Kakashi’s face was deadly serious. His Sharingan was spinning so fast it looked like it might rge into a single blur. "Naruto, what’s going on with Sasuke right now?"
Naruto stayed silent for a mont before slowly explaining, "Just like we talked about back at the Ryumyaku, after Sasuke and I returned, we traveled through ti again using the Dragon Vein. There, we fought an enemy. After that enemy died, he placed his soul and mories inside Sasuke."
"Whenever Sasuke’s mind is shaken or his body weakens, that guy takes over."
Kakashi’s pupils contracted sharply. His voice dropped. "Will Sasuke die?"
"Not for now," Naruto said. "According to Kurama, Sasuke still has a few years. Urashiki won’t be able to fully revive before then."
Hearing that, Kakashi let out a small breath. "Then there’s still a chance."
On the other side, Kisa had been listening to Naruto and Kakashi. His expression shifted slightly, and almost instinctively, he muttered under his breath, "Otsutsuki Urashiki!"
Naruto’s eyes widened in shock. He turned to Kisa in disbelief. "You! How do you know that na?"
He had only ever ntioned "Urashiki." He had never once said "Otsutsuki."
How the hell did this guy know?
Kisa’s face visibly darkened. Instead of answering Naruto’s question, he stared intently at Urashiki, absentmindedly turning the ring on his finger. "I need to get this information out."
Kakashi’s expression grew even heavier. "I won’t let you."
With that, he shot a glance at ’Sasuke’ before turning back to Naruto. "Naruto, you handle Sas—no, Urashiki. I’ll take care of this guy."
"Got it," Naruto nodded without hesitation. After all, the only ones here strong enough to hold Urashiki back were him and Kurama.
Kisa let out a cold snort but didn’t say anything. He shot a deep glance at Urashiki before vanishing from where he stood. Kakashi imdiately chased after him, his body crackling with lightning, making it clear that he was going all out.
Urashiki watched with a smirk but remained silent. Only after the two had left did he finally speak.
"Uzumaki Naruto, I just ca to say hello this ti. In my current state, I’m no match for you."
He knew his own limits. Sasuke had only been under the influence of the Kāma for less than a month.
If it weren’t for Sasuke’s wavering resolve and his excessive chakra consumption, Urashiki wouldn’t have had a chance to surface. Right now, he probably wasn’t even strong enough to take on Kakashi.
Thinking about defeating Naruto in this state was nothing but wishful thinking.
Naruto took a deep breath, his expression firm.
"I’ll stay by Sasuke’s side and help him grow until he can completely suppress you."
"Heh, I’ll be waiting for that mont," Urashiki said arrogantly, his presence gradually fading.
He had only co to observe. With the current level of the shinobi world, there was no way they could figure out how to kill him. Unless that traitor Otsutsuki Kaguya or her two sons got involved, the Kāma was invincible in this world.
Urashiki’s presence began to fade away.
Just then, a hand suddenly rested on Naruto’s shoulder, making him turn instinctively.
To his surprise, Itachi—who had been lying on the ground, seemingly drained of all energy—was now standing behind him. His face was cold, his body covered in blood, but his aura had suddenly strengthened.
With his hand still on Naruto’s shoulder, Itachi looked ahead at Sasuke with his clouded eyes.
"Naruto... right?"
"Yes," Naruto nodded instinctively.
"That man, Urashiki—his condition is similar to Orochimaru’s curse mark, isn’t it?" Itachi asked directly, getting straight to the point.
Naruto was slightly taken aback.
"It’s similar, but not exactly the sa. The Kāma is much stronger. A curse mark is just sothing forcibly engraved onto the body, but the Kāma feels more like it rges completely with the host."
"Their souls remain separate, don’t they?" Itachi asked, as if confirming sothing.
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah."
Even though the Kāma made it seem like the host and the Otsutsuki inside were one, the Otsutsuki’s soul remained independent. That was why those who carried the Kāma could use its power.
"It’s more like a combination of a Jinchuriki and a curse mark, isn’t it?" Itachi murmured softly.
If Sasuke died, Urashiki would completely disappear as well. But if Urashiki died, it wouldn’t affect Sasuke. The Kāma was similar to a curse mark, but Sasuke’s relationship with Urashiki was more like that of a Jinchuriki and their tailed beast.
That explanation wasn’t wrong at all.
Naruto nodded in surprise.
"Have you encountered soone with the Kāma before?"
"No," Itachi shook his head, his expression softening slightly. He then looked at Naruto and spoke in a low voice.
"Even though different types of Ninjutsu exist, they all rely on the sa thing—ntal energy and physical energy, combined with hand seals to form techniques."
"No matter how different they may seem, in the end, they’re all techniques driven by chakra."
"As long as you understand that, you’ll realize—there’s no such thing as a perfect technique. Every technique has a weakness."
Naruto stared at Itachi, finally beginning to understand. He wanted to argue that the Kāma wasn’t a technique, but after glancing at Itachi, who was covered in blood, he swallowed his words.
He was injured—no point in arguing.
Itachi covered his eyes, let out a small chuckle, and said, "Looks like I have one more reason to give you these eyes."
"Huh?" Naruto paused for a mont, confused.
Itachi didn’t explain. Instead, he said directly, "Naruto, help hold that guy down. Don’t let him leave Sasuke’s body. I need so ti to prepare."
His body was in terrible shape. Even if he forced himself to use ninjutsu, he still needed a mont.
When Naruto turned his head, he saw a pair of dim, blood-red eyes.
Naruto didn’t know what Itachi was planning, but after seeing Itachi’s mories, he trusted this man—the one who had willingly beco a traitor for the sake of the village.
"I got it. Leave it to ," Naruto said.
Then, after a brief pause, he reached out and channeled so of his Six Paths Yang Power into Itachi. "This is Six Paths Yang Power. It should help heal your injuries and restore your chakra and visual power."
"I can feel it," Itachi said. His darkened vision brightened slightly, and his visual power recovered a good amount as well.
That made things easier.
Hearing Itachi’s response, Naruto didn’t hesitate anymore. He turned to face Urashiki and slowly floated into the air.
But now that he had said it, how exactly was he supposed to keep this guy inside Sasuke?
Inside his mind, Kurama spoke up. "I can’t go out. If Urashiki sees both of us, he’ll definitely run. But if he only has to face you, he might hesitate."
"Yeah, I was thinking the sa thing." Naruto nodded, floating in the air as he looked down at Urashiki. "The best way I can think of is to piss him off."
"That could work." Kurama agreed.
After all, this was Urashiki. He was basically the definition of soone who acted on impulse. A little push would be enough to set him off.
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