The first period of the afternoon was Ninja Tools Class.
Sasuke leapt into the air, a cluster of shuriken flying from his fingertips. They collided mid-air with a sharp clack, ricocheting precisely toward four different directions.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Eight shuriken struck four separate targets. Every single one was a dead-center bullseye.
The crowd erupted in amazed gasps.
Mizuki smiled, offering high praise. "Magnificent shuriken technique! Everyone should strive to learn from Sasuke!"
"Yes, sir!" the class shouted in unison.
Sasuke, however, maintained an expression of complete indifference. He walked briskly past the front of the class, heading off to the side to practice Taijutsu on his own, appearing as though the Ninja Tools class was beneath his notice.
Mizuki couldn't really say anything. The boy's performance was simply too outstanding; even Mizuki wasn't sure he could pull off such exquisite shuriken control himself. As long as Sasuke stayed quiet and didn't cause trouble, Mizuki was thankful enough to burn incense.
Not far away, Neji approached.
For Neji, this period was technically Taijutsu class. He had used his Byakugan specifically to locate Sasuke.
Sasuke caught him in his peripheral vision. He straightened up, his gaze cold. "What? You looking to spar?"
"No. I came to thank you."
Neji's tone was calm. He glanced at the other students nearby and said, "You were right. Regardless of whether destiny can be broken, one must do everything possible to try. Otherwise, one might as well just lie down and give up."
"If you ever need a sparring partner, I am available anytime."
With that, Neji bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Sasuke remained standing with his hands in his pockets, saying nothing. Only after Neji had walked a fair distance did he silently resume his Taijutsu training.
He didn't feel particularly noble about the interaction. The only reason he had given Neji that speech earlier was that seeing Neji's awkward, constipated attitude had annoyed him. He had felt an urge to lecture him, so he did.
Just now, Sasuke had actually braced himself for a fight. He hadn't expected Neji to thank him.
'Weirdo,' he thought.
Night had fallen.
Masahiko rushed back from his outdoor training. He didn't even have time to shower; it was showtime.
This episode was critical!
If his predictions were correct, the content of this episode would likely cover Shisui and Biwa Jūzō's assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage. The outcome of this event would determine his subsequent plans.
He opened the light screen.
The familiar production company logo popped up, followed immediately by the opening credits.
"Make way! Make way! Outta the way!"
A panicked shout came from the back of a crowd, and the villagers on screen looked visibly headache-induced. As expected, Naruto came sprinting down the middle of the street, hollering as he ran, with a group of angry ninja chasing him.
"Hahaha! Catch me if you can, idiots!"
The next second—
Bam!
Naruto was knocked down and sent flying by a blur of motion. He looked up to see Sasuke standing ahead, hands in his pockets, glancing at him with cold indifference before retracting his leg and walking away.
"Sasuke! You bastard, get back here! AHHH! No, don't!"
Naruto screamed miserably as the pursuers caught up.
Sasuke didn't stop. He continued walking toward the outskirts of the village, making his way to his old home. He stopped by the lake, staring out across the water, lost in thought.
Then...
The scene transitioned.
Itachi stood by the sea, gazing silently at the opposite shore. The two shots—Sasuke by the lake, Itachi by the sea—were cross-cut to create a profound, melancholic atmosphere.
"Amaterasu cannot burn away the yearning; Tsukuyomi cannot hide the tears!""F*ck, I can't even. LMAO.""Did some of you brothers forget to add the doge emoji for sarcasm?""This is too funny. Thankfully he's off traumatizing other people now. I hope he uses his 'World-Shocking Wisdom' to wipe out his current accomplices too."
A wall of bullet comments flooded the screen. The first comment, a melodramatic poetic line, was spammed until it nearly obscured the video. Some users added the sarcastic "doge" emoji, others didn't; the visual effect was spectacular.
Watching this scene, Masahiko found it hard not to laugh. It seemed the Otherworld audience had some masters of Yin-Yang sarcasm as well.
Keeping a straight face, Masahiko set some keywords to filter the barrage of text and rewound slightly.
On screen, a black-and-white figure with a Venus flytrap-like appendage rose from the ground.
"Itachi, it is time to go."
Black Zetsu had appeared. He was the link contacting Obito and the Akatsuki organization. Now, with Itachi added to the mix, he was truly a busy man.
