CHAPTER 678: KAWAKI, STARVED FOR AFFECTION

After receiving the news, Sasuke and Shikamaru hurriedly returned to Naruto’s house.

Sure enough, Kawaki and the others were back. Naruto’s residence was now in chaos.

A giant baby Juubi had appeared in the courtyard, demolishing half the house, and was currently sleeping. Beside it, four barrier team ninjas had set up a barrier, temporarily containing the baby Juubi.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the courtyard, two medical ninjas were treating the unconscious Boruto and Sarada.

Boruto’s injuries weren’t severe. But Sarada’s were clearly worse, with over ten large and small wounds on her body, even broken ribs and an arm, showing how intense the battle had been.

Mitsuki, with his soft-body modification, was barely injured and was helping bandage Sarada’s wounds. As for Kawaki, he sat listlessly on the ground alone, seemingly upset for failing to save Naruto.

*WHOOSH!*

Sasuke flashed to his daughter’s side, immediately checking her condition. After confirming Sarada wasn’t in mortal danger, he finally relaxed a bit. Then, fury erupted in his heart, his eyes brimming with killing intent!

How dare they injure his beloved daughter like this! If this were over ten years ago, Sasuke might have unleashed a barrage of Indra’s Arrows.

"What happened? Mitsuki, what exactly did you all encounter?" Sasuke urgently asked Mitsuki.

He wasn’t close to Kawaki, so it was safer to ask a family member. Besides, it seemed Boruto and the others hadn’t encountered Jigen; otherwise, they wouldn’t have returned alive, let alone brought back the baby Juubi.

Mitsuki took a deep breath and began explaining the group’s experience.

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After entering Isshiki’s dimension, the four began searching for Naruto’s traces. But soon, Kawaki’s artificial right arm completely lost contact with Naruto’s chakra. That chakra was deliberately left by Naruto in Kawaki’s arm—unless Naruto was dead or fully sealed, it should never completely disconnect. Earlier, Kawaki had relied on that chakra connection to track Isshiki’s dimension and open the portal. Now, the complete loss of contact almost meant Naruto’s death!

Thinking of this, Kawaki went mad, nearly losing his mind. Fortunately, Boruto and the others calmed him down, and they continued searching. In Boruto’s eyes, his invincible father couldn’t possibly lose, let alone die...

Unfortunately, after several searches, they found no trace of Naruto. Instead, they stumbled upon the palace stronghold in Isshiki’s dimension—the same one Sasuke had previously infiltrated, where he discovered the captive Juubi and recorded information about six Otsutsuki.

Boruto and the others didn’t recognize the Juubi. They only felt this monster was immensely powerful and terrifying, with a Rinnegan like Sasuke’s, clearly no ordinary creature. But focused on saving Naruto, they ignored the Juubi and quickly searched the entire palace inside and out. Still, they found no sign of Naruto.

Seeing their trip yield nothing, the "Idea King" Boruto slapped his head and made a decision: to capture the baby Juubi. He couldn’t return empty-handed!

This monster, kept deep in the enemy’s stronghold, was clearly highly valuable and could potentially be used as a bargaining chip to trade for his father in the future.

The four discussed and agreed Boruto’s idea was feasible. Especially Kawaki—for Naruto’s sake, he was willing to do anything now! So, they released the baby Juubi and fought it.

But even a baby Juubi wasn’t ordinary. Without its Rinnegan powers, it was still comparable to a regular Bijuu in size and strength. The four fought fiercely but couldn’t defeat it.

Even defeating Boro had been tough for them, and the baby Juubi far surpassed Boro in strength and regeneration, pushing them into a desperate situation.

In danger, Sarada, to save Boruto, took a heavy tail strike from the baby Juubi, sustaining severe injuries and collapsing, nearly dying on the spot. Seeing this, an enraged Boruto snapped, losing control, allowing Momoshiki to temporarily take over his body. Activating Stage Two Kama, he unleashed terrifying power, overpowering the Juubi and even knocking it out!

Unfortunately, since his Kama’s progression wasn’t complete, Momoshiki couldn’t dominate Boruto’s body for long. After subduing the baby Juubi, he exited Kama mode, and his soul went back to sleep. At the same time, Boruto collapsed from exhaustion.

Kawaki stared at this absurd scene in a daze, completely unaware of what had happened with Boruto’s final transformation, though it felt eerily similar to his own Kama... But at Mitsuki’s urging, they didn’t dare linger.

So, Kawaki activated his Kama, reopened the space-time portal, and brought the unconscious Boruto and Sarada, along with the baby Juubi as a trophy, back to Konoha.

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After hearing Mitsuki’s report, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others couldn’t help but be astonished.

Indeed, youthful spirit was extraordinary!

