Collision

Ueda Shin followed Senju Kotoha as she left the school. It was unclear if Senju Kotoha had noticed, but Ito Makoto had been paying special attention and caught sight of the situation.

As fellow transmigrators, this Ueda Shin might have also discovered the issue with Senju Kotoha. He was likely planning to do something. Regardless, a collision between two transmigrators would surely reveal a wealth of information. This opportunity to understand both of them could not be missed.

Ito Makoto wanted to follow them to take a look, but with Sakura by his side, he lacked any excuse.

Seeing a public restroom by the side of the road, an idea struck Ito Makoto.

"Sakura, my stomach is acting up, I need to use the restroom first. You should head back!" Ito Makoto said, feigning embarrassment.

"Then I'll just wait for you," Sakura replied without even turning her head.

It seemed he couldn't shake Sakura off. Ito Makoto pretended to head to the restroom, but in reality, he used the Body Flicker Technique to slip out of her line of sight.

He had other methods to monitor the pair.

Ito Makoto walked to a secluded area, formed hand seals with both hands, and slammed them onto the ground.

Summoning Technique.

Web-like runes emerged across the ground.

After a burst of smoke, Xiao Jin appeared on the spot.

"I'm counting on you for this," Ito Makoto said.

The Golden Eagle flapped its wings, seemingly in agreement.

Ito Makoto immediately used the Rinnegan to control the Golden Eagle's body, then utilized his ability to alter physical size, shrinking the eagle—originally a meter in length—down to a ten-centimeter-long common bird.

However, the Golden Eagle's golden feathers were too conspicuous. To mask the color, Ito Makoto used the Seal-less Transformation Technique to turn it into the appearance of an ordinary crow.

He then dispatched the Golden Eagle, which flew in the direction where Ueda Shin and Senju Kotoha had departed.

Following the direction Senju Kotoha had left in, the Golden Eagle circled around and finally located the pair in a small alleyway.

The two stood several meters apart, seemingly in a standoff.

Having the Golden Eagle land on a nearby wall and hide in a corner where it wouldn't be easily spotted, Ito Makoto began to eavesdrop.

Since the Golden Eagle only shared its vision, Ito Makoto could not actually hear any sound. However, the Sharingan's copying ability could directly replicate movements; he could copy their actions with the Sharingan and then use those same movements to reproduce the sounds, allowing him to read their lips and understand what was being said.

The abilities of the Rinnegan and the Sharingan did not conflict. Just like Uchiha Madara, when he transformed his eyes into the Rinnegan, he could still utilize the powers of the Sharingan.

Senju Kotoha stared at Ueda Shin not far away and said coldly, "Ueda Shin, why are you following me?"

"What, is the road owned by your family? Can't I walk in this direction too?" Ueda Shin replied with a cynical smirk.

"Is that so? My house is nearby, and I've never seen you around here," Senju Kotoha said.

"Haha," Ueda Shin suddenly laughed out loud, "Don't be so nervous, classmate Senju. I'm only following you because I want to ask you a question."

"What exactly do you want to ask?" Senju Kotoha frowned tightly.

"Are you a transmigrator?" Ueda Shin dropped the bombshell.

Ito Makoto, watching the scene through the Golden Eagle, was also taken aback. Was Ueda Shin trying to flip the table?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Senju Kotoha replied coldly.

However, through the observational power of the Sharingan, Ito Makoto could see her micro-expressions; at this moment, Senju Kotoha was already somewhat panicked.

"Alright, stop pretending," Ueda Shin continued to press, "I am very familiar with the original plot of Naruto. There is no Senju Clan in Naruto Uzumaki's class; your existence is like a stain on a blank sheet of paper, completely out of place. You must be a transmigrator."

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about," Senju Kotoha still firmly denied it.

"Still acting," Ueda Shin said, growing impatient, "How long do you intend to keep up the act after I've discovered your identity? It seems I'll have to make you suffer a little."

Ueda Shin raised his right hand, and his entire arm transformed into flames.

"Ueda Shin, I am a descendant of the Senju Clan under the special attention of the Third Hokage," Senju Kotoha shouted, "Aren't you afraid of the Third Hokage's punishment if you attack me?"

Ueda Shin spat in disdain.

"What does the Third Hokage amount to? I am a transmigrator with a system. I have even mastered the power of a Logia Fruit, and since there is no Seastone in this world, what can he possibly do to me?"

Seeing that Ueda Shin truly did not hold the Hokage in any regard, Senju Kotoha stopped trying to persuade him with words. From somewhere, she pulled out a Ninja Blade.

"Heh, want to resist? Then let me see what you're capable of!"

Ueda Shin gave a wicked smile and shouted, "Heat Haze!"

A pillar of fire erupted from his flame-transformed arm, attacking Senju Kotoha.

Senju Kotoha remained exceptionally calm, ignoring the flames right before her eyes. She took a deep breath and gripped the Ninja Blade in her hand. The Ninja Blade then turned black.

She assumed a stance, twisting her upper and lower body in opposite directions, and swung the blade.

A column of water appeared out of thin air, swirling around her body into a twisting vortex.

The flames that had been rushing toward Senju Kotoha were pulled directly into the vortex, digested and rendered invisible by the surging water.

"That's it," Ito Makoto, watching from the sidelines, felt his spirits lift upon seeing Senju Kotoha's ability. That was the power of using natural energy he had seen before. He hadn't expected the original form to be a sword technique.

Seeing the flames blocked by Senju Kotoha, Ueda Shin was not alarmed but delighted instead.

"So this is your ability? To think it's the polar opposite of mine—water. What a pleasant surprise. Let me see just how much strength you truly possess."

He laughed boisterously, spewing flames from his hands as if they were worthless, firing them off like a machine gun.

Senju Kotoha remained unmoved, her feet dancing as she dodged continuously. With every breath, she channeled natural energy to reinforce her body, and whenever an attack proved unavoidable, she used that water-infused swordsmanship to neutralize it.

Fire and water intertwined, the surging heat seemingly gaining the upper hand and raising the temperature of the entire alleyway by several degrees.

Seeing that ordinary pillars of fire could do nothing to Senju Kotoha, Ueda Shin gradually lost his patience.

He pulled back his right arm, gathered power for a brief moment, then threw a punch with a thunderous roar, "Fire Fist!"

His arm, already transformed into flame, instantly expanded into a massive fist of fire that filled the entire alley, hurtling toward Senju Kotoha.

Senju Kotoha shifted her stance once more and charged straight at her opponent. Water swirled around her Ninja Blade, and she surged toward Ueda Shin like a flowing stream.

Several slashes cleaved through the flames, her high-speed movement leaving only a trail of afterimages as she rapidly closed the distance between herself and Ueda Shin.

The Fire Fist was a wide-range attack with no blind spots, but in reality, it originated from the user's fist. From the fist to the target, the area of effect gradually expanded.

In other words, there existed a blind spot of flame right near the user's body.

By rapidly closing the distance, Senju Kotoha had occupied this very blind spot.

"How is this possible?" Ueda Shin gasped in shock, never expecting his opponent to be able to evade the range of his ultimate move.

As Senju Kotoha closed in, he became flustered and helpless, forced to turn his entire body into flame in an attempt to nullify physical attacks.

Senju Kotoha remained indifferent to Ueda Shin's reaction; her Ninja Blade did not lose momentum, and the water-infused slash arrived in an instant.

Like a thin thread, it severed Ueda Shin's head in a heartbeat.

"Water Breathing, Flowing Dance." Only after decapitating Ueda Shin did Senju Kotoha calmly recite the name of her technique.