Naruto stared at the winged crow-man, his mouth falling open wider and wider.
"What the heck is that thing?!"
"A Chimera Beast made from Nue and the Jade Dog. I call it Crow Tengu."
Crow Tengu beat its black wings hard. The gusts they stirred up sent every loose stone on the ground flying.
Naruto gritted his teeth. Chakra burst beneath his feet, while the chakra vibration in his right fist compressed to its limit. The air around his knuckles warped into ripples visible to the naked eye.
"Nue, what even is—ugh! Whatever you are, eat this punch!"
"Here I come."
Sasuke didn't give Naruto time to process the information. He brought the index and middle fingers of his right hand together and swept them forward.
Crow Tengu dug its talons into the sandy earth, carving two deep furrows, then beat its wings and dove straight at Naruto.
Boom!
A ring of visible air pressure erupted at the point of impact. The shock wave flattened every low bush at the edge of the training ground.
The chakra vibration in Naruto's fist cracked several of the hard feathers on Crow Tengu's left wing.
But Crow Tengu didn't choose to meet Naruto's strength head-on. It vanished in a flash.
"Behind me!" Naruto spun around.
"Chirp—"
A piercing bird cry burst from Crow Tengu's throat, its sound waves visibly rippling outward.
The cry made Naruto's eardrums ring. Crow Tengu hooked its talons around Naruto's ankle to anchor itself, then swept its left wing toward his chest, wrapped in a gust of pressure.
The Jade Dog's physical abilities had been fully integrated into this body. The blow slammed Naruto hard into the ground.
Sasuke stood at the edge of the training ground, his right hand still held in the gesture he used to command his shikigami. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He'd spent a long time trying to make a Chimera Beast form Hand Seals. Crow Tengu was the result of that research.
Crow Tengu flew away from Naruto and began forming Hand Seals.
Naruto had just managed to get back to his feet when he saw blue sparks of electricity starting to spill from Crow Tengu's beak.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!"
A bolt of lightning shot from Crow Tengu's mouth. Blue arcs scorched a black furrow through the sandy earth as they hurtled toward Naruto.
Naruto crossed his arms in front of him. Chakra compressed wildly across their surface, forming a visible blue barrier.
The lightning bolt slammed into the barrier, sending arcs crackling in every direction. The sharp stench of burning filled the air.
"I held it off!" Naruto gritted his teeth. He increased the chakra vibrations in his arms to their highest frequency, forcibly shaking apart the lightning bolt's current layer by layer.
But Crow Tengu's attack wasn't over.
It stood still and took a deep breath. Blue light began seeping through the gaps in the hard feathers on its chest.
Naruto could feel that this energy was completely different from the Lightning Release he'd just faced. It was purer, unaltered by any conversion of nature—like a thunderstorm torn straight from the clouds.
It was Nue's lightning.
Crow Tengu formed Hand Seals again and let out a cry even sharper than before.
Blue lightning shot from its beak. At the same time, electricity crackled across its body, and the edges of every feather turned a blinding blue-white.
Lightning Release: Lightning Strike was lightning transformed from chakra.
Nue's own lightning was heavenly lightning driven by Cursed Energy.
Both currents erupted from the same body at once, meeting in front of Crow Tengu and twisting together.
Crow Tengu folded its wings forward. Hard feathers at their tips, wrapped in Lightning Release chakra, struck at Naruto's shoulders from both sides.
Thud!
Naruto took the double-winged blow head-on and nearly fell to his knees.
Lightning Release chakra surged from the wing tips into his shoulders, making his muscles twitch uncontrollably as the current coursed through them.
He gritted his teeth and endured the current racing across his shoulders. Compressing chakra into his feet, he kicked off the ground and charged straight in.
He slammed into Crow Tengu's chest and grabbed one wing at its base with both hands. Then he twisted his hips with all his strength, wrenching it around in midair.
Naruto hurled Crow Tengu violently to the ground.
But the instant Crow Tengu hit the earth, it unleashed the double release again.
The pillar of lightning blasted Naruto more than ten meters away.
Naruto lay on his back, gasping for breath.
His orange jacket had been torn open in several places. The fabric over his shoulders was charred and still smoking, and his back was covered in gray smudges from the sand.