Just like the young Sasuke, the word "fear" didn’t exist in his life’s dictionary. Especially Boruto, with his penchant for antics and endless ideas, there was nothing they wouldn’t dare do as long as they thought of it.

Luckily, though the process was insane, they didn’t encounter Jigen. Thankfully, all four returned alive, even bringing back the baby Juubi.

Though they couldn’t find Naruto, this was already a huge achievement!

Of course, Sasuke only hoped Boruto and Sarada were okay. After all, dangers like this shouldn’t be borne by these kids.

Moreover, what concerned Sasuke and the others most was Boruto’s final transformation.

"You said Boruto’s chakra aura completely changed, with a Kama mark on his body and something like horns growing on his head?"

Mitsuki: "Yes. Boruto in that state was terrifying, subduing the monster almost instantly. He felt completely foreign."

Sasuke speculated: "Otsutsuki Momoshiki? His consciousness is hidden in the Kama and took the chance to control Boruto?"

"Something like that, but I’m not certain."

"Alright, I understand. We’ll handle this carefully. Mitsuki, you rest too."

"Okay!"

Mitsuki nodded. He wasn’t a brainless chuunibyo teen. He knew well that when facing problems he couldn’t handle, he should seek help and advice from adults—a truth Aunt Orochi often taught him.

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Next, Sasuke created two shadow clones to personally escort the unconscious Boruto and Sarada to the hospital. His real body, along with Shikamaru, approached the dazed Kawaki.

Kawaki’s condition was also poor—not physically, but mentally. This "base-stealing" trip, though it succeeded in bringing back the baby Juubi, failed to save Naruto, dealing a heavy blow to Kawaki.

It felt like his deeply loved "lover," after being kidnapped to a demon’s lair, had vanished completely. His fate was unimaginably grim.

Though the metaphor was odd, for Kawaki, Naruto was now his most important family!

It couldn’t be denied—this wasn’t his fault. Kawaki had a tragic background, abused by his alcoholic father as a child, sold to Jigen, then tortured and trained brutally by Jigen...

In his entire life, he’d never felt a shred of genuine affection from others. Now, suddenly meeting Naruto and experiencing sincere fatherly care, how could he not become obsessed?

Consider this: even online, some people, just from a bit of attention and concern, can lose their minds, transfer money recklessly, or even sacrifice their lives.

Never underestimate humans’ intense need for affection!

Especially for Kawaki, who had just experienced the profound care of the "male succubus" Hokage Naruto. No wonder he was completely won over!

Look at Gaara, the esteemed Kazekage—barely a teen, wasn’t he easily won over by Naruto too?

So, Naruto’s wholehearted affection for Kawaki made Kawaki willing to fight with all his might to save him, especially since Naruto was captured by Jigen because of him. Now, after searching Isshiki’s entire dimension without finding a trace of Naruto, and with his right hand no longer sensing Naruto’s chakra, it was enough to prove:

Either Naruto had been killed by Jigen! Or he was completely sealed somewhere!

Either way, it was a devastating blow to Kawaki! If it was the latter, there might be a sliver of hope; if the former, Kawaki might collapse on the spot.

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"Kawaki! Be honest—what’s the real goal of your Kara organization?"

Shikamaru had always had issues with Kawaki, not out of deliberate hostility, but a rational judgment for the village’s safety.

In the real world, imagine a core member of a global terrorist organization suddenly showing up at your house seeking protection, then bringing enemies into your heartland and kidnapping your leader in public. Such behavior is practically a declaration of war. Shikamaru’s vigilance and caution were the most normal reactions.

Naruto’s boundless trust and affection, on the other hand, were an anomaly among anomalies. But it was precisely because he was different from ordinary people that Kawaki cherished Naruto so much.

Facing the question, Kawaki sat silently on the ground, ignoring Shikamaru. His focus was solely on how to find and save Naruto, even if it meant trading himself...

"Hey! Speak!"

Shikamaru was very displeased with Kawaki’s attitude. But Sasuke raised a hand to stop him: "Naruto trusts him completely, so we trust Naruto. Let me handle the questions."

Shikamaru was helpless—could he argue with Sasuke?

"Kawaki, you want to save Naruto, right?" Sasuke stepped forward, approaching Kawaki and asking.

At the mention of Naruto’s name, Kawaki’s gaze sharpened slightly, then he answered with a pained expression:

"Yes!"

"It’s all my fault—I got the Seventh Hokage in trouble!"

"I shouldn’t have stayed in Konoha, causing Jigen to come..."

"And we didn’t find the Seventh Hokage; maybe, maybe he’s already dead!" Kawaki clutched his head, trembling, muttering in pain and regret.

He was only 14, and most of his life had been spent being tortured and tested by Jigen. He couldn’t be as calm and mature as Sasuke and the others. Facing a nightmare-level crisis he couldn’t solve, he was bound to lose some mental control.