"Ugh, I feel like death. This is all your fault, Jiraiya-sama. You dragged me out drinking again last night—my head's splitting!"
A hangover was never a pleasant thing. The pounding pain made him miserable.
Jiraiya grunted.
"Hmph! You were the one who kept pouring cup after cup into your own mouth. How can you blame this sage? My head's killing me too!"
Standing off to the side, the adult Sasuke's mouth twitched. Could the two of them, in that condition, really face Ōtsutsuki Urashiki?
By his reckoning, Urashiki should be arriving any moment now.
Kiyosuke shook his head, sitting down beneath a tree to rest.
Jiraiya sat nearby, for once not writing. His headache left him without inspiration; his thoughts were a haze, his notes incomplete. Whatever he tried to put to paper came out dry and lifeless. Better not to write at all.
Meanwhile, the other two trained with fiery energy, their spirits unshaken.
"What a cursed fate. Why is it that every time I make my move, you lot show up to interfere?"
The voice carried the kind of sharpness that made it seem like the next moment, a three-sword slash would tear through the world.
The four of them instinctively lifted their heads.
Suspended in the air, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki carried a fishing rod glowing with crimson light. His Byakugan glimmered with mockery as he looked down at Naruto.
"I've found you, fox. The timing's shifted, but even as you are now, I can deal with you."
If he couldn't beat the stronger one, he would just travel back and strike the weaker version. That wasn't cowardice—it was a tactical shift in target.
Kiyosuke opened his eyes, staring at the pale figure.
"So this is a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan? All dressed in white, just like the stories… troublesome."
Even sensing his chakra alone was enough to make one's heart tremble.
Was this what it meant to be an alien who could cross the stars to reach Earth?
The Ōtsutsuki came from a distant world. Their lifespans stretched thousands of years, and with the power of the "Karma" mark, they could reincarnate, transcending even death.
Born with overwhelming strength, they never needed to train like mortals. They commanded colossal beasts like the Ten Tails, using them as tools of planetary conquest. By planting a God Tree, they drained a world's life force, harvesting chakra fruit—gaining immortality, godlike strength, and unnatural power.
They roamed the universe, seeding one world after another, devouring its essence, evolving endlessly—until they stood unrivaled, claiming the mantle of gods.
Kaguya herself had once been of their number. She too had come with a partner, sharing the same ambitions. Yet in the end she betrayed him, murdered him, and kept the chakra fruit for herself.
Sensing something amiss, the Ōtsutsuki clan sent others to reclaim the fruit of this planet.
Momoshiki and Kinshiki had already been killed by Naruto and Sasuke together, leaving only Urashiki to collect the tailed beasts.
But against two overwhelming foes, his only option had been to slip into the past, targeting a younger Naruto to seize the Nine Tails' chakra.
Unfortunately, because of interference from adult Sasuke and Boruto, his time-space travel went awry, and he ended up in this timeline instead.
No matter. So long as he could extract the Nine Tails' chakra, it was enough.
Sasuke without chakra posed no threat to him.
As for Jiraiya and Kiyosuke? Urashiki didn't even spare them a thought.
Earth's natives—if not for Kaguya, they would never have touched such power in the first place. Compared to the Ōtsutsuki, their use of energy was crude. To him, they weren't worth considering.
"An enemy?" Naruto looked up warily at Urashiki.
Boruto drew a kunai, ready for battle.
Jiraiya rose to his feet, deeply cautious. The mere ability to fly was extraordinary—among all the shinobi he knew, only the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had such mastery.
Could this foe command something akin to Dust Release?
"Watching ants struggle can be entertaining."
Hovering above, Urashiki's gaze was cold and disdainful. He regarded the five of them as utterly beneath him, arrogance radiating from every word.
Kiyosuke sneered, loosening his shoulders.
"Hm?"
Urashiki turned his Byakugan on him. Raising an eyebrow, he said,
"Your body is unusual. Even among us Ōtsutsuki, there are no such physiques. Interesting. Your chakra should prove quite the prize."
With a flick of his wrist, the fishing rod cracked through the air. Its red hook shot forward at blinding speed, aiming straight for Kiyosuke.
"Watch out!"
Adult Sasuke's warning rang out, but Kiyosuke was hardly the type to sit still and wait for death. His shuriken flew, knocking the hook aside.
"Tch. Dodged, did you?"
Urashiki wasn't frustrated—if anything, his intrigue in Kiyosuke's chakra only deepened.
Adult Sasuke lunged in with the Kusanagi Blade, but Urashiki slipped past with ease.
His body split into countless crimson-glowing paper cranes, reforming beside Naruto as he reached out to seize him.
Kiyosuke appeared, intercepting, and smirked.
"My brat isn't someone you can just lay your hands on!"
"Oh? Do you really think you can stop me, human?"
Urashiki's eyes were fierce, untamed, as though Kiyosuke wasn't even worth considering.
"Why don't you try me and find out?"
Kiyosuke pressed harder, forcing Urashiki to frown and wrench free.
"Strength alone won't do, sir."
"Don't worry—you'll be satisfied soon enough."
Kiyosuke stood firmly in front of Naruto.
"Naruto, use the Nine Tails' chakra. No—Nine Tails, I know you can hear me. Lend it to him. Otherwise, be ready to end up as part of the Ten Tails."
The Nine Tails could see everything Naruto saw. It was one of his few amusements in captivity. At Kiyosuke's words, he snorted, chakra leaking heavily through the seal's cracks.
In his memory, only three had borne the name Ōtsutsuki—the Sage of Six Paths, his mother, and his younger brother.
This Urashiki was clearly no trivial foe. Even Asakawa Kiyosuke held him in deep caution.
And if what he said was true—that he meant to turn Kurama back into the Ten Tails' chakra—that was unacceptable.
After some thought, the Nine Tails chose self-preservation.
"Hmph. Just this once. Don't expect me to help again."
With a grunt, he lay back down.
A red cloak of chakra flared around Naruto, immense power flooding his body.
"Whoa… amazing!!!"
Naruto shouted, energy coursing through him. He felt unstoppable.
"Get ready," Kiyosuke ordered.
Adult Sasuke rushed up beside Naruto.
"Sorry. I'll be borrowing this chakra for a moment."
He pressed a hand to Naruto's stomach—and began drawing out the chakra.