Overdrafting the Future, Starting in Naruto

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't travel in a palanquin, his procession moved very slowly, at the pace of a normal person walking. Fortunately, the Daimyō's capital was not far from Konoha. Even at a snail's pace, they arrived on the same day.

After staying the night, the meetings began the next day. However, this had nothing to do with Genichi's team. They didn't even enter the meeting room, simply standing guard outside. For them, the mission was rather tedious and, on the surface, quite relaxed.

Hiruzen spent a total of three days at the capital, in meetings every day. Genichi could faintly sense that when they returned to Konoha on the fourth day, Hiruzen seemed much more relaxed. Clearly, the trip had been a success, and he had at least achieved his intended goals.

Just like the journey there, the trip back was uneventful. On the evening of the 19th, Genichi and the others returned to Konoha.

The squad disbanded. After turning in their equipment, Genichi and Uzumaki Ina strolled home together. He asked casually, "How did you feel?"

Ina was a little embarrassed. "It felt… a bit boring?"

Genichi couldn't help but laugh. "It certainly was. This was actually my first time on a Hokage protection detail too. But we were lucky; we didn't run into anything like an assassination attempt."

"An assassination attempt on the Hokage?" Ina was surprised. "That… deep in the heart of the Land of Fire, that's not very likely, is it?"

Genichi shook his head. "Not necessarily. The Land of Fire is vast. It's impossible for Konoha's forces to guard the entire border. It's perfectly normal for enemies to infiltrate."

He remembered the time Danzō, as the acting Sixth Hokage, was assassinated by the remnants of the Sky Ninja. Thinking of the Sky Ninja, however, inevitably brought the Zero-Tails to mind. Initially, the Zero-Tails had been Genichi's primary target. But as his own constitution improved, and with the addition of the Yin Seal and the Eight-Tails' horn, he had completely forgotten about it. Forget it, the Zero-Tails is too weak. Like a fickle playboy, Genichi no longer gave the Zero-Tails a second thought. He continued chatting with Ina as they walked home.

He washed up, ate, and then went to bed early. Although the mission had been uneventful, he had been mentally on high alert for several days. His body wasn't very tired, but his mind was.

The night passed peacefully. The next day, Genichi woke up early and went out with Ina for basic physical training. On the road, they ran into Might Guy, who was running on his hands. And so, first thing in the morning, Genichi and Guy had a passionate race.

Unsurprisingly, Might Guy lost, but he wasn't discouraged in the slightest. "As expected of you, Genichi! My rival for life! Although the gap is still large, I will not give up!"

Genichi smiled encouragingly. "Keep it up, Guy. I believe you can catch up!"

Might Guy grinned, his face full of confidence. "Of course! My dad said that hard work will never betray you! Next, I will do five hundred laps on my hands!" With that, Guy flipped himself over and began to run laps around Konoha on his hands.

Uzumaki Ina, who had watched the entire exchange, was dumbfounded. This is… really… weird!

Genichi was long used to it. He smiled and said, "Ina, let's start climbing the cliff!"

The next training exercise was free-climbing a cliff face, followed by walking on the cliffside with both feet while holding a large rock—an enhanced version of tree climbing.

They trained until eight in the morning. After a hearty breakfast at home, Ina went to see Kushina, while Genichi first created his clones to continue their various training regimens—developing Water Release, developing genjutsu, researching the Transcription Seal… His real body, however, continued his previous training in his bedroom, trying to condense a spirit body in the sealed space.

Two days passed in a flash.

On the 22nd, Genichi received an order to lead his team out of the village on another mission. This time, they were heading to the eastern coast of the Land of Fire. Recently, Kirigakure's intelligence gathering against the Land of Fire had become more frequent and pervasive, and the clashes of intelligence and counter-intelligence between the two sides were growing increasingly intense. Especially after Hiruzen began deploying troops to the east, Kirigakure's probing became more frequent, and a full-scale war was on the verge of breaking out.

Genichi's mission this time was to target Kirigakure's intelligence personnel.

At two o'clock that afternoon, Genichi's team arrived at the eastern front headquarters and met with the commander, Jiraiya.

"Master Jiraiya!" Genichi said, taking off his mask inside the tent.

Jiraiya, who was looking down at a map, looked up. He broke into a smile when he saw Genichi. "Genichi! The old man sent you? Well, this mission is indeed perfect for you." He then added with some frustration, "These Mist-nin are crazy. They're slipping through every hole they can find."

Genichi stepped forward to look at the map on the desk and smiled. "There's not much we can do about it. Kirigakure has too wide an area to attack from. We can't possibly make our defensive line completely flawless."

This was the source of Jiraiya's frustration. Most importantly, Hiruzen had only given him six hundred troops. Spreading that number of people out inevitably left holes everywhere, which was why Kirigakure's intelligence personnel were slipping through, searching for the weakest point in the line. They were probably planning to punch right through and head straight for the heartland.

Jiraiya was experienced and could see Kirigakure's objective, but he was helpless without enough troops. With a defensive line full of holes, he had no idea where they would break through.

Genichi looked at the map. The red lines on it were Konoha's defensive positions, arranged in a staggered, multi-layered formation, creating a defense-in-depth. The advantage of this was that even if one defensive line failed, it could be compensated for or corrected by others. But it also thinned out the forces, making each layer's defense weak. Or rather, because Jiraiya didn't have enough troops, each layer was weak.