Dark red, netlike marks from the Lightning Release burns covered both arms. The scrapes on his knees were still bleeding.
"Do you want to keep going?" Sasuke stood near Naruto's head, his hands in his pockets.
Crow Tengu landed behind Sasuke, folded its wings, and stood at his side.
It lowered its head to groom the cracked hard feathers on its left wing with its beak. Then it raised its dark blue eyes and quietly watched Naruto on the ground.
Naruto lowered his arm from his face and stared up at the sky, a ridiculously wide grin spreading across his face.
"You... You can make it shoot Lightning Release from its beak, then release it again from its chest..." Naruto's voice was hoarse, but excitement shone through his words.
"Did you come up with that yourself?"
"Yeah," Sasuke said. "A Chimera Beast has its own arms, so it can form Hand Seals on its own. Nue's lightning combined with Lightning Release Ninjutsu—double release."
"What the heck is that..." Naruto turned his face aside. "You weren't even going all out, were you?"
Sasuke didn't answer.
Naruto gave a snort of laughter through his nose, then struggled into a sitting position.
He crossed his legs, casually brushed some sand off his back, and looked up at Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you're definitely stronger than me. A lot stronger."
He paused, then raised his hand and jabbed a finger fiercely at Sasuke's nose.
"But you could at least argue back! Would it kill you to say, 'Naruto, you're strong too'?"
"I already said I'd noticed your progress, Naruto. You're strong now."
"Going all out isn't something I do for a spar," Sasuke said calmly, looking down at Naruto. "That's for when we're fighting for our lives."
Naruto's finger froze in the air.
"You want to fight me to the death?"
Naruto's mouth fell open. The question caught him completely off guard. His finger curled in midair, then slowly withdrew as he scratched his cheek.
"Of course I don't..."
At the edge of the training ground, Sakura couldn't help snorting with laughter. She covered her mouth with both hands, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Jiraiya leaned against a wooden post and burst into hearty laughter from deep in his chest.
Tsunade folded her arms, unable to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting.
"Sometimes, Sasuke-kun says things that really leave you at a loss for words," Sakura said, lowering her hands. Amusement still glimmered in the corners of her eyes.
Naruto got to his feet and vigorously brushed the sand off his pants, muttering something under his breath.
"All right, all right! The fight's over. Let's hurry back to Konoha!"
Jiraiya straightened up from the post, rolled his shoulders, and walked to the middle of the training ground. He hauled Naruto up off the ground.
Tsunade stood where she was and casually tossed her empty flask to Jiraiya. He fumbled to catch it.
"I won't be going into the village." Tsunade turned her back to the Konoha Gate and waved her right hand a couple of times.
"I've done enough by bringing you this far, right? I'm going back to find Shizune."
"Granny Tsunade, aren't you going back to Konoha to visit?" Naruto shouted after her.
"No." Tsunade didn't look back or slow her pace. "Tell the old man that next time he sends someone to find me, they should bring money."
Jiraiya watched Tsunade's figure grow smaller in the distance and smiled involuntarily. Then he turned and patted Naruto on the head.
"Come on. Let's head back to the village."
"I'm going to head off on my own for now, too," Sasuke suddenly said.
Sakura turned around, her ponytail swinging in an arc. "Sasuke-kun?"
"I have plans with a friend." Sasuke brushed the sand off his shoulder. Crow Tengu turned into black sludge and slowly sank into his shadow. "There's something I need to talk about."
"Is it a girl?" Sakura asked.
"...That doesn't matter."
Sakura studied Sasuke's eyes for a while. At last, she sighed, picked up his backpack from the ground, and handed it to him.
"Then come back soon, Sasuke-kun."
Naruto came over, about to say something, but Jiraiya grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward the Konoha Gate.
"Come on, Naruto. Don't bother them."
"What?! Sasuke! Next time, I'm definitely knocking your Crow Tengu out of the sky!"
Sasuke watched Naruto's retreating figure disappear behind the cedars lining the dirt road. Then he turned and started walking in the opposite direction.
Yakumo Kurama, I can finally see you again. I hope your abilities won't disappoint me.
Before you continue