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But the moment the four figures fully emerged, Naruto exhaled, releasing a quiet sigh of relief.
"Sasuke! Boruto!" His voice rang out with urgency.
In the next moment, the group descended from the sky, their feet touching solid ground as the ethereal river behind them faded into nothingness.
"I'll give you one piece of advice. Strengthen yourselves immediately, or what's coming next might be beyond your ability to handle." Jiang Chen's gaze flickered toward Naruto before settling on middle-aged Sasuke.
With that, he and Jiang Xi vanished without another word.
"Sasuke, Who was that just now?" Naruto's brows furrowed as he turned to face Sasuke.
"Let's return first. I'll explain everything." Sasuke took a deep breath and spoke with a steady voice.
Soon, the group arrived back in Konoha.
…
Hokage's Office
Seated in the dimly lit chamber, Sasuke recounted the events that had just transpired.
"You're telling me there's another enemy— Ōtsutsuki Isshiki— and he was Kaguya's superior?" Naruto's expression darkened as he spoke of this.
"Yes. I have no way of proving whether what I witnessed was real… but he had no reason to deceive us." Sasuke's tone was grave.
"I see…" Naruto's gaze drifted downward for a moment before shifting back to Sasuke's missing arm.
"And you? What's your plan?" Naruto asked back.
"I'll begin the process of regenerating my right arm immediately. But even the power of Senju Hashirama alone might not be enough this time, Naruto." Sasuke inhaled deeply, his eyes locking onto his old friend.
"Don't worry. I understand. I'll contribute my own cells. That should be enough to help your other eye reach its next evolution." Naruto's words were slow and deliberate.
"Good. But you should also start gathering the Bijū again. If another Ōtsutsuki is on the horizon, leaving them scattered is too much of a risk."
"Also… Orochimaru still has my old eyes. You might want to retrieve them. Even though they're blind, the combined powers of Ashura and Indra might still be able to rekindle the Rinnegan."
Sasuke's fingers brushed against the edge of his eye socket as he spoke in a low voice.
"I understand." Naruto nodded slightly.
The revelation of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had subtly altered their perspectives.
Their course of action shifted in response. Sasuke immediately began preparations for his arm's restoration. Naruto, meanwhile, set his focus on regathering the Bijū.
Following the Fourth Great Ninja War, his connection to their chakra had diminished.
Many of the once-powerful links had been severed.
After all, the Bijū had reclaimed their freedom and had no desire to be bound together again.
But now, with an imminent threat looming, Naruto had no choice. Their movements would inevitably send ripples through the flow of fate. At this moment, the original course of events had been completely disrupted.
Jiang Chen sensed the shift and a small smile played at the corners of his lips.
In his past life, watching Boruto's timeline unfold had given him nothing but a headache.
But now?
Now, it seemed they were steering away from that frustrating fate.
"Brother, where are we headed next?" Jiang Xi asked, a hint of confusion in her expression.
"To enhance your strength, and this world should come to an end!" Jiang Chen's voice was calm, his gaze drifting toward the horizon.
"Come to an end?"
"No way!"
"I can still grow stronger!"
Jiang Xi's eyes widened in shock.
"Of course. The Fourth Tier isn't this world's limit." Jiang Chen nodded slightly, then took a step forward. Jiang Xi, still stunned, followed beside him.
"Whoosh!"
A surge of illusory energy rippled through space.
In the next instant, the two figures vanished once more.
…
A Dimensional Rift
This was a realm beyond the mortal world.
A vast and desolate expanse stretched endlessly, with a colossal stone wall standing at its center.
"Whoosh!"
A powerful energy tide surged and a moment later, Jiang Chen and Jiang Xi reappeared.
"What is this place?" Jiang Xi's eyes flickered with curiosity as she scanned her surroundings.
Jiang Chen, however, was already fixated on the strange structure looming at the heart of the realm.
"Come on! This should be it." Jiang Chen chuckled lightly, then shot forward. Jiang Xi, slightly startled, quickly followed.
"Whoa!"
She adjusted her stance, swiftly keeping pace with her brother.
Before long, they reached the center of the realm.
"ROAR!"
A deafening beastly cry erupted, shaking the space itself.
A massive, otherworldly eye snapped open— an enormous Rinnegan locking onto Jiang Chen and Jiang Xi.
"What is that?!" Jiang Xi instinctively took a step back, startled by the overwhelming surge of energy.
"The Jūbi. The pet of the Ōtsutsuki." Jiang Chen's voice was steady as he observed the beast before him.
This was why he had come to this timeline— to find the legendary Jūbi.
At first, he had assumed it existed during the Hokage era.
But after mastering the Dragon Vein's power, he realized it wasn't there.
So, he had turned his sights to the future.
For his sister, the path to true mastery in this world had only one road left: She had to claim the fruit of the God Tree.
In the original timeline, one would have to wait until after the Fourth Great Ninja War for that chance.
Even then, it would take years before the conditions aligned.
But by retrieving the Jūbi from a future timeline, they could bypass all of that.
More importantly, this Jūbi could be cultivated under his own design.
The potential it held would far surpass the God Tree's fruit of the war era.
"This is the Jūbi?"
"It's energy is overwhelming…"
Jiang Xi's gaze flickered as she assessed the monstrous entity before them.
Even with the combined power of the Three Holy Grounds' Immortal Techniques and her Tenseigan, she couldn't help but feel dwarfed by the sheer force radiating from the beast.
"Brother, what's next?" Her voice carried a tinge of excitement.
"We wait." Jiang Chen replied as he calmly settled himself on a floating rock, cross-legged.
"Wait?" Jiang Xi blinked, puzzled, but eventually followed suit.
Yet, restlessness soon crept in, and she found herself glancing around once more.
Jiang Chen didn't stop her.
He remained still, silently awaiting the inevitable.
With his abilities— and the amplification of the Dragon Vein— finding Ōtsutsuki Isshiki wouldn't be difficult.
But there was no need to force the issue.
The Jūbi was Isshiki's foundation.
Sooner or later, he would come for it.
They simply needed to wait.
"ROAR!" The Jūbi howled once more, its energy rising violently.
But the black rods binding its body restricted its movements, preventing it from unleashing its full strength.
For now, all it could do was rage.
Time trickled by.
Jiang Chen's patience did not go unrewarded.
Roughly half a day later—
"Buzz!"
Space trembled and a ripple of energy surged through the air.
And then—
A familiar figure emerged from the shifting void.
(End of Chapter)