Returning in Defeat

In the courtyard of Konoha's Uchiha Compound, a temporary ninja tent had been set up.

Because of the little incident two days ago where Sarada mistook someone else for her mother, Sakura had demolished the house—whose hefty mortgage had not yet been paid off—with a single punch in a fit of rage.

That was why things looked like this now.

In front of the tent, Sakura sat on a little stool, dark circles hanging beneath her eyes as she muttered to herself.

"That bastard Naruto, where the hell did he drag Sasuke off to?! He said he'd be home for dinner, but I've waited two nights and still haven't seen him!"

Sakura could not help but fret.

"Sasuke didn't leave without saying goodbye again, did he?"

Just then, Sarada emerged from the tent in pink pajamas, rubbing her eyes as she got up to use the bathroom.

Ah, no—the sky was about to brighten. Strictly speaking, it was no longer getting up in the middle of the night.

Seeing Sakura sitting there, she exclaimed, "Mom! You haven't slept all night again?"

Sakura turned back, narrowing her eyes beneath those dark circles into a bitter smile. "Mm... Mom just isn't used to sleeping in a tent, hehe!"

Adults really can lie without blinking. When we went camping before, she slept so soundly in the tent! She must have been waiting for Dad and didn't see him return again. Forget it... Mom's pitiful enough already. I won't expose her.

She glanced at the clock hanging outside the tent.

5:17 a.m.

Being the good, sensible girl she was, she said, "Then let me make breakfast this morning..."

Whoosh! Before she could finish, a Black Vortex suddenly appeared in midair over the courtyard!

"Huh?" Sarada froze on the spot.

"Ah!" Sakura instantly sprang to her feet.

It was the Rinnegan Space Gate Sasuke had opened.

Darling, you're finally back?

Thud! But instead, a blood-soaked figure fell out of the Space Gate and landed before her!

When she saw who it was, she and Sarada both cried out in shock.

"Naruto!?"

"Lord Hokage!"

Close behind him, another figure tumbled out and collapsed beside Naruto... A bloody hole gaped in his chest, blood pouring from it!

The mother and daughter went pale with fright!

"Hubby!!!"

"Dad!!!"

Sarada crumpled helplessly to the ground.

Sakura's expression turned grave as she hurried forward. "Sasuke!!! What happened!!!"

Whoosh! The Space Gate closed.

Sizzle! The Six Paths Magatama faded from the Rinnegan beneath Sasuke's bangs. His gaze was unfocused, his consciousness teetering on the edge of collapse, yet he used his last bit of strength to instruct Sakura.

"Huff, huff... Save, save Naruto first! He's hurt worse. Please, Sakura!!"

With that, he completely lost consciousness!

"Dad, Dad!!" Sarada threw herself at him in tears!

Sakura remained calm in the crisis. Naruto and Sasuke must have encountered a powerful enemy and been forced to flee using Space-Time Ninjutsu!

What kind of enemy could have beaten them into this state?!

That was not the most important thing right now!

They could not rule out the possibility that the enemy would pursue them at any moment!

She said forcefully, "Sarada, go to the Yamanaka Clan compound immediately and explain the situation to your Aunt Ino! Have her notify the jonin still stationed in the village to come guard this courtyard! Also, have her inform Shizune's medical unit to come assist me!"

"B-but, Mom..."

Sakura turned around, tears glinting in the corners of her eyes, but her voice was as strong as iron. "Go! Right now, you're a ninja of Konoha! Not just my daughter!"

"Y-yes...!!" Without even wiping away her tears, Sarada leaped up and ran out of the courtyard!

The instant she jumped onto the roof, the single Magatama that had awakened in her eyes on the day she reunited with Sasuke appeared vividly!

Sizzle! A brand-new Magatama emerged beside it, squeezing the original one downward!

"Dad, Lord Hokage..."

Uchiha Sarada's Two Tomoe had awakened!

5:20 a.m.

After the battle ended, Chen returned home and looked around.

