The two women stood facing one another.
Mei Terumi's gaze was sharp, almost scorching.
Tsunade looked exhausted. There was no anger in her eyes — only weight.
"Heroes aren't invincible," Tsunade said quietly. "But even fallen heroes deserve respect."
Mei Terumī hesitated.
Tsunade exhaled slowly. "Let's begin."
Only then did Mei Terumī remember — Tsunade had abandoned vaccine development mid-progress to rush here.
"…Chōjūrō. Prepare the broadcast."
Chojuro nodded grimly.
He glanced at Jigen.
Jigen waited patiently.
But if his patience ran out, this entire city would vanish.
"Water Release · Water Curtain Image."
A smooth sheet of water formed midair, polished like glass.
Chōjūrō sprinted toward the Mizukage building to connect the transmission network.
Within minutes, the Five Kage Summit channel opened.
The world would see this.
Tsunade's lips curved faintly.
"What title would you prefer?" she asked Jigen. "The Fallen Hokage? The End of an Era?"
Jigen said nothing.
Nearby, Sakura Haruno examined Naruto's injuries.
The more she assessed—
The paler she became.
Her hands trembled.
"Naruto…" she whispered.
Tsunade saw the look.
Understood it.
Her nails dug into her palm hard enough to draw blood.
Jigen merely observed.
If Naruto died, so be it.
If he lived, even better.
Either outcome served his purpose.
Far away—
Amado watched the broadcast calmly from his laboratory, sipping coffee.
The device he had promised Jigen?
It was nowhere near complete.
He had lied.
Inside the dimensional rift—
Boruto extended a bucket of popcorn.
"Want some?"
Sarada Uchiha ignored him.
"Mom…" she whispered under her breath.
Boruto tilted his head.
"That pink-haired one. That's your mother, right?"
Sarada stiffened.
She slowly took the popcorn.
A reflex.
"I know what you're afraid of," Boruto said lightly. "And that's exactly what I could do."
Her throat tightened.
He laughed.
"Relax. I was joking."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"We're not butchers," he continued casually. "I always negotiate with the Tailed Beasts first."
Sarada blinked.
That… was technically true.
Even inside her, the Seven-Tails grumbled.
"…Why?" she asked.
"Because it's interesting."
She could not tell if he was serious.
Below—
Naruto began to rise again.
Sarada inhaled sharply.
"That's strange," she murmured. "He wasn't this weak before…"
Boruto's tone shifted.
"He's about to reach the same crossroads."
His eyes dimmed slightly.
"Some people survive beyond the time they were meant to."
Inside Naruto's Mindscape
The crimson ocean stretched endlessly.
Kurama lay lazily on the surface.
"You look pathetic," Kurama muttered. "You couldn't protect her."
Naruto layface downn in the chakra sea.
His voice cracked.
"I watched her die."
"Stop whining."
Silence.
Naruto drifted.
Almost surrendered.
Then—
A voice echoed.
"He still has a way."
Kurama's ears twitched.
Boruto stood at the edge of the crimson sea.
"…How are you here?" Kurama growled.
"Of course I brought him," said the other half of Kurama — Yin Kurama.
Another massive fox shape rose from the chakra sea.
Boruto stepped forward and pulled Naruto upright.
"Father. This isn't the time to drown."
Naruto's eyes were hollow.
Boruto continued calmly.
"You still have foundations."
Fragments of chakra shimmered around them.
Remnants of the other Tailed Beasts.
Six Paths residue.
Ashura's inherited power.
Boruto gathered them with deliberate control.
Not overwhelming.
Not artificial.
But reorganized.
Balanced.
"Use everything you've carried this far."
Naruto's breathing steadied.
The scattered chakra began to synchronize.
Six Paths patterns faintly resurfaced across his body.
Not a new transformation.
Not a sacrifice.
A restoration.
Boruto smiled.
"Believe in yourself."
Naruto looked at him.
"You promised Sarada you'd take her to see Sasuke."
"…She's dead."
"She isn't," Boruto replied evenly. "I marked her chakra. She's critically injured — not gone."
Naruto's pupils sharpened.
Light returned.
Boruto extended his fist.
Naruto bumped it.
"I'll protect everyone," Naruto said quietly.
The reorganized chakra surged through him.
Outside—
Naruto's body trembled.
Then—
He stood.
Calmer.
Steadier.
His eyes no longer clouded.
Across the battlefield, Jigen narrowed his gaze.
The atmosphere shifted.
The Hokage was still standing.
And this time—
He was still full of confidence.
---
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