Chapter 160 - 160

Words : 1152 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

"AAAH! My eyes! MY EYES!!" Jirōbō was in complete panic, blindly charging forward as he crashed into Shino—only for Shino to dissolve into a swarm of insects, instantly engulfing Jirōbō completely. It was clearly just a bug clone. The real Shino had already descended to the base of the tree and was continuously releasing more insects, surrounding and smothering Jirōbō entirely. Since the cursed seal's second stage was essentially an overload of chakra, Shino just countered with a bug swarm overload—draining every last drop of chakra he had. Let's see if he can still stand after this! Soon, the swarm began to return. Jirōbō lay motionless on the ground. Not only had his cursed seal deactivated, but if one looked closely, there were still insects crawling in and out of his mouth and nose—clearly, Shino hadn't just drained his chakra. He'd commanded the insects to enter Jirōbō's body and wreak havoc from the inside. And now, Jirōbō wasn't even breathing. Dead. Killed by Shino. To Shino, since the Sound Four were Orochimaru's lackeys sent to abduct Sasuke, there was no need to show mercy. He and Sasuke might not have been especially close, but they were still friends from the same village, comrades-in-arms. Shino wouldn't allow anyone to hurt his comrades, so when it came time to strike, he didn't hesitate at all. Besides, if that fat pig managed to recover mid-battle, it would only become troublesome. Better to end it now. The others in battle had heard Jirōbō's screams too, and all of them paused for a brief second. Not long after, Shino flashed onto a nearby tree branch. Kakashi smiled in approval. "Reliable as always, Shino." Sasuke looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "You already finished?" "Yeah. Easy work. My bugs are a hard counter to that fat pig." Shino spoke calmly, but Sasuke didn't dare underestimate him at all. He clearly understood that the Sound Four were all roughly equal in strength. And with their cursed seal second state, they could temporarily rival Jōnin. Yet even so, Shino had swiftly taken one out. That could only mean one thing: Shino was incredibly strong! "No wonder he's Natsuki's closest friend... he's not simple at all," Sasuke concluded. It was true. There were only two people truly close to Natsuki—his girlfriend, Tenten, and Shino. Shino had known Natsuki even before Tenten. The two had been deskmates, visited each other's homes, and had an unusually close bond. Being that close to Natsuki definitely wasn't something ordinary. Take Tenten for example: she used to be an ordinary kunoichi with no special bloodline or clan inheritance. She only had access to the basic three techniques and weapon throwing. Under normal circumstances, she would've remained a standard Genin. But as Natsuki's girlfriend, she had grown so powerful under his guidance that even Sasuke wasn't confident he could defeat her now! Clearly, Natsuki deeply cared about the growth of those close to him. If Shino was this close to Natsuki, then they surely understood each other perfectly. Natsuki had often said, "With Shino around, I can rest easy." Now, Sasuke realized that wasn't just flattery—it came from the heart. Ever since teaming up with Shino, Sasuke had noticed that he excelled at reconnaissance, surveillance, attack, defense—he did everything with precision. Shino was always calm, sharp, and analytical. And now, looking at his sheer combat strength, it was clear—Shino was terrifyingly capable. He really was that kind of all-rounder. Just like Natsuki said—if Shino's there, you don't need to worry. "There was a blinding flash just now..." Sasuke probed. "Oh. Taiyōken." (Solar Flare) Of course you know Taiyōken... Sasuke knew how powerful that move was. A sudden burst of light that blinded the opponent and allowed for a decisive strike—even Itachi had nearly fallen for it once. For someone like Shino, Natsuki's closest friend, it made perfect sense to know that technique. It was obvious what had happened—Shino had used Taiyōken to blind that fatty and then finished him off with a swarm ambush. Instant kill. Terrifying! The ones who were truly shaken were Tayuya, Sakon/Ukon, and Kidomaru. They didn't get along well, but they were all aware of each other's strength. In their cursed seal second state, they could take on Jōnin without issue. But now Jirōbō had been instantly defeated by that sunglasses-wearing bug guy? Impossible! It had to be impossible! ...But facts were facts. Denying them wouldn't change reality. At that moment, Shino's gaze locked onto Sakon/Ukon. His tone remained flat and steady. "Kakashi-sensei, let me handle the two-headed one. My bugs don't like spiders." Kidomaru's sticky webs were particularly troublesome for the insects. So Shino decisively chose Sakon/Ukon instead, whose strengths were taijutsu and body possession—neither of which were effective against bugs. Kakashi nodded without hesitation. "Alright. Then I'll take the spider guy." "LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" Kidomaru and Sakon/Ukon weren't going to stand by. Without needing to communicate, they rushed toward their respective opponents with desperate speed—like their lives depended on it. But when Kidomaru got close to Shino and fired his webs... he realized he'd only caught a mass of bugs. Shino had vanished. "Hey. I said your opponent is me." Kakashi appeared behind him and instantly formed hand seals. Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!) FWOOOM! The massive fireball engulfed the webs and surged toward Kidomaru. Everyone knew spider webs feared fire. Even chakra-enhanced webs would still burn, since the Gōkakyū also used chakra transformation. On the other side, Sakon/Ukon had planned to intercept Kakashi—but found his way blocked by swarms of insects. He didn't even notice Shino until he heard his voice directly behind him. "That was just a bug clone earlier. I'm not foolish enough to waste a sneak attack. While you were all distracted by my clone, I moved into position." "Damn it!" Sakon/Ukon's face darkened. Despite having two brains, they were still getting played. Their rage boiled over. But more than that—they were genuinely afraid now. Because... they realized they might not be able to beat Shino. Shino had hit the nail on the head—Sakon/Ukon's best skills were taijutsu and body possession. Neither worked on swarms of insects. "Screw it! Activate cursed seal second stage!" As black markings surged across his skin, his chakra turned cold and sinister. His body began to transform, one of his heads taking on a demonic appearance, horns sprouting from his skull, and beast-like features appearing across his frame. (End of Chapter) [Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]

Chapter 160 - 160

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