Naruto: Boruto Returns to Shippuden

Chapter 170 Meeting Sasuke Again

After a period of arduous training, Naruto successfully returned from his training at Mount Myōboku and appeared before Boruto and Jiraiya.

Boruto noticed that after his training at Mount Myōboku, his father's demeanor had changed significantly, exuding a calm and confident air in his every move.

Fukasaku walked slowly between Boruto and Naruto, his eyes filled with admiration and respect. He said, "In the hundreds of years I have been on Mount Myōboku, I have never encountered two young men with such talent for Sage Mode as you two."

Upon hearing Fukasaku's words, Jiraiya's eyes flashed with joy. He asked, "Lord Fukasaku, if what you're saying is true, does that mean Naruto has also mastered Perfect Sage Mode like Boruto?"

Fukasaku nodded in agreement. During Naruto's training at Mount Myōboku, he not only learned how to absorb natural energy, but also how to perfectly integrate this natural energy with his own chakra, thus entering Perfect Sage Mode.

Jiraiya's face beamed with satisfaction as he patted Naruto's back hard: "You can still do it now."

Fukasaku turned his gaze to Jiraiya: "Little Jiraiya, as their master, you yourself are not in perfect Sage Mode. Do you want to come back with me and be retrained?" Jiraiya himself still has a lot of room for improvement in his Sage Mode training.

"Haha, never mind, I have a lot to do these days."

When Jiraiya heard Fukasaku's teasing, an awkward smile appeared on his face, and he waved his hand.

Fukasaku didn't say anything more about Jiraiya's refusal. However, although Boruto and Naruto had both successfully mastered Perfect Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku, they hadn't yet achieved the ultimate state of "movement" and "stillness" by performing the Two Lives Technique together with Jiraiya. This made Fukasaku feel somewhat regretful.

Fukasaku turned around and looked at Boruto. He said gently, "Boruto, come visit Mount Myōboku more often when you have time. Your wife really likes you. Let me know in advance if you're coming, and I'll have her prepare some delicious food for you."

Boruto nodded slightly upon hearing Fukasaku's invitation: "I'll definitely come next time."

Fukasaku the Hermit did not linger there. He turned around and disappeared into a wisp of smoke before everyone's eyes, returning to his home on Mount Myōboku.

After Fukasaku left, Naruto suddenly broke the silence. He turned to Boruto and said with unusual firmness, "Boruto, take me to Sasuke. I want to know what he's thinking right now."

Previously, Boruto had revealed to them that Orochimaru no longer regarded Sasuke as a vessel for reincarnation, and that his temporary departure was to go to Orochimaru's location.

However, during that time, he was in the crucial stage of training the Giant Rasengan, and under the strong insistence of the Perverted Sage that he must complete the training, he was unable to go with him. Now that his training at Mount Myōboku has been successfully completed, it is time to bring Sasuke back to Konoha.

......

Based on the timeline, Sasuke should have already completed his Sage Mode training in Ryuchi Cave and returned to Orochimaru's base. Therefore, Boruto took Naruto and headed towards Orochimaru's base.

Boruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Naruto to the vicinity of Orochimaru's base.

They discovered that Sasuke was standing in front of a huge rock, intently honing his swordsmanship skills.

Boruto walked straight up to Sasuke, met his gaze, and said, "It's been a long time, Sasuke."

"Boruto." Sasuke responded after hearing Boruto's voice, then his gaze swept lightly over Naruto behind Boruto. Although he was somewhat surprised that Naruto was here at this time, he quickly regained his composure.

Sasuke turned to Boruto and said succinctly, "You've come here to see Orochimaru again, haven't you? Orochimaru is inside, so I won't keep you company." With that, he turned and left without lingering.

Naruto, who had been silently standing behind Boruto, stepped forward as Sasuke turned to leave. He addressed Sasuke resolutely, "Who wants to see Orochimaru! I'm here for you, Sasuke!"

