The sudden turn of events made Utakata, who was about to leave, stop in his tracks.
He turned his head toward Shinju and asked, "Could it be that Hotaru is in trouble?"
Although they hadn't spent much time together, he remembered Tsuchigumo Hotaru—an innocent and lively girl who liked to call him "sensei" and pestered him to teach her ninjutsu…
Shinju shook his head. "Not sure."
Naruto, standing nearby, asked, "In this situation, shouldn't we go check it out?"
After a brief moment of thought, Shinju nodded.
Their mission was to protect the Tsuchigumo clan's secret art and its heir. Since they'd heard a disturbance, naturally they couldn't just ignore it.
To turn a blind eye when help is needed is no act of courage! ୧⍢⃝୨
"I'll go with you," Utakata said.
Shinju didn't refuse. Having one more person wouldn't make a difference anyway.
...
In the dense forest, the three of them rode in the plane, quickly closing in on the location where the chakra surge had erupted.
Inside a cabin hidden among the trees, four bandits were bound hand and foot, muffled cries of "Mmph! Mmph!" spilling out as they struggled.
Leaving them to fend for themselves—that was Shinju's last bit of mercy toward them.
"This plane is way too slow compared to Flying Thunder God."
Sitting in the pilot's seat, Shinju muttered under his breath.
He used to think it was a bit disrespectful to mark girls with Flying Thunder God seals.
So he hadn't placed one.
But now that a real emergency had come up, the lack of seals meant it took far too long to reach the scene.
Silently, Shinju resolved that from now on, no matter where he went, he would always leave behind a Flying Thunder God seal—until his network of marks covered the entire continent.
Then he could go anywhere, anytime… ❛‿˂̵✧
After flying for a while, Utakata pointed ahead.
"It's right up there."
Below the plane, in what was once thick jungle, a massive circular crater had opened up!
At the center of the pit, the ground was bare—grass and trees ripped away by some unknown energy.
Clearly, this was the source of the tremor they had felt moments ago.
"Look, it's that Tsuchigumo clan girl! But there's a man standing beside her now—we need to get down there!!" Naruto shouted in alarm.
"What's the rush?"
Shinju smirked, then released the Iron False Painting technique, and the group plummeted from high above…
...
At the center of the crater.
The mysterious man gazed at Tsuchigumo Hotaru's back with a crazed look.
"After all these years, I finally have you."
Hotaru had already guessed the man's identity. She asked,
"To be able to command the Tsuchigumo clan's secret art… You must be Shiranami, the son of my grandfather's disciple."
"I've heard stories from Grandfather. Back then, your father gave his life to protect the secret art. After that, you disappeared too."
"Grandfather's been searching for you ever since."
"So what do you intend to do by controlling me?!"
Shiranami hadn't expected that after all these years, someone still remembered him. With a cold laugh, he answered her question.
"What do I want? Obviously, it's that secret art in your body!"
"As long as I have such immense power, I'll have the leverage to negotiate with the Five Great Nations. With that, I can build my own country—and in the end, unifying the world won't be out of reach! (o´Д`o)"
As he spoke, Shiranami was already picturing himself standing at the pinnacle of the world, commanding all beneath him. He couldn't help but burst into wild laughter…
At that moment, three shadows descended from the sky!
Boom! Boom! Boom! The dull thuds of heavy bodies landing echoed.
Immediately, Shiranami pulled Hotaru in front of himself as a shield, glaring at Shinju and the others.
"You must be Konoha shinobi."
"Too bad you're late. Tsuchigumo Hotaru is under my control now. With her secret art, I can wipe you out in an instant!"
The Tsuchigumo clan's secret art was called Fury. It was implanted directly into the human body and used the host as a medium.
When activated, it absorbed natural chakra and unleashed it in a massive eruption.
But it required a long charge time—about half an hour.
Once fully charged, the explosion radius was immense—stretching hundreds of kilometers!
The longer it charged, the greater the devastation.
And at this moment, more than half an hour had already passed since Shiranami last activated Fury!
The energy had gathered once more, ready to explode at any second!
As he finished speaking, Shiranami raised his hand, channeling chakra into the Fury core implanted in Hotaru's back…
The very next moment—
Shff!
A thick vine suddenly burst from the ground, binding his arms tightly!
At the same time, chakra spread along the vine, invading his body and sealing all his chakra points!
Shiranami: Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Wh-what?! Impossible!"
"I didn't see you make a single hand seal!"
"Your hands didn't even move—how the hell did you bind me?!!"
He roared in disbelief.
Shinju raised his hand, a confident smile on his face.
"Ever heard of Wood Release? I can turn any part of my body into wood—even the soles of my feet. ┑(￣Д ￣)┍"
As he spoke, Shinju lifted his leg sharply, dragging a thick vine from beneath the ground, still attached to his heel.
And on the other end of that vine—was Shiranami's body!
Shiranami: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
"Wood Release! You're that red-haired glutto—"
Crack!
Shinju's vines constricted violently, crushing Shiranami's body into pulp!
Instant kill!!!
Shinju snorted. "I really can't stand that nickname. No creativity at all! (′д｀σ)σ"
With everything settled, the control markings on Hotaru's body vanished. She sobbed as she threw herself into Shinju's arms.
"Uuuh~ If not for you, I would've been turned into Shiranami's plaything… T^T"
Shinju: "…"
What kind of thing is that to say?
He comforted her. "It's fine now. He was the one behind it all. With him gone, you can return to the village without worry."
But Hotaru shook her head.
"No! The villagers don't even like me! They were the ones who conspired with Shiranami to hand us over to him!"
Shinju blinked. "So that's how it is. (꒪⌓꒪)"
Naruto shouted angrily from the side.
"Even if they hate you, you're still one of their own clan! To betray you like that is unforgivable! Ծ‸ Ծ"
Hotaru answered in a small, aggrieved voice.
"Because the villagers lived through war, they're afraid of the power of the secret art inside me…"
After listening to her explanation, Shinju glanced at Naruto.
Wasn't this exactly Naruto's own childhood?
The difference was, Naruto had grown step by step, shedding prejudice through bonds and growth.
But Hotaru, who had little interaction with her villagers, had always been shunned.
"Tch…"
"If even your own clan rejects you, that's a tough problem."
Shinju frowned.
He couldn't just wipe out half the Tsuchigumo clan for the sake of Hotaru's future…
Even if that would indeed be the easiest solution!
Just as Shinju was wondering how to handle Hotaru's situation, an elderly, hunched figure appeared in the distance.
"Milady!"
It was none other than Tonbee!
The aged Tonbee hurried forward, first bowing in gratitude to Shinju and the others, then saying anxiously,
"I couldn't sleep soundly at night. When I went to knock on Milady's door, I found she was missing."
"When I asked the villagers, they all claimed not to know. I was so worried I searched everywhere."
"Thankfully, Milady is unharmed…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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