Naruto and Sasuke are doing nothing; Madara and I will set an example.

Page 105

Boro said, "Only the last hand cannon attack was decent, but it was a bit lacking when it came to close-range grappling."

"It's just a 'weak inner formation' level, about the same as Dipa."

The Deepa he mentioned was an absent member of the inner circle, known as "the belligerent clown." (See attached image)

Deepa, known as the belligerent clown, is part of the inner circle.

Kaud thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be slightly stronger than Deepa. After all, it also has the ability to absorb."

Boro chuckled wickedly, "What's the use of absorption ability? Under my ability to create fast-acting viruses [Black Mist], a body like Uchiha Chen's, which is half mechanical and half flesh and blood, can only obediently wait to die! Calling him a weak internal formation is giving him too much credit!"

Kaud yawned again: "Whatever, I've already lost interest in him!"

Delta, who hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end, stared wide-eyed: No! That's not how it is at all! When Uchiha Chen fought me, he wasn't at the childish level shown on screen! He was a monster on par with Jigen!

You're going to be finished if you underestimate him!

Guoxin Jushi shook his head, signaling with his eyes that she should not say anything more.

Dilda: Damn it, damn it! If it weren't for the humiliation he gave me—the kind of words that, once spoken, would make me never be able to lift my head again—I, I…

Amado extinguished his cigarette and said to Jigen, who had been resting his chin on his hand in silence, "Do you think Uchiha Chen still needs our special attention?"

Cixian said calmly, "Judging from his performance in the video alone, I can't connect him with the person who defeated Kinshiki and Momoshiki in the rumors. However, he exudes a composure that only a strong person can have, and that's for sure."

"His fight with Wai Zhenqing was far from his true strength, so we cannot let our guard down against him."

"It would be best to find a suitable opportunity to send another inner formation member over there to test his abilities."

“I understand,” Amado asked. “What about the ‘vessel’ side? Should we send another inner formation over there?”

Cixian pondered for a moment and said, "Konoha, since the layman and Deluda have already gone, I think there's no need to send any more inner formations. I'll find a suitable time and personally go to retrieve the artifact."

The orphanage, built in the mountains outside Konoha, became a temporary refuge for the Konoha people who had nowhere else to go.

In a separate room.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, you're awake."

When Naruto and Sasuke opened their eyes in their hospital beds, they were greeted by Kabuto Yakushi's thin face. (See attached image)

Boruto: Kabuto the Pharmacist

"Kabuto...you! Ugh!" Sasuke tried to get up, but a burning pain shot through both his shoulders at the same time.

"Given your current condition, it is not advisable for you to act or speak rashly. Let me briefly explain the situation to you," Yakushi Kabuto said solemnly.

“Sasuke, I used Hashirama’s cells to create an arm that restored your lost right arm, along with your left arm that you lost in your early years.”

"Naruto-kun, for the eyes that were gouged out of your head, I transplanted the eyes of Uchiha Kagami, which I acquired in my early years but never used. Of course, Kagami did not awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Sasuke asked in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you already retire?"

Kabuto handed Sasuke a glass of water. "I have retired, but as an unofficial member of the village, I cannot turn a blind eye to the safety of the village, nor can I stand by and watch you two die."

“However, I must say this first.” Kabuto said solemnly, “Naruto, you have lost half of Kurama, and Sasuke, you have lost the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan in your right eye.”

"Although a pair of Sharingan and hands with Hashirama cells can compensate for some of your strength, at this stage, it is ultimately not enough to make up for what you have lost. Your combat power has definitely declined compared to before."

"Also, Naruto-kun, with only half of the Nine-Tails, you can't use the Crimson Mode you used in your battle against Uchiha Chen."

"Let's not talk about Uchiha Chen. If another powerful enemy like the blonde Delta from before attacks, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with. I suggest you two make plans as soon as possible."

Yakushi Kabuto, with his calloused hands, pushed up his glasses and spoke earnestly yet tactfully.

"What should we do with the child named Kawaki that the Kara organization is looking for... It concerns the safety of the Konoha people who are taking refuge here, as well as the safety of the children living in this orphanage."

Chapter 145 Reunion with Indra

On July 27th, Chen had been back in Taoyuan for ten days.

During these ten days, aside from eating, sleeping, living in harmony with the world, enjoying the moon and stars, and guiding his disciples, Chen spent his time on the Quiet Contemplation Cliff in the eastern part of Peach Blossom Spring, pondering a question.

