Chapter 36: Not the Slightest Change
Naruto's appearance hadn't changed all that much—only his eyes showed subtle differences.
The horizontal toad-like pupils from Sage Mode overlapped with the vertical fox-like pupils from the Nine-Tails Mode, forming a cross-shaped eye pattern.
"Sealing Technique: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
As Naruto entered Sage Fox Mode, Kushina reacted immediately, flipping her hand to cast a sealing technique. Multiple chakra chains extended from behind her, binding Naruto's limbs.
"Kurama!"
Naruto hadn't expected his opponents to use something as advanced as the Adamantine Sealing Chains, and to wield it so skillfully, no less.
"Roar!"
Kurama, the Nine-Tails dwelling inside Naruto, let out a furious bellow. A hand made of Nine-Tails chakra materialized behind Naruto, gradually starting to break free from Kushina's chains.
"SpongeBob, help!"
Kushina, struggling to hold on, called out to Minato. Neither she nor Minato wanted to truly fight their own son, so sealing techniques were the best option.
As Kushina's husband and a sealing technique master himself, Namikaze Minato naturally had a few tricks of his own.
In a flash, SpongeBob appeared in front of the Naruto ensnared by the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
Minato's small yellow hand pressed against the abdomen of the golden Naruto.
With Minato's current strength, he could no longer seal Kurama back inside Naruto. But he could still cause some trouble for the beast—enough to stop its chakra hand from helping Naruto escape the chains.
"Damn sealing techniques! Ugh!"
Kurama roared in helpless rage.
There were only three things Kurama had hated his entire life:
Wood Release, the Sharingan, and sealing techniques.
At that moment, a kunai flew from behind Naruto in a strange arc, curving around to strike at Minato.
Because Naruto's body had blocked their line of sight, no one saw the kunai until it was too late. By the time anyone realized, it was already too late to react. Minato had no choice but to pull back his yellow hand and dodge the incoming kunai.
"Kurama!"
The moment the Four Symbols Seal was interrupted, Naruto called out.
"I know, Naruto! I'm pissed off too!"
Going all-out, Kurama summoned an even larger chakra hand that helped Naruto break free of Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
"SpongeBob, you idiot! A kunai can't even cut your body, why'd you dodge?!"
Kushina's pride was stung by the fact that her signature Adamantine Sealing Chains had been broken by her own son.
"Sorry, sorry—I forgot I'm a sponge now," Minato said awkwardly, scratching his head. "Man, not having hair is annoying."
"Naruto, are you alright?"
At that moment, Sasuke arrived. He had thrown the kunai earlier.
In some battles, kunai still came in handy. After all, ninja might be able to sense chakra masked by objects, but they couldn't detect a kunai being thrown while hidden behind something.
"Yeah. Thanks, Sasuke."
"This time the enemy is still S.H.I.E.L.D., and their likely target is Boruto."
Naruto and Sasuke stood side by side, facing the three S.H.I.E.L.D. members ahead.
Without any prior discussion, both launched their attacks simultaneously.
On the opposing side, Uchiha Itachi, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina also engaged—each picking their own opponent.
Itachi took on Sasuke, while Minato and Kushina went after Naruto.
None of the three dared to let someone else fight their important person. What if something went wrong?
What if Itachi accidentally hurt Naruto, or Minato and Kushina teamed up and ended up injuring Sasuke? That would be seriously awkward.
Minato and Kushina's seamless teamwork, along with sealing techniques Kurama despised, let them fight Naruto to a draw. But over on the other side, Itachi vs. Sasuke was a one-sided fight.
Itachi was like a highly-skilled player, but Sasuke? Sasuke was a full-on cheat mode character. The game had basically given him the hacks: one Eternal Mangekyō, and one Rinnegan. How was Itachi supposed to compete?
And his trump card, genjutsu, was completely useless against the superior Rinnegan. At this point, Itachi was just dodging and weaving, relying on pure technique to evade Sasuke's attacks.
Itachi knew he couldn't keep this up. If it continued, he'd lose for sure. Sasuke wasn't the vengeance-obsessed child he once was.
Without hesitation, Itachi moved closer and locked eyes with Sasuke.
When it came to eye contact, Sasuke hadn't feared anyone since gaining the Rinnegan.
Seriously—would you want to make direct eye contact with someone wielding the Rinnegan?
