Boruto sat down against the stone wall, breathing heavily.
The sweat on his face dripped down his cheeks and hit the blood on the ground, turning a dark red color.
Sarada squatted in front of him, neatly took out a bandage from the ninja bag, and very skillfully bandaged the wound on Boruto's arm that was scratched by the gravel.
"Does it hurt?"
"It's okay." Boruto twitched the corner of his mouth, "It feels much better than just now."
Sarada paused in his hand movements and did not answer.
The air was so quiet that only the crackling sound of burning torches was left.
Boruto stared at the withered bones of the demonized wolf on the ground. The corpse had been completely weathered, as if time had drained all its life away.
"Did I... almost become that guy just now?"
"No." Sarada raised his head with firm eyes, "You still recognize me and can hear me speak, which means you are still you."
"But I can feel that the voice is getting clearer and clearer." Boruto clenched his fists, "It is laughing at me, saying that I am too weak, saying that this body will belong to it sooner or later."
Sarada was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly slapped him on the forehead.
"It hurts!"
"Sober up." Sarada stood up and patted the dust on his hands, "If you really become Otsutsuki, I will kill you first."
Boruto was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, "You really dare to say that."
"I'm serious." Sarada turned and walked towards the depths of the passage, "So don't die and don't change. I don't want to cry in front of a corpse or a monster."
Boruto Looking at her back, a warmth surged in her chest.
He stood up supporting the wall and followed.
The two of them continued walking along the passage.
This path is much wider than before, and there are fewer cracks on the walls. It feels like entering another area of the maze.
After walking for about ten minutes, a stone door appeared in front of us.
The door is carved with complex patterns, and it can be vaguely seen as some kind of ancient writing.
"This is..." Sarada looked closer, "Ōtsutsuki Clan's text?"
Boruto's heart skipped a beat.
He reached out and touched the stone door. As soon as his fingertips touched the surface, Karma Seal on his left hand suddenly became hot.
"Buzz--"
The lines on the stone door lit up with white light, echoing the Karma Seal on Boruto's hand.
"Boruto, your hand!"
The white lines spread from the left hand again, but this time they did not spread to the whole body, they just stayed on the arm.
The stone door slowly opened, revealing the space inside.
It was a circular room with a Stone Platform in the center and a transparent crystal ball on the table.
There is a ray of golden light floating inside the crystal ball, like some kind of energy body.
"What is this?" Sarada looked around warily.
The room was very clean, no blood, no bones, not even dust.
This unnatural neatness is unsettling.
Boruto moves towards Stone Platform, and Karma Seal feels more and more hot.
"Don't go there!" Sarada grabbed him, "This might be a trap."
"No, this thing is calling me." Boruto shook off her hand and stepped closer to Stone Platform.
He could clearly feel that the energy in the crystal ball and Karma Seal produced Resonance, like two magnets attracting each other.
Just when his hand was about to touch the crystal ball, the room suddenly shook.
"Boom--"
The stone door slammed shut, and numerous cracks opened in the wall. Black vines emerged from the cracks and grew wildly, covering the entire room in the blink of an eye.
"There is indeed a problem!" Sarada pulled out his dagger and cut off the incoming vines with one strike.
But there are too many vines. If one is cut off, ten will immediately replace it.
Boruto also took out his kunai and stood back to back with Sarada.
"These vines are Chakra!" Sarada shouted, "They are absorbing our physical strength!"
Boruto looked down at his left hand.
Karma Seal's lines were beating violently, as if urging him to use his power.
"No, you can't use Karma Seal anymore." He gritted his teeth and suppressed the urge.
The vines are getting denser and denser, and the space for the two of them to move is constantly being compressed.
Sarada's forehead broke out in cold sweat, and his breathing began to quicken.
"Boruto, I have a way, but I need your cooperation."
"Say!"
"The core of these vines should be the crystal ball." Sarada pointed at Stone Platform, "You use Karma Seal to absorb its energy, and I will cover you."
"But I'll lose control--"
"Then suck it up before it gets out of control!" Sarada interrupted him, "Believe me and believe in yourself!"
Boruto looked at her firm eyes and took a deep breath.
"Okay."
He rushed towards Stone Platform, and vines immediately rushed in crazily, trying to stop him.
Sarada stood behind him and waved his dagger into a sheet of silver light, cutting off all the vines.
"Quick!"
Boruto stretched out his hand and pressed it on the crystal ball.
Karma Seal exploded instantly, and the white lines penetrated into the crystal ball like living creatures, absorbing the energy inside crazily.
The golden light dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The vines in the room began to wither and lose their vitality.
But at the same time, Boruto's eyes turned golden again, and the lines on his body spread to his neck.
"Boruto!" Sarada turned around and saw his state, his heart tightened.
"I... can still hold on..." Boruto gritted his teeth, and veins popped up on his forehead.
In my mind, that cold voice sounded again:
"Stupid vessel, do you think you can control my power? This body will eventually belong to me."
"Shut up!" Boruto roared, using all his strength to drain the last trace of energy from the crystal ball.
"Click--"
The crystal ball shattered and turned into countless fragments scattered on the ground.
The vines withered completely and the room returned to calm.
Boruto fell to his knees, breathing heavily, and the lines on his body slowly faded away.
Sarada ran over to help him. "Are you okay?"
"It's okay..." Boruto raised his head, his eyes had returned to blue, "I'm just a little tired."
He looked at the fragments on the ground and suddenly noticed words engraved on one of them.
"This is..."
Sarada picked up the fragment and identified it carefully. "'Training Ground·Third Floor·Energy Collection Device'...Training Ground?"
The two looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.
"This maze is not a tomb." Boruto said slowly, "It is Training Ground left behind by the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"Those who died here..." Sarada turned pale.
"They are all trial products." Boruto clenched his fists, "And so are we."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wall on the other side of the room suddenly opened, revealing a staircase extending downward.
At the end of the stairs, there was a strange whisper, as if countless people were talking at the same time.
Sarada swallowed. "There... is something down there."
Boruto stood up and looked towards the stairs.
Deep in the darkness, something seemed to be waiting for them.
And the Karma Seal on his left hand started to get hot again.