Two hours later.
Dust-covered and tense, the team arrived at their destination—the Genki Clan estate.
It was more of a fortified village than a mansion. Wooden fences surrounded the perimeter. Watchtowers stood at each corner.
Clang! Clang!
The second Renjiro's group came into view, a bell started ringing.
They looked at one another, confused.
"I guess they saw us." Renjiro said calmly: "Let's not do anything rash. They're on edge because of the recent assaults."
They stood still, raising their hands slightly to show they weren't hostile.
After a few tense moments, a man stepped onto the watchtower and shouted: "Identify yourselves!"
"Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf!" Renjiro shouted back.
He signaled his squad, and they all lifted their forehead protectors. Then he unrolled the mission scroll and held it up for the guards to see.
"Let me see it." The man said as he climbed down from the watchtower and took the scroll.
"They're from Konoha, open the gate!" He shouted after confirming the scroll wasn't fake. There was a hint of relief in his voice.
The verification process was completed without any problems.
A few more moments passed before they were allowed to enter the fortified compound.
Inside, Renjiro quickly noticed the layout—guards were stationed every few meters, all armed. Everyone looked tense. Fear and desperation filled the air like a heavy fog.
Renjiro frowned and said in a low voice: "It's worse than I thought…"
Eventually, they were escorted to the central building of the clan—where the head of the clan, Genki Itai, was already waiting.
The man was in his early fifties. Despite being a clan leader and landowner, his appearance was humble. He looked more like a hardworking farmer than a noble.
And that made sense. The Genki Clan wasn't rich. Their territory only allowed for survival, not comfort. But in a time, full of war, even that was a big achievement.
"Welcome, shinobi from the Hidden Leaf." Itai greeted them with obvious relief.
"Please excuse us for not giving you a proper welcome." He added, bowing his head with an apology.
His enthusiasm was so intense it made Renjiro and the others a bit uncomfortable.
"You don't need to apologize. You're doing what a clan leader should in times of war." Renjiro said calmly.
"Thank you for understanding." Itai replied with a relieved voice.
After calming Itai down, Renjiro got straight to the point: "Clan Leader Itai, do you have any information about the enemy's identity? Any suspects? Known enemies? Even the smallest clue can help us complete this mission."
"Ahh." Itai sighed bitterly: "Where do I begin?"
The truth was, something had happened recently—something that gave him a clearer picture of who was behind the attacks. But it wasn't easy to talk about. It was a deep stain on the clan's history.
Maemon, noticing Itai's hesitation, adjusted his glasses and said in a calm, serious voice: "You're a clan leader. You should know this—on the way here, we passed through a village. It was completely destroyed. Everyone was dead."
Itai's face turned pale. Taking a deep breath, he whispered in a trembling voice: "Another one… another village…"
Renjiro's eyes narrowed: "Another? That means this wasn't an isolated incident."
Itai finally gathered himself and spoke in a deep voice: "Actually… I know who's behind this."
Renjiro looked at him and said calmly: "Then please. Tell us everything. We can't help if we don't know what we're dealing with."
Itai nodded slowly and continued: "To explain, I must first confess a shameful part of our history…"
And so, he told them the story of the Genki Clan.
Their roots went back to the Age of the Samurai—their ancestors were students of the legendary Kongō Temple. Back then, Kongō Temple had a reputation similar to the Shaolin Temple from Renjiro's past world.
When the samurai age ended, the Genki ancestors kept the temple's teachings and settled here, eventually becoming local lords.
But thirty years ago, a scandal happened.
Itai spoke openly—his own father had stolen the position of clan head from his older brother, banishing his brother's whole family from the land.
A classic power struggle. Nothing unusual in the shinobi world. But his father made a big mistake—he didn't finish the job. He left a survivor.
Now, thirty years later, that elder brother's grandson had returned. Not only to take leadership, but also to reclaim his legacy—and take revenge.
He wanted the ancient teachings passed down from Kongō Temple. He brought with him a ruthless group of allies to take them—through blood, fire, and vengeance.
In truth, the Genki Clan didn't care much about keeping the ancient teachings.
Had this still been the Age of the Samurai, those teachings would've been priceless. But this was the Shinobi Era—and traditions based on swordsmanship and honor no longer mattered much.
In fact, before the attacks began, Itai gave those techniques away willingly—hoping to avoid the coming storm.
They didn't expect what happened next. The so-called "friends" of the clan leader's nephew—those smooth-talking men—weren't harmless. Some were petty criminals and lazy drifters. But hidden among them were wolves: Missing-nin from Hidden Mist.
These missing-nin had defected from Kirigakure, unable to handle the blood-soaked rule of the Fourth Mizukage. They fled the Village Hidden in the Mist and wandered the world, hunted, hated, and hardened by survival.
