Yamada's Question

Naruto reached out and gave Boruto's ribs a gentle poke.

"Ow." Boruto grimaced.

"Mm, nothing's broken." Naruto withdrew his hand, his tone returning to normal. "How are things inside?"

"It's over."

At those words, Naruto's movements paused. He was making sure he understood what "over" meant.

Boruto met his father's eyes and spoke clearly. "The core is stable, and the energy has stopped dissipating. Yamada's in Sarada's custody."

"What about Shiki?"

"That's over too."

Naruto asked nothing more. He rested a hand on Boruto's shoulder. His palm was broad and solid, its weight light, but his grip firm. He held it there for about three seconds, then gave Boruto's shoulder a hearty pat.

"Come on. Let's go get Sarada."

Six captives lay securely bound in the hollow. All of them were alive. Boruto glanced at them and remembered Yamada's words: "They won't listen to me."

That was right. These people had never been after Yamada himself. He was just an information source, a pawn to be discarded once he'd served his purpose.

Yamada knew this better than anyone. His circumstances were far more isolated than Boruto had imagined.

When Sarada brought Yamada out, his steps were still steady and his expression impassive. Only when his gaze passed over the six bound accomplices did it pause for an instant.

It wasn't surprise. It was the confirmation of something he'd expected.

"You knew they were coming." Boruto's words weren't a question.

"I knew the window of time. I didn't know exactly how many were coming," Yamada replied calmly.

"So you wanted to finish the ritual before they got here." Boruto quickly pieced together the logic. "They're another faction trying to seize the core. You're not on the same side, but you're using the same information channel. It's a race. Whoever gets here