As soon as he spotted Sasuke, Naruto immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Hey!! Sasuke!!"
"What an annoying guy... like a shadow that never goes away," Sasuke muttered coldly to himself, eyes lowered.
As Shinju and Naruto drew closer, Sasuke felt his breathing becoming heavier.
He still remembered the beating Shinju had given him last time.
If he hadn't recovered in time, he would've been dead…
"You alright? Seeing two of your old friends and not even saying hello?" Suigetsu asked casually at his side.
"Don't stick your nose in! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ)" Sasuke snapped back angrily.
But Suigetsu clearly didn't care about Sasuke's mood. He turned his head and waved toward Shinju's direction.
"Hey! You must be Shinju and Naruto from Konoha, right? Pleasure to meet you, pleasure to meet you! ૧(●´৺`●)૭"
After greeting, Suigetsu tilted his head toward Sasuke, motioning to the sword strapped at his waist.
Sasuke understood, gave a small nod, but reminded him,
"If you end up getting killed by him, don't blame me."
Suigetsu grinned. "Relax. Did you forget what the Hozuki clan can do? (o´Д`o)ノ"
Then—
With a swift motion, Suigetsu drew the sword from Sasuke's waist and charged straight at Shinju!
Shinju frowned.
So this white-haired kid thinks that's how you say hello?
He didn't even bother pulling out the Kusanagi at his waist. Instead, with Crystal Release, he formed an ice-blue crystalline blade around his wrist.
Suigetsu froze. (꒪⌓꒪)
He'd heard that Shinju from Konoha could use Wood Release and Ice Release… but Crystal Release too?!
Even Sasuke stood stunned. He had watched Shinju rise step by step.
From having only Wood Release as his first kekkei genkai, to learning Ice Release after meeting Haku, and now Crystal Release…
Damn, this guy was the real Copy Ninja!
He could even copy other people's kekkei genkai!
And not just copy—the power he displayed was stronger, more outrageous than the original!
On top of that, he'd transplanted Uchiha Shisui's Sharingan…
Good grief…
He had awakened a Mangekyō from the start, and rumors said it was perfectly compatible!
At this growth rate, Sasuke couldn't keep up no matter how hard he pushed himself!
While Sasuke was still in shock, Shinju's crystalline blade clashed with the sword in Hozuki Suigetsu's hand!
"Clang!!!"
The sound of metal rang out, crisp and sharp.
In the next instant, half the blade of the Kusanagi sword in Suigetsu's hand snapped and flew off!
Sasuke: ∑(✘Д✘๑)
"My sword!"
Right after cutting through Suigetsu's weapon, Shinju lashed out with a fierce kick!
"Boom!!"
The kick landed squarely on Suigetsu's chest.
But something felt wrong—like he had kicked straight into water!
"Hozuki clan?!"
Shinju looked up, eyes narrowing as Suigetsu's chest liquefied.
During his three years of traveling the shinobi world with Jiraiya, he had learned a lot.
It was said that in the Land of Water, there was the Hozuki clan, who could use a secret Water Release technique to liquefy parts of their body at will, nullifying physical attacks.
This white-haired guy had to be one of them!
"Correct," Suigetsu said with a nod.
"As expected from the legendary Shinju—not just powerful, but knowledgeable too. (´∇ﾉ｀*)ノ"
Shinju's foot was still stuck in Suigetsu's liquefied chest.
After hearing Suigetsu confirm, Shinju activated the Sharingan in his right eye!
The Sharingan's insight was overwhelming. Paired with his chakra sensing, Shinju carefully studied Suigetsu's liquefied form.
Of course, his own understanding was important, but he never neglected to learn from others. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )
Before long, Shinju grasped the principle.
"So that's how it works. Not too difficult."
He muttered, pulling his leg free from Suigetsu's body.
But being stared down like that made Suigetsu uneasy.
"Please don't be mad, Shinju-san! I just got too excited seeing you, so I came at you with a sword…"
Shinju: "…"
Because you were excited, you decided to swing a sword?
"How exactly are those two things connected?"
Their eyes locked.
In the next instant, Suigetsu's consciousness was dragged into Shinju's genjutsu space!
There, he endured three days and nights of torment…
When that was finished, Shinju turned his head toward Sasuke in the distance.
"Sasuke, we meet again."
Seeing him again, Sasuke felt awkward, unsure what to say.
After all, last time they met, he'd been thoroughly schooled.
Sensing Sasuke's discomfort, Shinju took the lead.
"Where's Orochimaru?"
Sasuke answered honestly. "I killed him."
Shinju let out a quiet "Oh," showing little surprise.
From the moment Sasuke had said he would "sever all bonds," Shinju had already guessed his intentions.
He would keep growing stronger until he could fulfill his revenge.
Naruto, on the other hand, was completely unsettled. --003d͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪ ‧̣̥̇)
"Sasuke already has the power to kill Orochimaru?"
He began reflecting.
The original Team 7 had three members.
Shinju wasn't even human anymore—his strength was absurd.
Now even Sasuke had grown strong enough to kill one of the Legendary Sannin on his own!
Was he… the weakest of them?
"What do you plan to do next?" Shinju asked.
Without hesitation, Sasuke replied, "Form my own squad. Then kill that man."
That man was undoubtedly Itachi.
Shinju fell silent.
To him, Itachi was something of a benefactor.
When he had once faced Danzo, if not for the crow Itachi released, he might have died back then.
So Shinju felt that there had to be hidden truths behind the Uchiha massacre.
"Want me to help?"
After some thought, Shinju asked.
"No. I'll handle it myself," Sasuke said firmly.
Shinju nodded, then turned to Naruto.
"Will you come with me? To Amegakure, or will you stay with Sasuke?"
"Sasuke could use more people right now…" Naruto hesitated.
"I'll go with him. Shinju, you're already strong. If I stay by your side, sometimes I might just drag you down instead of helping."
After thinking it over, Naruto finally made his decision.
Shinju nodded. "Alright."
...
At the same time.
Konoha.
Tsunade's eyes widened.
"What? The latest report says Sasuke has already killed Orochimaru?!"
Shizune nodded. "As unbelievable as it sounds, it's true. ∑(✘Д✘๑)"
"And one more thing. During his battle with Shinju, Deidara self-destructed. Right now, Shinju and the Three-Tails are both missing."
But Tsunade showed absolute confidence in Shinju's strength. "Don't worry. That kid will be fine."
"As for the Three-Tails, odds are he took it with him…"
Shizune blinked. "Shinju can seal a tailed beast?"
She instantly regretted asking.