Overdrafting the Future, Starting in Naruto

Genichi hadn't expected that the shadow clone he left behind in the village would actually succeed in mastering Ice Release. He had already mentally prepared himself to rely on his future-sight ability for it.

I really am a genius! Beneath his mask, a huge smile spread across Genichi's face as he appeared next to Uzumaki Ina. It was a complete and wonderful surprise.

Moreover, after the clone dispersed, the feedback of Ice Release chakra was now permeating his cells, causing a subtle change in his body.

My cells seem to be growing… a change at the genetic level?

This was just a rough sensation. In the middle of a mission, he couldn't stop to carefully experience it and create more Ice Release chakra. However, a Kekkei Genkai could be passed down to one's descendants, which meant it had to be deeply embedded in one's genes, etched into one's genetic code.

"War is so annoying…"

Suppressing the many thoughts in his mind, Genichi said to Ina, "Ina, first, acquire the chakra information of all the ninja in the main camp."

"Understood!" Ina nodded, then knelt and placed two fingers on the ground. In a state of war, even Master Jiraiya would have chakra flowing through his body.

After giving his order to Ina, Genichi raised a single hand. His water-natured chakra infused the air like ink, spreading out rapidly. He also needed to record the chakra signatures of his own people first. For this strategy, sensory ability was crucial.

Genichi's perception first covered the main camp and the medical corps' camp, then quickly spread to where the defensive units were deployed. By the time Ina had grasped the situation at the main camp, Genichi's perception had already enveloped Konoha's entire defensive zone.

He then formed a hand seal and created six shadow clones.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The clones shot off in six different directions. They were going to deal with the Mist-nin. After the clones left, Genichi gave the order: "Move out!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The five of them vanished, moving at high speed through the forest. Genichi had already memorized the map from Jiraiya. He was now leading his squad directly to the defensive lines so that Ina could record the chakra of the Konoha ninja stationed there. Ina's talent for sensing was very high, but she had only been learning the Divine Mind, Heavenly Sense Jutsu for a short time. She couldn't do what Genichi did, covering the entire defensive zone on a massive scale. The radius alone was over fifty kilometers.

In the dense forest, a Mist-nin squad bypassed a Konoha defensive line, slipping through a gap and advancing deeper. They had scouted this path before; now they needed to go deeper to obtain more intelligence on Konoha's defenses.

The squad was extremely cautious. Konoha had set up many traps in the weaker points of their defense. If one was triggered, the nearby Konoha ninja would swarm them. The ninja who could carry out such intelligence missions were, of course, the elite of the Mist.

Suddenly, the leading Mist jonin stopped, looking at the enemy who had suddenly appeared before them. "Has Konoha changed its defensive layout? Hmm? There's only one person?"

On a tree, the masked shadow clone of Genichi said nothing and launched himself at the Mist squad. When he was about ten meters away, he cast a genjutsu.

Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!

The Mist squad's vision was immediately stolen.

"Not good, it's Kinoshita Genichi!" All four of them were shocked.

"Retreat!" The squad leader threw a smoke bomb. The other three took the opportunity to break the genjutsu, and then all four of them quickly fell back the way they came, like birds startled by a bowstring.

And it wasn't just here. Genichi's six shadow clones successively and precisely intercepted one Mist ninja squad after another. But not every Mist-nin ran at the sight of him. Not all of them could recognize him at first glance. Some retreated quickly and successfully escaped. Some reacted too slowly and were chased down and killed or captured. And some fought back fearlessly, only to be surrounded and killed by multiple shadow clones.

The key to Genichi's ability to precisely locate the Mist infiltration squads was his powerful sensory ability. Konoha wasn't lacking for sensor ninja on the battlefield. The Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzuka, and the famous Hyūga clan all had members present, all of whom possessed sensory capabilities. The Hyūga's Byakugan, in particular, had the ability of telescopic sight and clairvoyance.

But even the range of the Byakugan was far inferior to Genichi's. A typical jonin from the Hyūga branch family could see at most ten-plus kilometers with their Byakugan. In a defensive zone that spanned hundreds of kilometers, that wasn't much. This was Konoha's dilemma. Hiruzen couldn't possibly deploy several thousand ninja to the eastern coast for an extended period.