After that line, Itachi followed Zetsu, leaving the seaside and walking into a fog-laden forest. As they vanished into the mist, the scene shifted.
Shisui and Biwa Jūzō, both clad in black robes adorned with red clouds, walked into frame. One carried a short sword at his waist; the other bore the massive Executioner's Blade on his back. They looked imposing.
"This should be the place," Biwa Jūzō said. "According to the intel, he comes here often. He seems to have important business. This is our chance."
"We cannot be careless," Shisui said, his expression grave. "Our opponent is the Mizukage, and the Three-Tails Jinchūriki. His strength is not to be underestimated."
"Naturally. Shisui-san, I'm not great with Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, so you'll have to cover me when the time comes." Jūzō grinned ferociously.
Shisui nodded. He placed his fingers to his lips, mimicking the call of a bird.
A moment later...
Above them, a flock of crows flew past, heading deep into the jungle.
Suddenly—
Caw! Caw!
Sharp, piercing cries rang out. The murder of crows in the distance startled, circling erratically in the high air.
Shisui's expression tightened. "He's coming!"
In the next second, the three tomoe of the Sharingan spun into existence within his eyes.
However, before he could see clearly...
Rumble...
A deafening roar echoed through the forest. Dust filled the sky, and a thick fog began to spread rapidly across the surroundings.
Biwa Jūzō whispered urgently, "Bad news! It's an ambush!"
"I'll cover you."
Shisui wasted no words. After the brief command, he silently wove hand signs.
Multiple clones appeared instantly. Then, all the "Shisuis" charged in a single direction.
Biwa Jūzō drew his massive blade and followed.
BOOM!
A massive explosion occurred.
Terrifying chakra erupted between him and Shisui, forming a powerful shockwave. The surging explosive force actually blasted away the surrounding fog.
Biwa Jūzō instinctively felt that something was wrong. He immediately held the Executioner's Blade horizontally in front of him to block.
A colossal force slammed into the blade. He looked up to see Yagura, already in a partial Tailed Beast transformation, staring at him coldly.
Biwa Jūzō was sent flying by the overwhelming power, smashing heavily into a large tree.
Yagura used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing instantly in front of the downed Jūzō. His palm, condensing a strange, coral-like chakra, was about to strike down.
At that critical moment, Shisui flickered into existence in front of Jūzō.
Flames coated his blade, carving a blazing arc through the mist as he parried Yagura's palm—which was heavy with chakra and jagged coral.
Crack!
The coral tried to spread onto the blade, but the intense flames held it back.
Shisui stared into Yagura's eyes, the tomoe spinning rapidly.
"Watch out!"
"Go. I am a Shadow Clone," Shisui whispered.
Biwa Jūzō sensed a terrifying fluctuation of chakra and realized something was wrong immediately. Upon hearing Shisui's response, he didn't hesitate. He wove signs as he ran.
Immediately following—
BOOM!
Water Dragons and Water Sharks erupted from the forest, blanketing the area.
Shisui's Shadow Clone wove signs, spewing a massive fireball to cover the entire sector.
Biwa Jūzō spat out a massive wave of water. The currents surged beneath his feet, wrapping around him and transforming into a towering rideable wave—not to attack the enemy, but to ride the tide for a hasty retreat.
However.
At that exact moment, a catastrophic chakra fluctuation radiated from the depths of the woods. It coalesced into a beam of light capable of destroying heaven and earth. The beam pierced the fog, tore through the jungle, and cleaved a massive swath of the forest in two.
Biwa Jūzō, along with his Exploding Water Colliding Wave, was struck directly by the beam. The screen was swallowed by blinding white light.
"Holy sh*t, that's terrifying! Is Yagura that strong?""He is a Kage, after all. And unlike Naruto, he's a perfect Jinchūriki who can control his beast. Of course he's strong!""Damn! No wonder Madara sent Itachi to join them!" "But the Big Sword Guy just got wrecked. Can Shisui hold out alone until backup arrives?"
Before the "worried" comments could finish scrolling...
A scream echoed through the forest.
A Genin hidden in the thick mist had his throat slit by a blade.
Shisui swung his tantō, flicking blood from the tip, before vanishing from the spot instantly.