The Bloodied Road Home! Sasuke's Fangs
A golden-green beam of light pierced the sky. Naruto transformed into a beam of light that tore through space, his right arm carrying the kinetic energy to shatter the earth's crust, and punched the house-sized Drilling Air Bullet.
The sound disappeared. The Drilling Air Bullet began to collapse from the point of contact.
That is not human power.
Sasuke's Sharingan overloaded instantly, turning the screen into a blinding golden-green white noise, and two lines of bloody tears slid down from the corners of his eyes.
Only now did he realize that the power Orochimaru displayed in the Forest of Death was a worthless joke in the face of this god.
He no longer craved the evolution of the Mangekyō Sharingan. He only wanted the power to shatter everything. Even if he could only be this man's second-in-command for the rest of his life, he would steal the ultimate power-generating techniques.
A morbid obsession had taken root deep within his bones.
Temari closely behind, carrying the unconscious Gaara, while Karin bit her lip and clung to them. Kankuro, after being Temari awake by Temari, dragged his crippled body to the rear.
Several Senbon arrows shot out from deep within the woods.
Poison-coated projectiles blocked all routes ahead, and three figures descended from the treetops, wearing Hidden Sound Forehead Protector.
Kabuto Yakushi had set up ambush agents before his retreat. Their objective was to take away Sasuke, who was weakened by the battle. They hadn't anticipated that Naruto would fall unconscious.
The lead Hidden Sound glanced at Naruto, Naruto silently on Sasuke's back, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"Naruto Uzumaki? That's all? I thought he was some kind of amazing guy--"
Sasuke leaned Naruto against the tree trunk.
He turned around and drew his Kunai.
The Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly.
"Temari, step back with Karin."
The sound was completely flat, without any inflection.
The Snake Mark on the back of his neck throbbed violently in response to the murderous aura, and black lines crawled up his cervical spine, attempting to seize control of his body.
The Yang Release Mark on his right shoulder flashed faintly.
The warmth Naruto left inside this thing flowed through his meridians, suppressing the coldness of the Snake Seal.
Sasuke didn't retreat. Taking advantage of the moment when the Yang Release suppressed the Snake Seal, he transformed that cold, excruciating pain into pure fighting instinct.
Instead of retreating, they advanced.
The three Hidden Sound simultaneously Hand Seals, with the leader already completing the Wind Release initiation.
Sasuke's Sharingan broke down the opponent's Hand Seals into slow motion. The muscle exertion path, the Chakra flow to the nodes, and the 0.3-second window before the Ninjutsu was released—all of this was reflected in his red and black pupils.
The Wind Release pressed down.
Sasuke dodged to the side, his Lightning Release Chakra imbuing his Kunai, drawing two parallel silver arcs.
The carotid arteries of both Hidden Sound were severed simultaneously.
Blood mist spurted out. The two men clutched their necks and collapsed to the ground, the last thing they saw in their pupils being a pair of Sharingan with utterly cold indifference.
The last Hidden Sound's pupils constricted sharply, and he frantically pulled out Explosive Tag from his pocket, attempting to take everyone down with him.
Sasuke didn't give him a chance.
With Lightning Release in his right leg, he unleashed a powerful, rapid kick to the opponent's sternum. The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. The man, along with the talisman, was sent flying into the air.
Boom.
The Kakkō of the explosion reflected on Sasuke's face. He didn't even blink.
He shook off the bloodstains on his Kunai, panting heavily. Without even glancing at the corpses scattered on the ground, he picked Naruto up again.
Temari stood behind Gaara, holding him in her Temari, watching Sasuke's ruthless and decisive back.
Her perception of this Uchiha orphan was completely overturned. He was not a burden, not an interpreter, but a poisoned knife.
The temperature is dropping sharply.
Frost quickly formed on the ground, and white ice crystals condensed on the tree trunks. The moisture in the air was drawn away, freezing into a bone-chilling cold.
Bai rushed over from the direction of the secret passage.
One second she was imagining Naruto's expression when he saw the new house—what flowers to plant in the yard, which room to choose for Naruto's afternoon nap, and whether to expand the kitchen.
The next second, she saw Naruto covered in blood, lying on Sasuke's back, his life hanging in the balance.
My illusions shattered.
Something never before appeared in his icy blue eyes: pure, undisguised fear.
Then fear ignited into a destructive killing intent.
Byakuya's eyes were bloodshot, and dozens of giant ice spikes materialized behind him. His Ice Release Chakra was so violent it was almost out of control, and the ice spikes indiscriminately targeted Sasuke, Temari, and Karin.
A chill swept over her. Temari instinctively took a step back and hugged Gaara tightly in her arms.
Karin's Uzumaki Bloodline sensed the despair within the Ice Release, and she gritted her teeth, standing in front of Sasuke and Naruto.
The tip of the ice spike was less than a meter from Sasuke's forehead.
Bai's fingers moved.
At this very moment.
Naruto frowned slightly and let out a very soft cough. His left hand twitched instinctively.
A cough.
The countless ice spikes instantly disintegrated, shattering into ice shards that melted into water droplets in the sunlight.
Haku knelt down beside Naruto, his hands trembling as he gathered the gentlest Chakra, trying to sense Naruto's injuries.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
As long as that person is alive, she will be the most obedient maid.
If that person dies, she will make every living creature within a hundred miles die with her.
The procession continued forward.
Naruto drifted into a semi-conscious, hazy state amidst the jolting. His consciousness was blurred, but his instincts didn't stop.
He attempted to use Mind's Eye of the Kagura in conjunction with the Great Evolution Divine Soul Art to probe his surroundings. As his spiritual power extended outwards, he encountered Gaara, who was being Temari.
I bumped into a wall.
The lingering bestial instincts of Shukaku lingered deep within Gaara's consciousness, forming a natural, murky mental barrier. The moment the spiritual tentacles of the Great Evolution Divine Soul Art touched the barrier, they were bounced back, like touching a red-hot iron.
The system's cold, hard voice rang out.
"The host's mental strength is in a period of extreme weakness. The remaining bestial nature of the Shukaku Crane within the target's body forms a natural mental barrier. The Great Evolution Divine Soul Art failed to read it. Only subconscious emotional fluctuations can be sensed: confusion and a search for support."
Naruto swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva and severed the mental detection.
Therefore, it is not a panacea. If the difference in mental strength is too great, or if the target itself has a strong mental barrier, mind reading will fail.
He memorized this rule to the core.
The system notification sounded again, and the interface flashed a blinding red light.
"Ding. Four high-quality bond targets have been detected in the current area."
"Effective maximum synergy: White (90)."
"High affinity targets: Temari (90), Karin (special status), Hinata Hyuga (90, approaching)."
"Serious Warning. The backlash mechanism of the multi-pronged strategy has entered a high-risk window. Emotional fluctuations between targets may trigger an unknown emotional storm. It is recommended that the host immediately implement physical isolation management of the emotional connections between members of the same race."
Naruto closed his eyes, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Four.
System, you really know how to frustrate people.
Gaara slowly opened his eyes.
The light green pupils regained their clarity, and the four-pointed star pattern had completely faded.
The first thing he saw was Naruto's back as he stood in front of the setting sun. He was covered in blood, and his right arm was covered in purplish-black bruises from his fingertips to his shoulder. He could barely stand, yet he was standing in front of everyone.
Temari out beside her.
My mind went completely blank.