He struggled to get up, but his limbs felt utterly drained.
A red blur flashed past, and Karin appeared beside him, holding a paper talisman covered in strange incantations. Without a word, she slapped it onto his forehead.
"Incantation: Diamond Force Bind!"
Bzzzt!
The talisman blazed with golden light. A powerful sealing force instantly coursed through Sasuke's entire body, completely locking down the chakra within him that had only just begun to settle.
Sasuke's eyes widened. He realized he could not move even a single finger.
"D... damn it..." He gritted his teeth, his face filled with defiance and humiliation.
Karin dusted off her hands and looked down at him with a triumphant smile. "Well, young master Sasuke? Now you know what teamwork can do, don't you? That'll teach you to act so arrogant!"
Hinata slowly walked over to him and dispelled her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists. She looked at him somewhat apologetically, but her gaze remained resolute.
Lying on the ground, Sasuke stared at the blue sky and white clouds, listening to Karin's taunts and Hinata's concerned breathing, his heart a tangle of emotions. The inflated confidence that had come with his sudden surge in power was mercilessly shattered in that moment.
He understood now that great power did not mean invincibility. Without his even noticing, the two seemingly delicate girls beside him had grown strong enough to stand alongside him-and even defeat him.
"Click."
The crisp snap of a shutter rang out along the quiet riverbank, as jarring as a slap to the face.
Sasuke stiffly turned his neck, bringing his face, still filled with defiance and humiliation, directly opposite a cold mask and a dark camera lens. Toru Kujyo was crouching in front of him with that familiar camera in hand. He had just blown on