Chapter 382: Took Care of the Patrol While I Was at It
"You bastard! You're a demon too, aren't you?! If you're a demon, why are you mingling with humans?!" A male adult demon shouted at Himawari. "You traitor! Humans will never accept you…"
Before he could finish, his head was lopped off by Future Boruto and rolled a few times across the ground, still ranting: "You'll regret this eventually!"
Future Boruto walked over to the still-chattering severed head and stomped on it.
"That's the last of them."
He looked toward Mitsuki.
"Yeah," Mitsuki nodded. "They're all cleared out."
After a moment of silence, Future Boruto led Himawari toward the room where the demons stored their food.
If they couldn't kill humans for food, then they'd just kill demons and take their food.
Future Boruto pressed his palms together and offered a silent prayer in front of a ceramic bowl filled with human intestines. Behind him, Himawari mimicked his actions.
"All right, Himawari, go ahead and eat."
...
"Are you two done?"
Pale light broke over the eastern horizon as the sun began to rise. Mitsuki stood at the temple entrance, watching Future Boruto and Himawari walk out of the building.
"Yeah."
Future Boruto nodded and set the wooden box down on the ground.
Maybe it was because her stomach was full, but Himawari seemed noticeably more lucid now. Without needing Boruto to say anything, she crawled into the box on her own and poked her head out.
"Himawari, tuck your head in. I'm covering it up now."
Future Boruto gently patted her head.
As the sun continued to rise, Future Boruto and Mitsuki once again set off, with Boruto carrying the box on his back.
"Boruto, Konoha's that way," Mitsuki pointed left at a fork in the road as Boruto headed to the right.
"I know. But I've changed my mind. Before I return to the Leaf Village, I'm going to find a way to turn demons back into humans."
The image of Himawari eating—drooling and crying at the same time—had etched itself into his mind and stirred this new resolve.
"Huh? Turning demons back into humans? That's impossible. If it were, we wouldn't have this many demons running around in the first place…"
Mitsuki shook his head decisively.
"No. If it's that guy, he'll have a way."
The one behind the future's biohazard disaster, the mastermind of S.H.I.E.L.D.—Orochimaru, also known as Gray Wolf.
"Wait, who? Who is it?!"
Mitsuki trailed behind Boruto, firing off questions.
...
Although he had decided to seek out Orochimaru, the first step was to locate his whereabouts.
"I'm counting on you."
Future Boruto inserted a letter into the bamboo tube tied to the leg of a hawk.
"Having people in a big village really makes things easier," Mitsuki said, watching the summoning hawk take flight. "Boruto, there's a house up ahead. Want to check it out and see if we can find something to eat?"
"Sure."
Boruto nodded.
...
The capital of the Land of Iron had been completely rebuilt and modernized. You could hardly tell it had ever been devastated.
"Lord Gray Wolf, what did you call me here for?"
Clone No. 4 of Gray Wolf sat at a teahouse, biting into an apple as he leaned against the railing. "I'm just here to relay the original's orders."
He placed a circular device on the table. When activated, it projected a hologram of Gray Wolf's true body.
"Lord Daimyō of the Land of Water, how has your health been lately?"
Orochimaru's hologram asked.
"Quite good, actually," replied the revived former daimyō, flexing his fists. "I can feel incredible power coursing through this body."
"Excellent," Orochimaru said with a grin. "By the way, your current name is… Mizunotsuki, right?"
"Yes."
Though once the daimyō of the Land of Water, the country's downfall had shattered his confidence. Still, the dream of restoring his homeland had never died.
His obsession gave him the will to survive Orochimaru's many experiments.
Because his original body had rotted away into a zombie-like corpse, he had no choice but to inhabit a new one and assume a new identity—Mizunotsuki. During the Land of Iron's reconstruction, he slipped in unnoticed.
Seizing power from within and reviving the Land of Water—this was Mizunotsuki's ultimate goal.
"Mizunotsuki, here's a bit of intel for you. Tetsubaki, the former leader of the Iron Country samurai's apprentice, is already on her way back. When she returns, it's likely she'll easily become the next leader of the Land of Iron. So, you'd better move quickly."
"Understood. Thank you, Lord Gray Wolf, for the information."
Mizunotsuki humbly bowed his head.
...
"Hello? Anybody home?" Mitsuki knocked on the door, but no one answered. He turned to Boruto. "Guess they're not in."
"Hold on."
Boruto stopped Mitsuki just as he was about to turn away. Under Mitsuki's puzzled gaze, Boruto entered Sage Mode and scanned the interior.
"What is it, Boruto?"
"Mitsuki, get ready. We're in for a fight."
He spoke while drawing his Kusanagi Blade and slashing the wooden door in half.
"A fight? Don't tell me—there are demons inside?!"
Mitsuki followed closely behind as the two of them stepped into the pitch-black house.
As the darkness swallowed them, swarms of white insects began to gather where the door once stood, quickly sealing off the exit.
The House of Insects—that was the name of this place.
"Whoa, it's pitch black in here."
The darkness was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Mitsuki clung tightly to Boruto's clothes.
But since Boruto was in Sage Mode, he could still sense the area around them clearly.
"Why'd you stop, Boruto?"
"Something's coming…"
He formed a hand seal. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball shot down the corridor ahead, lighting up their surroundings as it blazed forward.
Bugs—pale insects—covered the floor and surged toward them.
As the swarm advanced, the trembling of the floor grew more intense.
"Hey, Boruto! They're coming from behind too!"
Mitsuki could feel the vibrations spreading from the floor beneath his feet.
"We'll have to destroy the house."
Boruto glanced behind him. "Kurama!"
"Yes, Lord Boruto!"
From within his body, Kurama clasped his hands together. A powerful surge of chakra burst from Boruto.
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