A sudden torrential downpour shrouded Konoha in oppressive, stifling rain.
Rain battered the windows. In a private two-bed ward on the top floor of Konoha Hospital...
On the bed by the door, Sasuke lay hooked up to an IV, having just finished recounting his battle with Chen.
Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Konohamaru, all present in the room, broke out in cold sweats.
"Time Reversal... That ability is far too absurd. Compared to it, even Obito's Kamui seems lacking."
Since stepping down from the position of Sixth Hokage, Kakashi had no longer participated in Konoha's daily affairs. But this incident was too serious, and they needed his opinion.
The black eyes above his mask carried greater restraint and composure than they had in the past.
He cautiously asked Sasuke, "Are you certain? The technique Chen used to pierce your chest at the end was Purple Lightning?"
Sasuke answered firmly, "Yeah. It required no Hand Seals, no assistance from the eyes, and its piercing power overwhelmingly surpassed Chidori and Lightning Blade. There's no doubt he used Purple Lightning."
Kakashi focused as he recalled. It had only been five years since he created Purple Lightning. During that time, only Sasuke had mastered the technique without instruction, aside from the recent testing conducted with Konoha's newly established Scientific Ninja Tools unit.
He couldn't have stood beside me and secretly learned it while I was practicing in private, could he? No one could possibly stay that close to me while concealing their presence.
So...
Had Chen developed Purple Lightning on his own?
He possessed Dojutsu techniques with terrifying effects such as "Personal Barrier," "Time Reversal," "Dharma Eye Treasure," and "Object Shattering." He had learned Sage Mode... and even possessed the talent to create an original super S-rank ninjutsu.
The ninja world truly produced talents without end.
At that moment, Sasuke said with lingering fear, "To be honest, it's a miracle I survived. Even now, I'm still scared when I think about it. If Uchiha Chen had reversed time once more at the place where I opened the final Space Gate, Naruto and I would both have died there!"
Kakashi pondered. "I believe there were two reasons he didn't reverse time then: either he couldn't, or he didn't want to. We can analyze his circumstances from those two angles."
"Actually, there's another possibility." Shikamaru spoke from the side. "He didn't dare."
(Regarding the controversy over Shikamaru's characterization, let me reiterate: he had been affected by some kind of "technique," cast by an existence unknown to both sides at this point. It was originally meant to be gradually revealed as the story progressed, but due to the controversy, it has been disclosed early.)
Naruto looked over from the bed by the window. "What do you mean?"
Shikamaru said, "Chen feared the threat Sasuke might pose to him!"
Konohamaru was astonished. "A threat? But Sasuke-sensei was already utterly exhausted then. He couldn't even maintain his eyes anymore, could he?"
"That's exactly what I was about to explain." Shikamaru said, "Based on Sasuke's description, I believe Uchiha Chen's Time Reversal is constrained by 'causality.'"
"If he reversed Sasuke's time, then the Chakra Sasuke expended to release the Space Gate would be returned through 'causality.'"
"At that point, once Sasuke realized escape was hopeless, he would definitely use the Chakra originally meant to open the Space Gate to launch a final counterattack against Chen."
"Uchiha Chen probably couldn't afford that price."
"That's the first reason he didn't dare."
Naruto asked, "And the second?"
"Exactly." Shikamaru nodded. "Second, Uchiha Chen didn't have the nerve to take the lives of Konoha's two Kage! Because if he did, he would become the mortal enemy of the entire ninja world and inevitably face the combined forces of the Five Great Ninja Villages, led by the Five Kage!"
"There would be nowhere left for him in this ninja world! So Uchiha Chen didn't dare truly try to kill either of you!"
Konohamaru marveled inwardly. As expected of Shikamaru-sensei, Naruto-bro's capable strategist and assistant! Like a blade carving into the heart, he instantly saw through the enemy's mindset!
Naruto asked, "Kakashi-sensei, what do you think of what Shikamaru just said?"
Kakashi lowered his gaze. It makes a lot of sense, but why does it feel like something is subtly off...?
Still, since it was Shikamaru's judgment, he should have had sufficient grounds.
He chose his words carefully. "Perhaps it is as Shikamaru says. However, there are simply too many suspicious points surrounding Uchiha Chen. Before we fully understand him, we should avoid clashing with him again. I think we can start with the Senjutsu Uchiha Chen practices and investigate his background through that. Naruto, what do you think?"
"Kakashi-sensei is right."
Naruto closed his eyes in thought. "Uchiha Chen's Sage Mode allowed him to use Taijutsu similar to Frog Kumite. After being hit, slugs that secreted highly acidic bodily fluids emerged from my body. Combined with the abnormal calmness he showed after activating Senjutsu, it must have been the Shikkotsu Forest's Senjutsu, the sacred art of Sage Katsuyu."