Other than the photo frame that had been moved in the middle of the TV cabinet and the chair pulled out before the table, nothing else in the furnishings had changed.

"Those two still had some manners. They broke into my home, but they didn't rummage through anything or leave behind anything they shouldn't have."

Walking to the TV cabinet, Chen picked up the photo frame and carefully wiped it with a towel. Naruto and Sasuke probably saw Hikari, Yuki, and Tsuki's faces, but there's nothing shameful about that. I didn't wear a mask or leave survivors when I entered the Forbidden Ground because I never intended to do things in secret.

Madara said, "Our home's location has already been exposed. Given Konoha's usual methods, once they recover, they'll most likely send people to our door."

"Mm, that's true enough. But it's fine. Anywhere under heaven can be home."

Chen put the cleaned photo frame back in its original place on the TV cabinet, then turned around with the smile of a domestic man.

"To be honest, I own legal residences in the Five Great Nations and the surrounding smaller countries. Once we're done with this business, let's go live in the Land of Water for a while."

Chen licked his lips.

"Perfect. I've been craving fish too."

Madara and Obito looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Is this... the composure of a rich man?

Chen entered the walk-in closet. When he emerged, he had changed into a brand-new black God Robe. He had also fitted the captured Kusanagi Sword with an exquisite scabbard and hung it at his waist.

"Let's get moving. First, we'll head to the top of this mountain. The terrain there is relatively open, making it ideal as a 'starting point.'"

On the climb up the mountain.

Madara looked at the terrain altered by the battle and replayed the entire ten-minute fight in his mind.

Turning toward Chen's back, his eyes were filled with admiration for the younger generation.

Chen was even more formidable than I had imagined.

Eyes like his, containing so many outrageously powerful dojutsu, would have been exceedingly rare even in the era of the Six Paths.

Omodaru, Amaterasu-no-Mikoto, Toyomiketsunomikoto, Mizuha, Haniyasu... So far, Chen had displayed five dojutsu.

Three in his right eye and two in his left.

Let's take stock.

Omodaru was the innate dojutsu of Chen's right eye during his Mangekyo period.

Toyomiketsunomikoto was the innate dojutsu of Jin's right eye during his Mangekyo period.

The right eyes containing those two great dojutsu had fused into Chen's current Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan right eye. Therefore, Amaterasu-no-Mikoto should be the new dojutsu born within this Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan right eye.

It truly lived up to its name. As long as the Dojutsu Power was strong enough, Amaterasu-no-Mikoto could theoretically reduce all creation to nothingness. It was a technique capable of breaking all laws!

His left eye.

Haniyasu and Mizuha were respectively the innate dojutsu of Chen and Jin's left eyes during their Mangekyo periods. Then... was the remaining hidden one the new dojutsu Chen's left eye had developed alongside the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?

Would he be fortunate enough to witness it on this journey ahead?

They stopped atop the mountain. At that moment, a blazing sun was climbing over the horizon, and the ninja world was about to welcome a new dawn!

The first step of the [Plan], reclaiming Kaguya's legacy, required entering Kaguya's [Outer World] and summoning the [Demonic Statue of the Outer Path] once more. This required the Dojutsu Power of both Obito and Madara.

Why was Obito's Kamui needed?

Because during Naruto and Sasuke's battle against Kaguya back then, Obito had used Kamui to "mark" the various spaces of Amenominaka and had successfully "broken through the boundaries."

Obito covered his eyes with one hand and said in a low voice, "I did use Kamui to mark every one of Kaguya's spaces before, but that boundary-breaking effect was limited to traveling between the spaces within Kaguya's Amenominaka."

"Furthermore, I only barely managed it with the help of Naruto's Shadow Clone Chakra and that pink-haired girl's so-called Hundred Healings transmitting Chakra."

"Now, connecting to such a distant space from the [outside] in an instant is impossible, even with a [mark]."

Chen raised a hand to cover his left eye and smiled. "It's fine. [Mizuha] exists precisely for this..."