423 Learning Ninjutsu in a Glance

After listening to the old woman's explanation, Shinju silently took the Kusanagi Sword out of the summoning scroll.

The old woman was horrified when she saw this.

"You mustn't! If you attack rashly, you might release the yokai sealed inside that stone!"

Just as the old woman finished speaking, Shinju raised his hand—and brought the sword down!

"Slash!"

A cold flash of light!

With a loud crash, the strange stone with a pair of antlers was instantly split cleanly in two by Shinju!

The very next moment—

"Whoosh~"

A blurry mass of bluish-green energy burst out from the shattered stone!

The old woman: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴

"It's over! Zouma has appeared in the world—Orange Village is about to face another great calamity!"

"Esteemed ninja, you were too impatient! T^T"

Faced with the old woman's panicked outcry, Shinju shot a glance at Konohamaru beside him.

Konohamaru nodded in understanding and dragged the old woman outside the cave.

"Granny, don't worry! There's no yokai in this world he can't handle! ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"

As he spoke, pride and admiration filled Konohamaru's face, as if the one with heaven-defying power were himself. He launched into an endless recounting of Shinju's glorious feats.

"Granny, do you remember the Fourth Great Ninja War a year ago? Back then, the evil Uchiha Madara tried to—"

...

Inside the cave, Shinju curiously observed the yokai before him, which had no physical body.

Zouma's body was nothing but a mass of mist. Its head resembled the skull of a deer, crowned with a pair of jade-green, crystal-clear antlers...

Opposite him, Zouma seemed able to sense the dangerous aura emanating from the red-haired man. After breaking free from its seal, it remained locked in a tense standoff with Shinju for quite some time.

A few seconds later, Zouma could no longer hold back and launched an attack!!

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Several green orbs of light condensed around Zouma and shot at high speed toward Shinju's position!

Shinju remained completely calm. He raised a hand and formed an Ice Release shield!

"Pff, pff, pff—"

The green orbs slammed into the ice shield and instantly dissipated!

Behind the shield, Shinju didn't waste a second. He calmly lifted his hand and used Six Paths Senjutsu to form black rods...

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

Six black rods split off in succession, each embedding itself into one corner of the cave!

At the same time, Shinju formed hand seals and shouted, "Six Red Yang Formation!"

"Humm—"

Red barriers extended outward, linking together with the black rods as their axes, eventually forming a hexagonal prism-shaped barrier!

Inside the barrier, Zouma tried to break through, ramming into the walls several times only to be violently repelled each time!

Now, when it looked at Shinju again, flames flickered within its hollow eye sockets!

It was both furious—and afraid!

But very quickly, Zouma's fury turned into sheer terror.

The man across from it was actually walking slowly toward it!

ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!

What was he planning to do?!

Opposite it, Shinju brought his hands together in seals...

In truth, dealing with Zouma was simple for him. A single sealing technique would have settled it easily.

The reason he went to such lengths and used the Six Red Yang Formation to restrain Zouma's movement was because there was something he still needed to verify...

He intended to devour Zouma!

...

A few minutes later, outside the cave.

The old woman asked anxiously, "That lord… he'll really be all right, won't he?"

Konohamaru patted his chest and assured her, "Didn't I tell you? He is—"

The old woman waved her hand, her face full of exasperation (ー_ー)!!.

"All right, all right, I know already. A hero who ended wars, Konoha's strongest and most handsome Sixth Hokage, the greatest man in the ninja world... But Zouma is different! It's a yokai! ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞"

A few more minutes passed, and the news that the Shōmura family had hired ninjas to deal with Zouma spread through the village like wildfire.

Many people from Orange Village gathered outside the sealed cave.

"I told you the girls of the Shōmura family's current generation wouldn't do. Ignoring tradition—this is pure nonsense! (′д｀σ)σ"

"Exactly! She could've just married the boy from the Meigetsu family, but instead she had to make such a huge fuss!"

"If Zouma really gets released, what then… she'll doom the entire village!!"

Hearing this, the justice-filled Konohamaru couldn't stand it anymore.

"Shōmura Lemo is only eleven years old! You're actually selfish enough to force her into marriage! 凸(｀0´)凸"

The villagers shrugged, completely indifferent.

"She's not my daughter. Why should I care how old she is when she gets married?"

"Exactly. And sealing Zouma is their family's duty!"

"You—! ╰_╯" Konohamaru's eyes burned with rage as he stepped forward half a pace...

Just then, Shinju emerged from the cave and stopped him in time.

"Konohamaru, don't lay a hand on civilians."

Konohamaru felt wronged. "But—"

Shinju gently pulled him back. "Ignore them. Let's go turn in the mission..."

On the way back to report the mission, Shinju turned around and glanced at the heartless villagers of Orange Village.

The villagers who had been gathered together suddenly looked dazed and confused!

"Huh? Why am I here? (°ー°〃)"

...

The Shōmura household.

Having completed the mission to eliminate Zouma, Shinju successfully received a massive reward!

The tsundere little Shōmura Lemo was full of gratitude.

"Thank you so much for your help..."

Konohamaru grinned at her. "With us stepping in, there's nothing that can't be solved!"

"You don't have to rush into marriage anymore..."

"Oh, right—I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru. If you ever have time, you can come to Konoha Village and play with me..."

On the road back to the village.

Shinju looked curiously at Konohamaru beside him.

"Didn't you dislike that girl at first? How did you change your tune so fast?"

Hearing that, Konohamaru grew a little shy.

"It's not like that. I just thought… she's just a little girl carrying everything on her own. It's kind of pitiful. And also… (´つヮ⊂︎)"

Shinju smiled. "And Shōmura Lemo is pretty cute too?"

Konohamaru's face turned even redder! (ﾉ∇︎〃 )

...

Three days later.

The Hokage's Office.

Shinju pushed the door open after receiving Tsunade's summons.

The moment he entered, he saw the senior officials gathered around a table!

Koharu Utatane wore a sour expression.

"Outrageous. With the Sixth Hokage still alive, how can the Fifth Hokage be acting in his place?"

Tsunade shot back, "I'm helping my disciple shoulder the burden. What's wrong with that? ꐦ≖ ≖"

Already used to these two troublesome advisors, Shinju ignored them completely and looked straight at Tsunade.

"Sensei, you called me here so urgently for a meeting—what's going on?"

Tsunade waved her hand. "It's not about Konoha. It's other villages... Recently, ninjas from Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and several smaller villages have been attacked."

"Give us the details," Homura Mitokado said.

Tsunade gestured lightly.

Shikamaru, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward with a stack of reports.

"The Fifth Hokage has already explained the general situation. What I need to add is that some of the bodies have been recovered, but all of them show signs of complete chakra depletion."

"And there are eyewitnesses claiming the killer was a man in white robes carrying a fishing rod..."

Homura Mitokado frowned. "A fishing-rod serial killer… When did someone like that appear in the ninja world? (≖╻≖;)"

Koharu Utatane looked speechless.

"You should really retire already! Is the fishing rod the point? It's the white robes! →_→"

Tsunade nodded. "That's right."

"As far as I know, every Ōtsutsuki who has appeared in the ninja world so far has worn white robes."

Homura Mitokado's expression darkened.

"So… the Ōtsutsuki clan has returned?!"

Shinju shook his head. "It's not exactly a return. According to the Great Toad Sage, Ōtsutsuki have always existed in the ninja world..."

Tsunade nodded. "In any case, that's the situation. Everyone should strengthen defenses over the next few days. And also—"

As she spoke, Tsunade looked directly at Shinju.

"Protect the tailed beasts in the village!"