Although Naruto felt that something was off about Rosinante, the sparring match had already begun. There was no time for second-guessing—he simply had to find his opponent's weakness and break it.
After dodging Sasuke's ranged attack, Naruto swiftly formed hand seals, creating two clones beside him.
The real Naruto dashed forward, his right hand reaching behind him, while the two clones followed closely, their hands continuously rubbing his palm. Gradually, a blue sphere of swirling energy condensed in his hand—the Rasengan.
Naruto's plan was simple: get rid of Rosinante first, then focus on a one-on-one fight with Sasuke.
On the side, Sasuke wasn't idle either. Although he didn't understand why Naruto was targeting Rosinante first, he decided to follow Naruto's lead. Taking down an extra opponent quickly was always a good strategy.
"Oh, that guy's surrounded. He's in trouble," Tsunade commented, leaning back with an amused smirk. Watching the fight was surprisingly entertaining—perhaps it was just human nature to enjoy a good spectacle.
Jiraiya, however, wasn't as relaxed. He didn't hold much hope for Rosinante. If Zixu were the one fighting, there might still be a chance for an upset. But Rosinante? Jiraiya couldn't sense any particularly threatening aura from him.
"Naruto shouldn't have too much trouble," Jiraiya muttered.
But Zixu smiled faintly, unfazed.
"Hmm, too bad..." he said casually. "It's time to show them the power of Silence."
The Rasengan in Naruto's hand rapidly expanded as he closed in on Rosinante. What started as the size of a basketball soon swelled into a massive orb, large enough to rival a truck. The swirling energy was a terrifying sight, akin to a Spirit Bomb in its sheer scale.
As Naruto charged forward, dozens of clones suddenly burst into existence around him, each holding a Rasengan of their own. The scene looked like a barrage of missiles ready to rain down destruction.
Not to be outdone, Sasuke gathered blue lightning into his hand, forming a Chidori Spear. After a brief charge, he hurled it with explosive force, his enhanced muscle strength driving the attack to its full potential. Being struck by it wouldn't just mean electrocution—it could very well be fatal.
Despite the incoming onslaught, Rosinante stood calmly in place, his expression serene. Even with the countless attacks closing in, he merely tilted his head back and gazed at the sky, as if admiring the weather.
"Perfect day for fishing," he mused casually.
The next second, Rosinante's body was pierced clean through by Sasuke's lightning spear, while the swarm of Rasengan missiles struck the ground in a cataclysmic wave of destruction.
For a moment, it seemed as though Rosinante had been utterly annihilated—there wasn't even a trace of him left.
Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief. She turned to Zixu, unable to hide her shock.
"Wait... that's it?!" she blurted out. "Don't tell me he died just like that?"
At first, she had thought Rosinante might be a hidden master, but this outcome was anticlimactic.
Her fists clenched.
"Damn it, Ross! You can't die on me—I'll lose every bet I made! Just hang on, and I'll patch you up!" she muttered, silently praying for his survival.
Meanwhile, Zixu remained composed, calmly watching the field.
"No need to worry," he reassured with a faint smile. "It's not over yet."
Jiraiya opened his mouth as if to speak, but Zixu raised a hand, silently motioning him to watch.
The aftermath of the explosion left the entire field shrouded in smoke, reducing visibility to nearly zero.
But that didn't hinder Naruto, who could still sense chakra through Sage Mode, nor Sasuke, whose sharp combat intuition had been trained into instinct. Both were still able to perceive each other clearly.
And yet, Rosinante was... gone.
There was no trace of him. It was as if he had never been there.
As Naruto cautiously moved through the smoke, his danger sense suddenly flared.
A sharp, prickling sense of crisis shot up his spine. Before he could even react, the danger was already upon him.
Panicked, Naruto tried to gather natural energy to counterattack. With both hands, he rapidly formed another Rasengan, hoping to blast the threat away.
But the moment Rosinante's black hands made contact with him, both the natural energy and the Rasengan were instantly nullified.
The chakra that had once flowed through his body like a steady river suddenly stagnated, turning into thick cement.
Even Naruto's chakra flow came to a screeching halt.
It happened in an instant—Rosinante could have easily ended the fight right there. But instead of striking Naruto down, he simply turned and shifted his focus to Sasuke.
Although Sasuke sensed Naruto's abnormality, his own perception failed to detect Rosinante's presence.
It was as if Rosinante was a phantom, slipping beyond sensory detection.
Realizing he couldn't rely on chakra sensing, Sasuke unleashed a lightning grid around him. The blue electric current crackled and illuminated the battlefield, creating an impassable barrier that would fry anything approaching.
Unfortunately, it was futile.
The light dimmed for just a moment, and in that fleeting instant, the grid was shattered.
A pair of black hands seized Sasuke's arms, blocking his chakra flow and making it difficult for him to breathe.
Though Sasuke's chakra was sealed, his physical strength remained. Without hesitation, he grabbed Rosinante's hand and delivered a fierce punch.
"Pfft... not bad," Rosinante muttered, grinning as he took the blow head-on. Using the force of the punch, he gracefully backstepped to create distance.
Without a word, Sasuke lunged again, his fists crackling with lightning.
But before he could strike, Rosinante simply snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, the world around Sasuke became deathly silent—absolutely silent.
He entered a surreal, soundless void, his surroundings completely muted.
For a moment, Sasuke's body kept running forward, but to his horror, he realized he had lost control. His movements no longer responded to his will.
His eyes narrowed in shock.
"What the hell...?"
Try as he might, he couldn't break free from the eerie silence. Powerless, he could only watch his own body collapse, finally noticing the black handprint on his arm—the mark of Silence.
As Sasuke crumpled to the ground, Rosinante dusted off his clothes with a nonchalant smirk.
"The sparring is over," he declared coolly. Though his face remained calm, he winced slightly—the punch from Sasuke had left a lingering ache. Clearly, he still needed more training.
From afar, Naruto, knowing they had been defeated, accepted the outcome. He jogged over and playfully poked Sasuke, grinning.
"You alive over there?"
Meanwhile, Zixu's smile faded.
"Alright, the show's over. Now, have you made your decision?" he asked calmly.
Jiraiya, though still frowning, forced a smile.
"Of course, but... this is serious business. I'll need to report this to the Fire Nation's top brass before I can give you a definite answer," he said cryptically.
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