Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

It's about keeping Karin's chakra within your body, something you can use when necessary.

Apart from Naruto and Karin, no one else knew the details.

Even in the Land of Snow, where Kazahana Koyuki knows a great deal about Naruto and Karin's secrets, Naruto would have Karin use the Adamantine Sealing Barrier to cover it up.

Naruto's independent use of the Adamantine Sealing Seal was used to suppress the Nine-Tails in his consciousness space during the process of seizing the Nine-Tails' chakra.

It was also a move that Naruto specifically prepared for Black Zetsu.

Therefore, given White Zetsu's terrifying intelligence-gathering abilities, the fewer people who know about the Adamantine Sealing Seal, the better for Naruto.

Karin will not betray Naruto.

However, the Nine-Tails, who has been entangled with the Vajra Seal ever since it was sealed away, might reveal information out of resentment.

But how could Black Zetsu possibly contact the Nine-Tails through Naruto's consciousness?

Just like Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki stored their chakra in Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal.

Naruto also stored Karin's chakra in his body using a similar method. As long as Karin's chakra is still in Naruto's body, Naruto can use this chakra to perform the Adamantine Sealing Technique.

The result is as it is now.

Everything is going very smoothly.

Itachi Uchiha died at Sasuke's hands.

Naruto deliberately allowed Karin to intervene in Sasuke's revenge, and he also took the initiative to fight Kisame Hoshigaki and intentionally "strayed" from Sasuke during the battle with Kisame.

All of this was to lull Black Zetsu into a false sense of security.

Using the Vajra Seal to restrain Black Zetsu is only the first step.

Black Zetsu was born from Kaguya Otsutsuki's last struggle before being sealed away by her two children. Although it did not inherit Kaguya Otsutsuki's power like Hamura and Hagoromo Otsutsuki, it still possesses its own unique characteristics.

However, the difficulty should not be underestimated.

Naruto maintained the chakra chains of the Adamantine Sealing Technique with one hand, while forming a ninja hand seal with the other.

Naruto's shadow clone appeared before Black Zetsu, carrying Kisame Hoshigaki, who was already trapped in a genjutsu and obeyed Naruto's every command.

The Vajra Lockdown effectively ensured that Black Zetsu could neither escape nor mount an effective resistance.

The second step was... to seal away the corpse demons.

Si, Hai, Wei, Mao, Xu, Zi, You, Wu, Si.

Naruto's shadow clone instantly completed the nine hand seals, and a faint white Shinigami appeared behind the shadow clone with its hands clasped together.

The Grim Reaper, appearing behind the shadow clone, reached out and was about to pierce the shadow clone's body to complete the first step of the sacrifice.

But just as the Grim Reaper's hand was about to touch the shadow clone, Naruto released the shadow clone, and the Grim Reaper's incorporeal hand passed through Kisame Hoshigaki's body, who had been standing in front of the shadow clone.

The contract spell appeared on Kisame Hoshigaki's abdomen.

Naruto's shadow clones summoned the Grim Reaper, and the use of the Reaper Death Seal officially began only after the Grim Reaper and the caster completed the soul-trading contract.

Naruto, through a form of cheating, transferred the cost of the contract between the caster and the Shinigami to Kisame Hoshigaki.

Naruto will not have to bear the cost of using the Reaper Death Seal, and the Shinigami will also seal the souls of Kisame Hoshigaki and Black Zetsu together in the Hannya Mask.

In a short while, Death had completed its duty and departed from this world.

Kisame Hoshigaki's body lay dead in the ruins, his soul and Black Zetsu's were taken into the Hannya Mask by the Shinigami.

Naruto then quickly cleaned up the messy battlefield.

He placed the corpses of Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki into a sealing scroll.

Finally, he carried the near-death and unconscious Sasuke on his shoulders.

"You also planted the Flying Thunder God seal on Sasuke Uchiha..."

At the same moment, Obito, wearing the Akatsuki uniform and a spiral mask, appeared in front of Naruto in a distorted space.

If it were the Flying Thunder God Technique, Naruto would naturally arrive at this battlefield, now a wasteland, much faster than Obito.

He glanced around the battlefield and asked in a deep voice, "Where is Itachi's body?"

