B was the one who made the first move. Blue lightning surrounded B's right arm and at the same time, he launched himself at Suigetsu with the arm raised to his shoulders' height. He was angled in such a way that his arm would connect with Suigetsu's right shoulder.

Sasuke silently smirked. A Lariat right off the bat, B?

"Lightning Style?!" Karasu shouted. "That's Dad's weakness… he's toast!"

"Keep watching." Konohamaru commanded, pointing at the fight.

Karasu gulped with apprehension, but followed his sensei's instructions. He saw Suigetsu sidestep to his right while also drawing the sword at his left hip with his right hand, pivoting counter-clockwise to keep facing B as he passed by, successfully dodging B's attempt at a Lariat. Before B went far enough to expose his back, however, he too pivoted counter-clockwise, lowering his right arm while raising his prosthetic left, and swung at Suigetsu again with an electrified Lariat. Suigetsu avoided it once again, this time by sidestepping to his left and pivoting clockwise while drawing the sword at his right hip with his left hand. Suigetsu tried to counter-attack by swinging his right sword horizontally, but B managed to avoid it by spinning clockwise himself, then promptly making several backflips to his starting position. B was back where he started, while Suigetsu now wielded two blades, each one, Karasu observed, surrounded by a ring of blue lightning.

"He… he dodged them!" said Karasu.

"And what are those swords he's using?!" Boruto asked.

"Sword, you mean." Tenten remarked. "That's the Kiba, one of the Seven Swords of the Mist! The two blades are part of a whole, meant to work together, and they have control over electricity!"

"Electricity… then…!" Karasu gasped with awe.

At that moment, Karin gave Karasu a confident smile:

"Yep… Daddy overcame his weakness!"

"If you were paying careful attention, you'd notice that Suigetsu didn't just dodge B's Lariats." Sasuke added. "He also swung the Kiba close enough to draw B's lighting away each time. You'd think that B would have the inherent advantage in this match-up, specializing in Lightning Style while Suigetsu's weak to it, but Suigetsu found a way to turn that completely on its head."

"So Lord B cannot use Lightning Style without making Big Brother Suigetsu stronger now… I see." Mitsuki nodded with a wry smile.

Meanwhile, B stroked his beard, staring down Suigetsu and the Kiba. "This is a real pickle… Hate to be so fickle, but Imma still make you tickle!"

He then suddenly drew two short swords with red hilts from his waist, charged both with lightning, and threw them at Suigetsu one shortly after the other. Suigetsu reacted by striking them with the Kiba one at a time. The Kiba deflected B's short swords in opposite directions, the first one to the left near the Waterfall of Truth, and the second to the right. The Kiba attracted even more lightning, now with two rings on each blade. Suigetsu smirked when the exchange concluded and began charging for B.

Suigetsu went for stabs to both shoulders, but moments before Suigetsu could connect, B vanished in a puff of white smoke. In the next second, he heard the sound of metal falling to the ground right in front of him.

So he used the Substitution Jutsu with one of his own weapons… And they were in opposite directions… what do I do here?

As Suigetsu was thinking about his course of action, he suddenly heard a voice:

"With a brilliant mind, I'll get you from behind!"

The voice belonged to Killer B, and it seemed to come from Suigetsu's left. Suigetsu instinctively turned to his left and headed for the waterfall, but before he could take more than one step he felt a tingle down his spine and saw a shadow looming over him from behind.

Mitsuki shrugged. "Well, that turned around quickly. Lord B substituted with the sword to the right, threw his voice to make it appear as though he went to the left, and then used the Body Flicker to get behind Big Brother Suigetsu… The battle is pretty much over. All Lord B needs to do is touch Kubikiribocho and he's won. What a shame."

In stark contrast to Mitsuki's declaration, however, Sasuke and Karin grinned. The reason would become apparent to Mitsuki in the next moment, for when B attempted to grab Kubikiribocho off Suigetsu's back, the latter's entire body turned into a puddle - save the hands holding the Kiba - causing Kubikiribocho to dip below B's reach. B Looked down, pondering the situation briefly before another pair of hands emerged from the puddle to grab Kubikiribocho's hilt and the Kiba pierced the short sword near the puddle, destroying it beyond use. In the corner of B's eye he saw the other Kiba try to swing at his legs, which B managed to barely avoid by jumping backward.

In the time it took for B to land, Suigetsu solidified, but now with a second pair of arms protruding in front of his shoulders, wielding Kubikiribocho alongside the Kiba.

