The masked man appeared out of nowhere and immediately grabbed the three figures trapped inside the Dust Release!
A spatial vortex spiraled open again—
He was trying to escape!!
However, how could Shinju allow him to leave so easily? His hands came together in a single seal.
The white Dust Release cube compressed, then detonated!
"Boom!!!"
When the smoke cleared—
The people inside were gone.
As for whether those wrapped within the Dust Release had truly died, even Shinju didn't know.
Lowering his hand, Shinju frowned slightly. He didn't like this kind of uncertainty. With a helpless sigh, he muttered,
"Hah… what a troublesome ability. That spatial vortex—is it a space-time ninjutsu? Or some special power of his Sharingan?"
"It's a unique ability of his Sharingan. I've seen him use it before," Sasuke replied.
"I see. Learning something like that would be quite a challenge…"
Shinju rested his chin on his hand, thoughtful.
Beside him, Karin, Suigetsu, and the others stood frozen like statues. (꒪⌓꒪)
It took a while before Suigetsu finally reacted, disbelief written all over his face.
"Shinju, that… that jutsu you just used—was that Dust Release?!"
"The same Dust Release the Tsuchikage uses? That Kekkei Tōta that's even stronger than Kekkei Genkai?! (⊙o⊙)"
Karin nodded. "Seems like it!"
Next to them, Jūgo dispelled his Cursed Seal transformation, hiding his body under his cloak.
He lifted his head, looking at Shinju with a complicated gaze.
He and Kimimaro had once been the closest of friends—but Kimimaro had died at Shinju's hands.
Rumor had it Shinju not only killed Kimimaro, but even kept his bone blade as a trophy…
That was just too much!
So when Jūgo had first seen Shinju, he'd planned to ambush him—to avenge Kimimaro.
But after witnessing Shinju's overwhelming power firsthand, that plan had to be… indefinitely postponed.
...
On the other side, Shinju noticed Jūgo's silence and thoughtful expression.
He walked over and asked, "I heard you mention Kimimaro earlier. You knew him?"
Jūgo nodded. "He was my best friend."
"But when he died, I didn't even get a chance to mourn him."
Shinju lowered his head, reaching behind his waist for a summoning scroll.
"I see… then, here. Take this bone blade."
He pulled Kimimaro's bone blade from the scroll, his expression faintly regretful.
"Kimimaro once fought me. But by then, his body was already ravaged by illness. The fight ended halfway—he died from his sickness."
Jūgo took the bone blade from Shinju, his expression heavy and conflicted.
In that moment, his hostility toward Shinju vanished—his heart, finally at peace.
He understood now that Kimimaro had been gravely ill. Even without fighting Shinju, he wouldn't have lived much longer.
...
After handing over the bone blade, Shinju didn't say anything more. He turned and walked toward the fallen Rōshi.
The Tailed Beast extraction ritual had been interrupted; the Four-Tails inside Rōshi hadn't been completely drawn out. He should still be alive.
Thinking that, Shinju quickened his pace and crouched beside Rōshi.
After checking his injuries, Shinju gathered medical chakra in his hand and began to heal him.
A few minutes later, Rōshi groaned softly, opening his eyes in confusion to see the handsome young man before him.
"You are…?"
"Shinju. A ninja from Konohagakure."
"Thank you for saving me," Rōshi said gratefully.
Shinju waved his hand. "No need for thanks. I didn't save you for free—I want the Four-Tails inside you. ^_^"
Rōshi: "…"
Even if this boy had saved his life, asking for his Tailed Beast right away was… rather impolite.
But then Rōshi thought about it again. If this young man hadn't intervened, he would've been captured by the Akatsuki, his Tailed Beast forcibly extracted, and he'd have died on the spot…
As that realization sank in, his expression changed.
"Wait—you said your name was what?"
"Shinju," Shinju said, spreading his hands casually.
Rōshi's eyes widened.
"You're that genius from Konohagakure—the one who singlehandedly destroyed Amegakure?"
"Oh, and lately, weren't you also the one who blew up my country's Mountains?! ∑(°Д°)"
Shinju nodded. ( ´◔‸◔`)
He wasn't sure if his fame was spreading—or his infamy.
Rōshi laughed heartily. "Hahaha, I like your style."
"If it's you who wants the Four-Tails, then go ahead and take it."
Shinju: "…"
Still, since Rōshi had agreed, there was no reason to hesitate.
The ritual began. In just a few moments, the Four-Tails was transferred out of Rōshi's body.
...
Inside Shinju's sealed space—
The Three-Tails, Four-Tails, and Six-Tails met face to face.
The turtle-like Three-Tails spoke first.
"Son Gokū, it's been a long time."
The Four-Tails grinned.
"A long time indeed, a long time…"
...
After transferring the Four-Tails, Shinju and his team bid Rōshi farewell and continued their journey.
Back in the mountain cave, Rōshi stared in shock at his hands. He hadn't expected to still be alive after losing his Tailed Beast.
"Normally, when a Jinchūriki's Tailed Beast is extracted… they die."
"Then why… am I still alive?"
"How did that boy manage to do it?"
Murmuring softly, Rōshi lifted his head, looking toward the receding figures of Shinju and the others at the cave's exit.
...
Some time later—
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
It was deep into the night. The moon hung high; stars glittered faintly.
Rōshi had returned to the village after losing the Four-Tails, reporting everything that had happened along the way.
When Ōnoki heard the news, he shot to his feet in fury.
"What?!"
"You let that brat extract the Four-Tails?!"
"Rōshi, you should know—the Four-Tails belongs to Iwagakure, not to you alone! (▼ヘ▼#)"
"Handing it over to Konoha is the same as betraying us! (′д｀σ)σ"
Rōshi argued, "If that young man hadn't saved me, the Four-Tails would have ended up in Akatsuki's hands!"
Ōnoki snapped, "If you'd come back earlier, like Han—the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki—you would've been under the village's protection! Akatsuki never would've had a chance!"
Rōshi glared at him. "And why do you think I never came back? Don't you already know?"
After that, silence fell between them.
Their ideals clashed—no amount of talk could ever bridge that gap.
The air in the Tsuchikage's office grew still. Outside, the night was calm, filled only with the chorus of cicadas.
Suddenly, Rōshi's sharp senses caught something—firelight flickering somewhere in the village!
He raised his hand, about to tell Ōnoki to look, when an Iwagakure ninja burst into the office, panting heavily.
"Tsuchikage-sama! Bad news! There's a fire on the east side of the village—at Han's residence!!"
Ōnoki shot up from his seat like a spring.
"What?! What about Han? Is he safe?"
The ninja shook his head.
"Unknown, sir. We haven't seen any sign of him. But according to the guards stationed near him, just before the fire broke out, they saw someone wearing a black cloak with red clouds…"
Hearing that, Ōnoki smashed through the office window and flew straight toward the blaze.
He had just told Rōshi that Han was safe under the village's protection—
And now this? Was fate mocking him already?!
...
Meanwhile, in the Land of Birds—
After extracting the Four-Tails from Rōshi, Shinju sent Sasuke's team to the Land of Lightning to investigate the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails.
As for himself, he planned to return to Konoha first—to take Naruto with him.
However, just as he prepared to use the Flying Thunder God to teleport back—he spotted Naruto in the Land of Birds, chatting cheerfully with a young girl…