In terms of sheer energy, Naruto had now surpassed three hundred points, placing him just behind Jiang Xi.
Jiang Chen's true intention had been to see if Naruto would receive an Ōtsutsuki Karma mark after defeating Urashiki.
In the original story, this never happened— because Urashiki was an anime-only character.
But in this blended world of anime and manga, things could be different.
If the pattern held, the only reason Naruto wouldn't be marked was if Boruto had landed the final blow.
Since Boruto already bore Momoshiki's Karma, Urashiki couldn't mark him.
But Naruto… might be another story.
And that was why Jiang Chen had chosen to share the Dragon Vein's power.
Jiang Chen hadn't anticipated just how quickly Naruto would grasp the power of the Dragon Vein.
"Space-time abilities?"
"What kind of power is this?"
Jiraiya murmured under his breath, his gaze fixed on Naruto as he soared through the sky. The transformation was shocking.
Middle-aged Sasuke wasn't any less stunned.
Though he also possessed space-time abilities, what Naruto was doing now was on an entirely different level.
"It's the Dragon Vein's power! As expected of the most unpredictable ninja. I never imagined he'd master it this fast." Jiang Chen let out a breath of admiration. (Naruto's talent has always been extraordinary. How long did it take him to learn the Rasengan? To master Sage Mode? His battles— against Zabuza, during the Chunin Exams, against Madara, and even Kaguya— all prove his potential.)
"The Dragon Vein? This is what the Dragon Vein can do?" Jiraiya and Sasuke exchanged stunned glances.
"Yes." Jiang Chen gave a slight nod before returning his attention to the battle above.
With Jiang Xi going all out and Naruto now in the fight, Urashiki was rapidly losing ground.
Especially against Naruto's newfound power.
Urashiki wasn't prepared for this. With his Rinnegan gone, he was completely exposed.
"Damn it! If that's how it is, then you'll die with me!"
His furious voice rang out, and in the next moment, Urashiki raised his arm, unleashing every last bit of chakra within him.
"Heavenly Spiral Meteor Dragon Palace!"
Countless purple energy blasts of various shapes streaked toward Jiang Xi. At the same time, an even larger mass of chakra swirled in his hands.
"Heavenly Spiral Meteor Dragon Palace!"
His roar split the air, and a massive purple chakra serpent lunged toward Naruto.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto bellowed, thrusting his right hand forward as golden chakra surged.
The sheer force of it caused the Rasengan to expand to an immense size— like he was holding a miniature sun in his palm.
"Splash!"
An illusory river flickered into existence.
In the next instant, Naruto stepped forward, and the time around him seemed to distort and skip forward.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, still gathering energy for his attack, widened his eyes in alarm.
But he never got the chance to react.
"Boom!"
Naruto's Rasengan crashed into him.
The impact sent Urashiki hurtling skyward.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted, lighting up the sky like fireworks.
But just then, everything around Naruto froze.
"Lowly human, I never imagined I'd one day choose you as my vessel." Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's form materialized before him, his expression dark.
"Ōtsutsuki Urashiki!" Naruto's face tensed, and instinctively, he tried to summon the immense power he had just wielded.
But nothing happened.
It was as if all of it had vanished. Even his own chakra felt restricted.
"Grow stronger, human. I won't stay in this filthy body for long."
Seeing Naruto's panicked expression, Urashiki sneered. In the next instant, the frozen time shattered.
As Naruto floated mid-air, a diamond-shaped mark appeared on the back of his right hand.
An eerie, unfamiliar chakra stirred within him.
"Who is it? Damn it, who's in there?"
The Nine-Tails' voice rang out in frustration, but this time, there was no response.
"AAAAH!"
Naruto let out a sharp cry as he realized his power had completely disappeared.
His body plummeted from the sky.
Luckily, middle-aged Sasuke flickered into motion.
In an instant, he caught the falling Naruto.
"You idiot!"
Middle-aged Sasuke snapped, irritation laced in his voice, though his eyes betrayed his concern for Uzumaki Naruto.
He had witnessed everything earlier, and as the scene replayed in his mind, his gaze instinctively shifted to Boruto.
The resemblance between father and son was uncanny.
One had faced Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, the other, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
"Thank you!" Naruto quickly expressed his gratitude.
"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked again, unable to hide his unease. Activating his Rinnegan, he scanned Naruto carefully.
But even after multiple examinations, he found nothing out of the ordinary.
Once Karma was inscribed, not even the Rinnegan could easily detect it.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Sasuke's expression, Naruto scratched his head, curiosity evident on his face.
"Don't worry, it won't be a problem."
"The Ōtsutsuki Karma— if you can stop his resurrection, you'll gain all of his power."
Jiang Chen spoke lightly, his gaze drifting to the black diamond mark on Naruto's right hand.
What had started as an experiment had actually worked.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had successfully imprinted Karma onto Naruto.
The power of Karma stemmed from a unique ability of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
They could copy themselves, convert their data into physical form, and implant it into another being.
A black diamond mark would appear on the recipient's palm— proof of Karma's presence.
In essence, Karma was a vessel containing the Ōtsutsuki's genetic data, allowing the host to tap into their abilities.
As that energy began to stir within Naruto,
Jiang Chen couldn't help but smile. This would change everything about the Hokage timeline.
A Naruto wielding both Ōtsutsuki Karma and a fragment of the Dragon Vein's power would bring unimaginable consequences.
"You mean that bastard is inside Naruto now?!" Jiraiya's face darkened at Jiang Chen's words.
Naruto already housed the Nine-Tails— now another Ōtsutsuki?
The implications were terrifying.
Sasuke's gaze remained fixed on Naruto, his brows knitting together in thought.
"Brother!" Just then, the pale purple chakra dispersed, and Jiang Xi descended from the sky.
"Thank you all for your help! But the Ōtsutsuki power does not belong in this timeline. This could disrupt the natural course of events." As Jiang Xi landed, Sasuke exhaled deeply before speaking.
"Uchiha Sasuke, this may not be the timeline you remember."
"Your world never had Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. Without us, Naruto would never have acquired Karma."
"But rather than worrying about that— shouldn't you be more concerned about how to return?" Jiang Chen chuckled.
"Hey, hey, wait—what did you just say?"
"Sasuke?"
"Where's Sasuke?"
Naruto, seemingly oblivious to the larger conversation, latched onto Jiang Chen's words, eyes darting around anxiously.
"Naruto!"
Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
But his expression quickly turned serious as he looked at Sasuke.
"What do you mean?"
"We can't go back?"
Sasuke's frown deepened.
Boruto, on the other hand, leaped up in a panic, fumbling to retrieve the artifact "Plow."
But when he tried to activate it—
Nothing happened.
(End of Chapter)
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