Chapter 148:
"Uncle Sasuke, why did you suddenly attack me?" Boruto asked as he blocked Sasuke's Kusanagi sword, then looked at Shuyu, Sarada, Tendō, and the new Ino–Shika–Chō trio. "Long time no see, everyone."
He had just returned to his own world and hadn't even had a moment to reflect when he was suddenly attacked by someone he knew. Naturally, Boruto was a little annoyed.
"Boruto!" Tendō was the first to greet him.
While Boruto was away, Shuyu, Tendō, and Sarada had formed the new Team 7.
Looking at the golden, radiant Boruto before him, Sasuke said, "It seems you went through a lot during your time away."
"This look... kind of makes Boruto look cool," said Akimichi Chōchō as she eyed the glittering Boruto.
"This form…" Shikadai thought for a moment and said, "Don't you think it's kind of like Lord Seventh?"
"Now that you mention it, it really does resemble Lord Seventh," Inojin nodded.
"Why is everyone here? Did you come to welcome me back?" Boruto looked around at the group. But calling it a welcome felt off—who greets someone with a sword swing?
"Actually, Boruto, a lot has happened while you were gone…" Sarada began.
"Let's return to the Leaf Village first," Sasuke said, glancing toward the Jar Merchant. "You're coming too."
Konoha Village – Hokage Office
Due to his golden glow, Boruto attracted plenty of attention along the way.
"Sasuke, you're back…" Shikamaru said as he saw Sasuke appear in the doorway. The others followed in behind, with the Jar Merchant and Boruto at the rear.
Hearing the sound of the office door opening and Shikamaru speaking, Naruto—busy with paperwork—looked up and asked Sasuke, "How did things go this time?"
"This time, the spatial disturbance wasn't caused by Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. It was caused by your son Boruto—and the Jar Merchant."
"Hey, hey, can you be more precise with your words? I'm not Naruto's son," the Jar Merchant said as he stepped out from behind Sasuke.
"Jar Merchant, where have you been all this time?" Naruto asked, then suddenly paused as he noticed the radiant Boruto behind the Jar Merchant. "Is that… the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode? How did you end up like this?"
Golden Boruto begins his explanation.
"Another Nine-Tails, huh…" Naruto's eyes grew heavy with concern.
Lately, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had been appearing more frequently. Though Naruto had the power to protect himself, Boruto's strength was still far from adequate.
Naruto slowly walked up to Boruto.
"H-Hey… What are you doing, old man?" Boruto asked uncomfortably as Naruto slowly placed his hand on Boruto's chest.
In a blink, the surrounding scenery changed entirely.
Beneath them was water, above were stone bricks, and all around stretched endless darkness.
Strangely, only the space immediately surrounding Boruto had a faint glow.
"This place is…" Boruto looked around, disoriented.
"You little brat! I can't believe you managed to get here!"
Startled by the voice, Boruto instinctively turned around—and locked eyes with a pair of huge, sinister fox eyes.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, Boruto stumbled backward, nearly falling—until a pair of hands caught him from behind.
Looking up, he saw that it was Naruto who had caught him.
Naruto stood supporting Boruto, eyes fixed on the other Nine-Tails before them.
"Kurama."
Naruto softly called the fox's name.
"Who are you?! How do you know my name?!" the Nine-Tails demanded, eyes narrowed. "...Wait… That hairstyle… Are you Naruto?"
"Yeah," Naruto said with a nod of his cropped head.
"...That hairstyle's ugly."
"Heh… But I think it makes me look more mature," Naruto replied, scratching his head.
The Nine-Tails stared at the Hokage cloak on Naruto's shoulders. "Seventh Hokage… So you really became Hokage. That's actually kind of funny."
"I've already heard from Boruto about the version of me in your world... When trees are being eaten by bugs, you don't just chop down the whole tree—you get rid of the bugs inside."
As someone who had become Hokage, Naruto had grown capable of making these slightly more philosophical remarks.
"Hmph. What are you getting at, Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Kurama, I hope you'll protect Boruto. Grow with him. Besides… the Ōtsutsuki clan has started reclaiming the Tailed Beasts."
"Ōtsutsuki!!" Kurama showed a very human-like expression of shock.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "If there's a chance, I'll introduce you to the Nine-Tails inside me."
...
When Boruto opened his eyes again, he was back in the Hokage's office. The golden glow surrounding him had disappeared.
"Boruto, you kids can head out for now."
"Huh?"
Though he didn't understand why, Boruto muttered under his breath and was escorted out of the office.
"Now then…" Naruto said with a grave expression as he looked toward the Jar Merchant. "Care to explain? When Boruto was explaining earlier, he mentioned you used a jutsu called Nuclear Release. If I remember correctly, that's the technique used by the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Husky…"
At that moment, Sasuke slowly walked to the door and stood behind the Jar Merchant, blocking the only exit.
"Well… since you've figured it out, there's no point in hiding it anymore. Nuclear Release is a special jutsu learned by internal members of Hydra. That so-called outstanding comrade Husky, Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is actually a Hydra agent planted deep inside!"
"What?!" Shikamaru was stunned. The idea that an undercover agent had climbed all the way to the second-in-command of S.H.I.E.L.D. sounded completely absurd.
"To be honest, even we in Hydra didn't expect it. Strictly speaking, when the decision was made to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., Husky was still a rookie. The mission was something only a rookie like him could take on. To protect his identity during the mission, I became his sole contact. In other words, I'm the only one who knew about Husky's status as an undercover agent."
"The original plan was for a three-year infiltration. But unexpected events occurred—Hydra disbanded, and we couldn't provide cover for Husky's faked-death extraction. As a result, he was forced to continue his undercover mission for another three years… and then another three. He's now been undercover for nine years."
"Who would've thought that the rookie Hydra agent back then would complete the mission so outstandingly and rise to become S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deputy Director…"
As the Jar Merchant continued his explanation, the image of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deputy Director Husky became increasingly vivid.
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