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Whoosh!
A fireball of Amaterasu incinerated the flying blade, along with the eye power mark on it. Sasuke, with Lightning Release Chakra shrouding his shins, amplified his Body Flicker Technique and closed in at an astonishing speed!
"What?!"
Shin's eyes detected the move, but his body couldn't react in time, taking a solid knee strike from Sasuke squarely in the chest!
Thud…!!!
"Ugh ah ah ah!!!"
He screamed, crashing clumsily into the mountain wall!
"Damn it… How is this possible? He's just a kid!!!"
Uchiha Shin reached out, marked the entire mountain rock, shattered it with brute force, and then controlled the fragments to fly towards Sasuke!
Clang! Sasuke remained unhurried, drawing his kusanagi sword. With a flurry of slashes, he cut through the incoming rock fragments!
Even after being shattered, the marked rock fragments still possessed homing capabilities. Uchiha Shin grinned, pulling his hand back, and the cut fragments turned around.
Sasuke was fully aware of the sounds behind him. He formed a hand seal with his sword-sheathing right hand and thrust his left palm backward!
—Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm!
Whoosh…!
A strong gust of wind dispersed the scattered rocks!
Sasuke changed his hand seals.
—Earth Release: Bedrock Collapse!
Boom…!
The mountain rock Uchiha Shin was clinging to separated from the main body, and Shin fell!
Sasuke switched to forming hand seals with his left hand, while his right hand wielded his sword remotely. Gurgle gurgle… Water brewed on the blade, then was unleashed!
—Water Release: Water Dragon Slash!
Swish!
A flat, sharp water dragon soared from the trajectory of his sword!
"!!" Driven by a strong will to survive, Shin emergency-evaded in mid-air, narrowly escaping being cut in half!
Clang…!!!
The Water Dragon slashed into the mountain wall. After it exploded, a waterfall cascaded from the fissure!
It turned out that after the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, he and Naruto, deeply aware of their insufficient foundations, spent a long time comprehensively improving their Ninja skills!
The Jutsu he was adept at was no longer limited to Fire Release and Lightning Release. He could effortlessly use conventional Ninjutsu of all six main attributes: Yin, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Fire!
"Hoo, hoo, hoo…"
Shin fell to the ground in disarray, still gasping in shock. Looking at the approaching Sasuke, he quickly gave a signal to the surrounding clones!
Swish…!
Twelve of Shin's clones, wielding giant shuriken, gathered in front of Shin. Sasuke stopped.
Yakushi Kabuto questioned, "Shin, what is the meaning of this?"
Shin stood up and shamelessly said, "They are my children, so of course, they are part of me, aren't they?"
"…" Having long understood Shin's demeanor, Sasuke's gaze remained as calm as ever.
Swish!
The twelve Shin clones charged forward, fearless of death.
Sasuke calmly formed a hand seal.
—Genjutsu: Bringer of Darkness Technique!
Whoosh!
Everything the Shin clones saw turned pitch black, leaving them all bewildered and disoriented!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Sasuke attacked from the darkness.
"Ugh ah…" Clang! Clang!
Screams mixed with the sound of shuriken falling to the ground. In just a few moments, all twelve fell, losing their combat capability.
Although Shin did not fall into the Genjutsu of Bringer of Darkness, he witnessed Sasuke's harvesting process!
"No, no, I absolutely refuse to admit it!!!"
He retreated, pulling out a scroll and continuously releasing blades, attempting to launch an attack with his eye power once more!
Sasuke stood unmoving. After forming a hand seal, his left arm, covered by the White Curse Mark, extended forward!
—Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!
Thick, gnarled tree roots extended from the front of his palm, coiling around Uchiha Shin's body!!!
Yakushi Kabuto was shocked, "That is…!!"
Orochimaru smiled, "Oh? He can already use Wood Release…"
Uchiha Shin tried to break free, but the toughness and binding power of the trees were beyond imagination!
"Uchiha Sasuke, what… exactly are you!!!"
Sasuke used his arm to swing the great tree in the opposite direction!
—Uchiha Over-the-Shoulder Throw!
Boom…!!
Shin, entangled by the great tree, was swung through the air and slammed heavily onto the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood!
Boom!! Boom! Boom!!
