The Battle of Hikari III

Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Kakumei – Arc 4: Might Makes Right

.

Chapter 98 – The Battle of Hikari III

.

In front of Hikari, in the forest between the reconnaissance division of the Shinobi Union and the gates, the army of Kakumei led by Kawaki is resisting the divisions of Konoha and rest of Suna and Kumo as half of Kiri's ninjas arrive from the entrance to help.

On the battlefield, Sorito Kijima, Imi Nakamori and Akira Shiin of Kawaki's personal squad are following Minako Onikuma's lead and run through enemy ranks to mark soldiers with the pentagram patches they were given. They mostly get ninjas of the Akimichi clan since they're easy targets in their expanded forms. As they run through the forest, the 3 young men suddenly find themselves covered in a cloud of gunpowder.

Katon – Haisekisho (Burning Ash)

It is Mirai Sarutobi who made this cloud to bury them and now clenches her teeth to flame it on. Sorito, the older and taller of the trio, grabs Akira and Imi by the collars and throws them away as quickly as possible before the fire spreads to them. Only he remains in the burning cloud but his reinforced skin is unaffected by the flames. He just stands there, blinded by the fire.

Outside, Akira and Imi stand up and look around to find the one who threw the jutsu. Suddenly, Akira is struck in the torso by the Konoha kunoichi who leaps out from the ground under him.

Futon – Senpuken

By making wind blades spin around her fist, Mirai strikes her enemy away with a hit that combines all efficient uses of Futon in one. Caught off guard, Akira is sent flying and crashes further in the forest. The fire cloud dissipates and leaves Mirai face to face with Imi and Sorito. The younger one, Imi, throws a shuriken strapped to a nylon string, ready to pull the weapon back.

But Mirai renders this strategy useless by slicing the projectile in half with a wind-imbued hand blade. Imi makes a surprised face and looks at Sorito to let him take action. However, before the colossus has to get involved it is Minako who takes Mirai by surprise and somersaults over her. In the middle of her jump, upside down above her enemy, she lies her hand on her shoulder and marks her with the same seal that her colleagues were spreading around.

Mirai notices her. She catches the young girl by the arm to pull her closer and kicks her in the hip to send her flutter against a tree. The Onikuma prodigy easily lands on her feet against the tree and grabs the doll that she had strapped to her belt with her left hand. In her right, she holds a needle. Mirai looks at the pentagram on the doll's forehead and then at the one on her shoulder.

"Love your moves!" Minako quickly praises Mirai before bringing all the pentagrams they've distributed to use. "Now check out mine!"

Juin – Ningyo Shoji (Doll Possession)

By stabbing the voodoo doll's nape with the needle, Minako causes all the people marked with the seal to suddenly feel an intense pain at this same location on their body. No physical harm is visible, but their nerves react as if they were those of the doll. Mirai feels it as well. She curves herself and trembles in pain.

Minako smiles sadistically before pulling out two other needles from her glove. With these two, she pierces the shoulders of the doll and nails it to the tree. This brings all the cursed targets to fall down, stuck to the ground, nailed to it like the doll to the trunk. The little girl of Hikari stands up horizontally on the tree, and watches the dozens of ninjas that collapse across the battlefield.

"That was Metal!" she cheers while raising her hands and fingers making the sign of devil horns.

Her enthusiasm is however interrupted by a running light she notices flashing through the forest and taking down twice as many soldiers as she just did in an instant. She starts to feel like it's getting closer. Eager to see what it exactly is, she pulls out a kunai with an explosive note and throws it forward to reach the target as it comes straight forward to them.

Takeshi Minamoto, the source of light, calmly catches the flying kunai that is in total slow motion compared to him. He takes it by the handle and throws it toward Imi and Sorito who stand aside. Way too quick for them to react, it flies by and the note detonates just in between them. Imi turns his eyes to see it next to his ear and just has time to open his mute mouth to stand agape.

The explosion strikes and pushes him far away, with half of his face blown up. Sorito tanks the explosion, unaffected by such artisanal weapons. Takeshi notices him still standing and gets right in front of him. Before Sorito has time to even just see him, Takeshi boxes his opponent's incredibly tough skin at hyper speed.

In just a second, he punches him over 300 times and finishes with a violent thunderous kick in the same spot, which pushes Sorito away through several trees. Minako only now sees the Kiri-nin standing still where he just defeated her two friends. She hurries to get a short blade out from her back.

