Chapter 179: The Mad Babies Operating in the Land of Wind
Seated at another table, Boruto lowered his head slightly.
"What would you like to eat, sir?"
Shunhi approached and asked Boruto.
"Pork bone ramen."
Meanwhile—
Naruto squinted his eyes and slurped down ramen in big mouthfuls. Sasuke turned to Hanabi and asked, "Hanabi, how's the situation over there now?"
"It's manageable. All the ninja have been stationed, and there's no movement from the Water Country's side either. But the Kara Organization keeps sending people to cause trouble."
"Kara Organization?"
"Alright, alright, Sasuke. Let's talk about work after we finish eating. Besides, if you don't hurry, your ramen's going to get cold," Naruto said from the side.
After quickly finishing his ramen, Naruto turned to Hyūga Hanabi and said, "I'm heading back to the Hokage office. Hanabi, please deliver the mission report to the office later."
"Okay. Bye, brother-in-law."
Hanabi immediately nodded. This was the first time she'd ever felt nervous while eating with Naruto.
Although carefree Naruto probably didn't notice anything, Sasuke did pick up on Hanabi's odd behavior.
During the meal, Hanabi kept glancing at the man seated nearby with his head down.
Once most of the customers had left the shop, leaving only Boruto and Hanabi, Boruto finally stood up and walked quietly over to Shunhi, murmuring, "Hail Hydra..."
"You're...?" Shunhi paused while cleaning the table, then looked at Boruto in realization. "We agreed on three years, but three more years passed after that. The organization finally sent someone to get me."
Looking delighted, Shunhi was met with a gentle shake of the head from Boruto, who said, "Sorry, Uncle Shunhi. I'm Uzumaki Boruto, and I came from the future. Right now, I need your help."
"Gray Wolf... you mean Orochimaru, huh…" Shunhi muttered thoughtfully and nodded. "It must've been Gray Wolf's own idea. I already told the other members in the group... no, I told the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. that as long as Hydra doesn't participate, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't get involved either."
Boruto had met with Shunhi for the express purpose of connecting with him and gaining insight into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s actions and direction.
"But I never would've guessed, Uncle Shunhi, that you're actually Hydra's undercover agent within S.H.I.E.L.D.—and even managed to become the deputy director."
Hanabi looked at Shunhi and said.
In truth, she didn't know Shunhi well at all. The only link between them was probably her ramen-loving brother-in-law.
Night fell.
Boruto was outside the village of Konoha.
Hanabi had returned to the Hyūga Clan's compound.
Naruto and Sasuke stood at Konoha's gate, seeing Sarada off.
"I've split off part of my ocular power and given it to you. Your vision will gradually recover over time, but don't overuse the Rinnegan in the meantime."
"Got it, Dad," Sarada said, waving back at Naruto and Sasuke. "Seventh Hokage, Dad—I'm off!"
Elsewhere—
At the border village of the Land of Wind—
"...The vibe here is seriously creepy," Boruto muttered, glancing around the village streets.
Quiet. Dead silent.
There was not a single person in sight. No—there wasn't even any sign of life.
"Coward…"
Kawaki glanced at Boruto.
"What'd you say, Kawaki?!"
"Everyone, stay alert," said Uchiha Shuyu suddenly.
"Yeah."
Kawaki nodded in agreement.
Compared to Boruto, Kawaki clearly showed more respect toward Shuyu.
Suddenly, Shuyu stopped mid-step, quickly turned, and threw a shuriken behind him.
"What is it, Shuyu?"
Boruto turned to look as well, but there was only darkness—he couldn't see a thing.
"Are you stupid? Obviously there's an enemy. Can't you tell just from Uchiha Shuyu's reaction?"
Kawaki took a battle stance as he spoke.
"Huh? But I didn't see anything..."
As Boruto looked around, the Nine Tails inside him muttered "idiot" and helped Boruto enter Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
With his enhanced sensory abilities, Boruto could now sense the presence of enemies around him.
There were three in total.
Each stood atop the rooftops in the village: tall bodies, tattered clothing, grotesque faces, bloodthirsty eyes, long claws—and semi-transparent.
"Watch out for their claws!"
Boruto launched the first strike, warning the others when he saw one of them easily pierce his Nine-Tails claw.
"Are those claws... scientific ninja tools?" Shuyu muttered as his three-tomoe Sharingan evolved into a Mangekyō Sharingan. While he could now track the semi-transparent figures, their speed and agility still made them difficult to hit.
Boruto's Nine-Tails claw attacks missed every time he swung.
"Damn it... who the hell are these things?!"
Shuyu narrowed his eyes and observed the enemy's erratic movements. "They're probably the latest creations from Umbrella's Bio-Ghost Project—Mad Babies."
"Huh? What a terrible name."
Boruto cut in suddenly.
"...They've given the bio-ghosts Bloodline Limit abilities. Looks like Umbrella's succeeded," said Shuyu. "Here they come!"
From the frontlines, Shuyu suddenly activated his Susanoo. As if innately intimidated by its presence, the three Mad Babies swerved around it—left, right, and overhead—going straight for Boruto behind him.
Two Nine-Tails claws grabbed the airborne Mad Babies by their arms and pulled them in.
"Rasengan!"
Boruto quickly took one down.
Unlike Boruto and Shuyu, Kawaki clearly relied on taijutsu. Against the Mad Babies, he was at a disadvantage.
He had no ninjutsu to restrict their movement and had to constantly avoid their razor-sharp claws.
"Hey! Boruto! Don't get cocky—go help Kawaki!"
"I'm on it!"
Almost as if anticipating Boruto and Shuyu's coordinated move, the remaining two Mad Babies fled before they could step in.
"They got away... damn it!"
Kawaki clenched his fists. What bothered him more than their escape was his own weakness.
With strength like this, there was no way he could destroy Kara or defeat Code.
"Ah! The one I blasted away is gone too!"
At Boruto's voice, Shuyu's expression grew grim.
Compared to Hulk clones, while the Mad Babies had lower defense, their ability to become semi-transparent and their apparent intelligence made them extremely troublesome foes.
"At this rate, it's safe to assume the villagers here were all killed by the Mad Babies," Kawaki said coldly as he walked up beside Shuyu. "We might even find pieces of their bodies scattered around."
Faced with the likely slaughter of the villagers, Uchiha Shuyu showed no emotion and replied coldly, "Forget about those three for now. Let's prioritize our mission—get Shukaku back to Konoha as soon as possible."
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