Obito's three-tomoe Sharingan, hidden beneath his mask, stared intently at Naruto. Not to mention Itachi, even Black Zetsu had vanished without a trace.

The feeling of having his plans disrupted was really unpleasant for Obito.

His meticulously planned scheme was inexplicably thwarted when Naruto intercepted all the spoils.

Itachi Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan, and Shisui's Kotoamatsukami...

Without a doubt, they're all on Naruto right now.

So at least...

Obito's gaze shifted slightly from Naruto and landed on Sasuke, who was perched on Naruto's shoulder.

At this moment, Obito and Naruto were not too far apart, in fact, they were quite close.

That's exactly the range that Obito's right eye's Kamui can absorb.

Kamui began absorbing Sasuke, but in the next instant, Obito lost sight of his target.

"It's Flying Thunder God again..."

Obito muttered to himself.

Naruto clearly sensed Obito's intentions and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave Obito's sight before Kamui could actually absorb Sasuke.

Obito did not pursue the fleeing Naruto, and only Naruto, as the caster, knew where the Flying Thunder God Technique would land.

It's unrealistic to think that Naruto escaped using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Obito stared at the spot where Naruto had disappeared, clearly lost in thought. The last person who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade the absorption of Kamui had been dead for sixteen years...

……

……

"Waaah!"

On the other side, behind the Sound Four, came the sound of Hozuki Suigetsu falling down.

"Hey! What are you doing now? We've already slowed down our movement speed a lot because of you! I don't need to remind you again and again that we need to get back to town quickly!"

Sakon and Ukon turned and shouted at Hozuki Suigetsu.

But soon, Sakon and Ukon realized that they had misunderstood Hozuki Suigetsu.

Although the two enormous ninja swords were very heavy, Hozuki Suigetsu was still able to barely bear them.

However, with the weight of the two ninja swords pressing down on Hozuki Suigetsu, and then suddenly three more people appearing, it's quite normal for Hozuki Suigetsu to fall over.

"Sasuke-sama!"

The four Sound Ninja exclaimed in unison.

Naruto was standing on the back of Hozuki Suigetsu, who had fallen to the ground.

Naruto carried the heavily injured and unconscious Sasuke on his shoulders.

He held Karin, who was not badly injured and was sleeping soundly, around his waist.

Chapter 67 Another Sharingan

I've lost count of how many times I've looked up.

Or rather, ever since I can remember, I have always looked up to my brother, with whom I share the same bloodline.

Uchiha Itachi.

When at home;

While at school;

During ninja sparring;

In the father's eyes, in the mother's eyes...

As an Uchiha, as a younger brother—

—I have only ever been chasing after Itachi's shadow.

Even on that night, that night I would never forget, the night when all the happiness of the past vanished, I looked up at Itachi as always.

Now, just like that night.

Even with his strongest technique, meticulously prepared by Kirin, which only possessed a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan, it was impossible for him to kill Itachi.

That ability of the Mangekyou Sharingan, surpassing Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, is the third power called Susanoo...

That enormous, orange-red shadow, so large that one had to look up to see its entirety.

Sasuke Uchiha knew very well that he could not defeat him.

But fate ultimately chose to favor the weaker Sasuke... Before Itachi Uchiha could take away Sasuke's eyes, Itachi collapsed to the ground, exhausted, before Sasuke could.

The revenge... was successful.

However, Sasuke, who was an avenger, found himself not as excited as he had imagined.

Even until his death, Itachi Uchiha still harbored doubts in Sasuke's heart.

why?

The vicious Itachi, who would stop at nothing to pursue power, would finally show that relieved smile—the smile that only the gentle older brother in our memories would make.

Along with that smiling face, Itachi's dying words, which I hadn't quite heard clearly during the battle, were etched into my memory with terrifying clarity in my deep dream.

Forgive me, Sasuke... This is the last time.

What does "finally" mean?

Before Sasuke could think further, darkness descended upon him in an instant, plunging him into a cold, pitch-black abyss.

Sasuke covered his eyes, which were burning with pain.

The overwhelming pain in his eyes jolted Sasuke awake from his dream.

But when I opened my eyes, the view was still pitch black.