Naruto and Sasuke are doing nothing; Madara and I will set an example.

Page 4

“I shouldn’t have kept this from you, because Chen’s words in the letter were quite suspicious, so I investigated his background in private a long time ago.”

"First of all, it is true that Chen is a descendant of the Uchiha clan. The turmoil caused by Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure also affected the Uchiha clan members who stayed behind in the Blood Pond Forbidden Ground. Most of the clan members died, and a very small number of survivors did not return to Konoha. Instead, they settled in the Land of Lightning under assumed names."

"Chen's parents were among those who stayed in the Land of Lightning, but their identities were accidentally exposed, which led to the revenge of the survivors of the 'Pool of Blood,' former enemies of the Uchiha clan, and they both died."

"Leaving behind the brothers 'Dust' and 'Ember' to depend on each other for survival."

"His background is quite complicated, isn't it? And then?" If it weren't for Madara's incident, Naruto would probably have empathized with Chen after hearing this.

"Later, it is said that the surviving members of the Blood Pool tribe were killed one after another, including women and children. All the survivors of this tribe were completely wiped out. There is no definite information that the brothers did it for revenge, but I think they must be involved."

"Revenge... The same path as Sasuke back then, just like the destiny of the Uchiha clan."

Shikamaru continued, "Chen and Jin did not belong to any ninja village's organization, nor did they join the Allied Shinobi Forces or participate in the later Fourth Shinobi World War."

"If he were a commoner, it would be understandable for him to avoid the war in the ninja world, but his actions after the war were far too blatantly purposeful."

"You should know that as the most outstanding hero of the Ninja War, you have the strongest appeal in the entire Ninja World and are the true leader of the Five Kage. It would be fine if he wanted to climb up to you and find a place to settle down, but he had to use such a sensational way."

Naruto asked, "How exactly do you mean by 'attention-seeking'?"

Shikamaru flicked his cigarette ash and said, "This person actually questioned the Hokage's personal governance system in his letter! He said that as the highest fighting force in a village, the 'Kage' shouldn't spend so much energy dealing with tedious official duties, but should instead have a separate organization, like a secretariat, to replace the Kage's functions. The Kage should focus entirely on training his fighting strength! Is this something he should be worrying about?!"

Naruto did not comment on this.

"Later, I heard that his younger brother died."

Naruto was taken aback. "How did he die?"

Shikamaru said, "We can't find any trace of this matter, but after his brother died, Chen's actions started to go off track. He was involved in the gold exchange and the underground black market auction houses, these are the dark corners hidden in the shadows of the ninja world!"

"It is said that in just a few years, he amassed enough funds to support a large ninja village like Konoha for several years. What is the purpose of this idle ninja who is not affiliated with any ninja village? It's hard not to think of Akatsuki, whose primary goal was to amass wealth!"

"If it's just this level, then in my mind, this person is at most just an underground broker who makes money recklessly after losing his family!"

"What truly made me classify him as a 'dangerous element' was his statement in a letter that Kaguya Otsutsuki's clan was still active in this land!"

"What!?" The words 'Otsutsuki' made Naruto sit up in shock.

When he first became Hokage, Sasuke summoned the Five Kage and made a similar conjecture about Kaguya's training of White Zetsu soldiers—that the Otsutsuki were lurking in this ninja world.

To verify this hypothesis, Sasuke has been conducting secret investigations all these years!

Shikamaru's next words were even more astonishing: "However, information that even Sasuke hasn't verified, that Uchiha Chen directly and unequivocally stated the name of that Otsutsuki in the letter!"

"What's your name!?"

"I remember it was, Otsutsuki, First Style!"

"Otsutsuki, Ishiki?"

Seeing that Naruto seemed to be taking it seriously, Shikamaru said, "My guess is this: after that discussion back then, someone among the Five Kage accidentally leaked the news, and Uchiha Chen, after hearing this news, started to make a big fuss about it."

"But... what's in it for him?"

“Three years ago, on the day you stood him up, I went to the reception room and asked him in person how he knew about the Otsutsuki clan. Guess what Uchiha Chen said?”

Naruto slowly sat back down in his chair. "What did you say?"

"He actually said he foresaw it in a dream. Ha, that's a skill only the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku possesses. What makes him think he can do that? He lies without even thinking."

"But I didn't expose him on the spot. Perhaps he had some unspeakable difficulties regarding his sources of information and couldn't say it directly. To be on the safe side, I decided to test whether he was really sincere."

"And how did you test me?" Naruto frowned deeply.