Itachi activated Tsukuyomi, the other ability of his Mangekyō Sharingan aside from Amaterasu, and pulled Sasuke's consciousness into his unique Tsukuyomi world.
Sasuke could've instantly broken free with his abilities, but he didn't. He was curious—who exactly was this "Flaming Cloud Evil God"?
Both Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were identical to his brother's Mangekyō abilities, and Tsukuyomi would be completely ineffective on a shinobi of Sasuke's level. He was sure the Flaming Cloud Evil God understood that as well.
So why use it?
Because Tsukuyomi's world had another purpose—secrecy. It was the perfect place to share secrets no one else could hear.
Inside the Tsukuyomi world.
Itachi and Sasuke stared at each other in silence. Eventually, Itachi broke the silence.
"You've grown up. You've become a remarkable shinobi, Sasuke."
Slowly, Itachi removed his demon mask, revealing the face Sasuke knew so well.
Sasuke's expression was complicated, but he still called out softly, "Brother."
"Let me be quick. I have intel on S.H.I.E.L.D. to share with you."
"First, S.H.I.E.L.D. is extremely mysterious. I don't know much about them myself, but I suspect the Fourth Great Ninja War was orchestrated by them."
"We were all tricked. S.H.I.E.L.D. used Uchiha Madara and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to distract the ninja world, while secretly gathering intel on its overall strength from the shadows."
"I still don't know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s true goal. Right now, they've only assigned me money-making tasks. I'll continue investigating their real objectives."
"Also, S.H.I.E.L.D. has a method to control people. I'm currently under their control. If they find out I'm a double agent, they may force me to do something dangerous to you or your family. Sasuke, if that happens, I want you to use all your strength and kill me without hesitation."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "What about the other S.H.I.E.L.D. members—how much do you know?"
"The two outside with the codenames SpongeBob and Patrick Star are actually the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato and his wife Uzumaki Kushina. I also suspect they're under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control."
Sasuke's expression changed. "Naruto's parents!"
Itachi nodded. "That's right."
"This complicates things," Sasuke said. He might be able to harden his heart against Itachi, but Naruto would never be able to kill his parents—sponge or not. "So what's with the SpongeBob and Patrick Star stuff?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure it's something S.H.I.E.L.D. did. I've already coordinated with Minato and Kushina—we'll contact you with any intelligence we uncover."
"Sasuke, tell Naruto that I, SpongeBob, and Patrick Star are all undercover agents under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control. Tell him to be prepared to kill us at any time if we're compromised. But don't tell him that SpongeBob and Patrick Star are actually his parents. Not yet."
Itachi and Sasuke were clearly in agreement on this point—and about Naruto.
"I understand. What about the deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Sasuke hadn't forgotten—the one who originally appeared alongside Itachi during the Shin Uchiha incident: a mysterious man with a dog's head, codenamed Husky.
"I'm sorry. I can't give you any information about him."
"Husky goes to great lengths to hide his identity. If it's exposed, S.H.I.E.L.D. will vanish from sight again."
"All I can say is—be wary of those closest to you."
"And also, Kaminarimon has been hidden in..."
Itachi put his demon mask back on. The Tsukuyomi world faded.
Despite all that conversation, only a moment had passed in the real world.
Itachi and Sasuke leapt back at the same time, putting distance between them.
"SpongeBob, Patrick Star—retreat!"
At Itachi's shout, Kushina used her chains to hold Naruto, and Minato used Flying Thunder God to teleport himself and Kushina to Itachi's side. The three of them quickly retreated.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Naruto tried to give chase, but Sasuke stopped him. Faced with Naruto's puzzled expression, Sasuke only said four words:
"Watch out for ambushes."
Konoha Village.
Ichiraku Ramen, Second Branch.
The moment Shunhi woke up from his nap, he stared blankly at the [Clone Tool Management Log], full of question marks like a kid.
I just took a nap—how did all this happen?
He had gone to collect ransom money and ended up running into the Anbu. Then Naruto and Sasuke showed up, and things somehow escalated into a full-on fight.
But Itachi revealing to Sasuke that he was a double agent—that part was at least good news.
Shunhi had already thought up his future redemption plan.
He'd say S.H.I.E.L.D. had surveillance capabilities, but as the deputy director, he deliberately hid intel to allow them to keep working undercover.
Yeah, that's it. He wasn't really a deputy director—he was a double agent too.
They all shared the same goal:
Take down S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Bald Egg.
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