How to properly place the Kaguya artificial body on the Gedo Mazo.

Only after everything is properly arranged can he throw the Nine-Tails into the Gedo Mazo, revive the Ten-Tails, and advance to the next stage.

The simplest and most brutal approach would be to forcibly peel off the artificial body and freeze it into the Tuoflow time zone.

But Chen always felt that something was not enough, because... he was thinking not only about what to do with the artificial body, but also about what to do with Kaguya herself.

"I have been wavering between reviving Kaguya and killing her in the past."

"The reason for reviving Kaguya is that there is a possibility that she can be recruited. She is also wary of the threat of the Otsutsuki clan and has taken practical actions to counter that threat. She shares the same interests as us and theoretically has the potential to form a united front."

"There are many more reasons to kill Kaguya. First of all, the cost of reviving Kaguya is too high. It requires sacrificing one person to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, and then launching the Infinite Tsukuyomi to recover the scattered chakra. After this process, Kaguya is revived, but the ninja world is also half dead."

"Besides that, there is another very practical reason. Kaguya's power is too great. She was sealed twice because she was obsessed with recovering chakra. If she really had the purpose of 'annihilating the enemy,' killing people would be the easiest thing for her."

There are many different opinions in the Naruto community regarding Kaguya's strength level. Some say she is not as good as the Golden Peach Shiki, let alone the Isshiki.

Chen disagreed. Kaguya's strength needed to be viewed dialectically.

According to Chen's summary, Kaguya's strength can be divided into three distinct and comparable stages.

The first stage: Kaguya the Amateur. What does "amateur" mean? It means Kaguya before her official debut, without the embellishment of the Chakra Fruit.

Kaguya, despite being an ordinary person, successfully launched a sneak attack and nearly killed him.

While Kaguya, an amateur, might not be a match for Isshiki in a direct confrontation, she already possesses powerful techniques capable of threatening the latter.

The second stage, Kaguya's debut. What is a debut? It is the stage where she consumes the Chakra Fruit and can freely activate the Infinite Tsukuyomi to gather everyone's chakra into one body.

Kaguya's debut was her peak; this stage of Kaguya was her true, complete form, her golden age.

But the third stage that followed marked the beginning of a decline.

Phase Three. Postpartum Kaguya.

Kaguya distributed a large amount of chakra to her two children, thus weakening her own power.

Even though Kaguya underwent multiple postpartum recovery procedures thanks to the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it was ultimately a drop in the ocean, and she could never compare to her peak performance at her debut.

Whether it was Hagoromo and Hamura, or Naruto and Sasuke, the one who truly fought and successfully sealed away was Kaguya after giving birth.

Kaguya wanted to regain her former glory through two battles, but unfortunately, she was defeated.

Kaguya, who is often talked about by Naruto fans and used for various comparisons of strength, is also the postpartum Kaguya.

But this 'postpartum Kaguya', if her goal is to annihilate the enemy... also has the ability to easily kill the combined forces of Naruto and Sasuke.

So how strong was Kaguya at her peak? There's no record of them fighting each other.

Let me just list out a simple formula.

Kaguya at her peak chakra = Kaguya after childbirth chakra + Hagoromo Otsutsuki chakra + Hamura Otsutsuki chakra.

Although chakra is not entirely equivalent to combat power, it is an important reference indicator of combat power.

In Chen's mind, the full-fledged Kaguya absolutely surpasses Ichishiki in every aspect.

According to Momoshiki, Isshiki's strength ranks third among the Ten Gods of Takamagahara, weaker than Shinshiki and Ryushiki.

Leaving aside the fact that Ryuu-shiki is an anomaly, the only one that can be compared to Kaguya at her peak is probably Shin-shiki.

This was the third reason why Chen wanted to kill Kaguya.

She was so deeply hurt by her own child that she became completely disillusioned with anyone outside of herself.

All she needed were White Zetsu soldiers who would fight unconditionally under her command.

Furthermore, she has completely abandoned the idea of ​​educating and cultivating future generations of fighters. She only wants to reclaim all her chakra, regain her peak performance from her debut, and deal with the threat to her clan with her own strength!

That's right, she only trusts herself, and she wants to control everything on her own!

In objective terms, Kaguya could be recruited by the government, but subjectively, achieving that would be harder than climbing to heaven!

