"Let's go." Sasuke seemed intent on moving forward.
However, the three youngsters paused, stunned. While they had just witnessed Sasuke demonstrate his technique, and it was indeed terrifyingly powerful...
But! Weren't there still enemies left unresolved? The enemy had fired a signal flare; surely more than just a few would respond! With over a thousand enemies on the island, sending a few hundred reinforcements would be easy. Yet, Sasuke was actually planning to press on.
"Sensei Sasuke, enemies are heading our way. Won't moving carelessly right now make us easier to spot?"
"Enemies?" Sasuke chuckled. "Don't worry about the remaining ones. They'll be dealt with momentarily."
As he spoke, Sasuke clapped his hands together. The moment they saw this gesture, the three suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Wood Style!"
"Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
The instant the words left his lips, the surrounding trees erupted, wooden tendrils spreading rapidly. In the blink of an eye, they covered the entire island.
Simultaneously, the ninjas rushing towards Sasuke's position were ensnared and crushed by the wooden tendrils. In the first moments of being caught, feeling the astonishing power, one person instantly came to their minds.
"Konoha's Sixth Hokage?"
"Damn it! He actually came to the Mist Village! Is he after the Nine-Tails?"
"The only person in the current ninja world capable of using Wood Style is Konoha's Sixth Hokage... We thought the tales of Wood Style's power were just exaggerations!"
"I never imagined Wood Style could be this terrifying!"
"Truly the power that pacified the chaotic era!"
Amidst screams of agony, the Mist ninjas perished one after another.
Sasuke dusted off his hands. "Alright, all taken care of."
"Let's go."
The three youngsters felt a shiver run down their spines. Uchiha Sasuke was truly terrifyingly strong; no wonder even Boruto's father wasn't his match.
Powerful! Pure, ultimate strength.
And utterly unrestrained.
This was Uchiha Sasuke.
Boruto recalled what his dad had told him before.
"Sasuke is reckless, does whatever he feels like, which might seem wrong!"
"But that's what makes Sasuke so... free."
The trio slowly emerged, silently following Sasuke.
Along the path, they could see the grisly aftermath left by the Wood Style tendrils Mist ninjas twisted and crushed into paste.
Their deaths were horrifyingly gruesome.
Even Mitsuki found it hard to look.
Sasuke paid it no mind.
This was the fate of a ninja.
If you choose this path, why not face death head-on?
They arrived at a lake.
Sasuke gazed at the massive cage in its center.
Inside, the Nine-Tails was bound by countless chains, trapped securely in the middle of the water.
Surrounding it, ninjas skilled in sealing jutsu were continuously using their sealing power to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra, apparently preparing to seal it within a ninja's body.
This, however, was just the preparatory phase.
The lake was vast. It seemed the large body of water was what allowed the users of the Hidden Mist Jutsu to generate enough fog to completely envelop the huge island and the surrounding sea.
But now...
The mist was gradually dissipating. At the lake's edge, four Mizukage from the Mist Village stood guard, each watching a different direction.
They were also pouring vast amounts of chakra into assisting the Nine-Tails' sealing.
When Sasuke appeared at the lakeside with Boruto and the others, the four Kage simultaneously eased their efforts.
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, looked towards Sasuke.
"That Wood Style just now... I thought Konoha's Sixth Hokage had arrived!"
"But instead, we get someone even more fearsome than the Sixth Hokage!" Mei Terumi murmured, studying Sasuke.
The Second, Third, and Fourth Mizukage were Kage brought to this world from different points in time; they had no memory of Sasuke whatsoever.
But Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage, was different.
She had lived through the Fourth Great Ninja War.
She knew exactly what terrifying power Sasuke possessed.
The Second Mizukage frowned.
"Fifth! Is this kid really that strong?"
"Strong?" Mei chuckled wryly. "To be precise, 'strong' isn't the right word for this man. In the ninja world, he's practically invincible!"
He once thrashed the combined Five Kage. Even the legendary ninja Madara Uchiha couldn't subdue him. With such terrifying combat prowess, even Naruto Uzumaki who currently wields the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts still lost to Sasuke.
Perhaps Naruto, having now mastered the chakra of the nine Tailed Beasts, has improved significantly. But even so, facing Sasuke, a victory still wouldn't be guaranteed.
Even if this was the Sasuke from the time of the Fourth Great Ninja War...
Uchiha Sasuke back then was already considered nigh-invincible.
Hearing the Fifth's assessment, the Second, Third, and Fourth Mizukage all adopted grave expressions. Though Mei Terumi was a woman, her strength as the village's Fifth Mizukage had previously earned the respect of the other three.
Just days ago, in their battle against the Sixth Mizukage, Haku, if Mei hadn't intervened, the three of them would likely have been frozen and severely injured by Haku. Even now, they still bore the frostbite scars left by him.
The Second's hands, the Third's cheek, the Fourth's back... all carried the marks of Haku's Ice Style Kekkei Genkai injuries that would never fully heal.
The scars would remain with them for life.
It was thanks to the Fifth Mizukage that they hadn't been defeated by the Sixth alone. Her strength had their recognition. Yet now, Mei was calling Sasuke practically invincible in the current ninja world.
Wasn't that assessment a bit too high?
Invincible!
What kind of person truly deserved such a title?
Especially some kid like this.
"Fifth? Just based on this kid, you call him invincible in the ninja world?"
"Alright, so he seems to have mastered the First Hokage's Wood Style, and the power that pacified the chaotic era is certainly terrifying, but... that doesn't make him invincible, does it!" The Second Mizukage sounded unconvinced, even defiant.
However, Mei just gave another wry smile. "This man... he's an Uchiha!"
"An Uchiha?"
"What?" The Second Mizukage was baffled. "But that was clearly Wood Style just now, yet you say he's an Uchiha. How can an Uchiha master Wood Style?"
"Wood Style is Hashirama Senju's Kekkei Genkai! Don't tell me this kid has fused the bloodlines of both the Senju and Uchiha clans?"
Hearing this, Mei shook her head. "No, he's pure Uchiha."
"His Wood Style Kekkei Genkai... he developed it himself!"
"Or perhaps, putting it another way, there isn't a Kekkei Genkai in this ninja world that he can't master. He can even use Haku's Ice Style!"
"And his version is even more powerful than Haku's!"
At the mention of Ice Style, the three Kage's expressions instantly darkened. Haku had certainly left a deep impression on them.
And now, someone else could use Ice Style too?
Although Mei's words painted Sasuke as terrifying, the three weren't about to back down.
"Regardless, the Nine-Tails is crucial to the Mist Village."
"No matter who this kid before us is, even if he were a god, we absolutely cannot let him lay a finger on the Nine-Tails...!"
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