Several hours later.
Hidden Sand Village, Kazekage's Office.
"What did you say? Rasa is missing?!"
Pakura's face was filled with shock as she took an involuntary step back.
Her expression was one of deep terror as she spoke in a trembling voice.
Pakura stared at the sobbing figure of Rakuman, who was bowing low in shame.
Rakuman wiped the tears from her face, her head still lowered, whispering:
"Yes. After My Lord arrived on that island, the commotion from their battle was immense. Even though we were hovering in mid-air, we were severely affected."
"We were forced to retreat dozens of miles. But shortly after... the island sank. No matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find any trace of My Lord..."
Rakuman's voice broke into sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks again.
Pakura's eyes flashed with anger.
She stepped forward, grabbing Rakuman by the collar and pulling her close, roaring:
"Damn it! Why didn't you help him?!"
Seeing this, Akatsuki, her face etched with grief, rushed forward anxiously.
She pulled with both hands, successfully separating the two women.
Then, trying to keep her voice gentle, Akatsuki said:
"Pakura, calm down."
"In a battle like that... forget Rakuman, even if the two of us were there, we wouldn't have been able to intervene."
Pakura glared at Akatsuki, whose eyes were red and shimmering with unshed tears.
Then she looked at the silently weeping Rakuman.
She snorted coldly:
"We must inform Elder Chiyo immediately. Mobilize the entire village to search the ocean for Rasa!"
Having said this, Pakura clenched her fists, her body trembling as she fought to suppress her emotions.
Hearing this, Akatsuki's shock momentarily overtook her grief.
She quickly interjected:
"No!"
"Have you forgotten what Rasa said a year ago when the Third Kazekage went missing?"
Akatsuki's voice was urgent, her expression grave.
"If we do that, the Fourth Great Ninja War will not be far off!"
Hearing Akatsuki's words, Pakura paced irritably around the office, her orange bangs swinging with her agitated movements.
After circling a few times, she stopped abruptly, a hint of madness in her eyes.
"So what?"
Pakura raised her voice, her tone decisive.
"If those bastards want to make a move, let them come! We'll fight!"
After speaking, her gaze hardened, the madness fading slightly as a grim smile appeared.
"As long as we find Rasa, it doesn't matter how many people die."
Seeing Pakura like this, Akatsuki's heart tightened. She wanted to persuade her further but didn't know where to start.
Just then, the office door swung open.
A beautiful young girl carefully helped a stunning woman in her twenties, whose face was slightly pale, into the room.
Everyone turned, their expressions varying, but they all rushed forward.
Akatsuki looked Karura over carefully. Seeing she was physically stable, she breathed a sigh of relief and whispered:
"Karura, why aren't you resting at home? You just gave birth a few days ago. You need to recover. What if something happens?"
Akatsuki's tone was full of worry, her eyes fixed on Karura for fear of any mishap.
Pakura's eyes also filled with concern as she frowned:
"Yes. Even though you're a ninja, you just gave birth."
Karura forced a gentle smile onto her face, but a closer look revealed how stiff and unnatural it was.
Her eyes shifted, involuntarily landing on the empty Kazekage chair. Her voice was soft but firm.
"Stop arguing."
"I heard everything from outside the door."
"Everything will continue to operate as it did when he was away before."
Hearing this, Akatsuki let out a silent breath of relief.
Thank goodness Karura was keeping her head.
If she had insisted on a reckless search, it would have been a disaster.
Although Karura held no official high rank in the Hidden Sand.
Simply because she had borne Rasa his first daughter, and because of Rasa's doting on her...
She commanded immense authority in a village that viewed Rasa as its savior.
Hearing this, Pakura frowned sharply.
She took several deep breaths, trying to suppress her anger, her full chest heaving with the effort.
Despite her attempts at control, anger and doubt leaked into her voice as she spoke:
"Karura, although no one says it, everyone can see that Rasa cares for you the most."
Pakura stared intently at Karura, searching her face for something.
"But I never expected you to be so calm at a time like this."
