"Sasuke… I can't… I really can't go on… please, just let me rest…"
Sakura collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, her limbs trembling and drained of strength. Her eyes were unfocused, her stamina completely exhausted.
She had tried everything—left hooks, uppercuts, knee strikes, even some less dignified techniques—but none of it had worked.
Sasuke stood firm, like a living iron statue. No matter how she hit him, he didn't budge, didn't flinch. Not a single bruise, not a scratch.
"Big brother… I'm out of ink… totally dry," Sai said dejectedly, slumping with a pout.
Shin: "…"
Seriously? Is Sasuke even human anymore? This is absurd. Not even the elite of the Land of Lightning are built like this.
Sasuke's entire body was smeared with dried black ink, his clothes stained from the countless ink-beasts Sai had summoned to tear at him.
None of them could pierce his defense.
"Haa… haaa…"
Hinata and Neji were drenched in sweat, hands red, swollen, and trembling. They stared at their bruised palms, caught somewhere between disbelief and despair.
They had struck him again and again with their Gentle Fist—but it was like punching a temple bell.
Duang. Duang. Duang.
Their chakra, their precision, their internal strikes—none of it penetrated. Sasuke's body was like reinforced steel, impervious to their techniques.
"Train the flesh, the bone, and the breath… stand like a pine, sit like a bell, lie like a bow, move like the wind…"
"You think this is enough to break my guard?" Sasuke sneered coldly.
Sure, in the real world only one night had passed—but within the Tsukuyomi space, he had endured months of brutal training.
Those nights of torment still echoed in his mind:
The gleaming, golden, unrelenting Eighteen Bronze Guardians of the Shaolin Temple…
They weren't men—they were monsters.
Even kids weren't spared.
Just remembering it made Sasuke's skin crawl.
One by one, Neji, Hinata, and Sai dropped to the ground, unable to continue. Sasuke now stood alone, surrounded by fallen allies.
Only Naruto remained.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!"
With a series of sharp puff sounds, hundreds—no, thousands—of Narutos filled the battlefield, all howling as they charged forward.
"You idiot!"
"Let's go, Naruto!"
The two collided with explosive force.
Kazuma: "…"
Watching Naruto unleash thousands of shadow clones, Kazuma's brain practically short-circuited.
Are these Leaf brats even human?!
Their combined chakra reserves couldn't match what this blond kid just casually threw out for one technique.
Even those with massive chakra rarely dared to use so many clones in battle—because when clones were destroyed, the feedback could leave the user mentally and physically exhausted. Too many broken clones, and the user might faint—or worse, fall into a coma, or die.
But Sasuke was punching through them like they were paper, and Naruto was still standing.
Now it made sense.
Now Kazuma understood why the Uchiha had sent these so-called "kids" to escort them.
These weren't children.
These were weapons.
Byakugan users scanned the terrain.
Sai's ink-eagle patrolled the skies.
Aburame insects monitored the shadows.
This squad wasn't just protected—they were untouchable.
Sasuke and Naruto clashed again and again.
It wasn't about technique anymore.
It was about endurance.
Who would last longer? Who was the real shinobi?
After a long and fierce exchange, Naruto finally collapsed, completely drained of chakra.
Even with all that stamina, it meant nothing if he couldn't break through Sasuke's defense.
In the end, it was Sasuke's Iron Body Technique that triumphed.
The Iron Body Training of the Thirteen Guardians focused on forging the body into a living fortress, with thirteen disciplines:
Iron-Head Technique
Iron-Sand Palm Technique
Iron-Fist Technique
Eagle-Claw Technique
Iron-Arm Technique
Golden-Bell-Armor / Iron-Cloth Shirt Technique
Linked Iron-Elbow Technique
Diamond-Leg Technique
Iron-Knee Technique
Iron-Shoulder Technique
Diamond Acupoint-Finger Technique
Iron-Teeth Technique
Iron-Groin Technique
Once fully mastered, the body had no weak points. Sasuke had become a fortress in flesh.
"Hahaha! Who else?! COME ON—WHO'S NEXT?!"
Sasuke laughed wildly, clothes tattered, body unscathed. The humiliation of the day before—all repaid. Every one of his opponents now lay at his feet.
The Iron Body Technique… truly terrifying.
He'd only trained for one night in the real world, but months inside Tsukuyomi.
If he did this a few more times, could he challenge Chūnin already?
Itachi had told him that if he could defeat a certain Genin—Kosuke Maruboshi, he could graduate early.
Sasuke scoffed.
Kosuke?
The one-legged Genin who'd failed the Chūnin Exams more times than anyone else?
Pfft.
When I return from the Land of Fire—I'm taking him down first.
"Brother! I won!"
Sasuke wiped the ink off his face and marched proudly toward Itachi, waiting for praise.
"…No. You lost," Itachi said flatly.
"…Huh?"
Before Sasuke could react, flames erupted across his body—then came frost, then a whirlwind of sand.
"AHHH! BROTHER!! HELP!!"
Itachi: "…"
Izumi facepalmed.
A Uchiha caught in Genjutsu… How embarrassing.
Beside them, Kurama Yakumo was sketching on a canvas—her drawing showed a person engulfed in flames and frost: Sasuke.
Meanwhile, Ino flashed a heart symbol with her hands.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Sasuke's body twitched. His eyes went blank as he collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Destruction Insects!"
From Torune Aburame came a flood of insects crawling across the ground and into Sasuke's mouth, nose, and ears.
In moments, he was convulsing, frothing at the mouth, and out cold.
Just before losing consciousness, Sasuke had a moment of clarity:
Damn it… I forgot about the girls. And Torune?! He's so quiet he's like a ghost!
Poison bugs? That's just dirty!
As the others wrapped up, Itachi calmly reached into his pouch and tossed a capsule onto the nearby field.
Poof— a massive, luxurious villa materialized before their eyes.
"Alright," Itachi said, "everyone's had a good workout. Time to rest. Clean up, eat, relax—we'll move out again soon."
The group stared at the grand estate in shock.
Are we escorting prisoners… or on a luxury retreat?
"One room per person. Choose freely."
With that, Itachi led the way inside.
"Hai!" the group echoed respectfully, following after him.
Kazuma, watching it all unfold: "…"
This is ridiculous!
You're supposed to be escorting us to the Land of Fire!
They'd barely left Konoha… and they were already stopping to rest?
Is this a prisoner escort or a guided tour?!
"Sir… should we try to escape?"
One of the monks from the Fire Temple whispered to Chiriku.
Chiriku paused. "…"
"…Let's have Kazuma and the others test the waters first," he said cautiously.
Right on cue, a few samurai from the Land of Fire worked up their courage and took off running.
Inside the villa, Izumi, watching through the surveillance system, leaned against Itachi and smiled sweetly.
"Want to see what my Ōkuninushi-no-Mikoto ability can really do?"