When Sasuke heard Naruto say that their purpose in coming here was not for Orochimaru, but for himself, he stopped and turned around, his eyes meeting Naruto's.

At this moment, Sasuke felt a little strange, because before this, whether it was Boruto or anyone else who came to him, it was almost always because of Orochimaru.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then calmly asked, "Oh? So what do you want with me?"

Naruto faced Sasuke and said sincerely, "Sasuke, we can face your hatred with you. Aren't we comrades? So, come back to Konoha with us."

In response, Sasuke coldly replied to Naruto, "The revenge against Itachi Uchiha must be carried out by me alone, and only by me."

However, at this moment, Sasuke suddenly changed the subject and made a condition to Naruto: "If you can defeat me now, I might consider your proposal. Otherwise, you should go back to where you came from."

Upon hearing Sasuke's response, Naruto's eyes flashed with excitement, and he loudly accepted the challenge: "You said it yourself, it's a deal!"

While Naruto and Sasuke were talking, Orochimaru and Kabuto also noticed the commotion and slowly walked over to Boruto's side.

Orochimaru, with his signature smile, asked Boruto, "Boruto, what do you think of this duel between the two of them?"

After hearing Orochimaru and Kabuto's questions, Boruto shook his head, expressing his opinion:

"If we only consider taijutsu, I wouldn't be a match for Sasuke. But if he activates Sage Mode..."

Boruto knows that Sasuke, under Orochimaru's guidance, focuses primarily on improving practical combat skills and fighting abilities, while Naruto, under Jiraiya's guidance, concentrates more on chakra control and basic training in dispelling genjutsu.

When Boruto mentioned Sage Mode, Kabuto, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but recall Sasuke's training experience in Ryuchi Cave.

After a moment, Kabuto Yakushi spoke up, "Sasuke's talent for Sage Mode is far greater than mine. During his time training Sage Chakra in Ryuchi Cave, Sasuke sparred with me quite a bit. It's safe to say that Sasuke is closer to 'Dragon' than I am." He acknowledged that Sasuke's progress and talent in Sage Mode surpassed his own.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and continued speaking to Boruto, "Besides, you and Naruto are training in the Sage Chakra of Mount Myōboku, right? Our Ryūchi Cave's Sage Chakra is even more ferocious than yours, hehehehe..."

Just as Kabuto and Boruto were talking, the battle between Naruto and Sasuke was about to begin. With a soft whoosh, the two quickly approached each other.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a few blows, but Sasuke clearly had a more precise grasp of the rhythm and timing of the fight. Before long, Sasuke seized an opportunity, grabbed Naruto's body, and threw him away with a powerful attack.

Sasuke slowly stood in front of the fallen Naruto, looking down at him, and then said calmly, "Naruto, you are still as childish as a child. If I always stay like you, when will I ever grow up?"

Naruto stood up from the ground, a confident expression on his face. He clenched his fist and gently clapped his palm, a smile playing on his lips.

"In that case, Sasuke, I'll show you the results of my training at Mount Myōboku."

Immediately afterwards, Naruto took a deep breath, closed his eyes, adjusted his Sage Chakra, and then suddenly opened his eyes. In that instant of opening and closing his eyes, he successfully activated Sage Mode.

As Naruto activated Sage Mode, his aura suddenly intensified, and his eyes turned into orange pupils.

"Oh? Sage Mode? I can do that too."

When Sasuke saw Naruto successfully activate Sage Mode, he showed no surprise whatsoever; instead, he smiled.

Sasuke planted the Kusanagi sword in his hand into the ground, and then an aura began to emanate from his body. His skin turned unusually white, and a faint purple eyeshadow appeared around his eyes.

......

As Sasuke and Naruto battled in Sage Mode, Kabuto's prediction was confirmed, with Sasuke clearly gaining a slight advantage in the fight.