"You piece of-" she yells, interrupted before suddenly finding herself unarmed and bound to the tree she was standing on with the nylon string that Imi threw earlier. Unable to move, she shakes frantically and yells around, frustrated.

"AAHHH! This isn't Metal at all!" she complains.

"Now, time to get your general." Takeshi tells her confidently.

"Uh? Yeah? Go Ahead! He'll beat your flashy ass!" Minako shouts to Takeshi who already went away as quickly as he arrived.

.

Meanwhile, on the same battlefield, deeper in the forest, the chief general of Kakumei is fighting against Boruto Hyuga and Konohamaru Sarutobi. He already imposed himself as superior in strength, durability and stamina, and is blocking their combined offensive.

Right now, Konohamaru left some space to Boruto after giving him an opportunity to start his Hakke Hyaku Nijuhassho, a faster, stronger and doubled version of the 64 palms. Close to the end of the attack that will blast his target away, Boruto speeds up. Kawaki, determined to stop him before he gets to the 128th hit, shapes his skin in spiky armor, in the manner of a porcupine.

Just as he proceeds with his last strike, Boruto gets his hand impaled by one of the skin thorns and leaps away. He sees his trembling severed hand, frustrated that he couldn't finish this move, and then looks at Kawaki who seems out of breath after having taken most of his attack already. Konohamaru doesn't leave the enemy any time to recover and jumps forth to strike him down with his Kongo Nyoi.

Kawaki, not yet ready to stop, blocks the Sarutobi's staff with his own. Blocked in this confrontation, Konohamaru analyzes the young general. Even though he wasn't blown away by Boruto's final strike, all his tenketsu were still struck in the combo. And yet he's still moving, unaffected. The red hairy mark on his face and left arm must be a power source totally independent of his physical limits. In short range again, Konohamaru prepares a quick chakra orb to land a hit anyway.

Rasengan

He attempts to push this spinning orb into his opponent's shoulder but is blocked by a skin shield that Kawaki made from his right hand. As soon as the orb dissipates, he turns this shield into a reinforced clawy gauntlet that he uses to punch Konohamaru away with such strength that he flies off to the back of the battlefield where the intel division is.

Boruto is now alone in front of Kawaki, just as he originally wanted to. Nearly out of breath as well, he clenches his bloody fist and gathers the guts to finish this. He gets in position, ready to show his new best move to Kawaki who watches as he concentrates Raiton chakra in the palm of his other hand.

Kawaki is astonished by the chakra control of his adversary. The bandages that cover Boruto's hand don't snap at all under the pressure of the electricity covering them, which means that he very properly controls and directs the power of this jutsu. Feeling at risk, Kakumei's general makes a huge shield out of his left arm to take cover. The lightning spreads through all of Boruto's body to greatly fasten his movements as he leaps forward.

Chidori

Kawaki raises his shield right as Boruto strikes and slices across it with his lightning blade. He cuts it in half while forcing his push through. Kawaki holds it back and concentrates to stand his ground. The two warriors keep this confrontation going, screaming out their determination. Feeling at loss, Kawaki gets his second hand involved. He brings the shield closer to destabilize Boruto and catches him by the face to violently slam him to the ground.

Boruto is shaken inside by this shock but keeps his focus. Gazing through the fingers that hold his face, he notices a quite pleasant surprise. The cut left in the skin shield of Kawaki is perfectly clean and straight. No imperfection. Which means that Boruto moved faster than the lightning of his blade, just as Sasuke taught him. Curious about whether this means he's ready to use Hiraishin, he prepares a jutsu formula, which is the last thing he learned to do with his sensei.

He raises his hand and leaves it on the exposed chest of Kawaki who looks down to see the symbol of the Uzumaki clan appear there for a moment. Not sure about what it is, he is however certain that this will serve in another offensive. Before Boruto can attempt to use this mark for transportation, his arm is caught by Kawaki's left hand, undone from its shield.

With his Shojo seal, he rapidly sucks out the chakra of the Hokage's son who feels his strengths leaving him very quickly. The hand he held against his face, Kawaki moves it to press Boruto's shoulder down instead. Immobilized and nearly tired, Boruto can't counter his enemy's raw strength.

Not close to giving up despite this lack of option, the Hyuga just yells out his determination and lets his chakra burst out from all his body. With this aura, Boruto pushes himself to surpass his limit and show Kawaki just how much he still has left in him. Suddenly, as victory seems already decided to be his, Kawaki notices an unsettling thing with Boruto's eyes.

"What the hell is this?" he asks, as he sees the aura turn deep purple while a strange chakra vapor of the same color is emitted from his rival's Byakugan.