"Enough warm ups, old man!" Suigetsu taunted as without taking his eyes off B, he shot the two rings of lightning on the right Kiba into the Waterfall of Truth, and right into B's other sword, destroying that one as well.

"Since when could Dad grow extra limbs?" Karasu asked in awe.

"He's been able to do that for quite a while, Karasu." said Karin. "He's always been able to use the water inside his body to manipulate his shape. He used to just buff himself up, but he's gotten more creative with it over the years."

"Why is that, Aunt Karin?" asked Sarada.

"You'll see the reason soon enough." Sasuke assured her, pointing at his own right eye. "If you're watching with the Sharingan, that is."

At her father's suggestion, Sarada activated her Sharingan and watched the two fighters closely.

At that moment, Suigetsu lunged at B with Kubikiribocho held out in front and the Kiba behind him. During the charge, Suigetsu raised Kubikiribocho and went for an overhead slice. B reacted by pulling out Samehada with his right hand and blocking Kubikiribocho right before it could connect. The force of Suigetsu's swing, however, was so great that one hand wasn't enough to block Kubikiribocho entirely, and B was forced to grab Samehada with his left hand as well to keep himself from being disarmed.

"Last time you faced this sword, you could block it with your bare hands!" Suigetsu remarked during the deadlock. "Has old age really set in already?"

"I'm no old fart yet! You're just hella strong. When our eyes met, that was my bet!"

"Good."

Suigetsu suddenly grinned:

"That means these past three years weren't a waste of time!"

While Kubikiribocho and Samehada remained in a stalemate, Suigetsu began rapidly stabbing B in the arms with the Kiba. Sasuke and Sarada could follow the movements thanks to the Sharingan, but the others could only see B's arms getting steadily redder and a blur of steel next to both of them while B struggled to hold onto Samehada.

Sarada gulped in horror at the sight. "Oh god… this is brutal! Why doesn't Uncle Jugo stop the fight?! Losing this much blood is…!"

"Suigetsu hasn't broken any rules." Sasuke pointed out. "They're banned from going at vitals with lethal force. The arms aren't vital organs. I suspect that Suigetsu wrote the rules specifically so that what he's doing now wouldn't be a violation of them."

"But what about Grandpa B?!" Tenchi asked in a panic. "Why doesn't he try to break away?!"

"He can't." Tenten said. "With the injuries he's sustained now, there's no way he can escape the clash with Kubikiribocho without letting go of Samehada and giving Suigetsu the win. The only way for B to win this now is to hold onto Samehada as long as he can and outlast Suigetsu's assault."

"Outlast? But that implies Big Brother Suigetsu will not keep this up for very long." Mitsuki inferred.

"And you'd be right about that." Karin confirmed, confusing Mitsuki. "Both his second pair of arms and using Kiba as lightning rods requires a constant outpouring of chakra. And Samehada eats chakra. As long as Kubikiribocho and Samehada are in contact, the chakra in Suigetsu's second pair of arms will be absorbed by Samehada, and eventually those arms are going to burst and Suigetsu will drop Kubikiribocho. Of course, that's also part of the plan." She concluded with a smile.

"Yeah… Suigetsu acquired Kubikiribocho three years ago when he defeated the Sixth Hokage." Sasuke added. "And since then, he's been training every day…"

"… to use Kubikiribocho and Kiba at the same time!" Suigetsu exclaimed as he kept stabbing B's arms. "My brother could use all the Seven Swords of the Mist before he checked out, but not even he could use two of them at once!"

As the blade lock continued, Suigetsu's second pair of arms became harder and harder to maintain. But the injuries to B's arms were also taking their toll, and B was the first of the two to show signs of fatigue. B was moments away from losing his grip on Samehada, and on instinct Killer B did the one thing he thought to do at a time such as this:

"Rhymes on a dime! Time!"

Suigetsu's stabs came to a screeching halt in response to B's voice. Both of them sheathed their larger swords and gave each other a moment's reprieve, during which time Suigetsu also retracted his second pair of arms.

"Calling time-out on me just to escape from defeat?" Suigetsu chuckled. "Maybe I should have been a bit more precise."

"You got it all wrong! I got another reason for my song. Will you let Gyuki tag along?"

"You want to summon Gyuki? Hmm…"

Suigetsu sheathed the Kiba and stroked his chin. After a few seconds of deliberation, Suigetsu nodded and looked B in the eyes again:

"Back when we first fought, you had Gyuki as your partner. It wouldn't really feel right kicking your ass when you're not at your best, so sure, go ahead. Summon him and I'll take you both down!"

