After encountering the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Momoshiki realized one thing: most of Konoha's Jonin had been dispatched on missions. But what kind of mission required so many Jonin? Nothing major had happened recently.
"Forget it. The most important thing now is to find a mobile power source to supply chakra, or this shadow clone will disappear," Momoshiki muttered under his breath.
When he refocused, he found himself standing in front of the Hokage's office. He decided to inquire about Sage Mode first; developing this ninjutsu later would require some reference material.
Having made his decision, Momoshiki walked toward the Hokage's office as usual. Before he could knock, he heard voices inside and, out of curiosity, began eavesdropping.
"How much research did he steal exactly?" Naruto's voice asked.
"That… it's impossible to calculate," came the reply. It had to be Kawaki being referenced.
"What do you mean by impossible to calculate? Too much?" the other voice, resembling Shikadai, asked. It was likely Nara Shikamaru.
"Because he learned so much from there, I'm not even sure how many techniques he actually mastered," Kawaki replied, his voice trembling.
"Shikamaru, don't worry. We've already mobilized the Jonin and the police units in the village these past few days. We should have news soon," Naruto said reassuringly.
"This isn't about worrying or not. You know the techniques in the research lab. Just the one Boruto used during the Chunin Exams alone could disrupt the ninja world. Not to mention the countless other techniques in the lab. If they leaked, the ninja world could never be at peace again," Shikamaru explained, his tone serious.
"Has the intelligence unit identified this person yet?" Naruto asked.
"We investigated. He's not a spy, but from his private conversations, we learned there's some friction between him and Kawaki," Shikamaru said.
"I've never had any conflict with him! How could there be such news?" Kawaki protested anxiously.
"Don't panic. Let's hear Shikamaru's findings first," Naruto said, soothing Kawaki.
Seeing Naruto calm Kawaki, Shikamaru continued, "He thinks he's more talented than you, but because you hold the position of lab director, he's been resentful. Perhaps someone promised him a chance to show his skills, and lured him away. The key question is which organization is orchestrating all of this behind the scenes."
"Hmm… any progress on that front?" Naruto asked.
"None at all. He vanished as if into thin air. Even Konoha's sensory barriers detected nothing. It's very strange," Shikamaru said.
"There's really no choice now. We'll have to cast a wide net," Naruto sighed, leaning back in his chair.
Suddenly, the Hokage's office door opened. Seeing "Boruto," Naruto asked helplessly, "Boruto, what are you doing in the Hokage's office?"
Momoshiki, completely focused on eavesdropping, hadn't expected a ninja to push open the office door. He was only a shadow clone, with perception far weaker than his original body. Boruto himself was preoccupied and couldn't fully maintain the clone's senses, leaving Momoshiki momentarily unprepared. Fortunately, almost everyone inside recognized him, so no one questioned who he was. Everyone knew the Seventh Hokage's son was a mischievous child, so they paid little attention.
Momoshiki scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Uh… I'm here to ask my father about Sage Techniques. I overheard you discussing something important, so I didn't come in."
"Doesn't matter. Hearing it won't hurt. Just don't tell anyone," Naruto said, not thinking much of Boruto having listened.
"Then I'll be going," Momoshiki said, feeling a sudden ominous premonition and turning to leave quickly.
"Boruto, I actually have something for you to do," Naruto called out at that exact moment.
Reluctantly, Momoshiki turned to face Naruto. His nervous expression caught Naruto's attention.
"Boruto, you didn't get into trouble with your mom again, did you?" Naruto guessed, looking at Boruto's tense demeanor.
"N-No, of course not!"
Naruto looked at "Boruto." His eyes flickered, his limbs stiff. Naruto immediately understood and said, "Alright, I'll give you a mission. If you complete it successfully, I won't tell your mom."
"Really? Show me the mission!" Boruto or rather, Momoshiki rushed to the Hokage's desk, excited.
Seeing Boruto's reaction, Naruto was sure it was him. After all, no one could imitate Boruto this perfectly without spending significant time with him. He rifled through the piles of paperwork on his desk and handed a C-rank mission to "Boruto":
"Complete this mission alone within a week."
Momoshiki accepted the mission file and began reading. The C-rank mission required traveling to the forests of the Hyuga Clan territory to collect items. Could this really be considered C-rank?
Seeing the puzzled expression, Naruto explained: "Outsiders cannot enter Hyuga territory. The client said these items can only be collected in the forest there, so the difficulty is set as C-rank."
"Isn't a C-rank mission supposed to involve bandits or something? This seems different," Momoshiki remarked.
"The client believes entering Hyuga territory without permission is just as difficult as fighting bandits, so it's rated C-rank." Naruto suppressed his own urge to complain and continued issuing the mission.
"Ah… I see," Momoshiki said with a small smile. It was a little funny. When did C-rank missions start being like this? After peace returned to the ninja world, mission difficulty seemed to have generally declined.