Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou [280]

Here's the 2 Extra Chapters.

Good job!

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Dragon Vein Ruins.

Deep within the underground cavern, a loud rumbling echoed as two bolts of lightning flashed repeatedly. Sasuke's face was filled with shock and anger.

"Sasuke, be careful! This one's good with a blade!"

From a distance, Suigetsu shouted after witnessing Samui's exquisite swordsmanship.

However, Sasuke, already locked in the flashing blades, hardly needed the warning. The Sharingan's three tomoe spun wildly in his eyes, and his expression grew more furious.

As Sasuke struggled to block with his Kusanagi sword, Jugo roared furiously from the side, instantly entering his berserk state.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sasuke activated his Cursed Seal state.

As both of them entered their enhanced states with a significant boost in power, Samui, cloaked in lightning chakra, smirked coldly.

"In honor of the fact that you're Lord Shirou's clansmen, let me teach you the proper way to use the power of the Cursed Seal!"

With the lightning chakra around her surging violently, streaks of thunder-like markings appeared on Samui's face and skin.

But as she transitioned into her second-stage Cursed Seal state, she shouted, and her blue pupils turned red. Crimson markings spread around the corners of her eyes.

Cursed Seal: Sage Mode!

This was the extent of the Cursed Seal's development over the years—a Sage Mode achieved through training in Cursed Seal states, different from the second-stage Cursed Seal form.

From a distance, Mabui shook her head when she saw Samui directly entering the Cursed Seal Sage Mode.

"Samui's being reckless. She can only maintain that Sage Mode for five minutes at most."

Yugito, standing nearby, smiled and nodded. "Samui has worked hard these past years. Maybe she just wants to prove herself in front of Lord Shirou."

The three of them had grown up together and naturally understood Samui's mindset.

Among them, Mabui had a talent for space-time techniques. After reaching the level of an elite jonin and meeting the chakra requirement, she began training in space-time ninjutsu.

Yugito, with her unique physiology, had been sealed with tailed beast chakra since childhood. Over the years, the stimulation from the tailed beast chakra had caused her chakra reserves to grow abnormally large.

Although she was a pseudo-jinchuriki, her strength was no less than that of an average jinchuriki. When fighting at full power and perfectly controlling the tailed beast's chakra, her strength could rival the Four-Tails' state of berserk power.

Samui, however, was the only one who, despite having decent talent in lightning release, seemed ordinary compared to her two companions. Because of this, she had gritted her teeth and trained relentlessly for years.

Now, at just twenty years old, she had achieved the power she possessed today.

"Too slow! Too slow! Too many unnecessary movements…"

Amidst the rampaging lightning, Samui moved nimbly, pressing forward relentlessly. For a moment, she even suppressed the combined attacks of Sasuke and Jugo.

This shocked Sasuke. After entering this Cursed Seal state, not only had her speed multiplied, but her strength also far exceeded what his Cursed Seal state could provide.

"How is this possible?! Sasuke… being overwhelmed?!"

From afar, Karin's eyes filled with panic upon witnessing the scene. But her innate analytical abilities quickly kicked in, and she began observing Samui's combat style.

"Sasuke! This woman's chakra defense is likely the Lightning Release Chakra Mode from the Hidden Cloud. This technique consumes an enormous amount of chakra, and she's been attacking non-stop—it's clear she's not skilled at ninjutsu-based offense…"

In just a few moments, Karin—an exceptional sensor, analyst, and healer—had analyzed most of Samui's battle patterns.

As Karin had deduced, Samui's only chakra nature was lightning. But because of her single-minded focus, she had dedicated herself entirely to mastering the Lightning Release Taijutsu techniques taught by Shirou.

Like Might Guy, who trained exclusively in taijutsu, Samui had achieved a qualitative transformation by pushing her specialization to its limit.

"Jugo, move!"

After hearing Karin's analysis, Sasuke immediately understood. His opponent was a close-combat ninja specialized in Lightning Release Taijutsu.

And he, Sasuke, was a versatile fighter.

Taking this opportunity, Sasuke leaped back quickly. In mid-air, he shouted, and Jugo immediately stepped aside.

Before Sasuke even landed, he spat out several massive fireballs.

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!

Several terrifying fire dragons roared toward Samui. Just as Jugo prepared to support Sasuke's attack, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.

"Don't interrupt their fight."

