The smoke from the incinerated giant snake drifted lazily into the sky, but there was no time for the soot to settle. My lungs burned—partly from the physical exertion of the B-rank speed, and partly from the residual heat of my S-rank Fire Release. At 15% chakra, my vision was starting to swim, the world losing its sharp Three-Tomoe edges.
"Namekaze! Your eyes... they were red," Akio stammered, his kunai shaking. "And that jutsu... even Gai-sensei hasn't shown us something that destructive."
Ren didn't speak. She looked at the glassed-over earth where the snake's head had been, then back at me. Her silence was louder than Akio's shouting. The "ordinary Genin" persona hadn't just cracked; it had been vaporized.
"I've been training in secret, Akio. For a day exactly like this," I said, my voice rasping. It was a half-truth, but it was all I could offer. "The matron needs you both here. There are more Sand squads moving through the residential blocks. If I don't go now, Sasuke won't make it out of that forest."
"But you're exhausted!" Ren stepped forward, her hand reaching for her medical pouch.
"I'll manage. Protect the kids. That's an order from the team's 'Hidden Hunter'." I gave them a grim nod, not waiting for a rebuttal.
As I leapt toward the rooftops, the Evolution System pulsed with a cold, blue light in my mind's eye.
Warning: Chakra levels critical. Physical performance will degrade in 120 seconds.Current EP: 105.
"System," I thought, my teeth gritted against the fatigue. "Access Shop. Give me the Chakra Restoration Pill (Intermediate)."
Purchase Confirmed: Chakra Restoration Pill (Intermediate) (60 EP). Current EP: 45.Item consumed automatically. Chakra levels restoring: 15% -> 65%.
A rush of cooling energy flooded my tenketsu, the sensation like ice water being poured into a desert. My Sharingan snapped back into high-definition focus. I didn't have enough EP left for another major upgrade, but 45 EP was a safety net for a rainy day—and it was currently pouring rogue ninja in Konoha.
I cleared the village walls in a single, massive bound, entering the dense canopy of the forest surrounding the arena. The air here was different—colder, grittier. Sand was beginning to coat the leaves of the trees.
Superior Perception picked up a squad of four Sound ninja attempting to set a perimeter to prevent Konoha reinforcements from reaching Sasuke.
"Intercept them," I whispered.
Using B- Speed, I became a phantom among the branches. I didn't use Ninjutsu this time; I needed to conserve the 65% chakra for the monster waiting at the end of the trail. I drew my kunai, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan predicting the exact moment the lead Sound ninja would turn his head.
I dropped.
The first fell before he could gasp, my blade finding the gap in his flak jacket. The second and third turned, but my A+ Taijutsu was a mechanical perfection they couldn't hope to match. I used a Dragon's Tail Sweep to take their legs, finishing them with precise strikes to the throat. The fourth attempted to blow a signal whistle, but I used Shunshin to appear directly in his personal space, my hand crushing the whistle against his teeth before slamming his head into the trunk of an oak.
Event Mission Update: The Konoha CrushObjective 2: Intercept the Sand and Sound infiltration units (3/5).Skill Progress: Taijutsu (A+ -> S-).
The System didn't just track my power; it refined it through blood. As I wiped the blade on the sleeve of the fallen ninja, a massive, primal roar shook the forest. It wasn't the sound of an animal; it was the sound of a desert's malice.
The Shukaku was waking up.
I pushed forward, the sand in the air getting thicker, clogging my throat. I found Sasuke first. He was slumped against a tree, his left arm hanging limp, the Curse Mark beginning to recede but leaving him physically shattered. Before him stood Gaara—or what was left of him. Half of Gaara's body was encased in a grotesque, bulbous mass of sand and shifting eyes.
"Sasuke!" I landed beside him, my Sharingan scanning his vitals. He was alive, but his chakra was a guttering candle.
"Namekaze...?" Sasuke looked up, his vision blurry. He saw the red glint in my eyes, the three tomoe spinning slowly. He didn't have the strength to act surprised. "You... you have it too?"
"Focus, Sasuke," I said, standing between him and the encroaching sand.
Gaara's monstrous arm swung, a ton of compressed sand aimed at our heads. I didn't dodge. I couldn't. Sasuke was right behind me.
I slammed my hands together, the 45 EP in my reserve feeling like a taunt. I needed a distraction. I needed a hero. And right on cue, a massive Poof of smoke erupted above the trees.
A giant toad, holding a pipe and wearing a happi coat, crashed into the clearing, pinning Gaara's sand-arm to the ground.
"Sorry I'm late!" Naruto yelled from the top of Gamabunta's head, his face a mask of orange-tinted determination.
The battle of the Jinchuriki had begun. But as I looked at the shadows behind the trees, my Sharingan picked up something else—three Sound ninja, higher level than the ones before, bearing the same unique serpent charms I'd found earlier. They weren't looking at the giant toad.
They were looking at me.
Current EP: 45.Chakra: 58%.Status: Targeted.