In short, after a thrilling "field test" in space, Naruto basically understood the additional abilities his body had gained, which had undergone drastic changes due to the Fusion with Urashiki's Karma.
Besides the Ōtsutsuki-level basic Physique, tough enough to survive and function in the vacuum of space, extreme radiation, and harsh planetary environments, the black-eyed, golden-pupiled right eye, whose name he temporarily didn't know, primarily granted him two new powers.
First, Yomotsu Hirasaka. Without prior marking, he could open a spatial teleportation gate simply by mentally locking onto a target location. It was essentially an "Anywhere Door" on a cosmic scale.
Second, he could transform matter into a special, energy-based "Paper Crane" form.
In this state, he was almost immune to direct physical and energy damage. This transformation was not a simple Chakra form change; its essence seemed to involve energy that Naruto currently couldn't comprehend.
Naruto still felt a slight regret—he was quite envious of Urashiki's Time Reversal ability, which could avoid fatal injuries. Unfortunately, it seemed he hadn't inherited this "cheat-level" Dojutsu.
By the time he manipulated Yomotsu Hirasaka to re-locate and return to the forest on Earth, it was already dark.
Uchiha Sasuke immediately questioned him in detail, focusing on two points: whether Naruto's body had any subsequent discomfort or abnormalities, and what state Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's consciousness was currently in within his body, and if there were any potential risks.
Naruto checked his inner world as instructed. He saw that the Nine-Tailed seemed a bit tired from "educating" Urashiki, lying on the ground of the Seal space, eyes closed in rest, but its aura remained locked onto a certain direction.
In the distance, Urashiki's consciousness squatted on the grass. The "injuries" inflicted by the Nine-Tailed on him seemed to have healed on their own. He watched Naruto from afar, wondering what he was plotting.
Naruto himself felt quite troubled by the sudden appearance of a sealed "alien tenant" Soul within him and didn't know how to deal with it.
But the Nine-Tailed and Minato both solemnly assured him that they would constantly "monitor" this prisoner, ensuring the Seal remained stable and never giving Urashiki the slightest chance to cause trouble. They told Naruto to live his life without worry.
Sasuke, after confirming that Urashiki's consciousness was effectively confined and temporarily posed no direct threat, silently noted the situation.
Perhaps the experience here could provide a reference for resolving the hidden danger with Boruto.
As night deepened, Uchiha Sasuke made a decision.
"Boruto, we should go. Since the crisis here has been resolved and there's nothing more for us to intervene in, we'll return to our era now."
"Huh? Leaving now? Didn't we say tomorrow?" Boruto was a little surprised.
"Plans change." The events of today were too significant, revealing too many secrets. We can no longer remain hidden discreetly as 'Traveling Performers' in this world as we did before. Continuing to stay will only invite investigations and interrogations."
His implication was clear: rather than being repeatedly questioned as suspicious individuals, potentially even forced to reveal more information from the future, it was better to quietly leave while things were temporarily settled and everyone's attention was focused on Naruto's recovery and the Village's aftermath.
"No need to be so rushed, right? At least... aren't you going to say goodbye to Aunt Mikoto and Uncle Fugaku?" Naruto tried to persuade him, sensing Sasuke's deep, hidden emotional fluctuations about seeing his parents in this world.
"...No need."
Sasuke fell silent for a moment, then finally shook his head gently. "Knowing they are doing well and are safe in this world... that's enough."
He looked at Naruto, still pondering questions about this world's Uchiha Itachi, but his gaze fell upon Uchiha Satsuki, who stood beside Naruto, looking at him, and he swallowed the question that had been on the tip of his tongue.
"...Alright." Naruto saw that Sasuke was determined to leave and no longer pressed. "Be careful on your way back. You still have that 'Plow' with you, right? In the future, if there's a chance, you can 'come over' and visit anytime."
Sasuke didn't answer directly, nor did he explicitly refuse. He merely met Naruto's expectant gaze and, almost imperceptibly, nodded gently.
"Are you leaving now? Before that, can I ask a question?"
Uchiha Satsuki, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly spoke. Her gaze was on Sasuke, and the initial wariness and hostility were gone.
Sasuke looked at her, finally able to face this world's "self" with a relatively calm demeanor.
"Yes. Do you have a question?"
Satsuki sighed faintly, then asked a question that instantly made everyone present feel the air solidify.
"...In your world, do I know Naruto's wife now?"
Uzumaki Naruto instantly felt a cold sweat break out.
——————
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki never imagined he would fall to such a state.
The Vessel successfully inherited his power, but Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's personality, consciousness, and Soul were firmly imprisoned by that damned Sealing Jutsu deep within the Vessel's mental world.
A Vessel killing its Ōtsutsuki caster was rare in the long and brutal history of the Ōtsutsuki, but not without precedent.
However, the recorded fates of those failures usually involved their power being stolen and their consciousness completely annihilated, returning to nothingness.
But what about him?
His power was stolen, yet his consciousness was imprisoned. This limbo state made Urashiki feel humiliated, awkward, and filled with unknown torment.
With Urashiki's ingrained arrogance, he might have thought before: I am a noble Ōtsutsuki! Now I have to cling to life like a parasite, relying on the 'Vessel's' consciousness world? It's an utter disgrace! It would be better to die completely clean, at least preserving my dignity!
However, when death truly became a possibility, Urashiki found that his deep-seated will to live, his attachment to "existence" itself, and a slim hope of turning the tables, outweighed all empty "dignity."
He didn't want to die.
Even if that damned fox stared at him every day with eyes that wanted to devour him whole, even if he couldn't muster even a shred of power now, like a fish on a chopping block... he still didn't want to face death just yet.
But where was the way out? How could he break this deadlock? How could he escape this cage and reclaim the body and power that should be his?
There was no answer. The Ōtsutsuki scriptures had never recorded a method to resolve such a situation. Everything had to be discovered by him alone.
"...Bastards... just you wait..."
Urashiki muttered through gritted teeth, in a voice only he could hear, while warily glancing at the Nine-Tailed crouching in the distance, whose aura was always locked on him, and at Minato, who always had a calm expression that made him feel dangerous.
"Someday... this body... will be mine again!" He seemed to be cheering himself on, and also venting his unwillingness.
A self-deceiving "plan" formed in his mind: temporarily lie low, feigning obedience. Wait for the opportune moment—wait for this kid named Naruto to fall into a deep coma, his consciousness scattered, his control over his mental world at its weakest, due to battle, injury, or any other reason!
At that time, perhaps the Seal would loosen? Perhaps he could find a loophole? Even if there was only a sliver of a chance, he would try to reconnect with the already fused power, try to break through this damned Seal!
In short—he needed to wait.
However, while speaking harsh words and plotting his "grand" plan, Urashiki's body reacted with extreme honesty—he slowly, step by step, moved further and further away from where the Nine-Tailed and Minato were.
Urashiki instinctively wanted to move away from the threat, to find a corner he considered safe to hide in.
He walked aimlessly and warily for an unknown period until, on the edge of a certain area of the grassland, he saw something abruptly present and out of place with the surrounding natural scenery.
A bookshelf stood silently on the lush green grass, neatly filled with books of various covers.
"What is this?" Urashiki stopped. This was clearly not a natural landscape; it seemed more like... something the owner of the consciousness intentionally or unintentionally "stored" here?
He cautiously approached, his gaze sweeping over the spines of the books, trying to discern the words or patterns on them.
Harry Potter
Battle Through the Heavens
The Three-Body Problem
Don Quixote
"Are these ancient texts? What do these... record?"
His suppressed curiosity was slightly piqued. In this prison, any unusual object might hide information.
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