"Huh?"
Seeing his teammate knocked out cold, Sarutobi Umazane froze on the spot.
Then he saw two chakra-infused fists rapidly approaching his face.
"I SURRENDER!"
After the fists stopped inches from his nose, Umazane reluctantly raised his hands.
Just as Ino and Sakura had guessed, Umazane truly had no other specialties besides Fire Release.
He hadn't even formed a summoning contract with the Sarutobi Clan's monkey king, Enma.
This was the harsh reality of the Shinobi World: geniuses who left their mark on history were a rare minority.
Most shinobi possessed only average talent.
Take the Sarutobi Clan, for example.
Despite remaining one of Konoha's major factions, the only members with recognizable names were the Third Hokage and his immediate family.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, the clan replaced the decimated Uchiha as the representative Fire Release specialists, collectively unleashing a massive wall of fire, but none stood out individually.
In short, it was quite impressive that these two had managed to develop their bizarre combination technique.
Neither was a powerful shinobi, but during their fifteen years as well-treated prisoners of war, they found a way to maximize their limited abilities.
One was a Sarutobi who only knew two or three fire jutsu.
In an era of war, he would have been relegated to a long-range artillery role, doomed the moment an enemy closed the distance.
The other was an Akimichi who could only use the Multi-Size Technique, unable to activate the Butterfly Mode that cleanly consumed stored chakra fat.
Since she couldn't burn fat through Butterfly Mode, she opted to burn it physically instead.
"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"
Mei Terumi leaped down from the high platform, forming hand seals mid-air.
After landing, she sprayed a massive torrent of water at the unconscious Akimichi Rianko to extinguish the flames.
'If we don't put out the fire soon, she'll start smelling like roasted pork.'
Sssss—
The fire didn't go out.
The Akimichi Clan's fat reserves were simply too substantial to quench easily!
"Let me handle this."
Gaara jumped down from the balcony and smothered Rianko with a thick blanket of sand, suffocating the flames.
Finally, the fire was extinguished and she hadn't turned into a clay-pot-roasted chicken!
With three Kage already down in the dirt helping, Tsunade decided to join them, lending her medical expertise to heal the scorched Akimichi.
As for Sakura and Ino...
Sakura's hands were pressed firmly against Ino's chest, continuing her treatment as she muttered defensively, "Leave it to me, don't move! I have to heal you completely, otherwise you'll definitely spread rumors that I only hit you there because I'm jealous of your breast size."
"..."
As Sarada watched Sakura grope Ino down below, her soul already despairing at this Shinobi World filled with such passionate, degenerate bonds!
"Second Hokage, let's go.
"Unwilling to watch her mother any longer, Sarada turned to Senju Tobirama.
"It's about time."
Tobirama walked to Sarada's side and, with a single flash of the Flying Thunder God, transported her to Sasuke's location.
He maintained a tactical distance, however, dropping Sarada onto a high tree branch.
"Don't make a move yet. I'm going back to see if anyone else wants to watch the spectacle," Tobirama said before vanishing again.
Sasuke had already reached Turtle Island.
There, he encountered Naruto and Killer Bee, who had just finished their training and were out for some fresh air.
Trailing behind them were Sai—who had been beaten in the hospital and was now here to atone for his failures—and several Hidden Cloud shinobi.
But in Sasuke's eyes, there were only three people.
Naruto, Killer Bee—who appeared in those cursed photographs—and a guy who looked a bit like him but had skin as pale as a corpse.
Sarada's arrival went completely unnoticed.
She crouched on the tree branch, observing the situation below.
"They haven't started fighting yet... Hmm... The Hidden Cloud Village's attire is quite trendy."
As Sarada watched, her attention was drawn to the bizarre, asymmetrical outfits of the Cloud shinobi.
"Trendy? I don't see it. Hidan's style was way better."
Makoto appeared behind Sarada on the branch, immediately refuting her muttered comment.
The Boruto era was widely criticized for several things.
Besides its convoluted power scaling—akin to an endless set of nesting dolls—and its focus on "friendship conquers all" over actual strategic thinking, the character designs were a major point of contention.
The aesthetic sense was an epic-level disaster!
The entire cast looked like they were dressed for a night out at a shitty club.
Originally, Sarada, despite her inner rebellious streak, projected the image of a top student—quiet, a little defiant, but overall a well-behaved girl.
But later on... good grief.
Her outfit became a mess of off-the-shoulder tops, crop tops, and sky-high heels, paired with a baggy jacket, thick lipstick, a choker, and a pigeon-toed stance!
It was a textbook example of a streetwalker's aesthetic.
And the excuse? That the jacket was one Boruto used to love wearing, and she wore it now to commemorate him.
But here's the question: Boruto wore his jacket properly.
Why did she have to let it hang off her shoulders?
Wouldn't their clothes just fall off during a high-speed ninja fight?
One can only say that when it comes to giving characters trendy outfits, artists with backgrounds in actual fashion design are worlds apart from those who think they are fashionable but just produce tacky, impractical designs.
It was a classic case of trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog.
Makoto interrupted Sarada's train of thought precisely to prevent this kind of aesthetic disaster from taking root.
There was nothing wrong with pursuing trends, but you needed good taste.
And "taste" wasn't some lofty judgment, it was the collective opinion people formed when they saw your clothes.
Some outfits made people wonder if you just walked off a fashion runway.
Other outfits made people secretly call the police!
"Huh?" Sarada scratched her head in confusion. She clearly couldn't grasp Makoto's reasoning just yet.
Creating a Shinobi World free from the tyranny of gay bonds didn't mean creating a world overrun by whore and gigolos.
Sarada didn't realize that even though she was mentally preparing to sever her father-daughter relationship with Sasuke, Makoto wouldn't let her run wild.
Orochimaru had made a promise to the future Sasuke, but Makoto hadn't.
Still, for his own peace of mind, he had to intervene.
If Sarada even dared to show a hint of that 'bitch' style, Makoto would beat the shit out of her until she cried.
He'd make her truly understand what "a father's love is as heavy as a mountain" meant.
"Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my spine?" Sarada muttered, rubbing her arms.
Her gaze shifted back downward.
Sasuke had already begun interrogating Naruto.
Naruto looked exactly like someone caught cheating—flustered, sweating, and utterly speechless.
"Sasuke, let me explain..."
"NARUTO, I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU!" Sasuke yelled, taking a deep breath as he glared at Naruto, who was standing far too close to Killer Bee.
"I know you've fallen to darkness and their corruption, but even if I have to break all your limbs, I WILL DRAG YOU BACK TO THE VILLAGE!"
"??????????"