Eventually, they reached this faraway land—far from the eyes of powerful nations. And they saw something they hadn't had in years: opportunity.
A small, self-ruled border clan with decent land, far from the Five Great Nations. With most countries busy in war, no one would notice if a small village disappeared.
So, they made their move—they wanted the Genki Clan to give up their land.
But Clan Leader Itai refused. This was their ancestral home—land their family had worked and protected for generations.
In the end, no matter how much the Mist-nin threatened, Itai didn't back down. So the conflict began.
Using their numbers and the village's defenses, the Genki Clan managed to push back the first attack. But the enemy didn't stop.
They changed their tactics. They cut off communications—isolated the village from the outside world and nearby settlements. They wanted the Genki Clan to lose hope so they would surrender without fighting.
And to make them obey… they went further. They destroyed an entire village—and not just one.
The destroyed village that Team Renjiro found was already the third.
"Those bastards." Meri said angrily, her voice tight with disbelief.
Even as shinobi, trained to kill if needed, they had never harmed civilians. Their hands were stained with enemy blood, not innocent lives. This—this was something else.
"Some people just don't have any limits..." Renjiro shook his head and said coldly, clenching his fists. It was clear he was as angry as Meri.
Suddenly, Itai stood up and bowed: "Please… brave Konoha shinobi. I beg you. We cannot face them alone."
"Clan Leader Itai, stand up, please." Renjiro moved forward and said gently: "There's no need for that. This is our mission—we'll see it through."
But Itai stayed bowed and continued: "For us, this is about survival. I can't take it lightly."
"We'll do our best." Renjiro said firmly.
"By the way, Clan Leader Itai." Tsugami suddenly asked: "What about your nephew—the grandson of your uncle? What's his position in all this?"
Itai blinked for a moment and replied uncertainly: "I… I'm not sure. When the Missing-nin revealed their true nature, he argued with them briefly. But after one of them punched him in the face, he went quiet."
"Hmm…" Tsugami rubbed Domaru's neck, thoughtfully.
After that, the meeting ended. Itai left, and Renjiro and his team stayed to plan.
Once the clan leader was gone, Renjiro turned to Tsugami and asked seriously: "That question about the nephew—you had a reason?"
Tsugami scratched his head: "Not really. I just got a strange feeling about the so-called nephew."
"Feeling?" Renjiro asked.
Tsugami nodded: "Yeah. He might be the weak point in their plan. He could be our chance to turn the situation around."
Renjiro touched his chin, then after a moment, nodded slowly: "Got it."
---
That evening, Itai insisted on hosting a feast for Renjiro and his team—despite their protests.
They reluctantly agreed. But just as the preparations began, the village's warning bell rang again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"The enemy is attacking!" Renjiro and his teammates looked at one another seriously.
"Mind Net!" Renjiro instantly activated his sensory technique.
"I've got them—village gate!" He shouted. Together, they all rushed toward the gate.
"Get ready." Renjiro said seriously: "We don't know how strong they are. Stay sharp."
"Understood." The team responded together.
Renjiro's chakra web spread outward—and there they were. Three figures, standing just outside the village.
Renjiro narrowed his eyes, focusing harder to see more details, but in that instant, all three figures retreated.
They moved so fast, they left the range of the Mind Net in seconds.
"Tch!" Renjiro clicked his tongue in frustration: "They noticed. They've got a sensor-type with them."
His Mind Net, though powerful, used mental strength and lightning chakra. It was effective but not subtle. A good sensor could feel its presence.
"Bad news:" Renjiro told the team: "I tried using my sensory ability to gather info… but they noticed. One of them is a sensory shinobi. We lost the element of surprise."
Maemon adjusted his glasses: "If they've got a sensor, a stealth attack won't work. But… they still don't know how many of us are here. That's our advantage."
Renjiro thought for a few moments, then said: "One of us can draw their attention—act as bait—while the others flank or ambush them. But before that, we need to know how strong they are. If they're weaker, we capture them."
He paused, then added: "If they're equal to us, we kill them quickly. If they're stronger—which I doubt, but it's possible—we retreat and use the village's defenses to slow them down. Then we call for help from Konoha."
Renjiro looked at the three and asked calmly: "Anything else to add?"
"I agree with your plan." Meri said, shaking her head.
Tsugami rubbed his chin, then smiled: "Domaru and I are in. Plus, I don't sense any danger."
"I also think it's the best plan for now." Maemon said calmly.
"Good. Then we move." Renjiro said, heading for the gate with the other three quickly following behind.
---
Author's Note:
If you'd like to support my work or read up to 10 chapters ahead, feel free to check out:
👉 Patreon.com/NarutoAI
And if not, no worries at all—I'm just glad you're here.
I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it.
Have a great day! 😊