Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
The Shinden Saga – Arc 4: The Otsutsuki War
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Chapter 165 – God of the Uchiha
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At the gate of Konoha, all ninjas and celestials are standing still and looking at the Hokage monument in the distance. There, on top of the 1st Hokage's face, Sasuke Uchiha and the masked man known as Tokubei Otsutsuki are still fighting each other in a last rush of action that will determine the winner of their trial.
Still sitting on the ground, Rebekka Tabiki looks up to Chishiki Otsutsuki, who joined Sakitsuki up in the air earlier with the rest of her clan. As they're also looking at Sasuke's fight, Rebekka tries to initiate conversation again, like she did earlier when she got only a light smirk as an answer.
"So… Little girl, who you're betting on?" the kunoichi asks aloud.
"… Hard to tell." Chishiki actually participates in the discussion after a decent silence, which surprises Rebekka and other ninjas who listen closely. "Tokubei-sama has a reputation for mystery. What I know of his powers is nowhere close to justifying his ranking in our hierarchy. It is said that what he reveals of his abilities is far from even half of his true might… Here, he decided to limit the battle to simpler skills, yet he still manages to show how he excels in such trivial matters."
Taiyoshiki, behind her, looks at Seimei and Hebemi next to him, quite confused by the praise that Chishiki is giving to his father. However, the black-eyed celestial woman has to admit what is known of the Uchiha with the Rinnegan.
"However, it is not surprising that Sasuke Uchiha could hold his ground so long." she adds, which intrigues Izuna and the rest of Konoha. "It might sound surprising, but this man has earned a dreadful reputation on Ashihara. We know the tales of his triumph over Urashiki, the old Kinshiki, and even the consumer of worlds. He is seen as one to avoid in our clan. None of us would actually allow ourselves to risk a fight against him. The only reason Tokubei-sama is free to do so is because he is a Shinden. Yet even so, he is not free of danger. We now know the Shinden aren't immune to consequences either…"
These last few words, Chishiki says while turning around to look where Naobi was, and at Sakitsuki who seems lost in wonders, still facing the sudden grief that they all try to silence in the current context. Next to Chishiki, the giant Torushiki squints. If Naobi could be led to sacrifice herself, and if the outcomes of the battles of Tokubei and the great Ryu Shinsen are unsure, it is nearly impossible that Yasona, his mistress, is at no risk of failure.
Worried in silence, he looks up to the present figure of authority and calls her name.
"Fureya-sama" he alerts her with the same respect he owes to any Shinden. This call troubles the amber queen. She doesn't feel ready to admit the loss of Naobi yet, even less to take on her role. But here she is, with the responsibility to give orders, as her husband is kept busy.
"Sakitsuki." she calls, seeking information to help her decision, knowing what Torushiki intends to ask for. "What is the current situation of Yasona-sama?"
"… It seems like the armies of the Shinobi Union cannot compare to her." Saki answers, voluntarily omitting to mention her boyfriend, also fighting on that field. "But she seems to have found serious opposition. The prisoner Oshio Uchiha has gotten involved and is facing Yasona-sama right now."
This revelation obviously shocks Izuna and Inoue, as well as Sakura who just stepped out of the forest in time to hear Saki's words. The two of them look at each other worriedly, wondering what could have motivated Oshio to break containment. Meanwhile, Chishiki, Torushiki and Kuboshiki are also startled by the news, worried for their mistress.
They all look up to Fureya, waiting for an allowance that she thinks through before speaking.
"… Torushiki, go assist Yasona-sama." she says, before adding a precision when she notices Kuboshiki and Chishiki also hurrying on the move. "Torushiki only!" she yells to make them stop.
Having received his order, the god of thunder covers his body in lightning and blitzes away toward the land of Earth. Sakura, refusing to let this happen, leaps up and hurries to run after the celestial who got past her way too fast at the moment. As she starts jumping through the forest, she's stopped by a massive liquid wall appearing in front of her.
With a swift punch, she shatters the wave and makes it splash around, only to see each resulting puddle turn into a clone of Kuboshiki. All together they stand in the way of Sakura, ready to fight her in an effort to contribute to their mistress' safety. Before they can start this fight however, they see a white Susanoo take shape and fly off over them in the sky.
