Chapter 393

"Is everyone back?"

Sasuke panted heavily, propping himself up with the Kusanagi Sword, his body nearly drained of all energy.

The battle against Jigen had pushed him to his absolute limit. He had exhausted almost all his chakra and had used Amenotejikara multiple times to save the other Kage. If not for consuming several recovery pills, he wouldn't have lasted this long.

The medical ninja had already begun treating the wounded. Jigen's strength far surpassed their expectations, and many shinobi had sacrificed their lives to protect the Five Kage.

If not for the sudden intervention of that mysterious individual, they might not have made it out alive.

Naruto glanced at the last shinobi who emerged from the space-time portal. Seeing the ninja shake his head, Naruto turned to Sasuke and said, "It's done, Sasuke!"

Swish!

As the space-time portal closed, Sasuke's Rinnegan faded back to his usual black pupils, and he collapsed unconscious.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto quickly turned to the nearest Konoha shinobi who wasn't injured. "Call the medical team and the Anbu! Get them to treat the wounded immediately!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Soon, Sakura arrived with a group of medical nin and Anbu. Although she was worried about Sasuke, a quick check confirmed he had only fainted from exhaustion, and his injuries were not life-threatening. Prioritizing the critically injured, she left him to be treated later.

After stabilizing the most severely wounded, they transported everyone to Konoha Hospital for further treatment.

The Five Kage had all suffered severe injuries. Other than Naruto, none of them could even stand after facing Jigen head-on.

With so many wounded filling Konoha's hospital, all available beds were occupied. Fortunately, Sakura arranged for additional accommodations, ensuring every injured ninja had a place to recover.

Between treating the injured and managing the influx of shinobi from the other villages, even Shizune had to perform multiple surgeries. It wasn't until the next morning that they managed to stabilize all the patients.

Once Darui, Kurotsuchi, and the other Kage had recovered somewhat, they gathered in the Hokage's office.

Not only were they present, but the former Kage from the Five Great Nations had also joined. Kakashi and Tsunade were in attendance, while A from the Cloud, Ōnoki from the Stone, and Mei from the Mist participated through a video conference.

"...That's the situation. This mission was a failure," Naruto said grimly. "The Jūbi has developed self-awareness and was taken by that individual. Additionally, Kara's Ōtsutsuki member was gravely injured by them. We can now confirm that those two are not allied with Kara."

Kakashi asked seriously, "Naruto, are you sure about their dōjutsu?"

Naruto nodded. "I'm certain. That golden energy beam was unmistakably a Tenseigan technique. And that space-time ability—it was identical to Kamui."

Kakashi frowned. "Obito is dead. That much is certain. After the war, I exhausted the last remnants of his power. There should be no remaining Mangekyō Sharingan with Kamui in this world."

He continued, troubled, "And then there's the Tenseigan. The fact that such an ability exists in the shinobi world... What exactly is going on?"

Tsunade spoke up. "Naruto, they didn't attack you or harm any of the other shinobi? They just left?"

"Yeah, but they went all out against Jigen. They almost killed him. If not for the Jūbi, they would have finished him off completely. And remember the artificial Divine Tree from last time? It's clear that their goal aligns with the Ōtsutsuki, maybe even Kaguya herself. The only difference is that they seem to be at odds with Kara's Ōtsutsuki."

Naruto stated his assessment. To him, anyone interested in the Jūbi was an enemy of the shinobi world.

The Jūbi's growth required absorbing the planet's energy, which meant devastation for all living things. Even though the Kamui user and the Tenseigan wielder hadn't harmed Naruto, their actions aligned too closely with the Ōtsutsuki.

But Kamui was nearly impossible to counter, and the presence of a Tenseigan wielder made things even more complicated. Naruto, having fought Toneri Ōtsutsuki before, understood Tenseigan techniques better than most.

This situation was going to be troublesome.

After a lengthy discussion, no clear solution emerged. Facing an unknown enemy with no traceable background or reliable countermeasures, the Five Great Nations could only increase their vigilance.

With all the Kage injured and Sasuke still unconscious, they had no choice but to delay further action. Instead, they heightened their security and instructed their Anbu to investigate anyone possibly connected to Kara, the Kamui user, or the Tenseigan wielder.

Except for the daimyō, everyone was under scrutiny—a measure proposed by the Fifth Raikage, Darui, which the others all agreed to implement.

...

Inside the Kamui Dimension

"Get off the Jūbi right now, or I'll burn you alive!"

Yoichi stood before the symbiote, golden flames flickering in his palm. "I know you fear heat and high-frequency sound waves. If you don't separate from the Jūbi, I'll kill you immediately!"

"If I leave, I will die."

The symbiote struggled with the shinobi language, having only absorbed fragmented knowledge from the Jūbi—memories left behind by Jigen over the years. If not for its high intelligence, it wouldn't have been able to communicate at all.

"Transfer to me instead. I know you can retain the memories of previous hosts. How many have you inhabited before?"

"You… and I… do not match."

Boom!

The moment the symbiote finished speaking, golden flames erupted around the Jūbi.

The scorching heat forced the Jūbi to shrink back, but it too was caught in the flames. The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame instantly caused the Jūbi to howl in pain, and two distinct voices cried out from within its mouth.

Hiss…

Once the fire subsided, Yoichi spoke coldly. "This is your last chance. Next time, I'll incinerate you completely."

To reinforce his threat, he formed a Truth-Seeking Orb into a massive bell and struck it twice.

Screech!

The resonance was unbearable for the symbiote, forcing it to partially detach from the Jūbi. Unable to withstand the sound waves any longer, it fully separated from the beast.

Despite instinctively sensing Yoichi's overwhelming heat, the symbiote's survival instincts drove it to latch onto him.

Yoichi didn't resist. If this were Knull himself, he would have been cautious—but this symbiote was too weak. Even if it tried to fuse with him, he could destroy it with fire at any time. It posed no real threat.

The moment it latched onto him, Yoichi immediately felt his emotions intensify. At the same time, a flood of unfamiliar memories poured into his mind.

The lives of multiple previous hosts flashed before him like a slideshow. This symbiote had inhabited many beings and had preserved all their memories, now transferring them entirely to Yoichi.

(End of Chapter)

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