After a round of verifications, the three of them finally had to reluctantly accept the painful truth: Otsutsuki Urashiki, under the control of the March of the Dead, was merely a soulless puppet. Perhaps the souls of the Otsutsuki clan were protected by some power unknown to them.
Click!
As the flame burned, the brownish-yellow cigarette lit up with a dim red glow. Naruto exhaled a puff of blue smoke.
"You have a smoking habit?" Present Sasuke asked.
"Nope." Naruto shook his head. Shinobi were lurkers who operated in the shadows, needing to conceal all traces. The smell of smoke would ruin any attempt at stealth. He'd had a smoking habit in his first life but quit in his second. Besides the scarcity of resources in Ashina, it was more so because he cherished his own life.
"Then you..." Present Sasuke looked at the cigarette dangling from his lips.
"I've come to terms with it. Life is short; no need to be so hard on myself," Naruto shrugged. The near-death experience just now had made him understand that he still didn't know how many powerful enemies he would encounter in this world. When fighting powerhouses of this caliber, a ninja's stealth was no longer a viable option. Since that was the case, why not indulge himself a little?
"Do you have any thoughts about changing this world?" Naruto asked, extinguishing the cigarette butt.
"..." Present Sasuke fell into deep thought. Jiraiya had asked him this, and now Naruto was asking him too, making him wonder: Why do they all have this desire to change the world?
Naruto understood his confusion and patted his shoulder. "When poor, one focuses on self-improvement; when prosperous, one strives to benefit all under heaven. A person lives but once; they should leave something behind in this world, shouldn't they?"
"Your whole life can't just be about becoming Hokage. That should... and can only be, a phased goal for you."
Ever since he learned about the existence of Indra and Asura's reincarnated chakra, he clearly understood that he and Present Sasuke were destined to be entangled in this life. Since the facts were unavoidable, why not guide things in a better direction?
"The Five Kage Summit is about to convene. There will be a temporary vacuum in Konoha's high-level combat power. Accept Itachi's gift." Naruto stood up and said to the two of them, "Let's go. With Otsutsuki Urashiki dealt with, it's time to send you back to Konoha."
The three figures vanished from the spot.
One day later.
Suien, leading a group of Taki ninja and Konoha's support team, arrived at the battlefield.
"This..." Gazing at the devastated battlefield, everyone's eyes widened in shock. A chasm tens of meters deep, as if it had split the earth in two; a crater several kilometers in diameter, as if struck by a meteorite... It was hard to imagine what scale of battle had taken place here.
"Neji, can you see the Jinchuriki's chakra?" Might Guy asked in a low voice. The support team dispatched by Konoha was their Team Guy.
Neji Hyuga, veins bulging around his eyes, shook his head slightly. Forget chakra; he couldn't even see any moderately sized animals nearby.
"Guy-sensei, are Tailed Beasts really this terrifying?" Tenten swallowed, her voice trembling slightly. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she probably wouldn't believe that forces capable of altering the terrain on such a massive scale existed in this world. She had originally thought that the battle between Sasuke and that unknown ninja was the limit of a shinobi's power.
"Indeed," Guy nodded slightly. Unlike the younger generation's fortune, they were born earlier and had experienced the Nine-Tails' rampage, witnessing the 'mobile natural disaster' firsthand. Compared to the Nine-Tails' brutality and power, the One-Tail Shukaku that appeared during the Konoha Crush plan seemed almost 'cute'.
"This way!" a Taki ninja pointed in a direction.
"Some kind of special secret technique?" Neji Hyuga's eyes narrowed. Within his Byakugan's sight, he could no longer detect any trace of life. Yet, the other party could accurately pinpoint the Jinchuriki's location.
"For a village of Takigakure's level, the Jinchuriki, or rather, the Tailed Beast, is the foundation of their standing in the shinobi world," Guy explained after the Taki ninja had moved further away. "The importance they place on their Jinchuriki is beyond our imagination."
"Then what about our Konoha? Is there anyone who can resist this kind of power?" Tenten asked. Neji and Lee also cast questioning gazes at him.
Guy looked at the three youngsters' eager expressions and nodded heavily. "Yes, and more than one."
"The Fifth Hokage, Lord Jiraiya, Kakashi... and your contemporary—Uchiha Sasuke. They all possess the strength to match such power."
"They are truly powerful shinobi standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world!"
"Any one of them has the strength to sweep through an entire country."
Hearing this, Tenten's mouth fell open in astonishment.
Guy looked at her expression and shook his head slightly inwardly. He turned to the other two, and seeing their clenched fists, he couldn't help but nod in approval. Motivation is a good thing! He hadn't said all this merely to broaden the youngsters' horizons. Only by knowing the height of the peak, yet not fearing its dangers, and daring to climb, could one become a true powerhouse. Due to her aptitude, Special Jonin might be Tenten's limit; but Lee and Neji were different. They were qualified to take that step and stand shoulder to shoulder with the individuals mentioned above.
"Found her!" An exclamation came from the distance.
When the four of them arrived, several Taki ninja had already dug out a girl buried in the earth.
"Fu! Fu!" The familiar Taki ninja repeatedly called the girl's name.
One Taki ninja placed his hands on Fu's navel, as if sensing something. Suddenly, he looked at the Taki Jonin leading their group in terror. "Lord Suien, the Seven-Tails is gone!"
"Isn't Fu right here?!" Suien angrily grabbed his collar. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"
"Lord Suien..."
"Shut up!" Suien barked. The Taki ninja seemed to understand something and immediately closed his mouth, focusing all his efforts on treating Fu's injuries. But he knew that everything he was doing now was futile. For a Jinchuriki without their Tailed Beast, the outcome was already determined.
"Return to the village."
...
Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
"You're finally back!" Boruto looked at the three with delight, but his expression changed when he saw their injuries. "Are you alright?"
"Can't kill us," Naruto said, ruffling his hair.
"Your eye?" Boruto looked at his left eye, his voice very soft, as if worried about upsetting him.
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata also looked at him nervously. Worried that something might happen to Boruto if he stayed in the village alone, Naruto had asked Hinata to come and look after him.
"Just an eye," Naruto said with a smile. "It's not a big deal. With my current strength, having this eye or not doesn't make much difference."
Hearing him say this, the two couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Compared to visible injuries, mental barriers were the hardest to overcome. There were quite a few ninja in Konoha who had fallen into decline because they couldn't overcome their psychological obstacles.
"When are you planning to go back?" Naruto looked at Future Sasuke. The resolution of the Otsutsuki Urashiki matter meant their main mission in traveling to this era was also complete.
"Let's wait until Sasuke successfully awakens his Eternal Mangekyo," Future Sasuke said. He ultimately couldn't stop worrying about Itachi. Plus, Present Sasuke's eye was also blind now. Leaving the two of them alone in Konoha, their safety couldn't be guaranteed. Tsunade and Jiraiya... To be honest, he didn't trust them.
"Perfect timing." Naruto nodded and turned to Boruto. "Little guy, extra training for the next two days! How much swordsmanship you can learn will depend on your own ability!"
"Yes, sir!"