"I will protect the village." Boruto whispered, his voice firm but unable to hide a trace of trembling.
"How to protect him?" Tsukihime sneered, his white clothes swaying gently in the wind and sand, his silver eyes piercing his soul like cold stars, "What if I send ten people here? Twenty people? Can you stop me?"
Boruto Silence.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Tsukihime is right - last time, he was almost killed on the spot when only three soldiers from his family came. If she hadn't come to save him, Leaf would have been reduced to rubble.
"I know what you are thinking." Tsukihime walked closer, his tone suddenly softened, "You are thinking about your family, your village, your responsibility... You want to be a perfect Hokage and a qualified father."
She paused and her voice was like a knife:
"But have you ever thought about it - if you die, who will protect them? What will Kiyomi do? Kota Who will teach him Rasengan in the future? Naruto will have to endure the pain of a white-haired person sending a black-haired person to someone else in his later years?"
Boruto raised his head suddenly, anger and pain flashing in his eyes.
"So you want me to die?"
"It's not about dying." Tsukihime shook his head, "It's about attacking first."
She raised her hand and pointed to the starry sky. "We are still evaluating the combat power of this planet. They don't know that you have mastered Fuinjutsu, and they don't know that I am on your side. This is the only chance."
The wind and sand roared, and the three of them stood by the pit, like the only Watcher left in the world.
Gaara finally spoke, "Boruto."
"Huh?"
"I think what Tsukihime said makes sense." He looked calmly, "Passive defense is not the answer. Back then, my father was too conservative and thought that forming an alliance would ensure Sunagakure's peace. In the end, he was almost beaten by Akatsuki. Sometimes... attack is the best defense."
Boruto turned to look at him. "You think so too?"
"Yes." Gaara nodded, "Because I am Kazekage, so I understand that when the storm is destined to come, instead of waiting for it to destroy everything, it is better to rush into the center of the storm and tear open its core."
Boruto Close your eyes.
Countless images come to mind:
Kota is sweating profusely in Training Ground;
Kiyomi smiled and asked him "Are you tired today?" in the kitchen;
Naruto sat on Hokage Rock and looked into the distance and said, "The destiny of a ninja is to keep fighting";
The smiling faces of the villagers, the brightly lit streets, the sounds of children running and cheering...
If he stays, these may all disappear one day.
But if he leaves, maybe he can get permanent peace.
One person's journey can lead to the peaceful sleep of thousands of people.
"Give me some time." He opened his eyes, his voice hoarse, "I need to think about it."
"Don't think about it for too long." Tsukihime turned around to leave, "I won't wait for you."
The three returned to Sunagakure.
As night falls, yellow sand covers the ground, and the moonlight shines on the roof, glowing with a cold white light.
Boruto is sitting alone in the room, with the endless desert outside the window.
He took out a photo from his arms - a group photo of a family of three.
That was taken half a year ago, in a garden with cherry blossoms in full bloom.
Kota was riding on his shoulders and smiling brightly, Kiyomi was leaning in his arms, stroking his Forehead Protector with her fingertips, and he himself was smiling like a carefree young man.
At that time, there was no Otsutsuki, there was no blood pulsation, and there was no cold whisper coming from the body when I woke up late at night.
At that time, he was just Kota's father, Kiyomi's husband, and Hokage's Leaf.
How simple and how happy.
The door was pushed open gently.
Gaara walked in, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand.
"Still not asleep?"
"Can't sleep." Boruto took the tea but didn't drink it.
Gaara sat down and looked at him. "Thinking of your family?"
Boruto nodded.
"I understand." Gaara looked out the window, "I faced a similar choice back then - whether to sacrifice myself for the village, or to give up the village for myself."
Boruto looked at him. "How did you choose?"
"I chose the village." Gaara said in a calm voice, "Because I carry Kazekage's bamboo hat on my back, so I can't live just for myself."
He paused for a moment and his tone became gentle. "But you are different. You have a family, a son, and a wife. Your choices will affect their future."
"So what should I do?" Boruto asked in a low voice.
"I don't know." Gaara shook his head, "Only you can answer this question."
He stood up and turned around before leaving and said:
"But I can tell you one thing - no matter what you choose, you won't regret it."
"Because there is no use regretting."
"Action makes sense."
The door is closed.
Boruto continued to sit until dawn.
In the early morning, Tsukihime came to see him.
She stood at the door, the sun falling behind her, like a god descending.
"Have you thought about it?"
"Not yet." Boruto smiled bitterly, "But I know I have to do it."
"Then go." Tsukihime said calmly, "But don't delay for too long."
"Wait." Boruto suddenly stopped her.
Tsukihime stopped.
"What are the chances of winning if I go...?"
This time, she didn't shy away.
"Less than 30%." She answered truthfully, "The strength of our family is far beyond your imagination. They control the laws of space, have immortal bodies, and can even walk in the Void. In a head-on battle, you have almost no chance of winning."
"So low?" Boruto felt nervous.
"But if you don't go." Tsukihime looked back, "The chance of winning is zero."
Go, there is still a glimmer of hope.
If you don't go, you can only wait to die.
"I need to go back to the village," he said, "To arrange some things."
"Yes." Tsukihime nodded, "But we must be quick. Time will not wait for us."
Three days later, Leaf.
The morning light showed slightly, and the figure of Boruto appeared in Village Entrance.
Shikamaru was on patrol. When he saw him coming back, he breathed a sigh of relief, "You're back."
"Sunagakure How is it over there?"
"It's very troublesome." Boruto looked solemn, "Call all Jonin and have a meeting immediately."
"Now?"
"Yes."
An hour later, the Hokage Building conference room was brightly lit.
Sasuke, Sakura, Hyuga Hanabi, Aburame Shino, Yamanaka Inojin, Naruto... all the senior executives gathered together.
"What happened?" Naruto frowned.
Boruto told Sunagakure's discovery, the existence of the experimental subject, and Tsukihime's proposal word for word.
The conference room fell into dead silence.
"You mean... you want to take the initiative to attack Otsutsuki main family?" Sasuke finally broke the silence with a low voice.
"Crazy!" Sakura stood up suddenly, "That's too dangerous! Do you know what Otsutsuki main family means? That is an existence that even First Hokage cannot touch!"
"But passive defense is more dangerous." Boruto looked directly at everyone, "They are already testing us. Next time, there may not be three, but thirty or three hundred! When the time comes, what will we use to block them?"
He looked around the audience and his voice was as firm as iron:
"So I'm going to go. Strike first before they are fully prepared."
"Boruto, you are Hokage." Shikamaru reminded in a deep voice, "You can't take risks casually."
"So I have to arrange everything." Boruto took a deep breath, "If I can't come back--"
Everyone held their breath.
"Hokage Position, succeeded by Sasuke."