Karura shook her head, her gaze burning as she met Pakura's eyes directly.
"Do you believe he would die just like that?"
Pakura shook her head violently, her eyes fierce.
"No! Unless his corpse is right in front of me, I will never believe it!"
Karura nodded, blinking to hide the deep sorrow in her eyes. She lowered her head and whispered:
"Then we cannot panic."
"We will send people to search for him secretly while maintaining the stability of the Sand."
At this, Karura placed a hand over her heart, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes revealing an unshakeable conviction.
"Besides, my heart tells me he isn't dead."
"As long as he is alive, he will definitely come back."
Half an hour later.
Elder Chiyo hurried over. After learning everything, her wrinkled face twitched, and she let out a deep sigh, her eyes filled with helplessness and sorrow.
"Is that so? The Sand suffered for decades, finally waiting for a leader of restoration... but to think..."
Standing beside her, Aoki lowered his head, his eyes flickering with a myriad of emotions.
Next to him, Ebizo glanced at Aoki and spoke up:
"Rest assured. Rasa is the eternal Fourth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand. That will not change."
"We will proceed according to the measures Rasa set in place a year ago."
"The Sand will secretly divert a portion of our forces to search the seas constantly. On the surface, we will act as if Rasa is still in the village."
Minutes later.
The group dispersed.
As Aoki walked out the door, his steps paused slightly. He looked back at the Kazekage's chair in the office.
A complex mix of emotions flashed in Aoki's eyes: desire, struggle, and a trace of hidden greed.
Then, he took a deep breath, suppressing his thoughts, and walked out.
But deep inside, the ember of ambition he thought had been extinguished began to burn again—far brighter than before.
One hour later.
Konoha Hospital.
Hiruzen Sarutobi lay in his hospital bed, his eyes flickering as if contemplating something.
Finally, he spoke softly:
"I understand. Lord Kazekage certainly resolves trouble quickly."
"As for that mysterious boy named Boruto... although his sacrifice is regrettable, it couldn't be helped."
Hiruzen's voice carried a note of pity and resignation.
Then, Hiruzen changed the subject:
"Thinking about it... Lord Kazekage has visited Konoha so many times, yet Konoha has never visited the Sand. It is truly rude of us."
Having said this, Hiruzen sat up slightly, his tone sincere:
"Once this old man recovers in a while, I will personally visit the Hidden Sand."
The Sand messenger bowed slightly. His face showed no emotion, his voice calm as a still lake:
"I will convey Lord Hokage's words to Lord Fourth."
Watching the messenger leave, Hiruzen slowly stroked his beard.
His eyes flickered, as if pondering, or perhaps worrying.
The room fell silent, save for Hiruzen's faint breathing, the atmosphere heavy.
Meanwhile.
In the Konoha of a certain timeline.
The atmosphere in the Konoha Hospital was incredibly tense.
In a patient room, a middle-aged Naruto Uzumaki sat by the bedside.
He unconsciously rubbed his smooth chin, his eyes grave.
His gaze fell upon the unconscious Boruto lying in the bed, filled with worry and unease. He whispered:
"Sakura, how is Boruto?"
Standing nearby, Sakura Haruno looked serious. She shook her head gently.
"Not good."
"Boruto has suffered severe injuries. His internal organs are damaged to varying degrees. He needs to stay in bed for a few months to recover."
At this, a note of relief entered Sakura's voice:
"Luckily, he was found just in time. A few hours later, and we wouldn't have been able to save him."
Naruto, exhausted physically and mentally from years of overtime, with dark circles under his eyes, stood up and nodded slightly.
"Mmh. Notify me the moment Boruto wakes up."
"With Sasuke watching him, he still got beaten like this... and we don't know where Sasuke is. We need to figure this out."
Hearing Naruto mention Sasuke.
Sakura clenched her hands involuntarily, worry flashing in her eyes.
But she didn't ask anything. Instead, she forced a smile, trying to keep her tone bright:
"Naruto, you look exhausted. Why don't you rest here for a while?"
