A desolate battlefield stretches ahead, filled with debris and traces of destruction. Kawaki stands facing Garō, a heavily modified cyborg and Outer member of Kara, who has come to retrieve him.
Garō's face is disfigured, a remnant of a past encounter with Kawaki, and he carries a deep grudge. He grins menacingly.
"You've grown, brat. But I'm not here for small talk. Kara wants you back—alive or not."
Kawaki, already exhausted and wounded, lifts his head defiantly.
"Then come try."
Watching from a safe distance, Team 7—Boruto, Sarada, Mitsuki—and their captain Konohamaru observe the situation. The tension is thick in the air. Konohamaru gestures for them to stay back.
"Don't interfere just yet. We need to see what we're dealing with."
The fight breaks out in an instant. Garō launches a barrage of cybernetic punches, reinforced with chakra-activated weapons. His limbs expand, twist, and strike with brutal force. Kawaki dodges quickly, sliding across the broken ground with unnatural agility. His right arm transforms, revealing advanced scientific ninja technology—a cannon-like blade forming from his flesh and metal. He fires back, countering Garō's attacks with powerful energy bursts and sharp, calculated movements.
Boruto watches in awe.
"His body… it's like a weapon. Completely different from anything we've seen."
Sarada adjusts her glasses, frowning.
"These enhancements are beyond anything even Katasuke could engineer."
Mitsuki remains calm, analyzing the fight silently.
As Garō lands a blow, sending Kawaki crashing into a large crater, Kawaki's hand begins to glow. Black markings emerge from his palm, spreading rapidly up his arm. His entire aura shifts. The Karma seal has awakened.
Garō hesitates for a second.
"What is that…?"
Before he can react, Kawaki uses the Karma to absorb Garō's chakra-based attacks. The energy vanishes into Kawaki's body. The air distorts, as if reality itself is being twisted. At the same time, Boruto clutches his hand. His own Karma seal has begun to react—glowing in sync with Kawaki's.
"My hand… it's glowing again. Just like before…"
Konohamaru's eyes widen.
"So the two of them… have the same power…"
Kawaki now moves faster than ever. His strikes are almost impossible to follow. He pierces through Garō's defense, then charges his Karma mark. A concentrated blast of energy fires from his hand, engulfing Garō at point-blank range.
The explosion is massive. When the dust settles, there's nothing left of Garō only a crater.
Kawaki stands at the center, swaying. His Karma fades, the glow vanishes, and moments later, he collapses. The battle has taken its toll.
Konohamaru steps forward cautiously, checking Kawaki's unconscious body. Boruto walks up beside him, still staring at his own hand.
"That mark… what even is it…?"
Konohamaru replies in a low voice.
"We don't know. But we have to find out. This boy… he's connected to Kara. And he might be the key to everything."
Sarada glances around nervously.
"If we leave him here, Kara will come. We don't know what they'll do."
Konohamaru nods. He understands the risk.
"We'll take him back to the village. We'll keep him under watch, but this is a chance to learn about Kara. And about that seal."
Boruto continues to watch Kawaki's motionless body.
"Who are you… really?"
Kawaki remained unconscious in the middle of the wreckage, his body battered and worn after his brutal battle with Garō. The black markings of the Karma seal had faded from his arm, and steam lightly rose from his body, a result of overexertion.
Team 7 stood around him, the dust still swirling at their feet. Boruto stared at the boy, a heavy sense of unease creeping into his chest.
"So he really did all that by himself," he muttered, eyes fixed on Kawaki's collapsed figure.
Mitsuki stepped closer and crouched down beside him.
"His body… it's heavily modified. Not just his arm everything. He's a walking scientific weapon."
Sarada looked over with concern.
"But who is he really? And why does his Karma react like Boruto's?"
Konohamaru knelt beside Kawaki, cautious but curious. He placed two fingers on Kawaki's neck, confirming his pulse.
"He's stable, but barely. If we don't help him now, he won't survive. Whatever he is… he's not just some runaway."
Boruto turned his hand over and looked at the fading Karma mark. The black symbol had vanished for now, but the feeling it left behind lingered. A sense of dread. Of power. Of connection.
"Sensei," he asked, "you really think we can trust him? He's with Kara, right?"
Konohamaru sighed.
"I don't know. But he fought someone from Kara and won. That alone makes him valuable. And dangerous."
Suddenly, Kawaki stirred. His fingers twitched, then his eyes snapped open. He immediately sprang up, breathing hard, fists clenched and body tense. His eyes darted to the faces around him.
"Who the hell are you people?"
Boruto raised his hands in a calming gesture.
"Relax, we're not your enemies. You just wiped out that big cyborg guy. We saw the whole thing."
Kawaki scanned them quickly. He spotted Boruto's face, then his eyes dropped to Boruto's hand the faint residue of the Karma mark still there.
"You have it too…" he said quietly.
Boruto blinked. "You mean the mark?"
Kawaki's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah. That curse."
Sarada stepped forward.
"What is it? That power you used it looked just like what happened to Boruto."
Kawaki didn't answer right away. He stood up slowly, his movements stiff. His body was clearly still recovering. He looked at his hand, then at Boruto again.
"Karma. That's what they call it. And it's not something you want."
Boruto frowned.
"Why do I have it, then?"
Kawaki looked away.
"Because you were chosen… just like me."
There was silence for a moment. Konohamaru studied Kawaki with narrowed eyes.
"You said 'they'… Do you mean Kara?"
Kawaki's face twisted into a scowl.
"I don't belong to them anymore."
Boruto tilted his head.
