Chapter 25: The Hokage's Activities Are Getting More and More Disgusting
Kagura looked at Hebiichigo with a complicated expression.
He couldn't help but admire Hebiichigo's boldness in declaring this a war with Konoha—especially saying something like that right in front of Konoha's people. Kagura himself would never have had the courage.
"Sigh... Who even uses the word 'war' these days? What an absolute idiot," Ichirōta scoffed.
And it wasn't just him—no one else took Hebiichigo's words seriously either.
"At most, it's just kids roughhousing," Mitsuki said with a smile, standing protectively beside Boruto.
"You guys don't want things to escalate, right?"
Seeing Boruto and the others preparing for battle, Kagura hurriedly stepped in. He didn't want a fight to break out between the two groups.
Whether it was people from the village or from Konoha getting hurt, it wasn't something Kagura wanted to see.
"But the other side clearly wants to start something," Boruto replied simply, flashing a confident grin.
"Let me give you a taste of how terrifying the Bloody Mist ninjas can be," Hebiichigo said as she formed hand seals. "Crimson Mist Barrier Technique—now you won't be able to see a thing. In this fog, you're all in for a brutal beating. No one's coming to save you."
A thick white mist engulfed Boruto and his group.
"So you're saying, no matter how intense the fight gets, no one outside will know? Perfect," Mitsuki said, completely unfazed. If this was the extent of Hebiichigo's abilities, defeating her would just be a matter of time.
"Yeah, if this gets us sent home early and cancels the school trip, that'd be a real pain," Boruto agreed.
Of course, Boruto wasn't actually analyzing their opponents' strength—his confidence was just blind bravado. Even if Uchiha Madara himself appeared in front of him, Boruto would probably still charge in and try to show off.
Can't really blame him—his dad is Naruto, after all.
With such a legendary father, Boruto had the luxury of doing whatever he pleased.
Everyone in the world knew how amazing Naruto was—everyone except Boruto himself. He thought his strength was his own, when in reality, people only tolerated him because of who his father was.
"Wait, everyone, calm down!"
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Kagura made one last attempt to stop it.
"Say that to them," Ichirōta replied coldly.
"Hmph, we've got way more people. Why would we lose?"
"We're not the same as we were earlier today."
"Let's go, brothers—side by side!"
Both sides brimmed with confidence in their own strength, and the battle was on the verge of erupting.
Though Hebiichigo's group had more people, most of them were dropouts from the Ninja Academy—older than Boruto's group, but not necessarily stronger.
Boruto's side, on the other hand, was full of elite heirs. Their flashy jutsu burst out like they were free of charge.
Naruto had been too busy with work to teach Boruto his signature Rasengan, and Boruto had no interest in learning it anyway. But Hinata had taught him some basic Gentle Fist techniques, so his taijutsu was decent.
Not to mention, they had a reliable Chūnin—Kagura—fighting alongside them.
"Even Boruto's involved now. Just what is S.H.I.E.L.D. planning? What is the Flaming Cloud Evil God after?"
Watching the fight unfold, Sasuke's expression changed. Hidden in the shadows, he had initially assumed the kidnapping of Denki and Boruto's involvement was orchestrated by S.H.I.E.L.D.
At the moment, Boruto's group had the upper hand. If the Flaming Cloud Evil God stepped in, should he join the fight as well?
Sasuke stayed vigilant, scanning the area. Since this involved the Hokage's son, S.H.I.E.L.D. would never send just the Flaming Cloud Evil God alone—there were surely other agents lurking in the shadows.
Boruto wasn't anything special, so S.H.I.E.L.D.'s motive was easy to guess: use Boruto to threaten Naruto. Which meant Boruto's life was safe—at least until they made their move.
So, Sasuke concluded that the smartest thing to do was not to rush in and clash with S.H.I.E.L.D., but to first figure out their intentions and then return to Konoha to join forces with Naruto.
"Even though your own grandfather was killed by Konoha, you still wag your tail like a dog for them. How can someone like you be fit to join the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? You're a disgrace to the Bloody Mist."
In the white mist, Hebiichigo walked up to Kagura with a sneer on her face.
"Kagura!" Boruto called out, turning to him after taking out one of Hebiichigo's underlings with a Shadow Clone Technique.
"How did you find out about this?" Kagura asked, his face dark and troubled.
Very few people knew that Yagura's actions had been the result of Mangekyō control. Clearly, Hebiichigo wasn't one of those few.
"Hey, brats from Konoha—do you know why Kirigakure used to be called the Village of the Bloody Mist?" Hebiichigo asked, ignoring Kagura's question.
"It was because of the policies implemented by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura," Shikadai said after knocking back an opponent.
"Hahaha, are you trying to make me laugh to death? Brats from Konoha, we're talking about a Mizukage here—do you really think he'd intentionally harm his own village? Let me tell you the real truth."
"But before that, I'll start with something you might've already guessed: the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, was actually Kagura's grandfather."
"Yagura, Kagura's grandfather, was controlled by Konoha's Sharingan—that's why he implemented those policies that turned Kirigakure into the Bloody Mist."
"That's right. Your Konoha is the true culprit behind everything. It's the real reason Kagura's grandfather became a hated figure."
Hebiichigo spoke slowly, watching as shock spread across Boruto and the others' faces.
Boruto couldn't believe it—Konoha, the very village he belonged to, was actually responsible for turning Kirigakure into the Bloody Mist?
"Enough!" Kagura growled through gritted teeth.
He had never forgotten what had happened to his grandfather. It wasn't that he didn't hate Konoha—it was that he didn't dare to hate them. Konoha was powerful. With Naruto and Sasuke, it was a force far beyond what the current Kirigakure could handle.
If war broke out, it would only bring suffering to Kirigakure, which already bore the weight of shame and guilt. To avoid that, Kagura had tried to bury his hatred, forget about revenge. He even replaced his real sword with a wooden one—just to constantly remind himself not to hate Konoha so easily.
And it worked. As the wooden sword replaced the real one, his hatred seemed to fade. But that was only self-deception. True hatred doesn't just disappear.
Kagura's hatred hadn't gone away—it had merely been sealed within the real sword. Whenever he picked up a real blade, his mind would be consumed by hatred, leading him to strike indiscriminately.
Back in the Ninja Academy days, Kagura had once killed a classmate this way, leaving them dead in a pool of blood.
Kagura saw it as a curse—but in reality, it was a psychological illness.