Chapter 265: A Proper Duel — Orochimaru vs. Future Boruto (Part 1)
"Are those two guys really that strong?"
Hearing what his future self had said, the modern Boruto had already calmed down.
"Although I've never actually fought him myself, I've heard that Captain Dragonfly was created using both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra's technology. He's the strongest scientific ninja tool ever made."
Future Boruto nodded solemnly.
"Since everything on your side is settled, let's begin the competition for the Peace Star."
Captain Blue Dragonfly glanced at Future Boruto as he spoke.
"This is still a contest for the Peace Star, after all, so of course we need a proper battlefield."
As he spoke, Captain Red Dragonfly waved both hands. A surge of powerful chakra burst forth from his palms.
With a whirlwind of sand and dust, he cleared a flat stretch of desert. Then, manipulating a giant rock from afar, he used chakra to slice it into smooth slabs and paved the sand with them.
Just like that, a simple dueling arena was complete.
...
Orochimaru and Future Boruto walked onto the field while shuffling their decks, eyes locked on each other.
"Boruto from the future, huh... Looks like Hydra's tech really is impressive. Then again, they're an opponent S.H.I.E.L.D. takes seriously, so it's only natural they'd have this level of scientific advancement."
"..."
Ignoring Orochimaru's pre-duel chatter, Future Boruto focused solely on shuffling his deck.
Finally, the two of them simultaneously slotted their decks into their duel disks.
"Duel!"
They shouted the word in unison.
Aside from both players starting with 8000 LP, the rest of the rules remained unchanged.
"...I'll pass on choosing the turn order."
After revealing his drawn card, Future Boruto looked at his hand, which contained no stars, and spoke.
"I've got a one-star card—Summoning: Tiny Snake. ATK 100, DEF 100, no effects." Orochimaru revealed his card to Future Boruto and continued, "I'll go second."
"My turn. Draw!"
Since it was the first turn, playing it defensively to scout the opponent's deck was the better option.
"I summon Puppet Master in defense position. Turn end."
Puppet Master, 3-star. ATK 500, DEF 1600.
Future Boruto now had five cards left in hand.
"My turn. Draw!"
Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue.
"A probing tactic, huh? Such a straightforward mindset."
"I summon, in attack position—Entwined Serpents!"
A cluster of snakes coiled together into a ball appeared on the field.
Entwined Serpents, 4-star. ATK 0, DEF 0.
"Turn end."
Orochimaru now had five cards remaining in his hand.
"Not only did he summon a card with zero attack in attack mode, he didn't even set any cards on the field. It's almost like he's luring Future Boruto to attack quickly," Tentō commented as he observed the match.
"Well, good thing it's still early in the game. Even if Gray Wolf is planning something, Future Me should have room to counter it," modern Boruto analyzed.
"My turn. Draw."
Future Boruto glanced at the card he drew and played it immediately.
"I activate from my hand—'Belated Reunion'!"
The card's artwork depicted the grown-up Naruto meeting his father in front of the Nine-Tails for the first time.
"Select one card from your deck and remove it from play. Two turns later, send the selected card to the Graveyard, then draw one card from your deck."
"I summon, in attack position—Hidden Mist Teacher!"
Hidden Mist Teacher, 3-star. ATK 1200, DEF 800.
"Then, I set one card face-down. Hidden Mist Teacher, attack Entwined Serpents!"
The ball of snakes was destroyed in battle, but two small snakes appeared in defense mode.
"Entwined Serpents' effect activates. When this card enters battle, it is removed from play and replaced with two Snake Tokens in defense position."
Snake Tokens: ATK 0, DEF 0.
"Turn end."
Future Boruto now had three cards left in his hand.
"My turn. Draw."
Orochimaru's turn began.
"Looks like I drew exactly what I needed. Otherwise, I'd have to wait until next turn... I activate from my hand—'Conspiracy Exposed!'"
"This turn only, I can pay 500 LP to play Dark attribute cards that would normally need to be set on the field and activated the following turn."
"Next, I pay 500 LP three times to activate three copies of 'Equivalent Exchange!'"
The card's image depicted Orochimaru making a deal with Danzō Shimura.
"Draw two cards from the deck. Skip your next two Draw Phases."
"Although it's usually best to save this card for the final push, if I activate three in one turn, I get to draw six cards at the cost of just two skipped Draw Phases. So, the more I play in one turn, the greater the value."
Smiling, Orochimaru drew six cards from his deck.
"Hey! That guy's cheating! He totally had those cards stuck together!"
Modern Boruto pointed at Orochimaru and shouted.
"Gray Wolf didn't cheat," said Captain Blue Dragonfly, the judge standing behind Orochimaru.
"He just got lucky and happened to draw three copies. Besides, I wouldn't dare try to cheat with the Dragonfly Captains watching," Orochimaru said with a smirk. He then examined his six new cards and continued, "Next, I tribute the two Snake Tokens on my field to summon—Danzō Shimura!"
Danzō Shimura, 7-star. ATK 0, DEF 0.
"Danzō Shimura's effect activates—his ATK and DEF increase with the number of cards in my hand, and decrease as my hand shrinks. Right now, I've got seven cards, so his ATK is 7000!"
"Danzō Shimura, attack Hidden Mist Teacher! Wind Style: Vacuum Blast!"
After the battle, Future Boruto's LP still remained at 8000.
"Hidden Mist Teacher's effect activates—when this card is destroyed in battle and battle damage would be inflicted, that damage becomes zero," Future Boruto explained.
"Quick-Play Ninjutsu! Wind Style: Vacuum Barrage!"
"Targeting one Wind-chakra ninja on my field—it can attack again! Danzō Shimura, attack!"
Since Orochimaru had used one card from his hand, Danzō's ATK dropped from 7000 to 6000. But even so, it was far more than Puppet Master could withstand.
"Then, I set two cards face-down. Turn end."
Orochimaru now had four cards in hand. Danzō Shimura's ATK stood at 4000.