A new day arrived.
In the dense death forest, the two sisters Hinata and Hanabi were once again locked in a sweaty, relentless duel.
The public training grounds outside the village were no longer capable of withstanding the pressure of their clashes.
So, for now, they had moved their training sessions here.
Guts sat atop a large tree nearby, silently calculating the timeline between now and the original Fourth Great Ninja War.
Konoha's current battle strength was… absurd.
Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Shisui, and Jiraiya all of whom should've been dead were alive and well.
Hinata and Hanabi had both reached Kage-level. Two new monsters in the making.
In contrast, while Kushina was the Nine Tails' jinchūriki, she lacked actual combat power. With no access to Kurama, she was practically a civilian in comparison.
And Naruto… before getting his Sage of Six Paths hacks, his base was barely Jonin-level. Even with Sage Mode, he was just scraping into Peak Kage-level.
On the Akatsuki side, Obito now had possession of the Eight Tails.
And according to the latest intel from Minato, Sasori, Deidara, and Kisame three members of Akatsuki who should've been long dead by this point were still alive.
Both sides had powerhouses. But Guts's side? Definitely had the upper hand.
At least for now.
But once the Ten Tails was released, and both Obito and Madara ascended into Six Paths-level...
It would become a battlefield where Kage-levels were just foot soldiers, and even Super Kage-levels lost meaning.
In the original timeline, a single Kage-level ninja could change the course of a war.
But the Fourth Ninja War? That thing ended in three damn days.
Because once those few god-tier freaks showed up, the war was over before it started.
"Sensei."
While Guts lounged in the tree, masked as usual despite having revealed his identity, Shisui appeared beside him in a silent Anbu flash.
"What's up?"
Shisui hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
"Sasuke has completely adapted to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Honestly… I don't think I'll be able to restrain him much longer."
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan...
Just possessing those eyes was enough to put someone at the very peak of Super Kage-level.
And while Sasuke's brain had some... problems, there was no denying the guy was talented.
As he continued syncing with the Eternal Mangekyō, even without intensive training, his strength would gradually exceed Kage-level and begin creeping into Super Kage-level territory.
"In fact... I've been thinking about something lately," Guts said, glancing at Shisui.
"It's honestly a waste leaving those eyes on him. Why not give them to you instead?"
Shisui flinched, visibly startled. His entire body stiffened in horror.
After several seconds of stunned silence, he stammered, "I—I never had that kind of thought!"
Then he bit his lip and pleaded, "Please, sensei… just give Sasuke one last chance."
Guts gave him a flat look. "Fine. As long as he doesn't try to destroy my village like some mad dog, I won't bother. But it's still a damn shame those eyes will probably die with him."
As a Reincarnator, Guts understood just how rare and absurdly powerful the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was.
From the original story, only Madara and Sasuke had ever truly awakened them.
Even Madara, upon realizing Sasuke had those eyes, didn't try to destroy them.
While Guts had no interest in taking them for himself, Shisui was a different story, an ideal candidate.
Tsunade had already confirmed that Shisui's vision had been deteriorating badly.
From morning to dusk, Guts trained with Hinata and Hanabi before heading back toward Konoha.
However, halfway through the return trip, he told the sisters to go on ahead...he had other business.
Destination: Konoha Prison Department.
"Lord Guts!"
"Sensei."
The prison guards at the front entrance already alerted by Shisui snapped to attention as Guts arrived.
With a casual wave, Guts entered alongside Shisui.
As they walked through the dark corridor, the prisoners curled up in the corners of their cells, too afraid to make eye contact.
The deeper they went, the stronger the chakra barriers became, preventing escape attempts from dangerous inmates.
At the very end, in the innermost cell, sat Uchiha Sasuke.
He wore a black-and-white striped prison uniform, leaning against the wall in silence.
When Guts appeared, Sasuke's eyes flashed sharply but he said nothing.
"Oh? You've gotten a lot stronger."
Guts used Observation Haki to assess his growth and let out a faint murmur of approval.
In just over two months, Sasuke had gone from just entering Kage-level... to practically reaching its peak.
And it wasn't from any hellish training, he'd simply continued syncing with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Meanwhile, Guts had been drilling Hinata and Hanabi like mad, pushing them through brutal regimens to see similar results.
Yet Sasuke? He just sat there. And his power still skyrocketed.
Guts suddenly understood why Deidara hated the Uchiha so much.
Yeah. They deserved it.
Shing—
Under Guts's order, the barrier around the cell was temporarily deactivated, and he stepped inside.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked coldly as Guts approached.
Bang!
No words. Just a fist to the gut.
Too fast.
Even if Sasuke had tried to raise his arms in defense, Guts's punch had already buried itself in his abdomen.
Cough!
A mouthful of bile and blood sprayed from Sasuke's mouth.
Puff!
Bang!
Puff!
BOOM!
Several punches later, Sasuke was flung into the cell wall, blood trailing from the corners of his mouth, his body bruised and broken.
He tried to get up groaning, hands shaking but collapsed again from the pain.
Guts stepped out of the cell and said calmly, "I broke four of his ribs. He'll need at least two months to recover. That should keep him quiet."
Shisui let out a bitter smile. "It's rough… but there's really no better option. Sigh…"
"If he does anything stupid, don't hesitate. Gouge out his damn eyes."
Guts didn't mince words.
He wasn't about to drag Itachi back from the Pure Land just to give this emo brat another therapy session.
And even if he did... it's not like Sasuke would listen.
Better to be direct. Focus on those who were actually worth it.
Shisui loyal, alive, and now partially blind was the far better investment.
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