"But you were one of them, weren't you?"
Kawaki looked at him, and something dark flickered in his gaze.
"They turned me into this. Into a tool. You saw it, didn't you? My body it's not even human anymore."
Mitsuki stood and spoke for the first time since Kawaki woke.
"Who did that to you?"
"Jigen," Kawaki replied flatly.
Konohamaru's expression shifted. That name was new—foreign and heavy with weight.
"Jigen? Is that the leader of Kara?"
Kawaki didn't reply. He took a step back and his arm shifted, transforming into a weapon once more.
"Don't come near me."
Boruto stepped between him and Konohamaru.
"We're not here to fight. We want answers. That's it."
Kawaki's weaponized arm returned to normal. He looked tired again.
"You won't understand. Kara… they're not normal. If you're marked with Karma, you're already caught in it. You think you're free? You're not."
Boruto clenched his fist.
"Then help us understand. If this Karma thing is so dangerous, tell us what it is."
Kawaki looked at him long and hard, then slowly sat down on a nearby rock. His body still trembled.
"You want to know? Fine. Karma is a brand. A mark that turns you into something else. It's not a power-up it's a countdown."
Sarada asked, "Countdown to what?"
"To losing yourself."
Konohamaru stepped forward again.
"We're taking you back to Konoha. You're injured and you have intel we need. Whether you like it or not, you're coming with us."
Kawaki didn't resist, but his eyes remained wary.
"If you bring me back, you better be ready. Kara will come. They won't stop until they get me back."
Boruto stepped forward and extended a hand.
"Then we'll deal with them together. You're not alone anymore."
Kawaki didn't take the hand. He stood on his own, staggering a little.
"Don't act like we're friends just because we share this curse."
Boruto shrugged.
"Suit yourself. But whether you like it or not… our marks connected us. And I'm going to find out why."
The wind blew across the barren landscape, carrying dust across the scorched battlefield. Above them, the sky darkened slightly, as if foreshadowing the storm ahead.
Without another word, Team 7 began the slow journey back to the Hidden Leaf Village.
---
The sound of metal groaning.
The hiss of circuits sparking.
And then a loud crash.
The chakra-suppression collar shattered against the cold wall as Kawaki slammed his makeshift metal chair into it for the third time. Sparks flew. The clamp cracked, split, and finally dropped from his wrist.
His breath was ragged. Chest heaving.
He was free.
No alarms yet. No guards rushing in. Just silence.
He didn't wait. He sprinted for the door.
Boom!
It flung open with a single kick.
Konoha's hospital corridors were clean, empty at this hour. Security wasn't meant to handle someone like him. Not someone who was half-weapon. Not someone raised in darkness.
The fluorescent lights flickered above as he darted through the halls, moving fast muscle memory from Kara guiding him. He reached the side exit in seconds, scaled the wall like a shadow, and dropped onto the outer street.
Then he ran.
He didn't know where. He didn't care.
He just needed to get out.
---
Fifteen minutes later, he was in the crowded edge of the village the market.
The sun was high, but the food stalls bustled with warmth he didn't understand. People smiling. Laughing. The scent of sweet mochi and grilled skewers filled the air.
His stomach twisted.
He hadn't eaten in hours. Days?
He passed a vendor with fresh bread, still warm and golden.
He didn't hesitate.
His hand moved fast snatching a loaf before the shopkeeper even noticed. He took a bite, chewing like a wild dog, desperate.
"Hey! Thief!"
The shout snapped him back.
People turned.
Kawaki's eyes flared. His body tensed, ready to run—
But before he could move, a thick fog rolled through the market, unnaturally cold and sudden. People shrieked in confusion.
And from that fog, a shape darted past him.
When it cleared, the bread was gone.
Kawaki blinked.
"What the—"
A dog had stolen it.
He cursed under his breath and took off again.
---
Just a few streets away, he turned into an alley, panting. But the chase didn't end.
Voices rose nearby.
"Spread out. He should be close!"
He recognized one of them.
Sarada.
And another… Boruto.
He snarled, fists clenched. He didn't want their help. He didn't need anyone.
"I don't want your pity!"
His voice echoed down the stone walls.
But then something brushed against his leg.
A dog stood there. Mangy, thin… and carrying a loaf of bread in its mouth.
It dropped it at Kawaki's feet.
He stared.
Was it… giving it to him?
The animal's eyes were calm. Trusting.
He reached out slowly… and just as he did—
"Hey! That's my bread!"
An angry villager stormed toward them, furious.
Kawaki's patience snapped.
His body surged with emotion.
Karma activated.
The black seal stretched across his arm. Power rippled outward.
And then—
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded from his hand.
But something was wrong.
The blast didn't go toward the ground. It didn't go at the villager.
It arced wildly toward the side.
Straight toward a small girl, no older than five, who stood frozen with fear just outside a bakery.
Kawaki's eyes widened.
"No—!"
He raised his arm instinctively, trying to cancel it but the Karma was unstable. His control was fractured.
And then—
The sky darkened.
A golden light surged down from above.
And everything stopped.
The shockwave dispersed with a deep hum, sending a wind blast in every direction.
Kawaki turned his head up.
Naruto Uzumaki.
His feet touched down gently between the girl and Kawaki, cloak rippling.
The little girl blinked, unharmed. Her mother screamed and pulled her away in tears.
Kawaki's knees buckled from the strain.
People gathered at a distance, murmuring, afraid.
Naruto didn't look at them. His voice lowered.
"Come with me."
Kawaki didn't move.
"I don't want your help."
"I'm not giving you a choice this time."