The chakra absorption of his Shojo seems unable to interrupt this odd reaction. Boruto's face indicates that he isn't even aware of what is happening. Is this a mutation or some other kind of transformation that Kawaki accidentally caused by bringing Boruto so close to demise? Uneasy about this, and eager to stop it, he raises his right hand and shapes it into a sharp claw blade.

Boruto, alerted by this deadly skin weapon, shakes as if he woke up. Despite his chakra being absorbed, he swiftly raises his hand to stop Kawaki's that plunges down on his face. With all the strength he has left, he tries to hold back the claws of his enemy that menace his face, but can't compete with this superhuman force. He stops expressing his aura but the purple vapor keeps leaking from his eyes.

Unsettled by this mysterious mist, Kawaki pushes harder. Boruto sees and feels the tip of the blade reach his right eye and push through. It pierces his Byakugan, also scratching above and under his eye as Kawaki trembles in panic in front of this unexplained event. Boruto screams in agony, with only one eye left. The purple light and vapor is reduced to nothing and disappears.

.

In the back of the forest, Hinata Hyuga sees her son's battle and finds him at loss, on the verge of death, from the hand of the same who put her husband in his current situation.

"BORUTO!" she exclaims before standing up, ready to leave her position and run to help her son.

"Hinata! Wait!" yells Hanabi who sees her leaving. "Someone's on it already!"

Refusing to leave her older sister to this risk, Hanabi leaves her position as well. Behind her, Konohamaru gets back on his feet, helped by Tsubai. He sees them leave and gets worried for Boruto and them.

"I have to get back on the field!" he exclaims.

"I'm coming with you." Tsubai calmly says.

"No! Two of you have already left their position. Stay here!" Konohamaru replies.

"I'm not gonna follow this order, Monkey-boy." Tsubai tells his brother-in-law while running by his side. "I can clearly sense my son getting to this place as well."

.

While Kawaki is plunging his claw into Boruto's face and is about to end him for good, he's suddenly struck by a swift light that pushes him away and saves the Hokage's son. Kawaki gets back on his feet and unleashes his power through an eye beam toward the one who just interrupted him.

Kosengan

Koton – Kosen

The one who steps out of the flashing light shoots a wide and powerful light that opposes the red chakra beam of Kawaki. The two attacks keep being confronted, lighting up the whole forest, until Kawaki gets pushed by a second flashing light running in the scene.

Boruto holds his severed eye to hide it and wipe away the blood. Tired, he just sits up to see an astonishing scene. Kawaki is slowly being brought to his knees by two flashing lights that run at hyper speed around and hit him repeatedly. These lights are too fast for both Boruto and Kawaki's senses. The chakra of his rescuer, the Hyuga heir recognizes it very well. It is his other rival Takeshi Minamoto. In front of him are the two unmatched ninjas that he wants to catch up to fighting each other.

From the fight he just had, he already understood that he didn't catch up to Kawaki who is far stronger than he thought. But now, he also sees Takeshi use a brand new power that makes him way faster than he was before. The way Boruto sees it now, there is no way he ever catches up to them again, even after all his training.

Kawaki is lost in confusion, blinded and hurt by the strikes of Takeshi and a clone which are even faster than his chakra in his body or his cell transformation. Totally paralyzed in the middle of this light storm, he sees it pause just a very tiny moment. Just long enough for two other people to land a hit.

Juho Soshiken

Hanabi and Hinata leap in together and, as Takeshi leaves them time and space to attack, they use the Twin Lion Fists together to strike Kawaki from front and send him flying through the forest. The chief general is repelled across the trees, troubled by the faces he just saw. Still traumatized by what he had to do to Naruto Uzumaki, he now found himself face to face with his wife who had given up the ninja way, but seemingly came back to it because of him.

He lands on his feet, not really much hurt by the hits he took, but deeply shaken. Before he can stand straight and look up, he feels his chest being ripped open abruptly.

Shiden

Takeshi Minamoto just sliced his torso open with the chakra blade he learned from the 6th Hokage. Boruto sees the aftermath of this strike. A slit just as perfectly straight as his Chidori's, but deeper and wider. Kawaki, having no sympathy for this opponent whatsoever, clenches his fists as his Shojo seal glows up. With the help of Oshio's chakra being channeled through his Mitsudomoe tattoo, he heals and rearranges his cells to nearly fully regenerate from all his wounds, except for the last and bigger one.

