186-190

Chapter 186: Urashiki Becomes Prey

"Well, well, I'm honestly surprised. I tried my best to suppress my aura, yet you still sensed me."

Holding his Zanpakuto, Aizen walked slowly out of the dense forest with Pakura by his side.

"Brother Aizen!" Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw him, and he was about to approach when Jiraiya raised a hand to stop him. "Naruto, don't go near him. He's a member of the Akatsuki."

Jiraiya looked up at Urashiki in the sky, then back at Aizen and Pakura, frowning with concern. Having both Akatsuki and this mysterious man appear at the same time could only mean trouble.

"Relax, Jiraiya, Naruto, and you over there, that pale-looking guy, and the spiky-headed kid. I assume you already know that the Akatsuki won’t take any action for the next three years."

Aizen's voice rang out again. He glanced at Urashiki in the sky, and in that instant their eyes met, he murmured to himself, Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu.

Silently, he released Kyoka Suigetsu.

"Hey, who are you calling spiky head?" Boruto responded, taking the bait.

"Boruto, quiet down. Now's not the time for that," Sasuke snapped, glancing at Aizen with a tense expression. "So, for the Akatsuki’s plans to proceed smoothly in three years, you're saying you want to team up with us against that guy in the sky?"

Sasuke, though aware that Aizen referred to him as the "pale-looking guy," knew now wasn't the time to pick a fight with this Akatsuki member named Fujiwara Aizen.

At least not until they defeated Urashiki.

"I wouldn’t call it teaming up," Aizen replied calmly. "I’m just... very interested in this white guy’s jutsu. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a fan of powerful ninjutsu."

As he said this, Aizen’s face turned cold, and he glanced up at Urashiki. "So, would you all mind not interfering with me as I capture my prey?"

"How arrogant! You think you can treat me as prey, you lowly creature?" Urashiki’s voice echoed from the sky.

This time, his tone was no longer playful; it was filled with rage.

Upon arriving in this world, Urashiki had planned to capture Naruto directly in Konoha, but he couldn’t sense Naruto's chakra there.

Instead, he used the Otsutsuki clan's exclusive Yomotsu Hirasaka to teleport directly in front of Naruto.

To his surprise and delight, not only did he find Naruto, but he also sensed another unusually powerful and pure chakra nearby.

But to his irritation, it seemed that this chakra’s owner wasn’t taking him seriously—and even had the nerve to covet his abilities.

"You’re not merely considered prey. You already are my prey," Aizen flexed his hands and feet, quietly activating his Tiangang Art. A tremendous amount of sage chakra emanated from him, forming a shockwave that radiated outward, bending trees and stirring up powerful gusts of wind.

Understanding his signal, Pakura leapt back onto a tree branch.

Jiraiya and Sasuke also pulled Naruto and Boruto back, distancing themselves from Aizen and Urashiki’s battleground.

"What a formidable chakra… even the Tailed Beasts can barely compare," Jiraiya murmured in awe.

Boruto couldn't help but gasp. "That's… amazing."

"Of course," Naruto boasted, "Brother Aizen is the best! Even Kakashi-sensei couldn’t beat him. This guy named Urashiki doesn't stand a chance."

"Don’t celebrate too soon," Sasuke interjected with a serious expression. "A large chakra reserve won’t mean much against Urashiki’s kind. Aizen doesn’t know Urashiki’s abilities yet. This might end badly."

Hearing this, Naruto got nervous. "Then tell Brother Aizen about Urashiki’s abilities!"

Sasuke shook his head. "It’s too late."

As they spoke, Urashiki made the first move.

"Such impressive chakra… you lowly creature." Urashiki sneered, licking his lips with a twisted smile. "Then, I’ll take it all for myself."

Urashiki lunged toward Aizen, swinging his red fishing rod with speed that surpassed anything Aizen had seen before.

Clang!

A harsh metallic scraping sound filled the air.

Urashiki’s fishing rod was blocked by Aizen’s Zanpakuto. In that brief moment, an intense force exploded outward, creating a web of cracks in the ground beneath them.

