Aftermath

Rōran, the place where the Dragon Vein resides.

What was once a perfectly good underground space is now completely exposed.

In the final clash between Taiichi and Urashiki, the immense power not only delivered the final blow to Urashiki but also completely blasted open the underground space, exposing it to the light of day.

Sunlight streamed down from the zenith, illuminating Taiichi's precarious position. Taiichi looked up at the sky above and the brilliant sun, a radiant smile spreading across his face.

Bang!

The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

Taiichi finally couldn't hold on any longer, closed his eyes, and collapsed to the ground.

The Attribute Points are all-around, but that can only restore stamina and Chakra. However, such a long battle, such a huge amount of Chakra used, and all these injuries have exhausted Tianyi's spirit.

Now that the enemy has been wiped out, he can finally take a rest.

Meanwhile, while Taiichi and his Urashiki, Lin escorted the Queen and Sara out of the underground palace.

--

The journey had calmed the Queen down. Upon reaching the ground, she immediately summoned the palace guards and ordered them to evacuate the area.

Although the guards were puzzled, the Queen's orders were paramount, so they quickly obeyed.

However, everyone soon felt fortunate for their decision, as tremors began to emanate from underground when the evacuation was nearly complete.

The tremors grew stronger and stronger, and eventually even the royal palace on the ground began to fall and shake.

Seraam felt the tremors beneath his feet, and his unease grew.

"Captain!"

"Your Majesty." A strong, muscular man approached Seraam.

"Take the palace guards and evacuate all residents within a one-kilometer radius. The battle that follows will likely affect a much wider area."

Seraam's eyes were filled with anxiety, but even so, her gaze never left the direction of the palace.

"Your Majesty, is this necessary?"

The head of the guard was puzzled. This was no small matter; if handled poorly, it could be a huge blow to the Queen's prestige.

Before he could explain further, Kakashi, along with Naruto and Yamato, rushed towards them from the direction of the palace.

When Kakashi saw the large group of people ahead, especially the Queen among them, he couldn't wait any longer and shouted, "Quick, retreat further! It's dangerous here!"

Upon hearing this, the Queen's expression changed drastically. She turned her head and said sternly, "Captain of the Guard, obey orders!"

"Yes!"

Without further hesitation, the captain of the guards led his men to disperse and carry out their tasks.

At this moment, Rin stepped forward and took Naruto from Kakashi's hands, but before she could ask anything, Kakashi grabbed her and pulled her to the outer edge.

As everyone moved, the tremors beneath their feet intensified, and the nearby palace began to partially collapse.

"Kakashi, Taiichi, how's it inside?"

As Lin walked, she anxiously inquired, as this mission had been full of twists and turns, with all sorts of strange and unusual things happening.

"They're still inside. Their fighting is beyond our control now."

Kakashi turned back and looked at the palace with concern. In just a short while, the palace had collapsed into ruins, and purple light bullets were occasionally shooting into the sky from the ruins.

At this moment, the entire Rōran was alarmed by the battle taking place in the palace. Fortunately, the entire guard had been mobilized, which prevented further chaos.

After a long while, a group of dozens of people arrived, including Kakashi and Rin who were standing, Naruto and Yamato who could only sit slumped on the ground, Queen Seraam who was holding her daughter, and a group of ministers and guards.

Everyone gazed at the palace, anticipating the final outcome of the battle.

Boom! A deafening explosion echoed throughout Rōran.

Crash! The entire palace was like a toy, with rubble flying everywhere, and even the surrounding houses were affected, collapsing in patches.

A bright Light Sphere shot straight into the sky, exploding into a giant firework against the blue sky.

And then, that was it.

All was quiet, save for the occasional sound of collapsing buildings.

There was no sign of the enemy, nor did Taiichi return.

Kakashi and Rin exchanged a glance, both seeing the anxiety in each other's eyes.

"Lin, you stay here and protect the Queen. I'm going back to check on things."

Kakashi finished speaking and, without waiting for Rin's response, vanished from the spot in Body Flicker.

The scene was far more devastating than it appeared from afar. As Kakashi walked along, he found that the description of the place was no longer simply "rubble and ruins."

Everywhere there were traces of Ninjutsu bombardment, and most of them were glass-like burn marks. Kakashi knew that was the domineering manifestation of Taiichi's Fire Style.

Reaching the deepest part of the ruins, perhaps because it was the epicenter of the explosion, the area was unusually empty. In the very center, only one figure lay quietly on the ground.

