On the other side, within the dense mountain forest.
Uchiha Katsu was like a ferocious beast out of control, crazily darting between the branches. The chakra around his body roared violently, stirring the surrounding grass and trees until they rustled loudly.
The pain in his chest was still spreading, but along with it came an even stronger surge of hatred and viciousness.
The Senju clan's restraint, the Uzumaki clan's arranged marriage, and Mio's piercing words echoed again and again in his mind.
Katsu clenched his fists tightly. His knuckles cracked, and the scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in his eyes. A decisive thought suddenly rose in his heart.
'Kill.'
'Kill everyone who stands in my way. Kill the Senju. Kill the Uzumaki!'
Rushing all the way, Uchiha Katsu returned straight to the Uchiha clan territory and headed directly toward the wooden house where the clan elders were located.
Inside the hall, the white-haired, long-bearded Uchiha elder saw him return alone and immediately frowned deeply, questioning him sternly.
"Uchiha Katsu! Why did you abandon your post and return to the clan on your own?!"
Uchiha Katsu offered not a single word of explanation. He suddenly raised his eyes.
The scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan opened abruptly. The three tomoe quietly rotated in a triangular formation, and the eerie glow of the pupils instantly shocked everyone present.
"On my way back, I encountered the Senju clan's marriage escort. I personally confirmed that the Senju clan is sending their direct daughter to the Uzumaki clan for a political marriage."
Uchiha Katsu's voice was cold and without warmth, reporting each word clearly.
"Just now I fought fiercely with a Senju expert. This three-tomoe Sharingan completely awakened during that battle."
"You're saying your eyes awakened?"
The elder was stunned for a moment. Then intense joy burst into his eyes.
The clan had suddenly gained another combatant with the three-tomoe Sharingan. For the Uchiha, this was tremendous good news.
Although they knew Uchiha Katsu might have hidden the true process of how his eyes awakened, they only cared about the result. The rest was trivial.
When they heard that the Senju and Uzumaki clans were about to form a marriage alliance, the joy on the elder's face faded, replaced by serious contemplation.
If the Senju and Uzumaki formed an alliance, it would certainly pose a huge threat to the Uchiha.
But looking at Uchiha Katsu, who had just awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, the elder still nodded with satisfaction, his tone carrying praise.
"Well done! Uchiha Katsu, not only did you uncover important intelligence for the clan, you also awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan."
"From today onward, you are promoted to captain of a Uchiha squad and will command a team of clan members!"
———
The turbulent changes of the human world did not escape the eyes of Mount Myoboku.
The messenger toads that Shima Sage had placed throughout the human world had already sent back the entire sequence of events to Mount Myoboku at the fastest speed, Uchiha Katsu attempting to snatch the bride, the awakening of his three-tomoe Sharingan, and Senju Mio's firm decision to proceed with the marriage alliance, along with the complete breakdown between the two of them.
At the summit of Mount Myoboku, shrouded in immortal mist.
Arisu sat cross-legged on a stone platform. After listening to the messenger toad's report, a trace of surprise appeared on his previously calm face.
Arisu lightly tapped the stone platform with his fingers. A hint of amusement flashed through his eyes as he muttered softly to himself.
"The reincarnations of Indra and Asura… In this life they've actually become a man and a woman, and even stirred up such a tangle of love and hatred. It's almost like those romantic soap operas in the human world. Quite interesting."
Since the creation of the ninja world, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura had always been mortal enemies, fighting endlessly. There had never been such entanglements of romance between them.
After speaking, Arisu gently shook his head again.
"Forget it. The path of fate has always been unpredictable. The variables in this life are unprecedented. I'll just watch quietly and see how this pair of special reincarnations will ultimately end."
The immortal mist slowly rolled, enveloping Arisu's figure within it.
Arisu shook his head again and completely gave up the thought of interfering with the fate of the human world. A trace of understanding flashed in his eyes.
