A Sage's Pursuit of Power

"Not good!"

Sasuke and Naruto were shocked. The range of the jutsu, unleashed with full power, was so vast that they couldn't escape its area in time.

The Swamp of the Underworld's properties were different from water; they couldn't move on the surface of the swamp. Once stuck, they would quickly lose their mobility.

"Naruto!"

"I know." Naruto immediately created a dozen shadow clones, grabbing the two of them and forcefully throwing them outward. Using the force, the clones sank into the swamp while the two of them were propelled further away from it.

However, the jutsu's speed was clearly faster, and its range far too large. After a few attempts to move, their bodies sank too deeply into the swamp, and the clones could no longer pull them free.

From a distance, Karin tried to assist, but the remaining Iwagakure ninjas blocked her actions.

"Damn it!" Sasuke felt a wave of bitterness. He had trained so hard, thinking his progress and strength were sufficient. Yet, on his first mission leading a team, he had ended up in such a dire situation.

Looking at the current predicament, without reinforcements, there was no way he or Naruto could escape.

At that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. Turning his head, Sasuke saw it was Naruto's hand.

"Naruto, you… don't!" Sasuke immediately understood what Naruto intended to do, but before he could react, Naruto exerted force.

Naruto forcibly lifted Sasuke and threw him out of the swamp. Due to the counterforce, Naruto himself sank even faster into the swamp.

But at the last moment, he quickly formed hand seals. A dozen shadow clones appeared in the swamp under Sasuke.

Sasuke instantly understood Naruto's plan—stepping on Naruto's shadow clones, he moved quickly across the swamp.

This sudden teamwork momentarily caught the two Iwagakure shinobi off guard. Large-scale jutsu like this consumed a significant amount of chakra, and the two were already somewhat fatigued.

This brief lapse allowed Sasuke to successfully escape.

Turning back, Sasuke could only watch as Naruto was completely swallowed by the swamp. In that instant, he felt something snap in his mind.

A surge of indescribable emotions overwhelmed him. Because of Aoba's presence, he and Naruto hadn't experienced the life-and-death moments of the original storyline.

However, also because of Aoba, the two had become inseparable. In the original story, Sasuke was cold and distant, mainly because he was surrounded by immature kids with whom he couldn't truly connect or empathize.

But in truth, Naruto and Sasuke were the ones most capable of understanding each other. This was why fans jokingly referred to them as the "real couple."

Seeing his close friend swallowed by the swamp, Sasuke felt the long-repressed emotions in his heart finally erupt.

"You two… go to hell!!"

Black flames appeared out of nowhere, instantly engulfing the two Iwagakure jonin.

"Is that… the Mangekyō?"

Minato, observing the battle from a distance, noticed Sasuke's chakra flare out of control. When he saw the black flames manifest, he immediately thought of the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

Aoba had previously suggested putting Sasuke under some pressure during this mission to see if it could trigger the awakening of the Mangekyō.

As for Naruto, although it appeared he had been swallowed by the swamp, Minato had sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra surging. Naruto's life wasn't in danger.

Sasuke was momentarily startled by the black flames, then realized he had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Without hesitation, he turned his gaze toward the rogue ninja battling Yugito and unleashed the flames on him as well.

It's fair to say that most Mangekyō abilities are game-breaking for ordinary shinobi.

With Amaterasu's instant activation and guaranteed incineration, a single glance could end most opponents... If one had the resolve.

However, using it continuously right after awakening, Sasuke felt a sharp pain in his eyes the next second. A drop of blood trickled from his left eye.

The three jonin were killed instantly, and the remaining small fry were beneath his notice. Despite the discomfort, Sasuke tested his other eye's ability, Kagutsuchi, cutting the remaining ninjas into charred pieces.

Amaterasu produced the flames, while Kagutsuchi allowed him to shape and manipulate them. Sasuke easily transformed the flames into blades to achieve various effects.

But each use brought a new wave of pain to his eyes.

At that moment, Naruto, who had been submerged underground, suddenly moved. Wrapped in the raging chakra of the Nine-Tails, he burst out of the ground.

The Nine-Tails, too, seemed helpless. After sensing the danger posed by Aoba, it had become far more subdued.

To the Nine-Tails, Uchiha Madara was already a nightmare. But Aoba, who had fought Madara twice without being defeated, was an even greater threat.

As a result, the Nine-Tails had refrained from interfering with Naruto's chakra for a long time, choosing instead to hide quietly within him and pretend it didn't exist, fearing it might one day be used for experiments by Aoba.

Of course, Aoba hadn't forgotten the Nine-Tails. He was simply saving its immense power for when he was better prepared.

This time, however, the Nine-Tails had no choice but to intervene. If it didn't, Naruto would have died.

The only thing that puzzled the Nine-Tails was why Naruto hadn't lost consciousness despite the overwhelming chakra it had released.

Naruto wasn't a perfect jinchūriki. He hadn't been trained to control a tailed beast's chakra, nor had he reconciled with the Nine-Tails.

Under normal circumstances, the sheer amount of chakra should have knocked him unconscious.

Sensing the Nine-Tails' chakra raging, Minato prepared to intervene from the shadows.

But he quickly noticed something strange, Naruto wasn't rampaging. He wasn't even moving. Instead, he stood still, seemingly lost in thought.

Naruto didn't spend much time thinking, typically. Over the years, Minato had come to understand his son's straightforward and impulsive nature.

But at this moment, Naruto's demeanor was clearly off.

Sasuke also noticed Naruto's unusual state. Cautiously, he refrained from approaching, partly because he had just awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, killed multiple opponents, and was now utterly exhausted.

The Mangekyō Sharingan was an odd thing. To use it well, one had to train extensively. But the more it was used, the faster the user would go blind, it was a truly frustrating predicament.

Only when Karin arrived to support Sasuke did the two of them cautiously approach Naruto.

"Naruto, can you hear me?"

Karin's voice seemed to jolt Naruto out of his daze. He raised his head, his eyes slightly unfocused, and glanced around.

"Is the fight over? Great job, Sasuke."

Although his tone and demeanor were still familiar, Sasuke and Karin knew Naruto too well to be fooled.

"Naruto, what happened to you?"

"…I'm not sure. Just now, I heard a voice. She said… she's my mother."

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Currently on Chapter 290 - Interference Field