Chapter 26: Is There a Show-Off Who Answered All the Cherry Blossom Questions Correctly?
"You're using a wooden sword—there's no way you can stand against me. Of course, you could switch to a real blade. That way, not only could you kill me, but you could also take out everyone here. And hey, maybe even avenge your grandfather while you're at it, right?"
As Tsurushi spoke, he slashed at Kagura with his sharp long blade. Kagura, armed only with a wooden sword, could do nothing but barely fend off the attacks.
"Kagura!"
Boruto, distracted by his concern for Kagura, turned his gaze in that direction—only to be caught off guard and surrounded by two of Tsurushi's lackeys, who quickly subdued him.
One of the larger lackeys grabbed Boruto by the neck, making him let out a hoarse, choking cry. Even then, Boruto's eyes remained anxiously fixed on Kagura.
Maybe Boruto believed that Kirigakure wouldn't dare kill him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group had fallen into a deadlock with Tsurushi's men.
Although they had a variety of flashy jutsu at their disposal, their numbers were small, and they lacked real combat experience. On top of that, they hesitated to deal real damage to their enemies, which only made the fight more difficult and frustrating.
"Wind... Style..."
With his throat being squeezed, Boruto could only manage to rasp out those two words with great difficulty.
Even if he couldn't speak properly, Boruto still forced his hoarse voice to form the words to cast his jutsu.
It was a basic Wind Style technique—concentrating wind to strike the arm of the lackey choking him. The sharp pain forced the man to reflexively loosen his grip.
Of course, such a trick wouldn't work on a battle-hardened shinobi.
After all, pain in the arm is something one can endure—especially when the alternative is death.
Freed from the chokehold, Boruto didn't even stop to catch his breath. He immediately created a shadow clone, and together, they kicked the same lackey—who was now rubbing his arms in pain—in the gut.
"Kagura, I'm coming to help!"
Seeing the man curl up on the ground, rolling back and forth from the blow, Boruto dashed toward Kagura.
Though Tsurushi's lackeys could hold their own due to numbers and better coordination, it was only a matter of time before they were defeated.
While experience matters, their "experience" amounted to nothing more than a lot of playground brawling. They lacked the kind of true combat knowledge that actual shinobi possess.
And as time passed, the white mist that had given Tsurushi an edge gradually thinned and finally vanished completely.
Many of Tsurushi's lackeys were already down on the ground. The remaining few were now surrounded alongside Tsurushi by Boruto's group.
"Denki, are you okay?"
With the situation under control, Boruto rushed over to Denki and began untying the ropes binding him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks a lot, Boruto."
At the same time, some of the downed lackeys began to stir—after all, Boruto's group hadn't inflicted any serious injuries.
"What, you guys still want to fight?"
Boruto looked at the scraped and bruised lackeys now slowly getting back on their feet.
If they really wanted to keep fighting, he had no problem with that.
After all, kids that age tend to be full of energy. Only someone like Shikadai, who clearly inherited his dad's lazy streak, would be making a face like this was all a massive hassle.
"Damn it—everyone, fall back! And you better remember this!"
Even as he ordered the retreat, Tsurushi still spat out a parting threat.
"No, you better remember this!"
Boruto fired right back without hesitation.
"Who's there?!"
Suddenly, a gruff man's voice echoed from afar.
"Crap, it's the guards! Everyone, run!"
Boruto's expression changed instantly, and he quickly signaled everyone to flee.
If they got caught, the punishment would be the least of his worries. What he really couldn't handle was the look of contempt Sarada would give him as she said, "Seriously? You're supposed to be the class trip rep, and you started a fight?"
"You really think you can get away?"
Although it was unclear why the Kirigakure ninja were trying to kidnap Denki to target Boruto, now that Boruto had won, Uchiha Itachi couldn't afford to worry about those details. For safety's sake, now was the only window to abduct Denki.
Because once Anko or Shino found out what happened, the entire trip could be canceled, and the mission would fail.
If he couldn't even complete a simple task like this, he had no business continuing to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. and passing intel to the Hidden Leaf.
That's why Uchiha Itachi appeared—blocking Boruto's path.
Dressed like a villain from a wuxia film, his sudden appearance prompted Sasuke—who had decided not to reveal himself—to instinctively reach for his longsword from the shadows.
"Hey, who the heck are you?!"
"Wait... I think I've seen you somewhere before..."
Boruto furrowed his brows, staring at the oddly familiar figure, trying to remember.
In contrast to Boruto's cluelessness, Mitsuki immediately became hyper-alert. He stepped in front of Boruto—not just subtly shielding him like before, but fully placing himself between Boruto and the stranger.
Because Mitsuki had seen the Mangekyō Sharingan shining through the mask on the man's face.
Although most modern shinobi wouldn't recognize it, Mitsuki—an artificial human created by Orochimaru in the Hidden Sound Village—knew exactly what it was.
After all, even Orochimaru had once coveted it.
Itachi ignored Boruto completely and instantly moved to Denki's side, casting a genjutsu.
Using the Mangekyō Sharingan on a kid who wasn't even a genin might've been overkill, but Itachi was always thorough.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
Seeing Denki fall into a trance and get effortlessly slung over Itachi's shoulder, Boruto shouted.
"Boruto!"
Mitsuki's tone was sharp and his grip tight on Boruto's arm. Seeing Mitsuki's tense expression, Boruto realized the man before him wasn't someone they could deal with easily.
People vary in how important they are.
There was no doubt—Boruto was the most important one here. Denki? Easily the least.
"I get it, Mitsuki." Boruto gently pried Mitsuki's hand off his arm and took a step forward. "But I can't just stand by and watch a friend get taken without doing anything."
"Oh? Then let me test your resolve."
Itachi replied calmly, setting Denki down beside him. Still caught in the genjutsu, Denki stood blankly by his side.
Of course, Itachi had no intention of truly fighting Boruto. If he used his real strength, Boruto would be defeated in an instant.
After all, if he couldn't beat Naruto, how could he not beat Naruto's kid?
Itachi just wanted to test Boruto's strength—or rather, his potential.
Only in times of crisis do people tap into their hidden potential. And in today's peaceful shinobi world, where Naruto and Sasuke are still alive, Boruto has rarely been in any real danger.
So, Itachi decided to be that danger—to force Boruto to grow.
After all, he'd done the same thing to Sasuke in life. Doing it again now felt like second nature.
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