"Go! Izuna!" Sakura exclaims, leaving the pursuit to her son, before noticing Kuboshiki and his clones turning around, preparing to go after the Uchiha medic.
"Stop right there!" Fureya exclaims to stop him. "I said Torushiki only. And for your safety you better stay here, Kuboshiki. You cannot win a battle against this man, nor could you stand a chance against the woman in front of you."
Sakura is lightly flattered by Fureya's praise. She mockingly looks at Kuboshiki just to provoke him, and turns around to stare at the amber goddess with respect. She accepts to stay here, and trusts her son to help his brother. Kuboshiki, angered by the little respect shown to him by Fureya, holds back as she is now his superior, and dispels his clones.
In the levitating crowd, Chishiki looks at her spear, Ameno Nuhoko, passed on to her by her mistress, and wonders what will happen. Rebekka, still focused on her, tries to chat again.
"Sooo… What about that fight? How will it turn out, you think?"
"Oshio Uchiha, Izuna Uchiha, or anyone else currently in Iwa… None of these people have a chance to beat Yasona-sama. I'm only worried… that this may be going exactly as Yamitsuki-sama planned. And I don't know what he anticipated for Yasona-sama in his future…"
Rebekka, feeling the genuine concern of the celestial, doesn't dare discuss further. Instead, she looks up to Inoue on the gate, wondering what she could be thinking. The Yamanaka is looking up to the sky where Izuna flew off. She then looks at Sakitsuki who seems to be emotionally focused on the battle in Iwa, where Takeshi is also involved.
Curious about the blurry situation they're in right now, Inoue waits for Rihetsuki to give his opinion. Noticing her and Kakashi's insistent gazes, the retired Otsutsuki gives his guess.
"Izuna is a remarkable youngling. And so is Takeshi Minamoto. I would trust them with the case of Iwa… But for the rest of the world, to me, it still all depends on Sasuke and the Hokage." he says while looking at the Hokage monument, where the battle is coming to an undesired climax.
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There on the monument, Sasuke is out of strength, without the boost of the Hachimon that left him tired and broken. Overwhelmed by the high ground of Tokubei's levitation, and his superior celestial strength and speed. The Uchiha is forced to take hits one after another, feeling his ribs break from repeated hits under his left shoulder.
Cornered in such a situation, he has no other choice than to analyze his opponent's move and try his best to mirror them. But this task is made harshly impossible by the fact that Tokubei has the exact same ability, coupled to his superior body. Struggling to keep going, Sasuke feels frustration from the answers and further questions he was given by the masked man.
Tokubei may have somehow admitted being an impostor, he did not give nearly enough information to make his true nature any clearer. All that Sasuke knows now is that he doesn't know who his enemy is. While the infuriating feeling is taking over his focus, Sasuke is suddenly hit by a wave of realization. He realizes that he doesn't need to unveil this mystery now. The only reason he wants to know is because he is seeing Tokubei as a threat.
If he could just end this fight right now in a flash, he wouldn't care about who is behind the mask anymore. Or at least not as eagerly as now. From all the information he currently has, he can at least assume that Tokubei's true identity will in no way bring him closer to his real problems such as the whereabouts of the Tenshin and the Absolute Spirit's remains. Nor will it help in any way to save his son Oshio, a task that has been delayed too much by this quarrel already.
In a rush of action, Tokubei stops both of Sasuke's legs with his hands, and also blocks his fist coming to his face with a 3rd arm that he grows with Shurado. After finally bringing the Uchiha to his knees, the masked man looks down on him and shares a final message of spite.
"Honestly, stripping you of your abilities made it too easy. It feels like cheating. Turns out you're not near the level of rage and talent of your ancestors." he mocks before getting ready to take him down with a final hit.
Shurado
Using this mystical Rinnegan ability again, Tokubei makes a deadly blade out of his third arm and prepares to slice Sasuke's neck before leaving him to fall from the monument. But in that instant, as the Otsutsuki's arm falls down on him, Sasuke is animated by the urge to end this fight in a single strike. This thought reminds him of the person he knows best. A person he's seen more than once end a fight in one strike. A fatal strike that he's learned to mimic.