"Whee!"

B promptly raised his bloodied right arm into the sky and made a peace sign. Behind him appeared a gargantuan puff of smoke and out of it emerged Gyuki, the Eight-Tailed Ox. The children were all shocked by Gyuki's sudden appearance, bewildered by the sight of a Tailed Beast up close and in the flesh. One child in particular, however, was more concerned with Suigetsu allowing it:

"Dad… what the hell?! You can't win against something that big!"

Karin gently held her son's shoulders from behind and lowered her head beside his. "Relax, Karasu. Winning this match means a lot to your dad. He wouldn't have accepted Killer B's terms if he didn't have a way of countering them."

"If you say so…"

Karasu bit his lip as he looked on, struggling to imagine any way his father could possibly take down an opponent Gyuki's size.

"What do you want, B?" Gyuki asked. He noticed the surroundings, then Sasuke's Susano'o nearby, then Suigetsu at his feet, and finally B's own arms covered in blood.

"Your arms…"

B pointed to Suigetsu with his left hand. "That boy needs some karma! Blast him with a Bijuudama!"

"Alright… stand back, B. I've got this!"

Gyuki began charging up the aforementioned Bijuudama and pointed his mouth down at Suigetsu. B ran out of sight and away from the blast radius, into the surrounding forest.

Without B to charge it for him, I've got some time. Suigetsu thought as he prepared his counter attack, making some hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Upon shouting, Suigetsu pointed to the sky with his left hand. The water from the Falls of Truth, the pond at the base, and the river at the summit all followed Suigetsu's command, uniting to form a single stream of water with a dragon's head. It ascended until it reached the clouds where it proceeded to chase its own tail.

That's a good spot.

Suigetsu followed up with a finger gun to the sky, a water bullet leaving his left hand at speeds that not even Sasuke could track properly. In the next few seconds the sky began to grow dark, and everyone could hear the sound of thunder. The audience saw several birds fly away in a panic upon the advent of the thunderstorm.

Boruto gasped. "Lightning?! During the fight?! What are the odds of that?! And what about Uncle Jugo?! He might get struck!"

"He won't." Sasuke said with a confident grin. Then he made Susano'o brace itself for what was coming:

Becoming a copycat like Kakashi, huh?

As Suigetsu stared up into Gyuki's mouth, the Bijuudama was nearing completion. With the anticipation building, Suigetsu drew Kiba once more and tapped the blades together over his head. Faster than anyone could blink all the lightning above shot down at the Kiba at once, united, and extended straight up into a single blade of white lightning half as long as Gyuki was tall. Suigetsu gently brought Kiba down and to his left side, the blade of lightning positioned as if it were sheathed and he was about to draw.

"Now!" Suigetsu and Gyuki roared in unison. Gyuki fired the Bijuudama straight down at Suigetsu and Suigetsu swung the blade of lightning upward. Before the Bijuudama could hit Suigetsu, the blade of lightning made contact and split the Bijuudama in two, one half spiralling toward Susano'o and the other bouncing back at Gyuki's shoulder.

Seeing the blast coming, Sasuke slashed at the Bijjudama fragment with the Totsuka Blade, safely keeping it from harming anyone inside by absorbing it. Meanwhile, Gyuki took the brunt of his own Bijuudama, and simultaneously, Jugo momentarily lost control of his flight but nonetheless managed to keep himself afloat.

Even I felt that one! Jugo thought as he saw Gyuki vanish in a puff of white smoke.

Karasu was left paralyzed with awe. "Dad, he… cut a Bijuudama in half… He's so strong…"

"He has me to thank for that." Sasuke remarked. "Copying Kirin the way he did, just using super-heated Water rather than Fire to create that thunderstorm…"

"Hey, that's not all, Sasuke!" Karin objected. "The way he used the Kiba to target himself with lightning and use it like a sword reminded me an awful lot of Darui's Lightning Rod Sabre!"

"No matter the case, your dad's got to be really strong to go mano-a-mano with a Tailed Beast and come out on top! You were all wrong about him!" Boruto said to Karasu.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…" Mitsuki interjected, "… This battle isn't over yet. Lord B is nowhere to be seen, and look at Big Brother now."

The blade of white lightning dissipated as the sky returned to its usual blue. Suigetsu sheathed Kiba once more and looked around himself for any signs of Killer B. Unfortunately, after taking one step, all of his muscles went numb and he started gasping for breath.

Repelling a Bijuudama really took its toll…

He gritted his teeth, and with all his effort lifted his right hand in the direction of some footsteps he heard.

