Chapter 185:
"Kawaki! What happened?" Boruto and Sarada rushed back from outside the village.
"Boruto..."
Looking at Boruto's now dilapidated home, Sarada turned to Shikamaru and asked, "Uncle Shikamaru, what happened here? And where are Seventh Hokage and my dad?"
The Hokage's home had been attacked, and yet Naruto, the one directly involved, and his close friend Sasuke were both nowhere to be seen. No matter how she thought about it, something felt off.
Shikamaru's face was grim as he explained, "The leader of Kara, Jigen, suddenly appeared. To protect the village and its people, Naruto and Sasuke took him into another dimension."
With both Naruto and Sasuke absent, and the ongoing cold standoff with the Land of Water, Shikamaru was feeling increasingly insecure.
What's worse, while not explicitly confirmed, there were numerous signs pointing to some level of connection between the Land of Water and Kara. This could very well be a surprise attack aimed specifically at the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Sarada, can your Rinnegan help us locate Naruto and Sasuke?"
After Kawaki finished explaining, Boruto walked over and asked Sarada.
Sarada shook her head. "My ocular power isn't strong enough to open a dimensional portal right now, and I also can't pinpoint the coordinates of Seventh Hokage or my dad."
Hearing that, Shikamaru's expression darkened with disappointment.
Meanwhile, in the second branch of Ichiraku Ramen…
"Shunhi, think of something! Whether it's S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra, they should have some way of tracking Naruto's location!" Kushina shouted anxiously at Shunhi.
Unable to hold her back, Minato stood beside her, giving Shunhi an apologetic smile.
"Kushina, I'm just a mole. Contacting Hydra or using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources would risk blowing my cover!"
"But Naruto—!"
Sensing Kushina's rising frustration, Shunhi quickly added, "Besides, your grandson will definitely go rescue him."
"Boruto?" Minato patted Kushina on the shoulder to comfort her, but looked toward Shunhi with a puzzled expression.
Although Boruto now possessed Kurama and had significantly increased his strength, it was still hard to imagine him joining a battle on Naruto's level.
"Not the Boruto of this time—but the one from the future."
Back at Naruto's home in the Leaf Village—
After placing Himawari at the Hyūga Clan estate, Hinata rushed straight to her house.
Currently, a number of Konoha's top brass had gathered at Naruto's residence, and the Anbu had surrounded the entire area.
Shikamaru was directing sensory ninja to investigate the scene.
"Don't worry, Boruto. Your father will be okay."
Even though she was just as worried, Hinata still tried to comfort Boruto.
"Damn it!" Boruto clenched his fists. Ever since Mitsuki's incident, he had once again come to hate how powerless he was. Especially after hearing Kawaki describe Jigen's strength, Boruto's concern for Naruto only grew. He turned to Sarada and asked, "Sarada, are you sure there's nothing you can do?"
Sarada shook her head. In fact, every single one of the Konoha higher-ups present had already asked her the same thing.
"Damn it! Of all times, I can't find the Jar Merchant now. If we could just use Hydra's resources…" Boruto anxiously scanned the area, hoping to spot that familiar figure.
"If we're talking about saving my brother-in-law, maybe he can help!"
After all, Hanabi was the Hyūga Clan's next heir, and Naruto was her brother-in-law. No Anbu would dare to stop her.
"Hanabi?" Shikamaru looked at the approaching Hanabi, but his attention was focused on the one-armed man beside her. "Who's that?"
With Naruto and Sasuke missing, the increasingly anxious Shikamaru was now suspicious of any unfamiliar face.
"Ah!" Boruto pointed at the man. "Isn't that Hanabi-sis's boyfriend?!"
"What boyfriend?!" Hanabi yelled at Boruto while nervously glancing at the future Boruto standing beside her.
"...I'm the Eighth Hokage from the future—Uzumaki Boruto."
After a moment's hesitation, the future Boruto finally spoke.
"WHAT?! You're the Eighth Hokage?!" Sarada was the most shocked, followed by Hinata.
"W-What's with that look, Sarada..." The younger Boruto shivered under Sarada's intense stare.
"Sorry, Uncle Shikamaru. Whatever else, let's save my father first," future Boruto said as he walked toward Naruto's home.
"Boruto, your arm..." Hinata noticed.
"I'm fine, Mom," future Boruto replied, forcing himself to stay composed.
"That's the Rinnegan!" Sarada exclaimed as she saw future Boruto reveal the Rinnegan. "Boruto, where did you get that?"
"And the Byakugan too?!"
"No, it's not the Byakugan—it's the Pure Eye," future Boruto replied with a smile as he looked at his younger self. "In fact, I only awakened it shortly before coming here. I haven't fully developed its abilities yet, but it does allow me to see into other dimensions."
Time ticked by. After scanning the surroundings with his Pure Eye, future Boruto suddenly said, "Found them!"
A space-time portal appeared before him.
"Excellent!" Shikamaru said with a look of joy. "Everyone, get ready—we're going to rescue the Seventh Hokage!"
"No," future Boruto turned around and splashed cold water on their excitement. "You don't understand how powerful Jigen is. I've seen it firsthand. Someone like him can't be defeated just by numbers. That's why I'm going alone."
Shikamaru stared him down. "But in times like these, how can I trust you? Who's to say you're here to help the Hokage and not the enemy?"
"I can vouch for him!" Hanabi suddenly raised her hand. "And if you don't trust Boruto, then I'll go with him to monitor everything."
"And me! I'm going to save Dad too!" the younger Boruto added.
"Hey, you guys—!" Shikamaru formed a hand seal and extended his shadow, binding everyone in place.
Future Boruto remained still. Though he could've broken free from the Shadow Possession Technique at any time, he chose not to.
Kawaki entered his Ōtsutsuki form and absorbed Shikamaru's jutsu.
"Thanks, Kawaki!" Boruto shouted as he leapt into the portal.
"I'm going too. I have to save Lord Hokage."
Kawaki followed close behind, then Sarada, then Hanabi—until only future Boruto remained.
"Damn brats..." Shikamaru muttered.
"I trust him," Hinata said as she walked up beside Shikamaru. As Naruto's wife and Boruto's mother, her words left Shikamaru with no counter.
"Hey, future Boruto—bring Naruto back." Shikamaru released his shadow technique.
Future Boruto nodded. "Yeah. He's my father, after all."