The slit through his chest that still has Takeshi's hand buried in, Kawaki tightens it to lock his opponent's arm inside, preventing him from running off again. He then grabs Takeshi violently by the neck to choke him and rapidly absorbs his energy with his left hand, just like he did to Boruto. This sudden and quick absorption dispels the clone behind Takeshi, as well as all the others he had across the battlefield.

Takeshi just makes a startled face. While he ran through the village among ninjas with low or average speed, he felt like he was infinitely faster than everyone. To suddenly find someone this strong and fast, even if not on par with him, is unexpected.

Kawaki now opens the wound he tightened and turns it into a monstrous mouth with giant sharp teeth that he promptly closes again to bite Takeshi's arm off.

Jikanteido

Before he can fully close his mouth, Takeshi's father, Tsubai, freezes everything and saves his son's limb right in time. When everything resumes, the fangs of Kawaki's chest maw close on nothing. Takeshi has been carried away by his father who then attempts to hit the enemy with a dark chakra scythe. Kawaki leaps away in time to get out of reach and tries to strike with a simple fire ball that Tsubai avoids by jumping over it, with his son still in his arms.

"Dumbass! I got you!" Kawaki yells before using his eye power again and shooting a massive red beam at Tsubai who shouldn't be able to avoid it mid-air.

To his surprise, the Minamoto father jumps a second time thanks to Kasha's power, and avoids the second attack as well. Distracted by this opponent, Kakumei's army leader doesn't see Konohamaru next to him who manages to land his jutsu correctly this time.

Rasengan

The Union's chief general hits Kawaki with a spinning orb in the belly and sends him flying again through the armies and colliding with other ninjas. Konohamaru steps back to join Hanabi and Tsubai who leaves his son down to stand with them. Hinata hurries to get to her son's side and check his state.

"Boruto, your eye!" she exclaims, shocked by the severe wound her son received.

"I'm good. It's… just an eye…" Boruto answers, a bit confused, focused on Takeshi.

"Just an eye, huh?" the Kiri-nin replies, slightly mocking Boruto.

"Stay back now, boys." Tsubai says as he sees Kawaki stand up and come back once again. "We'll handle this now. Hey little freak, you should go look for Sasuke's son."

Takeshi sees his uncle Konohamaru, his father Tsubai, Hanabi and Hinata get in position to take on the battle against the enemy chief general. He certainly trusts them enough to handle this battle without his help. He looks at Boruto who's too wounded to keep fighting.

"Boruto, you should retreat." he suggests. "Get to the medic division and find Ashi Rinha. She's the best medic around. She'll stop your bleeding and will bring back your forces. Meanwhile, I'll do as my father said. I'll bring Izuna back to us."

Takeshi suddenly disappears, running past Kawaki who just lets him leave. Boruto stands up, pissed off and stands there to see the battle that will take place rather than leaving for medical support.

.

.

In the village of Hikari, Inoue runs quietly between the debris and buildings to find Akiko again without being seen. When she takes a turn, she finds her busy with another battle that she quickly gets rid of thanks to Akashita's ability. She is taking down a corps of Suna-nin that got separated from the sealing team and sent to assist Kumo against the enemy sovereign.

"Oshio's busy enough with the wrestlers and alphabet of Kumo." he jokes as he gets the last of them down with the touch of his deadly black mist.

Hidden behind a wall, Inoue gathers the courage to take action. This time she's the one who can take him by surprise, but her previous defeat leaves her doubtful of her skills with the Yamanaka's Hijutsu. She tries another approach and goes with Ninjutsu.

Katon – Kitsunebi

Using her favorite fire jutsu, she creates 8 floating fireballs that she sends all together toward Akiko from different directions. Unfortunately for her, it seems like her adversary saw it coming.

Kage Nendo

With her shadow telekinesis jutsu, Akiko lifts up debris that she manipulates through their shadows and blocks all 8 projectiles with them. Inoue makes an embarrassed face, seeing that her attempt failed. Not feeling ready to face Akiko again, she steps back and runs away. However, Kakumei's Yamanak doesn't think the same.

"Hey, the Dandere! I saw you!" she says in Inoue's mind before suddenly paralyzing her.

Kage Shibari

Inoue trembles when she hears her voice in her mind. She looks at her feet and sees a quite unbelievable use of the Kagemane. The shadow of Akiko crawls around the wall she hid behind and catches up to hers. Inoue can't move on her own anymore and starts to walk out of cover uncontrollably to come face to face with Akiko.

