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Shin glanced at the unconscious Naruto Uzumaki, then dismissed him.
Honestly, it was fortunate Naruto had fainted from his injuries. If he were still conscious, knowing his personality, he definitely wouldn’t have given up attacking Shin.
And if he had attacked again, Shin would have unhesitatingly crushed him—
“Was that a Rasengan he used earlier?” Hanabi asked Shin with surprise.
“Yes. Don’t you know how to use it too? Couldn’t you tell?”
Shin had also taught Hanabi the Rasengan. Though the Hyūga Clan specialized in the Gentle Fist, it didn’t mean they couldn’t learn other Ninjutsu.
“Lee, please take Naruto away.” Kakashi said to Rock Lee.
“But…”
“Lee, take Naruto and leave. You’re not needed here,” Guy directly ordered Lee.
In the end, Lee still obeyed Guy’s command, taking Naruto and leaving. He likely understood that staying here would only make him a burden.
Tenten and Sakura also left. They couldn’t help here.
Especially Sakura. Without Tsunade as her teacher, her strength was pitifully weak, probably at the bottom of the Konoha 10.
Wait, there was no Konoha 12 anymore. With Hinata and Neji Hyūga gone, could they still be called the Konoha 12?
Actually, in the original story, Neji Hyūga wasn’t much of a “strong one” either. His strength was considerable, but he lacked the unkillable plot armor of a protagonist. He ended up being the only one of the Konoha 12 to die, which was quite tragic.
Now, perhaps Shin had changed his fate. If he still died, it could only be attributed to his terrible luck.
“The two of you… are you planning to fight me?” Shin looked at Kakashi and Guy. They were staring at him as if they wanted to fight.
“You’re also a member of the Akatsuki, aren’t you? Anyone from the Akatsuki is our enemy—” Guy said with a serious expression.
Knowing Shin’s strength was immense, but he couldn’t let fear deter him. Besides, the hot-blooded Guy didn’t even know the meaning of fear.
Since they said so, Shin didn’t bother saying more. If they wanted to attack him, they would have to pay the price.
Chiyo’s heart leaped with joy.
The most troublesome opponent, Shin Uzumaki… Konoha’s ninja were actually going to deal with him? This was an unexpected boon.
“Shouldn’t we be retreating now?” Deidara couldn’t help but ask. He remembered the leader ordering them to retreat.
Were they really going to fight them?
Honestly, Deidara didn’t want to fight. He wasn’t in good condition. Sealing the One-Tail had taken several days—he had no stamina left.
These past few days, he had survived by eating Soldier Pills. That stuff tasted terrible, and eating it also had side effects.
Deidara felt that right now, he could at most exert 60% of his strength.
“We retreat,” Sasori said to Deidara.
“Eh? What about Shin-dono?” Deidara asked. He hadn’t forgotten Shin. Shin helping him heal his arm hadn’t been in vain.
“Just worry about yourself. If he encounters danger, we’re even less likely to survive,” Sasori glanced at Deidara and said coolly.
Looking at his grandmother, Sasori didn’t want to fight her. Retreating directly was the best option.
Chiyo looked at her grandson with a complex expression. But as a Sunagakure ninja, Chiyo couldn’t just let him leave.
“<White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets!>”
Chiyo brought out her signature technique. The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets she summoned now was different from the original.
The original collection was puppets created by Monzaemon Chikamatsu, but those had been destroyed during the Second Shinobi World War.
The current Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets was replicated by Chiyo herself. Though perhaps not as strong as the original, they were definitely not weak.
“<Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!>”
Sasori controlled nearly a hundred puppets, surrounding Chiyo’s Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets.
“He can do that…?” Deidara said with surprise. This was the first time he had seen Sasori use it—
This was normal. After all, this technique was Sasori’s strongest—naturally, he wouldn’t use it lightly.
Though controlling a hundred puppets surprised Chiyo, in battle, she couldn’t gain the upper hand.
While Sasori had a numerical advantage, quality trumped quantity. Chiyo’s ten puppets were enough to hold off Sasori’s nearly hundred.
Of course, Sasori still hadn’t used his strongest puppet, the Third Kazekage.
He didn’t intend to fight his grandmother. Sasori’s goal was to leave. He controlled his puppets to block Chiyo, then he and Deidara departed.
After leaving the cave, Deidara created a clay bird, taking Sasori with him. Sasori recalled his puppets, and the two of them quickly fled.
Flying in the sky, Chiyo could only watch helplessly. At the same time, Chiyo didn’t want to keep Sasori here.
And so, Gaara, who should have died, survived this time.
Turning her head, Chiyo looked at Gaara’s body, which had become a corpse.
“Granny Chiyo, take the Fifth Kazekage and leave—” Kakashi said to Chiyo.
“I know. You two be careful. Don’t get into trouble. It’s best to escape immediately. You’re no match for him.”
Chiyo picked up Gaara’s body and kindly reminded Kakashi and Guy.
Although Kakashi was the son of her enemy, he had come to help Sunagakure this time. Chiyo couldn’t repay kindness with ingratitude.
In Chiyo’s eyes, them confronting Shin Uzumaki was a stupid move. She didn’t know what they were thinking, but Chiyo wouldn’t stop them.
Reminding them was already an act of kindness on her part… As for stopping them? Why should she?
Whoever won or lost held no disadvantage for Sunagakure.
Chiyo still had things to do—namely, resurrecting the deceased Gaara. She possessed a forbidden jutsu called One’s Own Life Reincarnation, originally intended to revive Sasori’s parents.
But now, Chiyo prepared to use it on Gaara. The price of using this forbidden jutsu was immense—her own life.
Chiyo had come to terms with this. Her old bones had reached the end of their road. Being able to save a young, promising ninja was worth it.
——
“Are you two really going to fight me?” Shin asked again.
Kakashi and Guy exchanged a glance, their hearts firm.
They already considered Shin Uzumaki a great enemy—If they could seize this opportunity to eliminate him, it would be a good thing for both Konoha and the Shinobi world.
The reason for this bold thought was mainly because Kakashi had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Or rather, the Mangekyō Sharingan had been awakened long ago—Kakashi had only now mastered it.
The Dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan was Kakashi’s confidence. His dōjutsu was very powerful; Kakashi felt it wasn’t impossible to kill Shin Uzumaki.
Shin could somewhat guess their thoughts. What gave them courage at this moment was likely the Dōjutsu Kamui and the Eight Inner Gates.
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