In a hurry, he gets on his feet and shoves his body aside, letting the blade of Tokubei dig into his shoulder, in the same scar that he received from the celestial's scythe 4 years ago. Not minding the pain he raises his fist and gathers chakra inside as he turns around the enemy to get in his back. There, with Tokubei at his mercy on the verge of the 1st Hokage's head, he swiftly throws his fist forward.
Okasho
Using the technique and enhanced strength of Sakura, Sasuke violently strikes the abdomen of Tokubei who takes the hit and is abruptly repelled off the ground, and sent fluttering away. Before he can realize what just happened, the masked man is pushed through and out of his own dome of nothingness. Feeling the power of his eyes and Senjutsu fill his body, he understands his situation too late. Looking down he sees Sasuke leaping toward him and safely leaving the dome as well.
Yomotsu Hirasaka
Unwilling to let it happen, he makes a portal in front of Sasuke that outputs back into the dome, in an attempt to send the Uchiha back to his chosen fight condition. But Sasuke, having seen these gates enough, counters them the same way as previously. Now free to use his true powers, he switches the input gate in front of him with Tokubei using Ameno Tejikara.
Suddenly moved face to face with his rival, Tokubei is bound and struck before he can react. With a wave of his arm, Sasuke releases 5 black chakra rods that impale Tokubei's chest, shoulders and hands, and hold his arms back. Then with a rapid kick in his chest, Sasuke propels the Otsutsuki up toward the sky and completes this repulsion with a famously effective skill.
Shinra Tensei
With this ability of Tendo, Sasuke goes all out to push Tokubei further up in the sky, as much as he can until reaching the high atmosphere. Pushed by this rush, Tokubei lets the surprise wear out and screams out his anger, fueled by the relentless insistence of the Uchiha.
"Give up already! You won't best me once more!" he exclaims as he unleashes his dark red chakra and carelessly lets his Susanoo take form, risking to be seen by his clansmate for the first time.
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Down at the entrance of the village, the people of Ashihara see the red armor take shape in the sky. Only few are those who have seen Sasuke's purple winged version of Susanoo, so they do not immediately figure out that this isn't the doing of the Uchiha. But Sakitsuki, having seen all that happened in this universe since her birth, is alerted by this unfamiliar avatar.
"What is that? This isn't Sasuke's Susanoo!" she exclaims before asking Rihetsuki as she remembers a conversation she could spy on between him and Sasuke. "Sir Rihei, is that Tokubei's jutsu. Is it what Sasuke told you about?"
"It may be…" Rihei answers, a bit confused to see it with his eyes, still unfamiliar with this side of Tokubei.
Fueling the confusion further, they now see Sasuke's winged armor appear in the sky to confront the cloaked blood red Susanoo, confirming that it is Tokubei's technique. Seimei, the youngest of her clan, looks at Taiyoshiki, the son of Tokubei, and questions him.
"Taiyo-san. Is that true? Is that your father's Susanoo? Did you know he could use that? How is it possible?"
As the insistent gaze of his fellows brings pressure on him, Taiyoshiki stays in a confused silence. This births a feeling of distrust in the crowd. But Fureya raises her tone and brings an end to the ambient doubt.
"Yes, Tokubei can use Susanoo and all other abilities of the Sharingan." she explains, acting as if it was no secret. "He has had these powers since he harvested them from the Uchiha he killed on Earth. Don't point to mystery or secrets for your own ignorance. You simply never saw him in the seriousness of battle before."
This revelation calms the crowd who lose their suspicions and quietly get back to staring at the battle. After all, it coincides with what Chishiki said earlier, that Tokubei keeps most of his skills hidden. Taiyoshiki, a bit shocked, stares at his mother in doubt. His father told him the tale of his battle against Indra countless times, but never did he mention this. It makes it all more surprising that it doesn't even shock his mother. Taiyoshiki now has no idea if the story he was told is the truth.
Also, even though Fureya silenced Chishiki, Hebemi, Kuboshiki, Seimei and Rihetsuki, her explanation doesn't satisfy Sakitsuki. She has seen Tokubei in all the battles he fought, and she's read on the lips of Sasuke to know that the existence of Tokubei's Sharingan was clearly a secret. Thoughtfully, she stares in distrust at Fureya. If it was really just as simple as she says, why was it never told as such. She could surely have gotten more answers from seeing what happened during Sasuke and Tokubei's physical battle, but the red dome of Gakido blocked even her absolute sight.
