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Time flies when you're with Hanabi. Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Qianyu helped Naruto and Sasuke eliminate the invading Isshiki Ōtsutsuki and guided them to master the full powers of Yin and Yang.
"Alright. With this, I'm confident you two can handle any crisis that comes your way."
Just outside Konoha's gates, Qianyu smiled as he bid farewell to Naruto and Sasuke. He'd gathered enough intel here. It was time to return to his Konoha.
"Qianyu… thanks for everything, dattebayo! You really can't stay a bit longer?"
Naruto stepped forward, wrapping Qianyu in a bear hug, reluctance clear in his voice. Over these months, he'd grown genuinely fond of Qianyu. Maybe it was Qianyu's carefree, lively spirit—it reminded him of Pervy Sage.
"Hah, don't look so sad. I've memorized this timeline's spatial coordinates. I'll come visit when I'm free. Hanabi's still here, after all." Qianyu clapped Naruto's shoulder, offering a reassuring grin.
Worried about Karasuki falling into Ōtsutsuki hands again, Naruto and Sasuke had asked Qianyu to safeguard it (in the original flow, they'd just let it go). While crossing timelines required a colossal amount of chakra, for the current Qianyu, that was nothing.
Hanabi's family and friends were all here. Qianyu didn't force her to leave. With his chakra reserves, a long-distance relationship was no big deal.
"Enough chatter, Qianyu. Just go already!"
Madara, waiting nearby, sounded thoroughly annoyed. And why wouldn't he be? Qianyu spent three months having fun—Kurotsuchi, Tenten, Samui… and him? Not a single decent fight in three months! If Naruto and Sasuke hadn't spared some time to train with him, his frustration might have leveled the village.
"Fine, fine. I'm going." Qianyu waved a dismissive hand, signaling Madara to calm down. He turned back to Naruto and Sasuke. "Alright then, this is goodbye. Before I leave, a little gift for you."
"A gift?"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged confused looks. What was Qianyu planning now? They were adults. What kind of gift did they need?
"You heard right… Summoning: Pure Land!"
With a mysterious smile, Qianyu formed a hand seal. His consciousness connected instantly to the Pure Land. Before Naruto and Sasuke, two souls materialized.
Unlike the Impure World Reincarnation, souls summoned from the Pure Land were pure and free.
"…Nii-san?"
"Pervy Sage!!"
Seeing those familiar faces, Naruto's eyes welled up instantly. Even the ever-calm Sasuke lost his composure, a rare sight.
"Qianyu, thank you… Qianyu?"
Naruto, overcome with emotion, looked around to thank Qianyu properly, only to find both Qianyu and Madara had already vanished.
"Never thought I'd see you again, Naruto."
Looking at his fully-grown student, Jiraiya broke into a wide, proud grin. "Heh. You look even more impressive than your old teacher now. Seems you've achieved your dream… Tell me everything. What happened after I left? How's the village?"
"Pervy Sage, I… I…!"
Naruto had so much he wanted to say. But now, face to face, he was just a crying, stammering mess.
"Summoned again, am I? Sasuke… it's been a long time."
On the other side, Itachi gazed at his brother's weathered face, a flicker of heartache in his gentle eyes. "All these years, alone… you must have suffered greatly."
"Nii-san, I…"
Sasuke's nose stung. All those years wandering, chasing Ōtsutsuki leads—of course he was tired. He just couldn't show it in front of Sakura or the others. But before his brother, he could finally drop the mask.
"Nii-san… I'm not alone anymore!"
Sasuke rubbed his slightly damp eyes. "Sakura and I… we're married. We have Sarada… my daughter. The Uchiha clan isn't just me anymore."
Reunited after so long, the four of them had endless words. Smiles, genuine and heartfelt, graced their faces.
'Qianyu… you didn't have to. Thank you.' Sasuke glanced toward where Qianyu had disappeared, the thought silent but profound.
Inside Karasuki's spatial pocket.
Qianyu glanced at the bored-out-of-his-mind Madara. An idea struck. "Hey, Madara. Wanna stretch your legs? I know a fun place."
"You're serious?" Madara shot him a skeptical side-eye. He didn't trust Qianyu's sudden generosity.
"Dead serious. I promise you, a thoroughly satisfying fight is guaranteed." Qianyu thumped his chest, then pulled up Karasuki's control interface, fiddling with the settings.
"Hmm… push the timeline forward a few years… tweak the spatial coordinates a bit… yep, this should be the spot!"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks flew from clashing blades. Two figures pushed off each other, leaping back to land on the shattered remains of the Hokage Monument.
