra must be running low by now!"

Shijin charged forward, heading straight for Genichi. Genichi retreated again, landing on the shore. As Uchiha Namiichi rushed forward, he threw shuriken in rapid succession.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Shijin deflected them one by one with his blade. But just then, Uchiha Namiichi leaped into the air, biting down on a thread as thin steel wires shimmered in the moonlight. The wires crisscrossed, winding toward Shijin.

The Uchiha Clan's Shuriken Manipulation Technique!

Simultaneously, Uchiha Namiichi performed a set of hand seals.

At that moment, the ninja sword in Shijin’s hand hummed and glowed; with a swing, he easily severed the wires, rendering them useless for binding him. However, the next second, Shijin realized he could see nothing.

"Genjutsu!"

Shijin was startled and quickly leaped backward.

*BOOM!*

A blast of fire struck the water, sending up rolling clouds of steam. Shijin had narrowly avoided Uchiha Namiichi’s Dragon Fire Technique.

*Tap, tap, tap.*

Footsteps echoed in his ears. Shijin braced himself, then suddenly swung his blade to parry.

*Clang!*

Sparks flew. Uchiha Namiichi’s assault had been blocked.

On the lakeshore, Genichi Shitashita gasped for air. His chakra was essentially depleted. Yet, a Jōnin was a Jōnin; even stripped of his sight, he could still respond calmly. Genichi popped two military ration pills into his mouth, but his pupils suddenly contracted.

Kaie, who had left, was back.

As Kaie stepped onto the lake, Genichi prepared to squeeze out every drop of his remaining chakra to unleash one final Water Release technique. But then, a flash of white light appeared, and Kaie collapsed.

"Sakumo-sensei!" Genichi exclaimed in delight.

Immediately after, Shijin fell dead as well.

"Genichi, are you alright?" Sakumo Hatake asked with concern.

Genichi shook his head. "I'm fine. Sakumo-sensei, has the mission been completed?"

Sakumo shook his head.

Genichi’s heart sank. Had he abandoned the mission just to save them?

Sakumo didn't offer a long explanation. He commanded, "You two retreat first; I will cover the rear!"

Genichi gritted his teeth. "Sakumo-sensei, we can still fight. If we strike back now, we can catch the enemy off guard!"

Uchiha Namiichi chimed in, "I agree with Genichi."

Sakumo frowned. If he chose to complete the mission, Namiichi and Genichi would have no chance of escaping, as all the enemy's strength would be focused on hunting them down. Once he was tied up, the exhausted pair wouldn't survive.

Complete the mission? Or choose the lives of his comrades?

Sakumo didn't hesitate to choose the latter. "Follow my orders!"

Genichi argued, "Sensei, I know you're worried about us, but I believe we have another chance. If you create a shadow clone to retreat with us as a decoy, you can return as the main body to assassinate the target. That would be enough to buy time for your main body to return. Besides, my stamina is recovering, and I can still fight. Once we reach En, we will have more time."

Uchiha Namiichi nodded repeatedly. *Yes, exactly, that's the way.*

Genichi added, "Or a second plan: you act as the bait to lure the enemy away, and Namiichi and I will infiltrate to assassinate the Daimyo. When the enemy sees our squad retreating, their main force will surely pursue, leaving the Daimyo’s side unguarded."

Sakumo, wearing his mask, looked at Genichi with eyes full of admiration. He then decided, "We will execute the second plan!"

With that, he formed seals and split into two shadow clones. The clones then used the Transformation Technique to take on the appearances of Genichi and Namiichi, while the real Genichi and Namiichi hid themselves. Namiichi hid behind a rockery, using a transformation to become a stone, while Genichi concealed himself in the lake.

Before long, the pursuers arrived. Sakumo began to retreat immediately. He didn't just run; the two shadow clones retreated first while he remained behind, occasionally charging back to fight, constantly baiting the enemy and drawing them away from the Daimyo's estate.

Back at the lake, after two waves of pursuers had passed, Genichi and Namiichi finally emerged.

"Genichi, you stay here to provide support; I will go for the assassination!" Uchiha Namiichi said.

Genichi thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. If you can't land the kill, lure a portion of the pursuers back here. We'll take them out and then strike back."

Namiichi nodded and vanished into the shadows.