Naruto shook his head, stretching his back and trying to rouse his spirits.
"How can I rest? There's a mountain of work waiting for me."
With a wave of his hand, Naruto pushed the door open and left.
The sunlight streaming through the corridor window was harsh, causing Naruto to squint reflexively.
He took a deep breath, trying to exhale his exhaustion.
Watching him go, Sakura sighed, her gaze returning to the still-unconscious Boruto.
Meanwhile.
In a secluded alley on a street in Konoha.
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed into existence.
A figure fell out of the light, landing on all fours in an intimate embrace with the ground.
"Cough! Cough!"
Rasa lay sprawled on the dirt, wretched and broken.
He opened his eyes with difficulty and began to cough violently. With every cough, a large amount of blood poured from his mouth.
The scalding blood splattered onto the hot ground, releasing faint wisps of steam.
After vomiting several mouthfuls of blood, Rasa's breathing finally stabilized slightly.
He reached into his clothes, fumbling around.
However, he only pulled out a few shattered pieces of turtle shell.
Seeing the shell fragments still clinging with bits of flesh, a bitter smile appeared on Rasa's pale face.
He had truly underestimated Urashiki Ōtsutsuki.
Indeed, this was the real world.
Urashiki wouldn't act foolishly for the sake of the plot like in the anime.
Initially, when Rasa found Urashiki, he had chosen a direct confrontation.
But who could have guessed that Urashiki would go berserk immediately, unleashing all his ultimate moves?
Not long after, the island sank under his attacks.
During the underwater battle that followed, Karasuki activated, initiating the time travel.
Rasa, naturally refusing to let Urashiki escape, dived into the portal with Boruto.
But seeing them follow him in, Urashiki completely lost his mind and started trading his lives for damage.
Although Rasa and Boruto eventually managed to kill Urashiki and win.
It was a pyrrhic victory.
Rasa propped himself up with difficulty, sitting slowly on the ground.
He looked down at the deep wounds on his body where bone was visible, shaking his head gently.
He had been too arrogant.
He shouldn't have brought Boruto along.
His initial thought was that bringing the protagonist might trigger some "plot armor" luck to make the win easier.
But in reality, Boruto had no plot armor here.
Instead, because Urashiki targeted him constantly, Boruto became a burden.
Thinking of this, Rasa slowly raised his head, scanning the surroundings.
He had thrown the unconscious Boruto into the exit portal ahead of himself with force.
So Boruto should have arrived here some time before him.
He wondered if the unconscious boy had been found by anyone from Konoha.
If not, that would be bad.
After all, Boruto didn't have Rasa's monstrous physique and regeneration.
Just then, the faint sound of footsteps reached Rasa's ears.
Rasa turned his head with difficulty.
He saw a stunningly beautiful woman with long, pale blonde hair covering one eye, wearing a purple crop top that exposed her midriff. Her skin was cool and pale, and she walked gracefully toward him in high heels.
Ino Yamanaka, who had been leisurely shopping but was drawn by the scent of blood.
Seeing Rasa's grievous injuries and the forehead protector he wore, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.
She walked quickly to Rasa's side, crouching down and asking with concern:
"Are you a Sand ninja?"
"How did you get hurt like this in Konoha?"
Although she had many questions, Ino decided to ask the most critical ones first.
Rasa locked eyes with the mature, elegant Ino. Summoning the last dregs of his Chakra, he whispered:
"I am the person you trust most. In your heart, my status is higher than anyone or anything."
"Take me to your home. Treat my wounds."
"Don't let anyone find me. Don't tell anyone."
Rasa did not want Konoha to know of his presence right now.
Explaining would be too troublesome.
Especially while he was in such a weakened state.
Ino blinked. A trace of confusion flashed through her eyes before clarity returned.
She reached out, gently removing the forehead protector from Rasa, and tucked it carefully into her bosom.
Then, she picked Rasa up with surprising gentleness, her voice tender:
"Don't worry. No one will find out."