"You're pretty good, Kawaki."
A blond youth knelt on one knee, a Kusanagi blade in hand, his black cloak whipping in the wind. He squinted one eye, looking up at his opponent perched above.
"I'll send you to the Seventh too, Boruto."
The youth named Kawaki stood tall, a black rod in his grip, intricate black markings covering his cheeks and arms. He looked down at Boruto with cold dominance.
"Is this… the only way?"
Boruto's gaze darkened. Behind them, the ruins of what was once a thriving Konoha lay scattered.
"That's right!"
Kawaki slowly raised his left arm. Flowing light, like flame, surged along the markings from his arm to his face. A terrifying power swelled within him.
Feeling that immense strength, Kawaki clenched his fist, his voice a cold decree aimed at Boruto below. "The age of shinobi… ends here."
"Oh? Is that so? Who are you, a mere speck of dust, to decide the fate of shinobi?"
Just as the tension between them peaked, an arrogant voice cut through the air. Both Boruto and Kawaki jolted in shock.
"Who's there?!"
Kawaki spun sideways. A figure was already shooting toward him through the air. A Truth-Seeking Orb filled his vision, growing larger.
BOOM!
The orb shattered right in front of Kawaki. The contained catastrophic energy erupted. Caught off guard, Kawaki was blasted backward.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Another figure materialized in front of the flying Kawaki. Arms a blur, it unleashed a rapid-fire series of blistering slaps across Kawaki's face. Each strike carried a tidal wave of chakra, leaving Kawaki utterly dazed.
"Hey, Qianyu! You said this one was mine!"
"Old man, you actually believed me?"
The two figures seemed to argue, their attacks growing even more vicious mid-dispute. Kawaki flew back and forth between them like a ragdoll, his brain thoroughly scrambled.
No need to say it. The newcomers were Qianyu and Madara, fresh from their time jump.
With Urashiki as his chakra battery, Qianyu had treated Isshiki like a plaything. Kawaki was nothing. Under the sheer weight of Qianyu's chakra pressure, Kawaki couldn't even twitch a muscle, let alone fight back.
"This… this…?!"
Boruto stared, jaw slack. His lifelong rival, Kawaki… was being tossed around like a training dummy?
"Hey, Qianyu. That kid down there looks pretty punchable too."
After pummeling Kawaki for a bit, Madara, still unsatisfied, cast his predatory gaze downward at Boruto.
Hiss!
Boruto sucked in a sharp breath. A veteran of countless storms, he felt a genuine chill of fear for a split second.
"He calls you 'Grandpa' in another timeline. You really gonna hit him?"
Qianyu spared Boruto a glance, fighting the urge to join in, and continued wailing on the now barely-human-shaped Kawaki.
"Tch. Fine. Since his big brother asked so nicely."
"Piss off, you old geezer! Trying to get one over on me?!"
They bickered, but their hands never stopped. A sandbag at the Ōtsutsuki level wasn't an everyday find. Gotta make it count!
Phew. Always wanted to smack this guy when I watched those clips. Never thought I'd get to do it for real… Feels good. Qianyu let out a long breath. He then kicked the nearly unconscious Kawaki toward Boruto and used his dōjutsu, Izanami, to reset Kawaki's state.
"What's 'watching clips'? And why do you keep saving everyone you meet? You sick or something?!"
"Explaining it to you is pointless. Let's go." Qianyu couldn't be bothered. He activated the Karasuki hidden in his clothes once more. Both of them vanished without a trace.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
After they left, Kawaki's form "rewound" back to his original spot facing Boruto. All his injuries were gone, healed as if they never were.
"…"
Kawaki looked down at his intact body, then up at Boruto below. They were both back in their starting positions, in their original stances. As if nothing happened. As if twenty episodes of plot had just been skipped.
They stared at each other, a profoundly awkward silence hanging in the air.
"… Did two people just appear out of nowhere over there," Kawaki finally pointed to the spot Qianyu and Madara had materialized, "beat the crap out of me for no reason, and then disappear?"
"… I… I think so?" Boruto replied, equally uncertain.
They exchanged another long look. The will to fight had completely drained away.
If they had to describe the feeling in one sentence: What the hell was that?
"Kawaki… after all these years, let's just talk."
Seizing the bizarre opportunity, Boruto launched his clan's secret technique—Talk-no-Jutsu.
"… Yeah. Talk."
After a long silence, Kawaki finally lowered his raised left arm. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
'Maybe… the age of shinobi isn't over just yet.'
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