I barely have the strength to stand… I've only got one shot to make this work…

At that moment, out came Killer B for everyone to see. All the wounds Suigetsu gave him previously were covered up, and most of the blood was gone.

"No… Killer B used the Bijuudama as an opportunity to patch himself up while Dad wasted his energy on Gyuki!" Karasu protested. "That's… not fair!"

Killer B began walking closer to Suigetsu, carefully assessing his condition as the leftovers of Suigetsu's technique poured down as steaming rain. Suigetsu was covered in scorch marks, but his stance made it clear that he wasn't about to give up, and indeed, Suigetsu shot a bullet of water at B the moment he was clearly in view.

The shot missed. Furthermore, the moment the bullet of water left Suigetsu's finger, he collapsed face-first into the dirt below.

B smirked. His aim must be off; he's too weak to even cough. But that's not my business… cause I'm gonna win this!

Jugo started to panic. He flew over to Susano'o while still keeping an eye on the battle, putting his back to the audience when he approached them. "I can't sense Suigetsu's chakra anymore! Do I stop the match, Sasuke? Karin?" he asked.

Karin calmly shook her head. "No."

"I concur." Sasuke added. "The battle's about to end anyway."

"But Dad is…! Dad's chakra is gone! He's going to die right this second if he doesn't get help!"

In that instant, Karasu's hair began glowing and several chains erupted from his abdomen, smacking his mother's hands away:

"We need to save Dad right now! Screw the match!"

With the rest of the audience bewildered and confused, Karasu shot himself out of Susano'o and tried to reach his father. Before he could get far, however, he felt himself being restrained and pulled back inside. Karasu tried fighting it, but no matter how hard he resisted, the binds around him wouldn't budge. Soon enough, he was right back in his mother's arms, and her warm embrace dissuaded Karasu from any more outbursts.

"We're not stopping the match. Because…"

Karin looking down into her son's eyes with a bright smile:

"… Your father's about to win."

Everyone was rendered quiet at Sasuke's and Karin's declaration. The silence was only broken by the fight that ensued, and as if on cue, they heard a blood-curdling scream:

"YAOWCH!"

B writhed in anguish as he fell to the ground face-first, unable to move even a muscle. He could see Suigetsu's body next to his, however, and it turned into a puddle once more. It travelled around B, connected with the shot that Suigetsu missed, and returned a solid, standing, unharmed Suigetsu Hozuki. He walked up to B's barely conscious body and kneeled down, placing his right hand on Samehada's hilt.

"You like that chakra I fed you, don't you, Samehada?" Suigetsu asked cheekily as he picked the sentient sword up from off Killer B's back. He then raised the sword in the air in triumph as the last of the rain fell and a rainbow took its place in the sky.

"What do you know? … Suigetsu really did win." Jugo said as he began his descent. "I still don't understand how, though…"

"We'll explain what happened later." Karin declared as she left Susano'o and launched herself to the battlefield with her Adamantine Sealing Chains. "Right now I have to heal Killer B up… and congratulate my husband!"

When Karin arrived at the site of the battle ahead of Jugo and the others, she found that B's arms' wounds opened back up. Moreover, when she flipped B's body face-up to have B bite her, she noticed that his entire torso and legs were covered in burn marks in the front.

"Looks like you didn't learn much from your encounter with Jashin, eh?" Karin remarked as she rolled up her right sleeve and brought her arm down to B's mouth.

"What'cha talking about, concerning that bout?" B asked. Then he bit her arm.

"You still have the same weakness now as you did then. You get cocky when it looks like you've won, and that leads to fatal mistakes. Fifteen years ago, you summoned Gyuki to the battle with Jashin instead of heeding Sasuke's warnings, and it got him killed and cost you an arm. And today, Suigetsu took advantage of that weakness to defeat you, making you think he missed you."

"I don't follow." B replied as soon as Karin finished healing him. "The boy's spirit was hollow."

Karin shook her head. "Right now you need rest. We'll explain it to you when you wake up."

"Very well, Lady in red… I will escort myself to bed…"

And with that, B fell sound asleep. Satisfied with B's condition, Karin stood up and approached Suigetsu, who had placed Samehada at his back where Kubikiribocho once was. When Karin reach her husband, she started to stomp her feet indignantly and yell:

"Damn it, Suigetsu! You made our son panic! You know his sensing isn't good enough to detect you when you're like that yet!"

"It was the only thing I could do to win in that scenario!"