"Not bad. Good power, and decent speed," Aizen said nonchalantly, standing in the center of the cracked ground and easily holding off Urashiki’s rod with his sword. "But your attack patterns are too predictable. Seems like you’re just a battle-hungry fool with raw strength."

"Is that so?" Urashiki sneered with fury, and his red fishing hook slipped past Aizen’s Zanpakuto and struck him from behind, sinking into his body without resistance.

Urashiki burst out laughing. "Got you! Got you, you filthy creature. Now your chakra is all mine."

Naruto, seeing this, shouted emotionally, "Brother Aizen!"

"It’s over," Sasuke and Boruto said in unison, closing their eyes with disappointment. From the start, they hadn't believed Aizen could defeat Urashiki.

But Jiraiya stopped them. "It’s too soon to call it."

Just as he finished speaking, a loud bang resounded, and smoke cleared to reveal that Aizen had transformed into a wooden log.

At the same time, a flash of bright steel appeared, slashing toward Urashiki from behind.

Urashiki was shocked and quickly activated his Rinnegan, attempting to foresee Aizen’s attack.

But Aizen’s attack wasn’t so easily dodged.

Urashiki’s Rinnegan ability allowed him to predict attacks a few seconds ahead, but Aizen’s Kenbunshoku Haki let him anticipate Urashiki’s evasive moves. With Aizen’s sudden ambush, Urashiki barely dodged, escaping with a slash across his shoulder, which started to bleed profusely.

"Well, well. For someone who claims not to be a fool, you couldn’t even recognize the simplest substitution jutsu. How have you survived until now? Your opponents must be as dim-witted as you."

Aizen’s words stung, as he mocked not only Urashiki but also Sasuke and Boruto.

Their faces darkened as they exchanged awkward glances. "I… didn’t know substitution could be used like that," Boruto admitted. "But he kind of insulted us too, huh?"

Sasuke’s expression turned a mix of blue and purple. He remained silent, watching Aizen and Urashiki’s battle unfold.

"You… wretch…" Urashiki spat in fury, clutching his injured shoulder. Grabbing the chakra he’d stolen from Sasuke, he unleashed a wave of Fire Release toward Aizen.

---

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 187: Urashiki’s Breakdown*

Aizen struck at the perfect moment, forming a quick hand seal with his right hand. A powerful surge of chakra gathered in his throat and then erupted into a massive water dragon, spanning over a hundred meters. The dragon charged forward, instantly extinguishing Urashiki’s flames before continuing its assault toward him.

Though Urashiki could foresee attacks by rewinding time a few seconds, knowing an attack was coming and being able to dodge it were two entirely different matters.

Faced with the enormous water dragon, he didn’t have enough time to dodge, and it was too late to use his teleportation technique, Yellow Spring Hirazaka.

As for absorbing ninjutsu with his Rinnegan—he hadn’t even begun to unlock that ability yet in this form. So, with no other option, he leapt upward.

But Aizen seemed to anticipate his move; just as the water dragon was about to hit the ground, it suddenly shifted direction and continued its pursuit of Urashiki.

Urashiki was horrified. "Damn it!"

With Aizen preempting his moves, the water dragon opened its enormous jaws and clamped down on Urashiki, flinging him with its full force toward a rocky hill in the distance.

*Boom!*

A deafening explosion echoed through the area, and the entire hill shattered as the water dragon’s impact sent debris skyward, transforming into a shower of raindrops.

Urashiki had been smashed through the hill, now embedded into the mountainside, partially buried by stones.

"Ouch." As the raindrops fell on Boruto, a piece of debris struck his head, leaving a noticeable lump. He muttered in pain, "Feels like a storm out here."

Nearly calling out “Uncle Sasuke” by habit, Boruto quickly corrected himself. “So, did that Aizen just defeat Urashiki?”

“No, that guy won’t be taken down so easily,” Sasuke replied, his right eye already transformed into the Sharingan, fixed on Aizen and the half-buried Urashiki.

"You filthy creature—you’ve made me angry," came Urashiki’s furious roar from within the mountain.

The ground began to tremble as Urashiki shot out of the rocks like a cannonball, hovering mid-air, looking quite battered.

While Aizen’s water dragon attack infused with celestial chakra had certainly shaken him, it hadn’t caused serious harm.