A few hours later.

On a small island not far from the Land of Fire, the Mist's forward base received the news of Genichi's appearance on the battlefield.

Inside a cave, the commander, Yagura Karatachi, was holding a meeting with numerous jonin to discuss the next stage of the formal invasion. He hadn't expected an intelligence officer to bring back such bad news. The name "Kinoshita Genichi" made the expressions of everyone in the cave change slightly.

The green-haired, purple-eyed, short, baby-faced Yagura was actually over forty years old, a bit older than even Sakumo Hatake. His expression was calm. Seeing the change in the others, he said coolly, "In a war of this scale, one Kinoshita Genichi cannot change much."

A ninja war, at least this one, wasn't a battle where everyone charged forward in a single swarm. The battlefield was vast, and no matter how strong Genichi was, he could only affect the outcome in a very small area. The ninja present were all jonin, and they nodded in agreement. And while they were surprised by Genichi's strength and felt wary, they were not so afraid as to lose the courage to fight.

A jonin from the Hōzuki clan said coldly, "Lord Yagura, request reinforcements from the Third Mizukage. Assemble a larger, more elite team and encircle and kill this Kinoshita Genichi. No matter how strong he is, he's still a ninja and has his limits. I don't believe he's invincible! If necessary, we can even use a Tailed Beast!"

The death of Hōzuki Chigetsu was a great blow to the Hōzuki clan. Although Chigetsu had committed suicide, it was because of Genichi. The Hōzuki clan wanted to kill Genichi even more than the Third Mizukage did.

"Why not leave this Kinoshita Genichi to us, the Kaguya clan?" Opposite the Hōzuki jonin, a Kaguya clan jonin, who still wore the ancient Mizura hairstyle, bared his teeth in a cold grin.

"Mugetsu, Ki," Yagura said, "we'll discuss Kinoshita Genichi later. First, let's finalize the strategy for this attack."

"Yes, Lord Yagura," Hōzuki Mugetsu immediately bowed his head. Kaguya Ki also fell silent.

But Yagura had barely continued for a few moments when more intel reports began to arrive, all of them about Kinoshita Genichi. This caused an uproar among the jonin.

Someone couldn't help but ask in surprise, "This guy's speed… could that Body Flicker of his be a long-range movement technique? A space-time ninjutsu?"

"That damn guy, we have to kill him!"

Yagura also frowned. After a moment of thought, he said, "It should be shadow clones."

The jonin frowned. "Shadow clones? Are his shadow clones that strong? Two of our squads have already lost contact, and our sensor ninja can't detect their chakra!"

"This guy is becoming more and more of a threat."

Just then, another piece of intelligence arrived. Konoha's troops were moving frequently, as if adjusting their original defensive layout. Hearing this, a Mist jonin immediately said angrily, "Does Konoha think Kinoshita Genichi is invincible, or that everyone in our village is afraid of him?"

Anyone who wasn't a fool could see what was happening. Konoha was using Genichi to drive away and deter their intelligence squads while taking the opportunity to adjust their troop deployment.

"Lord Yagura, I believe this is an excellent opportunity to attack!" a voice suddenly rang out, causing the Mist ninja, who had been focused on discussing Genichi, to all stop and look.

Ao's expression was solemn. "Konoha is moving its troops to counter the intelligence we've gathered. The situation is already clear: Konoha's forces are insufficient. Their commander, Jiraiya of the Sannin, wants to use Kinoshita Genichi to buy time, but this is precisely our opportunity. We can attack while they are in the middle of redeploying and haven't yet finished."

"If we wait for them to complete their redeployment, all our previous efforts will have been in vain. Although Konoha is only adjusting its outermost deployments right now, and we can no longer ascertain the situation in the deeper areas, we cannot wait any longer."

"We have twelve hundred troops, double that of Konoha. Even if Kinoshita Genichi has the power of a Kage, he can only change the tide of a local battle, not affect the entire war. As long as we open a breakthrough, combined with our previously formulated plan of sending an elite squad to infiltrate the enemy's rear, it will be enough to gain an absolute advantage and force Konoha to keep sending reinforcements. This will be beneficial for our southern invasion plan and will show the other ninja villages that there is an opportunity to attack Konoha. And that is the goal of this attack."