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Up in the sky, Sasuke's purple Susanoo continuously pushes the Otsutsuki further in the sky, blocking all his strikes with his 2 blades and wings. He keeps striking the red armor to prevent it from fighting back or pulling out his ethereal weapons. As he does so, in a rush to finish this, he decides to distract him and push him morally with further provocation.
"You have to admit defeat!" he exclaims with his voice emanating from his armor. "I surpass you. And I by far surpass Indra as well. Even with a thousand years of existence, you can't match me. And even if Indra had lived to this day, he wouldn't have been on par with me either. I am everything that he was and ever wanted to be, but better."
Enraged by this blatant arrogance and obvious bait, Tokubei purposefully flies higher to distance himself exactly toward where Sasuke wants him to be, but gets enough respite to finally unleash his blade of Totsuka. Yet just as he pulls it out from under his hood, it is struck out of his Susanoo's hand by the two swords of Sasuke together, chopping off the arm holding the sealing sword's handle. Unarmed, Tokubei relies on Senjutsu.
Katon – Fuku no Tsuru
He emits a massive cloud of flames that ignites the high atmosphere and shapes it into a large flock of giant flaming cranes that rush down on Sasuke's Susanoo together. The Uchiha shields his armor behind its closed wings, covered in the black flames of Amaterasu, controlled with Kagutsuchi. Once he is done resisting this offensive, Sasuke spreads his wings to reveal his next fatal strike. Tokubei sees a massive bow in the hands of the purple Susanoo, armed with a giant arrow of black lightning made from the chaos resulting from his own fire cloud.
Seeing the glorious figure of Sasuke's winged armor holding its bow, Tokubei gets flashes of the past in his mind. He cannot deny how reminiscent of Indra Otsutsuki this sight is. As he prepares to raise the Yata no Kagami to block this next strike, he is left thoughtful by this image and even more by the words told by Sasuke, resonating in his mind.
"You're too blinded by hatred to see that I did not dishonor the Uchiha. I cleansed their pride. I am the reason Indra's soul can finally rest in peace."
Rikudo – Indra no Ya
After these words, he fires this absolute arrow of natural energy right into the mystical shield that is held ready to reflect it, but cleverly gets around it at the very last moment with his Rinnegan ability.
Ameno Tejikara
He switches the place of his flying black arrow, not with the shield, but directly with one of the black rods he impaled Tokubei with earlier. Precisely the one logged into Tokubei chest, making the Indra no Ya strike him immediately inside of his Susanoo. The red cloaked avatar violently explodes from the inside as its user is repelled at tremendous speed out of the atmosphere, far and high into space.
For an instant, as he is being destroyed and stunned by the energy of the arrow, before passing out into uncertainty of survival, Tokubei looks down on Earth where he hallucinates the silhouette of Indra's Susanoo instead of Sasuke's who stood behind. In his loss of consciousness, coincidentally falling backwards right among the pieces of the destroyed moon. He hears Sasuke speak in his mind and utter shockingly familiar words.
"You brought this upon yourself. But just you wait. I'll be done with you only when I find out who you really are." Sasuke says these provoking words that the masked man hears repeating in his mind, uttered by Sasuke and Indra's voice.
This is the exact same thing that Indra Otsutsuki said to Tokubei Otsutsuki as he ended their fierce battle by humiliating the celestial who came from the skies. As his memories get confused between the first and last Uchiha, and his hatred is troubled by unbound respect and honor, the masked man feels a terrible pressure on his body that comes to put an end to him. In the sky of Earth, Sasuke's Susanoo brings its hands together in a divine hand sign to perform an ultimate jutsu.
Chibaku Tensei
Using this ability in the most savage way he did in his life, Sasuke creates a gravitational pull inside of Tokubei to gather all the dried magma and broken pieces of the moon scattered around, making it close together around the celestial as a brand new replacement for Earth's satellite.
Inside of the new moon, Tokubei lets himself be sealed, unable to resist. He couldn't win this battle, and his pride and blind respect for the past caused his loss. Yet, he can't tolerate this as an absolute end. He still needs to fulfill the missions given to him by the Ryu Shinsen. Their fulfillment is necessary for the universes and all of creation to strive. So he takes this beating as a lesson, but hopes for a return.