What truly infuriated him was that he had been driven to this state by a "lowly creature" without even a Rinnegan or a Tailed Beast.

“Stop yelling—it just makes you sound weak,” Aizen said, glancing up with a smirk of undisguised disdain.

“People like you who gain power too easily often lack battle experience and rely on predictable attack patterns. You’re laughably simple to defeat."

"You’re like a child wielding a powerful weapon, still a child at heart. You’re pathetically weak, young one from another world.”

“You think I’m weak?” Urashiki’s eyes flashed with anger, and with a blink of his Rinnegan, he vanished from sight.

“Oh, yes, truly weak.” Aizen replied, casually swinging his blade behind him.

Urashiki appeared just as Aizen’s sword came slashing at him, forcing him to block with his fishing rod.

The powerful strike sent Urashiki flying back, his body skidding across the ground, finally crashing into a rocky cliff and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

“Damn it… damn it…” Urashiki’s enraged voice came from the dust cloud as he once again activated his future-sight ability, charging at Aizen in a fury. “How dare you, a lowly creature, repeatedly injure my body and dignity! Die!”

Urashiki twirled his red fishing rod in a blinding array of strikes, aiming at Aizen from all directions.

Yet Aizen evaded the attacks calmly, occasionally deflecting unavoidable strikes with his sword. “Too slow… too slow… you’re just too slow. Do you really think this level of attack could kill me?”

In the open field, the two figures clashed repeatedly, Aizen’s sword meeting Urashiki’s red fishing rod in sparks of metal.

Boruto, Naruto, and even Jiraiya could hardly keep up, their eyes struggling to follow the fight’s intensity, though Sasuke, with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, could track it all.

“Whoa, amazing…” Boruto murmured, stunned. He had only seen combat like this when his father and Uncle Sasuke teamed up against Momoshiki.

In mere seconds, Aizen and Urashiki had exchanged countless blows.

Gradually, Urashiki struggled to keep up, increasingly on the defensive. He used his Rinnegan ability, Thousand Paper Cranes, to dodge by transforming into glowing red cranes and reappearing nearby, launching another attack. But Aizen seemed to sense him, no matter where he moved.

Finally, Aizen landed a powerful kick, sending Urashiki flying, blood spraying from his mouth as he barely managed to hook a nearby rock with his fishing rod to steady himself.

“Damn it… why… why can’t I hit you?” Urashiki demanded, panting heavily.

Aizen lectured calmly, “Well, that’s obvious. I’ve completely seen through your Rinnegan abilities. One allows you to rewind your own time by a few seconds, replaying attacks until you find a safe counter.”

“The other lets you disperse into red cranes and disappear, then reappear wherever you like.”

“They’re impressive abilities, but you rely on them too much. Without them, you’re like a helpless infant in battle. And I’d bet you’ve never even tried developing your Rinnegan’s powers, have you?”

“I once met another who possessed those eyes, and he used them in endless ways—even I would hesitate to face him.”

“But you, with all your power, fight like a confused, inexperienced child, utterly lacking in battle sense. That’s why I say—you’re truly weak.”

“Enough!” Urashiki roared, abandoning his physical clash with Aizen as he launched into the sky, reaching into his waist pouch and drawing Sasuke’s chakra.

Lightning crackled in his palm, forming bolts that he hurled down toward Aizen.

“So, this is chakra you stole from someone else using that fishing rod, huh? What a pitiful attack. You rely on stolen power and mindlessly spam moves, weak and cowardly inside—your weakness is off the charts.”

Aizen dodged the lightning strikes with ease, his taunts breaking Urashiki’s composure even further, making his attacks increasingly erratic and disorganized.

Chapter 188: Kill Boruto?

Boruto was dumbstruck as he watched the scene unfold, glancing at Sasuke beside him. "Is Urashiki really that weak? How come I never noticed it before?"

"No way," Sasuke clicked his tongue in disbelief. It wasn’t that Urashiki was weak—this guy named Aizen was just too strong.

In every way—whether it was physical prowess, power, speed, reflexes, or any other skill—Aizen was leagues above Urashiki.

Compared to that, Urashiki’s stolen powers were trivial. The only thing remarkable about him was his Rinnegan, and Aizen had already figured that out.

