Konoha's Tatsuya

Whoosh...

After the Suna leader departed, Tatsuya sat cross-legged on Seiryu's head, regulating his breathing for a few moments before he somewhat recovered.

Finishing his breathing exercises, Tatsuya formed hand seals, and with a puff of white smoke, Seiryu vanished.

Landing steadily on the ground, Tatsuya turned to look at the woods several dozen meters away and said calmly, "Come out."

As his voice faded, a figure slowly emerged from the trees.

A robust physique and a face full of whiskers were immediately recognizable. The person who walked out was none other than the physician, Shinno.

Clap, clap!

"Tatsuya-kun, your strength is truly astonishing," Shinno said, clapping his hands and full of admiration as he slowly walked towards Tatsuya.

"My meager strength is nothing. I merely got lucky and subdued a powerful summon! It's Shinno-sensei who is more surprising. What about the others?"

Tatsuya looked at Shinno calmly, showing no surprise at his appearance. From the start of this mission, Tatsuya had suspected that this guy probably wouldn't be returning to the village.

The reason he had detected Shinno's trailing wasn't because his sensory abilities were superior to the Suna leader's, but because Shinno had intentionally leaked his presence to him.

"They're all dead," Shinno said calmly.

Tatsuya's pupils constricted slightly, and his face darkened. Although he had anticipated this outcome, hearing the news still made him feel a little down. After all, they had been companions for over half a month, and now they were gone.

The ninja world was truly a dog-eat-dog place!

"Tatsuya-kun, do you know who that Suna ninja chasing you was?" Shinno asked, observing the changes in Tatsuya's expression. A rare, playful expression appeared on his face.

Tatsuya raised an eyebrow, his gaze unwavering. "Oh? Who was it?"

Shinno said, "It was Maki, a young elite jonin from Sunagakure."

"Maki!" Tatsuya's expression shifted slightly.

In Sunagakure, Maki's strength was undoubtedly top-tier, a true elite jonin. In the anime from his previous life, this capable ninja from Sunagakure had once instantly killed Konoha's special jonin, Hayate Gekko.

How does Shinno know Maki's identity?

It seemed the destroyed Land of the Sky still retained a considerable amount of power.

Shinno continued, "Tatsuya-kun, if the news of you forcing Maki to retreat spreads, you'll become famous throughout the ninja world."

"Is that so? It was just luck," Tatsuya replied noncommittally.

"Tatsuya-kun, you held your own against Maki for so long without summoning your beast. That's not just luck. I remember your grades weren't particularly outstanding back in the Academy. How have you undergone such a drastic change in just a year or so?" Shinno's gaze, like a hawk's, sharpened.

Shinno had become suspicious about Tatsuya learning the Body Revival and Body Activation forbidden jutsus. And the fact that Tatsuya showed no surprise at all when he saw Shinno, after Shinno had deliberately leaked his presence, only deepened his suspicion.

Clearly, this kid knew something about his own secrets. He just didn't know how much.

"Shinno-sensei, people always grow, don't they? Speed at one point doesn't mean everything. I just mastered a few small tricks," Tatsuya replied calmly, meeting Shinno's scrutinizing gaze.

However, inwardly, Tatsuya was prepared to act at any moment. This old schemer's strength was not to be underestimated, and Tatsuya didn't want to fall into his hands.

"Tatsuya-kun, I obtained a secret technique from Orochimaru. It's derived from your Akimichi clan's secret technique, and it's said that this technique originated from you. However, this technique is incomplete. I wonder if the remaining parts are in your possession?" Shinno licked his lips, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Tatsuya.

The effects of the Fujinhoin were extremely beneficial for practicing forbidden jutsus like Body Revival and Body Activation, and Shinno had already tasted the immense benefits. It was precisely this rapid increase in his strength that had prompted Shinno to leave Konoha ahead of schedule.

Hearing Shinno's words, Tatsuya's expression changed drastically, and his gaze towards Shinno turned cold.

Damn it! Orochimaru actually gave that clan seal to Shinno.

Although the scroll of secret techniques Tatsuya had given to Orochimaru was incomplete, it still contained the complete clan secret technique replication seal. This replication seal alone could bring immense benefits to Shinno.

With the help of this secret technique, Shinno's strength would undoubtedly enter a period of rapid growth. This guy's threat to the village had greatly increased.

At this moment, Tatsuya felt a strong killing intent towards Shinno.

"Hehe, Tatsuya-kun, it seems I've hit the mark," Shinno said with a smile, sensing the intense killing intent emanating from Tatsuya.

Seeing Shinno's carefree attitude, Tatsuya didn't move.

Gradually, the smile on Shinno's face faded. "Tatsuya-kun, I want to make a deal with you."

"Impossible," Tatsuya refused without a second thought.

"Tatsuya-kun, you might want to hear my terms first. I have a forbidden jutsu here called the Eight Gates. It's a super-powerful taijutsu-focused technique. Combined with your secret technique, it can unleash power surpassing that of a Kage. I want to trade this technique for the remaining parts of that secret technique. Are you interested, Tatsuya-kun?"

Unfazed by Tatsuya's refusal, Shinno pulled out a scroll from his pocket and waved it.

The Eight Gates!

Tatsuya's eyes narrowed. Shinno had indeed obtained this forbidden jutsu from Might Guy and Might Duy.

"That secret technique was something I discovered unintentionally within my clan's secret techniques. The version I gave to Orochimaru-sama is the complete one," Tatsuya shook his head, still firmly refusing.

Comparing Shinno's use of the Eight Gates to that of Might Guy and others, the Eight Gates in Shinno's possession was likely incomplete, lacking at least signature moves like the Front Lotus, Morning Peacock, and Daytime Tiger.

However, even without these stage-specific signature moves, the ability to open the Eight Gates was already a terrifying boost to a ninja's power. But it wasn't worth trading the complete Fūja Hōin for.

Moreover, Shinno was clearly prepared, and Tatsuya wouldn't trust anything he handed over.

Hearing this, the expression on Shinno's face gradually turned cold. The atmosphere in the area became tense.

"Hehe, since Tatsuya-kun is unwilling, then so be it," After a moment, seemingly seeing the determination in Tatsuya's eyes, the coldness on Shinno's face gradually faded. He said this to Tatsuya and then turned to leave.

The moment he turned, his expression instantly turned incredibly sinister.

Tatsuya remained standing silently. Only after Shinno had left did he move, also departing. This place was too close to where the battle had taken place. If the Suna ninja decided to double back, he would be in danger.

Whoosh...

Whoosh...

A few minutes later, a series of whooshing sounds filled the air as the Suna leader and over a dozen Suna ninja arrived.

"Damn it!" Seeing the empty woods, the Suna leader let out a low, angry curse.