Naruto: The Strongest

Pakura? Hearing that name, Shuuzawa's gaze changed. How lucky was this? According to Danzo's plan, she was his mission target, but he never expected to run into her here! 

Thinking about it, though, it made sense. At this moment, Pakura fiercely hunted down Kirigakure shinobi while resisting Onoki's southern invasion. 

This earned her immense fame while making her the object of Kirigakure's hatred. 

Ultimately, they were so desperate to eliminate her that they even ceased hostilities with Sunagakure. 

"But how far has this plan progressed?" Shuuzawa rubbed his chin, unsure if Pakura had already been elevated to the status of a village hero, only to be sold to Kirigakure in a ploy to prepare for the battle against Iwagakure. 

To be honest, Sunagakure's intelligence on this matter was insufficient, or rather, even Konoha likely hadn't anticipated that Sunagakure would decisively betray one of their own. 

If this were Konoha... "Damn it, what a pair of cunning strategists!" Shuuzawa cursed inwardly before turning to Shisui beside him. 

"Senpai, this is a big catch." 

"Hmm." Shisui frowned as he gazed into the distance, deep in thought. 

However, from his expression, it was clear he was eager to make a move. 

He was concerned about Pakura's strength and the possibility of reinforcements from Sunagakure, not to mention the considerable number of enemies present.

But this was a catch too valuable to ignore. After a long pause, he finally made up his mind. 

"Prepare for action. We must strike quickly and withdraw immediately if things go south. We can't risk them having backup reinforcements." 

"Understood!" Shuuzawa and Yuugao nodded simultaneously. 

Although their team had never explicitly discussed leadership roles, considering experience, strength, and background, Shisui was the most suitable leader. 

After all, he was a genius of the Uchiha Clan. Unfortunately, Shisui was unexpectedly assigned to their unit, and on his first day, Shuuzawa managed to trick him. 

Combined with his personality, no one had ever brought up the leadership issue again. 

But when the decision arrived, it was up to him to make the calls and bear the responsibility.

"If anything goes wrong, at least there's someone to take the blame." 

As they gradually closed in, hidden against the sloping dunes, Shuuzawa raised his head to look at Pakura standing proudly in the distance. 

She was wielding her unique Scorch Release to hunt down Kirigakure shinobi, evaporating the already scarce moisture in the air and leaving her enemies in complete disarray. 

Now he understood why Kirigakure was so determined to kill her—her Scorch Release was the perfect counter to their techniques.

She was undeniably fierce! "Even though we have Shisui here, it's best to be extra cautious." Shuuzawa muttered to himself. 

He had three unused skill points, and after some thought, he decided to allocate all of them to Yin Release! 

[Skill Points: 0] 

[Yin Release: LV3] 

Instantly, knowledge of Yin Release techniques similar to those used by Madara Uchiha flooded his mind. 

He immediately grasped its principles and how to wield this power more effectively.

At the same time, Pakura and her Sunagakure squad had nearly wiped out the remaining Kirigakure shinobi. 

Their formation was spread out, and seeing this, Shisui's Sharingan spun into activation. 

"Now!" When the words left his mouth, he charged forward toward Pakura at high speed. 

As he sprinted, his hands moved rapidly to form hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" A massive fireball roared toward the Sunagakure squad, catching them off guard.

"Who's there?!" They had just finished dealing with an enemy force. 

Some were injured and fatigued, never expecting yet another attack. "Don't panic. Prepare for battle—I'm here." 

Pakura's steady voice immediately restored morale. 

At the same time, multiple orange fireballs materialized around her, hovering in mid-air. The intense heat distorted the surrounding air. 

One of her Scorch Release fireballs effortlessly canceled out Shisui's Great Fireball, but by then, Shisui had already reached Pakura.

Their battle erupted in an instant. "Senpai, let's move!" Shuuzawa donned his mask and nodded at Yuugao before activating his Curse Mark and charging forward. 

The harsh desert environment somewhat hindered him—his Water Release techniques were practically useless here. 

Given the need for a swift battle, he had no intention of holding back. 

Feeling the power surging within him, Shuuzawa's speed increased dramatically, making him a blur. 

In an instant, he was already upon a Sunagakure shinobi! "What?!" The speed caught the Sunagakure shinobi off guard—he couldn't react in time! Shuuzawa didn't hesitate. 

A kunai appeared in his hand, and he struck without acknowledging the stunned expression before him. 

Blood sprayed through the air as the Sunagakure shinobi collapsed, clutching his throat, his body convulsing uncontrollably as blood gushed between his fingers. 

