What Do You Mean Shikigami Can Use Ninjutsu?

Naruto stared at the crow-man with its wings unfurled, his mouth hanging wider and wider.

"What the hell is that thing!"

"A chimera of Nue and Jade Dog. I call it Karasu Tengu."

The Karasu Tengu's black wings gave a violent flap, the wind pressure from the two wings sending the gravel on the ground flying.

Naruto gritted his teeth, chakra exploding beneath his feet. The chakra vibration on his right fist was compressed to the limit, the air around his knuckles twisting into visible ripples.

"Nue is... Ugh! I don't care what you are! Eat this!"

"Let's go."

Sasuke didn't give Naruto time to process the information; he pressed his right index and middle fingers together and slashed forward.

The Karasu Tengu's talons dug two deep furrows into the sandy ground as it beat its wings and lunged straight at Naruto.

Boom!

A visible shockwave exploded at the point of impact, the low bushes at the edge of the training ground flattened outward by the blast.

Naruto's chakra vibration cracked several of the hard feathers on the Karasu Tengu's left wing.

But the Karasu Tengu didn't choose to trade blows with Naruto, instead flickering and vanishing.

"Behind me!" Naruto spun around sharply.

"Chirp—"

A sharp bird cry erupted from the Karasu Tengu's throat, the sound wave spreading outward in a visible ripple.

Naruto felt his eardrums buzzing from the sound. The Karasu Tengu's talons locked onto his ankles, and its left wing, wrapped in wind pressure, slammed into Naruto's chest.

The physical capabilities of the Jade Dog were perfectly integrated into this shell, and 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 to command the Shikigami, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

He had spent a long time trying to get a chimera to perform hand seals, and the Karasu Tengu was the result of that research.

The Karasu Tengu flew away from Naruto and began to weave hand seals.

As soon as Naruto scrambled up, he saw blue electric light beginning to emerge from the Karasu Tengu's beak.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!"

A bolt of lightning erupted from the Karasu Tengu's mouth, the blue arc plowing a charred trench through the sand as it shot straight at Naruto.

Naruto crossed his arms in front of him, chakra compressing frantically on the surface of his skin to form a visible blue barrier.

The lightning bolt slammed into the barrier, arcs of electricity exploding outward, the air filling with a pungent, burnt smell.

"I've got it!" Naruto gritted his teeth, pushing the chakra vibration frequency on his arms to the maximum, forcibly shattering the current of the lightning bolt layer by layer.

But the Karasu Tengu's attack wasn't over.

It stood in place and took a deep breath, blue light beginning to seep out from the gaps between the hard feathers on its chest.

Naruto could feel that this energy was completely different from the Lightning Style he had just faced; it was purer, untransformed by any nature manipulation, like a thunderstorm pulled directly from the clouds.

That was the lightning of Nue.

The Karasu Tengu wove hand seals again, emitting a cry even sharper than the last.

Blue lightning erupted from its beak, and at the same time, its body began to discharge electricity, the edges of every feather turning a blinding blue-white.

Lightning Style: Lightning Strike was lightning transformed from chakra.

Nue's own lightning was heavenly thunder driven by cursed energy.

The two currents of lightning erupted from the same body simultaneously, converging in front of the Karasu Tengu and twisting together.

The Karasu Tengu folded its wings forward, the hard feathers at the tips wrapped in lightning chakra, slashing at Naruto's shoulders from both sides.

Bang!

Naruto was struck dead-on by the wing-pincer attack, nearly forced to his knees.

Lightning chakra poured from the wingtips into his shoulders, his muscle tissue twitching uncontrollably from the current.

He gritted his teeth, enduring the electricity coursing through his shoulders, and compressed chakra into his feet, kicking off the ground to charge forward.

He slammed into the Karasu Tengu's chest, wrapped his arms around the base of one of its wings, and twisted his waist with all his might in mid-air.

He threw the Karasu Tengu hard against the ground.

But the moment it hit the ground, it used the dual release again.

The pillar of lightning blasted Naruto back over ten meters.

Naruto lay flat on his back, gasping for air.

His orange jacket was torn in several places, the fabric on his shoulders charred and still smoking, his back covered in gray streaks from the sand.