Besides the red lines, there were also numerous 'X's on the map. Genichi didn't have to ask to know what they were. They represented the places where Kirigakure's intelligence teams had already infiltrated.

"Master Jiraiya, it looks like Kirigakure has almost figured out our entire defensive line," Genichi said.

Jiraiya nodded. "Once they have enough information, they'll launch a formal attack. And they will definitely have an elite unit punch through a weak point, break our line completely, and get into our rear."

Genichi nodded. He thought of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from the original timeline. Now that they were gone, would Kirigakure form a new Six Swordsmen, or would they have other elites? The thought flashed through his mind, and he asked, "Master Jiraiya, are you planning to adjust the defensive line?"

Jiraiya nodded gravely. "The Third Mizukage gave an order that his ninja can abandon their mission if they encounter you. So I need you, Genichi, to lead your team and buy me time to adjust the line, to invalidate as much of their previously gathered intelligence as possible."

Genichi frowned. If Kirigakure caught on and attacked while Konoha was adjusting its defenses, it would be even more troublesome.

"The risk is too great," Genichi said frankly. "Although the Third Mizukage gave that order, it doesn't mean his ninja will run the moment they see me. Kirigakure's main army is probably already on the nearby islands, right?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Mainly in the former Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Waves, and a few other nearby islands. Those are also their logistical bases."

It was a good thing the Land of Fire was so lush with vegetation. Otherwise, they could just use flying ninja animals to scout from the air, and all their deployments would be exposed. As it was, with the cover of the foliage, the Mist-nin could only rely on small teams to infiltrate and gather intelligence.

Genichi looked up at Jiraiya. "Master Jiraiya, if the Mist-nin were to send an elite unit to break through the line, would their target be you here, or our rear?"

Jiraiya smiled. "They won't come for me. Even if they killed me, it wouldn't cause the defensive line to collapse instantly." Besides, killing him wasn't that easy. He wasn't the same man he was during the Second Great Ninja War. Now in his thirties, Jiraiya might not have been at his most experienced, but he was definitely at his most powerful.

Genichi nodded. "In that case, Master Jiraiya, my suggestion is to let their infiltration teams in. Lure them into a trap. Shut the door and beat the dog!"

If the Mist infiltration teams weren't on a decapitation mission against the commander, then there were only two possibilities. One was to disrupt the rear. Don't think that ninja won't attack civilians. In war, it was common for ninja to loot, kill, and burn. Even Konoha ninja were no exception. Were ninja good people? No, ninja were mercenaries. Destroying the enemy's rear was a valid tactic, and anything was fair game.

The second was to cut off the supply lines. This was the most common approach. In fact, these two objectives often overlapped and were carried out together.

So Genichi's idea was this: instead of risking the entire defensive line collapsing while trying to adjust it, it was better to go with the flow, lure them into a trap, and shut the door and beat the dog. Of course, this also had its risks. If you invited the dogs in but couldn't kill them, they would really start biting randomly.

Jiraiya understood what Genichi meant. The "dog beaters" would be Genichi's squad. And on this battlefield, besides himself, only the exceptionally powerful Genichi could accomplish this mission. If any other jonin led the team, the risk would skyrocket. Unless it was the White Fang of the Leaf, Sakumo Hatake. Or if Orochimaru were leading the team, then Jiraiya could rest easy.

So which plan should he choose? Jiraiya pondered.

Just then, Genichi smiled. "Master Jiraiya, I'm actually a jinchuriki too."

Jiraiya was stunned. "A jinchuriki? What jinchuriki? When did Konoha get another Tailed Beast? Wait!" Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Genichi, don't tell me you stole a Tailed Beast from Kirigakure?"

Genichi laughed. "No, it's the Eight-Tails. I got a part of the Eight-Tails' body from Orochimaru-senpai and sealed it inside me. Before this, only Orochimaru-senpai and the Third Hokage knew about it. I haven't used the Eight-Tails' power in battle yet, so Kirigakure doesn't know this either."

Jiraiya's face twitched. "That guy Orochimaru… But, can you control the Eight-Tails' power?" Jiraiya's expression became serious. He had experienced the power of a Tailed Beast firsthand.

Genichi didn't say a word. His body was instantly covered in the Eight-Tails' chakra, and seven tails extended from his back.

"Such powerful chakra!" Jiraiya was shocked. Seeing Genichi retract the chakra with ease, he was completely reassured and made his decision. "Alright, Genichi, we'll go with your plan! However, you will continue with your original mission. I will feign an adjustment of the defensive line to lure the Mist-nin into attacking."

"Understood," Genichi nodded.

He was about to put on his mask and leave when his hand suddenly paused, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked, confused.

Genichi chuckled. "It's nothing. Just some sudden good news."

Jiraiya was completely baffled. "You strange fellow, what good news are you being so secretive about?"

Genichi didn't say anything. He looked at the water kettle on the table, reached out and touched it lightly, and then vanished.

Jiraiya looked down at the kettle, his expression hardening. He reached out and touched it. It was bone-chillingly cold. "This is… Ice Release? That kid… he's a genius, just like me!"

(End of Chapter)

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