Without pausing, Shuuzawa shifted his stance and accelerated toward his next target.

"Die!" Shuuzawa was fast, but Pakura's squad members weren't easy prey. 

Enraged by their fallen comrade, one rushed at Shuuzawa with kunai in both hands. 

"Brave, but you're still too slow." In his Curse Mark state, Shuuzawa was no joke. 

With a swift sidestep, he evaded the attack and, in the same motion, drove his elbow into the shinobi's side. 

The shinobi staggered backward from the pain, but he still hurled both kunai at Shuuzawa as he fell. 

The sharp sound of slicing wind drew closer. Shuuzawa remained expressionless as he casually flicked his kunai.

Both kunai were deflected with a faint metallic clink, clattering to the ground. In the next instant, Shuuzawa's kunai struck true, embedding itself into the Sunagakure shinobi's body. 

Shuuzawa glanced at his fallen opponent and swiftly leaped away. 

"Wind Release: Grand Air Cannon!" 

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!" 

"Wind Release: Gale Slash!" 

When he retreated, a barrage of Wind Release techniques bombarded his previous position, whipping the desert sands into a chaotic storm. 

It seemed his overwhelming assault had drawn too much attention. However, Pakura had already entered the battle, and Shisui kept Pakura occupied.

That left him with no major concerns. Instead, he took the opportunity to test a theory. 

"Yin Release can't enhance Taijutsu, but it works wonders with Ninjutsu. If I combine it with my Curse Mark..." 

Landing steadily, Shuuzawa clasped his hands together, forming a seal. 

Truthfully, with his Earth Release at Level 6, he no longer needed to perform hand seals for most techniques. 

But maintaining appearances was necessary. Watching the approaching Sunagakure shinobi, Shuuzawa smirked as Yin Release and natural chakra surged within him.

"In this world, there are certain people you just don't mess with, like..." Someone with a cheat-like advantage! 

"Sage Art: Earth-Yin Release—Earth Stone Dragon!" 

The sandy ground trembled violently before a massive fifty-meter-long stone dragon erupted beneath the earth! 

The beast let out a deafening roar, its immense form and overwhelming presence striking fear into the hearts of all who witnessed it. 

As Shuuzawa watched the scene unfold, a thought popped into his mind. "Wait a minute... is this a Wood Dragon or an Earth Dragon?"

It was no surprise that Shuuzawa had such a thought, given how absurdly large the earth dragon before him was! 

"Close to fifty meters in length… That's nearly the size of some Tailed Beasts or even a lower-level Susanoo." 

The height and strength of Susanoo changed depending on the evolution of the Sharingan. 

In its early stages, Susanoo was only around ten meters tall. 

As for Wood's Release, was even more unbelievable; otherwise, how could Hashirama Senju have defeated Madara Uchiha with it? 

"What… What the hell is this?" The Sand Shinobi, who had been planning to attack Shuuzawa, were now completely stunned.

They couldn't suppress the fear creeping into their hearts, their lips trembling as they whispered, "Such a massive size… Is this Earth Release?" 

Since when did Earth Release reach this level of power? 

"Damn it…" In the distance, Pakura's expression darkened. 

Her squad had just finished dealing with a group of Kirigakure shinobi. 

After barely resolving that battle, another enemy appeared, leaving them with no time to recover before being forced into another fight. 

This time, the opponent was even more troublesome! Even setting aside the one with unbelievable speed and combat prowess, she might lose if she let her guard down. 

But the person who had summoned this enormous earth dragon… That was even more unfathomable. Who were these people? 

"Who the hell are you?" Pakura gritted her teeth and asked in a low voice. 

"Iwagakure? Konohagakure? Or maybe—" Of course, she never truly trusted us! 

Upon hearing her words, Shisui almost laughed in disbelief. He had initially felt a little guilty about attacking an ally. 

Though this so-called ally had done far worse in the past—and the order for this operation came from above—he still felt uneasy about it. 

But now, there was no need to think twice. He would simply capture them first and deal with the rest later! 

"But Shuuzawa being this strong… Well, I suppose that makes sense. After all, he's someone capable of fighting Orochimaru." 

Shisui thought to himself, quickly justifying it. Not only he but even Yuugao, who was locked in intense combat in the distance, shared the same sentiment. 

Orochimaru had always been a living legend in Konoha. 

For Shuuzawa to have fought against Orochimaru and escaped from him in one piece—it undeniably proved his strength. 

So, while Shuuzawa's current performance seemed a little unbelievable when they remembered that fact, it suddenly became much easier to accept. 