After five minutes of fighting, Naruto clearly began to feel exhausted and could no longer maintain Sage Mode. He was forced to exit Sage Mode, marking the end of his challenge against Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed to have barely been worn down.

After defeating Naruto, Sasuke turned his attention to Boruto. He still had a lingering feeling about his previous defeat. His previous battle with Boruto made him realize that he still had a lot of room for improvement, so he gave up his cursed seal transformation and trained in the Sage Chakra of Ryuchi Cave.

Now that Sasuke has mastered the same Perfect Sage Mode as Boruto, he has launched another challenge against Boruto.

Boruto naturally did not refuse Sasuke's challenge.

Just as the two were facing off, Sasuke launched the first attack, tentatively throwing several shuriken at Boruto. Boruto did not retreat in the face of the shuriken thrown by Sasuke, but instead went straight to meet them, dodging the shuriken attack with a few sidesteps.

Seeing that Boruto easily dodged his shuriken attack, Sasuke quickly adjusted his tactics. He clenched his fist and pulled his arm backward, manipulating the shuriken with the invisible threads attached to them, changing their original trajectory and sending them stabbing towards Boruto's back.

However, Boruto's reaction speed exceeded Sasuke's expectations. The moment the shuriken changed trajectory, Boruto moved in front of Sasuke at an even faster speed, reached out and pulled the Kusanagi sword from Sasuke's back, and slashed it behind him without looking back. The invisible threads were cut in response, and the shuriken that Sasuke had been controlling through the threads fell to the ground.

Seeing that his attack had been neutralized by Boruto, Sasuke quickly retreated to create distance between himself and Boruto. However, as he retreated, he grabbed several kunai and retaliated at Boruto's position. These kunai were all tied with burning explosive tags, making a sizzling sound.

Seeing the kunai carrying explosive tags rapidly approaching, Boruto swung his Kusanagi sword, infusing it with chakra to imbue the blade with immense destructive power. He sliced ​​the kunai and explosive tags off, cutting off their trajectory, and then tossed the Kusanagi sword back to Sasuke.

Orochimaru, who was watching from a distance, witnessed Boruto's counterattack using Sasuke's Kusanagi sword, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.

Orochimaru noticed that Boruto didn't seem to have received systematic swordsmanship training and was only using the weapon based on his own senses and reactions. He thought that if Boruto could receive his guidance like Sasuke, his combat skills would definitely improve.

Sasuke caught the Kusanagi sword that Boruto threw at him, his face turning ashen. He quickly formed hand seals: "Sage Art: Purple Lightning Spear!" As he completed the seals, the purple lightning transformed into a long purple spear under his control. He then hurled the spear, formed from the purple lightning, at Boruto.

Boruto quickly formed hand seals and chanted, "Water Release: Water Slash!" Immediately, Boruto spat out a sharp stream of water, like a blade, to meet Sasuke's attack.

The water blade formed by the water column struck Sasuke's Purple Lightning Spear directly. The powerful impact caused the Purple Lightning Spear to shatter instantly, turning into countless fragments in mid-air.

Immediately afterward, Boruto swiftly threw out a shuriken while simultaneously forming hand seals and shouting, "Shuriken: Shadow Clone Technique!" The shuriken then split into numerous clones, which, like a swarm of locusts, swept towards Sasuke.

Sasuke used the Kusanagi Sword to counterattack, scattering many of the shuriken clones coming towards him. After this wave of attacks, Sasuke looked at the shuriken scattered all over the ground and knew that Boruto was about to use his unpredictable Body Flicker Technique.

Sasuke smiled confidently at Boruto's move. He had already planned a countermeasure. Sasuke then held the Kusanagi sword horizontally in front of his chest, and countless arcs of electricity burst from the sword, spreading rapidly in all directions and almost covering the entire battlefield. These lightning bolts were like electric nets, shattering all the sword shadow clones in his hands.

......

Tomorrow, Boruto and Naruto will embark on their journey back to the village after two and a half years of arduous training.