On the landscape of his mind, Boruto stood up.
The shallow crater shaped like a face on the ground vanished at once.
"Where is Uncle Akira?"
Momoshiki replied coldly, "His chakra has disappeared from what you humans call the ninja world. Either he's in another dimension, or he's somewhere that blocks chakra sensing."
Boruto frowned.
"What? Then doesn't that mean we still can't find him?"
"Heh."
Momoshiki sneered and suddenly slapped the Boruto before him into countless particles of light.
"Give you a little kindness and you start pushing your luck!"
"Ugh!"
In the real world, inside the house, Boruto staggered back, clutching his face.
I'll remember this, Momoshiki!
Momoshiki's voice echoed in his mind.
"Uchiha Yuki is Uchiha Akira's daughter. Find her, and you'll find that so-called Hidden Dark Village."
"Her chakra is currently moving rapidly toward the southwest. I've synchronized my sensing with yours. If you're fast enough, you can catch up."
Buzz!
The Karma mark on Boruto's palm spread blue patterns from his hand to his wrist.
Instantly, a distant chakra signature appeared in his perception.
It was—
Yuki's chakra.
So that's it.
Because Momoshiki had briefly fought her before, he had marked her chakra.
Boruto slowly clenched his fist.
Then lowered it.
Turning to the two who were anxiously watching him, he said,
"Sorry, Sarada. Mitsuki. I'm going to travel at full speed from now on. You should go back."
"I won't be returning to Konoha for a while."
"Boruto? What are you saying?" Sarada cried. "Where are you going? Why won't you come back?!"
Boruto stopped at the entrance.
He sighed softly.
One thing that made him different from Sasuke back then…
Was that he wouldn't deliberately hide what he had decided and make others worry.
He turned back and said honestly,
"I'm going to find Uchiha Akira."
Sarada exploded.
"Are you crazy?! Do you even know who he is?! Going after him now is basically suicide!"
"I'm not going for revenge. I have other reasons."
"Uncle Akira?!"
Sarada stumbled back three steps as if struck by lightning.
"Y-You call him Uncle Akira?!"
Boruto said firmly,
"Listen, Sarada. Uncle Akira—Uchiha Akira—isn't what you all think he is."
"My dad. Your dad. Everyone in Konoha. None of them truly understand him."
"He is the real great ninja and true hero in my heart."
"I swear I'll become a ninja like him!"
Sarada rushed forward and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him hard.
"Wake up, Boruto! You're under genjutsu! You've been brainwashed! Wake up!"
"No."
"I'm clear-headed."
"Clearer than ever."
Looking into his calm, piercing eyes, Sarada froze.
Boruto gently held her wrist.
After hesitating, he forced her hands off his shoulders.
"Anyway… I have to see him."
Tears fell from Sarada's eyes.
In her crimson pupils, three bright tomoe slowly spun.
"Y-Your eyes… when did that happen?!"
Boruto stared in shock.
Sarada clenched her fists, her voice trembling.
"When you were fighting Yuki… when you almost got strangled by that tree."
"Listen, Boruto!"
"I don't know if Uchiha Akira is the hero you say he is!"
"But I do know this—what you're doing is almost the same as betraying the village!"
"And betrayal means… I won't be able to see you anymore!"
"Even if I do, we'll be enemies!"
"I don't want that! Never!"
Boruto clenched his fists.
So… you're going to stop me? With force?
He loosened his grip and straightened his collar, as if preparing himself.
Then—
Sarada wiped her tears with the back of her hand and raised her head.
"So! I'm coming with you!"
What she didn't say out loud was—
I'm going to ask Uchiha Akira myself what he did to you!
In the future, Sarada would only realize her feelings much later.
She would only confess them to Sumire after growing up.
But everything she had experienced recently…
Especially the possibility of losing Boruto…
Forced her to make a bold decision.
Unlike Sakura back then, she wouldn't just say it.
She would prove it with action.
Boruto felt his heart stir.
Maybe… I never fully understood Sarada before.
He relaxed his fists.
"Suit yourself," he said.
"But I'm not stopping. You'd better take a soldier pill first."
"I was going to anyway!"
Sarada stuffed three soldier pills—made by her mother—into her mouth and swallowed them.
She deactivated her Sharingan and dashed after him.
Mitsuki said nothing.
He simply followed, watching Boruto's back.
The night passed in silence.
At dawn—
In a mist-filled mountain valley on the southwestern edge of the ninja world.
After leaving the Chūnin Exams early, Hikari and Samui's group had traveled nonstop.
Ahead, at the end of the foggy passage, was a dead end surrounded by cliffs.
The entrance to Peach Haven.
Only Akira and Konan could open it.
Since Akira hadn't returned, Hikari's group had another way—
By using the White Zetsu of the inner and outer formations to contact Konan.
She would then come and open the gate.
They finally arrived.
Samui stopped, breathing heavily, rubbing her sore shoulders.
"Ah… finally… I'm exhausted…"
"That Akira really ran off somewhere to have fun, leaving us women to drag everyone along."
Hikari teased,
"Looks like you're a bit out of shape, Samui. Even Xiaohua has better stamina than you~"
Samui glanced at Xiaohua, who was casually playing with her ninja blade.
She thought:
Same hair as me.
Some early development too.
But in the end, she's Jin's kid.
That man could carry me at full speed all night without pause and recover"…
Sure, I'd be sore afterward, but that's different from this kind of hard labor.
She put her hands on her waist.
"Well, I haven't been a ninja for years."
Hikari laughed.
"Do more cardio at home. It's good for your skin."
Samui thought:
Yeah… when I get back, I'll take a long bath and reward myself properly…
Rustle.
A White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
Respectfully, it said,
"Honored mistresses, princesses, Young Master Feng, Ganjo… and this lady is…?"
Fuko stammered, "I-I'm…"
Ganjo cut in quickly.
"This is Aunt Fuko. She's our teacher who led us in the Chūnin Exams."
"Oh, my apologies."
"I am Outer Formation No. 17."
"Hello, No. 17," Hikari said.
"Please contact the inner formation and ask Sister Konan to open the gate."
Outer No. 17 hesitated.
"That… may not be possible, Mistress."
"Because three people from Konoha… are approaching this location at high speed."
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