Chapter 62: Illusions and Realities

Gen'ichi Shita formed hand seals and activated the Demonic Illusion: Descending Hell technique.

The two charging Cloud ninja were instantly blinded, yet they did not panic. Maintaining their offensive momentum, they swung their ninja blades straight at Gen'ichi Shita.

Gen'ichi Shita leaped into the air, executing a mid-air split to kick the incoming blades away. As he descended, he instantly sprang back up, drawing his short blade with his right hand to swiftly finish off Cloud Ninja C on the right.

Simultaneously twisting his body, he drew the long sword from his waist with his left hand, clashing with a crisp clang against the blade of Cloud Ninja B, who had previously unleashed Fire Release.

After a rapid succession of blade strikes, Gen'ichi Shita kicked up a massive spray of water as a feint, followed by a decisive strike that cut down Cloud Ninja B.

Meanwhile, Cloud Ninja A on the left had still not broken free from the darkness technique.

Targeting only two individuals had greatly enhanced the technique's precision.

Yet by this time, the mist had already dissipated, and Gen'ichi Shita, having slain two adversaries, vanished instantly from the spot.

The next moment, bolts of lightning crashed down, sending water splashing in all directions.

The four remaining Cloud ninja closed in rapidly. Landing on the water's surface, Gen'ichi Shita silently labeled them A, B, C, and D in his mind.

As the four split up, Cloud Ninja A rushed toward the visually impaired Cloud Ninja A—wait, the blinded companion—while the other three surrounded Gen'ichi Shita.

Faced with the three-pronged assault, Gen'ichi Shita was forced onto the defensive, and after a few exchanges, he was kicked away by Cloud Ninja C.

Among the trio, Cloud Ninja C possessed the greatest strength.

Just as Gen'ichi Shita managed to steady his stance on the water, a bolt of lightning struck violently.

This time, evasion was impossible, and the lightning struck him dead-on.

With his body temporarily paralyzed, Cloud Ninja B, C, and D immediately closed in for the kill.

Yet before their blades could descend, Gen'ichi Shita's body dissolved into a splash of water with a distinct slosh.

"A Water Clone!"

"He must be underwater!"

"Spread out!"

The three Cloud ninjas leaped into the air simultaneously, retreating in three different directions while scanning the surroundings for Gen'ichi Shita's true body.

Yet the moment they leaped airborne, multiple pillars of water erupted from beneath the surface.

"Aah—!"

Cloud Ninja B shrieked in agony as a water pillar pierced straight through his back.

Caught within a blind spot, he had been utterly incapable of reacting.

The other two Cloud ninjas were no ordinary foes; Cloud Ninja D suffered only a graze to his arm, while Cloud Ninja C managed to evade the sudden assault entirely.

"He really is underwater!"

With a grazed arm, Cloud Ninja D immediately pulled several explosive-tag kunai from his pouch and hurled them downward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Geysers of water erupted high into the air, accompanied by billowing clouds of steam.

Landing on a branch, Cloud Ninja C unrolled a scroll, releasing a strange ninja tool from its seal.

Four massive iron spikes connected by thick chains appeared in his hand.

Plop, plop, plop, plop. The spikes plunged into the water, anchoring themselves to the lakebed while the ends of the four chains remained firmly in Cloud Ninja C's grip.

The next instant, lightning crackled across Cloud Ninja C's hands, channeling directly through the chains into the water.

Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!

Intense electrical currents flared across the iron spikes, radiating outward to form a heavily charged lethal zone.

However, the water below remained utterly motionless.

Not far away, Cloud Ninja A—having just had the darkness technique lifted by Cloud Ninja 甲 (the first reinforcement)—sensed something amiss. Turning slightly, he noticed the water beginning to swirl, forming a whirlpool.

"Over there!"

Bellowing aloud, Cloud Ninja A and the reinforcement leaped backward while rapidly forming hand seals.

Instantly, the water surged upward at high speed, condensing into a massive water dragon that lunged directly toward them.

Cloud Ninja A unleashed Fire Release and his companion unleashed Wind Release. The wind stoked the flames, creating a fireball over ten meters wide, yet it was brutally torn apart by the charging water dragon.

Rumble!

The water dragon slammed into the water's surface, sending colossal pillars of spray into the air.

Cloud Ninja A and his companion leaped aside, narrowly escaping the devastating blow.

