On a certain ship out at sea.
Omoi, who had painstakingly set up the scroll trap, realized that Shinju's group of four didn't follow the planned route along the shortest waterway.
Which meant… all their hard work was wasted!
"I told you setting up those traps was pointless! All that time and effort for nothing!"
Omoi angrily spat out the lollipop in his mouth.
Even Killer B, who normally tried to keep up appearances in front of his student, had an unhappy face now.
"Why aren't these guys playing by the rules?"
"Could it be they sensed our presence?" Omoi asked warily.
Killer B fell silent, pondering for a moment.
"Rumor has it that Shinju might be a member of the Uzumaki clan… and the Uzumaki are known for their extreme sensitivity to chakra. It's… not impossible."
The red-haired Karui, however, wasn't convinced.
"But this place is more than ten kilometers away from the port where they departed. No matter how sensitive he is, there's no way he could have detected us from this distance! ∑(✘Д✘๑)"
Killer B nodded slowly.
"You… kinda got a point there…"
"Anyway, stick to the plan and keep following that red-haired boy. We absolutely cannot let him escape!"
...
Meanwhile, just as Morino Idate predicted, the sea breeze had picked up.
The Wagarashi family's competitors, who had taken the shortest route, were slowed down as their ship fought against the wind.
Onshore, Wagarashi Jirocho immediately grinned when he saw this.
"Idate, so this is why you didn't set out from the port, huh?"
By this time, Idate and Shinju's group had already crossed over to the opposite shore and stopped in front of a small boat.
"We're taking the boat."
Idate knocked on the wooden door as he spoke.
Creak— The door opened from inside.
An elderly man with a white beard poked his head out, and when he saw it was Idate, he gave a firm nod.
"Alright, Idate. You have to win this race for us!"
With that, Shinju's group boarded the boat and took the longer route toward Todoroki Shrine.
Half an hour later, they had already covered half the distance by boat.
As they drew closer to the shrine, Shinju noticed the mist over the sea was getting thicker and thicker.
Eventually, the fog became so dense that they couldn't even see the way forward.
The scene felt oddly familiar to Shinju… just like back in the Land of Waves, when Momochi Zabuza used his Hidden Mist Jutsu…
"Everyone, stay sharp," Shinju warned.
The next moment, using his chakra sensing ability, he detected three… no, four people ahead!
"They're Amegakure shinobi. Their target is Idate."
Shinju's tone was grave.
Sasuke and Naruto, trusting his words without hesitation, tightened their grip on their kunai and moved protectively in front of Idate.
Even Idate, who normally boasted about not needing ninja protection, stayed quiet this time.
He understood now — only a ninja could beat a ninja.
Their small boat glided silently, drawing closer and closer to the Amegakure shinobi's ambush point.
When they were about forty to fifty meters away, Shinju stood at the bow and formed hand seals.
"Fire Style!! Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Whoosh!!
A massive fireball erupted from Shinju's mouth, roaring toward the Amegakure shinobi's boat!
Wherever the fireball passed, seawater and fog instantly evaporated!
The Amegakure ninjas had planned to strike once Shinju got closer.
They never expected him to attack from such a distance — forty or fifty meters away — and start off with Fire Style of all things, something most would never think to use out at sea.
At first, they thought this Konoha kid didn't know what he was doing.
But then the fireball reached their boat almost instantly!!
One of the Amegakure shinobi stared at the blazing inferno, eyes wide, screaming in panic:
"The sun! That's a freaking sun, right?!!ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!"
In the next instant, the green-haired shinobi beside him grabbed his arm and yanked him into the water!
Splash!
BOOM!!!
The fireball exploded, a wave of searing heat blasting outward and instantly clearing the surrounding fog!
But the ninjas who had jumped into the sea weren't safe either — the boiling seawater scalded their skin, forcing them to dive deeper to escape!
With the mist gone, the area became clear.
Shinju and his group sat on the boat, while the Amegakure shinobi hid underwater.
"That's insane…" Sasuke muttered, genuine awe in his voice.
He could use Fire Style too, but for his flames to ever reach Shinju's level… he'd probably need another seventy or eighty years of training.
Shinju replied casually, "I'll teach you later."
Hearing this, Sasuke's expression stiffened.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, concerned.
Sasuke shook his head.
"It's nothing."
Just then, a bubble surfaced beside the boat.
Without hesitation, Shinju coated his right hand in Lightning Release chakra and thrust it into the water.
"Lightning Release!"
Crackle!!
Brilliant blue-violet arcs of electricity danced wildly beneath the surface, slithering like agile serpents, cold and lethal!
The Amegakure shinobi struggled frantically to escape the range of the current, but it was pointless.
Within moments, their eyes rolled back and their bodies went limp…
Shinju's tactic was simple — using the seawater to conduct electricity, he filled the underwater space with Lightning Release chakra.
Anyone caught in the radius would be paralyzed instantly!
As expected, dead fish started floating up to the surface.
Under Shinju's continuous output, three of the four Amegakure shinobi floated to the surface, electrocuted and unconscious.
"Just one left," Shinju muttered, frowning.
This last guy wasn't simple — to stay conscious in electrified water this long… he had to be dangerous.
Suddenly—
A poisoned needle shot straight up from below, aiming directly for Shinju's palm!
Swish!
The needle was thin and fast, and with the water obscuring his view, Shinju couldn't react in time — it pierced his hand!
The final Amegakure shinobi burst from the water, a confident smirk on his face.
"Kid, I'll admit you've got some skills… but you're still nowhere near my level!"
"That needle was coated with a special poison. In less than thirty seconds, it'll block every single chakra pathway in your body! You won't be able to use any jutsu at all!"
"You're the strongest one on this team, right? Once you're out, the rest of them are done for."
Upon seeing this man surface, Idate's expression instantly shifted into one of shock and disbelief.
The green-haired Amegakure shinobi noticed him too, his lips curling into a mocking grin.
"Well, well… if it isn't my former student. Tell me, Idate, are you planning to run away again this time?"
Idate roared furiously, "Aoi-sensei, why are you doing this?!"
"No particular reason. I'm just following the mission I was paid for."
The green-haired shinobi, Aoi Rokushō, shrugged with a mocking smile and continued:
"Oh, and by the way, you guys probably don't know this, but Idate and I were both once shinobi of Konoha."
"But this boy here stole the Second Hokage's Thunder God Sword and the Scroll of Seals. Afraid of punishment, he fled the village."
"And Idate, you should really be grateful to your brother Ibiki. If he hadn't risked his life to retrieve the Scroll of Seals, Konoha would have hunted you to the ends of the earth."