"Almost there! Almost there!"
Sasuke and Nagato closed in, but Boruto pushed his legs faster than ever. At the far end, he saw Menma standing motionless. Relief washed over him.
"Dad, tell them to stop!"
He skidded to a halt, shouting at the top of his lungs. "I'm Boruto Uzumaki from the future! I'm your son! That black-haired man is Sasuke Uchiha from the future! We aren't bad people—we mean no harm!"
Menma didn't even glance at him. His gaze was cold, fixed on Nagato and Sasuke who had just caught up behind Boruto.
Nagato didn't hesitate. Seeing Menma's displeased expression, he shoved Boruto to the ground, pinning him down hard. Even then, Boruto refused to give up, craning his neck to scream at his father.
"I'm not lying! I really am your son! In the future, you became the Seventh Hokage, married Hinata Hyuga, and had me and Himawari!"
Sasuke, panting heavily, leaned forward with a grim expression. "What do you mean, 'from the future'? And why did you call that guy Mr. Sasuke?"
Boruto grasped at straws. "Mr. Sasuke, that's you from the future! Uchiha Sasuke! In the future, you married Aunt Sakura, had Sarada, and you've been searching for Otsutsuki ruins to protect the village! We came back to protect Dad—to protect Naruto—from Urashiki's attacks! We're here to help!"
Boruto's tearful words rippled through the group, shifting everyone's expressions.
Sasuke's face darkened. He gritted his teeth, repeating the words like a curse. "In the future, I married Sakura and had a daughter? And Naruto married Hinata and had you?"
"That's right! We're not bad people!" Boruto nodded frantically, completely missing the storm brewing on Sasuke's face.
Sasuke grabbed Boruto's neck, his grip tightening. "If that future is true, then what about Menma? Did I do something wrong? Did that bastard resurrect that vicious, stupid woman, Sakura Haruno, and give Naruto a different body as punishment?"
Boruto choked, struggling to breathe. "Menma? Resurrected? Vicious woman? Changed body?" He didn't understand a word of it. He'd never heard of Menma, and Aunt Sakura was kind and beautiful. She wasn't dead.
"Heh." Sasuke's face contorted with rage. "You dare come here spouting nonsense without knowing anything? I admire your courage."
Sasuke tightened his grip until Boruto's face turned deep red—like a fried shrimp—before finally releasing him and stepping back. Boruto gasped for air, greedily inhaling.
In the face of that life-or-death crisis, his left eye instinctively activated. A clear, black-and-white pupil state flooded his iris.
"What's wrong with that brat's left eye?"
"Never seen it before. Never recorded!"
"No wonder Lord Menma wanted to capture him alive—he knew about this new bloodstain related to the eye!"
Sasuke was dismissive. If that eye was so powerful, why hadn't Boruto retaliated when his neck was being choked?
Nagato, however, was intrigued. He grabbed Boruto's wrist and lifted him into the air.
"It looks somewhat similar to the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan." Nagato's voice was calm. "Kid, what's that bloodstain on your left eye?"
Boruto ignored him. He turned to look at Menma not far away, but that familiar face was filled with coldness and indifference. His heart sank. Why was his father in this world like this?
Nagato seemed to see through his thoughts. He wasn't angry; instead, he explained kindly.
"Kid, you said your father is Naruto. But that person over there isn't Naruto. He's Naruto's older brother, Menma. And Sakura Haruno? She's dead. I killed her. I turned her into a temporary Pain."
"What did you say?" Nagato's words hit Boruto like a hammer, leaving his mind reeling.
He stiffly turned his head to look at that familiar-yet-unfamiliar face. "That's Dad's brother… Aunt Sakura is dead too?"
At that moment, Boruto finally understood Sasuke's words: this world was strange and dangerous.
Just then, the battle in the distance ended. Madara and Hashirama arrived, carrying the unconscious Sasuke.
"This is Mr. Sasuke… He failed too," Boruto whispered, despair creeping in as he looked at the unconscious man being carried like a dead dog.
But despair quickly turned to determination. Boruto clasped his hands together behind his back. No one noticed the movement; everyone's attention was on Madara and the one-armed Sasuke.
"Lord Menma, the intruder has been successfully captured," Madara reported, bringing the unconscious Sasuke to Menma.
Nagato brought Boruto forward as well. "I've captured another intruding boy here as well."
As soon as Nagato finished speaking, Boruto raised his head. His hands shot out from behind his back. A Rasengan the size of a marble spun in his palm.
The next moment, Boruto launched it straight at Nagato's chest.
Nagato was momentarily stunned, then quickly activated the Absorption Seal. The Rasengan vanished the instant it struck him.
Nagato deactivated the sealing technique, shaking his head with a smile. "Kid, the Rinnegan can absorb chakra."
Before he could finish, a Rasengan exploded on his back, causing him to stumble and release Boruto. It was the very Rasengan that had just vanished.
"Sasuke-san, I'll definitely come back to save you!"
Released, Boruto relied on the escape route he'd predicted with his Jōgan. He ran as fast as he could without looking back.
Seeing Boruto escape, Nagato ignored his injuries and raised his right hand.
"Universal Pull!"
A massive gravitational force appeared, instantly pulling Boruto—who had barely run ten meters—back.
Simultaneously, Nagato's left hand gathered Outer Path power, forming black rods that pierced Boruto's hands and pinned them to the ground. Seemingly feeling one chakra wasn't enough, Nagato conjured another, preparing to pierce Boruto's feet.
Suddenly, Boruto vanished from the ground.
A chilling burst of chakra erupted from the sky, accompanied by Boruto's booming voice.
"Don't get too cocky, you lesser beings."
---
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