"Yeah, right!" Karin crossed her arms and looked away. "You had everything planned out the moment you sprouted those extra arms!"

"That's not entirely true! I wasn't planning on the Kaiser Fang having so much recoil! I just set up a back-up plan in case it didn't work out! And what happened to not getting angry today, huh?! You should be giving me a victory fuck, not bitching me out for scaring the kids!"

"You know what…"

Karin looked back at Susano'o briefly, in the middle of deforming, and then faced Suigetsu once more, this time with a smile:

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Now we're getting some-"

Suigetsu's attempt at speaking was suddenly interrupted by Karin's lips locking with his and her hands tightly caressing his cheeks.

I stand corrected; NOW we're getting somewhere!

Suigetsu closed his eyes, reciprocated Karin's kiss, and held her body closer to his with one hand at the small of her back and the other at the back of her head.

Karin and Suigetsu held this position for several seconds, until at last Karin sensed Karasu and the rest approaching. She then broke away from the kiss, let go of Suigetsu's face, and relaxed her wrists on Suigetsu's shoulders. Karasu arrived just in time for Karin to break his parents' silence:

"That was the manliest, most brilliant display of ninjutsu I've ever witnessed, you total badass!"

At that moment, Samehada began vibrating in place. Suigetsu was shocked by the reaction, but he was also relieved, for Samehada's vibrations were strangely relaxing.

Karin looked behind Suigetsu and toward the sword at his back. "Even Samehada agrees with me!"

"I still don't get it… How did you win, Dad?!" Karasu asked.

Suigetsu looked past Karin's left shoulder to focus on his son. "It's pretty complicated, so you better pay attention, Karasu. First of all, you remember way back when I shot some lightning from Kiba into the Falls of Truth?" Karasu nodded. "Well, I shot some of my chakra along with it, but it was probably a little too small for you to sense."

"I get it… When you sent the Water Dragon into the sky, your chakra became part of it, and it came down with the rain. But there's still more I don't get."

"My chakra coming down with the rain was really important. First of all, it let me detonate all the hot water that rained on Killer B. It was enough to give him simultaneous first degree burns all over his body, knocking him down for keeps. And since my chakra rained down on my body at the same time, it also let me shrug off the recoil to the Kaiser Fang by liquefying and solidifying again."

"How could you do that at all, though? You had no chakra whatsoever! I thought you were dead!"

"He sort of was, Karasu." Karin interjected, turning her body back to look him in the eyes. "When Daddy made that last shot, he shot his soul out of his body. I knew that he must have still been around because I could sense his chakra in each individual raindrop out there. Since those tiny pieces of chakra were hitting Daddy's body, he could turn his body into water and back without being in it himself!"

"Wow…"

Karasu's eyes widened with wonder, but he quickly turned around, giving Sasuke a puzzled expression. "How did you know Dad shot his soul out of his body, Uncle Sasuke?"

"Because of this."

Sasuke lifted his bangs with his hand to reveal his Rinnegan. "One of the Rinnegan's powers is to see disembodied spirits. When I saw that happening to your father, I knew right away what he was planning. And B confirmed it when he fell for Suigetsu's trap."

Karasu looked back over to his father. "Your trap, Dad?"

"Yeah… the placement of my final shot. I tricked him into thinking I was down for the count and made him lower his guard. If I was too close, then he would have been cautious and chose to stay in the woods and out of sight, and more importantly, away from the rain. And if it was too far away, then B would start thinking I missed on purpose… which, of course, would be right on the mark. It's funny…"

"What's funny, Uncle Suigetsu?" asked Sarada.

"It's funny that B of all people fell for my trick, since he was one of my inspirations for it!"

"Hn." Sasuke let out a faint chuckle.

"Come to think of it, B did trick us a similar way back then!" Karin recalled, adding to the laughter. Upon hearing Karin laugh, Jugo smiled, also fondly remembering the same event.

While Taka was reminiscing, however, Karasu started to cry.

Tenchi quickly came to his side. "Karasu-kun, what's wrong?!"

"It's just… it's just that I'm so weak! You and Mitsuki are younger than I am and you're already Sages… Boruto's grades were way higher than mine… Sarada awakened the Sharingan… Even my own little brother is in a different league than me! And to top it all off I got a front row seat to just how much Mom outclasses me… I was freaking out over Dad's apparent death when Mom knew exactly what was going on and believed in him all the way… I'll never be able to measure up to her… I won't be able to join the Yatagarasu, much less take it over…"

What the hell, Karasu? If anyone feels weak here, it's me… I can't do anything remotely as awesome as what you pulled…

Boruto crossed his arms and looked squarely at Karasu with scorn. Sasuke noticed this and placed his hand on Boruto's shoulder from behind, attracting his attention.

