"I'm really curious…" Deidara's voice broke the silence, filled with interest. "Just how strong is Sasuke now?"
Boruto smirked slightly. "Strong enough to beat a hundred of you."
"A hundred of me?!" Deidara's expression twitched in disbelief. "You're kidding."
Kisame leaned closer to Itachi and whispered, "So, your brother can beat a hundred Deidaras now? Damn, Itachi, he's really something."
Hearing that, Deidara sighed, half-annoyed, half-resigned. "Then why bother reviving me? If he's that powerful, there's no point."
Boruto replied calmly, "You're not meant to defeat him. You're meant to drain his chakra and stamina."
Then his tone grew serious. "Now, I'll explain Sasuke's current abilities."
Boruto's voice echoed in the room.
"Sasuke wields the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, combined with the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan."
"He can use Complete Body Susanoo, the Creation of All Things, and the Rinnegan's space-time technique — Amenotejikara."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"Amenotejikara allows him to instantly swap positions with anything within his line of sight. It's an incredibly elusive and deadly space-time ability."
"On top of that," Boruto continued, "he's mastered numerous high-level Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Kenjutsu techniques."
After finishing his briefing, he added, "According to intel, Sasuke is currently inside Kaguya's Ruins. Prepare yourselves. We move out in three days."
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water, Kisame was gazing at the towering modern buildings with a nostalgic smile.
"So this is the Mist now, huh? The changes are unreal. Not bad, Chōjūrō… you've done well for a Mizukage."
He turned to Itachi with a teasing grin. "Didn't think you'd actually come with me to the Mist, Itachi."
"Mhm." Itachi nodded, expression calm as ever.
Kisame shrugged. "Alright then, let's go retrieve Samehada."
The two arrived outside the heavily guarded Ninja Sword Repository.
After Shizuma's rebellion and the theft of the Seven Swords last time, Chōjūrō had massively increased security. Guards now patrolled the area day and night.
Just as they approached, a black crow flew past the sentries.
Within seconds, every guard collapsed silently to the ground, caught in a powerful Genjutsu.
Kisame chuckled. "Heh, still as sharp as ever, Itachi."
Inside the armory, Kisame's eyes instantly found his old partner — Samehada.
He stepped forward and gripped the sword's hilt. The blade trembled, resonating with Kisame's chakra as if recognizing its true owner after all these years.
Samehada's scales rippled with excitement — a reunion of beast and master.
Elsewhere, in the Mizukage's office, a panicked ninja burst in. "Mizukage-sama! There's been a breach in the sword vault!"
Chōjūrō stood up immediately, face tense. "What?! The vault was infiltrated?!"
He clenched his fists. "Don't tell me someone's trying to steal the Seven Swords again!"
The ninja shook his head quickly. "No, sir! All other swords are untouched — only Samehada is missing!"
Chōjūrō's eyes darkened. "Damn it… seal the entire village! Lock every exit and search every corner. We can't let the thief escape!"
Three days later.
Deep within Kaguya's Ruins, a dozen figures appeared silently.
Ten of them wore black cloaks adorned with red clouds — the unmistakable symbol of the Akatsuki.
Since Zetsu and Orochimaru were gone, Boruto had Shisui and Fugaku join in, completing what he called the "Ten Akatsuki."
Konan glanced at the group and smiled faintly. "So, we're all wearing Akatsuki robes to capture Sasuke? I guess this really counts as our first full team operation."
Nagato nodded. "True. Back then, we always acted in pairs. Having ten together this time… feels nostalgic."
Minato's sharp gaze scanned the ruins. "This is where Sasuke vanished. He must've used his Rinnegan's space-time jutsu to enter another dimension."
Boruto nodded and activated both his Tenseigan and Rinnegan, carefully tracing spatial fluctuations.
Every ripple in the air, every faint disturbance in the chakra field — he analyzed it all with surgical precision.
Finally, he found a faint but definite distortion in one corner of the ruins.
"This is it," Boruto said, his voice low and steady.
Moments later, a swirling blue-violet vortex appeared — a spatial gate, shimmering like liquid glass.
Everyone tensed, ready for battle.
Boruto raised his hand. "Move out."
As they stepped forward, several figures spoke softly — each voice carrying conviction and guilt.
"Sorry, Sasuke," Hashirama said, his tone calm but heavy. "For the sake of peace in the Ninja World… we must sacrifice you."
He was the first to leap into the portal.
"Sorry, Sasuke," Minato followed, determination in his eyes. "To meet Naruto again… we need your Rinnegan."
Kushina smiled sadly. "Sorry, Sasuke. I just want to hug my grandkids again. Don't worry — my grandson will take good care of your daughter."
Mikoto whispered, her voice trembling. "Sorry, my son. To see my granddaughter again… please bear this pain for now."
One by one, the Akatsuki and resurrected shinobi stepped into the dimensional gate.
Only Itachi remained.
He looked at the portal, his expression complicated — a mix of sorrow, duty, and brotherly love.
Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "Forgive me, Sasuke… this time, it's truly the last."
And with that, he vanished into the vortex.
...
Author's Note:
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