After the group set off again, they encountered no further trouble along the way and soon arrived at the entrance of Kiri. Shin then followed Yumi and the others, swaggering right in.
This time, instead of using the Spirit Transformation Technique like he did in the Land of Whirlpools, he used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself.
The Transformation Technique was one of the most common ninja techniques in the shinobi world, used to deceive enemies by altering one's appearance. It allowed the user to transform into anything they desired, making it a valuable tool in combat, espionage, or luring enemies.
However, what he used wasn't an ordinary Transformation Technique. It was the Super Mirror Image Transformation Technique, a method he developed after extensive research on White Zetsu's impersonation and spore techniques. By injecting chakra into the target's body and allowing it to slowly infiltrate, he could read their memories. With that data, he could perfectly replicate their appearance, voice, chakra, and jutsu.
The most crucial part was that the Super Mirror Image Transformation Technique consumed almost no chakra and could be maintained for extended periods, making it far superior to the spirit separation technique.
After all, the spirit body couldn't exist outside the physical body for too long when using the spirit separation technique, otherwise, it would damage both soul and body. After submitting the mission at headquarters, Yumi went alone to meet Genji, while Shin returned to the home of Tsukishima. Since he had not yet figured out what Madara was planning, he decided to lay low for a while.
---
On the main street of Kiri, Shin walked briskly toward Tsukishima's home. As soon as he opened the door, a kunai flew straight at his face from inside.
Reacting instinctively, he caught it easily with one hand. This move startled the person inside.
Catching a kunai with bare hands? And so effortlessly? Had this guy's strength improved again in such a short time?
But that was only the beginning. In the next moment, a young figure appeared like a ghost beside him, swinging a massive sword down at him.
Shin ducked at the last second to avoid the slash, and with a burst of force from his toes, he instantly appeared beside the attacker. He had already drawn his short blade, and with one swift motion, slashed at the attacker's neck.
Splash!
As the blade connected, the attacker immediately turned into a puddle of water and splashed to the ground. At the same time, another figure appeared beside him, catching the now-rotating handle of the massive blade and striking down at him from above.
Clang!
Shin raised his short blade to block the blow. With a surge of chakra focused at the edge of his blade, he easily sliced the massive sword in two. The front half of the blade flew off to who-knows-where, while the remaining half stayed gripped in the attacker's hand.
The assailant was shocked and furious at the sight of his cleaved weapon. He quickly jumped back and glared viciously at Shin.
"Tsukishima, don't think you can stay smug for long. I'll definitely become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Kubikiribōchō will be mine! When that day comes, I'll kill you."
With that, the young man dragged away the remaining half of the fake Kubikiribōchō and stormed off.
Watching the boy's retreating figure, Shin was speechless.
Is Jūzō really this reckless?
Moreover, the relationship between Tsukishima and Jūzō was even more hostile than that of Itachi and Sasuke. Just like the Uchiha brothers, the elder brother wanted to train the younger, while the younger wanted to kill the elder. The difference was that Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi because his brother had massacred the Uchiha clan, murdered their parents right in front of him, and then relentlessly taunted him. Under those circumstances, any normal person would want to kill Itachi. Honestly, Sasuke had shown remarkable restraint.
But Jūzō's reason for wanting to kill Tsukishima was just plain absurd: he blamed his brother for the accidental death of their parents during a mission two years ago.
His logic? "You're a medical-nin, and you couldn't even save our parents, what right do you have to live?"
Tsukishima was 350 kilometers away from where their parents were at the time. To save them in time, he would've needed not only the ability to predict the future but also to have learned Flying Thunder God Technique in advance.
Did Jūzō think the Flying Thunder God Technique was just some everyday skill anyone could pick up?
But none of that mattered to him. He was convinced that their parents' deaths were his brother's fault, and ever since then, he'd wanted to kill him. Unfortunately for him, there was still a gap in their strength, so he had never succeeded.
Lunatic.
That was Shin's precise assessment of Jūzō.
Since he was playing the role of the older brother now, he had to accept the responsibility that came with it. So, he immediately decided, it was time to fix this kid's twisted personality.
In the next instant, he used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing in front of Jūzō in just a few swift steps.
"Get lost! I don't want to see your—" he growled, his face contorted in anger. But before he could even finish his sentence, a fist landed on his face, sending him flying over ten meters.
"As if I want to see you either," Shin said. "Who do you think you are?"
Dazed, Jūzō clutched his left cheek, looking at Tsukishima in disbelief.
Was this really the same older brother who had always been kind and doted on him since childhood, who had never even spoken a harsh word? Reality didn't give him time to think. Another fist landed on the other side of his face, sending him flying again.
What followed was a brutal, one-sided beatdown so intense it made onlookers avert their eyes.
Jūzō was in misery. Shin was having the time of his life.
The commotion from their "fight" quickly drew the attention of many villagers. Before long, a group of law enforcement ANBU rushed over. Seeing that Shin had no intention of stopping, they immediately stepped in to intervene.
It took quite a while, but the group of ANBU finally managed to separate the two brothers.
"Tsukishima, what do you think you're doing?" the lead ninja asked with a frown.
"Just educating my brother," Shin replied nonchalantly. "He's already this twisted at his age, imagine what he'd be like when he's grown up."
Jūzō, hiding behind the crowd, glared at Shin with venom in his eyes.
---
200 = +1 bonus chapter
---
100+ Advance chapters!
[email protected]/Malphegor