Shikamaru said, "I told him bluntly that your words and actions are too suspicious. From the perspective of the Konoha Hokage's advisor, I cannot believe what you say at all."

"If you wish to prove your innocence, then cooperate with the rules of Konoha. First, seal your chakra, then stay briefly in Konoha's confinement room. After that, the Yamanaka clan of Konoha will verify whether what you say is true or false!"

Naruto propped his chin up, frowned, and asked, "And then? What was Chen's reaction?"

"Click!" Shikamaru, his face grim, lit another cigarette.

As the smoke rose, Shikaku crumpled his cigarette butt. "That Uchiha Chen, he actually said..."

Chapter 5 Ban: How can you prove that it will actually happen?

"He actually said I was out of my mind..."

Naruto asked in disbelief, "Is he out of his mind?"

"Ah, I even had Ino check me out later, and my brain is perfectly normal."

"In short, Chen left; he was unwilling to cooperate with us."

Shikamaru took a deep drag of his cigarette, composed himself, and said, "Perhaps my words that day were indeed not very friendly, but I think that if he truly knew the future and cared about the safety of the ninja world, he would naturally be able to overcome this level of 'forbearance'."

"Uchiha Chen, either he lacks the responsibility and awareness that a ninja who strives for the safety of the world should have, or he is just guilty of something he did wrong. The facts have proven that it is the latter!"

Naruto didn't see anything wrong with Shikamaru's probing and evaluation of Chen. After the Fourth Shinobi World War, even Sasuke, whose achievements were no less than his own, was first sent to the Konoha prison to await his fate before he could atone for his crimes. A ninja should have the awareness of a ninja!

"In short, after that, Uchiha Chen completely disappeared."

"Considering his actions before and after, I'm convinced that Uchiha Chen is a peacetime opportunist and a dangerous element! He's eager to make a fortune through war!"

“There are people like that everywhere. Your time as Hokage is precious, and I didn’t think there was any reason to bother you, so I didn’t tell you what happened in the reception room.”

"But I never expected that Uchiha Chen would set his sights on Madara's corpse, and even be so arrogant as to make no attempt to hide it."

"Hmm." Naruto was greatly disappointed after hearing Shikamaru's account: I was even thinking of introducing Chen to Sasuke so he would know he still had clansmen, but it turns out he's this kind of person. What a disappointment...

He then said, "None of that matters anymore. The question is, what does Chen Yaoban want the body for?"

Shikamaru speculated: "There are two possibilities. He performed the Impure World Reincarnation himself, but that's less likely because the scrolls for Impure World Reincarnation were permanently destroyed after the war, and there are very few people in the world who know this technique. Unless, Chen is involved with these people... Kabuto is probably fine, but the other one... I'll reserve my opinion for now."

Naruto nodded: "Hmm, Orochimaru... he does seem a bit suspicious."

Shikamaru said, "Another possibility is more likely: Chen is using his dark background to profit from Madara's remains. The appearance of Madara's remains will probably cause a sensation in the underworld!"

"But no matter which one it is, Chen's wishful thinking is probably doomed to fail, because there are talismans personally applied by Sasuke on that coffin! Madara's remains will be completely destroyed the moment the coffin is opened!"

After saying that, Shikamaru extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray he carried with him and picked up the documents scattered on the ground.

Naruto called the squad leader in; there was something he urgently needed to figure out.

"Did you see Chen's eyes? Are they ordinary Sharingan, or Mangekyou Sharingan?"

"It's just a regular Sharingan!"

"Are you sure?"

The squad leader said with absolute certainty, "I'm sure! His eyes aren't like Lord Sasuke's, with special patterns! They're just three-tomoe eyes!"

Naruto mentally calculated: "With just a regular Sharingan, he was able to break through the forbidden area's protective barrier and defeat an elite squad without taking any damage... Conservatively speaking, Chen has strength comparable to Sasuke after he finished training with Orochimaru!"

Shikamaru said, "Actually, we've been lax in our vigilance these past few years. If this team guarding the forbidden area were equipped with the latest scientific ninja tool scrolls from Konoha's scientific forces, taking them down would be a piece of cake!"

"There is one suspicious point: how did he know the location where Ban's body was placed?"

Naruto pondered, "The Sharingan has the ability to manipulate minds and perceive information. If Chen is determined, it shouldn't be difficult. The deed is done; the next step is to resolve it..."

"Screech!" Suddenly, a loud screech came from the sky outside the window!

