Fuzzy memories are normal. You do not exist in this era. The future has changed, and you and your companions are about to disappear.
Even I, who should have gradually recovered my power as the Kāma thawed, am now slowly losing my perception of space and time... Kid, your previous idea was correct. Go find the Rinnegan. He exists in this era.
Although he will still disappear if the final outcome isn't changed, right now, he is the least affected.]
Momoshiki kept rambling incessantly in Boruto's mind.
He had practically become a chatterbox these past few days.
It was clear that the Ōtsutsuki were not unafraid of death.
On the contrary, by creating the Kāma for resurrection and cultivating trees to produce pills to extend life, the Ōtsutsuki Clan was the most terrified of death.
"Mr. Sasuke should be right behind us."
Boruto could tell that Momoshiki only wanted to prevent himself from disappearing, but there was no helping it; the two of them were now grasshoppers tied to the same string.
It wasn't just the two of them; there were also their relatives and friends in the future.
To save the entire future world, he had no choice but to cooperate with Momoshiki.
"... But how do I tell Mr. Sasuke?"
Boruto looked conflicted.
[Idiot, with his abilities, he must have already noticed the anomaly. How to tell him? Just tell him directly!]
[As for how to make him appear? Simple, kid, leave it to me. I'll take the blame for you! Hmph!]
Momoshiki's tone was gradually shifting toward that of a 'Momoshiki Lama.'
One could only say that this is what happens when two people share a common enemy and face life and death together.
If Madara and Obito hadn't wanted to capture the Nine-Tails, the relationship between the Nine-Tails and Naruto wouldn't have been able to develop significantly either.
As for the method Momoshiki mentioned, it was simple: attack again, this time actively exposing himself so that Sasuke would be forced to appear before Jiraiya and protect Boruto.
Boruto [Momoshiki manifested] quietly entered Asuma Sarutobi's room.
Momoshiki-Boruto floated in mid-air, looking down as if at an ant, and raised a knife
—which he had swiped from the innkeeper's room and which seemed to have been used for BDSM—stabbing toward Asuma.
Bang.
The sleeping "Asuma" dissolved into a puff of smoke and vanished.
"What?"
Momoshiki was stunned.
The Ōtsutsuki nemesis, the Shadow Clone, had worked again.
"Hah!!!"
Asuma's real body, wielding a Chakra Blade infused with sharp Wind Release Chakra, attacked Momoshiki from behind with a punch.
It turned out that Asuma had felt something was wrong when he realized that Lord Jiraiya himself had come to deliver the news of his father's death.
Especially since the matter had to wait until the next day to be discussed, indicating the complexity of the situation.
Therefore, Asuma had consciously taken precautions.
He hadn't expected the enemy's attack to actually materialize.
"Heh, another monkey."
Momoshiki disdainfully raised his hand and grabbed Asuma's Chakra Blade.
The Wind nature Chakra on it was absorbed by the Kōryūsan Reijin, and Momoshiki returned the favor by doubling the force of the wind blade.
Whoosh!
Thud.
Asuma was sliced in half and fell to the ground.
The others rushed over upon hearing the commotion, only to see the room split in two and Asuma, severed into two pieces and lifeless.
Asuma's Chakra Blade was still stuck in his throat, and his hand had written the character "He" on the ground.
It seemed to be the last clue he left behind.
"What happened, 'kore'?"
Konohamaru rubbed his eyes and was the last to arrive.
"Go back to sleep. I'll tell you tomorrow."
Jiraiya sternly blocked Konohamaru and gave Naruto a look.
Naruto nodded, chuckled awkwardly, and pulled Konohamaru back to the room.
Shikamaru trembled as he looked at the scene inside the room.
He completely failed to suppress his emotions and desperately wanted to scream and cry out loud.
But Jiraiya had just told Naruto to take Konohamaru away, and Shikamaru knew he couldn't do that now; he had to hold it in, otherwise Konohamaru would certainly notice something was wrong.
"Shikamaru, calm down. Our primary goal right now is to find the killer."
Jiraiya patted Shikamaru's shoulder.
Shikamaru slapped himself hard, then took a deep breath: "You're right, Lord Jiraiya."
After speaking, Shikamaru walked inside and began inspecting the scene.
Jiraiya stood at the doorway, looking at the dark, deep corridor behind him, and did not interfere.
"The fatal wound was caused by Asuma's own Wind Release... Could it be that thing?"
Shikamaru made a deduction after a thorough examination.
"What?" Jiraiya asked.
"Our mission target for this trip, the Jashin cult. It is said that the Jashin cult has a forbidden jutsu that can instantly reflect the damage they receive back onto the attacker.
Asuma was holding a Chakra Blade in his other hand, clearly indicating he had attacked, yet the injuries on his body were caused by his own Wind Release. This is exactly..."
Shikamaru clenched his fist, analyzing the situation.
"Your analysis is good, but unless the innkeeper is a follower of the Jashin cult, it doesn't hold up."
Jiraiya calmly refuted Shikamaru's analysis.
"Why?" Shikamaru asked, confused.
"Because I set up a sensory barrier outside the inn. I would notice if any outsider broke in, but the barrier hasn't been triggered even once since nightfall."
Jiraiya sighed, looking somewhat melancholic as he gazed at the Gekko outside through the wall that had been sliced open by the Wind Release Chakra.
His previous assumption had been too hasty.
The result of one wrong judgment was Asuma's death.
"Lord Jiraiya, are you saying..."
Shikamaru was utterly shocked and stood up shakily.
"There is only one truth: there was no external enemy. The killer is among us."
Jiraiya's gaze returned to the corridor.
The commotion in Asuma's room was so loud that even Konohamaru had been woken up and rushed over.
The innkeeper also came once but was sent away by him.
Why was Boruto the only one who hadn't appeared yet?
"Also, the character 'He' on the floor—I hadn't introduced that person to you yet, so Asuma didn't know who that person was and could only use that character as a substitute."
Jiraiya took out a sealing scroll from behind him, stepped forward, and handed it to Shikamaru.
"..."
Shikamaru took the scroll, sealed Asuma's body, and then handed it back to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya summoned a toad and instructed it to take the scroll back to Konoha.
Afterward, the two of them sat down weakly in the room that was now a crime scene, spending the night in silence.
Jiraiya gradually understood everything.
After realizing who the killer was, he felt utterly confused, but no matter how unreasonable it seemed, this was the only possibility now.
At the same time, Jiraiya understood that the source of all this stemmed from Tsunade not honoring their initial agreement.
In fact, when Tsunade mentioned this matter to him and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya felt that it wasn't necessary to proceed in that manner.
His understanding of Bai Mo mainly came from their conversation on the roof of the Four Violet Flames Formation and Naruto's description.
In short, Jiraiya felt that Bai Mo could be trusted.
But Tsunade was the Hokage. If she wanted to be cautious and think one step ahead, Jiraiya couldn't really say anything against it.
Jiraiya now regretted not having tried harder to persuade Tsunade back then.
....
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