Itachi gazed at the unconscious Sasuke, slowly extending his hand to gently touch his left eye.
He had already made up his mind. In one swift motion, he removed Sasuke's Rinnegan and carefully placed it into a container.
"Your technique looks way too practiced, Itachi. You must've wanted to do that for a long time, huh?" Boruto teased, watching how smoothly Itachi extracted the eye.
Itachi ignored Boruto's joke and silently sealed the container.
In truth, he had imagined this scene countless times in his mind — except in those versions, Sasuke had gouged out his own eyes. He never thought he'd be the one doing it himself one day.
Mikoto watched as her son's left eye was taken, blood streaming down his face.
Her heart twisted painfully as she hurried forward, gently cupping Sasuke's cheek with both hands.
"Menma, you've obtained Sasuke's Rinnegan. What's your next move?" Minato asked, his expression unreadable.
"Next, we revive you all," Boruto replied simply. He opened a spatial rift, and the group returned to the base with the unconscious Sasuke.
Kabuto greeted them as they arrived, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Sasuke slung over Itachi's back. "Looks like everything went smoothly," he remarked.
"Yeah," Boruto nodded.
Kabuto tilted his head. "So, what are you going to do with Sasuke? Send him back to Konoha?"
"No rush," Boruto said casually. "Let him rest for now. We'll also reattach his left arm while we're at it."
Kabuto's eyes gleamed. "Will it be a normal arm, or one made from Hashirama Cells?"
"Hashirama Cells," Boruto replied.
Everyone immediately turned to look at Hashirama.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Hashirama asked in confusion.
"Nothing, brother," Tobirama sighed. "It's just that there are probably more Hashirama Cells in circulation now than there ever were in your original body."
Madara crossed his arms and smirked. "Hashirama's cells are indeed powerful, but not everyone can handle them. Luckily, our Uchiha bloodline can suppress their effects perfectly."
Boruto glanced at Madara, amused. "Hashirama Cells are a good thing and all, but tell me, why did you tattoo Hashirama's face on your chest when you implanted them?"
Madara froze. "What?"
"Wait, is that true?" Mito turned toward Hashirama, clearly unsettled.
Hashirama scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well… uh…"
Madara's face twitched with embarrassment. There was no way he could admit it was out of sentimentality.
He finally snorted and said stiffly, "That was just to help absorb Hashirama's Sage Chakra."
"Oh right, Kabuto — this is for you." Boruto handed him a strand of black hair.
Kabuto examined it curiously. "Whose hair is this?"
"Might Guy's," Boruto answered. "Use it to grow a clone of him."
Kabuto blinked. "Ah, you're planning to use the clone's leg to replace his missing one?"
"Exactly," Boruto said. "When fighting the Ōtsutsuki, Taijutsu is often more effective than Ninjutsu. Guy's power after opening the Eighth Gate should be enough to suppress even Momoshiki."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. "Originally, the plan was to use Sasuke's Rinnegan and have a clone of Madara perform the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique…"
He looked up. "But now that you've captured Sasuke alive, we could just grow a clone of him instead to serve as the vessel for the Rinnegan."
"Do it however you like," Boruto replied calmly, as if everything was already under control.
"Madara, Itachi, Shisui, Fugaku — come with me," Boruto ordered, turning toward the exit.
The four followed him outside.
"Menma, what's this about?" Itachi asked curiously. "You have another mission for us?"
"Not exactly," Boruto said, shaking his head. "Tomorrow, the four of you will come with me to test the caliber of Uchiha Sasuke's daughter and Uzumaki Naruto's son."
"Caliber?" Itachi frowned. "Menma, didn't we already test Sarada before? If you want to see Boruto's strength, there's no need to bring her up again."
Madara chuckled darkly. "You mean Naruto's son? Now that sounds interesting."
"Hmph," Fugaku snorted. "That yellow-haired brat — I've wanted to teach him some manners for a long time. Can't even eat without Sarada feeding him. This time, I'll put him in his place."
Boruto smirked faintly. Beat me up? For Sarada's sake, I'll let that slide.
That night, in Boruto's room, Sarada slept nestled against his chest, her brow furrowed as if in pain.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she sat up straight.
"What's wrong, Sarada?" Boruto asked, sitting up beside her.
"Nothing… I just had a dream," she said, still shaken. "I dreamed that Father was nailed to a cross, and his eye was taken out."
Her voice trembled. "That dream was exactly the same as the genjutsu Father used on me before."
Boruto frowned. She can actually sense what happened? Telepathy through bloodline connection?
He gently pulled her close and whispered, "It's okay, it was just a dream. Don't worry."
"Yeah… maybe it's just because of that illusion Father cast last time. He's so annoying," Sarada muttered softly, kissing Boruto on the cheek before lying back down in his arms.
Boruto held her tightly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"Sorry, Sasuke…" he murmured.
...
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