Chapter 135: Anyone Who Falls for the Jutsu Is a Good Person
"Why?"
Sasuke frowned deeply.
He couldn't understand Shiromo's reasoning.
Wasn't Kaguya also an Ōtsutsuki?
She was the enemy he and Naruto had sealed together, someone who had tried to destroy the entire ninja world.
"When you fought Kaguya, didn't you obtain any information about her?"
"…I think we did."
Only after Shiromo said this did Sasuke begin to recall it.
Back when the two of them were trapped, Black Zetsu had rambled on about quite a few things.
At the time, Sasuke had only half-listened. Most of his attention was focused on figuring out how to break free and planning their next battle tactics.
"I remember Naruto saying that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was different from the enemies he'd faced before. It was like she had no heart. If even Naruto said that, then she probably…"
Sasuke rubbed his chin, speaking as he searched his memories.
"What does 'no heart' even mean? That she couldn't be Talk-no-Jutsu'd? Or was it just Naruto realizing that Kaguya simply didn't interact with him?"
Shiromo countered.
"…I don't know."
Sasuke looked awkward.
Back then, his experience with interpersonal relationships was practically zero.
He was still in the stage of ''you want me to play dating games with her?''
To be honest, it didn't get much better later on.
Thinking of how Sarada had looked at him with disdain on Parent–Child Day when he relied on Kakashi's 'Icha Icha Paradise', Sasuke felt even more awkward.
"Don't know, huh? Then let me ask you something. You met the Sage of Six Paths, when you first spoke with him, could you understand his language?"
"…No."
That part was unforgettable to Sasuke.
After all, it was a crucial step in how he obtained the Rinnegan.
"Because of the passage of time, the Sage of Six Paths spoke differently from the modern ninja world. Only after he adjusted his speech could you understand him."
"So what about Kaguya?"
"After the Sage of Six Paths died, his soul wandered the ninja world, which is why he could communicate with you in a modern manner."
"Kaguya, on the other hand, had been sealed for over a thousand years. Leaving aside her mental confusion after being unsealed, it's perfectly normal that she couldn't communicate properly in such a short time."
Shiromo laid out his reasoning.
In certain aspects of intelligence, Sasuke might have been slightly stronger than Naruto, but culturally speaking, they were about the same.
During the Chūnin Exams, when Naruto knew absolutely nothing, Sasuke had looked at the test paper and proudly declared, "As expected, I don't know a single question either."
The main point where Sasuke surpassed Naruto was that he at least knew what phrases like "Motley Crew" meant.
"And besides, Kaguya was affected by the 'Sexy Jutsu,' wasn't she?"
"You even know about that?! Though it wasn't 'Sexy Jutsu', it was the 'Reverse Harem Jutsu.'"
Sasuke was shocked that Shiromo knew Naruto and his past with such detail.
But after Shiromo reminded him of this, he began to understand what Shiromo was getting at.
"That's right. If Kaguya could fall for such a ridiculous jutsu, then she absolutely wasn't the kind of 'heartless' existence Naruto described. Naruto and I both overlooked that."
Shiromo didn't comment on Sasuke's conclusion.
In truth, it wasn't that the two of them had overlooked it, it was that Kaguya was the final boss. You couldn't very well have the final boss be Talk-no-Jutsu'd too.
If every boss before her had been defeated by Talk-no-Jutsu, and even the final boss fell to it, that would've been pure satire. Naruto would truly become the Ninja of Talk-no-Jutsu.
Even though Kaguya was, in fact, the boss most suited to being Talk-no-Jutsu'd.
From the very beginning, Kaguya's falling out with the Sage of Six Paths stemmed from unequal information, essentially a misunderstanding.
"Exactly. That's what I mean. And there's another fascinating phenomenon: people who fall for the 'Sexy Jutsu' family of techniques are basically all good people in the ninja world."
Shiromo said.
"I agree with that."
Jiraiya, who had been listening in, crossed his arms and nodded solemnly.
"I agree as well."
Watching the scene remotely, Hiruzen Sarutobi also gave his serious endorsement.
"'Reverse Harem Jutsu'? That damned Uzumaki brat, using my Multiple Shadow Clones to develop that kind of trash jutsu?!"
As a ninjutsu master, Tobirama guessed the exact effect of the technique just from its name and description, and immediately flew into a rage.
"What do you mean? Are you saying I'm a bad person?"
Hashirama frowned deeply.
"Big brother, look over here."
Tobirama created a shadow clone, which then used the Transformation Jutsu.
With a 'poof' of smoke, the vague silhouette of Uchiha Madara appeared.
"Ohhh!! That's impressive!"
Hashirama's eyes lit up with excitement.
"…I knew it."
Tobirama expressionlessly dispelled the jutsu.
Hashirama let out a regretful sigh.
"This world really is beyond saving."
Uchiha Hikari shot Senju Hashirama a contemptuous glance.
Some "God of Shinobi", more like the God of Selling Himself.
At the same time, Hikari thought about what she'd just seen Sasuke mention in the scene earlier: that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had fallen not for "Sexy Jutsu," but for the 'Reverse Harem Jutsu'.
What did that imply?
It meant that Ōtsutsuki Kaguya was a pure, kind-hearted heterosexual.
Not some twisted bond-lover like Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara!
Shiromo had promised her that he would overthrow the warped, homoerotic ninja world created by the Senju and Uchiha, and create a new ninja world for heterosexuals.
So Shiromo wanting to revive Kaguya was perfectly reasonable.
"To revive Kaguya, you need to gather the nine tailed beasts. But in my investigations over the past few days, it seems the Akatsuki has already abandoned the tailed beasts as their target, hasn't it?"
What Sasuke cared about now wasn't whether Shiromo would revive Kaguya.
Even if Shiromo revived her and then, while she was still groggy, went up and started groping her to become the Sage of Six Paths' wild father, that was none of Sasuke's concern.
The only thing he cared about was Naruto.
And specifically, Naruto of this world.
Sasuke was willing to abandon the original future world because he had realized that in this world, his brother, Naruto, himself, and the entire world could all become better.
Note carefully: the order of "brother, Naruto, self, world" could not be changed.
Just like how Neji died to act as Cupid and connect Naruto and Hinata, and Itachi died to act as Cupid and connect Naruto and Sasuke.
These older brothers really were assigned their roles down to the finest detail.
So at this moment, what Sasuke cared about most was the Nine-Tails.
Without Kurama, Naruto would die, without question.
But reviving Kaguya required the Nine-Tails.
"Uh, actually… reviving Kaguya doesn't necessarily require the tailed beasts. There are other methods…"
Shiromo explained the method of having the Ten-Tails devour an Ōtsutsuki.
"So what you're saying is…"
Now Sasuke understood.
"That's right. Momoshiki's Kāma has already been extracted by my [White Snake], but earlier, to save Boruto, Momoshiki unsealed most of the Kāma's power to repair Boruto's body."
"So as far as the God Tree Ten-Tails is concerned, Boruto is now an Ōtsutsuki."
After Shiromo finished speaking, Sasuke glanced at Naruto in the distance, then at Boruto lying on the ground.
For Naruto's sake, Boruto would have to be sacrificed.
As long as Naruto was alive, there would be as many Borutos in the future as they wanted.
And besides, as time passed, even if they all remained alive, they would eventually disappear due to temporal paradoxes.
This was something Boruto himself had mentioned to them.
(End of this chapter)