Chapter 188:
Konoha Village. Hokage's Office.
"Uzumaki Boruto?" Naruto furrowed his brows, staring at the one-armed, spiky-haired youth before him. No matter how he looked at him, something felt off. Naruto's gaze shifted repeatedly between Sasuke and the future Boruto.
One-armed. Covering one eye with his hair. Wielding a Kusanagi sword. Both had similarly cold expressions... If it weren't for that unmistakably blond hair, Naruto would never have believed this was his own son.
After all, there were plenty in the ninja world who dreamed of being the Hokage's child.
"Yeah." Future Boruto gave a slight nod.
"To be honest, Naruto, even I was shocked at first," Shikamaru said from the side, hands in his pockets. Not only had Naruto and Sasuke returned safely, but Konoha had also gained a powerful new ninja.
Whichever way you looked at it, that was cause for celebration—especially since this powerful ninja was originally from Konoha. It saved them the hassle of any complex investigations.
"Boruto, what happened in the future?"
Sasuke, standing nearby, questioned Boruto.
"Uncle Sasuke…"
Boruto began explaining to everyone present.
Whether it was the Fifth Great Ninja War or the complete outbreak of the bioterror crisis, everyone present involuntarily tensed up as they listened.
"So that's how it is… I never imagined the ninja world of the future would end up utterly destroyed."
Having lived through the Fourth Great Ninja War and promised his father he would protect Konoha with his intelligence, Shikamaru frowned deeply.
"S.H.I.E.L.D… Umbrella…"
Sasuke frowned as well. A heavy atmosphere settled over the Hokage's office, until a sudden, awkward grumble broke the silence and drew everyone's gaze toward Naruto.
"Sorry, sorry," Naruto said, rubbing his growling stomach and squinting his eyes with a sheepish smile. "We just got back from a major battle, so I'm a little hungry. Anyway, let's continue this discussion tomorrow. For now, let's call it a day. Boruto, why don't you come home with me for dinner?"
"…Okay." Future Boruto nodded.
Hyūga Clan Compound.
Due to their home being destroyed by Kawaki, Naruto's family was temporarily staying at the Hyūga clan estate.
"Mom…"
Future Boruto stepped forward and gently hugged Hinata with a choked-up voice.
"You poor thing… You must've gone through so much in the future." Hinata gently patted Future Boruto on the back. "I can't believe how tall you've grown."
"Mom… In the future, everyone… everyone's already dead…"
"It's okay, Boruto."
Hinata comforted him gently.
"You're such a crybaby for your age," the younger Boruto muttered from the side.
"No, Boruto," Naruto said with a serious expression. "Only after losing something do we learn to truly cherish it."
"Dad, look! Someone's coming!"
At that moment, Hanabi's voice called out from the distance.
"Is it the grandchildren?"
Hiashi Hyūga, once known for his stern demeanor, had now become the kind of elder who doted on his descendants.
"Hmm? Who's this?"
"He's your grandson too, Father. This is Uzumaki Boruto—from the future," Hanabi said with a smile.
"From the future?!" Hiashi looked at Future Boruto in surprise. Still, it wasn't something he couldn't accept. After all, back during the Holy Grail War, he had already experienced young Hinata reappearing before his eyes. "Boruto, what happened to your arm?"
"I'm fine, Grandpa." Boruto scratched his head, still not quite used to facing Hiashi. "It's been years… I've already gotten used to it."
"Perfect timing. Since Lady Tsunade is in the village, let her take a look at it tomorrow," Naruto said with a grin. "By the way, when are we eating? I'm honestly starving."
"Boruto, take off your Hokage cloak. It's filthy. I'll wash it for you—it'll be dry by tomorrow," Hinata said to Future Boruto.
"Okay."
Elsewhere—Alternate Dimension, Inner Sanctum of the Kara Organization.
"You've returned, Lord Jigen."
Delta was the first to greet him.
"Delta, get me in touch with Gray Wolf of S.H.I.E.L.D…" Jigen said, but halfway through, he suddenly clutched his chest in pain.
"Are you alright, Lord Jigen?"
"I'm fine… Delta, have Boro monitor Konoha. Code will keep watch over the Ten Tails… I'm heading to the conference room to rest. Until Gray Wolf arrives, no one is to disturb me."
"Yes, Lord Jigen."
The original candidate for a new vessel, Kawaki, was now under Konoha's protection, making it difficult to retrieve him. Coupled with the intense battle against Naruto, Sasuke, and the unknown man, Isshiki's current vessel had deteriorated ahead of schedule.
At this point, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki had no choice but to seek assistance from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Though he was wary of them too.
"…To think the Kara Organization's base was in an alternate dimension."
Using reverse summoning, Gray Wolf had sent over one of his clones. On the other end of the connection, he was remotely controlling the clone from Umbrella's underground lab.
"What's so strange about that? Isn't S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base also in an alternate dimension?"
Delta led the way, walking ahead as he spoke.
Because there was never any trace of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base within the ninja world, Delta naturally assumed, just like Kara, they had set theirs in another dimension.
"Who knows…" Gray Wolf chuckled.
He wasn't trying to hide anything—he genuinely didn't know. In fact, it was likely that none of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s members currently knew where their base actually was.
When they reached the conference room, Delta said, "Lord Jigen, Gray Wolf is here."
"Let him in."
With Jigen's response, Delta stepped aside and said to Gray Wolf, "Go on in."
Behind the door, the room was empty except for six chairs arranged in a circle.
These six seats represented the six core members of Kara. But right now, only Jigen was seated.
Gray Wolf hopped into the chair opposite him and sat down. Staring at the clearly weakened Jigen, he asked, "So, what do you need from me, leader of the Kara Organization?"
"Leader of Kara? What a joke…" Jigen stared at the Gray Wolf clone before him. "You can see the state my body's in, can't you? Gray Wolf, help me find a stronger vessel. In exchange, I'll tell you the secrets of the Ōtsutsuki."
Gray Wolf studied Jigen closely. Truth be told, he was intrigued. Regardless of whether Jigen's intel was true or not, Gray Wolf was willing to take the gamble.
After all, a man without curiosity could never be a scientist.