Court of the Rift

Boruto understood. The planet feared loneliness, and that fear inclined it to choose the "safe" option, even if that meant strangling possibility. The Zeroth Generation Node had been sealed away not because it had failed, but because it had been too "successful."

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"Not do something, but refrain from doing something." The Zeroth Generation Node's form began to contract, directing its remaining energy toward Boruto. "Reject my guidance. Reject the 'shortcut' the planet offers. Tell it that you're willing to risk failure in exchange for a real future. This seal—" Its voice grew fainter. "—is my final gift. Keep it closed until you're ready to face your own destiny, rather than inherit ours."

Energy poured into Boruto's body—not seized, but given. He felt his Light Pattern undergo some kind of transformation, becoming more stable and more autonomous. The Zeroth Generation Node infused him with its last measure of independence, ensuring he wouldn't become a mere extension of the planet.

"One more thing." Before it fell completely silent, the ancient presence left him one final message. "Beware the 'gardeners.' They aren't survivors of the previous cycle, but the embodiment of the selection mechanism itself. The 'help' they offer is all part of a carefully laid trap."

Boruto's eyes snapped open. He realized he was back in the seawater, with the seal interface closing behind him. The void had stopped expanding, and the Rune array had stabilized again, though its arrangement had changed subtly—from imprisonment to... remembrance?

He swam upward, his Light Pattern leaving a solitary trail in the deep sea. The Five Great Nations were waiting for his report, his father was waiting for his return, and Sarada was waiting to share her discoveries about the people in black robes.

But he knew