Konoha’s White Fang Shines

Chapter 69: The Temptation to Return to the Village

As the countless shuriken approached Genma and Yuji, they were intercepted by the powerful blast of their Great Fireballs, sending a shockwave through the air.

However, just as the flames burned away the incoming shuriken, momentarily blinding the two, a dark figure suddenly appeared behind them.

Clang! Yuji swiftly drew a kunai, spinning around to block the enemy's attack.

Shk! Genma, on the other hand, was momentarily frozen in disbelief as the dark figure's kunai pierced through his body.

Poof!

Just as the enemy thought they had killed Genma and prepared to attack the others, his body transformed into a wooden log.

Clang!

Familiar with Konoha's substitution technique, the dark figure immediately turned around to defend. Their kunai successfully parried an attack, but the moment their feet touched the ground, several vines suddenly sprouted from beneath them, entangling their limbs.

"What…?"

Not far behind, the enemy saw a pair of crimson red eyes gazing at them.

Within seconds, the masked figure—clad in black with only their eyes visible—became completely dazed, their movements ceasing.

Genma realized they had fallen into Kurenai's genjutsu and quickly swung his kunai, aiming for their throat.

Whoosh!

A kunai suddenly flew toward him with alarming speed. The closer it got, the more Genma felt a chilling sense of impending death.

Immediately, he shifted his attack trajectory, using his own kunai to intercept the incoming weapon.

Clang!

The two kunai collided, and to Genma's shock, his weapon shattered into pieces right before his eyes.

This isn't a normal kunai…

Alarm bells rang in his mind as the mysterious kunai, still intact, shot straight into his palm.

Shhk!

The kunai embedded itself deep in Genma's hand, forcing him to stumble backward and collapse onto the ground.

At that moment, a bald man with strange facial markings leaped out, moving straight toward the immobilized enemy ninja.

Though the bald man had noticed Genma writhing in pain, he ignored him and prepared to finish him off with a thrown shuriken.

Poof!

Genma disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Damn it! It was just a clone!"

Clang!

Turning around, the bald man barely had time to block another kunai strike. As he got a clearer look at his opponent, Genma's pupils shrank.

"You're a rogue ninja…"

The bald man simply scoffed, using his superior strength to push Genma back. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed the immobilized ninja and tossed a small sphere to the ground.

Boom!

A thick cloud of smoke burst forth. But Genma, prioritizing the safety of the carriage, chose not to pursue and instead focused on his surroundings, remaining on high alert.

Meanwhile, another ninja who had been attacking Yuji was subdued within moments. A second enemy tried to ambush Yuji, only to be counterattacked by Raido. Working together, Yuji and Raido quickly captured him as well.

Their team had encountered four rogue ninjas in total. Judging by their crude skills, it was clear they were not highly trained shinobi. Genma, however, immediately recognized them.

These were rogue ninjas.

The bald man with face markings was none other than their leader—Broom.

Genma's knowledge came from the Bird Country Arc in the original timeline.

He never expected to encounter Bird Country's future antagonist so soon. If they killed him now, perhaps Rō's tragic fate in the future could be avoided altogether.

However, given the circumstances, it was clear that protecting Rō and the others took priority.

After all, Broom was not to be underestimated. His ninjutsu was essentially the cheap knockoff version of real techniques, but his versatility made him dangerous.

Considering how many different jutsu he had managed to steal, and the fact that he was still young, his overall strength was likely formidable.

"Genma, are you okay?"

Kurenai approached him cautiously. Seeing him remain still for so long, she couldn't help but feel concerned.

"I'm fine, just—"

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit Genma, and he collapsed.

"Genma?! Genma! What's wrong?!"

Kurenai shook him, trying to wake him up. But his face had turned deathly pale, his eyes shut even tighter, as if he were in excruciating pain.

"This is bad… he's been poisoned!"

Hearing Kurenai's distressed cry, Yuji immediately rushed over to the left side of the carriage, his expression darkening when he saw Genma unconscious.

"Kurenai, hold your breath! The poison might still be—"

Before he could finish his warning, Kurenai also fainted.

Seeing two of his students suddenly collapse, Yuji quickly summoned a shadow clone to carry them to a safer location.

Meanwhile, he climbed into the carriage and urged the driver to move closer to where Genma and Kurenai lay.

Forgotten yet again, Raido had no choice but to hoist up the two captured rogue ninjas and chase after them.

Raido felt like crying. It was as if all these instances of being ignored were the world's way of telling him: You're a mature shinobi now. You should learn to act independently.

Even though he was still only a Genin, it felt like he was taking on the responsibilities of a Chūnin.

Still, thinking about how both Kurenai and Genma had collapsed while he was still standing, he figured that at least he was the strongest among them… That thought made him feel a little better.

Once they regrouped, Yuji placed the captured ninjas onto the carriage and instructed the driver to turn back toward Konoha.

To maintain speed, Yuji carried Genma on his back, while Raido carried Kurenai. They sprinted alongside the carriage, pushing their pace to the limit.

Since they had only been an hour away from Konoha, and the urgency of the situation forced the driver to speed up, they managed to return in under thirty minutes.

Returning to the village immediately after leaving—Yuji found this utterly humiliating. But for now, waiting for the results of their teammates' treatment took priority.

Rō and his entourage also waited anxiously outside the medical room. Though they had only known Genma and Kurenai for a short time, their time spent exploring Konoha together was still fresh in their minds. Their worried expressions were just as deep as Yuji's and Raido's.

Creaaak~

The door to the treatment room finally opened, and a masked female doctor stepped out.

Seeing that her brow was no longer furrowed and her footsteps were steady, Yuji let out a quiet breath of relief. Still, he was impatient for confirmation and hurried forward.

"Doctor, how are the two inside?"

The female doctor removed her mask and exhaled, her tone calm.

"They're out of danger. They'll recover soon—no need to worry."

"Whew… Thank you, doctor. When exactly will they be back on their feet?"

"They should be able to move again soon. The poison wasn't particularly strong."

The doctor patted Yuji's shoulder reassuringly before attempting to leave.

But before she could take another step, Yuji stopped her.

"Doctor, I won't lie to you—we were on a mission. Those kids are sharp, so I don't understand… what kind of poison did they fall victim to?"

Slightly annoyed at being delayed, the doctor frowned. But seeing as Yuji wasn't being unreasonable, she sighed and explained.

"It was a slow-dissipating poison—not very lethal, but highly effective at inducing unconsciousness. They would have recovered on their own after an hour or two."

Hearing this, Yuji recalled the earlier battle.

Although he had been focused on his own fight, he had heard the sound of a smoke bomb going off.

Could the poison have been hidden in the smoke?

It made sense. If Genma had instinctively held his breath upon seeing the smoke and only inhaled after it had mostly dissipated, he would have been exposed to the slow-dissipating toxin.

Now understanding the situation, Yuji glanced at the medical ward, then turned to Raido.

"Go check on them. They probably still feel awful."

Being acknowledged again, Raido felt honored. He quickly nodded and rushed inside.

End of Chapter 69