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Down on Earth, Sakura and all the ninjas of Konoha see the divine figure of Sasuke's Susanoo stand above all in the sky, victorious in front of the new moon that he builds as a symbol of his enemy's defeat. The Otsutsuki clan members present burst into panic. Taiyoshiki, struggling to speak, clenches his teeth and gasps through them as he tries to find reason in what just happened. He foresaw and warned his father countless times about the possibility of this brutal end, but feels responsible for not getting it through to his mind.
Above them, Fureya contains her shock and listens to reason. She focuses on sensing through the claw mark tattooed under her right eye. This mark, which also appears on the left side of Tokubei's mask and on his face underneath, is a common seal of union, symbolic of marriage in the Otsutsuki clan. It is a connection shared in the couple that is set to vanish with the life of the partner. Yet, Fureya still feels the marking on her face, giving her relief.
"He is still alive." she exclaims to reassure her son. "But he lost…" she adds in disbelief, having witnessed the husband of the kunoichi she fought really win over hers.
On the ground, Sakura loudly cheers for her husband. She screams out her joy and relief, leading the crowd's acclaim. She is joined by Rebekka and some others, then by Inoue and Kakashi, and finally by all those standing there who celebrate under the flabbergasted eyes of the few celestials standing among them.
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High in the sky, Sasuke takes a solemn look at the moon he reassembled, and feels at peace for an instant. Despite the distance, he feels like he can hear the voice of his wife cheering for him. This brings a smile to his face that rapidly washes away. He feels overwhelmed, first in his mind by the little value of that accomplishment compared to what is still to be done, in general and in this ongoing war. Then in his body by the pain, damage and exhaustion that his Taijutsu fight, use of Hachimon and final outburst of natural energy brought.
Unable to even just maintain the composure of his ethereal wings, he sees them get weaker and cause him to crash down through the sky. As he falls, he tries to fight his exhaustion and focuses to sense the chakra of everyone else on this planet. His son Izuna flies through the land toward Iwa, where he surprisingly feels the presence of Oshio, risking his spirit and body in an unsealed battle.
He also senses the chakra of his brother in arms Naruto, and his student Boruto both falling through the sky like him, seeming like they will soon crash further on the east of the continent. Troubled by the distress of all these energies, he tries his best to stay awake, feeling the need to fly to their rescue. But this battle affected his human body way more than his opponent's. Despite his will, he loses consciousness, having to leave the fate of the world in the hands of the remaining fighters. In the hands of Naruto.
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Further away, below the land of Earth are plains known as the savage lands: jungles lying in the wild valley where the Shikkotsu forest, the Ryuchi cave and the mountains of Myoboku lie as well. There in between trees and hills, a small projectile falls at tremendous speed and crashes in the ground. It is a black orb. A Gudodama sent forward as a mark.
Hiraishin
In the middle of the crater caused by the orb's landing, Boruto Hyuga appears, holding his master Toneri in his arms. As they were falling from space to their death in the middle of the ocean, Boruto sent one of his Gudodama ahead on the soil to ensure a safe landing. After teleporting there, he rolls on the ground for many dozens of meters while making sure to protect his injured master, before stopping, lied down in the dirt.
Once he gets a feeling of safety, he catches his breath and gently lies his master down by his side. There, he analyzes him and realizes the fatality of the situation. The abrupt last strike of the Ryu Shinsen that sliced through the whole moon and caused its absolute destruction and eruption has first hit Toneri right through the shoulder. It is hard to believe that he is even still alive. Using his Byakugan, Boruto makes sure that the Otsutsuki is still breathing and not on the verge of dying, but what he sees is not reassuring. His chakra is nearing extinction. He needs medical assistance right now.
"Toneri-sensei! Don't speak! Stand still!" he exclaims as he tries to heal him with the little skill his knowledge and Tenseigan grant him. But this effort only causes frustration and a feeling of powerlessness. "Damn it! Wait! I'm gonna bring Izuna here! Or anyone who'll know how to help you!" he says as he prepares to stand up and leave in a hurry.
"No, stop, Boruto." Toneri suddenly says as he catches his student's arm, to stop him from leaving. Distraught, the Hyuga stands still to listen to his master who explains himself. "It's not over. The Dragon Sage is still alive. He'll be here soon. And Naruto can't win alone."