Naruto stood up and looked out the window: "That's Sasuke's messenger hawk..."

Shikamaru exclaimed in surprise, "It's been so many years since we last met Sasuke. It must be something important."

He said to the squad leader of the secret service, "Go back and rest first. Let everyone not blame themselves. This incident has served as a wake-up call for us!"

After the squad leader left, Naruto opened the scroll, read it, and his expression turned serious.

"what happens."

"Is such that……"

"What? A user who has awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan? He scouted the location, ambushed Sasuke?"

"Ah, the other party claims to be Uchiha Shin, and, moreover, he's a child!"

Naruto put down the scroll. "The situation is urgent. It seems we'll have to put the matter of Chen aside for now. Shikamaru, anyway, instruct the barrier team to adjust the barrier signals and have the sensory units increase their vigilance..."

Shikamaru asked, "Should we issue a warrant for Chen's arrest?"

After thinking for a moment, Naruto said, "Let's hold off for now. What he did is too sensitive. It's best if we handle this internally first! By the way, compile a report on Chen. I'll show it to Sasuke when I have the chance!"

0:32.

The image that Madara was immersed in was frozen on the destroyed land of Konoha, with Boruto and Kawaki, covered in tattoos, facing each other on the broken Hokage Rock!

"The era of ninjas is over!"

The food on the table had gone cold.

Ban stared intently into Chen's eyes: "Give me an explanation!"

Chen said, "I used to be able to foresee a certain degree of the future through dreams. In the illusion just now, I simply projected what I had already foreseen to you using my Sharingan."

He had planned this all along; the identity of the time traveler could not be revealed, so 'precognition' was the necessary excuse.

However, when Chen transmigrated, Boruto was not yet finished, and Chen did not know the entire future. Therefore, he added the prefix "once" to leave himself room to maneuver.

Foreseeing...the future? Madara didn't scoff like Shikamaru. He had witnessed Chen's incredible abilities, even his ability to reverse time, so foreseeing the future wasn't unreasonable.

But Ban wouldn't easily believe him.

How can you prove that the vision you foresee is the future?

"Because I once foresaw the occurrence of the Fourth Shinobi World War, and then the Fourth Shinobi World War actually happened. The specific course and details of the war were exactly the same as in my dream."

"Of course, the future I foresee in my dream is based on the premise that I am not involved. Depending on my intervention, the actual future may change."

"Words are meaningless. How can you expect me to believe that this is the future, and not a picture you've woven with your profound illusionary skills?"

Ban's seriousness at this moment is less a questioning and more an unwillingness to accept.

Whether it's Kinshiki, Momoshiki, Urashiki, or even something like Isshiki, Madara can accept it!

What he couldn't accept was that he, who had once suppressed the full power of the Six Paths at the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War! That unparalleled duo! Naruto and Sasuke! had actually fallen to such a miserable state as the one he had just seen in the genjutsu!

The inaction of those two indirectly diminished Madara's stature as well!

"It's simple. If what happens in the illusion actually happens, then it will be proven, right?"

Chen answered calmly, glancing down at his watch.

0:58.

"This afternoon, the battle between Naruto and Sasuke against 'Shin Uchiha' shown in the genjutsu will take place as scheduled. Why don't we go and witness it for ourselves?"

1:06.

After finishing their late-night conversation, Chen and Madara decided to witness Naruto and Sasuke's battle against Shin Uchiha this afternoon.

Dust descended upon the [Tuo Liu Time Zone] nurtured by the Yu Mu Tuo Liu.

A long white corridor with white cubicle doors on both sides.

Chen stopped in front of a door, pushed it open, and went inside.

This is a small Japanese-style room, about four and a half times the size.

A frozen coffin sits silently on the central altar.

After the ice thawed, Chen Qi opened the coffin lid and looked at the remains of Ban Ye inside.

"It's time to prepare the 'materials' I need to awaken the Rinnegan!"

Chapter 6 Boryesu

6:06 PM on July 2nd.

Dust and grime descend from a vortex of time and space in the dense forests of Konoha.

At the end of the line of sight stood a large pavilion. Madara recognized it at a glance; it was the very place where Naruto and Shin fought in the genjutsu that Chen had demonstrated last night.

Dust had already scouted the area and marked its spatial coordinates, but it was still some distance from the battleground.

Ban asked, "Why don't we just go straight there?"

Chen said, "As a witness, we should take some measures first."

As he spoke, his left eye turned toward the spot, flashing with a vermilion light.

—Boyasu!