While everyone was discussing whether the First Hokage would be taken by the Otsutsuki to be a milk cow, Uchiha Hikari quietly slipped over to Nagato's side.
"Can I leave a mark on you?"
Though Uchiha Hikari was verbally asking for consent, her hand was already pressing against his shoulder.
Nagato naturally noticed this intrusion and felt somewhat speechless.
"...What do you want to do?"
He held no hostility toward her because Makoto had vouched for her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed her to tag the Gedo Statue earlier, enabling her to draw upon its Chakra at any time.
What did Uchiha Hikari mean by leaving a mark directly on him? Did she want to drain his Chakra dry too?
"Don't worry," Hikari waved her hand dismissively. "My mark isn't as perverted as that old man Tobirama's. It can be removed."
But just then, the surroundings quieted down, and everyone's attention shifted to them.
"You inherently evil Uchiha brat! What are you trying to do to this Uzumaki child, the ally of the Senju?!"
Tobirama was highly alert.
He instantly flickered in front of Nagato, shielding the redhead behind his back like a protective mother hen.
Nagato was crucial to his upcoming "mission," key to whether they could snatch Uchiha Madara's eyes—no mishaps could be allowed.
"Nothing. Mind your own business, old man," Hikari curled her lip.
But this attitude made Tobirama even more wary.
She didn't use her usual insult!
She hadn't cursed him as "that inherently depraved old man Senju" this time.
Based on his years of research (profiling) on the Uchiha, this silence meant the kid must be plotting something big!
"You evil Uchiha brat... could it be that you're after the Rinnegan?" Tobirama probed, narrowing his eyes as he watched Hikari closely.
"O-Of course not."
"That look—it feels like lying! You're lying!"
"Brother, help! This brat's strength is extraordinary, especially since she can absorb the vast Chakra from the Gedo Statue at any time now!"
Noticing Uchiha Hikari's evasive eyes, Tobirama grew extremely tense and urgently called for backup from Hashirama Senju beside him.
"Tobirama, relax, you must be misunderstanding something..."
"I have no misunderstandings about the Uchiha! The Uchiha are sensitive to love and pursue power. Have you forgotten Madara? This Uchiha kid looks so much like Madara, surely her heart is just as evil..."
"Tobirama, I told you to SHUT UP!" Hashirama roared.
The usually goofy First Hokage was genuinely angry.
Whether it was for Hikari's sake, for his beloved Madara, or for the Uchiha clan as a whole—no one could tell.
"Stop overthinking it. I left a mark just as a precaution against accidents," Uchiha Hikari curled her lips before explaining her true thoughts.
She did leave a mark on Nagato because of the Rinnegan, but not because she wanted to pluck his eyeballs or anything nefarious.
She had simply learned that Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, could use the Rinne Rebirth technique to revive the dead.
She trusted Makoto, but that didn't stop her from creating an insurance policy for him.
If anything were to happen to Makoto, she would directly take control of Nagato and force him to cast Rinne Rebirth to bring Makoto back—even if it cost Nagato his life.
She would sacrifice Nagato without hesitation to secure a world where Makoto existed!
After hearing Hikari's explanation, everyone fell silent.
Typical Uchiha behavior: Extreme love along with extreme methods.
While Nagato felt touched that Makoto had earned such devotion, he also felt somewhat exasperated.
'So my life doesn't count as a life, is that it? Just a spare battery?'
But Nagato felt no envy or jealousy, only a sense of comfort.
It wasn't like he didn't have someone who would give their life for him—it's just that person was already dead.
The others each thought of their own special person and remained silent for a while.
As for Hikari's methods, everyone found them somewhat extreme, but not entirely incomprehensible in the ninja world.
"Let's keep watching. They've arrived," Tobirama sighed, deciding not to dwell on the ethics of forced resurrection, and urged everyone to focus on the crystal ball.
...
The place where Sasuke was currently unconscious was outside a cave where the river flowed beneath the cliff.
Urashiki had come ashore in another location entirely.
The Second Hokage's earlier speculation about Urashiki's "secret crush" proved flawed here.
Rather than lingering in Sasuke's "gentle embrace" and choosing to look for Sasuke, Urashiki sensed Naruto's location and decided to pursue the Nine-Tails instead.
Makoto and Itachi arrived at the spot where Sasuke lay unconscious.
After staring at the unconscious Sasuke for a while, Itachi stepped forward, grabbed his little brother by the collar, and unceremoniously dragged him into the cave.
He recalled what Makoto had told him on the way here.
To better distinguish between the two worlds, Makoto had named the future era after Boruto, calling it the "Boruto Era."
Makoto told him that in the Boruto Era, what had been weakened wasn't just combat power, but also mindset, temperament, and drive.
Those who should have obtained power at all costs now had reservations.
Those who should have explored all unknowns chose to compromise.
At sixteen, Sage Mode was Naruto's newly mastered trump card; at thirty-two, Sage Mode was the only decent thing he had left, only able to leave his daughter with a promise he couldn't even guarantee: 'I'll come back alive.'
If it had been Naruto who traveled through time with Boruto, Makoto wouldn't have had the slightest desire to change anything.
Naruto was the type who wouldn't turn back even after hitting a wall.
His talent and drive had long been worn away by endless paperwork and peace.
And wasn't Sasuke, who had been "assimilated" by Naruto's ideology in the future, the same?
The only difference was that Sasuke had at least been different once.
He had the edge.
Hence, Makoto's suggestion to Itachi.
Makoto pressed his hand against the rock wall, and the cave's interior began to distort.
This was the technique he obtained after the Dragon Vein incident in the Land of Wind.
Unlike his previous abilities that awakened purely through life treathening attack, this one incorporated his own comprehension and insights.
It was built upon the foundation of his experience while enhancing Gaara and Temari's abilities.
Additionally, it integrated a miniature version of the Tenpenchii—a power typically exclusive to the Ten-Tails—that manifested when the Gedo Statue absorbed Dragon Vein Chakra in its later stages.
If this ability were to be named after a Stand like before, it could be called "Weather Report," but fundamentally, its potential far surpasses merely controlling the conceptual "weather."
At its core, this is the utilization of natural energy.
The bad news is that this ability's power can only be gradually enhanced by mastering the control of natural energy.
The good news is that after assisting the Land of Wind in extracting the Dragon Vein, Makoto clearly felt his control over natural energy had advanced to a higher level.
This sensation wasn't due to his comprehension improving; it felt more like nature itself was actively drawing closer to him.
Beyond this, Makoto learned a similar technique based on the Gedo Statue's "violent suction."
Makoto typically uses natural energy, making his normal state equivalent to others' Sage Mode.
After activating this ability, Makoto truly enters his version of Super Sage Mode—[Time-Limited] and [Significantly Enhanced].
This is also his confidence in facing Urashiki and Momoshiki.
As for now...
Inside the cave, Sasuke slowly regained consciousness.
Upon waking, Sasuke groggily opened his eyes.
Seeing the familiar scene before him, he first felt confusion... then terror.
Indeed.
What Sasuke saw was Uchiha Itachi seated on a stone throne, the Mangekyo Sharingan spinning lazily in his eyes, with the surroundings exactly matching where he had once fought Itachi to the death!
The underground chamber of the Uchiha Naka Shrine!
"My foolish little brother..."
Itachi's voice echoed in the silence.
"Have you enjoyed these last ten years spent in the Tsukuyomi? Did you enjoy your dream of having a wife and daughter?"
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Ooof this hit hard!