On the plaza, Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji stood facing each other.
Minato Namikaze and the others had already retreated to the edge of the plaza, watching the three figures in the middle with great interest.
Neji stood next to Sasuke, feeling speechless and looking somewhat innocent.
He was implicated by Sasuke.
Usually, when sparring with Sasuke, although he would lose, it would at least be after a period of stalemate, and he could also discover his own shortcomings.
But fighting Naruto, he estimated that he wouldn't even be able to see the other's movements before being knocked down.
However, looking at Sasuke's focused and serious appearance, he couldn't continue to look unmotivated. He patted his face, veins popping on the side of his eyes, and became serious as well.
"Sasuke, logically speaking, your Three-Tomoe Sharingan isn't qualified to fight me. After all, Mangekyo is the threshold to see me."
Looking at the stubborn Sasuke, Naruto "kindly advised," then said, "But to let you see the gap, I accepted your challenge."
"You bastard!"
Looking at Naruto's arrogant appearance, Sasuke couldn't help but grit his teeth, the three tomoe in his eyes spinning rapidly.
"The current me is different from before!"
"Neji, I'll go first!"
After speaking, Sasuke looked at Naruto with a firm gaze, his hands quickly forming hand seals.
As the last seal was completed, his right hand tightly gripped his left wrist, as if concentrating all the power of his body into this hand. His left palm faced down, trembling slightly.
Zzzzzz—
Suddenly, a burst of electrical noise erupted from Sasuke's palm, the sound growing louder and louder, as if a thousand birds were chirping.
At the same time, a powerful Lightning Release Chakra began to gather in his palm, forming a blazing white ball of light. This ball of light flickered constantly, carrying wisps of electricity, emitting a dazzling light that made people dare not look directly at it.
It was Lightning Release: Chidori!
Naruto's eyes flashed with a strange color when he saw this scene. He didn't expect Sasuke to start practicing Chidori now.
But after thinking about it carefully, it felt natural.
After all, the current Sasuke had already awakened his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Not only did he have more Chakra, but his control over Chakra was also stronger, so it was normal to learn Chidori.
Just as Naruto was thinking, Sasuke had already swung the Chidori in his left hand and charged towards Naruto.
To this, Naruto could only say he was stubborn.
With just a simple Body Flicker Technique, Sasuke looked blankly at the Naruto afterimage he had pierced through.
Then he fell asleep.
Standing behind Sasuke, Naruto looked at Sasuke lying unconscious on the ground and could only sigh: Young people have good bodies.
Naruto looked at Neji again.
Neji felt a chill in his body and was about to say something.
"I..."
The sound had barely left his mouth when he collapsed into sleep, just like Sasuke.
"Alright, I'll leave the rest to you."
Naruto greeted the bewildered Minato Namikaze and the others before disappearing.
The three of them hadn't expected Naruto to knock the two out so quickly; they thought he would at least offer some guidance.
To this, Naruto could only say:
If you're weak, train harder.
With the Wave Country school opening soon, he had many things to take care of.
...
Hidden Mist Village.
The environment here was unique, built among mountains and perpetually shrouded in thick fog.
Inside the distinctive Mizukage Building, the atmosphere was equally tense.
The baby-faced Yagura Karatachi sat in the Mizukage seat, his expression as dark as water.
Beside him was a gaunt, bald old man with missing teeth, his face equally grim.
"It's been so long, have you still not found Mei Terumi and the others?"
Yagura Karatachi asked the Anbu Ninja kneeling before him.
"I am very sorry, Mizukage-sama, Genshi-sama."
Bearing the murderous gazes of the two highest-ranking figures in the Hidden Mist, the Anbu Ninja was already drenched in sweat, but his strong will allowed him to begin his report.
"Although we have not found Mei Terumi-sama and the others, we have obtained some information."
"According to the testimonies of many fishermen in the Land of Fire's harbor, Mei Terumi-sama and the others should have returned to the Hidden Mist a month ago, but they were accompanied by others at the time."
"Who?!" Yagura Karatachi's expression worsened; if something had happened a month ago, their bodies would probably have been digested by now.
"According to the fishermen's descriptions, it should be Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Sannin, and the Son of the White Fang, Kakashi Hatake."
"Konoha! This..."
Upon hearing this, not only was Yagura Karatachi stunned, but even Genshi opened his narrowed eyes.
The two exchanged glances.
"Looking at it this way, I'm afraid even Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Sannin, and Kakashi Hatake, the Son of the White Fang, have met with misfortune."
Genshi narrowed his eyes again, but his aura became somewhat sharper.
It wasn't hard to guess; Konoha announced the village's lockdown around the time Mei Terumi and the others left the Land of Fire. Could it be that Konoha knew about Jiraiya's accident and that's why they chose to lock down the village?
Bang!
Yagura Karatachi couldn't help but slam his fist on the table, the anger in his eyes almost materializing.
"Could it be that damned Akatsuki again?"
No one would feel good after being controlled by someone for decades, especially when the other party not only messed up their village but also drove away all their once-excellent subordinates.
"I can't rule out this possibility."
Genshi's expression wasn't angry, but solemn and... fearful.
How could one not be terrified by someone who could silently control a Perfect Jinchuriki? One must know that a Perfect Jinchuriki is the bane of Genjutsu.
After a long while, Yagura Karatachi sat back in his chair somewhat weakly, looked at the old man beside him, and asked.
"Genshi, what do you think we should do now?"
He, the Mizukage who had been controlled for more than ten years without realizing it, had long lost the courage to make decisions.
Genshi also fell silent.
For a time, the atmosphere in the Mizukage's office fell into a deathly silence.
One could only faintly hear the Anbu's slightly heavy breathing and the sound of sweat dripping.
The pressure was too great; the shadows of the Bloody Mist over the years wouldn't disappear so easily.
Quite a few Hidden Mist Ninja had died directly or indirectly at the hands of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
After a long while, Genshi slowly opened his mouth.
"First, let's search all the sea areas between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, and don't let go of any small islands where survival is possible."
Mei Terumi was too important to the current Hidden Mist.
"Understood!"
The Anbu Ninja was relieved, quickly saluted, and left.
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