The Nine-Tailed's majestic Chakra continuously poured into Sasuke's body like a warm tide. This ability was extremely convenient—as long as Naruto was willing, he could cloak anyone in a Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak, becoming a mobile source of Chakra supply.
After transferring a considerable amount of Chakra (which wasn't too much for the Nine-Tailed, of course), Sasuke raised his hand and made a stopping gesture, indicating that he had recovered to his optimal state.
Sasuke sighed inwardly, realizing that his poor communication skills had complicated matters. But now, it seemed the next battle would definitely not be as trivial as the last one.
"Mr. Sasuke, has your Chakra recovered?"
Boruto watched the entire process nervously. Seeing the Chakra transfer end, he immediately asked with concern. After receiving Sasuke's affirmative nod, he pressed further.
"What do we do next? I didn't expect Dad... I mean, Naruto here, to be so strong. Should we still continue with our original plan?"
Boruto clearly understood the difference between this world's Naruto and his own father. Although they shared the same Bloodline and looked alike, the Naruto before him was definitely not the father who raised him. This realization caused him to correct his address for Naruto.
"Yes," Sasuke's voice returned to its usual composure. "Urashiki won't give up. Boruto, how is the Plow doing now?"
"The Plow?" Boruto took out the turtle shell-shaped device from his embrace. "It's the same as before. Is it sleeping? There's no movement at all."
"I see," Sasuke took the device and examined it carefully. "Hand the Plow over to me for safekeeping. Judging by the current situation, Urashiki's next move will likely be to try and steal this."
After carefully putting the device away, Sasuke continued to analyze the current situation. "Urashiki was injured just now, so he shouldn't reappear in the short term. But he will never abandon his plan to seize Naruto's Chakra."
"Since the current Naruto is so troublesome, his next step will likely be to use this device to travel to the originally set time point—the timeline when Naruto was still a child."
"What we need to do is completely eliminate Urashiki during his next attack. Only when we are certain there is no threat can we safely use the Plow to return to our original timeline."
——————
Although the previous battle went unexpectedly smoothly, Naruto dared not let down his guard. After all, he clearly saw the genuine Rinnegan in Urashiki's eyes.
After Sasuke finalized the next course of action, Naruto decided to temporarily move outside Konoha Village to prevent innocent people from being affected by Urashiki's next attack.
The location he chose was not too far from Konoha, but precisely outside the range where the sound of a Tailed Beast Ball explosion could reach the village. This distance ensured the safety of the villagers while allowing him to rush back in an emergency.
Before settling down, Naruto first went to find Jiraiya and briefly explained the massive commotion, claiming he was Cultivating a New Technique to avoid unnecessary panic.
He then returned home and found that Kushina had coincidentally gone out, leaving only a note saying, "Need to go out and Cultivate for two days." Naruto also left a message for Satsuki, stating that he was fine and would explain everything in detail upon his return.
This arrangement was truly out of necessity—given Satsuki's current strength, it would be difficult for her to handle an Ōtsutsuki-level battle, and Naruto simply could not bear to let her get involved in such danger.
Just like that, Naruto, Sasuke, and Boruto set up camp at the chosen location, preparing for Urashiki's next attack. Although it felt a bit like cramming at the last minute, their Cultivation plans could not be neglected.
In truth, Naruto had a persistent worry that might sound a little self-indulgent—he could no longer find an opponent capable of sparring with him.
Before Sasuke and Urashiki arrived, there was no opponent in all of Konoha, or even the entire Ninja World, who could match Naruto. Even Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, was no longer his equal.
At this moment, Naruto was extremely curious. He really wanted to know the exact gap between his current self and this Uchiha Sasuke from the future, whose strength was at the ceiling level.
"Naruto... remember, don't go overboard. Although Urashiki shouldn't attack anytime soon due to the injuries from the last battle, still..." Sasuke's voice carried a reluctant caution.
"I know, of course I understand." Naruto replied lightly. "You've said it several times. We'll stop before things get too serious, I won't go overboard. But since your Chakra has recovered, you have to satisfy me too."
The two stood facing each other in an open clearing. Naruto felt a strange sensation—this Sasuke, who sought stability everywhere, was truly unlike the Uchiha Sasuke he knew, who was always sharp and aggressive.
Boruto, watching from a safe distance, was well aware of his own strength limitations. He knew that if he wanted to intervene in a battle of this level, he would have to rely on the variable and dangerous special power inside him... Although Boruto had witnessed his father and Sasuke fighting side-by-side many times, he had never personally seen this legendary pair of rivals clash head-on.
"Attack when you're ready," Sasuke said calmly, standing still. Although Naruto's strength far exceeded expectations, he still didn't believe this teenage Naruto could compare to the Naruto of his own era.
"Whoosh!"
Moments after Sasuke finished speaking, Naruto instantly entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode! A golden Chakra Cloak covered his entire body like burning flames, and several huge golden Chakra Claws simultaneously rushed toward Sasuke!
Sasuke's expression subtly changed—by common sense, shouldn't sparring start with a Taijutsu exchange?
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Sasuke swiftly dodged repeatedly. Each time the golden giant claws missed, they left deep craters in the ground. Amidst the rising dust, Sasuke also noticed that Naruto was skillfully throwing specialized flying thunder god kunai everywhere on the ground.
"Screech—!"
Just then, a piercing bird chirp sounded. Sasuke drew the kusanagi sword with one hand, and Lightning Release Chakra quickly wrapped around the blade, emitting a dazzling blue-white light.
He stopped dodging, instead swinging his sword directly at the incoming Chakra Claw, precisely slicing the golden giant claw in half!
The sliced Chakra Claws dissolved into specks of golden light in the air. Under Sasuke's exquisite Swordsmanship, all the golden giant claws were quickly eliminated.
"Great Ball Rasengan!"
But the next moment, Naruto instantly appeared behind Sasuke using the Flying Thunder God Technique, the huge Rasengan condensed in his hand rushing straight toward him with a roar!
"Boom!"
The Great Ball Rasengan squarely hit Sasuke's stationary body, but no one present believed that an attack of this magnitude could injure him.
After the explosion's smoke and dust cleared, Sasuke was seen enveloped by a purple energy substance, which rapidly condensed into the shape of a skeletal frame, perfectly protecting him.
"Susanoo?" Naruto's voice was filled with excitement. "Are you finally getting serious?"
Naruto seemed to be revealing a slightly belligerent side, but Sasuke merely sighed softly. In his exposed eye, the eerie Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan began to rotate slowly—it seemed prudent to end this match quickly.
Just as Sasuke was about to use the power of the Sharingan, he overlooked an important fact: the Uchiha Clan possesses superhuman sensory abilities regarding Ocular Power. That unique Chakra fluctuation is as clear to them as a lighthouse in the dark night.
It was just that Sasuke hadn't encountered other Uchiha clansmen for too long and had gradually forgotten this characteristic.
He had completely failed to consider how another "self" would react upon sensing this extremely powerful Ocular Power—one so familiar, almost identical, and even carrying the aura of Uchiha Itachi?
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