Island Turtle.
The chaos of the ninja world seemed to have nothing to do with this secluded paradise-like island.
Shinju ate and slept, slept and ate, occasionally taking a stroll or studying ninjutsu — living an incredibly carefree life.
That day, someone knocked on his door.
"Knock, knock, knock…"
"Knock, knock, knock…"
The knocks were rapid and impatient — clearly, the visitor wasn't the patient type.
Just from the sound, Shinju could tell it was Naruto!
At the moment, Shinju was researching sealing techniques and didn't bother to open the door. Instead, he shouted,
"I'm training! If you barge in like that and I lose focus, what if I go berserk from chakra backlash?!"
Outside, Naruto shouted excitedly, "I did it! I finally mastered the Tailed Beast Rasengan!! From now on, I'm a real Jinchūriki too! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Naruto mastering the Tailed Beast Rasengan wasn't exactly surprising — Shinju even thought he was a bit slow.
But to keep Naruto happy, Shinju still replied perfunctorily,
"Wow, that's amazing! Alright then, if that's all, go play somewhere! →_→"
Outside, Naruto went silent.
Shinju's half-hearted tone...
You could say he cared a little — but not much! (:з」∠)
Naruto, being Naruto, was already used to Shinju's attitude. Not discouraged at all, he continued enthusiastically,
"So what've you been holed up doing these past few days? Working on some big secret project or something? ºΔº"
From inside, Shinju answered honestly,
"You saw your mom's memories last time. Your dad used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal — his soul's still in the Shinigami's stomach. I was thinking... maybe I can rescue him."
Naruto asked, "So did you figure out a way yet?"
Shinju pouted and said, "Kind of. But it would take a human sacrifice to exchange souls with the Shinigami… That's a terrible deal. I'm trying to find a way to lower the cost... maybe offer the Shinigami some fruit or something? (◔◡◔)"
...
At that very moment, far away in the Netherworld, the Shinigami clutched its belly, feeling a sudden sense of unease.
...
Naruto might be a bit slow, but even he could tell Shinju was doing it for his dad's sake. He immediately bowed deeply toward Shinju's door.
"Thank you, Shinju!!"
From inside, Shinju merely responded with a half-hearted "Mm," and then fell silent.
Naruto didn't disturb him any further and walked off.
...
Inside the room, a dozen sheets covered in sealing formulas were spread out in front of Shinju.
He frowned. "As expected, these techniques involving gods and spirits are tough to study."
"An equivalent exchange — a life for a life — is simple enough… but how do I make the Shinigami sign an unequal contract with me?"
"Maybe I should head back to Konoha and get a piece of the Fourth's remains for an experiment…"
...
Outside Konoha.
Kisame, carrying his massive blade Samehada, squatted on the branch of a towering tree.
A cruel grin spread across his face.
"Most of the main forces are out… Konoha's defenses are weak. Honestly, even without orders from Madara-sama, I was planning to come take a look…"
"I told you, a village that's become this peacefully stupid shouldn't exist. ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
With that, his body blurred and vanished, dashing swiftly toward Konoha.
...
Inside Konoha.
Teuchi-san was standing guard at his Ichiraku Ramen stand.
With most of the village's forces deployed for war, business was naturally slow.
But that wasn't what troubled him — what worried him was the war itself.
He glanced at his daughter Ayame, who was kneading dough beside him, and asked,
"Ayame, I heard that during this Fourth Great Ninja War, even the daimyō of all nations have been gathered for protection. If the situation's that bad… do you really think we can win?"
Ayame didn't share her father's worries. She wiped the sweat from her face and smiled.
"Don't worry, Father. With Hokage-sama and Shinju there, everything will be fine! You're just overthinking it."
Teuchi-san sighed. "Still, with most of the ninja out at war, the village's defenses are paper-thin. What if an enemy sneaks in while we're unguarded?"
Just as he said that, Konohamaru and his two teammates walked in.
"Don't worry, Teuchi-san! I'm a ninja too, you know! ୧⍢⃝୨"
The moment he said that, a mocking voice sounded behind him.
"Is that so? Then I'd love to see how a little boy like you plans to protect Konoha. ( ´▽` )"
At that voice, Konohamaru froze. Moegi and Udon stood paralyzed in fear.
Konohamaru turned his head slightly — and saw a bizarre-looking greatsword resting on his shoulder.
A massive man loomed behind him, grinning wickedly.
For someone as young as Konohamaru, this was the first time he'd faced such killing intent. His voice trembled.
"You…"
"I'd suggest you don't move," Kisame said in a chilling tone. "Samehada's covered in barbs. One twitch from you, and it'll tear off a nice chunk of flesh. ツ"
"I'm not afraid of you! I'm part of Konoha's Defense Squad now!" Konohamaru shouted, forcing himself to stay calm.
Kisame chuckled.
"Kid, a real ninja should know his limits. Now tell me — who controls that giant steel fortress outside the village? Take me to him. (o´Д`o)"
Konohamaru glared at him. "Like hell I will! Ծ‸Ծ"
In the next instant, he dropped low and leapt!
"Whoosh!!"
Evading Samehada's edge, Konohamaru formed a Rasengan in his hand and drove it straight toward Kisame's stomach!
But Kisame had already anticipated that move. At the same instant Konohamaru lunged, Kisame swung his great blade forward — and Konohamaru realized with horror that the weapon had a mouth! Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
The Rasengan made of chakra was instantly devoured by Samehada!
The attack failed — and Konohamaru was smacked aside by the sword's weight!
"Bang!!"
He crashed through the wall, hit the ground hard, and spat out blood.
Kisame grinned. "Kid, don't play tricks with me. Next time, Samehada will slice that head of yours clean off…ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!"
Suddenly—
"Shinju!! You weren't supposed to be here! Why the hell are you in Konoha?!!! ∑(°Д°ノ)ノ"
Kisame's eyes widened in shock as Shinju appeared beside the injured Konohamaru!
Imitating Kisame's tone, Shinju scowled.
"If I hadn't come back, I wouldn't have known your Akatsuki would stoop this low!! （｀Δ´）!"
"Attacking Konoha while it's defenseless in wartime — only that masked fraud could come up with something this despicable! （▼へ▼メ）"
Knowing the gap in strength between them, Kisame didn't waste words — he simply raised Samehada and swung!
Shinju didn't flinch. He lifted his arm and met the strike head-on!
What no one noticed was that in the instant Shinju raised his hand, a crystalline shield formed over his forearm.
A heavy clang resounded as Samehada clashed with the crystal shield — "CLANG!!"
Just as Shinju prepared to counterattack, the sharp whistle of wind chakra cutting through the air rang out nearby!
Not far away, Konohamaru was forming a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, shouting, "Everyone, get back!!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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