"Uncle Sasuke? What do you want?"

"I know what you're thinking, Boruto. You're not doing yourself any favours letting your jealousy fester. Tell Karasu how you really feel. That's the only thing you can do to save him… and yourself."

"Oh… Okay. I'll try."

Boruto nodded as Sasuke let him go. He walked up to Karasu, nervous, but asserted himself and went to punch Karasu in the face. Karasu saw it coming despite his sulking and caught Boruto's fist with his own hand. He began to stare at his teammate with bloodshot eyes:

"Why'd you try to punch me, Boruto?!"

Boruto looked down at Karasu's hand covering his fist, smirking all the while. "You just proved it for me. You're not weak. Remember those chains you used?!"

Karasu raised an eyebrow as his tears started drying. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything. My body just moved on its own when it looked like Dad was dead."

"But it's true, Karasu-kun!" Tenchi interjected. "Your hair started glowing and you used chains to break away from Lady Karin…"

"Once Papa teaches me how to share memories with the Sharingan I could show you if you don't believe it." Sarada added.

"I fail to understand how an inbred mule like yourself could have done it, but for a brief second your chakra became very intense… stronger than any twelve-year-old has any right to be, even." Mitsuki concluded as his Sage Mode expired.

"Really, guys? You all think I'm strong?"

All four of them smiled and nodded.

Karasu looked at his teammates, Tenchi, and Mitsuki with his eyes on the verge of tears once again, but this time for an entirely different reason. At that moment, Karin proceeded to walk past the children, kneel in front of her son, and hug him:

"In a way, you've surpassed me already, Karasu."

"How can that be? I'm still nothing compared to you…"

"But I didn't use my chains for the first time until I was eighteen."

Karasu was speechless at Karin's remark, and his cheeks flushed as Karin's embrace tightened.

"You're stronger than I was at your age, that's for sure. If you keep improving at the rate you're going, you're bound to get stronger than me one day. I guarantee it."

"I've still got a long way to go…" Karasu said as he returned his mother's hug. "I can't sense with the same kind of detail you can, and I still have no idea how my chains work…"

"I'll teach you everything I can. That's part of my job as your mother, after all!"

"Yeah… Thanks Mom! I love you!"

"I love you too!"

Satisfied with Karasu's spirit restored, Karin let go of her son and directed her focus to Mitsuki. "As for you, Mitsuki… you said you didn't understand how my son could get so strong?"

"Yes, I did."

"Let me help you. It was Karasu's love for his dad that made those chains come out. That 'conscience' that you look down upon is the reason that Karasu's become as strong as he is."

"How strange…"

Mitsuki stroked his chin as he stared at Karasu in confusion. "I had been under the impression that power attracted followers and generated bonds. I mean, why else would the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf have the highest authority? … I had never considered the reverse, that one's bonds could generate power. I will have to rethink my entire outlook on the world given this new discovery…"

Just then, the children, Sasuke, and Karin heard a scream nearby, and everyone's attention was diverted there:

"YES!"

The scream belonged to Tenten, who was standing before Kubikiribocho and Kiba, which Suigetsu left behind when he reformed during the final stage of the battle. "Two Swords of the Mist right in front of me! Can I PLEASE take one with me, Suigetsu?!"

"I don't exactly have the room for Samehada and Kubikiribocho at once… Okay, I'll let you become a member of the Neo Swordsmen of the Mist and be Kubikiribocho's new wielder on one condition… You give me those notes about the Shark Senjutsu School you promised!"

"You… you mean it?!"

"Sure."

Suigetsu put his hand out, expecting something be placed in it. After a second of inaction, Suigetsu began tapping his feet in impatience:

"So where's that scroll, Tenten? If you don't fork up your notes, you don't get my sword."

"Actually, we don't have the notes on us right now, Suigetsu." Jugo interjected. "They're inside Killer B's vacation home. We stayed there with him overnight."

Suigetsu's eye twitched. "Is that so?"

Everyone looked down at the unconscious Killer B, dumbfounded.

"Guess we have to wake him up and have him invite us in…" Konohamaru remarked.