"Don't be fooled by this guy! Attack!" The Sand Shinobi, who was directly facing Shuuzawa's massive earth dragon, trembled slightly, but they continued encouraging each other, refusing to give up. 

This was the Land of Wind. As long as they could hold out until reinforcements arrived, they had a chance of survival! 

"Still resisting?" Shuuzawa raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice, but the Sand Shinobi didn't bother responding. 

Instead, they quickly scattered in different directions, attempting to surround him from all sides, unwilling to be wiped out by the colossal earth dragon.

While running, some formed hand seals, while others pulled out kunai strapped with explosive tags—making it clear that they had no intention of surrendering! 

"In that case…" Shuuzawa didn't hesitate. He controlled the earth dragon, which let out a deafening roar before suddenly lunging at a Sand Shinobi! 

"Damn it! Wind Release: Wind Blade!" The targeted Sand Shinobi tried to resist, but the earth dragon gave him no chance. 

It slammed into him with immense force, causing the ground to tremble. In an instant, there was nothing left—not even a corpse.

"The impact force is impressive, and the destructive power is excellent—thanks to its sheer size," Shuuzawa assessed the situation quickly. 

"But its weaknesses are also obvious. It consumes a lot of chakra, lacks durability, and has no regeneration." 

The powerful collision had obliterated the enemy and left the earth dragon itself in pieces. 

Its lack of resilience made it incomparable to the Wood-Dragon. Moreover, the Wood Dragon could absorb chakra, allowing it to self-repair and continue fighting.

In contrast, Shuuzawa's 'Sage Art: Yin Release' had a clear drawback. However, he wasn't too concerned—he knew his current limits well. 

Besides, Sage Art combined with Yin Release wasn't limited to this technique; he had other options to explore! 

"Also, the chakra consumption is quite high. Looks like I need to focus on improving my physical endurance and chakra reserves." 

As he pondered this, the next wave of attacks was already upon him! 

"Die!" The Sand Shinobi roared in unison, unleashing a barrage of Wind Release jutsu and hurling numerous kunai laced with explosive tags at Shuuzawa.

Shuuzawa raised his head slightly before forming a single-hand seal. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall." 

In an instant, towering earthen walls erupted from the ground, encircling Shuuzawa. At the same moment, the Sand Shinobi's attacks arrived! 

A dense series of explosions and impact tremors rang out against the walls, causing cracks from the intense shockwaves. 

However, thanks to the enhancement of the Curse Mark, Shuuzawa's Earth-Style Wall wasn't so easily breached. 

He even had the luxury of glancing at the wall, considering whether he should follow Kakashi's example and carve some faces into it.

"But… it's time to end this." Shuuzawa formed another seal, and outside the Earth-Style Wall, the shattered remnants of the Earth dragon suddenly began to stir. 

The next moment, it let out another thunderous roar! "What?!" 

"That earth dragon… It's still—" 

"Damn it!" Watching the earth dragon rise again, the Sand Shinobi felt their blood run cold! 

"Well then…" Suddenly, a voice came from above. 

Looking up, they saw Shuuzawa standing atop the high wall, gazing down at them indifferently. "Goodbye."

Under Shuuzawa's control, the damaged earth dragon let out a final roar before launching itself at the Sand Shinobi with unstoppable force! 

The ground trembled once more— The devastation was unimaginable.

"Th-this is…" No one knew how much time had passed when the Sand Village's reinforcements finally arrived. 

What they saw was pure devastation. The entire area was in ruins, with massive craters dotting the landscape, some still untouched by the shifting sands. 

Confusion filled their minds, but an unmistakable sense of dread settled in their hearts. It was clear that an unimaginable battle had taken place here. 

"Who… was fighting here?" One of the Sand Shinobi couldn't help but whisper, truly shaken by the scene before him. "Yeah… I'd also like to know who was fighting here."

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from behind them, causing the reinforcements to immediately take a defensive stance! 

Turning around, they saw a young man, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds. His short red hair stood out vividly. 

"Y-you… Who are you?!" For some reason, seeing this young man sent chills down their spines. Even asking him a question made them feel nervous.

"Hmph. So, you've forgotten me… Well, that's fine," the young man said nonchalantly, shaking his head as if he didn't care. 

"I originally came back just to collect a few things. I didn't expect to stumble upon something this interesting." 

Then, with a slight smirk, he added, "Oh, by the way… My name is Sasori. You all used to call me Sasori of the Red Sand."

"!!!"