Lion Combo: A Taijutsu Showdown with Big Fatty

Not long after Sasuke entered the large wooden barrel inside the Barrier, the Sound Ninja Four encountered four Konoha Jonin returning to the village, including Shizune, Genma Shiranui, and Namiashi Raidō.

Genma Shiranui was the referee for the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams—the guy with a Senbon in his mouth who looked like a total badass.

Oh, right. He and Namiashi Raidō had both once served as the Fourth Hokage's guards and trusted aides. Heh.

Genma Shiranui and Namiashi Raidō stepped forward to investigate and stop them, but the Sound Ninja Four activated their Cursed Seals and quickly dealt them severe injuries.

Namiashi Raidō was a little weaker, a Special Jōnin, but Genma Shiranui was a full-fledged Jonin.

Yet they were gravely wounded before they could even send a distress signal.

Clearly, the Sound Ninja Four had reached Jonin-level strength—mainly because they had entered their Cursed Seal States and used such strange abilities.

It wasn't long before the pursuit team noticed what had happened.

Kiba Inuzuka, at the front, twitched his nose and said:

"There are four people with Sasuke, but they just ran into two others. Judging by the smell of blood, Sasuke and the other four are getting farther away."

"So Sasuke really does have help. This is getting troublesome!" Shikamaru said thoughtfully.

"If there's a smell of blood, there must have been a fight. But Sasuke's about to leave the Land of Fire. Let's keep after him!"

No one objected.

Naruto gave a cold laugh. He knew what had happened, but he didn't care.

He had sensed the fight ahead long ago, but what did it matter to him whether Genma Shiranui and Namiashi Raidō lived or died?

They were strangers to him, weren't they?

After running into enemies, Sasuke's group of five—the others