The trio slowly entered the central tower.
Naruto was deep in thought, his brows tightly furrowed as he continuously sorted through the clues they had gathered.
He looked at Sakura and couldn't help asking in a hushed voice, "What were you doing before you crossed over?"
Sakura looked at Naruto, seemingly surprised by the question. After thinking for a long while, she muttered, "I don't really remember... I think I was arguing with someone online?"
"How were you feeling at the time?"
"Huh?" Sakura was utterly confused by the nonsensical question. "What exactly have you figured out?"
"Tell me first—were you in a particularly terrible mood at the time?"
Sakura froze, her expression turning strange. "I was arguing with someone. Of course I was in a terrible mood."
"I knew it..." Naruto nodded slightly. He felt Sasuke stir on his back. The two of them laid him flat on the ground, and Naruto gently patted his face.
Sasuke woke in a daze. He was blank for a moment before quickly coming to his senses.
"Naruto, Sakura... Wait, where is she? How is she now?!"
Naruto looked at Sasuke and said with a smile, "You were knocked out by the enemy's Shadow Clone right from the start, but don't worry. The enemy has already been dealt with."
"Really? But I remember it seemed to be you..."
"Your memory seems a little muddled." Naruto interrupted him earnestly. "Let's have the boss take a look later. He can deal with that thing on your neck while he's at it."
Only then did Sasuke feel the waves of pain coming from the back of his neck.
"So I just lay there until now before waking up?" he thought resentfully. He had clearly obtained transcendent power, yet he still hadn't managed to help with anything.