While under control, Inoue thinks of the incredible control that this girl has over her shadow. It is all thanks to the strong connection between her mind and shadow created by the synchronization of Yamanaka and Nara jutsus. It never occurred to her, but it seems like the Ino-Shika-Cho jutsu could be even more powerful if performed by a single user.

Brought out of cover, she's forced to stand in front of Akiko in the middle of the debris. They're both in the same position. Inoue makes a serious face while Akiko has her regular sadistic and provocative smile.

"You wanna rematch, don't you?" the Kakumei member says. "How about a cowboy duel?"

She raises her hands, ready to use the Mind Body Transfer, while Inoue does the same, forced to follow her movements. The Hokage's student focuses, understanding very well what she'll have to do, but unsure of her ability to succeed.

"That other milf with far greater skills at this game than both of us, she's your mom, right?" Akiko adds. "Once I win, I'll keep your body, and I'll make myself comfortable. I'm sure I got a lot to learn from this lady."

Inoue clenches her teeth, triggered by Akiko's provocation. She knows it's the purpose and she's just trying to get her in this fight, but so be it then. In the right position, Inoue does exactly as her enemy wants and engages in a mind duel.

Shintenshin no Jutsu

They both activate this jutsu at the same time and find each other simultaneously taking over the other's body while defending their own. In this two-fronted spiritual battle, the two causes merge into one, which will result in a total victory of the winner who will then have control of both bodies.

Inoue manages to hold on better this time. She quickly makes it more dangerous to her opponent who keeps her attitude. Unsettled by her ease, she starts to doubt and therefore lose advantage. This kind of fight, Akiko did it a lot as simple training or games with her brother. So she knows that the most important element to win is self confidence, which Inoue lacks compared to her.

To make her victory even more crushing, the spirit of the tengu, Akashita appears by her side to destabilize Inoue who sees the massive misty shape of a vampire demon engulfs everything.

"See that, cutie?" Akiko comments. "This isn't some shonen bullshit where the student of the main character has to win because she's so perfect, and handsome, and powerful."

Inoue starts to feel the same thing happen as last time, about to lose once again. Lacking the determination and trust, she lets doubts take over and makes it easier for her opponent. Then, it occurs to her that this fight, if she loses, will be her last. She reminds herself of why she came to this land. It wasn't to get revenge, but to save Izuna.

Izuna must be somewhere nearby, waiting to be saved. She reminds herself of the inner conflict that he's been going through these days. She reminds herself of what Izuna was before that. She thinks the same about Boruto. Both of them have been consumed by the feeling of inferiority to another being. This has led them to where they are now, on this battlefield where Boruto is probably being confronted to reality and Izuna is waiting to come back to it.

There is one person that she knew who would have hated seeing them as today just as much as she does. And it is the 7th Hokage, her sensei. He always encouraged her to look forward and not let her nature of disinherited daughter of the great Ino Yamanaka slow her down. If she could keep up with Izuna and Boruto, it's because her sensei made her feel that she could. He made her confident enough for this. This confidence, she needs it now.

She's the only one in the team who can still be confident. And she can't let this fade away. She has to win, to save the one she loves and reunite as a team again. Deep in her prideful thoughts, she forgets about the overwhelming shadow of Akashita that can't hold her back anymore. Unlike Akiko, she can still feel growth, and she uses this to her advantage to return the situation.

"What the fuck?" Akiko complains as she realizes that her opponent might be more powerful than she thought.

But then, sensing the satisfaction of victory come to her, Inoue is abruptly forced back to her body and out of this battle, as if she lost her opponent. Shaken, she looks around to see reality and finds the cause for this. At her feet, the shadow binding has disappeared. Akiko Yamanaka stands at the same place, pierced through the heart by the Shiden of Takeshi Minamoto standing in her back.

"I swear I took you down earlier." Takeshi comments, confused between Fuyuko and Akiko who he doesn't know are a pair of twins. "Now I'm sure you won't come back."

Akiko looks back and catches a glimpse of the one who caught her so suddenly. Pierced through the heart, in her last breath, she can't help but to giggle because of what she just heard Takeshi say, implying that he fell into their twin's trap. Her head falls on her shoulder, and her lifeless body stays hanging on the Kiri-nin hand. Inoue looks in horror at what ended their fight and frowns in anger.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" she screams to Takeshi.

"Well. Seems like I saved you. He had you trapped, didn't he?" the Minamoto answers, unbothered, taking his hand back and letting Akiko fall to the ground.

"What? No! I had her! I was winning!" Inoue keeps complaining.

