Shinra's survival wasn't just because of his unique Uzumaki physique. This time, he also had the support of another card up his sleeve he now knew a bit of medical ninjutsu.
The system's previous rewards had come from the members of Minato Namikaze's team: illusion resistance training from Obito, the White Fang sword style from Kakashi, the Uzumaki physique from Minato himself, and, finally, Nohara Rin whose abduction had granted Shinra the precious medical-nin experience of Konoha's healing corps.
That last one, in particular, was invaluable.
Thanks to Tsunade's relentless reforms, Konoha's medical training system was leagues ahead of the rest of the shinobi world. Not only the Rain, but even the other great ninja villages lagged behind.
After only a few nights of practice within his dreamscape, Shinra already felt he had gained immensely.
So, when he had faced that violent Wind Release storm earlier, he wasn't blindly throwing his life away. He'd used chakra to shield his vital pathways in advance, ensuring his heart and key meridians wouldn't be fatally damaged.
The rest? That was up to luck.
And, judging by the results, fortune had favored him.
The cuts across his body looked gruesome, but for a shinobi's physique they were only surface-level. Painful, yes but far from lethal.
The Kusanagi jonin, on the other hand, had his throat sliced open the moment Shinra closed the gap.
The man staggered backward, palms glowing faintly with chakra as he tried to seal his ruined trachea. But it was useless. Dizziness closed in, the world darkened, and life was slipping from him no matter how he fought to hold it.
"You " he rasped, voice a wet gurgle of blood and hate.
"The Uzumaki clan… all of you are a curse! You're already wounded… you won't make it out alive! I'll be waiting in the Pure Land for you!"
Even with his throat spilling blood, his eyes burned with venom as he cursed Shinra.
But Shinra only smiled lightly, completely unbothered. He raised one finger to his lips, then pointed off toward the valley, a listening gesture on his ear.
"Don't talk," he said softly. "Just listen."
The next second, the wind carried a chilling sound from the distance
"Shinra Tensei!"
The air itself seemed to shatter.
A deafening explosion ripped through the valley as the mountains trembled violently. Cracks split the cliffs, rivers surged, and slabs of stone the size of houses cascaded into the torrent below.
It was the trap Shinra had prepared all along. The terrain he had scouted, combined with Nagato's full-force repulsion, became a catastrophic weapon.
The pursuing Kusagakure shinobi dozens of them were swallowed whole by collapsing rock, earth, and river.
The jonin kneeling in front of Shinra froze, horror eclipsing his fury.
His only solace before death had been the thought: At least I wounded this monster. My comrades will take the others.
But now, that hope was snuffed out as the echoes of destruction thundered through the valley.
That noise that sheer power made it clear. His comrades weren't hunting anyone anymore. They were the prey.
His last trace of defiance melted into disbelief. His lips trembled as he tried to form the words.
"What… is that power? You "
But the words never finished.
Shinra didn't bother explaining. He pressed a finger to his lips again, his voice calm and cutting.
"Shh. You ask too many questions. And questions you shouldn't know the answer to."
Then his blade flashed once more straight between the man's brows.
Blood spilled as the jonin slumped.
Without pause, Shinra flipped his free hand through seals.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Attraction!"
The night roared again with thunder and sparks.
This time, Shinra was even more cautious than usual. He didn't just silence the dying Kusa jonin he made sure to crush his brain completely with a second strike.
He couldn't risk anyone, not even a corpse, leaving behind clues about Nagato's secret. The Rinnegan had to remain hidden.
Only after that did he allow himself a short rest, biting his wrist once more to draw on his Uzumaki healing ability. With fresh chakra flowing, he leapt from the treetops and rushed toward Nagato.
By the time he arrived, the battle was already over.
The Rinnegan, even in the hands of a young and hesitant Nagato, was overwhelming. Using the terrain and the crushing force of Shinra Tensei, Nagato had annihilated the Kusagakure pursuit.
Now, all that remained was the grim work of cleaning the battlefield.
The ever-honest Masuda Ikki walked over, his expression troubled.
"Captain Shinra, should we… deal with all these bodies?"
Shinra's answer came smoothly, almost casual.
"Yes. To save time, just destroy the brains. If there's no time to burn the corpses, then don't bother. If you don't understand, ask Kenjiro."
Masuda blinked in surprise. "So Brother Kenjiro… is really good at this?"
Shinra turned his head and his gaze happened to fall on Kenjiro. The young man stood not far away, bandaged and bloodied, his expression twisted with pain and something darker: guilt.
Kenjiro had taken the worst of the injuries during the mission. Out of everyone, only Shinra's healing arts had kept him from falling. By all accounts, tonight's disaster had nothing to do with Shinra personally. But the way Kenjiro's eyes flickered with fear, the way his shoulders trembled it told Shinra everything.
Kenjiro believed he was being punished.
Shinra's lips curled ever so slightly. He accepted the "guilt" without a word and turned deliberately toward Masuda.
"That's right," he said smoothly, "Brother Kenjiro is very skilled. He's handled this kind of dirty work for me plenty of times before. If you don't know how to do it, ask him. He's… experienced."
Masuda's jaw dropped. "What? Really? I never would've guessed. I thought Brother Kenjiro was on Chief Yahiko's side, the type to avoid killing. I didn't think he'd be the one best at cleaning up corpses…"
Kenjiro's face went pale. He shook, coughed hard, and stumbled forward to drag Masuda away by the arm before the man could say more.
Shinra only gave him a knowing smile.
Tonight had been a game from the very beginning. He had predicted Kenjiro would betray his orders, tell Nagato, and throw the entire mission into chaos. And though it had all played out exactly as Shinra had foreseen, Nagato's gratitude and trust had fallen squarely into his hands.
But in the eyes of the others and in Kenjiro's own heart there was no question. He had betrayed his captain.
After all, Shinra's instructions had been clear: Do not inform Nagato yet.
And Kenjiro had disobeyed.
So now, even though Shinra had planned it, he wasn't about to waste the opportunity to sharpen the lesson.
By chance or perhaps by fate Kenjiro had also ended up gravely injured tonight, the worst among them. And the timing could not have been better.
Respect had already turned to fear. Guilt had already twisted into submission.
Shinra simply leaned into it.
Later that night, after they had hastily cleaned up the corpses and slipped back to their lodgings in the Grass Country, the room fell into silence.
It was long past midnight when Kenjiro crept into Shinra's quarters. His steps were unsteady, his face pale. As soon as the door closed, he dropped into a bow so deep his head nearly touched the floor.
"I'm sorry, Captain," he said hoarsely. "It was me. I told Chief Nagato about the reconnaissance."
Shinra sat on his bed, one arm resting across his knees, a book dangling lazily from his hand. He didn't speak immediately. He only studied Kenjiro in silence, letting the weight of the moment stretch.
Kenjiro's voice grew smaller. "Please… punish me."
Finally, Shinra set the book aside and spoke, his tone calm, almost gentle.
"Kenjiro. You and I have been on the same team for months now. As your captain, I'll give you just one piece of advice."
Kenjiro bowed lower, trembling. "Yes, Captain. I'll listen."
Shinra's eyes sharpened. His words cut like steel.
"Sometimes… if loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal."