Chapter 319: Stopping the Nightclub Style
"Huh?"
Seeing her teammate defeated, Sarutobi Amane froze on the spot.
Then she saw two fists getting closer and closer.
"I surrender!"
As the fists stopped right in front of her, Sarutobi Amane helplessly raised both hands.
Just as Ino and the others had guessed, aside from Fire Release, Sarutobi Amane truly didn't have any other specialties.
This was the norm in the ninja world. The truly talented individuals whose names were remembered were always a minority, most were just ordinary, average shinobi.
Take the Sarutobi clan for example. It hadn't been wiped out and was still considered one of Konoha's major clans, yet aside from the Third Hokage's family, there were hardly any notable names.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the Sarutobi clan even stepped in to replace the destroyed Uchiha clan as the representative of Fire Release users, joining together to perform a large-scale Fire Release technique.
In any case, the fact that these two had managed to develop those combination techniques was already quite impressive.
Neither of them were particularly powerful ninjas, but during the more than ten years they had spent as well-treated captives, they had done their best to find ways to maximize their own abilities.
A Sarutobi clan member who only knew two or three Fire Release techniques, in wartime, could only stay in the backline as a long-range attacker, once an enemy got close, it was over.
And an Akimichi clan member who could only use Expansion Technique, without the ability to enter Butterfly Mode and burn stored fat as chakra…
Since she couldn't burn fat through Butterfly Mode, she would burn it physically instead.
"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"
Terumi Mei leapt down from the platform, forming hand seals midair, and upon landing, sprayed water toward the unconscious Akimichi Rianko to extinguish the flames.
If the fire wasn't put out soon, the smell of roasted fat would start filling the air.
Sss!
The fire didn't go out.
There was simply too much oil and fat in the Akimichi body.
"Let me."
Gaara also jumped down, using his sand to cover Akimichi Rianko.
Finally, the fire was extinguished.
At least she didn't end up like a clay pot roasted chicken.
With three Kage already helping below, Tsunade simply went down as well and lent a hand, treating Akimichi Rianko.
As for Sakura and Ino…
Sakura had her hand pressed against Ino's chest, continuing treatment, while muttering, "Leave it to me. Don't move! I have to heal you properly, or you'll definitely say I hit you there out of jealousy."
"..."
Watching Sakura touching Ino all over down below, Sarada felt utterly hopeless about this bond-filled ninja world.
"Second Hokage-sama, let's go."
Not wanting to watch any longer, Sarada turned to Senju Tobirama beside her.
"We should've done this earlier."
Tobirama stepped beside Sarada and used Flying Thunder God to transport her next to Sasuke.
He kept a certain distance, placing Sarada up in a tree.
Then, leaving behind the words, "Don't act yet. I'll go back and see if anyone else wants to come", Tobirama used Flying Thunder God again and returned to Kumogakure.
Sasuke had already arrived at Turtle Island. There, he encountered Naruto and Killer Bee, who had just finished training and came out for some fresh air.
Behind them followed Sai, who had previously been beaten badly during a mission with Danzō and was now working to redeem himself, as well as several Kumogakure shinobi.
But in Sasuke's eyes, there were only three people.
Naruto, Killer Bee, whom he had seen in those photos, and another figure who looked somewhat like him, but whose skin was as pale as a corpse.
Sarada's arrival went unnoticed. She crouched in the tree, observing the situation below.
"They haven't started fighting yet… hmm… Kumogakure's fashion is pretty stylish."
As she watched, her attention drifted to the unusual outfits worn by some of the Kumogakure shinobi.
"Stylish? It doesn't look like it. It's not even as good as Hidan."
Shiromo appeared behind Sarada. Hearing her mutter, he immediately refuted her.
One of the biggest criticisms of Boruto, aside from its increasingly absurd power scaling and illogical plot, was the character designs.
Ikemoto's sense of style could only be described as a disaster.
The entire cast looked like they belonged in nightclubs or on the streets.
Originally, Sarada, despite not being particularly quiet at heart, gave off the impression of a studious, gentle girl with a slight rebellious streak, but overall well-behaved.
But later on…
Her outfit exposed her shoulders and midriff, paired with high heels, a loose jacket, thick lips, a choker, belts, and an inward-turned stance.
It was practically a textbook example of streetwalker fashion.
And they even said that the jacket used to be something Boruto liked to wear, and she wore it now to commemorate him.
But that raised a question, when Boruto wore a jacket, he wore it properly. Why did she have to let it hang off her shoulders?
Wouldn't it slip off during combat?
It just went to show the vast difference between Araki, who truly understood stylish character design, and Ikemoto, who thought he was stylish but ended up with something far worse.
And yes, there was a reason for comparing Araki and Ikemoto.
In an interview, Ikemoto had clearly stated that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was his favorite manga, without question, and that Boruto was heavily influenced by it.
That explained why Boruto's sense of fashion felt so strange, why the plot often felt bizarre, and why the power system kept stacking into bug-like absurdity.
A classic case of trying to imitate a tiger and ending up as a dog.
Shiromo interrupted Sarada's thoughts precisely to prevent this kind of development.
There was nothing wrong with pursuing fashion, but it required good taste.
Taste wasn't some lofty standard; it was the judgment people made when they saw what one wore.
Some outfits made people wonder if they had just walked off a runway.
Others made people quietly consider calling authorities, thinking you were about to solicit customers.
"Huh?"
Sarada scratched her head, confused.
Clearly, she still couldn't understand Shiromo's way of thinking.
Creating a ninja world without overwhelming "bonds" didn't mean turning it into a world full of nightclub girls and male escorts.
What Sarada didn't know was that, although she had already begun mentally preparing to sever her father-daughter relationship with Sasuke, and was nearly there with Sakura as well, Shiromo would not allow her to go completely unchecked.
Orochimaru might have made promises to a future Sasuke, but Shiromo had not.
Still, for his own peace of mind, he would act.
If Sarada showed even the slightest sign of adopting that nightclub style, Shiromo would beat some sense into her.
He would make sure she truly experienced what "a father's love is like a mountain" meant.
"Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my spine…"
Sarada muttered, then looked down below.
Sasuke had already begun questioning Naruto.
Naruto looked exactly like someone caught cheating, flustered and at a loss.
"Sasuke, listen to my explanation…"
"Naruto, I've come to save you. I know you've already fallen into darkness, but even if I have to break all five of your limbs, I'll bring you back!"
Looking at Naruto, who was "extremely close" with Killer Bee, Sasuke took a deep breath and spoke.
"?"
(End of this chapter)