That is, Taiichi.

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat for no reason. He quickly Body Flicker forward and, with trembling hands, reached out to touch Taiichi's nose.

Sigh----

Kakashi breathed a long sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he was still alive.

He hurriedly and carefully examined Taiichi's injuries, and upon seeing them, he gasped again. Putting aside the external injuries, the key issue was the damage to his internal meridians.

He had seen this kind of damage caused by overloading the Chakra meridians before. Taiichi had also experienced it before when he was still in the Ninja Academy, which was also Taiichi's first formal battle.

Kakashi knew he was powerless to help with this injury, and even Rin outside couldn't handle it.

Kakashi carefully helped Taiichi up. For now, he could only take him away from the area and let him handle things himself once he regained consciousness.

Outside, shortly after Kakashi left, a new event occurred.

Princess Sara was the first to notice; while everyone else focused their attention on the direction of the palace, she was the only one looking around curiously.

"Ah, that older brother and uncle are glowing!"

Sara's scream drew everyone's attention, and everyone turned their gaze to Naruto and Yamato.

They were quite surprised themselves. Naruto raised his hands, looked at them repeatedly, and then looked at Yamato next to him.

"Only the Captain and I are radiant!"

Naruto's mouth gaped open, filled with curiosity, and he had a premonition that their trip might be coming to an end.

Lin stepped forward quickly and released her Chakra to examine the two people's bodies, but found nothing.

She stared blankly at the two glowing figures, momentarily at a loss for words.

Thinking about this mission, Lin felt somewhat lost, realizing she had only played a minor role and wondered if she was being utterly useless.

Yamato seemed to sense Rin's confusion. Despite his weakened state, he managed a weak smile.

"Rin, let's call you Rin for now. Don't be discouraged. You're only Chunin, you've already done a great job. Didn't you see that I, a Jonin, didn't help much?"

This unconventional mission wasn't originally intended for us; we just ended up in it by chance.

He glanced at the white light surrounding him and sighed, "We may have to return to our own timeline. It's a real shame we couldn't talk more with you all, especially Taiichi- kun, he's truly an extraordinary person!"

Lin composed herself and was about to say something when she caught a glimpse of Kakashi rushing towards her from afar.

On his back, Taiichi lay unconscious.

At this point, Rin couldn't care less about Yamato and Naruto; Taiichi was more important to her.

"Taiichi, how is he?"

"He's badly injured, but not in mortal danger. He's just unconscious for now. Everything should be fine once he wakes up."

To briefly explain Taiichi's situation, Kakashi also noticed Naruto and Yamato's unusual behavior.

However, he was much calmer and quickly came to a guess. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask more about the future and Obito, but remembering Taiichi's instructions, he kept his mouth shut.

"May you rest in peace. The Mukade has been reduced to ashes without a trace, and the Otsutsuki has been defeated by Taiichi. Your mission is complete."

In the end, these were all Kakashi could say, which could be considered a farewell to his future comrades.

"Hey----Hey---- Kakashi-sensei, you have to take good care of yourself, okay? Stop spending all your time reading those erotic books, it's really not good."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Naruto dropped a bombshell before leaving, drawing everyone's attention to a somewhat stunned Kakashi.

Before Kakashi could say anything, Naruto and Yamato's bodies slowly became transparent, until they turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.

"You—you shouldn't listen to his nonsense! I—I don't have that habit!"

Kakashi, still an innocent young boy, hurriedly waved his hand, a stark contrast to his usual cool demeanor, which made Rin and the Queen burst into laughter.

The next day.

The pungent smell of disinfectant, carrying a hint of coolness, entered Taiichi's nostrils, pulling him back from the deep darkness.

Consciousness surfaced with difficulty, like a sinking ship, each breath accompanied by a dull pain deep within the chest.

--

He slowly opened his heavy eyelids, and what came into view was the snow-white ceiling and the morning light streaming in from the window.

"Woke up?"

A soft, surprised voice sounded from beside the bed.

Taiichi tilted his head slightly and saw Lin lying by the bedside, seemingly awakened by his movements.

At that moment, her face was filled with relieved joy, and she immediately got up to get the stethoscope. "How are you feeling? Where does it hurt the most? I'll examine you right away!"

"Don't rush—" Taiichi's voice was hoarse, like a traveler long confined to the desert. He forced a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Lin. Just—a little exhausted."

He refused Lin's examination, not because he didn't trust her, but because he knew his own body better.

