Initially, Sasuke had been reluctant to swallow his pride and seek Shinji's guidance.
However, repeated setbacks made him realize that to achieve his revenge against Itachi, he had to elevate his strength at all costs. Shinji's 'Kirin,' which had just intimidated Sasori, was undoubtedly right up his alley.
After all, he too was highly skilled in Lightning Release!
Seeing Sasuke hesitate and stammer, Shinji stopped teasing him and began earnestly explaining the key points of performing 'Kirin.'
Shinji taught with sincerity, holding nothing back.
After all, 'Kirin' was originally developed by Sasuke in the original timeline, so strictly speaking, Shinji had copied it from him. Thus, he meticulously explained the principles of 'Kirin,' the precautions needed for its execution, the specific weather conditions required to unleash it, and even how to artificially create those conditions on the battlefield.
Everyone nearby watched as Shinji guided Sasuke on 'Kirin.'
In the current shinobi world, the upper echelons still monopolized all advanced ninjutsu and secret techniques, keeping them from those below. The 'Kirin' Shinji had just displayed, though it hadn't been fully unleashed, was clearly a technique of immense power!
It was no exaggeration to call it a profound Lightning Release technique.
Thus, seeing Shinji selflessly teach such a high-level technique to Sasuke, whether it was jōnin like Kakashi and Asuma or academy students like Yakumo and Sakura, all quietly nodded in approval, admiring Shinji's magnanimity and broad-mindedness!
"That Lightning Release just now could serve as a trump card, yet Shinji even taught Sasuke a technique like that," Yakumo remarked with a sigh before continuing, "I also heard that Sasuke once secretly learned Shinji's ninja tool throwing techniques and mimicked how Shinji uses an opponent's hand signs against them?"
In her early days, Yakumo often missed classes due to her frail health, so she had missed many events at the academy.
Sakura lowered her voice, "It's true, but it's not exactly stealing. After all, Sasuke also has the Sharingan, so he can master many techniques just by observing them once."
Unknowingly, even Sakura had come to see Sasuke as inferior to Shinji, despite Shinji not yet having awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Neji also sighed, "I really don't know how Shinji manages to excel in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, ninja tool throwing, and medical ninjutsu all at once."
"Because he's a genius!" Shion paused, then, feeling her tone wasn't strong enough, added, "A true genius!"
On the Hidden Rock side:
Kurotsuchi stared at Shinji from a distance, her eyes barely able to look away.
At that moment, a Hidden Rock communications shinobi approached her and said, "The Tsuchikage has sent word—he's arriving soon!"
Hearing this, Kurotsuchi's spirits lifted, and she thought to herself while looking at Shinji, "I have to step up too! I can't let him leave me too far behind!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Just then, accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, several figures landed at the temporary camp.
The Hidden Cloud shinobi army, led by the Fourth Raikage, had arrived!
"What's going on?" the Fourth Raikage demanded in his booming voice the moment he arrived.
Kakashi hurried over and informed him that the Hidden Sand shinobi army had been defeated by the Akatsuki, and the Fourth Kazekage was gravely injured.
As he listened to Kakashi's report and surveyed the devastation in the Hidden Sand camp, the Fourth Raikage's brow furrowed deeply.
The Hidden Sand's performance was undoubtedly disappointing to him, but as the leader of a village, he knew some words couldn't be spoken carelessly, and some complaints couldn't be voiced lightly, lest they strain the alliance between the five great shinobi villages.
Kakashi continued, "The Four-Tails Jinchūriki is still in their hands, but I've sent people to track them. We can pursue at any time!"
The Fourth Raikage asked, "You're certain there are four of them?"
Kakashi nodded. "Yes, confirmed. They are Jūzō Biwa, Uchiha Itachi, Sasori of the Red Sand, and Deidara from Hidden Rock!"
The Fourth Raikage pondered for a moment before asking, "Sasori alone defeated the entire Hidden Sand shinobi army?"
"Yes!" Kakashi nodded helplessly again.
However, he wasn't intimidated. He understood that Sasori's ability to defeat the entire Hidden Sand army came with certain conditions. For instance, Sasori was intimately familiar with the Hidden Sand's combat style, particularly their renowned puppeteer corps, which were essentially useless against him. Once Sasori took out the Fourth Kazekage, the remaining Hidden Sand shinobi posed little threat.
Moreover, the strength of this Hidden Sand army was indeed lacking.
The only truly formidable figure was the Fourth Kazekage, which was the primary reason Sasori could single-handedly defeat the entire force.
Kurotsuchi approached at that moment, reporting, "Lord Raikage, Senior Kakashi, we just received word from the village—Grandfather is on his way and will arrive soon!"
Upon hearing that the Third Tsuchikage was coming, both Kakashi and the Fourth Raikage visibly relaxed.
Even the Fourth Raikage, who harbored a strong dislike for the Third Tsuchikage, eased up at this news.
Only a true rival could fully grasp another's strength. After years of conflict between Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock, no one understood the Third Tsuchikage's prowess better than the Fourth Raikage.
Though the Third Hokage of Hidden Leaf was widely regarded as the strongest Kage in the shinobi world, in the Fourth Raikage's heart, the Third Tsuchikage—who wielded the 'Dust Release' Bloodline Selection and could fly—was the Kage he feared most among the five great villages!
Kakashi asked, "Shall we pursue after linking up with Lord Tsuchikage?"
The Fourth Raikage shook his head. "The Tsuchikage can fly, and his speed far outpaces our army's march, so we can move out and begin the pursuit first! Prepare yourselves—we leave in five minutes!"
"Yes!" Kakashi and Kurotsuchi responded in unison.
With the Fourth Kazekage injured, the Fourth Raikage was now the highest-ranking figure in the allied forces, giving him near-total authority over their actions.
At the Raikage's command, the camp buzzed with activity.
Aside from the necessary personnel left to protect the wounded, all other shinobi sprang into action, packing their gear.
Shinji paused his guidance of Sasuke and cautioned, "This technique is incredibly powerful but also highly risky. A single misstep could injure yourself, so don't rush to use it in battle until you've fully mastered it!"
"Got it!" Sasuke nodded gratefully.
Shinji instructed, "Go prepare. We're moving out soon!"
Sasuke turned and left to gather his gear.
Sakura and Shion approached Sasuke, asking, "Sasuke, did you learn it?"
Sasuke replied, "Yeah, Shinji explained it in detail. I've got the gist of it!"
With that, he turned to look at Shinji again. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was living in Shinji's shadow.