"You wretched, lowly creature," Urashiki sneered, "I want to see you dodge this!"

Seeing that lightning didn’t work, Urashiki decided to unleash all the chakra he had stolen.

In an instant, a barrage of lightning, flames, waterfalls, massive rocks, hurricanes, and other jutsus filled the sky, sealing off all possible escape routes for Aizen, enclosing him from every direction.

In his mind, Aizen’s strength was just in physical combat and sensory abilities, but his body was vulnerable. As long as his attacks hit once, Aizen wouldn’t survive.

“Oh, really?” Aizen smiled slyly. “If I can’t dodge, then I won’t. I’ll just blow all your attacks away. Boy from another world, watch carefully—the power honed through training is something your kind, who rely on stealing, could never understand.”

Aizen gave a slight grin, forming a symbol with his right hand.

“Wind Style: Pressing Wrath!”

A massive gust of celestial energy gathered in his throat, which he released, forming a devastating hurricane that surged toward Urashiki in the sky.

As soon as the hurricane made contact with the lightning, flames, waterfalls, and rocks, it blew them all away. The hurricane engulfed Urashiki, turning into a massive tornado that violently spun him around. Trees were uprooted around them.

Naruto and the others watching were swept up by the hurricane.

Finally, the tornado faded, leaving Urashiki battered and torn as he fell straight to the ground.

“Did we win?” Boruto asked in a trembling voice, picking himself up, still in shock from the storm that had felt like a typhoon sweeping through.

He couldn’t believe that someone this powerful existed in his time. Why had he never heard of this person from his parents?

“It’s never that simple,” Aizen answered aloud, addressing Urashiki. “Alright, stop pretending. Although your mind isn’t sharp and your battle sense is even worse, this level of attack isn’t fatal to you. Get up, boy from another world.”

“You—you bastard,” Urashiki’s voice suddenly filled the air.

Without moving, he began to levitate, his shoulders twitching as he grinned wickedly, reaching toward his right eye.

“So you think I’m weak, huh? Think I’m an idiot in battle, that I only rely on stolen power? Don’t underestimate me, you lowly creature.”

Just as Urashiki prepared to remove his Rinnegan and transform, Aizen’s voice whispered from behind him like a ghost: “I told you—you’re my prey, and everything about you is mine. I’d never let you break my things.”

As the words faded, Urashiki felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest. A pure white blade had pierced him from behind.

“Argh!” Urashiki coughed up blood, looking down in disbelief. “Wh-When…?”

His voice shook and weakened. The moment Aizen’s sword pierced him, he felt his strength drain away as his consciousness began to fade, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

Looking down at Aizen on the ground and back at the Aizen with purple wings holding the blade through his chest, Urashiki gathered his last ounce of energy to ask, “When did you get behind me?”

“‘When’? Have you seriously been here this long and never seen a Shadow Clone jutsu?” Aizen sneered. “That’s why I said you’re weak.”

As he spoke, the clone on the ground burst into smoke.

Hearing those words, Urashiki closed his eyes with an expression of resentment and hatred.

What he truly wanted to ask wasn’t why there were two Aizen’s but how Aizen could completely avoid his senses and appear behind him without a trace.

Of course, he would never know.

The Zanpakuto isn’t just a blade for the body but a sword for the soul. Aizen had no intention of letting Urashiki live; his sword slashed both body and spirit, erasing his soul completely and forever.

Aizen pulled his Zanpakuto out of Urashiki, flicking off the blood. Before Urashiki’s body hit the ground, he grabbed him by the collar and, along with the sword, stored him away in his system storage, slowly descending.

[Ding! Special bloodline and Rinnegan detected. Host, would you like to merge them?]

"Not now." Aizen had no desire to resemble the Otsutsuki clan with their sickly white skin and horned heads.

Pakura appeared by Aizen’s side, bowing slightly. “Lord Aizen.”

Aizen gave a slight nod. Pakura took her place behind him, glancing toward Naruto’s group.

Boruto was the first to run over, curiosity evident. “Where’s Urashiki?”