This is also why Chen has been pondering this for ten days.

When Chen opened his eyes, he already had the answer in his heart.

"It would be a great pity to let Kaguya, as a powerful combat force, be buried like this."

"Whether it works or not, we have to try."

"By reviving Kaguya, we can limit her power to a controllable range, at least preventing her from using the unsolvable tactic of throwing Amaterasu directly into the acid sea space."

“Based on this, try to have a conversation with her.”

"This is the best solution I could come up with after weighing all the pros and cons."

"The Kaguya artificial body of the Gedo Mazo is equivalent to a weakened Kaguya's body."

"Furthermore, the 'Rabbit' that I froze in the Tuo Liu time zone houses Kaguya's soul and some of her power."

"If we could combine the two into one in some way, theoretically we could skip the Ten-Tails and the Infinite Tsukuyomi and revive Kaguya."

"Her strength after resurrection should be stronger than that of an amateur Kaguya, but weaker than that of a postpartum Kaguya, which is within a controllable range."

"The problem is... I lack a technique that can integrate the two."

"So, you've already made up your mind?"

A ripple stirred within Chen's inner world.

A vast expanse of white on my heart.

Chen turned around and saw a long-haired man wearing a white haori walking towards him.

"Senior Indra?"

The last time I saw him was when Chen was planning to use the Twin Flowers to replicate Kaguya's artificial body.

Indra appeared to stop him and explained the consequences. Then Ashura appeared and taught him the 'Swift Wind Pill' and the 'Asura Sage Technique'.

Chen asked, "Is it just you this time, Senior?"

Indra stopped, crossed his arms, and asked Chen, "What, is it not good to be the only one?"

Chen said, "Of course not, it's just that I haven't properly thanked Senior Asura for teaching me immortal techniques last time~."

Indra said, "Even without the Asura's help, it wouldn't be difficult for you to awaken that magic on your own. He just gave you a push."

Chen scratched his nose, and Chacha smiled: "Even so, I am grateful, just like I am grateful to Senior Indra for pulling me back when I was almost going astray... I really want to improve."

"Hmph." Indra closed his eyes and snorted coldly, "Wanting to improve is a good thing, but Asura can't help you with your troubles, but I can."

"Huh? Senior can?" Chen asked in disbelief.

"Who do you think I am?" Indra opened his eyes and lowered his arms. "Young man, let me ask you, what kind of 'forbidden technique' allows you to transfer your soul along with your chakra into a predetermined body without any risk? Of course, this technique can be used not only on yourself, but also on any object with a soul that exists outside of yourself and within your control."

Seeing the expectant light in Chen's eyes, Indra raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Want to learn? I'll teach you."

Chapter 146 The Twilight of the Will of Fire

Xiangyang Mountain, where the Konoha Orphanage is located.

Naruto and Sasuke stood side by side on the mountaintop, watching the sunset on the horizon.

After ten days of rest, they emerged from the slump caused by physical damage and fatigue.

But it's not so easy to get out of a low point in one's heart.

Including the Sarutobi clan members who died in battle, and Shikamaru and Tenten who went missing and whose fates are unknown, Konoha lost a total of 180 people in the Kurama defense battle ten days ago.

With the support of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Konoha has begun reconstruction efforts, but everyone is still stuck in the mountains near the Konoha Orphanage, homeless.

When Naruto learned from Sasuke that Jigen was indeed the 'One Style' that Uchiha Chen had mentioned, he didn't say a word or eat a single bite for three whole days and nights.

On the third night, he learned from Kakashi, who had woken up, about the 'future' that Obito had shown them using genjutsu.

Because Kakashi had lost his Sharingan, he couldn't show the two the most direct images, but they were able to imagine them in their minds through his verbal descriptions.

Afterwards, Kakashi said gravely, "Naruto, Sasuke. It turns out that Uchiha Chen probably really does have the ability to see the future, but the future he saw was the future before he himself got involved."

"He wanted to change that future, so he tried to contact Konoha early on, but failed due to a series of obstacles."

So he chose another route.

"He used the Impure World Reincarnation technique on Obito and Madara, and by showing them the future, he successfully gained their approval and obtained their help."

Seeing Naruto's pale face and distraught appearance, Kakashi patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more.

For the next seven days and seven nights, Naruto tossed and turned, thinking about many, many things.