"But if I don't get help, I'm letting you die!" the Hyuga exclaims in frustration.
"And if you leave now, you're giving up on your world!" Toneri yells back before vomiting a clot of blood.
"Stop speaking, Sensei! You won't make it otherwise." Boruto says in panic before looking around for a solution. "Damn it! Can't I just use my Gudodama to repair your body? I've seen my dad do that before! Oh right! My dad! I just gotta find him and he'll heal you, Toneri-sensei!"
"Stop it, Boruto. Let go. I'm done. Don't waste your energy when you still need it to finish this battle…"
"What are you saying? We can clearly save you!"
"No you can't… The only reason we're already here is because you used Hiraishin. Naruto will land somewhere too far away…" Toneri says, making a pause to let his student take it in and accept the reality of the situation. "Listen… I am glad to have fought for your world. I am glad I could find a new purpose thanks to Hinata, to Naruto and to you. I did my best in protecting you so far, but you have to end this battle alone. You still need to make sure I did the right thing. You need to prevent the destruction of Earth."
"But how do I do that? I'm not strong enough. I don't know how to use my eyes! I still need to learn." Boruto argues, almost getting angry at his master for what he's asking, before suddenly getting hit by guilt. "… I'm sorry for not being a good student."
"You were a great student. I was a bad teacher… You know more than enough. You've learned all that you need to know. What you lack now is only the energy to master your power. The missing piece to your divinity."
"And what is that piece? What do I still need to learn?"
"I told you about it, Boruto. The might of a thousand Byakugan. The price paid by my ancestors. The source of power of my clan… It is the energy I sealed within my body 22 years ago. If you take it from me, you will unleash your true power. You will awaken the pure celestial heritage of your Tenseigan."
Hearing this suggestion, Boruto remembers all the times Toneri mentioned this. The eyes sacrificed by his ancestors to fuel the energy core that he called the Eye of Reincarnation. He merged with them in an attempt to overpower Naruto, but it failed and simply resulted in their power being hidden within his body. If Boruto harvests it, he would fully mature his eyes and equal those of Hamura himself, but he would cause the death of Toneri in the process.
Reluctant of the idea, he dares not to move. But the lone Otsutsuki is certain of his choice. With a touch on Boruto's hand, he forcibly makes him awaken his Tenseigan and gather his power in his palm. Together, they bring to shape the energy absorbing bomb of Kinbo Tensei Baku. With the jutsu in his hand, Boruto sadly looks at his master and tries to think of an alternative again. But as he looks at him, he feels guilty as he sees in detail the terrible wound almost splitting his body in half, and notices other grave bruises caused by strikes of the Dragon Sage on his body.
"Don't feel guilty. I brought this upon myself. I chose to fight for my ancestor's land. I chose to keep fighting for you and your planet as well. If you come victorious in this battle, I will have found purpose in my life once I reach the pure lands of the afterlife… I apologize for having been a terrible instructor. I hope you can carry on my will."
Boruto stays silent, not knowing what to say as he admits he has to say goodbye. Toneri, before giving his final gift to Boruto, painfully looks around to sense Naruto's chakra very rapidly reaching the surface of the ocean further away. He looks into Boruto's blue eyes and says his final words.
"You are now the last heir of my clan's will and power. I pass on to you my heritage. Our lands, our knowledge, our sacrifice… You are now the sole heir of both the parallel and main branch of Hamura's descendants. You, an heir of the third branch, the Hyuga clan… He must have seen in you what I thought I could become. The legitimate second coming of the Sage of Reincarnation… Boruto, be the blue-eyed Prince of Tenseigan."
After these words, he lets the orb in Boruto's hand merge within his chest and smoothly absorb what lies in him, extracting the energy of the Byakugan he absorbed years ago. As by purpose, the energy fuses with the Tenseigan instead of simply being repelled from the carrier's body. From this farewell gift, Boruto feels a mystic awakening within himself, like a change in his nature that ascends him. Oddly, he also feels a deep connection to his roots being traced. Something that he couldn't explain. But from this fusion, he also feels a tormenting grief. The loss of his master.
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End of Chapter 165 – Next Chapter: Destruction of Earth