Kidomaru's arrow hadn't avoided Naruto's vital points. To him, even if he killed Hidden Leaf's jinchuriki, it would merely be carrying out Lord Orochimaru's orders—hardly anything outrageous.
As for whether Hidden Leaf would pursue the matter, he didn't care.
Thus, this arrow, in both angle and force, was the pinnacle of Kidomaru's usual skill.
Before mastering sage techniques, Naruto's perception and sensory abilities weren't particularly outstanding. Plus, this was his first time facing a sneaky opponent like Kidomaru, so he was entirely unaccustomed. By the time he noticed the incoming arrow, its tip was nearly at his throat.
"!?"
Naruto's heart raced with panic, instinctively wanting to enter tailed beast mode. But even if he transformed immediately, it wouldn't be fast enough to block Kidomaru's arrow.
Just then, with his mind nearly frozen, Naruto heard the buzzing sound of the arrow vibrating fiercely.
Only then did he realize the arrow's tip was less than five centimeters from his throat!
"Sh-Shinji!?"
His gaze shifted, and Naruto finally saw Shinji standing in front of him, grasping the arrow with one hand, saving his life at the critical moment.
Tossing the arrow to the ground, Shinji said calmly, "Stand down!"
Naruto, unwilling, protested, "But…"
Turning to pat Naruto's shoulder, Shinji smiled. "Leave this to me. Head out for now!"
"Alright!"
Naruto nodded.
For some reason, facing Shinji, Naruto felt an immense pressure.
...
In the Canopy.
Seeing Shinji appear to save Naruto, Kidomaru wasn't angry but delighted, thinking, Uchiha Shinji, I've finally drawn you out!
Defeating Hidden Leaf's jinchuriki would be a decent achievement, but compared to taking down Hidden Leaf's First Chair, the latter was far more challenging!
After sending Naruto away, Shinji glanced at the canopy where Kidomaru hid, his expression darkening. He thought, Hmph, I went to great lengths to avoid attracting the Sage of the Six Paths' attention, and you nearly ruined my plans, you bastard!
He'd genuinely broken out in a cold sweat just now.
He hadn't expected the Sound Four to be so lawless, daring to attempt a killing blow on Naruto right under Hidden Leaf's nose!
Noticing Shinji looking directly at his hiding spot, Kidomaru's heart skipped a beat. Has he spotted me?
With that thought, he quickly darted from his hiding place, using the trees' cover to conceal himself in another canopy.
But no matter how Kidomaru dodged, Shinji's gaze followed, pinpointing his location.
Kidomaru was shocked. How is this possible!? The Uchiha clan's Sharingan doesn't have x-ray vision, does it?
Shinji, of course, didn't know Kidomaru's thoughts. He could track Kidomaru so precisely because of his killing intent perception ability.
Shinji was somewhat exasperated. Does this guy not know how to suppress his killing intent at all? I can sense it from this far away!
Realizing his hiding spot was always exposed to Shinji, Kidomaru, humiliated and enraged, leapt down from the canopy and landed in front of Shinji. "Uchiha Shinji, I—"
Whoosh!
Before Kidomaru could finish, Shinji flashed forward, closing the distance in an instant.
"You!?"
Kidomaru, alarmed, instinctively retreated to put space between them.
But as he tried to leap back, Shinji grabbed his ankle, yanked him down, and slammed him into the ground.
Boom!
Kidomaru was instantly smashed into the earth.
"How… how is this possible!?"
Lying in the cracked pit, Kidomaru's face was full of disbelief.
Though this wasn't his strongest state, he prided himself on taijutsu that rivaled standard taijutsu specialists. Yet, against Shinji, he didn't even last one move before being taken down.
At that moment, Shinji leaned down, grabbed Kidomaru by the throat, and lifted him from the pit.
Choked by Shinji, even with his three pairs of arms, Kidomaru couldn't break free. His face gradually turned red from lack of air.
Shinji gazed at him calmly. "Don't resist. I've got your major artery. Normally, I could make you dizzy and pass out in six seconds. But if you struggle too much, I might not control my strength and accidentally kill you!"
Kidomaru was both shocked and furious, considering activating his Cursed Seal.
But as the thought emerged, he met Shinji's calm yet chilling gaze and shuddered, immediately abandoning the idea.
His instincts screamed that if he dared make a move, death would be his only outcome!
Just as he might "accidentally" kill Naruto, Shinji could just as easily "accidentally" kill him in this spar, and Hidden Sound Village would have no grounds to pursue it.
"Good boy!"
Smirking, Shinji tightened his grip, knocking the unresisting Kidomaru unconscious.
Moments later, Shinji emerged from the grove, carrying the unconscious Kidomaru.
"So fast!?"
"No sound at all, and the fight's already over?"
"How did he do it?"
The crowd waiting outside the grove was dumbfounded.
Shinji had just entered the grove, Naruto came out shortly after, and then, in no time, Shinji emerged carrying Kidomaru.
The entire ordeal lasted only a few minutes.
Compared to the ruckus of Naruto and Kidomaru's earlier battle, with trees being demolished, this felt like a casual post-meal stroll.
...
Among the Crowd.
Shikamaru sighed. "Shinji, that guy… he just makes you feel inexplicably at ease!"
Ino nodded repeatedly. "Yeah! When he steps in, there's no need to worry about anything!"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Shion beamed proudly.
Naruto said, "Thanks to Shinji just now, or I'd have been shot by that Hidden Sound jerk!"
Hearing his teammates' chatter, Sasuke's expression grew complex. He realized he was understanding Shinji less and less!
...
On the Other Side.
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
All this time, they thought they hadn't underestimated Shinji, but in the end, they realized they still had.
Emerging from the grove, Shinji tossed the unconscious Kidomaru to Sakon and Ukon of Hidden Sound and ordered, "Before the Chunin Exams, I don't want to see you challenging this or that. Understood?"
Catching the unconscious Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, Jirobo, and Tayuya—who'd been awakened from the genjutsu—had ashen faces but nodded.
Shinji's strength was far beyond their expectations, almost as if they were facing Orochimaru himself. Stunned, none dared to talk back to Shinji.