[X-X-X]

So Team Konohamaru, the reunited Taka, Tenten, Tenchi, and Mitsuki woke Killer B, who showed them in to his quarters, where Tenten gave Suigetsu her and Jugo's information on the Shark Senjutsu School in exchange for Kubikiribocho. Everyone stuck around to enjoy a meal together, but afterwards Killer B saw the rest of the ensemble off as they departed for the Hidden Leaf Village. While Sasuke flew Boruto, Mitsuki, and Konohamaru on one hawk and Karin flew Sarada, Karasu, and Suigetsu on another, Jugo flew Tenten and Tenchi using his own wings.

They arrived back home the following evening. Once there, the party of eleven split into various directions…

[X-X-X]

At the Third Training Field, two juvenile sages were facing each other with Seals of Confrontation.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Jugo asked them.

"Yeah. It's getting pretty late, you two." Tenten added. That, and once you kids get to bed, I'll be able to practice with Kubikiribocho without any interruptions!

"Yes." Tenchi and Mitsuki said in unison.

"Then you may begin… now!"

Jugo shot a small red smoke signal into the air to signal the beginning of the match.

Kimimaro, are you watching? My daughter made her first friends the other day, and is having her first battle with a rival in front of the Memorial Stone. Your name isn't engraved on there, but you're still a hero to me… how ironic that I fell in love with the teammate of one of your very last opponents. I also left Orochimaru's care and found my own path. You probably see that as a betrayal, but I'm happy all the same. When I finally die, I hope you'll still let me see you in the Pure World…

[X-X-X]

Meanwhile, at the Hozuki residence…

"Welcome home, Dad!"

Kawashi opened the door for Suigetsu to come in. She instantly saw Samehada at his back and made a wide, gleeful smile. "You won! I knew you could do it!"

"How's Sangetsu?" Suigetsu asked, looking past Kawashi and into the house.

"Pretty good, but he went to sleep early… gets it from you. Say… where's Mom and Karasu?"

"Karasu's with his team reporting back to the Hokage, and Mom went with your Uncle Sasuke to relieve the sub of his duties."

At that point, Suigetsu smirked. "That reminds me. You were a bad girl to Sarada and got your Yatagarasu membership suspended the other day."

Kawashi looked down in shame. "Still rubbing salt in the wound about that?"

"No, it's just… I have another job for you."

"Really?! What is it?!"

"This is just between you and me, so pipe down, alright?"

Kawashi silently nodded in response to her father.

"Okay, thing is, a certain woman got a hold of a certain sword without proving her worth first. I need you to test her. If she fails, then the sword belongs to you, Kawashi."

"I see." Kawashi cracked her knuckles, eager. "What kind of test?"

"Use your imagination, but make it require good aim. That's the target's specialty, as well as yours. Beat her at her own game."

"Absolutely! The infidel will be crushed!"

Kawashi promptly ran off to bed, concocting a zany scheme.

"Now, I've got some notes to read." Suigetsu sighed with relief as he closed the door behind him.

Big Bro… I've done it. I took back the sword Nashiken stole from you. I let Chojuro keep Hiramekarei, but he deserved it. He even went all the way to Mizukage. Huh… Just thought of something. I used to be a notorious criminal, my main rival became a Kage, I married a medic with a nasty temper, and I had you, an older brother I've spent so long trying to avenge in my own way… My life's turned out pretty similar to a certain friend of mine's. Pretty fucking weird, right? Actually, you and his Big Bro both knew Kisame… I wonder if he's introduced you to each other.

[X-X-X]

At the Hokage's office…

"Welcome back. How was the mission?" Naruto asked Team Konohamaru, who stood at attention on the opposite side of his desk.

"There were a few close calls, but our client won in the end." said Konohamaru.

"So Uncle B lost…"

Naruto started slumping in his chair, disappointed, but quickly recovered his posture. "Still, that just means all of Suigetsu's hard work paid off! His determination is something I can respect! Anyway…" he changed his focus from Konohamaru down to the Genin standing just in front of him, "… the mission was to watch Suigetsu and Uncle B fight. What did you three learn from the experience?"

"I used my Adamantine Sealing Chains for the first time!" said Karasu.

"Did you, now?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, and then shifted his gaze squarely on his son with a smirk:

"You know, Boruto, if you don't start taking your training seriously, Karasu's going to get stronger than you in no time."

Boruto smirked back. "I figured that out already, Dad. I'm going to train twice as hard as before! Maybe we could start training together right after this meeting… You could even teach me the Rasengan!"

"That's… uh…"

Naruto flinched at the proposition. He looked at Boruto, then the remaining paperwork on his desk, then to Karasu and Sarada, then back to Boruto. Naruto sighed, nodded, then stood up and made six shadow clones:

"That's a great idea, Boruto! I'll finish my paperwork as fast as I can, and then let's meet up together back home and we can start your first lesson, okay?"

