"So, once the exam is over, I suggest you move to Central Street for the time being," Toru Kujyo proposed. "It's the heart of Konoha, guarded day and night by ANBU and patrol ninja, so it's relatively safe. Besides, I have people there. I'll have them protect you from the shadows."
Sasuke looked at Toru Kujyo in surprise. He hadn't expected him to think everything through so thoroughly on his behalf. Though he disliked being protected, he also knew that his current strength was nowhere near enough to stand against Orochimaru.
"...All right." Sasuke hesitated, but eventually nodded in agreement. To grow stronger and stay safe, he could set aside his Uchiha pride for now.
Toru Kujyo nodded in satisfaction. He knew Sasuke was proud. His willingness to accept such an arrangement showed how deeply he had been shaken.
"That ninjutsu just now..." Sasuke hesitated, but finally couldn't resist asking, "What exactly was it?" He meant the Gaia Energy Cannon. That devastating strike had filled him with both fear and longing.
At his question, a faint smile curved Toru Kujyo's lips, carrying a depth and confidence that seemed out of place at his age.
"The Gaia Energy Cannon?" he repeated casually, as though it were something utterly insignificant. "It's just a... half-finished byproduct of an ultimate technique I've been developing recently."
"What?!" Sasuke's eyes widened sharply. He thought he had misheard. Half-finished? Something half-finished could cause destruction that terrifying? Then how earth-shattering would the actual ultimate technique be?
The name "Gaia Energy Cannon" sounded like something born of adolescent grandiosity, yet when Toru Kujyo said it, it carried an unquestionable authority. Sasuke's heart pounded. He couldn't imagine how a "half-finished" ninjutsu could leave even Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, in such a sorry state.
"The actual ultimate technique goes far