Next Day
" Mr. Sasuke, do you think I should use Rasengan and the Disappearing Rasengan today? Yesterday I could have lasted longer if I had used them. " Boruto asked Sasuke on the way to the Colosseum.
Yesterday, he lasted for five minutes, and that was because he couldn't use his trump card.
" Avoid using them if you can. "
" Okay, what do you think today's round will be? " Boruto nodded at Sasuke's answer and then asked curiously.
" I don't know, but most probably it will be about reducing the crow— "
SWISH
Sasuke paused midway as suddenly two people appeared in front of him. Seeing the two faces, Sasuke relaxed while deactivating his Rinnegan.
" Minato, is this the child? " Kushina looked at Boruto curiously, as if examining a lab rat.
" Indeed, Uzumaki Boruto. Good name. " Minato, seeing the confused Boruto, gave a happy smile in greeting.
" Grandmother...Grandfather? " Boruto looked at the two faces and said awkwardly. Although they were indeed his grandparents (not really), calling two people in their twenties that felt oddly awkward to him.
" Don't call me Grandma, call me Big Sister Kushina. " Kushina also felt insulted to be called Grandma by a brat who wasn't even ten years younger than her.
" Big Sister Kushina. " Boruto, seeing Kushina accept his identity immediately, called out.
" Sasuke, Itachi said that he will meet you in the second round. We will be taking Boruto with us. Is that okay? " Minato, seeing that the introductions between the two parties were over, turned to Sasuke and asked politely.
" Better. I have to investigate a few things. Take care of him. " Sasuke replied indifferently as he disappeared the next moment.
" Tsk, he is too indifferent unlike our Sasuke. He looks like the adult version of Arata. " Kushina seeing Sasuke disappear commented. Then she noticed Boruto.
" Hey Boruto, are you an only child? Do you have any siblings? Is Naruto taking good care of you? Who is your mother? Wh— "
Boruto, hearing Kushina's unending questions, looked at Minato for help.
" Ahem, Kushina...we still have plenty of time. Let's first take him home, and after snacks and drinks, you can ask comfortably. "
" Ah—then what are you waiting for? Let's teleport. " Kushina, having been interrupted, looked at Minato with annoyance and then said unreasonably.
" Yes. " What could poor Minato do? The next moment, the three of them teleported to their mansion.
Ten Minutes Later
" I want to say something. " Boruto, after eating the most delicious cuisine in the Ninja World, said to Kushina and Minato.
" We are listening. " Minato hearing this nodded. Just like Haruto, Boruto might also have restrictions that he wanted to mention.
" Actually, I am not your grandson...I am, but not your...to be honest, my world and yours are completely different. In that world, you died on the night of the Nine-Tails attack and were never resurrected again. So, this is the first time we are meeting. " Boruto, after saying this, relaxed. During the past few minutes, he had been wondering whether he was deceiving Minato and Kushina, as to him they were his biological grandparents.
" So you come from a parallel world? " Kushina looked at Boruto in surprise. If it had been a few months ago, she would have doubted it, but now Arata was a living example.
" Parallel world...indeed, but aren't you two accepting it too quickly? "
" Well, Itachi went to another parallel world a few months ago and even brought that world's Sasuke here. Now his name is Arata; you might have seen him yesterday. "
" Ohhh...so that's Arata. I was wondering whether Mr. Sasuke had a twin who passed away early. "
" Then, Boruto, what is different in that world? " Kushina asked curiously. In the last parallel world, the Uchiha Clan had been massacred by Izumi. Don't tell me that in this world as well, the Uchiha Clan is no more.
" Well, Konoha is still there, and Father became the Seventh Hokage. Then...there is no Mizumori in that world, and Uncle Sasuke is the only Uchiha alive other than Sarada, his daughter and my friend. The— "
" The Uchiha Clan was destroyed once again? " Kushina asked in surprise. Minato also thought of the fate of the Uchiha Clan with pity. In three worlds, it had been confirmed destroyed twice, and in one world, it had nearly faced destruction.
" So Sasuke killed Izumi? "
" Hmm? Who is Izumi? Uchiha Itachi, the big brother of Mr. Sasuke, massacred his entire clan and then became a rogue ninja. I don't know much after that. "
One Minute of Silence
" Boruto, do not tell this to anyone in the future. Especially to the Uchiha Clan... " Minato patted Boruto's shoulder and said seriously.