“He’s dead, and I’ve collected his body,” Aizen replied, shifting his gaze to Sasuke, feigning innocence. “So, should I call you the Second Pillar, or maybe Avenger?”

“Second Pillar?” Sasuke gave him a blank look, not understanding what Aizen meant.

But Naruto caught on, looking at Sasuke in disbelief. “You’re Sasuke?”

Aizen interjected, “To be exact, he’s the future Avenger. I saw you meeting that avenging son of a friend in the forest. Jiraiya, I think you know too, don’t you?”

Jiraiya nodded slowly, not denying it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Yes, I’m Sasuke, but I’m not any ‘Second Pillar,’ and Itachi isn’t some ‘avenging son’!” Sasuke said angrily.

“Say what you want.” Aizen turned to Boruto. “Since you’re from the future, then this pineapple-head here must be Naruto’s son, right? Gotta say, he looks like a real handful. Must’ve been a pain for his dad.”

“You’re the one who’s a pain!” Boruto shot back, face red, avoiding Aizen’s gaze in embarrassment.

“Oh, really.” Aizen gave a knowing smile, and just as the group let their guard down, he suddenly pulled out his Zanpakuto and pierced Boruto’s chest.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 189: Aizen vs. Jiraiya and Uncle Sasuke*

With a sudden thrust, Aizen’s blade pierced through Boruto’s chest, the gleaming white blade reflecting brilliantly in the sunlight.

Boruto's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Aizen, then down at his own chest. His pupils dimmed as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He wanted to ask why but didn’t even have the strength to speak.

"This has to be a joke..." Naruto's eyes went blank, his body trembling. Still reeling from the shock of seeing another son, his mind went utterly blank as he saw this scene.

Jiraiya and Uncle Sasuke erupted in rage, their eyes wide with fury.

“Boruto…” Sasuke bellowed, drawing his sword as Jiraiya summoned a Rasengan. Both lunged at Aizen.

Aizen withdrew his blade, and Boruto collapsed. Flicking off the blood from his blade, Aizen effortlessly parried Sasuke’s strike, sending him flying with a powerful kick.

Summoning a colossal amount of chakra, he crafted a Rasengan even larger than Jiraiya’s and charged forward.

“No… How is that possible?” Jiraiya’s face paled; he hadn’t expected Aizen to know the Rasengan.

The two Rasengans collided, but Jiraiya’s disintegrated in less than half a second under Aizen’s powerful attack. He was sent hurtling backward like a kite with a broken string.

Aizen flashed forward with incredible speed, landing another kick on Jiraiya mid-air and launching him even farther.

"Lord Aizen." Pakura moved forward to assist, but Aizen stopped her. "Just watch from the side."

Pakura had no choice but to stand back and observe.

“So, the legendary Sannin isn’t much after all! And as for you, Sasuke, even in middle age, you’re still so weak. Have you been drained by that Sakura woman? Got a kidney issue?”

Aizen deliberately taunted them, testing their strength.

Uncle Sasuke looked from Aizen to Boruto’s lifeless body, a flood of memories of Naruto from their original timeline overwhelming him. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan activated, and a trail of blood streamed down his face.

Sensing this with his Observation Haki, Aizen sidestepped Amaterasu’s black flames just as they appeared.

When his flames missed, Sasuke clicked his tongue in frustration, releasing a giant dragon flame into the sky, setting up his powerful Kirin.

He charged with lightning speed, infusing his blade with Chidori and closing in on Aizen.

"You're this frail… and you still want to summon Kirin?"

Aizen smirked, covering his own sword with Chidori, and met Sasuke’s strike head-on.

Though Sasuke had lived longer than Aizen, he’d been consistently weakened since Boruto. Now, his power was only a shadow of what it once was.

Aizen, on the other hand, possessed a deadly combination of Observation Haki and mastery of the powerful Heavenly Demon technique, making his physical skills devastating.

Within a few exchanges, Sasuke was already on the defensive.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The two figures moved like human lightning bolts, their blades clashing as sparks flew from intense metallic friction.

Each time Sasuke felt the immense power behind Aizen’s strikes, his grip on his Chidori blade nearly failed, narrowly escaping disarmament.

Yet he wasn’t worried about being pressured; he was just buying time for Kirin to form.

