"Shiken, get up, it's time to eat."
Hmm… where is this? Why does it feel so familiar?
Aburame Shiken looked at the small house in front of him, the desk beside it, the computer on top that hadn't gone to sleep yet…
And that woman he had longed for day and night. Outside the door stood the man Shiken had always seen as incredibly cool.
"Mom… Dad."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Aburame Shiken's face.
"Shiken, what's wrong? Tell Mom. Did you have a nightmare?"
"Move aside. Shiken, if there's anything, tell Dad. I'll handle it for you. A real man sheds blood and sweat, not tears, got it?"
Though his words were stern, Shiken could still see the worry on their faces.
"It's nothing… I just really missed you."
"Goodbye."
A sharp pain struck.
Aburame Shiken regained consciousness.
The insects he had prepared on his right hand as a safeguard against genjutsu slipped to the ground.
They had completed their mission.
But that brief instant was enough for Tōno Kōjirō to deliver his killing blow.
Aburame Shiken's heart was pierced clean through.
Senju Hideki, Uchiha Kamito: Seriously? You went out way more heroically than we did.
That look… I think I saw it once in the Third Mizukage's eyes.
So it was you?
Looks like I got careless. What a shame—the plan wasn't fully perfected yet, and now it has to be carried out.
With a bang, Aburame Shiken vanished from the battlefield.
Without his control, the insects held on for a while before collapsing, turning into scattered remnants that were gradually cleaned up by the Hidden Stone Village shinobi.
"We did it! We won! Long live Tōno!"
"We won!"
"We won!"
"Long live Tōno!"
"Long live Tōno!"
Ōnoki and Kitsuchi looked at Tōno Kōjirō with approval.
The Hidden Stone Village has a worthy successor.
It's not just Konoha that has saviors—we have our own too.
...
Hidden Stone battlefield, deep underground—
Pfft.
Uchiha Madara spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Finally caught you, you crafty Aburame."
"Now Konoha will truly weaken. Capturing the Nine-Tails will be much easier."
He then looked at himself.
This aging body… can't even use genjutsu anymore?
With that, he disappeared from the place.
...
On Konoha's side—
Once again, they had lost their hero.
The third time, wasn't it?
Will another hero come to save us?
That thought crossed everyone's mind.
The Uchiha clan felt especially ashamed.
If they had been more careful that day, their Sharingan wouldn't have been taken by the Hidden Stone Village.
And this Aburame ninja, who had nearly succeeded in avenging Kamito-sama, wouldn't have died.
With their powerful eyes, the Uchiha clearly saw—
The one who pierced Aburame Shiken's heart… had the same Sharingan as them.
"How long are you all going to keep your heads down?!"
Tsunade's chakra surged, drawing everyone's attention.
"Senju Hideki, the young clan head of the Senju; Uchiha Kamito, the youngest Police Force captain in Uchiha history; Aburame Shiken, the most talented ninja of the Aburame clan—now all of them have fallen on this battlefield! What right do you have to stand here dejected?! Do you even realize they died to save you?!"
"Are you just going to take their sacrifice for granted?!"
Tsunade's harsh words were meant to wake these demoralized Konoha shinobi.
And the Konoha ninja were no cowards—
Just as they were about to shout for revenge—
"Tsunade-sensei… who did you just say died?"
A voice filled with killing intent rang out.
The air itself seemed to carry the stench of blood.
A massive dog's head appeared beside Tsunade. Standing atop it were Inuzuka Ryoha and Inuzuka Rinko.
"Ryoha, Rinko… Hideki, Kamito, Shiken… they all…"
Tsunade couldn't finish.
She had been forcing herself to hold it together, but now that her students had arrived, she couldn't suppress it anymore.
"I understand. The enemies—and the ones we need to kill—are all over there, right?"
"Eimaru."
"Woof woof."
"Charge in."
"Woof woof!"
Eimaru leapt forward, carrying Inuzuka Ryoha straight into battle.
Inuzuka Rinko stayed behind.
She pulled out over a hundred summoning scrolls, activating them one by one, continuously swallowing soldier pills.
They didn't restore much chakra, but every bit helped.
Ryoha's technique only grew stronger with more ninja dogs.
Tsunade and the rest of Konoha's shinobi exchanged looks.
Damn it… this feels way too familiar.
Don't tell me we're about to become spectators again?
"Ōnoki, get over here and die!"
Ōnoki struggled to his feet, while the other Hidden Stone ninja hurriedly prepared to fight.
A single thought ran through all their minds—
Who is this now? Why is there another one?!
"Woof!"
Eimaru pounced straight into the enemy ranks, swiping left and right, sending groups of Hidden Stone ninja flying.
Inuzuka Ryoha instantly entered Sage Mode.
The Dog Sage descended.
In Sage Mode, Ryoha was like an unstoppable force—
Attacks from the front?
Tank them head-on, then counter with a single strike.
Attacks from the side?
Ignore them, tank them, keep advancing.
Attacks from behind?
Don't even look—tank them and keep pushing forward.
Under such conditions, Ryoha quickly broke through to the enemy's high command.
"Insolence! Konoha brat, die! Earth Style—"
Before Hanzan Yūga could finish, Ryoha was already beside him.
"Looks like you're one of the higher-ups. I'll start with you."
A single claw swipe—
Hanzan Yūga's head flew into the air, his body erupting in a pillar of blood.
"Yūga!! You—I'll make you pay with your life!"
Gengan roared in fury.
"All talk, no skill."
Ryoha walked past him.
Gengan—dead.
Kitsuchi frowned deeply.
This guy is even more ferocious than the previous three.
"Earth Style: Rock Armor!"
"Earth Style: Rock Fist!"
Kitsuchi layered armor over himself, then formed two massive rock fists and struck at Ryoha.
Ryoha crossed his arms in front of his chest, intending to test the power of the attack.
But testing it meant dying—
Ryoha was blasted away by a heavy punch, both arms shattered.
Yet they regenerated almost instantly.
He sprang back to his feet, casually killing a few nearby Hidden Stone fodder along the way—just to pad his record.
"This kind of power… no, weight… You look honest enough, but you've got tricks up your sleeve. Using Added-Weight Rock Technique, huh?"
Ryoha stared at the towering Kitsuchi.
Thick-skinned and durable… exactly the type I'm worst against.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique."
From a blind spot in Ryoha's vision, a minimized Dust Release shot pierced straight through his heart.
It was Ōnoki.
Should've done it like this from the start.
Why bother with pride? Just kill one whenever you can.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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