"I'll be waiting, Dad! It's a promise! Don't go back on your word, now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Boruto turned around and ran out of the office.

Konohamaru crossed his arms and looked down in embarrassment. "I could have taught him the Rasengan…"

"Don't sweat it, Konohamaru." Naruto walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Karasu and Sarada got to spend some quality time with their parents during the mission; it's only fair that Boruto gets to spend some time with his old man too! Besides, I'll be too busy to be there every step of the way, so I'm counting on you to teach him when I can't."

Konohamaru made a faint smile. "Understood, Big Bro."

"Excuse me, but there's something I wanted to ask you, Lord Seventh!" Sarada interjected.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, taking his hand off Konohamaru.

"I've started reading Tale of a Gutsy Kunoichi, and I wanted to know why you chose the name of the protagonist the way you did."

"Figures you'd want to know that, huh…" Naruto made an embarrassed chuckle, "It just came about on a whim when I treated Karin to her first bowl of Ichiraku Ramen… Nothing special, really…"

"That's not true."

Sarada looked down at herself, smiling. Naruto replied with a smile of his own:

"Yeah… I guess it isn't."

[X-X-X]

At Yatagarasu Headquarters…

"What happened during our absence, Sai?" Sasuke asked with Karin beside him.

"Not much… it was remarkably quiet. However, we did receive a case just an hour ago. A very serious one, at that."

Sai pulled a scroll out of his pocket and opened it on the desk.

"Let's see it." Sasuke said as he stepped forward and looked at the contents of the scroll. It read:

Dear Yatagarasu:

As of this writing, an attempt has been made on my life. My personal bodyguards - which you've known since that fateful day fifteen years ago - were able to stop and apprehend the assailant, but before we could learn their motives, the assailant was silenced by an unknown third party that managed to escape. If you don't mind we humbly request that you look into this matter and find the mastermind behind the assassination attempt as quickly as possible.

Under normal circumstances I would not burden you with this dilemma, but times are dire in this country. My decision to abolish the current system of government and establish a democracy, rather than sire a new heir, has not been well-received by the country's nobles, and I fear any one of them may wish to kill me before the constitution is finalized and we hold our first election. If that were to happen, the country would be leaderless and enter a bloody civil war to fill the power vacuum. I trust you understand why the case must be solved quickly, and from the outside: ninja from my country's village may be bought out by the guilty party, and the longer the case goes unsolved, the more inevitable war becomes.

Fifteen years ago, we finally lifted the curse that plagued this country. Please assist me in ensuring another one does not befall us.

We need your help,

Frost Daimyo

"This is serious…" Sasuke sombrely said. "It's a good thing we came back when we did."

"What do you have in mind?" Sai asked.

"Sai, you and I will respond to this letter immediately."

Sasuke turned around to face Karin. "As for you, Karin, select your team then go home and get some rest. You're leaving for the Land of Frost at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning."

"And we just got back, too…"

Karin hunched her shoulders and sighed, but quickly straightened out her posture, put her hands on her hips, and smiled. "Still, it'll be nice seeing Byakko's team and Nodan again, and I am the best woman for the job. You can count on me, Sasuke!"

"I always do. Now get going."

"Got it!"

Karin walked out the door, full of energy, her long red hair swaying back and forth as she walked at a brisk pace.

How many people am I going to have to say goodbye to? There's Suigetsu, Kawashi, Karasu, and Sangetsu for starters. Then Naruto and his family, and Jugo and his family… and Sasuke's family too. I can't believe just how huge my family's become. You were right, Dad. There's always room in your heart for a little more love.

Once Karin was out of sight, Sasuke sat down at his desk, took a pen and parchment out of a drawer, and placed them atop the desk to begin writing.

Stopping a civil war before it starts… that's what you and the village tried to do, Itachi. But this time, we're going to do it right. No one's going to be made a sacrifice. The world that you and Nagato dreamed of… we're very close. The world's progressed to the point that your beliefs and our parents' can co-exist peacefully and even symbiotically; the Yatagarasu is proof of that. I doubt that chaos and hatred will ever go away completely, but wherever they may strike, we'll be ready to put a stop to them. I intend to reunite with you, Father, Mother, and the rest of the clan eventually, but there's a lot I still have to live for. I've finally rediscovered what it means to be happy, and I'm going to hold onto it as long as I can.