The wind roared, scorching heat swirling in waves that threatened to swallow everything whole.
A broad-shouldered figure stepped between Tsunade and danger, and in that moment, her sense of safety shot through the roof.
Right now, Tsunade felt like a little kid whose lollipop had just been snatched away—waiting, all pout and wounded pride, for her husband to swoop in and comfort her.
But the next second, when that guy turned around, the whole vibe went sideways.
That familiar, shameless grin appeared on Rinjin's face as he snickered, "I even washed my hair for this epic entrance. Pretty slick, right? Check out how it flows~"
Tsunade's cheeks, already flushed from the heat, instantly darkened.
Seriously? Can't you read the room before you open your mouth?
What kind of situation is this? I'm about to get killed here, and you're flexing about your hair?!
Up above, inside his Susanoo, Uchiha Madara's right eyelid started twitching like crazy.
There's an old saying: left eye twitches for fortune, right eye twitches for disaster.
But then there's another one: left is bad luck, right is good luck.
Who even comes up with this stuff? Madara was so lost in all these old sayings, he was starting to get annoyed.
Just as he spaced out, an angry voice split the air.
"Daytime Tiger!"
A thunderous tiger's roar exploded across the battlefield, a pale, savage tiger head ripping through the twisted trees with brute force.
Then, a tall figure vaulted high off the ground and crashed down right in front of Madara.
Rinjin planted his fists on his hips, looking way too pleased with himself as he stared down Madara. "Ha! Didn't see that coming, did you? The old man washed his hair and came back for more! Come on, let's keep going!"
He talked a big game and struck a pose like a total badass, but his eyes were squeezed shut—dead serious about his "no fire, no lightning, no genjutsu" policy.
Madara's veins bulged on his forehead as he clamped a hand over his face.
This was torture.
This bastard was really pushing his luck.
Madara wanted nothing more than to wipe the floor with Rinjin, but every time he thought about his grand plan, the fire in his chest fizzled out.
Most fights were pointless.
At least with Hashirama, there was a clash of ideals—a win that felt like it meant something.
But with Rinjin? Couldn't kill him, couldn't shake him, and there wasn't even a real ideological conflict. He was more annoying than a persistent rash.
What was the point in fighting this guy to the death?
Nothing but wasted time and wasted life.
Better to wait until he became the Sage of Six Paths, then slap Rinjin all the way to Takamagahara—out of sight, out of mind.
With that, Madara just ignored Rinjin and had Susanoo turn and walk away.
He didn't want to see that face for even one more second.
Rinjin didn't chase him. He just watched Madara's retreating back, satisfied.
Meanwhile, deep inside a pitch-black cave—
Shisui, with Nagato in tow, had just made quick work of Kabuto.
Kabuto had Sage Mode, but so did Shisui—the only difference was Ryūchi Cave versus Shikkotsu Forest.
And all the stuff Kabuto didn't have, Shisui did: Mangekyō Sharingan, Hashirama cells, Lightning Release Chakra Mode, a body flicker technique that blended all the best styles, and even some Hatake swordsmanship.
He wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but he was technically a reserve Amegakure shinobi.
Plus, growing up with Rinjin, Kagami, and Sakumo as his grandpa-tier mentors, he'd been trained in every way imaginable—his combat experience was legendary, and his real strength downright scary.
He glanced at Nagato, whose expression was as wooden as ever, and without hesitation, Shisui cast a high-level genjutsu, forcing Kabuto to release Edo Tensei.
Grandpa Rinjin had already ordered the village to take over the battlefield, so clearing obstacles for his comrades was Shisui's duty as a reserve Ame-nin.
He didn't think twice—once Edo Tensei was undone, he finished Kabuto off with a single strike while the guy was still trapped in endless illusion.
But just as Shisui turned to leave, a monstrous white-scaled serpent burst out of Kabuto's body, its belly writhing as it lunged at him.
Shisui's face didn't even twitch. His right hand, hidden in his sleeve, flashed through hand seals.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
With a low command, his body split into two ghostly images and darted in opposite directions.
As his feet touched down, his form split again—two became four.
In a flash, the white-scaled snake lost track of its target.
Even with all its sensory prowess, the serpent couldn't find the real Shisui.
As it hesitated, tongue flicking, Shisui appeared behind it, reverse-gripping his tantō and slashing down.
The snake twisted into a U-shape, barely dodging the attack.
Its tail whipped upward, aiming for Shisui's head.
Shisui pressed his blade down, catching the tail—sparks flew as steel met scale.
But out of nowhere, another Shisui—sword in hand—appeared in front of the serpent.
No warning. The blade came crashing down on the snake's head.
The serpent shrieked, spewing a cloud of venom. But the poison passed right through this Shisui's body—it was just an illusion.
The snake's vertical pupils contracted in shock.
Clone Technique? Shadow Clone?
No. Neither.
As realization dawned, Shisui stepped out from behind a nearby stalactite.
"My Body Flicker Technique has no true form. But at the same time, you could say all of them are real."
He smiled, voice calm. "What do you think of this move, Orochimaru-sama?"
The serpent's body convulsed in a way no creature should, and the next second, its jaws yawned wide. Orochimaru slithered out, sticky and pale.
His feet had barely touched the ground when crisp applause echoed through the cave.
"Remarkable ninjutsu. If you'd been born in my era, you might have had a shot at the Fourth Hokage."
He grinned, voice raspy. "Am I right, Uchiha Shisui?"
Shisui raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise. "You know me?"
Orochimaru's voice grew even more gravelly. "Know you? If it weren't for that old bastard Rinjin, I might've picked you instead."
"So you should all thank that unpredictable daimyo Without him standing in front, who knows how many sharks would be circling little Amegakure"
His words slithered around Shisui like a cold snake, sending a chill down his spine.
But Shisui just shrugged, smiling with easy confidence.
"Of course. We all see what Grandpa Rinjin's done. And we'll never let him down."
"The ninja world will find peace eventually. So why shouldn't Amegakure be the one at the top?"
Orochimaru's brow furrowed, and for a long moment, he was silent. Then he asked, "Is Rinjin trying to unify the ninja world?"
"I have no idea," Shisui said, shaking his head as he slid his tantō into its sheath.
"Personally, I think ninjas would be better off united than stuck in endless chaos. Why waste all our energy on pointless infighting?"
"The moon's gone, but there are still countless stars in the sky."
He flashed a smile—half confident, half self-mocking—then turned and strode out of the dark cave, leaving Orochimaru in the shadows.
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