After hearing this, a smile appeared on Yagura's face. He said with praise, "Ao, you are absolutely right. We indeed cannot delay any longer. I have decided to launch a full-scale attack on Konoha immediately."

"Mugetsu, Suigetsu, as planned, you will each lead an elite jonin squad and carry out the infiltration plan. The objective is the rear of Konoha's defensive line. Create chaos and cut off their supplies."

Hōzuki Mugetsu and Suigetsu of the Yuki Clan both nodded. "Understood!"

Yagura then added, "As for Kinoshita Genichi, the moment he is spotted on the battlefield, report it immediately. I will deal with him personally. Gentlemen, are there any other suggestions?"

Everyone shook their heads, but Kaguya Ki laughed. "Lord Yagura, just give the order to attack. The Kaguya clan can't wait to snap the necks of the Konoha ninja. And if I run into that guy named Kinoshita Genichi, I'll personally rip out his bones. There'll be no need for you to act, Lord Yagura!"

Yagura frowned slightly, but he had always been a gentleman and didn't get angry. Instead, he offered a kind reminder, "Ki, do not underestimate any opponent, especially one who has been so highly praised by the Third Mizukage."

Kaguya Ki smiled. "Of course. I will use my full strength to defeat him with my Shikotsumyaku!"

Yagura said no more and gave the order: "In one hour, we will launch the first wave of the attack on time!"

By the sea, in a small town.

A Konoha ninja, holding a pair of binoculars and observing the sea from a rooftop, was suddenly startled. Within his field of view, a fleet of ships was approaching.

He quickly shouted, "Captain, it looks like the Mist-nin are moving out on a large scale!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Figures appeared on the rooftop, all of them looking out to sea. The captain, Gekkō Unkai, took the binoculars from his subordinate. After a moment, he immediately said, "Fire the signal flare!"

Soon, three signal flares shot into the sky and exploded, the red signal exceptionally conspicuous in the dusk. Similar signal flares were rising in other coastal areas, spreading inland toward the heart of the Land of Fire.

Seeing such a large-scale danger signal, all the Konoha ninja knew: the Mist had officially launched a full-scale invasion.

In the forest, Genichi and his team stopped and looked up. Through the gaps in the trees, they could see the signals exploding in the sky. Sarutobi Mikage leaped to the top of a tree, then quickly came back down. "Captain, the Mist is launching a full-scale attack!"

Gekkō Ryūfū commented, "The Mist is really decisive."

"Never underestimate anyone," Genichi said. "The Mist realized we were adjusting our positions. Attacking decisively is their best option. Let's go, our battlefield isn't here."

Genichi led his team deeper into their own territory. By the time they returned to the main camp, he could already sense that the battle had begun on the outermost defensive line, along the coast. The chakra fluctuations were so intense that even his Heavenly Water, Boundless technique was being affected.

As expected, no jutsu is perfect, Genichi sighed to himself.

At that moment, Jiraiya, dressed in armor, was standing outside his tent. Seeing Genichi and his team return, he said, "Genichi, when do you think the Mist's infiltration teams will be able to get through?"

Letting Ina and the others rest and recover their chakra, Genichi walked over to Jiraiya's side. "That depends on how elite their elite squads really are. Besides, they might not even use that tactic."

"It would be best if they don't," Jiraiya said. "In that case, you'll lead your team to the front line."

"No problem," Genichi nodded. The mission he had received from Hiruzen, in addition to its original content, included a clause that he was to temporarily follow Jiraiya's command.

Jiraiya clapped him on the shoulder. "From now on, unless you receive orders from me, carry out your mission as planned. I'm heading to the front."

"According to the intel we got from the prisoners, the commander of the Mist forces this time is Yagura Karatachi. That guy is not going to be easy to deal with."

With that, Jiraiya and his squad vanished. As a commander, he wasn't one to stay in the rear. With Konoha's current troop shortage, Jiraiya also had to lead a team into battle.

Yagura Karatachi? The future Fourth Mizukage.

So, will he personally lead the infiltration team?

(End of Chapter)

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