" Okay. " Boruto, seeing Minato's serious expression, nodded quickly.
" It's time for Round Two. I will inform Naruto and the others to take care of you. Remember to group up with them. " With that, Minato teleported Boruto to the Colosseum, but this time the number of screens had increased dozens of times.
" Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you all to the anticipated second round. Yesterday, we tested the basics of a ninja, and today we will test overall strength, tactics, intelligence, and the most required capabilities of a successful ninja.
However, today's round won't be held in Mizumori. It will be held in another dimension, though you all don't have to worry, as you can watch your favorite candidates on the screens.
Now, I invite Itachi-sama to conduct the further process. "
SWISH
The next moment, with the cheers of the audience, Itachi appeared in the center of the Colosseum.
Ryōiki Tenkai: Hakua Kyūden
Domain Expansion: White Palace
After smiling at Izumi, Itachi formed the hand seals. The next moment, behind him, a huge purple eclipse appeared as if tearing space apart.
" This is the way to another dimension. All the participants who have successfully passed the first round, enter. " After saying this, Itachi stepped into the gate.
---
Other Dimension
World Creation Magic: City of End
Itachi, seeing everyone arrive, closed his eyes and spoke quietly, although everyone heard him. The next moment, with him as the center, huge buildings rose from the ground, stretching for more than ten kilometers from one side to another.
" Is this his strength? " Tobirama, seeing this on the screen, said while clenching his fists. Hashirama, on the other hand, was thinking of something else.
' Why isn't Madara revived? Does Itachi have any grudge against him? '
He had thought he would see Madara after arriving at Mizumori and apologize for the backstab in their last fight. But it had been more than twenty-four hours, and even if Madara was upset, he couldn't ignore him for this long...so it meant he hadn't been revived.
As for the strength displayed by Itachi, Hashirama didn't care. It wasn't that Hashirama was stronger than Itachi, but rather that knowing the difference was useless.
During the past year, he had read many of those things called fiction and novels written by Itachi. Although each novel depicted a different world with wonderful world-building, the one thing he didn't like was the wars and violence within them.
The protagonists of those novels would massacre the seven generations of their enemies or destroy entire countries at every turn. Later on, even the planets they lived on weren't spared.
After reading them, Tobirama concluded that this was Itachi's inner self. Hashirama couldn't blame Tobirama for being racist, as Itachi had indeed killed hundreds of thousands of people.
He had thought many times of taking revenge for Konoha, and to him, it didn't matter if he died, but remembering the thousands of methods of torture in those books made Hashirama remember the Senju Clan.
Maybe his revival, along with the Senju Clan's revival, was merely a game to Itachi. When he revolted, the game would end and everyone would die. Or maybe, to see his agony like the villains in his books, Itachi would kill everyone in front of him one by one, then revive them, kill them, reviv—
" Tobirama, do you think Mito would be angry after we left? "
" A hundred percent. You left her to meet Madara...maybe by now she has already left to catch you. "
" Say good things... " Hashirama, hearing this, felt a chill.
---
Other Dimension
" Ahem, everyone. Your second and third rounds will take place in the City of End. The second round will last for twenty-four hours, and the third round will begin immediately after its conclusion.
The theme of the second round is survival.
Throughout this city, numerous kinds of monsters have been scattered. Defeating a monster will reward you with one point. However, be warned—the greater the number of monsters killed, the stronger the remaining monsters will become.
Your objective is simple: survive for twenty-four hours.
There is, however, one additional rule. Every participant will lose one point every hour. If your total points are reduced to zero, you will be immediately eliminated from the competition.
Participants may also earn points by eliminating other contestants. Eliminating a fellow participant will grant you five points.
Do not hold back. Before any fatal injury or serious harm can occur, I will personally intervene and ensure your safety. Therefore, you are free to use every tactic and every ability at your disposal.
All participants who successfully qualify for the third round will receive a reward of either one B-rank Jutsu or a one-month internship in Mizumori.
With that said, I wish every participant the very best of luck.
Now then... let the second round begin!
Disperse. "
With Itachi's words, all the participants were teleported to different parts of the city.