Rin's Medical Ninjutsu is certainly good, but conventional methods are of limited effectiveness against his condition, which is caused by the overuse of Chakra and the mental exhaustion he has suffered.

With Lin's worried but persistent support, Taiichi endured the aches and pains all over his body and struggled to sit up. Leaning against the soft headboard, he immediately closed his eyes and focused his mind on his body.

The first thing to do is to see exactly how much of your savings you've invested this time.

As Taiichi's gaze swept across the panel, his heart clenched as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and an indescribable pang of heartache instantly overwhelmed him.

Ten Attribute Points! Seven Skill Points!

This is almost half of the wealth he accumulated over several years!

In the extremely fierce battle against Urashiki Otsutsuki, he almost instinctively and frantically added points to his character in order to maintain his fighting strength.

The situation was critical, a matter of life and death, leaving no room for hesitation or saving.

However, now that the smoke has cleared and the crisis has been averted, seeing the enormous losses, a wave of fear and heartache washes over me.

This is not just eroding numbers, but also his sense of security and his ability to cope with larger crises!

"That monster----"

Taiichi's mind was once again filled with Urashiki Otsutsuki's bizarre and ever-changing forms and terrifying power, especially his ultimate form after devouring his own eyes and divine artifacts. The sheer oppressive feeling he experienced still made his heart tremble.

The golden Rinnegan —a power that shouldn't belong to this world at all.

"He's so difficult to deal with even when he's seriously injured—if he were in his prime—"

Taiichi dared not think any further; a chill ran down his spine.

The outcome would likely be far more complex than simply a matter of enormous expenditure.

For the first time, he realized with such clarity what terrifying enemies existed beyond the Ninja World, and that his pride and joy were still insignificant in the face of true power.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and refocused his attention on his internal body.

It mobilized the Chakra that had been restored within its body, and like the most precise probe, it slowly traveled along the meridians.

Pain is unavoidable, like being pricked by countless tiny needles; it is a sequela left after the meridians have been pushed to their limits.

Muscles and bones also suffered varying degrees of bruising and tearing—these are the medals left behind from his hard-fought battles against Urashiki.

My mind is like a wrung-out sponge; fatigue seeps into my bones, and even thinking brings waves of dizziness.

However, the good news is: there are no irreversible fatal injuries! The damage to the meridians and body is only a matter of time before Taiichi's Medical Ninjutsu causes further damage.

The most troublesome form of mental exhaustion can only be addressed through rest and recuperation.

"Fortunately, they are all recoverable injuries."

Taiichi opened his eyes and gave Rin, who had been watching him anxiously, a reassuring smile. "Your Chakra meridians are slightly damaged, you have several bruises, and you've suffered from excessive mental exertion. You'll need to rest for a while, but it's nothing serious, so don't worry."

Lin's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little, but the worry in her eyes hadn't completely disappeared. "You were unconscious for a whole day and night! When Kakashi carried you back, you were covered in wounds and your breathing was extremely weak—what exactly was that enemy? I've never seen such bizarre abilities and fighting styles."

She still felt lingering fear when she recalled the fleeting glimpse of the purple light blast and the final, earth-shattering explosion.

"A monster from outer space."

Taiichi carefully considered his words. The information about the Otsutsuki was too shocking, and he didn't want to explain too much to Rin for the time being.

However, this is a good opportunity to leak some information to the higher-ups, so that there's no way to prove it to the dead, and there's no need to worry about the source of the intelligence.

"However, it has been completely eliminated, so there's no need to worry about it reappearing."

What's the situation in Rōran? Are the Queen and Princess Sara alright? How badly was the palace damaged? Were there any Civilian casualties?

Seeing that Taiichi was unwilling to discuss the enemy in detail, Lin wisely stopped asking and immediately reported the situation, "Her Majesty the Queen and little Sara are both fine, just a little frightened. The palace—almost completely destroyed, along with a large area around it—has been reduced to ruins."

Fortunately, the Queen ordered the evacuation of nearby residents as soon as she came out, and Kakashi later led us to an emergency evacuation, so—thankfully, no Civilian died!

Upon hearing Taiichi let out a long sigh of relief.

There were no large-scale Civilian casualties, which was better than the best-case scenario he had anticipated.

The Rōran royal palace can be rebuilt, but human lives are something Rōran cannot afford to lose.

"Where's Kakashi?" Taiichi asked.

"He is protecting the Queen," Lin said softly, her tone tinged with complexity.