At the Grand Martial Arts Tournament venue.
"Mmm..."
Tōjin groggily opened his eyes. Feeling himself pillowed in something soft and elastic. Quite comfortable. His small hand unconsciously reached over.
A seductive voice sounded by his ear. "Oh my~ you're quite forward. Big sister is so happy..."
Tōjin looked up. And saw Ada's alluring face. Startled—he shrank his neck. Hurriedly leaving her embrace. Only to bump into another—even broader—embrace.
Tsunade said, "Don't move around. Do you want to keep your arm or not?"
Turns out—she'd just reattached Tōjin's arm. And was currently securing the bandages.
Seeing this—Tōjin remembered. Right. Dog ears and the big guy came. During the fight—my arm got severed. And then Mitsuki...
He asked urgently, "Mitsuki—how's Mitsuki?"
"I'm fine, Tōjin-kun."
Mitsuki stood nearby. Safe and sound. Smiling at him. At Mitsuki's feet lay a blood-stained skin.
Tōjin realized, "Ah—I totally forgot you can shed your skin!"
Actually—that wasn't quite right. Mitsuki had been severely injured. At the time—he couldn't even manage to shed his skin. If Orochimaru hadn't injected him with cardiac stimulants and adrenaline to restore his consciousness—his life would've been in danger.
But Mitsuki had no complaints. In fact—he felt that trading his serious injuries for Tōjin awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan was absolutely worth it.
Tōjin asked, "Where did dog ears and the big guy go?"
Mitsuki said, "They escaped to an alternate dimension. Then the Five Kage pursued them. They're probably fighting right now."
On the big screen—Obito was incredibly professional in his commentary. "Whoa~ Suigetsu's grappling skills are really something! Can Konohamaru—who doesn't know Lightning Release—catch Suigetsu's physical form?!"
Turns out—after Kinshiki and Momoshiki left—the Grand Martial Arts Tournament continued as normal. Since Tōjin and Mitsuki were injured and couldn't participate—they automatically lost their qualifications.
Konohamaru and Suigetsu had advanced to the final match.
Although the battle was intense and spectacular—the spectators' attention clearly wasn't on the competition. But rather on the Five Kage and the Kinshiki-Momoshiki duo fighting somewhere out of sight.
"Kinshiki and Momoshiki—those two really exist. Honestly—until I saw them with my own eyes—I always thought Naruto made them up."
"If Kinshiki and Momoshiki exist—then that ridiculously strong Godshiki must really exist too..."
"So Naruto really did come back from the future!"
"At a time like this—where did Naruto go?"
"Those two showed up—and he left right after. Don't you think that's suspicious?"
"I heard it's because Madara disappeared without explanation."
"Man... what timing."
"Hope everything's alright."
In the room set up for the Grand Martial Arts Tournament to handle emergencies.
Hinata opened her golden Tenseigan. "Tenseigan satellite hasn't detected Urashiki."
Neji said, "Does that mean we're safe?"
Hinata's eyes held hidden worry. "No. In Naruto-kun's intelligence—Urashiki is an extremely cunning and treacherous enemy. Moreover—with Gozu Tennō already dealt with—their arrival time moved up a full five years. I can't feel at ease."
At that moment—Shikaku—smoking a cigarette—offered his perspective. "There's one more intelligence source we don't control. Toneri—who left our surveillance."
Both Hinata and Neji froze.
Neji said, "Shikaku-san—are you saying Toneri allied with the Ōtsutsuki?"
"..." Hinata's gaze darkened.
Shikaku shook his head. "Probably not. If Toneri intended to ally with them—there'd be no need to give Naruto his remaining Byakugan power. Helping him obtain the divine technique Yomotsu Hirasaka."
"Let's hypothesize. What if—after Toneri went out—he happened to run into the Ōtsutsuki?"
Neji couldn't believe it. "He couldn't be that unlucky—could he?"
"Ten years isn't short." Shikaku stubbed out half his cigarette in the ashtray. "Honestly—I was worried about it back then. It was a potential problem. But people have their own aspirations. Toneri was willing to sacrifice himself to help Naruto and not be our enemy. That was already rare. Besides—what I worried about was a low-probability event."
"In the end—did it happen anyway?"
Neji clenched his fists. "Then our existence and Naruto's situation have already been exposed?"
Shikaku said, "No. Perhaps things haven't reached that point yet. Otherwise—it wouldn't be Kinshiki and Momoshiki who came. It might be Godshiki—or even stronger Ōtsutsuki."
"Based on the current situation—I'm more inclined to believe the intelligence was intercepted. And hasn't yet reached the higher-ranking Ōtsutsuki."
"Momoshiki and Kinshiki are being used as pawns. Based on available intelligence—I believe the Ōtsutsuki who captured Toneri is none other than Ōtsutsuki Urashiki."
Neji's eyes narrowed. "So Madara's sudden disappearance—and Naruto and Sasuke being forced to leave—are also within Urashiki's calculations?"
"No. If Madara's disappearance is related to the 'Hades' Jiraiya-sama mentioned in secret—given Urashiki's previously demonstrated capabilities—it's hard to believe."
At this point—Shikaku's gaze deepened. "So Madara's mysterious disappearance and them being forced to leave are also an unexpected windfall for Urashiki. He definitely won't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He'll definitely show himself. The question is—where will he appear to maximize benefits while staying hidden."
"..." Hinata looked up. She already knew the answer.
Shikaku said, "Princess Kaguya—currently sleeping on the moon—is probably the target Urashiki will go after."
"..." Both Hinata and Neji had their concerns.
Shikaku smiled. "Don't worry about things here. Even if Urashiki doesn't play by the rules and does the opposite—at this venue—there are plenty of shinobi no less capable than the Five Kage. Besides—Gai is still here."
With that—the two completely dismissed their concerns.
"We're heading to the moon immediately!"
In the alternate dimension.
Darui finished bandaging his wound. And sat on the ground to rest.
Looking at the God Tree remnants standing isolated in the distance—he said, "This space also had a God Tree planted in it."
Gaara said, "Not all God Trees bear fruit. God Trees that bear fruit come under the control of whoever consumes the fruit. Rather than becoming withered remnants abandoned here."
Darui said, "Ah—so if they don't successfully bear fruit—the God Tree dies too."
His resolute eyes held some sadness. "Man—I don't know what you all think—but I feel kind of sorry for the Ten-Tails. Getting planted in the ground. Enduring centuries of lonely torment. The outcome is either becoming a withered dead tree or becoming an accomplice to evil. We should drink a toast for the dead Ten-Tails."
With that—he pulled out a stainless steel portable flask from his waist. About to take a drink.
Crack.
But a chill swept past. The liquor in the flask froze into a solid lump. And wouldn't pour out.
Darui: "Mizukage—you..."
Haku smiled. "I understand your feelings. But injured people should take it easy."
"Having a drink behind my wife's back—is that too much to ask..."
Helplessly—Darui put away his flask. And stood up. Looking at the sand-gold pyramid before them. "Let's figure out how to transport this big guy back."
BOOM.
Suddenly—a strange sound came. The sand's surface layer crumbled.
"Hm?" Gaara's pupils contracted sharply. "Get away from here quickly!"
Golden pupils glowed in the darkness. "Inferior creatures—bear the wrath of a god!"
—Inugami Sarutahiko.
BOOM BOOM BOOM.
The sand-gold pyramid was torn apart by powerful internal tension. Several vicious dog heads burst through the breaks. Lunging toward where the five stood.
The battle... wasn't over yet.
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