After being slammed repeatedly like this a few times, Uchiha Shin's entire body felt like it was falling apart, and his Akatsuki Robe was tattered beyond recognition. But his peripheral vision caught sight of the mountaintop high above.
"Hehe…"
Up there… a miniature Butō Tōmei was already in position. It let out a roguish laugh, and its single eye released a black vortex, about to teleport Uchiha Shin away!
But how could this escape Sasuke's perception?
In his right hand, a ball of purple Chakra ignited, transforming into a miniature Perfect Susanoo, which he hurled towards the mountain peak above!
—Mini Susanoo!
Swish…!!!!
The Mini Susanoo arrived in an instant. Just before the space-time teleportation could complete, the miniature great sword sliced through!
The precision was perfect; although the miniature person was eliminated, its eye was completely unharmed.
The Mini Susanoo flew into Orochimaru's hand. After placing down the miniature person's corpse, it dissipated.
Uchiha Shin was utterly defeated, "You… how did you obtain such powerful strength!"
Crack!
Sasuke retracted the trees that had extended from his left arm.
"You once said that peace makes humans stop evolving. In a broad sense, that statement isn't wrong, but your beliefs lack the support of actual experience, which is why they seem shallow. Those who have truly experienced war know the preciousness of peace even more…"
He thought of the end of his previous life's encounter with Shin, and the moment when the children, influenced by Shin's ideology, turned their weapons against him.
Sasuke advised, "Shin, stop claiming to be an Uchiha, and stop proclaiming yourself a worshipper of Itachi. Before your children turn their weapons against you, go back to being yourself…"
Leaving this parting advice, Sasuke turned and departed.
Under the cold moonlight, Shin lay on the ground, Sasuke's parting words echoing repeatedly in his mind.
His 'children' had woken up and gathered around him. Their innocent eyes reminded him of his past self.
"Go back to… being myself?"
…
On the way back.
Orochimaru smiled, "I never thought Sasuke-kun would do something like that…"
Sasuke gave a self-deprecating smile, "I just wanted to try and pull back those who aren't beyond saving, like 'he' once did. But I know my limits; this is probably as far as I can go…"
After the boat docked again, the three came to their former base in the Land of Rice Fields.
Orochimaru took out the miniature person's remains and handed them to Kabuto, saying solemnly, "Kabuto, this Mangekyo, which contains Butō Tōmei, will be implanted into your right eye. Also, implant these hashirama cells as well. Once that's done, we'll head to 'Azure Moon Island'."
Kabuto said as a matter of course, "Wouldn't it be better for you, Orochimaru-sama, to use this eye yourself?"
Orochimaru explained logically, "When the Shinigami is unsealed, I can use the Flying Thunder God Technique of the Second Hokage and Fourth Hokage from within the Shinigami's body. This eye is not very useful to me anymore, so it's more suitable for you to use. Moreover, in the near future, your footprints will spread throughout the Ninja World, and space-time abilities will bring you immense convenience…"
Kabuto looked hesitant, "But… I don't have the confidence to wield this power, especially the hashirama cells."
Orochimaru laughed, "Trust me, you can do it. Don't doubt your potential. Have you forgotten the past you saw through Sasuke's eyes? To achieve our goal, the strength of us three is indispensable!"
Kabuto smiled wryly with some confusion, "To be honest, I still don't have any real sense of how strong my past self was…"
Orochimaru laughed, "Perfect, let's use this to confirm it. What do you think, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke quipped, "I have no objections, but I'll say this upfront, Kabuto, you probably won't be able to be the orphanage director anymore, because this time, you are destined for greater things, such as… creating a world without orphans?"
Realizing he was 'doomed,' Kabuto said, "I'm truly impressed by you two, sirs. Alright, if I unfortunately die, please bury me in front of the Konoha orphanage, let me become a small blade of grass, watching over the place the director cared for!"
Orochimaru shrugged, "Don't worry, I'll use Edo Tensei on you so you can continue to serve me…"
Kabuto shook his head with a wry smile, "It seems I'm destined for a life of hard work…"
Despite saying that, a warmth of being needed and valued nourished Kabuto's heart. He reaffirmed his resolve: in this life, he would, alongside the respected Orochimaru-sama, become Sasuke-kun's strongest support!
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