Chapter 6 – The Deception
Just like the final enemy's most bitter regret before death, the outcome of this battle had already been sealed the moment Yugami Genshin successfully ambushed the opposing squad leader. Everything that followed was little more than garbage time.
Not that Genshin had an inflated view of his own strength—far from it. What he had was a clear understanding of his capabilities. When fully leveraging White Zetsu's powers, attacking with complete intel against unaware enemies, his odds of assassinating their strongest member were already high. As long as he didn't make any foolish mistakes and the enemy remained unaware of White Zetsu's existence, failure was nearly impossible.
Despite the popularity of flashy ninjutsu in battle, the essence of a ninja's craft lies in silent, invisible assassination. In that regard, the "Mayfly Technique" was among the very best.
By result alone, Genshin had achieved exactly what he set out to do—five enemies, completely eliminated.
But the process? It was rough. He was forced into direct combat, even got injured in the scuffle. Ideally, he would have silently assassinated all five without a trace—but that was easier said than done.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but based on his experience since arriving in this world, Genshin felt that while the fights of this era were certainly more brutal… The average quality of ninja didn't seem quite up to par compared to the later era of Hidden Villages. Barring a few outliers with absurd talent, of course.
Whether it was in the combined use of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, or in team structure and kill efficiency, things felt... underdeveloped. But thinking about it, that made sense. Everything evolves. Genshin firmly believed in the idea that "the future will always surpass the present."
Be it systems, techniques, education, or warfare—everything progresses with time.
Realizing his thoughts had strayed, Genshin quickly refocused. In short: the execution wasn't perfect, but the result was acceptable—maybe even satisfying.
After all, he had only just become "White Zetsu-man." He hadn't even figured out how his transformation worked, let alone mastered all the related skills. Given that, his performance was more than commendable.
He didn't linger to clean up the battlefield. No time. He sprinted toward the next site of combat.
Though he had already been through a fight, his chakra reserves were still in good shape. There hadn't been much direct ninjutsu trading earlier, so he still had enough to fight again.
To give the two allied clansmen—currently acting as bait—the best chance of survival, Genshin activated the Mayfly Technique and sped toward the next battlefield, aiming to save every second he could.
He already had a battle plan in mind: another assassination. If efficiency was the goal, then he would see it through to the end.
Earlier, during the brief moment he clashed with the enemy squad leader, Genshin had managed to extract a trace amount of chakra from him.
It wasn't enough for prolonged combat, but it was more than sufficient to perform a high-level transformation jutsu. Using that chakra as a signature, he could perfectly mimic the squad leader's appearance, down to a level virtually undetectable by any conventional means.
White Zetsu's transformation ability was a god-tier technique—no one in the shinobi world could match its realism. As long as he didn't mess up with mannerisms, expressions, or behavior, no one would suspect a thing.
Besides, he only needed to impersonate the squad leader for a short period and under straightforward circumstances. The chances of being exposed were slim.
By the time he arrived near the second battlefield, Gensukawa had been following Genshin's orders—running, not fighting—successfully delaying the enemy. Genshin didn't rush in immediately. Instead, he perched atop a tall tree, watching from above to survey the battlefield dynamics.
Five enemy ninja were coordinating to corner Gensukawa. Clever as ever, Gensukawa was weaving through them, using fire-style jutsu to create obstacles and visual interference—making it difficult for them to maintain formation or track his movements properly.
"Cat and mouse again, huh?" Yugami Genshin thought to himself as he watched the scene unfold.
Having transformed into the enemy squad leader, he continued using the Mayfly Technique to silently approach the outermost enemy ninja in the encirclement. Just as Gensukawa released another fire-style jutsu, generating a thunderous blast, Genshin appeared behind the isolated enemy like a phantom—swiftly slitting his throat in one clean, fluid motion. No sound, no struggle. A perfect execution.
He gently laid the now-lifeless but still-warm body on the ground, careful not to make any noise. He had learned from his earlier sloppiness; this time, his execution was much cleaner. Sure enough, the remaining enemies didn't immediately notice their missing comrade.
They were too focused on hunting down Gensukawa, who, per Genshin's instructions, had smartly avoided direct confrontation—relying on nimble dodges and a constant stream of fire-style jutsu to disrupt and obscure the battlefield.
Luck was on Genshin's side once again. The enemy's sensory ninja was assigned to a different squad, so these five had no way of detecting the ambush.
However, the remaining four were too close together to pick off one by one. After a brief calculation, Genshin decided a more direct approach was the safest. Maintaining his disguise as the squad leader, he deliberately made some noise as he moved closer.
Sure enough, the other four turned toward him at once.
"Captain!" "You're done over there?"
Seeing his familiar appearance, their brief moment of suspicion faded quickly.
Genshin kept a stern expression—it was safer than trying to mimic their emotional tones—and gave a curt nod.
"Mission accomplished. I rushed over to support you. The others are trailing behind... What's the status here?"
The sub-leader quickly answered, a bit anxious, perhaps worried the captain might be displeased with their progress.
"A bit tricky. The target just keeps running. He's burning through chakra without engaging. It's slowed us down, but we've almost got him cornered."
Genshin narrowed his eyes, acting displeased at their inefficiency.
"Forget the encirclement. Follow me."
Without waiting for a response, he charged toward the "enemy" — Gensukawa. The four immediately followed.
They quickly closed the distance, ready to pounce—but just as they were about to launch their attack, "Captain" came to a sudden halt.
Genshin knew he had only seconds before they realized one of their teammates was missing.
Without warning, he turned his head sharply and stared off into the trees, his face feigning shock.
"Chief...? Why are you—"
The four turned simultaneously, completely taken in by his act, like fans watching their idol's performance.
And in that exact moment—blades flashed.
Three throats slit. Silent, clean, final.
Only one survived—furthest from Genshin and trailing a few steps behind during the charge. He stopped in his tracks, eyes wide in disbelief. Confusion flooded his mind.
Why? Why did the Captain just kill his own men?
Wait… Were the others imposters? Was I fighting alongside enemies this whole time? Or… am I the fake?
"Two-on-one," Genshin said flatly as he dropped the act. His form shimmered, revealing his true self, chakra signature shifting mid-step.
"Now it's your turn to be hunted."