Naruto: Check out these scenes!

Faced with an attack that could end his life in an instant, most would have no time to react. But Naruto was anything but ordinary.

You see, he had dodged even the blinding speed of a Storm Release attack in close quarters before. Even if his perception wasn't at the Six Paths level, there was no way he would let this sneak attack land.

As the kunai nearly grazed Naruto's neck, he swiftly seized Merz wrist. In that moment, two golden chakra arms emerged from behind him, their fingers intertwining as they prepared to strike down.

With a resounding boom, Naruto slammed a massive fist into the ground, creating a deep crater, but Merz was quick on his feet, breaking free just in time to avoid becoming a smear on the floor.

He quickly formed seals, gathering chakra until he exclaimed, "Water Release: Surging Sea!" A huge torrent of water surged towards Naruto, its force powerful enough to pulverize a stone.

However, instead of retreating, Naruto planted his feet and raised his fist, channeling even more chakra into a colossal chakra fist that exploded outward.

This punch was not only fast; it was unstoppable. It shattered Merz's jutsu with ease and struck him square in the chest.

Merz barely managed to brace himself, but the force thudded against him like a freight train. He coughed up warm blood, his body hurtling backward into the wall.

In mere moments, Naruto had illustrated the chasm in their abilities—a gap that could not be bridged by mere sneaky tactics.

After a brief respite, Merz emerged from the rubble, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Impressive," he said, a twisted excitement in his eyes. "As expected of the hero of the ninja world and the Seventh Hokage… Even after all that fierceness fighting Sasuke, you've still got incredible power."

He recalled the fierce battle between Naruto and Sasuke—both incredible forces, yet standing before him now, their strengths still sent shivers down his spine.

Naruto retracted his chakra fist, his expression hardening. "You need to surrender now and head back to Konoha prison."

If he hadn't intervened earlier, Merz would have been a corpse, but Naruto had other motives—to save lives and gather information for later interrogations.

As he nursed the pain in his body, Merz replied, "I'll admit it, just you alone is enough to handle me. Maybe returning is in my best interest."

[Senju Hashirama: He's really brave for challenging the perfect Jinchūriki. This Meruz has some guts.]

[Uchiha Madara: Courage without strength is just foolishness, as far as I'm concerned.]

[Nagato: I once thought Meruz had potential, but now he seems more like a misguided kid.]

[Konan: Sometimes you can know a person's face but not his heart, Nagato.]

[Uzumaki Naruto: If he can genuinely challenge us, why haven't I felt impressed by this Zero organization?]

[Uchiha Sasuke: Honestly? I wouldn't have even remembered them if it weren't for today.]

Merz grinned, "If I were at full strength, perhaps I'd happily join you, but I'm still standing here, which means I still have a chance to fight."

Sasuke narrowed his gaze while cooly replying, "Do you really think you could beat us with those skills?"

Sasuke nodded to Naruto. "Next time, just knock him out. As long as he remains alive, we can haul him back."

Sasuke had dealt with enough nuisances like Merujin—those who couldn't explain their foolishness yet couldn't be executed outright. A good thrashing usually did the trick, and his wife could always heal them later.

Merz disregarded the conversation between Naruto and Sasuke. "Have you heard of the 'Yachihoko'? 

This ability allows one to fully control the chakra of the person who is linked and return it to the user without limit. The Uchiha clan use this ability to enhance every visual jutsu they could...

They failed, but the emergence of Yachihoko shook the world."

"So, this is Uchiha Nanashi's ability?" Sasuke mused, glancing at the unconscious girl in Boruto's arms.

"Precisely," Merz replied, "Only her Sharingan can wield this power."

"But I later learned about something... something very important. An artificial eye that can restore my sight and even grant me immense power. But the higher-ups didn't approve..."

Katasuke's expression shifted to one of surprise as he turned toward Tekuse. "Artificial eye? Wait, Teguse, you wouldn't…"

Teguse wore a twisted smile, filled with satisfaction. "That's right, Katasuke-sensei. I gave that artificial eye to Lord Merz, and I collected fantastic data in return. 

Finding a chakra source was a headache, but I solved all my problems in one stroke."

Katasuke quickly turned to Naruto, alarm evident in his voice. "Be careful, Seventh Hokage! The artificial eye developed by Teguse can ignore bloodline limits and replicate eye techniques!"

"Ignore bloodline limits?!" Naruto was taken aback. Kekkei Genkai was a rare ability only a few could harness. Without a blood connection, even Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, would be powerless.

Teguse beamed with exaggerated delight. "Exactly! My artificial eye has an incredible ability to bypass bloodline restrictions, letting anyone wield powerful eye techniques!"

[Mei Terumi: Ignoring bloodline limits? That's terrifying.]

[Onoki: Is this thing really that effective? Today's generation is already so powerful.]

[Uchiha Madara: It's a mere imitation; it can never match the real thing.]

[Senju Hashirama: If it can be produced on a mass scale, it could bolster the village's safety significantly.]

[Uzumaki Naruto: Old man first, that's out of the question. I've banned the development of this artificial eye tool because it drains a massive amount of chakra. Based on Katasuke-sensei's data, it could sap a Jonin's chakra within thirty seconds. An ordinary person would perish in mere moments.]

[Senju Tobirama: The Seventh Hokage made the right call with such a dangerous creation.]

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto remained unaware of this conversation. Sasuke's gaze remained fixed on Merz, caution evident. "If such an ability truly exists…"

"Yes, I now possess the Yachihoko!"

Merz grinned, tearing off the bandage on his head, revealing a pair of scarlet Sharingan eyes with patterns mirroring Uchiha Nanashi's Mangekyō.