Yamada's Prophecy

"This is bad," Shikamaru said bluntly. "The number of cases is still rising. We're up to forty-three now. We've isolated all the known patients, but we can't determine how it's spreading. Some of them never left the village or came into contact with anyone suspicious, yet they suddenly fell ill."

"It's not spreading," Boruto said. "It's activating. These people already had seeds of Ōtsutsuki energy inside them, but they were dormant. Did anything unusual happen recently that could have triggered their activation?"

Shikamaru and Naruto exchanged a look, their expressions turning complicated.

"Three days ago," Shikamaru said slowly, "there was an abnormal Chakra surge at the Training Ground east of the village. We thought it was an ordinary training accident, but now..."

"It was the core's Resonance," Boruto realized. "The fluctuation caused by God's consciousness returning to its place spread here and awakened the dormant seeds."

"Can you fix this?" Shikamaru asked, direct and urgent.

Looking at the suffering patients, Boruto felt the bridge tremble gently in the depths of his consciousness. It wasn't fear, but something... a sense of purpose.

"I can," he said. "But it'll take time, and I'll need your cooperation. I need a quiet room, and I can only treat one patient at a time. The Purification process can't be interrupted, or it'll be dangerous for both of us."

"How long will it take?"

"About an hour per patient. Forty-three cases... If I don't rest, it'll take two days and two nights."

"That's impossible," Naruto said at once. "Your Chakra isn't limitless. Your body will give out."

"I can share the burden," the bridge said in his consciousness. "I'll handle most of the Purification process. You only need to act as the conduit. That will reduce the strain considerably, and you'll be able to work for