The light and casual voice echoed in the cavern, but it filled Jugo, Suigetsu, and Karin with shock.

"How is this possible?!"

Under Jugo's astonished gaze, the violent energy in his body began to subside, and his Cursed Seal transformation retreated.

The instant this person's hand touched his shoulder, it suppressed the raging force within him.

What shocked Karin even more was that she couldn't sense this person's presence at all. If not for seeing him with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed it.

"Sasuke! No, this person isn't Sasuke!"

"Jugo's Cursed Seal was suppressed?!"

Suigetsu exclaimed in disbelief. At that moment, Karin raised her hand to stop him.

"Suigetsu, don't act rashly! I can't sense this person's presence!"

"What?! Impossible!" Suigetsu knew how powerful Karin's sensory abilities were.

If this person were an illusion or a fake, it would have been impossible for them to suppress Jugo. And yet…!

"Damn it! Just what kind of world is this?!"

As Suigetsu's scalp tingled, Shirou slowly turned his head and smiled at the two of them.

"Well, well. I didn't expect Karin-chan to grow up so cute. And you—shark-toothed brat, Suigetsu."

Shirou's casual, familiar greeting caused Karin and Suigetsu to widen their eyes in shock.

Karin-chan?

Shark-toothed brat?

At that moment, Karin and Suigetsu's minds buzzed. The implications of his words were staggering.

In this world, not only did this man know them, but he also knew they came from another world.

Effortlessly lifting Jugo, Shirou appeared before Karin and Suigetsu in an instant. As the two instinctively tried to dodge, an overwhelming pressure bore down on them.

"Don't move now. Let me take a good look at how Sasuke's strength measures up in another world."

Shirou's kind smile felt terrifying to Karin and Suigetsu.

How terrifying was this man?! If he had wanted to kill them, he could have done so easily the moment he appeared.

"Lord Shirou!"

As Uchiha Shirou appeared, Konan, Mabui, and Yugito all leaped over one by one, nodding respectfully and bowing in greeting. However, seeing this, Shirou simply waved his hand with a smile and said:

"Don't interrupt this battle. Let me see how much Samui has grown over the years."

Inside the ruins, the battle between the two fighters became increasingly intense, with the surrounding stone structures continuously crumbling.

Samui's talent in Lightning Release taijutsu was undoubtedly one of the best in Konoha, coupled with her diligent training. Her mastery of the Lightning Armor had reached perfection, and in the field of Lightning Release taijutsu, she had even surpassed Kakashi Hatake.

"Samui's Lightning Armor has surpassed Kakashi in applying Lightning Release taijutsu."

Observing the fight, Shirou nodded in approval, clearly satisfied with Samui's performance.

Persistence and determination are key to strength, and Samui, eager to impress him, was giving it her all. How could he refuse? Initially, he thought Samui's talent had its limits, but her perseverance over the years had given him a pleasant surprise.

It's worth noting that at this period, Sasuke, though lacking the Mangekyō Sharingan, already possessed Kage-level strength due to the power of the Curse Mark.

"Sasuke has laid a solid foundation in training over the years. His ninjutsu, genjutsu, and kenjutsu are all quite refined. However, his focus on well-rounded development has scattered his energy. Moreover, he's still too young. Even though he's skilled in Lightning Release, he lacks complementary taijutsu..."

As Shirou assessed the two combatants, Karin, standing behind him, nervously glanced at the tall, muscular, and imposing figure before her. She hesitated before speaking:

"Um... lord, we came here with Sasuke purely by accident..."

"Karin-chan, you're still as disobedient as ever."

A warm hand suddenly ruffled her red hair. Under Karin's bewildered gaze, this tall and warm figure revealed a smile filled with kindness.

"I... I didn't..."

Realizing what was happening, Karin flusteredly waved her hands, trying to explain, but Shirou smiled and nodded:

"I know you're from another world. Previously, some Konoha shinobi from your world came here, and through their memories, I naturally learned some information.

So, the fact that you were able to come here was because I leaked certain details. Otherwise, do you think you could have found out?"

Karin and her companions were stunned by Shirou's calm revelation.

This meant that Sasuke's discovery of the Dragon Vein and their arrival in this world had all been orchestrated by him. In that case...

"But Karin-chan, welcome home."

Under Shirou's warm and infectious smile, Karin was momentarily overwhelmed and at a loss for words.