He calmed his mind and withdrew his gaze from the direction of the human world. Instead, he turned his thoughts inward to reflect on his own cultivation. A faint seriousness appeared between his brows.
Over the years, Arisu had already completely mastered the five great sage arts, Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, the Monkey Demon, and Yata. The natural chakra around his body flowed in perfect harmony without obstruction.
Yet there was an invisible barrier blocking his realm of power, and he had never been able to break through it.
Arisu felt as if a massive invisible hand was pressing down on him, holding him firmly in place.
Even the Yin–Yang Release technique remained beyond his grasp. He could not activate it at all.
It could only be said that the invisible hand of the system was simply too terrifying.
It was precisely this restraint that made Arisu obsessively pursue the Tenseigan of the Otsutsuki lineage, hoping to use that eye technique to achieve a breakthrough.
"Sigh… What exactly counts as a top-tier opportunity?"
"The Rinnegan, the Tenseigan, the five great sage arts, do none of these count as top-tier opportunities?"
A soft sigh escaped Arisu's mouth and dissipated into the surrounding immortal mist.
Thinking of this, Arisu could not help but recall the Chakra Fruit from long ago.
"Damn Kaguya. If you hadn't stabbed me in the back back then, I would've broken through to the Six Paths level already!"
Arisu frowned deeply.
This had almost become the unresolved grievance of his thousand years.
"Hehe… actually, even if I had eaten it back then, it would've been awkward if I still couldn't break through…", Arisu suddenly chuckled twice.
He thought of another possible outcome.
He had assumed that after eating the Chakra Fruit, he would be able to break through to the Six Paths level.
But the system had never explicitly said that the Chakra Fruit would allow him to reach the Six Paths.
What if he had eaten it and still couldn't break through?
However, there was no way to reverse it now, unless he could one day obtain the means to reverse time.
To return himself to the moment when he had been stabbed in the back.
"But I don't regret it."
Arisu smiled faintly. If that betrayal had not happened back then, most of the things that exist today would probably not have happened.
He would not have had those disciples.
"Don't try to beautify the road you never walked. The road beneath my feet now is the best road."
Arisu felt that the betrayal was actually a good thing.
Kaguya's betrayal, for Arisu, was like giving a great banner to a raging wind, or handing a treasured sword to its sheath.
Without Kaguya's betrayal, his life might not have been as exciting as it is now.
(Kaguya: Hey! So Arisu should actually be thanking me…)
"Forget it… there's still plenty of time…"
"Next, I should first study how to use the Tenseigan. After that, I'll go investigate the land of the Dragon Vein. Perhaps the power there can help me break through this barrier."
Before he finished speaking, Arisu slightly raised his palm. A smooth, clear Tenseigan glowing with a pale silver-white light suddenly floated into the air. Its pupil power was vast like a sea of stars.
Arisu stared at the Tenseigan. His fingers gently rubbed it as he fell into thought.
His own eyes had already been replaced with the Rinnegan. There were no extra eye sockets left to hold the Tenseigan.
Unless… he opened a third eye on his forehead and embedded the Tenseigan at the center of his brow.
When the thought crossed his mind, even Arisu himself paused for a moment. Then he looked at the Tenseigan in his palm and laughed helplessly.
"If I really did that, wouldn't I look exactly the same as Otsutsuki Shibai?"
"Speaking of Shibai, I still don't know where that guy's corpse is…", Arisu frowned slightly.
According to the setting in Boruto, the ability of Otsutsuki Shibai's lost corpse had been transplanted by Amado Sanzu into Eida and Daemon.
The story never explained how it was obtained.
Most likely, Otsutsuki Isshiki found a way to get it.
"I should probably develop some spatial abilities and find a way to reach Otsutsuki Isshiki's alternate dimension, then locate the little Ten-Tails or Otsutsuki Shibai's corpse."
Arisu stroked his chin thoughtfully.