On one side, waves of heat rolled; on the other, lightning flashed.
The next second, the two slammed into each other in midair above the center of the river.
Clang!
The deafening clash of metal echoed through the woods, shaking the surrounding leaves loose.
Their figures crossed, and both landed before springing onto the rocks on the opposite bank.
But the very next second, a sharp crack rang out...
The ninja blade in Sasuke's hand shattered piece by piece, leaving only a bare hilt in his grip. He gave a helpless, bitter smile.
The gap... really was far greater than usual.
Looking at the blade fragments scattered across the ground, Sasuke turned toward Gekkō Raito, who was slowly sheathing his blade.
"Next time! I absolutely won't lose to you again!"
As he spoke, Gekkō Raito suddenly raised his hand and tossed over a metal forehead protector.
Sasuke instinctively caught it and looked down. It was actually Gekkō Raito's original Konoha forehead protector.
"Whether you're a ninja or a rogue ninja, you still need a forehead protector. Keep it as a memento!"
Although he spoke casually, this was still a parting between comrades. Gekkō Raito hadn't prepared a gift beforehand, so he simply gave him this.
"Hmph!"
The corners of Sasuke's mouth lifted slightly. He took out a kunai and forcefully scored a horizontal line across the forehead protector, completely defacing Konoha's spiral emblem.
Then he solemnly tied the forehead protector, now a symbol of his rogue ninja status, around his forehead.
Just then, Chōjūrō's agonized roar suddenly rang out in the distance, along with the cracking sounds of Haku freezing objects with Ice Release.
Gekkō Raito frowned and turned toward the sounds, his gaze instantly turning cold.
"Looks like Orochimaru sent someone else to meet you!"
"Go! I won't let