One day later.
Under the meticulous care of the Konoha Hospital medical staff, the Seventh Hokage and Uchiha Sasuke had successively recovered.
Inside the hospital room, Naruto also had his first true meeting with the Seventh Hokage.
"Thank you... me from another world." The Seventh Hokage leaned against the hospital bed, nodding slightly in gratitude. He had already learned about the other Naruto's origins from Sakura.
"Long time no see." The one-armed Sasuke stood to the side. He had been in the hospital longer than the Seventh Hokage and was already able to get out of bed and walk.
Nearby, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the others remained silent, listening to the conversation among the three. Although they were all powerhouses renowned in the shinobi world, regrettably, compared to these three, they were still the weaker ones.
"Otsutsuki Isshiki's strength, just how powerful is he?" Naruto asked, looking at the bandages wrapped around the two of them. He wasn't yet clear on the Seventh Hokage's exact strength, but he had witnessed Uchiha Sasuke's power. To be able to fight both of them simultaneously...
The two exchanged a glance. The Seventh Hokage spoke, "Very strong. His strength is all-encompassing."
"I haven't seen him use genjutsu. His taijutsu can directly break through Sasuke's Susanoo. As for ninjutsu—I'll tentatively classify the abilities he displayed as ninjutsu—we've only identified two types so far."
"One is the ability to instantly enlarge or shrink objects. This is his primary attack method. After piercing a shrunken object into an enemy's body, he instantly enlarges it, causing fatal damage."
"The other is summoning cubes. The attack method is similar to Earth Style: Falling Rocks, but the cubes Isshiki summons are terrifyingly massive and heavy. Ordinary ninjutsu can't destroy them at all."
"These cubes also have the ability to obstruct an enemy's perception," Uchiha Sasuke added. "When those cubes were nearby, my Sharingan's detection ability was affected."
"Understood." Naruto lightly touched his chin. After a moment of thought, he continued, "What puzzles me most is, why didn't Otsutsuki Isshiki kill you directly, instead choosing to seal you?" Is Otsutsuki Isshiki an idiot? He had lurked for thousands of years, established the Kara organization, and even its outer shell, which wasn't even considered core, possessed combat power comparable to a small shinobi village. Anyone who considered him an idiot was the true fool.
Uchiha Sasuke shook his head. He had already escaped the alternate dimension before the Seventh Hokage was sealed and didn't know what happened afterward.
"His body... it seemed to have a problem..." the Seventh Hokage said uncertainly.
"Explain in detail." Hearing this, the expressions of Tsunade, Kakashi, and Jiraiya shifted. This might be their breakthrough point. After all, Otsutsuki Isshiki's strength was truly despair-inducing.
"Sasuke, do you remember that black object on Otsutsuki Isshiki's abdomen?" the Seventh Hokage asked, turning his head.
Uchiha Sasuke paused, recalling for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"In the later stages of the battle, after cracks appeared on that black object, Otsutsuki Isshiki's fighting style became much more conservative... That's right!" He seemed to remember something. "Otsutsuki Momoshiki planted Karma on Boruto, intending to revive through Boruto's body. Following this line of reasoning..."
"Kawaki's Karma was implanted by Jigen, that is, Otsutsuki Isshiki. He definitely intends to revive through Kawaki's body as well."
"Jigen just fought us. That terrifying strength didn't seem like someone on the verge of death," the Seventh Hokage also fell into deep thought.
"There's only one possibility!" Uchiha Sasuke declared. "Jigen and Otsutsuki Isshiki are fundamentally two different individuals. Or rather, Jigen is also Otsutsuki Isshiki's vessel!"
"But this vessel has a problem. That black object might be some kind of protective device, shielding Jigen's physical body from being overwhelmed by Otsutsuki Isshiki's terrifying combat power."
"That would explain why, after cracks appeared on the black object, Otsutsuki Isshiki chose to seal me instead of killing me," a look of realization appeared on the Seventh Hokage's face.
"If this speculation is correct, Otsutsuki Isshiki probably won't appear again for a short period," Kakashi interjected.
"Then how do we deal with Kawaki?" Tsunade asked. "Even a flawed body possesses such strength. If he manages to obtain Kawaki's body..." She didn't continue, but everyone understood her meaning.
"I actually have a very good solution," Kakashi said, then made a sharp, cutting gesture with his right hand.
Naruto silently gazed out the window. The classic "trolley problem."
"No!" the Seventh Hokage's tone was resolute.
"I know what you're thinking," Kakashi said, looking directly into his eyes. "But Naruto, you are the Seventh Hokage of Konoha! Behind you are the countless homes and lives of Konoha!" His tone suddenly softened as he tried to persuade him, "I know your inner conflict. Let me handle this matter. No one will know."
"..." The Seventh Hokage clenched his fists tightly, his inner turmoil evident. Why is being Hokage so damn frustrating...
Naruto watched this scene from the corner of his eye, speechless. However, he could also see many problems from this. The "him" of this world didn't seem to have very strong political acumen. The esteemed Kage of a village, a hero of the shinobi world, yet he could be so easily swayed by others... It was truly...
"Kawaki cannot be touched," Uchiha Sasuke suddenly stated.
"Sasuke?" Tsunade and Kakashi looked at him in confusion. They couldn't believe that with Sasuke's intelligence, he wouldn't see the pros and cons.
"Have you considered the corresponding consequences?"
"Hmm?"
"Once a person loses all avenues of retreat, their desperate counterattack upon facing death is often the most dangerous," Uchiha Sasuke explained his reasoning. "For Otsutsuki Isshiki, what you are planning to do now is precisely to cut off his retreat."
Kakashi and Tsunade's expressions changed, and they said no more about their earlier proposal.
"There's something I haven't had a chance to tell you all yet." Uchiha Sasuke's expression became incredibly grave. "In an alternate dimension controlled by the Kara organization, I saw a Ten-Tails."
Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly. The Seventh Hokage, Tsunade, and Kakashi were visibly shocked. Unlike the past Naruto, they had experienced the Fourth Great Shinobi War and knew the Ten-Tails' immense power and terror. It was no exaggeration to say that when they fought against that thing, they had felt, more than once, as if they were fighting against the entire world.
"In that alternate dimension, I also gathered a lot of intelligence," Sasuke continued. "Just like Kinshiki and Momoshiki, the Otsutsuki clan operates in teams of two. And the member corresponding to Otsutsuki Kaguya is Otsutsuki Isshiki."
"What about Otsutsuki Urashiki's partner?" Naruto asked.
"There was no information about Otsutsuki Urashiki in that alternate dimension," Sasuke shook his head slightly.
Clack!
The door was suddenly pushed open. The group immediately stopped their discussion.
"So many people?" Boruto was startled when he saw the situation in the room. He glanced down at the bento box in his hand and scratched his head awkwardly. "I only prepared food for three people. Has anyone already eaten lunch?"