Finally, under the onslaught of Aizen's strikes, Sasuke’s sword flew from his hand, embedding itself into a nearby boulder as he was kicked back once more.

At that moment, a massive shadow loomed above Aizen, growing larger by the second.

From above, Jiraiya's voice rang out, "Summoning Jutsu: Rooftop Collapse Technique!"

The giant toad, wielding two massive swords, descended from the sky, crushing down onto where Aizen stood, shaking the earth and sending dust billowing.

“Did it work?” Jiraiya watched the toad intently, muttering under his breath.

Sasuke shook his head. “No, not yet.”

As he spoke, the ground trembled again, and the giant toad’s body began to lift. Jiraiya watched in shock as Aizen raised the massive toad with one hand, his hand covered in a black, armored sheen.

“It was heavy, but just barely manageable.” With a calm expression, Aizen casually tossed the toad aside.

With his immense Sage Chakra and Armament Haki, the weight of this Myoboku Toad was nothing to him.

Jiraiya exclaimed, "What incredible strength—it even surpasses Lady Tsunade's!"

The sky darkened, with clouds swirling ominously, lightning flashing, and a sense of an impending storm filling the air.

At this point, realizing the battle was a losing one, Sasuke leaped to the highest point, shouting, "Lightning Style: Kirin!"

Lightning surged in his hand as he raised it to the sky, summoning a massive lightning beast.

*BOOM!*

With a deafening roar, Kirin, guided by Sasuke’s Sharingan, thundered down toward Aizen.

Having used up the last of his chakra, Sasuke collapsed, panting heavily.

But to Sasuke and Jiraiya’s surprise, the lightning didn’t strike Aizen as expected.

Instead, it hovered over Aizen’s head, then turned around and roared back in their direction.

Beneath the Kirin, Aizen raised his left hand, manipulating the lightning with countless small currents connecting it to his palm. The Kirin grew limbs, its strength magnified.

“How… how is he controlling Kirin?” Sasuke stared, speechless.

Jiraiya explained, “Aizen learned Chidori from Kakashi, and he’s improved upon it. In lightning style, he’s ahead of everyone.”

Internally, Jiraiya cursed the deceased Third Hokage, who had somehow left such a powerful enemy for Konoha.

Despite his frustration, he didn’t sit idle. Knowing he would die if Kirin struck him, Jiraiya quickly performed the Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld.

To him, no matter how powerful the jutsu, the user was still human. If he immobilized Aizen, Kirin would fall apart on its own.

---

*End of Chapter*

*Chapter 190: Major Sasuke Suspects Boruto is Dulling His Intelligence*

Suddenly, Jiraiya seemed to ignore Aizen's ability to fly. "Are you getting senile, Jiraiya? Do you really think Earth Release at this level can affect me? I can fly, after all."

Chakra Wings extended from Aizen's back, and with a flap of his wings, he soared into the sky just before the swamp could form beneath him. He raised his left hand, summoning a massive lightning Kirin to strike in the direction of Jiraiya and Uncle Sasuke.

"This is bad!" Jiraiya gasped in shock, and Uncle Sasuke's face filled with despair.

The lightning's speed was one-thousandth of a second, faster than the speed of sound—they couldn't dodge it in time.

Just as they braced for impact, the massive lightning Kirin shot straight over their heads, missing them completely, and barreled into the distant obstacle, exploding with a loud crash that shook the ground.

"Did he miss?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief.

Sasuke, who had collapsed from chakra exhaustion, replied, "No. With his skill, there’s no way he missed."

"Of course not. Neither of you are at your best, so defeating you wouldn’t mean much to me." Aizen's voice echoed near them as he landed, retracting his wings. He looked at Jiraiya. "I thought you’d show off some of that Mount Myoboku Sage Jutsu. I was looking forward to it."

"Well, give me time to use it, will you?" Jiraiya chuckled ruefully.

He only ever used Sage Jutsu in desperate situations; it was too much trouble otherwise. Initially, he’d planned to have Sasuke buy him some time after Aizen effortlessly intercepted Gamakō, allowing him to summon Fukasaku and Shima to enter Sage Mode. But plans went awry—Sasuke’s Kirin attack had been turned against them with even greater force, leaving him no chance to summon the toad sages or gather enough Sage chakra.