"Inoue, where is Izuna?" Takeshi asks, ignoring her complaints. "Don't you think it's more important?"

"I-… Hell I know how important it is!" she keeps yelling. "Why do you think I'm here, while you were running around and showing off?"

"Calm down, girl! I came here to free him just as much as you." Takeshi argues. "But without people like you doing their job, I can't do much to find him. Enemies were spread around and I happened to be powerful enough to take them down. Why would I hold back?"

Inoue calms down and doesn't answer. She feels like Takeshi's judgment is misled by an obvious egoism. His self praises and over confidence, his feeling of being essential, it reminds her of Boruto. And it's not a compliment. Before she can tell him what she thinks, they're interrupted by a massive incarnation of power bursting out from the great castle of Hikari.

.

Flying above the village appears the gigantic Perfect Susanoo of Oshio Uchiha. It is an all black, winged chakra armor, very similar to Sasuke Uchiha's version. All the ninjas of both sides who were still fighting stop and look up to see the angelic figure that stands above all.

In the middle of Hikari, Mikitaka in his Biju mode, right after breaking out of the great sealing combination of Suna's forces, turns around to see the new chakra avatar of his leader make shadow to everyone else. The giant bends over and, with its massive gloved hand, grabs the jinchuriki, getting him out and away from that battle.

After turning around, passes his other arm over the battling armies in the forest and leaves its hand open for Kawaki to jump on and exit his current fight. Shinki and Kankuro stare, disappointed, as their efforts are reduced to ashes. In the forest, Tsubai, Hanabi and Boruto do the same as they see Kawaki leave.

Oshio got Mikitaka because he is obviously a primary target for the Union and leaving him would mean losing the Kyubi. He saved Kawaki because he was the only one left standing among his friends. Carrying them in his hands, he flies up to the sky and speaks with his voice resonating through his avatar.

"Ninjas of Hikari, stay in the village. The hospital has not been affected by the battle. Bring the injured there and wait for me… Ninjas of the Shinobi Union, leave these lands! Get your injured allies, and go back to your continent. Stop all combat and do not take any prisoner. You can have Izuna Uchiha, but you will not get anything else… I leave you 12 hours. Any foreigner who dares to threaten who he shouldn't, I will find him and annihilate his village myself."

This warning is clear to everyone. To the soldiers of Hikari, it is a prophetic intervention. The words of a savior. For the army of the Shinobi Union, it is a menace clear enough to not be provoked. It is also a source of intense frustration. The figure that spoke to them, the power it has, it can't be matched. So, as disobeying would be futile, they're forced to comply.

.

After these words, the Perfect Susanoo looks toward Takeshi and Inoue who are standing close to the castle. A black space rift suddenly appears and releases Suigetsu Hozuki with his two mystical weapons, who has been trapped in another world since the beginning of this battle. Takeshi makes a surprised but relieved face when he sees Kiri's swordsman suddenly appear.

Oshio then flies off to the high atmosphere and disappears. Inoue and Takeshi look down to each other again. Like every other ninja of the Union, they feel oddly oppressed by Oshio's last speech. But Inoue quickly forgets about it. Her attention is caught by something more important to her. Someone she suddenly senses nearby.

"Oh!… Izuna is here. I feel him! He just suddenly appeared." she exclaims.

Takeshi focuses and also senses him very distinctively, just behind him in the middle of the castle. The Kiri-nin promptly vanishes, hurrying to Izuna's rescue. In an instant, he gets to a yard in the middle of the castle where he finds him, barely standing, almost naked and eyeless.

There, Izuna Uchiha just came out from a long hidden passage that connected the undetectable forest where he left Minoka to the castle. After walking for dozens of minutes, tiredly and blindly, through the large underground hallway that got him here, he falls of exhaustion in front of Takeshi who catches him before he trips.

"Hello, friend…" Takeshi simply says with a calm but troubled voice, deranged by the state he found him in. "No worries. We got you now. Inoue's there. Boruto's there. Your mom commanded everything. You'll be back home soon."

Izuna doesn't answer. He just feels oddly appeased by his friend's greeting and lets himself go to sleep calmly. Inoue runs in to find Izuna in a terrible form, carried by Takeshi. She's shocked by how these last 2 weeks impacted him, but is very glad to see him alive. It is only after her relief that she notices his empty eye sockets that were hidden under his hair. Takeshi stares back at her silently. They don't say a word, and can only feel sorry.

.

End of Chapter 98 – Next Chapter: Giving up on dreams