Standing at the center of the battlefield, Shinji tilted his head slightly, gazing down at the members of the Akatsuki organization facing him.
The wind continued to howl, and amidst a rustling sound, the grass on the prairie swayed in unison, leaning to one side.
In that moment, it seemed as if only the sound of the wind remained!
Yet, in stark contrast to the calm battlefield, the hearts of both sides' members were filled with shock and doubt!
No one could have imagined that a shinobi student from Hidden Leaf Village could so effortlessly snatch the Fourth Kazekage from the hands of Sasori of the Red Sand.
And in the face of this reality, no one could question it, for it had happened right before their very eyes!
Jūzō Biwa wiped the smile off his face and asked, "Itachi, is this kid also from your clan?"
Deidara, too, turned to Itachi, his face brimming with curiosity.
Itachi nodded lightly. "Yes, he is Uchiha Shinji!"
Jūzō Biwa couldn't help but sigh. "So, this is the kid who almost died by your hand? Who would've thought that in just a few years, he'd grow to this level."
"Uchiha Shinji?"
Deidara shifted his gaze from Itachi to Shinji, who stood in the center of the field.
It was the allure of the Sharingan that had drawn Deidara in, tricked by Shinji into joining the so-called "inner circle" of the Akatsuki organization that Shinji had made up on the spot.
On the side of the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Rock allied forces:
Seeing Shinji not only easily dismantle Sasori's puppet trap but also successfully rescue the Fourth Kazekage, the morale of the allied forces soared!
Asuma remarked, "This kid is really something else!"
Yūhi Kurenai nodded repeatedly. "No wonder he earned the title of First Chair at the academy!"
Among the student squad:
Yakumo, while breathing a sigh of relief, felt a spark of competitive spirit ignite within her.
Earlier, she had indeed hesitated. The situation was so intense that even the jōnin didn't dare act recklessly, which had subtly affected her judgment, leaving her feeling restrained.
Neji quietly sighed to himself, "So, it's not just strength—I'm even outdone by Shinji in courage!"
Sakura exclaimed, "That was so scary just now!"
Shion smiled. "What's there to worry about? That's Shinji! Did you think he was Sasuke, making us hold our breath in suspense?"
Sasuke, who was also quietly reflecting, nearly spat out a mouthful of blood at Shion's words, his face flushing red as he struggled to respond.
On the battlefield:
After catching the injured Fourth Kazekage, Haku said, "Shinji, we—"
Shinji waved his hand. "Take the Kazekage and fall back for now!"
Haku and Karin exchanged a glance before slowly retreating toward their allied forces.
In their minds, as long as they safely escorted the injured Fourth Kazekage back, Shinji would have no further burdens and could either fight or retreat as he pleased.
Shinji remained in place, still gazing coldly at the enemy, providing cover for Haku and Karin's withdrawal.
Sasori, furious yet laughing, said, "Kid, since you've taken my precious material, you'll just have to take its place!"
With that, Sasori pulled out a scroll and gave it a light shake.
The scroll unfurled, revealing a sealing formula encircling the character for "three."
Boom.
A puff of white smoke rose, and the Third Kazekage puppet appeared once more on the battlefield. As the puppet emerged, black iron sand began to gather slowly, forming a dark cloud in the air in mere moments!
Shinji raised both hands, slowly forming seals: Ox, Rabbit, Monkey.
From a distance:
Kakashi's eyes sharpened. "That's…"
Asuma looked at Kakashi with a strange expression. "Kakashi, did you teach Shinji your 'Chidori' too?"
"No."
Kakashi shook his head, his face filled with deep confusion.
He hadn't expected that Shinji had not only secretly learned the 'Rasengan' but had even mastered his 'Chidori'!
Sasuke's eyes widened. "How is that possible!?"
Sakura, curious, asked, "Sasuke, what's wrong?"
Before Sasuke could respond, a crackling sound of electric currents filled the air, and Shinji's right hand began to glow with a dazzling electric light!
Jūzō Biwa's brow furrowed. "Trying to counter Sasori's puppet's 'Magnet Release' with Lightning Release? That's a bit too fanciful, isn't it? If 'Magnet Release' were that easy to deal with, 'Magnet Release' shinobi wouldn't be able to become Kazekage!"
Powerful electric currents could indeed disrupt magnetic forces.
However, 'Magnet Release' was a Bloodline Limit formed from the fusion of two chakra natures, so ordinary Lightning Release techniques had little effect on it.
Itachi seemed deep in thought.
Deidara, resting his chin in his hand, frowned.
Compared to 'Magnet Release,' his explosive clay was far more vulnerable to Lightning Release, as it could counter Earth Release. Watching the flickering electric light in Shinji's hand, he instinctively began thinking of countermeasures.
On the battlefield:
Sasori chuckled lightly. "Trying to use Lightning Release against my 'Magnet Release'? Quite imaginative!"
Crack.
Before Sasori's words could fully land, a muffled thunderclap suddenly echoed through the air.
Hearing the thunder above, Sasori's expression changed. He snapped his head up to the sky, only to see that the once-clear sky had somehow gathered a massive cluster of thunderclouds.
Realizing something, Sasori stared at Shinji. "You're planning to…"
At that moment, Shinji raised his right hand high, the 'Chidori' in his hand resonating with the natural lightning brewing in the thunderclouds. In an instant, the two sources of lightning merged, churning within the clouds.
At first glance, it looked like a colossal lightning beast lurking in the thunderclouds, waiting to strike with full force!
It was clear.
This technique was none other than the S-rank ninjutsu 'Kirin,' which Sasuke had painstakingly developed in the original timeline to counter Itachi.
Shinji's earlier assault didn't even require the use of the wind-fire composite ninjutsu that included 'Majestic Fire Extinguishing.' The reason he chose to expend a massive amount of chakra to use that technique was to create a temperature difference between the near-ground air and the high altitude, inducing convection between cold and hot air to artificially generate thunderclouds.
And he had done so because, before making his move, he had already accounted for Sasori's Third Kazekage puppet.
Fighting a puppet that wielded 'Magnet Release' with taijutsu alone was incredibly difficult, as Sasori was a master of poisons—any slight contact could result in poisoning. Thus, Shinji chose to use 'Kirin' to deal with the Third Kazekage puppet!
Watching the lightning beast lurking in the thunderclouds, its might akin to heavenly thunder, Kakashi couldn't help but exclaim, "What a genius idea!"
Asuma wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This kid is absolutely incredible!"
Sasuke stared at the thunderclouds in a daze, murmuring, "So, 'Chidori' can be used like this…"
Already proficient in Lightning Release, Sasuke instantly grasped the essence of Shinji's technique after witnessing it.
On the battlefield:
Shinji looked calmly at Sasori and said, "Ordinary Lightning Release may indeed struggle to shake 'Magnet Release,' but I'm curious—can your puppet's 'Magnet Release' withstand my Lightning Release?"