Naruto watched the two figures, ready to approach them and ask what was going on.
But just then, Indra stood up.
"Don't worry. Until you figure out how to send us back to our own time," Indra stated.
"We won't cause any trouble here."
"So, there's no need for concern."
Indra's words made Naruto scratch his head, a little perplexed.
Perhaps because he was in a good mood, Indra didn't elaborate.
Normally, he probably would have added another sarcastic remark.
If Indra had truly intended to cause problems, Naruto knew he'd have to keep a close eye on him for hours.
"Don't worry, Naruto Uzumaki! My brother and I have finally resolved our conflict, all thanks to you!" Asura exclaimed.
Thinking of their reconciliation, Asura then thought of Sasuke—or more accurately, it was thanks to that guy!
Even a quick glance told you Sasuke was incredibly arrogant, someone who seemed to think he was above everyone else.
If anyone could influence someone as proud as Indra, it had to be someone similar.
And Sasuke had even achieved greater things than Indra.
Considering this, it seemed only someone with that astonishing aura could have such an effect.
This realization made Asura feel a strong need to understand this Uchiha Sasuke better.
What kind of charm did he possess that even his proud elder brother had been swayed?
Just as Asura was lost in thought, Sasuke suddenly appeared right in front of Naruto.
Naruto, seeing Sasuke's abrupt arrival, immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Sasuke! What is it?"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto.
"Urashiki Otsutsuki's corpse is gone."
Naruto was stunned. "Urashiki's corpse was stored in the lab. How could it suddenly disappear...?"
As he spoke, a shadow fell over Naruto's face.
If Urashiki's corpse was truly missing, it meant there were traitors within Konoha Village. Naruto couldn't even fathom why anyone would betray their home.
Stealing Urashiki's corpse – the remains of an Otsutsuki clan member – was incredibly significant.
The value of such a thing was undoubtedly immense.
Thinking about this, Naruto felt a pang of shame when he looked at Sasuke.
He had been the Hokage for so long, yet he had made such a fundamental mistake.
He had actually lost a corpse of immense value.
Even though it was the work of traitors, the thought that he was partially responsible weighed heavily on him.
Naruto looked at Sasuke, his eyes filled with apology.
"Let's go back to Konoha!"
"You're the Hokage. You need to handle this yourself!" Sasuke replied.
As he spoke, Sasuke glanced at Indra and Asura, who stood side-by-side, looking more like genuine brothers now.
The group returned to Konoha Village, their arrival causing a stir.
And Sasuke, at Itachi's urging, went home.
Sasuke was deeply troubled.
He had originally planned to use Urashiki's remains to mature the Ten-Tails and transform it into the God Tree.
But now, without an Otsutsuki clan sacrifice, he had to find another member of the clan to offer to the Ten-Tails.
Indra and Asura were clearly out of the question.
Not because they weren't qualified, but because it was unnecessary.
The simple reason was that Indra was now someone he knew, and Sasuke wasn't so cold-blooded as to target those close to him.
As for Asura, his younger brother, Sasuke hadn't interacted with him, but he wouldn't harm him either.
After excluding those two, very few qualified individuals remained.
The only others were the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and Hamura Otsutsuki. But there was no telling when or if they would appear in this era.
Of course, anything was possible.
If Kaguya Otsutsuki could also have been brought to this new era due to the chaos, that would have been a perfect solution!
Firstly, Kaguya was a true member of the Otsutsuki clan, possessing pure bloodline. Secondly, killing Kaguya wouldn't cause Sasuke any emotional distress.
Of course, there was another option: Isshiki Otsutsuki from this era.
That guy was quite suitable, but Sasuke had no idea where Isshiki was now.
He had severely injured the previous Isshiki, and he didn't know if he had survived into this new era.
If Isshiki was still alive, he would also be a good choice.
While Sasuke was lost in his plans, another major event shook the ninja world.
At the same time, shocking news arrived from every corner of the land.
The Tailed Beasts had reappeared!
Choumei was the first to appear, showing up directly in Konoha.
But the remaining eight Tailed Beasts weren't as unfortunately located as Choumei.
They had appeared all over the ninja world, quite far from the five major ninja villages.
Moreover, they had been around for over a day, and these Tailed Beasts had already destroyed several towns and villages.
Only then did they attract the attention of the ninjas, who began to investigate.
It was only then that the traces of the eight Tailed Beasts were discovered.
The moment Konoha received this news, Naruto felt a massive headache coming on.
Their distribution was too wide, and Tailed Beasts had even appeared within the Land of Fire and the current five major countries.
Kurama had appeared in Kirigakure.
Gyūki in Sunagakure.
Saiken in Konoha.
Son Gokū in Kumogakure.
Kokuō and Isobu in Iwagakure.
And the remaining Matatabi and Choumei: Matatabi in Amegakure, and Choumei in the Land of Iron.
The eight Tailed Beasts had appeared one after another, and the situation had become incredibly dire.
In this situation, Naruto wanted to capture all the Tailed Beasts and have Orochimaru clarify the issue with whatever Sasuke possessed.
And after finding a way to fix it, send these Tailed Beasts and the reappeared White Fang and others back to where they belonged.
He didn't know how long that would take.
That was the truly troublesome part.
While Naruto was wrestling with this headache, Shikamaru presented an even more pressing problem.
"Naruto, with the reappearance of the Tailed Beasts, and each major ninja village having one, the past Kage have also appeared alongside them."
"They are very dissatisfied with the current Allied Shinobi Forces system!"
"They might directly take action to seize the Tailed Beasts."
As he spoke, Shikamaru let out a long sigh. If I'm guessing correctly...
Then the other four villages are all plotting how to seize more Tailed Beasts.
"This situation is just like when the First Hokage divided the Tailed Beasts."
"Except this time, it's not about dividing them, but seizing them."
Naruto was taken aback.
According to Shikamaru's logic, it was indeed very likely to happen.
The Allied Shinobi Forces seemed to be on the verge of becoming a mere formality.
Facing the Tailed Beasts right in front of them, they couldn't simply ignore them, and at the same time... they would undoubtedly try their best to seize the others.
All to strengthen the power of their own village.
And once they truly dropped the pretense in this process, Naruto feared the Allied Shinobi Forces would completely collapse.
The peace that he had fought so hard to bring to the ninja world would be completely shattered because of this.
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