Kakashi was deeply shocked. Shikkotsu Forest... I heard that since the Warring States era, no one had ever succeeded in mastering Lady Katsuyu's Senjutsu. Uchiha Chen actually did it?
"Phew." Sasuke pulled the IV needle from his wrist with his teeth and climbed out of bed. "We can't delay any longer. I'll have Sakura summon a slu—"
Thud! Before he could finish, his body tilted, and he collapsed beside the bed.
"Hey! Sasuke!" Kakashi stepped forward and helped him up. "You've overexerted your Dojutsu Power, and you've only just recovered from serious injuries. You need proper bed rest. There's no need to rush this."
"But... whenever I think of someone that dangerous doing things I don't know about somewhere I can't see, I can't sit still... Cough, cough, cough!!"
Sasuke struggled to get up again, but a burning pain surged through his injured chest, making him cough blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Sasuke... sit down." Naruto's low voice came from behind him.
"Naruto?"
Naruto said quietly, "Leaving aside the fact that Sakura spent an entire day exhausting herself to treat our injuries..."
"If Chen truly is a disciple of Sage Katsuyu from Shikkotsu Forest, then having Sakura summon a Slug Clone to inquire about him would be far too disrespectful."
"A slug clone was in your yard during the day. It didn't react when it heard Chen's name, and that already tells us something."
"Even if we really want to ask, the two of us should personally go to the sacred land of Shikkotsu Forest and ask Sage Katsuyu herself."
"In any case, we can't rush this. Heal your injuries first."
"Sigh, I suppose that's all we can do." Sasuke sighed and sat back down on the bed.
Kakashi reflected inwardly. After years of tempering in the position of Hokage, Naruto truly has become more mature and worldly than Sasuke in the way he handles people and situations.
Naruto removed his IV needle, got out of bed, and walked to the window. In the rain-streaked glass, he saw his own haggard face.
Irritation rose within him, and he pushed the window open.
Whoosh! Boruto, who had been hanging between the rooftop and the ward window eavesdropping, hurriedly flipped back onto the roof.
Amid the endless curtains of rain, the solemn faces of the past Hokage on Hokage Rock seemed to be shedding tears.
Naruto gripped the window track tightly.
This Konoha was like a train racing down its tracks. It could not stop, and it would not stop for anyone or anything!
"The Chunin Ninja Exams are about to begin. This is a grand event jointly hosted by the Five Great Nations, and there are countless backlogged official cases waiting for me. There needs to be a Shadow Clone holding down the office."
He raised his hand and formed the Hand Seals ingrained into his life.
"Ah..." The white smoke dissipated, but no Shadow Clone appeared. Naruto slumped to the floor.
"Hey!! Naruto!!" Shikamaru rushed over and supported him.
"You've already been working around the clock, staying up night after night in the office! First there was Shin, then Chen! You just recovered from such severe injuries! Don't worry about official business for now! I'll work overtime and handle it for you later!"
Sitting on the floor, Naruto stared blankly at his bandaged right hand and said dejectedly, "For the first time, I truly feel like I'm no longer young..."
Creak!
At that moment, the ward door opened, and a square-faced man in a white lab coat and glasses walked in.
"You are...?"
Facing Naruto's question, the man politely introduced himself. "Lord Seventh, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tono Tasuke, and I am the head of Konoha's Scientific Ninja Tools division. I heard that you and Lord Sasuke were defeated by someone called Uchiha Chen. Is that correct?"
"The news traveled fast." Naruto frowned. But with such a huge commotion at Sakura's house, there was no way to keep it hidden.
After gripping Shikamaru's hand to rise and steady himself, he turned to face Tono Tasuke and said seriously, "That is indeed what happened. Do you have something to say?"
Tono Tasuke adjusted his glasses and took a finely constructed wrist-mounted device from the pocket of his lab coat, revealing a confident smile.
"If you and Lord Sasuke had been equipped with our Scientific Ninja Tools division's latest achievement, then dealing with a mere Uchiha Chen would have been effortless..."
Outer World.
"Achoo!" Chen suddenly sneezed.
"Caught a cold?" Madara asked with concern.
"It's nothing. It felt like some little pest brushed against my nose hair."
Rumble, rumble, rumble...!! Above them, amid the roaring, a massive white shadow faintly appeared between the fragments of the collapsing Heavenly Star.
The three brothers beneath the moon all looked up.
"Hey, that's it, right...?"
"Yeah. It can only be that."
"Right, there's no mistake. That is... Kaguya's true form, Utsu!"
Before you continue