NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: Chapter 36
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Uchiha Shin and said, "First of all, my parents aren't dead. My father is from the Senju Clan, and my mother is just an ordinary villager from Konoha.
Second, why should I even mention them? They're alive and well, in their forties.
Third, they integrated into Konoha according to my grandfather's teachings. They don't want unnecessary attention, and they specifically told me not to disturb them too much."
Uchiha Shin coughed awkwardly, realizing something that had never crossed his mind before.
Tsunade's parents never existed in his previous knowledge, and she never mentioned them. He had always assumed she was like him—both parents gone.
Turned out she had both parents alive but lived independently, keeping her distance.
In an attempt to shift the subject, Uchiha Shin's expression turned serious. "The situation on Nawaki's side isn't good. Looks like Root operatives are after him."
"Root again... Danzo!!!"
Tsunade's eyes darkened. She already suspected Root had been involved in the previous attack on Shin, and now, here they were again. There was no doubt about it—the Senju Clan was being targeted.
Tsunade clenched her fists. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to storm back to Konoha and drag Danzo out of his rat hole for a proper beating.
Meanwhile, the three Root ninjas, who had come to "recover the body" of Nawaki, were confused.
Inside the fiery crater, something stirred. At the center, a dark sphere formed.
"AHH! Hot! HOT! HOT!"
A muffled scream echoed from within, reaching Tsunade's ears.
The Root ninjas hesitated, unsure of what was happening, but one of them took action, launching an attack at the strange iron sphere.
"Tch! You think you can break through my Iron Sand Shield?!"
From a thousand meters away, Uchiha Shin called out, "Tsunade, get over there now! I'll keep these three occupied!"
Although Tsunade had no clue what he meant by 'iron sand,' she didn't question it. She took off running toward the location he pointed at.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Grip!"
Uchiha Shin focused his chakra. The iron sand he had refined carried his own chakra, allowing him to control it remotely. It wouldn't last long, but it was more than enough to deal with a few Jonin.
The black sand iron swirled before forming a massive hand that shot out of the ground, reaching for the Root ninja attacking the shield.
Two of them reacted fast enough to retreat.
The third wasn't so lucky.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Binding Kill!"
Uchiha Shin clenched his fist, and instantly, the giant sand iron hand exploded with hundreds of sharp spikes, impaling the Root ninja trapped within. His body convulsed violently, transforming into a grotesque pincushion of iron spikes before going limp.
"Soul Transference: Black Flame Shroud!"
Uchiha Shin's right eye spun, revealing the ominous glow of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
In an instant, the black flames of his jutsu flared to life, consuming the sand iron hand along with the impaled ninja's corpse. The chakra and life force absorbed from the victim momentarily reinforced the iron sand, making it stronger.
This was the technique he had developed over the past two years—a refined version of [Soul Transference]. His left eye allowed him to shape the black flames at will, similar to Uchiha Sasuke's [Kagutsuchi]. Now, he could attach these flames to his techniques or weapons, draining life force and chakra from his enemies while attacking.
And this was the first time he had unleashed it from long range.
Seeing how effective it was, he couldn't help but smirk.
"Next up... Magnet Release: Iron Sand Prison!"
To prevent the Root operatives from escaping, Uchiha Shin gathered more of his chakra.
A massive wave of iron sand erupted from the ground, enclosing the remaining Root ninjas within an inescapable prison. Complex sealing patterns formed along its walls, ensuring that unless they had space-time ninjutsu, escape was impossible.
"Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique!"
One of the trapped Root ninjas formed a quick seal, attempting to soften the earth beneath him to tunnel away.
The moment his hand touched the ground, the black flames leapt onto his skin.
"Aghhhh!"
His arm withered and burned at an alarming rate, his flesh turning to ash before his horrified companion's eyes.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
The second Root ninja quickly formed a seal, releasing a powerful stream of water toward his burning ally in an attempt to extinguish the flames.
But it was futile.
The black flames, enhanced by Shin's pupil power, refused to be doused—just like the infamous [Amaterasu].
"Damn it!"
Realizing their situation was hopeless, the two Root operatives shared a silent nod.
Tsunade had just arrived near the prison when she saw them bite down on something.
"Shit—!!"
But before she could stop them, they crushed the poison capsules hidden in their molars.
The potent toxin took effect almost instantly, snuffing out their lives in mere seconds.
Tsunade skidded to a halt, watching helplessly as their bodies crumbled, consumed by the relentless black flames.
Uchiha Shin, unfazed, let the flames burn them away. He wasn't about to let high-ranking Root corpses go to waste—their chakra and life energy were still ripe for harvesting.
Tsunade stood there as the sand iron cage collapsed, revealing Nawaki inside.
The iron sand peeled away, uncovering the young Senju sprawled on the ground, whimpering.
His hands and feet were scorched red from the intense heat of the explosion. The Iron Sand Shield had saved his life, but the aftermath of the detonation had still burned him.
Tsunade's face darkened.
"You STUPID, IDIOTIC LITTLE BRAT!"
Nawaki flinched, looking up in horror.
If it weren't for the iron sand intervention, he would've been dead.
And if that had happened, Tsunade would never be able to face their grandmother Mito, or their parents!
"S-Sis…?"
The moment Nawaki saw Tsunade's terrifying glare, all the pain from his burns vanished. He shrank back, looking like a frightened quail.
Uchiha Shin arrived just in time to witness Tsunade clenching her fist before delivering a monstrous punch to Nawaki's head.
"YOU NEARLY GOT YOURSELF KILLED, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
"GAAAHH—!!"
The impact sent him flying several meters, his body skidding across the dirt before stopping at Shin's feet.
Uchiha Shin looked down at the groaning boy and nudged him lightly with his foot.
Nawaki groaned in pain but immediately snapped to attention the moment Shin tapped his forehead with his shoe.
"Well? Are you dead yet?"
Nawaki, still lying on the ground, raised his head like a resurrected corpse.
Shin smirked.
Tsunade, meanwhile, cracked her knuckles. "You should be thanking Shin. If it weren't for him, your dumbass would've been in a body bag. Now get your ass up."
Nawaki scrambled to his knees, bowing toward Uchiha Shin, not sure if he should thank him or fear him.
Shin just clicked his tongue, amused.
What a mess.