Chapter 36: Ape Demon, Water Release: Rasengan

Shita Genichi darted along the riverbank, his silhouette flickering as he advanced. Suddenly, he came to a halt. Not far ahead lay a corpse—one of the enemy’s.

Circling around the body, he pressed on, soon encountering a scene of chaotic battle. There were traces of Fire Style jutsu and two more corpses. Genichi could not gauge how these three fallen enemies compared to the Ice Style ninja he had faced, but to have eliminated three foes while under assault by seven proved the formidable skill of Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

And Sarutobi Shinnosuke was only twelve or thirteen years old. Though officially a Chunin, he likely already possessed the combat capability of a Jonin.

...

Behind a large boulder, Sarutobi Shinnosuke gasped for air. There were four enemies left, and he was reaching his limit. Any further retreat would lead him straight to the mining area.

"Genichi must be pinned down by a powerful foe, and Sakumo-senpai as well," Shinnosuke mused to himself. "It seems I have no choice but to fall back into the mine and execute the second plan."

Just then, two Mist ninja burst out from the left and right, simultaneously throwing shuriken. Shinnosuke vanished from his spot in a blur, narrowly evading the projectiles.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

With a kunai in each hand, Shinnosuke deflected the fierce onslaught of the two Mist ninja. After a dozen exchanges, he let out a muffled grunt as a kick sent him flying, his body tumbling repeatedly across the river surface.

*Boom!*

The water erupted. Shinnosuke vaulted into the air, landing on the bank with a desperate, agile leap before slamming his palms onto the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A stone wall rose with a thunderous roar just as two jets of water slammed into it. Not pausing, Shinnosuke immediately retreated. The four Mist ninja pursued, moving in alternating patterns and launching a relentless barrage of attacks, pushing him ever closer to the mines. They had considered leaving someone behind to stall him while the others bypassed him to sabotage the mining site, but Shinnosuke's strength made them fear such a move. They had underestimated him before, resulting in heavy losses. Now, they were determined to finish off the exhausted Shinnosuke at any cost.

...

*Boom!*

Fire Style met Water Style, filling the air with steam. Gritting his teeth, Shinnosuke seized the moment to retreat further. However, he was soon cornered again, this time hemmed in from both front and back.

"My chakra is running low..."

Shinnosuke panted heavily, then placed his finger in his mouth and bit down.

*Snap!*

"Summoning Jutsu!"

The four Mist ninja lunged forward in unison.

*Poof!*

A massive cloud of smoke erupted. The Mist ninja’s blades sliced into the fog, striking something with the sound of clashing metal.

"What?" The ninja’s expressions shifted.

A moment later, the smoke cleared to reveal a tall, powerful ape. It had caught two blades with its arms and withstood the other two directly, yet its skin remained unblemished.

Perched on the ape’s shoulder, a weary Shinnosuke muttered, "Enma, I leave it to you!"

"Understood!" Enma spread his arms, forcing the two Jonin to pull back. As the other two Mist ninja retreated, Enma lunged at one, knocking him unconscious with a single punch. He moved to pursue the other, but a flurry of shuriken forced him to stop. They were aimed at Shinnosuke on his shoulder; Enma was forced to abandon the kill and dodge.

At that exact moment, Shita Genichi arrived and, without hesitation, wove the hand signs.

"Illusion: Temple of Nirvana!"

Instantly, the three Mist ninja were plunged into darkness, their vision stolen.

"Watch out, there are others!"
"It's an illusion!" the three cried out.

"It's Genichi!" Shinnosuke exclaimed, overjoyed. He forced himself to throw shuriken; though they lacked power, they served to distract the three enemies. The sound of the blades cutting through the air forced the Mist ninja to abandon their hand signs and deflect the projectiles with their swords.

Having cast the illusion, Genichi continued his hand signs.

"Water Style: Water Pillar!"

Water vapor condensed, coalescing into a surging torrent. It spiraled upward with immense speed, then crashed down upon the three Mist ninja like a flash flood. Though blinded, the three relied on their spatial memory of the surroundings to leap into the air, narrowly avoiding the deluge.

Yet, in their distraction, they left themselves open to Enma.

*Boom!*

Before one could land, Enma sent him flying with a single strike. Genichi arrived in the wake of the water, leaping up with a Rasengan forming in his right hand.

"Water Style: Rasengan!"

Indeed, he had infused the Rasengan with the nature transformation of Water Style. His target was the remaining Jonin. The ninja, mid-air and hearing the approach, swung his blade down, colliding precisely with the Rasengan. The two hung in the air for a heartbeat before the Rasengan shattered, its vortex of water engulfing the ninja and slamming him into a tree trunk with a heavy thud.

Genichi followed through instantly, a knee strike hitting the ninja’s neck with surgical precision. With a sharp crack, the enemy’s head slumped, lifeless. The final Mist ninja, having finally broken free of the illusion, turned and fled.

"Leave him to me!"

Genichi muttered, leaping forward while weaving the hand signs for the 'Soldier' mantra. His speed surged instantly, startling Shinnosuke on Enma’s shoulder. Watching Genichi easily dispatch the fleeing ninja with a Water Style technique, even Enma could not help but remark, "That kid is truly something else!"

Shinnosuke nodded with a smile. "Genichi is indeed formidable. His Water Style is unique in the village; I doubt anyone can surpass him."

Genichi returned and said, "Senpai, I’m going to support the others!"

Shinnosuke nodded, but before he could speak, a voice rang out: "That won't be necessary!"

*Swish, swish, swish.*

Hatake Sakumo, Akimichi Doza, Yamanaka Kei, and Nara Kakuto appeared.

"Teacher!" A smile spread across Genichi’s face, and he finally let out a sigh of relief. It seemed they had emerged from this danger unscathed.

"Shinnosuke, are you alright?" the three elders asked in unison.

Enma vanished in a puff of smoke. "I'm fine," Shinnosuke laughed, "just a bit low on chakra."

"Genichi, Lang Yi is injured. Go tend to him," Hatake Sakumo ordered.

"Understood!" Genichi departed for the camp outside the mines. He found Uchiha Lang Yi lying in his room, his waist wrapped in bandages.

"Genichi," Lang Yi managed a faint smile, "sorry to trouble you again."

Genichi stepped forward, unwinding the bandages to inspect the wound. "It’s alright. Just superficial; your organs are fine. We’re comrades who entrust our backs to one another—no need for such formalities. Wait here while I get my kit; I need to clean the wound before healing it."

Back on the battlefield, the clone Genichi had arrived with the unconscious Mist ninja to join Sakumo and the others.

"Teacher, this guy is a Mist ninja with the Ice Style Kekkei Genkai," Genichi said, dropping the captive.

"A Kekkei Genkai user!" Nara Kakuto and the others exclaimed in shock.

Akimichi Doza looked at the captive. "He must be a Jonin, right?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke was secretly astonished. *The Yuki clan of the Hidden Mist is small in number. At his age, his strength is undoubtedly high. No wonder we were held back by such a powerful foe. To have captured him alive... Genichi is truly becoming more and more impressive.*