Shinigami in the Ninja World

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But for a ninja, it wasn't difficult to traverse.

Karin hopped down, bouncing with energy.

She raised her hands high, as if trying to grasp the sea breeze, but all she caught was the damp moisture seeping into her palms.

She turned around, wanting to say something to Naruto.

But before she could speak, a flash of golden light appeared before her eyes.

In an instant, Naruto was in front of her, his expression serious.

He turned his head to the left and shouted, "You over there, come out!"

His finger pointed in that direction, chakra surging.

A flash of white light struck out, exploding in an instant.

Karin shrank behind Naruto, looking in the direction he had attacked.

The damp environment caused minimal dust, with only a few scattered pebbles and shards of stone flying through the air.

The view was wide and open—just a stretch of rocky shore, with nothing to obstruct it.

But there was nothing resembling a "human" or "puppet" there.

"It doesn't look like there's anyone there," she whispered softly.

Naruto frowned.

From what he could see, there was indeed no one.

Even in his sensory perception, there was no trace of chakra in that spot.

The only thing his attack had hit was the ground.

But…

Just now, in that brief moment, he had clearly sensed a malevolent intent.

Like a sharp thorn at his back—it was definitely the malice of a human.

His sensory abilities couldn't be wrong.

So… that must be someone extremely skilled at hiding.

If not for the hint of malice, he wouldn't have been able to detect their presence at all.

He had barely left Konoha, and already someone like this had found him.

Who could it be?

That Uchiha?

Or perhaps someone else targeting the Nine-Tails or himself.

Just like right now, hidden in this place, but to his eyes, their chakra presence was glaringly obvious.

Deep underground.

A man with his head enveloped in a massive Venus flytrap, one half of his body black, the other half white, was trembling with fear.

"That was close, almost got hit," a flippant voice rang out—the white half was speaking, "He noticed us!"

"How did he do that?"

The black half's voice was heavy, "He's truly sharp."

He was confident in his ability to "conceal" himself. He had hidden from people far stronger than Naruto before.

And not just once!

But this guy…

"We'll have to be even more careful from now on," the white half murmured, "But the good news is, we've at least discovered his whereabouts."

"Inform Shu and Nan, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki is heading to the Land of Whirlpools."

The "Shu" and "Nan" he mentioned referred to "Uchiha Itachi" and "Hoshigaki Kisame."

Both were members of the same organization.

The black half fell silent and disappeared underground.

"What's wrong?" Karin tugged at Naruto's sleeve.

Naruto shook his head and turned his gaze towards the rocks: "The three of you over there, no need to hide, come out."

Karin looked over again.

The waves crashed against the rocks with a loud, resounding roar.

Were there people over there too?

Naruto didn't repeat himself, he raised his hand and pointed.

Again, white lightning flashed, shattering the rocks, piercing through, and tearing into the waves.

Three figures instantly moved, forced to reveal themselves.

They were all wearing earth-colored vests and masks.

"The Anbu from Rock Village?" Karin stared at the symbol on their foreheads—a pattern of two mountains joined together—and immediately recognized their identity.

"Don't be alarmed," the Anbu member in the center spoke, raising his hands and spreading them out in front of his chest, "We mean no harm."

Naruto stared at them.

"We are acting under the orders of Tsuchikage-sama." Seeing that Naruto had no intention of continuing his attack, he cautiously continued, "We extend an invitation to you, the hero who defeated the S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru."

"If you're not happy staying in a place like Konoha..."

"Why not consider changing villages?"

He spoke with extreme care, trying to make his tone and voice sound as sincere as possible.

Naruto smiled softly.

The three members of the Anbu team breathed a sigh of relief.

But in the next moment.

"What are you testing?" A voice suddenly sounded by his ear.

In his vision, everything suddenly became empty, leaving only a red-haired girl.

The blond boy was no longer in his original spot.

Instead, he appeared right beside him, his hand already on his mask.

He tried to pull away.

But...

An overwhelming pressure descended upon him, causing him to tremble, his body stiffening like stone, with his chakra frozen in place.

The connection between his brain and body was severed.

Naruto removed his mask.

Exposing a face that was weathered, rough, deeply tanned, and distinctly characteristic of the Land of Earth.

This only made him more terrified.

Unable to move, what technique was this?

Genjutsu?

Or the Nara clan's Shadow Binding Technique?

But whether it was genjutsu or the Nara clan's secret technique, could it achieve this level...

To control someone so completely, while remaining unaffected himself.

Naruto let go, allowing the mask to fall freely.

"I really hate this approach."

The mask hit the ground, disappearing into the sand without a sound.

Was their goal to recruit him?

Not at all.

Naruto's experience might not match that of other captains, but such petty tricks couldn't fool him.

"Recruitment" was just a cover.

They were testing him...

Testing whether he was "training away from the village" or had turned his back on Konoha.

The answer was the latter.

But was there any need for him to clarify that for them?

He wouldn't side with Konoha, nor would he side with any other village.

Naruto turned and slowly walked towards Karin, beckoning with his hand: "Let's go. We're heading back."

The red-haired girl nodded and followed him.

Their steps were light, leaving only faint imprints in the sand.

But in the perception of the three Anbu members.

The aura emanating from that blond boy grew heavier and heavier.

Until he completely disappeared from their sight.

Only then did the weight pressing down on them finally lift.

They...could finally let their nearly shattered spirits reflect on their bodies.

The three Anbu members collapsed, lying on the sand.

"What's with that kid..." The one on the left removed his mask, gasping for air, sweat pouring from his forehead, "What was that overwhelming presence!"

"The news about him killing Orochimaru is true, not just a smokescreen released by Konoha to mislead us." The other one, although not removing his mask, spoke with a trembling voice filled with fear, "He absolutely could do it!"

"Even without using the power of the Tailed Beast, he could definitely do it."

He reached out with a trembling hand to touch his neck.

No cuts, no blood, completely unharmed.

Thank goodness!

He had been worried since earlier, wondering if he had already died, and it was just that the kid's blade was so fast that his body hadn't even realized it.

The one in the middle said nothing, staring blankly at the sky.

He was the one who had borne the brunt of the pressure.

"The Jinchuriki didn't seem to express his views on Konoha." The man on the left, his mind slowly recovering, recalled their mission.

The man in the middle immediately reacted, turning his head sharply: "What are you thinking?"

"That was a warning. If we go after him again, we will definitely die!"

"We've already confirmed his strength."

"That's enough to report back to the village."

The man on the left shook his head; he had no desire to see that blond boy again: "No, of course not!"

"I'm just puzzled why he didn't express his stance."

"It was just a single sentence..."

"Be grateful, our captain chose not to attack."

"We're lucky we didn't die."

~~~

"vermilion", "scarlet" (朱, shu)

"south" (南, nan)

Name of the Ten Rings of Akatsuki