"Why? Why did you kill Boruto?" Sasuke forced himself up, glaring at Aizen with a trembling voice.

Aizen didn’t answer, instead glancing at Jiraiya. "Is that spiky-headed kid dead?"

Jiraiya slowly shook his head and then asked, "What is going on here?"

"Though we’re on opposing sides, and I don’t like that spoiled brat who keeps giving his father trouble, I already told you that Akatsuki won’t act for the next three years. There’s no need for me to kill him and make us mortal enemies."

Aizen continued, looking at Uncle Sasuke. "As for that spiky-headed kid, I assume you’re aware that he carries another soul inside him?"

"You mean…?" Sasuke was startled, recalling the figure of Momoshiki.

"That’s right. Inside that kid, I sensed the same energy as that revolting white creature I killed earlier. It’s been eating away at Boruto’s soul. I might not like the kid, but I wouldn’t kill him—he’s like my… um, let’s say he’s like a nephew to me. That soul inside him? I’ve already destroyed it."

"Then why did you attack us just now?" Jiraiya asked.

"Are you sure I attacked first?" Aizen scoffed at him.

Jiraiya chuckled bitterly. "Couldn’t you have explained things beforehand?"

"A real man doesn’t explain himself. Besides, I was curious about how far this future Second Pillar here had grown. I have to admit, it’s disappointing. He’s gotten weak, like he’s been drained."

Aizen turned to Uncle Sasuke with a mocking look. "Honestly, did that girl named Sakura drain you dry?"

"You—!" Sasuke’s face flushed red as he stammered, "I’ve already told you, I don’t know you, and I haven’t met you in the future. This timeline isn’t like ours."

"I get it. So, you’re from a parallel dimension," Aizen said, pretending to understand. "So, that guy I killed earlier came from there too?"

Uncle Sasuke nodded. "His name was Urashiki. He came here to capture Naruto and take the Nine-Tails chakra. Boruto and I are here to protect Naruto."

Aizen continued, "Then tell me, how is it that, despite having the Mangekyo, you’re so weak? You seem to lack intelligence in battle, and you’re always running out of chakra. Other than those eyes and the Kirin technique, it seems even the current Sasuke is stronger than you."

"That’s because Urashiki used that hook to drain my chakra," Sasuke replied, falling into thought.

He didn’t know why, but ever since Boruto was born, he felt like he’d been getting weaker and weaker.

If it was due to losing an arm, that could make sense.

But Naruto was also getting weaker.

Not only that, but he felt his own mind was clouded, often forgetting basic ninja skills.

Like earlier, Aizen had used a substitution technique against Urashiki, which Sasuke could also have done, yet he somehow couldn’t avoid Urashiki’s hook.

It was as if something was suppressing them.

Every time he fought alongside Boruto, he felt like his intelligence was being dragged down, unable to perform at his best.

"So weak. You can’t even handle someone like that. What a waste of those eyes," Aizen scoffed.

As he finished speaking, there was a loud rumble in the distance.

At the base of a distant mountain, a crimson pillar of light shot into the sky, and the savage roar of the Nine-Tails echoed across the land.

A terrifying aura filled the air.

"This is bad! Naruto’s Nine-Tails chakra is leaking!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

Aizen looked over and saw Naruto sitting quietly on the ground, his eyes turning blood red as a thick red chakra surged from his body, forming the cloak of the demon fox.

The chakra was erupting uncontrollably, shooting a pillar of energy into the sky.

At this moment, behind Naruto, a fourth tail began to appear, and more followed at an alarming rate.

In mere moments, he’d already reached six tails.

"Well, here we go—looks like he thinks I killed his son." Aizen remained calm.

"Could you be more serious?" Jiraiya was nearly beside himself. This was the first time he’d encountered Naruto with six tails.

"Relax, it’s only six tails. I can handle this," Aizen said with a smile.

At that moment, the transformed Naruto noticed Aizen. With the blood-red pupils blazing with murderous intent, Naruto lunged at Aizen, unable to contain his rage at the death of his son.

---

(End of Chapter)