Naruto Shadow Mage

"Whoosh!" 

The sharp kunai sliced across Juzo Biwa's neck, making it clear he wouldn't be able to speak any longer.

Moreover, with a fatal wound to his heart inflicted by Shisui Uchiha's short sword and the injury Koshino had left on Juzo's neck, if he had somehow survived, he wouldn't have been just a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—he'd be on par with Hidan from the Akatsuki, known for his immortality.

So, as Koshino grasped the bloodstained kunai, Juzo Biwa let out a choked sound and fell, dying on the spot.

Juzo's death unmistakably signaled the victory of the Blades Squad.

Even Shisui Uchiha, looking at Juzo's lifeless body, walked over to pat Koshino on the shoulder, praising him. "Shadow, it's all thanks to you. Without you, our Blades Squad... well!"

"Shun, we're comrades; there's no need to say that," Koshino replied with a light shrug and a smile. "We couldn't have defeated these Mist ninja without you. Now, let's be thankful that Rai and Mō didn't sustain any severe injuries. So, shouldn't we complete the mission Lord Fourth Hokage entrusted to us?"

"You're right, Shadow," Shisui nodded, then smiled and added, "I really liked what you said earlier—that villains always die because they talk too much. I'll definitely take that to heart in future battles."

"But to us Leaf ninja, the Mist ninja are the true villains." 

"Though from the perspective of the Mist ninja, we from the Leaf... might be the real villains."

With that, Shisui shook his head silently and began to carry Mō, whom he had previously set down during the battle, ready to deal with the bodies of the surrounding Mist ninja.

As for Koshino, after a burst of energy and the battle's conclusion, the state of semi-transformation in his spiritual energy was gradually fading.

If he were still in combat, Koshino would undoubtedly feel overwhelming exhaustion, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the ground. But with the battle over, Koshino could now calmly reflect on the feeling of his spiritual energy's semi-transformation, at least imprinting the sensation of that burst of power in his body.

This would lay the groundwork for future breakthroughs and serve as a pivotal opportunity for Koshino's development.

Having experienced a semi-transformation in his spiritual energy, Koshino knew that after continuing to train in the Uzumaki clan's spiritual techniques, it wouldn't be long before he could permanently maintain that state of semi-transformation and take a solid step toward a full transformation. Unfortunately, this burst of energy had taken a slight toll on his spiritual energy, so it might take longer to master the semi-transformation fully.

But overall, this burst of energy was a blessing for Koshino.

At the very least, he was certain to break through the second stage of wind chakra nature transformation when he concentrated his mind intensely.

With the S-rank technique "Shadow Realm Descent" in hand, Koshino's strength was still in a rapid growth phase.

Additionally, there were further insights into the Fourth Hokage's techniques waiting for Koshino to comprehend, particularly the mysterious "Wind Blade" technique that awaited perfection. So, as he looked at the corpses of the surrounding Mist ninja, Koshino couldn't help but find these ambushers somewhat "adorable."

"What a pity, such a pity!"

"That 'Wind Blade' technique seems to be an outcome of mastering wind chakra nature transformation. Even the APP's progress bar can't record it."

"If I could fully master that 'Wind Blade' technique, I'd probably break through the second stage of wind chakra nature transformation permanently, without needing to be in a state of intense focus to use the Wind Flicker, Wind Perception, or 'Acceleration' techniques at the level of Lord Minato."

"And honestly, just mastering that 'Wind Blade' technique alone would make Lord Minato proud of me."

"But there's no point in dwelling on this now!"

"I'll have to rely on the APP's research function. Hopefully, the next technique won't take as long to develop!"

With that thought, Koshino immediately accessed the APP's research function, taking a deep breath.

The new technique, "Shadow Realm Descent," still required Koshino to slowly master it.

The flaws in "Shadow Realm Descent" that Koshino noticed during his fight with Juzo were apparent, and he knew they needed to be addressed gradually.

However, Koshino believed that once he fully comprehended "Shadow Realm Descent," he would find ways to overcome its flaws, possibly making it a technique that could rival the First Hokage's "Deep Forest Emergence."

So, as Koshino took a deep breath, it wasn't just about "Shadow Realm Descent" but also about the APP's research function.

Who would have thought that creating a new technique by combining the Shadow Possession Jutsu with an expanded range would take so long?

That's right.

While "Shadow Realm Descent," born from combining the Shadow Possession Jutsu with an extended range, was indeed powerful, the thought of possibly enduring another lengthy research process left Koshino feeling uneasy, prompting his to take a deep breath.

Then, while browsing the research function's list, Koshino noticed that the chance of success for combining the Shadow Clone Jutsu with a defensive element was 100%. Feeling a bit adventurous, he selected the Shadow Clone Jutsu and added a defensive element, curious to see the effects of an enhanced "new" Shadow Clone Jutsu.

As he silently completed the necessary tasks, Koshino turned his attention to Shisui.

Seeing Shisui struggling to carry Mō while carefully inspecting the bodies of the Mist ninja, and even considering collecting the Executioner's Blade and the Samehada from the cave, Koshino smiled, thinking that the Executioner's Blade and Samehada were his spoils of war. he was just about to collect the two of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist.

But as Koshino lowered his head, preparing to retrieve the Executioner's Blade and the unique Samehada, a faint "hiss" reached his ears, causing his pupils to contract sharply as he called out in alarm:

"Shun, watch out!"

"These Mist ninja are death soldiers; they might be carrying timed explosive tags!"

"If they failed their mission, they would..."

"Boom!"

Before Koshino could finish his warning, one Mist ninja corpse after another began to explode, engulfing Shisui, Mō, and Kakashi in the blast!

Even the deafening explosion echoed throughout the forest, lingering for what seemed like an eternity.

The devastation caused by the death soldiers' explosive tags was nothing short of terrifying.

At that moment, Koshino's only consolation was that he had heard the "hiss" in time, allowing his to warn Shisui and then use his remaining chakra to perform the Wind Flicker Jutsu!

Unfortunately, even with the Wind Flicker Jutsu, Koshino was still caught in the blast's radius.

So, as he struggled to crawl out of the dirt, his body covered in soot, Koshino surveyed the completely devastated surroundings. The smile on his face was laced with bitterness.

"Now I can only hope that Shisui, Kakashi, and Mō are all okay!"

"Damn Mist ninja, they really are..."

"...really formidable!"