Cloud Ninja C and D bypassed the water dragon, only to find no trace of Gen'ichi Shita.

"Not good!"

Realizing the danger, the two spun around. As expected, Cloud Ninja A, who had just landed on the water, was being bound by several currents and dragged beneath the surface.

Before reinforcements could intervene, crimson blood welled up from the depths.

"Bastard!"

"Dammit!"

The loss of yet another comrade filled the remaining three Cloud ninjas with profound shock and fury.

"Pull back from this water zone! We cannot fight him here!"

Retaining their sanity, the three Cloud ninjas gritted their teeth and retreated in the direction where Uchiha Lang'ichi and Yamanaka En had fled, pulling out of the aquatic domain Gen'ichi Shita had created.

Fighting here placed them at an overwhelming disadvantage. A team of seven had launched an ambush, yet four had already fallen, and another was lightly wounded.

Among the dead was even a Jōnin.

Two Jōnin and five Chūnin, reduced to such a plight—how could they not rage?

However, once the three Cloud ninjas exited the water domain and waited cautiously at its edge for a long time, the surface remained dead silent.

"That figure underwater just now... was it another clone?"

Exchanging glances, the three Cloud ninjas wore grim expressions before vanishing from the spot in unison. "Quickly, pursue them!"

Meanwhile.

Gen'ichi Shita's true body had already caught up with the Cloud ninjas pursuing Uchiha Lang'ichi and the others.

Initially, more than a dozen Cloud ninjas had given chase, and though Gen'ichi Shita had intercepted them all at first, only seven remained behind to encircle and attack him. The rest had quickly broken away from the engagement to continue the pursuit.

When Gen'ichi Shita had performed his very first Water Release technique, he had substituted his true body with a water clone while concealing his real self within the jutsu.

This tactic had long since become a staple of his combat repertoire.

His true body hid underwater, waiting for an opportunity while the water clone fought on the surface.

Later, after using the Water Stream technique to eliminate one foe, Gen'ichi Shita repeated the exact same strategy.

Only this time, he deployed a shadow clone while his true body slipped away from the battlefield, using the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as the chain-wielding, lightning-using Cloud ninja.

Based on the brief exchanges during the skirmish, Gen'ichi Shita deduced that fellow was a Jōnin.

Therefore, disguising himself as that specific individual offered the highest probability of avoiding immediate suspicion from the other Cloud ninjas.

"Cloud, why are you the only one here?"

As Gen'ichi Shita approached, he was immediately spotted by a dark-skinned Cloud ninja who turned to ask him.

"That bastard's water release and illusions are too terrifying, the others have already..."

Gen'ichi Shita wore an expression of grief and fury. "Those Konoha bastards, we have to wipe them all out later!"

The surrounding Cloud ninjas were startled upon hearing this.

Seven against one, yet six had died.

"As expected of a Konoha genius, a disciple of the White Fang of Konoha!"

"I wonder how things are going at the town? They're facing the White Fang himself!"

"Even A never managed to gain the upper hand against him!"

"Even if it's the White Fang, facing the combined assault of so many powerful shinobi, he's bound to die!"

The Cloud ninjas chimed in one after another, their tones laden with unbridled wrath and murderous intent.

Gen'ichi Shita occasionally chimed in with a brief remark, managing for the moment to avert suspicion, though he did not make a move just yet.

Before long, the figures of Uchiha Lang'ichi and Yamanaka En came into view ahead.

They had caught up!

The nine Cloud ninjas, joined by Gen'ichi Shita, split into three groups of ten total.

Three on the left, three on the right for a pincer movement, while the remaining three, accompanied by Gen'ichi Shita, accelerated forward.

"En, you go first!"

Uchiha Lang'ichi halted on a branch, then turned around, drew his blade, and charged straight at the approaching Cloud ninjas.

Yamanaka En glanced back, his lips parting silently before he gritted his teeth and pressed on in flight.

The three Cloud ninjas on the left lunged toward Uchiha Lang'ichi from the flank, while the trio on the right ignored him and continued pursuing Yamanaka En.

Knowing the time had come, Gen'ichi Shita, positioned at the rear, formed hand seals.

Demonic Illusion: Descending Hell!

The exact moment he completed the seals, instantly plunging all the Cloud ninjas into visual darkness, Gen'ichi Shita called out the name of the technique aloud.

This was intended for Uchiha Lang'ichi to hear.