Jugo remained silent, while Suigetsu, his gaze darting around nervously, seemed to be searching for an escape route.

"Home... home..."

Karin adjusted her glasses, stammering as her mind raced to find a way to respond. However, Shirou simply nodded calmly.

"Of course. Although I don't know much about your world, I gleaned some details from the mind of a Konoha Wood Release user. I learned about the fate of the Uzumaki and Hozuki clans in your world.

In this world, though only a few members of the Hozuki clan survived, they managed to establish a new family in Konoha. And as for you, Karin-chan—"

At this point, Shirou smiled and added, "The you in this world are only eight years old. Your mother, who was found in the Land of Grass, was brought back from Kusagakure."

Karin, known for her sharp analytical mind, was visibly shaken by these words. Her pupils trembled, and her gaze became vacant as she murmured:

"This world's me... and my mother... are still alive... How..."

She wanted to say "How is this possible?" but memories of her mother protecting her flashed in her mind, causing her eyes to brim with tears.

Meanwhile, Suigetsu looked at the Konoha shinobi before him in disbelief.

"Impossible! The Hozuki clan joined Konoha. Is this world insane!?"

At his outburst, Mabui chuckled softly and explained:

"First of all, let me correct you. This world is far from chaotic. The chaotic one is your miserable world. As for you in this world, you're just an eight-year-old brat who constantly declares he wants to become Hokage."

What!?

Hearing this, Suigetsu's eyes widened, and his mind buzzed with disbelief.

This world is insane! I became a Konoha shinobi and even declared I wanted to be Hokage. What kind of twisted shinobi joke is this!

"What about me!?"

Jugo, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked. Yugito, standing nearby, responded indifferently:

"Jugo, in this world, Orochimaru discovered your unique body. Unable to control your abilities, you underwent special training and attended the Ninja Academy. You're good friends with the little shark-mouth brat. However, both of you are considered talent seeds under Lord Shirou's cultivation plan, so we know all about you."

Hearing this ridiculous nickname, Suigetsu felt utterly frustrated. If he could fight them, he would have already attacked.

Jugo, on the other hand, showed rare hesitation but still asked, "Is Kimimaro here?"

"The boy with the Shikotsumyaku? He's older than you and not in the same class. He's the top student of his cohort and is preparing to graduate this year."

Hearing about Kimimaro, Jugo's expression changed, clearly moved.

With all this new information about this world, Jugo and Karin were thrown into turmoil. Suigetsu, however, was increasingly anxious.

Damn it! At a critical moment, I can't rely on anyone!

Meanwhile, inside the ruins, Sasuke and Samui's battle raged on.

Samui's Lightning Armor taijutsu style focused on relentless, storm-like attacks that gave her opponents no chance to breathe. Wielding dual blades, her attacks were swift and fierce.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was frustrated. The Lightning Armor on Samui's body provided such strong defense that his ordinary ninjutsu couldn't break through.

Lightning Release: Chidori Senbon!

 Sasuke unleashed a ferocious Lightning Release attack, but his frustration only grew as Samui countered with a cold voice:

"Your use of Chidori is too crude."

She retaliated with an equally advanced Lightning Release technique.

Sasuke's frustration stemmed from the fact that Samui not only knew every Lightning Release jutsu he did but used them even better. His combat style was entirely familiar to her, while hers was completely new to him. In the anime, he had only encountered such combat rhythm during the Five Kage Summit against the Fourth Raikage.

The difference was that the Fourth Raikage fought with overwhelming, berserk speed, while Samui's style was a rapid, piercing assault.

"Damn it! Her mastery of Chidori is so refined!"

As their blades clashed, a streak of blood splattered from Sasuke's shoulder. His Sharingan locked onto her figure, just a little more...

Even with the Sharingan's genjutsu, the violent chakra within Samui's body nullified it. Without overwhelming chakra quality, it was nearly impossible to trap her in genjutsu, especially in her Curse Mark Sage Mode state.

Sasuke was completely suppressed in taijutsu. Ninjutsu fared slightly better, but Samui gave him no opportunity to create distance, making it nearly impossible to execute long-range techniques.

Even if he managed to cast a jutsu, her incredible speed rendered it ineffective.

After just a few minutes of high-intensity combat, both had expended significant amounts of chakra, panting for breath.

Watching this scene, Shirou couldn't help but smile.