His arms were covered in dark red, web-like lightning burns, and the skin scraped off his knees was oozing blood.

"Do you want to continue?" Sasuke stood above him, hands tucked into his pockets.

The Tengu descended behind Sasuke, folded its wings, and stood by his side.

It lowered its head, using its beak to preen the stiff feathers on its left wing that had been cracked by Naruto, then lifted its dark blue eyes to watch Naruto on the ground in silence.

Naruto moved his arm away from his face and looked up at the sky, his mouth curling into an exaggerated grin.

"You guy... to think you could make it spit lightning once and then release it from its chest again..." Naruto's voice was raspy, but his tone was brimming with excitement.

"Did you come up with this yourself?"

"Yes," Sasuke said. "The Chimera has independent arms, so it can naturally weave hand signs independently. The Nue's own lightning combined with Lightning Release ninjutsu—a dual release."

"What kind of monster is that..." Naruto turned his face away. "You still haven't used your full strength, have you?"

Sasuke did not speak.

Naruto let out a scoff through his nose, then struggled to sit up from the ground.

He sat cross-legged, brushed the sand off his back with a few casual slaps, and looked up at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you really are stronger than me. A lot stronger."

He paused, then pointed a finger aggressively 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 saw your progress, Naruto. You are strong now."

"Using full strength isn't for sparring," Sasuke said, looking down at Naruto with a calm tone. "That's for when you're fighting for your life."

Naruto's finger froze in mid-air.

"Do you want to fight for your life against me?"

Naruto's mouth hung open, choked by the remark. His finger curled in the air before he slowly pulled it back and scratched his cheek.

"Well, of course I don't want that..."

At the edge of the training ground, Sakura couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter, covering her mouth with both hands as her shoulders shook slightly.

Jiraiya leaned against a wooden post and erupted into a hearty laugh from deep within his chest.

Tsunade crossed her arms, unable to control the upward curve of her lips.

"Sometimes, Sasuke-kun's words really leave people not knowing how to respond," Sakura said, lowering her hands, the remnants of a smile still lingering in the corners of her eyes.

Naruto scrambled up from the ground, vigorously slapping the sand off his pants while muttering something under his breath.

"Fine, fine! The fight's over, let's hurry back to Konoha!"

Jiraiya straightened his back from the wooden post, rolled his shoulders, and walked to the center of the training ground to hoist Naruto up by the collar.

Tsunade stood where she was and tossed her empty sake flask to Jiraiya, who caught it in a flurry of motion.

"I won't be entering the village," Tsunade said, turning her back to the direction of the Konoha gates and waving her right hand dismissively.

"Escorting you this far is enough, isn't it? I'm going back to find Shizune."

"Granny Tsunade, aren't you going to come back to Konoha and take a look!" Naruto shouted at her retreating figure.

"No," Tsunade said without turning back or slowing her pace. "Tell the old man when you get back: next time he sends someone to find me, tell him to bring money."

Jiraiya watched Tsunade's figure fade into the distance, smiled involuntarily, and then turned to pat Naruto on the head.

"Let's go, back to the village."

"I won't be going with you guys just yet," Sasuke suddenly spoke up.

Sakura turned around, her ponytail tracing an arc. "Sasuke-kun?"

"I have a meeting with a friend." Sasuke brushed the sand off his shoulder, and the Tengu dissolved into black sludge, slowly sinking into the shadow beneath his feet. "There are some things to discuss."

"Is it a girl?" Sakura asked.

"...That is not important."

Sakura stared into Sasuke's eyes for a moment, finally sighed, picked up Sasuke's backpack from the ground, and handed it to him.

"Then come back soon, Sasuke-kun."

Naruto leaned in, wanting to say something, but Jiraiya grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him toward the Konoha gates.

"Let's go, Naruto. Don't bother them."

"What the! Sasuke! Next time, I'm definitely going to knock your Tengu out of the sky!"

Sasuke watched as Naruto's figure, being dragged away by Jiraiya, was gradually obscured by the cedar trees lining the dirt road. He turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

Yakumo Kurama, I can finally see you again. I hope your abilities won't disappoint me.