For Itachi's request, Shinju had no reason to refuse, so he nodded and agreed.
"Sasuke has always been my friend."
Hearing this, Itachi finally relaxed.
He raised his hand, and in his palm appeared a single crow.
"In that case, I'll give you another gift."
The crow flapped its wings and landed gently on Shinju's shoulder.
In the blink of an eye, the crow vanished.
Immediately after, Shinju was forced out of the genjutsu space.
Across from him, Itachi collapsed as though struck by a powerful illusion.
Strangely, as Itachi's body hit the ground, his appearance shifted… transforming into someone else entirely!
...
On the side, Guy-sensei was locked in a fierce battle with Kisame!
Seeing Itachi fall, Kisame felt a sudden wave of panic.
╭(°A°`)╮
Sure, Itachi's body had always been fragile, but his genjutsu skills were enough to dominate the entire shinobi world!
And yet… this little guy managed to beat him?!
Meanwhile, Shinju noticed something strange — the ground beneath his feet had somehow turned into a massive lake!
Kakashi, standing nearby, explained,
"That's Kisame's jutsu. That guy has an enormous chakra reserve and can create a lake instantly using Water Release."
"He specializes in Water Release, too. Fighting in a place like this puts him at a huge advantage!"
Shinju looked intrigued. "That strong, huh?"
At that moment, the ever-curious little Naruto raised his hand.
"I've got a question! I just saw that shark guy spit all this water out of his mouth."
"So… does that mean he's swimming around in his own spit right now?"
Kakashi fell silent.
"Why… why do you even focus on these weird things, huh?! -_-||"
...
Shinju shifted his gaze toward Guy-sensei, who was clashing with Kisame in the water.
Guy had already opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation, the waves of his chakra splitting the surrounding water apart.
Kisame, on the other hand, moved through the depths like a humanoid shark, swift and deadly.
"Guy-sensei, don't touch the surface of the water!"
Shinju quickly formed hand seals and called out a reminder.
Guy nodded confidently. "Don't worry! Not a single drop will land on the proud Green Beast of Konoha!"
The very next moment—
"Splash!"
Shinju slammed both hands down on the surface of the water!
"Crack—!"
Beneath the lake's surface, crystals of ice began to form!
The frost spread rapidly, and within mere seconds, the entire lake was encased in solid ice!
In no time, the massive body of water transformed into one enormous block of ice.
Kisame's body was completely frozen inside, trapped like a grotesque humanoid specimen.
Kisame's tiny eyes widened in shock. Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have messed with this red-haired brat from Konoha!!
Off to the side, Granny Chiyo froze in shock. (ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!
Ice Release…?!
That's supposed to be a kekkei genkai exclusive to Kirigakure!
Since when did Konoha master it?!
Wait a second… didn't this red-haired boy just use Wood Release earlier?!
Wood Release, Sharingan, and now Ice Release?!
One person… possessing three kekkei genkai??!
How's that even possible?!
Right now, Granny Chiyo was almost convinced — Shinju had to be some kind of genetically engineered human created by Konoha!
And she even had "proof."
After all, the Third Hokage had a student named Orochimaru… and that guy was a complete science maniac!
...
The next moment, Shinju gathered his strength and struck the ice with a powerful punch.
Boom!
"Crackkk—!"
A massive fracture split across the frozen surface, racing all the way to where Kisame was trapped inside!
Then—
"Shhhhk!"
Kisame's body tore apart inside the ice!
When the dust settled, the Konoha team began clearing the battlefield.
Using Ice Release, Shinju extracted Kisame's frozen corpse from beneath the ice.
Sure enough, just like with Itachi's "death," the body transformed back into a different person.
After examining both corpses carefully, Shinju muttered,
"A technique that transfers thirty percent of one's chakra and will into someone else's body… quite the unusual jutsu."
"The Akatsuki really came well-prepared to capture the Tailed Beasts."
Granny Chiyo's expression darkened.
...
Inside a cavern in the Land of Rivers.
The projections of Uchiha Itachi and Kisame appeared upon the fingers of the Demonic Statue.
Sasori's tone was dripping with mockery.
"Hmph. At least you two lasted longer than Hidan and Kakuzu."
Kisame sneered back, "Maybe you should try facing that red-haired kid yourself. Let's see if you're still so smug after getting a taste of his power."
Sasori's gaze narrowed, his voice laced with disdain.
"I'm not like you two. My Hundred Puppet Technique alone is enough to take on an entire nation… That kid's troublesome, sure, but it's just Wood Release and Flying Thunder God. Why are you all acting so scared? (ツ)"
Deidara chimed in from the side.
"I think Sasori-senpai's got a point."
Kisame gave him a meaningful look.
"You'll find out soon enough. The extraction's almost complete, and they're coming for us… You and he can 'talk' when the time comes."
Deidara's eyes gleamed with excitement, completely unaware of the looming danger.
"That Nine-Tails kid seems to be traveling with them, too. Perfect chance to capture him!"
Turning to Itachi, he grinned. "I'm taking your mission with Kisame. You don't mind, right?"
Itachi and Kisame exchanged a glance, then smiled faintly and shook their heads.
"Of course not. （ --0027▿ --0027 ）"
Hidan and Kakuzu chuckled as well.
"Good chance for you to see someone else's 'art of explosions.'"
Deidara was always shouting "Art is an explosion!" within the organization.
They wondered what kind of expression he'd make when he witnessed the red-haired boy's "explosions" firsthand.
As they spoke, Gaara's lifeless body descended gently to the ground.
"Zero" said coldly, "The extraction is complete. Sasori, Deidara — be careful."
...
Outside the cavern in the Land of Rivers.
Shinju and his group of nine stood before an enormous crimson torii gate.
Beyond it, there was no door — only a massive boulder blocking the entrance!
On the stone, a strange talisman covered in intricate sealing scripts had been affixed.
Granny Chiyo, the eldest and most experienced among them, stared at the seal. Something about it felt oddly familiar.
"This is…"
The answer was right at the edge of her memory, but she just couldn't recall it!
"This is the Five-Seal Barrier," Shinju explained calmly.
"To unlock it, all five talismans in five different locations have to be removed simultaneously."
Naruto blinked. "How the heck do you even know that? (꒪⌓꒪) "
We all trained together —
So why does it feel like you've turned into some all-knowing genius?!
"I read about it once… in an ancient text on barrier techniques," Shinju replied with a casual smile.
Then, forming hand seals, Shinju created five Shadow Clones.
Four clones immediately dispersed, heading toward the remaining four talismans.
The last one remained by the boulder, ready to act.
Shinju had no intention of using his real body to touch any of the seals — just in case there was a trap.
Granny Chiyo blinked. "And how do you know exactly where the other four talismans are located? (º Д º*)"
Shinju shrugged. "Easy┐(´-｀)┌. The seals at each corner emit a unique chakra signature."
Within seconds, all five clones were in position.
At Shinju's signal, the five clones simultaneously reached out and peeled away the talismans!
The next moment, Shinju's real body charged forward and punched the massive boulder blocking the entrance!
BOOM!!
"Crackkkk—!!"
The giant stone shattered instantly, fragments flying everywhere!
As the dust settled, three figures emerged from the cavern's depths!
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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