Sasuke Was Truly Amazing This Time

"Quit nagging!" Sasuke complained, shouting, "Spray some water over here!"

Sasuke thought it was rare to encounter an enemy with decent defenses, making this the perfect chance to try out his new Ninjutsu.

"Sure thing! Let the Dragon King spray everyone with some water!" No. 001 readily cooperated. He could probably guess what Sasuke was planning, so he even added some Nine Tails Chakra to boost the power. "Water Style: Water Disturbance!"

Thus, No. 001 turned into a man-made fountain. Water streamed continuously from his mouth into the sky like a massive trumpet flower. Fortunately, he had not learned from certain fountain statues and used some strange place to spray water.

The tomoe in Sasuke's eyes spun as he calculated the amount of water and his own Chakra. He formed a few hand seals: "Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Three enormous fire dragons shot forth from Sasuke one after another, evaporating all the water No. 001 had sprayed out. Fa Yi watched the two of them in bewilderment, unable to understand what they were trying to do.

A massive amount of water vapor was carried high into the sky by the heat, forming a small rain cloud. Raindrops began to patter down, while lightning brewed within the clouds. Whether it was scientific or not, who knew? It was ninja enough.

Sasuke smiled confidently and raised his Dual Blades. Lightning Flash flickered across them, faintly resonating with the thunderclouds overhead. Then Sasuke swung his Lightning Blade, and the thunder drowned out his showy declaration:

"Disappear in the thunder! Lightning Release: Kirin!"

When Naruto arrived at the scene, he saw Sasuke pointing his blade at the sky as though he were about to be struck by lightning. He sighed. "He really managed to pull off that move."

"He can actually control lightning?!" Fa Yi stared at the sky in shock and instinctively strengthened the barrier's defenses.

Within the thunderclouds, a Fierce Beast made of lightning poked out its head, baring its fangs and claws. In an instant, it crashed down upon Fa Yi's barrier with a deafening roar. The blinding light made it impossible to see what was happening inside.

But the chains that had been chasing the clones around lost their power one by one, falling to the ground and shattering into fragments before fading away. Finding it boring, the clones rushed into the lightning one after another.

After receiving the clones' memories, Naruto involuntarily shuddered. He felt that he would never develop an internet addiction in this life.

Gaara and Fu, on the other side, had also broken free from their restraints and recovered their strength. They silently watched the scene as though the Thunder God himself had descended.

When the lightning finally faded, Fa Yi was lying on the ground, dead or alive unknown. The barrier had long since vanished.

"That was incredible!" Fu exclaimed carelessly.

"This can no longer be described with just the word incredible..." Even Gaara's expression carried a hint of admiration.

Sasuke panted heavily. Clearly, that chain of attacks had placed quite a burden on him, but he could not hide the smile on his face. With power on this level, he should be qualified to fight Naruto, right?

"You're strong, brother." Naruto's heartfelt praise made Sasuke smile even more brightly.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura ran over, worried that such a powerful Ninjutsu might have some side effects.

"I'm fine." After his excitement faded, Sasuke calmly explained, "I could only achieve that level with the help of the Lightning Blades. My own power alone isn't enough yet."

"Yo, Little Raccoon Dog, how embarrassing. Having your neck tied up didn't feel good, did it?" Nine Tails had seen Shukaku's Chakra being dragged out through Naruto's clone earlier. Now that everything was settled, Nine Tails could not resist mocking Shukaku.

Shukaku could not stand Nine Tails' tone and shouted, "Stupid fox, don't get carried away!"

Nine Tails was not angry at all. Chuckling, he asked, "Is that how you speak to your lifesaver?"

Shukaku flew into a rage and stubbornly replied, "It wouldn't have killed me if I got pulled out! Your Jinchuriki just wanted to save that guy! Besides, it was Chōmei who wanted the rescue. What does that have to do with me?"

Hearing Shukaku mention him, Seven Tails cut in, "Kurama, thank you. And thank your Jinchuriki as well."

He did not feel particularly conflicted about it. He knew he was weaker than Nine Tails, and now Nine Tails had saved him. Saying thanks would not kill him.

"It was nothing." Nine Tails put on an arrogant front. He had gained plenty of face today. Naruto had done well, and so had that Sasuke. Though he hated the Uchiha, Naruto's teammate was decent enough.

"By the way, since we're all free, want to fight this old man?" Nine Tails was eager to make a move.

"No, thanks." Seven Tails was not that fond of fighting.

"Hmph!" Shukaku did not agree either. No matter how stubbornly he talked, that stupid fox had indeed helped him this time. Shukaku did not think he could do something as shameless as turning on a fox after receiving his help.

"How boring." Nine Tails lost interest, then his eyes rolled as he said, "Then let's talk about something else..."

"Lord Gaara!"

"Kazekage-sama!"

The commotion caused by Lightning Release: Kirin was far too great. Several Sand Ninja who had been nearby rescuing examinees immediately came over to investigate.

Gaara nodded to them and had them take Fa Yi away for questioning. Then he said to Naruto and the others, "Thank you all for coming specifically to help. Later, I will express my gratitude to your villages in my capacity as Kazekage."

Fu bounced happily. "Does that mean we can be friends now?"

"Friends?" Gaara froze.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!" Fu looked at him expectantly.

"Of course." Gaara did not disappoint her, answering with a smile.

"Awesome!" Fu was so happy she flew into the sky. Literally. Little wings sprouted from her back, and she flew around in the air.

Gaara had more or less gotten used to Fu's personality and did not pay her any more attention. "I still have things to deal with. Go back and rest first. You've worked hard."

He truly did have things to handle, including the follow-up matters from the Chunin Exams, the rescue of the examinees, and... the group that had ambushed him.

Fu familiarly flew over to Naruto's side. "Naruto, what was that Ninjutsu where you appeared with a 'whoosh'? It seems so convenient!"

"That..."

Before Naruto could figure out how to explain it, Fu had already flown over to Sasuke. "Big Brother Sasuke, that Lightning Release move you used just now was so cool!"

Sasuke's lips curled up, but he said nothing. Praise from an idiot like her had to be sincere.

"Big Sister Sakura, that punch of yours was super cool too! Let me think... sayanaro! That's what you shouted, right?" Fu imitated Sakura's pose as she yelled the slogan, waving her little fists over and over.

"Stop copying me!" Sakura grabbed Fu's hand, feeling utterly embarrassed. She had found it satisfying when she shouted slogans while punching people, so why did it become so awkward when someone else imitated her? And Naruto, why did he look like he wanted to correct her pronunciation? Don't let an idiot like her lead you astray!

In short, Fu did not feel the slightest lingering fear from nearly dying. Instead, she excitedly pestered Naruto and the others with question after question, her mouth never stopping. It felt like she could chat until nightfall even if someone put a wooden post carved into a human shape in front of her.