The Beginning of Change

Boruto and Hikari were eating when they heard the noise.

They thought Hinata had come back from grocery shopping.

Instead, Naruto opened the door and came in with Sasuke.

"Dad... uh, hello, Mr. Sasuke."

Boruto looked somewhat awkward. After all, Sarada had just run off because he had upset her.

But Sasuke looked perfectly normal, as if he knew nothing about what had just happened.

"Come on, Boruto. Today is important."

"Hikari, you come too. Your teacher will be testing you today."

The four of them arrived at Orochimaru's laboratory together.

After Shikamaru became Hokage, his methods proved far more effective than Naruto's.

The funding for Orochimaru's experiments alone had increased tenfold.

Orochimaru's circumstances had now changed completely from before.

The laboratory had not only gained all sorts of new equipment, but many experiments were also being conducted simultaneously.

When they arrived, two people were standing beside Orochimaru.

One had flowing black hair, a cold face, and an overwhelming presence.

The other had a head of white hair, wore blue Warring States Era armor, and was a Reanimated Body.

They were none other than Uchiha Madara and the reanimated Tobirama.

The three of them stood before a medical bed.

And lying on that bed was... Boruto!?

"...The Karma thawing rate in Boruto's body is still insufficient, but even after Boruto's soul has been extracted, it still maintains a minimum level of activity."

"No matter how active his soul is, it will be ground to pieces by Impure World Reincarnation. He is quite a rare specimen..."

"To prevent him from reviving, it would be best to convert him using Impure World Reincarnation..."

"Boruto's eye is absorbing the power of Karma. This eye can be put to use."

"We can't wait any longer. If Momoshiki's soul awakens, there may be unforeseen complications."