Naruto stretched out his hand and poked him gently in the ribs.
"Ouch." Boruto grinned.
"Well, it's not broken." Naruto retracted his hand and his tone returned to normal, "How's it going inside?"
"It's over."
Naruto paused when he heard these three words. He was confirming the meaning of "end".
Boruto looked into his father's eyes and said clearly, "The core is stable and the dissipation has stopped. Yamada is being held in the hands of Sarada."
"Where's Shiki?"
"It's over too."
Naruto didn't ask any more questions. He put his hand on Boruto's shoulder. The palm was broad and thick, not heavy, but placed firmly. He paused like this for about three seconds, and then patted it hard.
"Let's go pick up Sarada."
Lying in the depression were six tightly tied prisoners, all alive. Boruto glanced at these people and remembered Yamada's words, "They won't listen to me."
Yes, the target of these people has never been Yamada himself. Yamada is just an intelligence source and a disposable chess piece.
Yamada knows this better than anyone else. This person's situation is much more isolated than Boruto imagined.
When Sarada escorted Yamada out, Yamada's steps were still steady and his expression was indifferent. Only when his eyes swept over the six accomplices who were tied to the ground, he paused for a moment.
That was not an accident, it was a confirmation that "it is indeed the case".
"You knew they would come." Boruto said. This is not a question.
"I know the time window, but I don't know exactly how many people came." Yamada replied calmly.
"So you have to complete the ceremony before them." Boruto quickly clarified the logic chain, "They are another group of forces that want to compete for the core. Although you are not in the same camp, you use the same intelligence channel. This is a race. Whoever arrives first will get the result."
Yamada did not deny it, and even had a faint wry smile on his lips, "Your derivation speed is much faster than you look."
"Thank you." Boruto's tone was as calm as if he were checking out at a convenience store, "Then who is behind them?"
"Otsutsuki is a peripheral organization of the remaining forces." Yamada said, "Their purpose is not to control the core, but to destroy it."
The air in the venue froze for a second.
Naruto was the first to speak, with a low voice. "Is it good for them to destroy the core, or is it harmful to us?"
"Both, but focusing on the latter." Yamada explained, "Once the consciousness of God returns and stabilizes, the corrosive power left by Otsutsuki will gradually degrade. For those who rely on the corrosive power to survive, this is a disaster. Therefore, destroying the core is an act to extend their lives."
Sarada quickly digested this information. "So, you two, from two completely opposite directions, are fighting for control of the same result."
"Accurate."
"Then who discovered this place first, you or them?"
This question made Yamada freeze for a moment. "Me," he said, but the pause was too obvious, as if he was hiding something, "Half a year ago."
Boruto didn't delve into that pause, but just kept it in mind.
He took the initiative to change the topic without giving Naruto a chance to interrupt, "Tell us about the antidote."
"After the consciousness of God returns to its original position, the degradation of the corrosive power will occur naturally without the need for additional formulas." Yamada said, "But this will take time and is not immediate. It depends on the degree of the individual being corroded, ranging from three months to one year."
"Is there no way to speed up?"
"It should be among the marks Shiki left on you."
Boruto was stunned for a moment and looked at Yamada. There was something particularly subtle in the other party's expression - it wasn't gloating or sympathy, it was more like saying, "You revealed this card yourself."
He lowered his head and sunk his attention deep into his consciousness.
The pile of information is still there, like a thick ancient book without a table of contents. Boruto tried to search using the index left by the formula - the logical sequence was completely different from his own thinking habits, with a certain ancient and anti-human precision. It was a bit difficult to use, but very efficient.
Found it.
It's not a specific prescription, but a set of principles for applying the technique.
"It requires the cooperation of someone with Sharingan or Byakugan," Boruto raised his head with bright eyes, "Applying Chakra resonance of a specific frequency on the eroded Node can compress the degradation period to one to two weeks."
Sarada glanced at him and hesitated: "How did you-"
"Left by Shiki."
Silence spread between the two people for two seconds.
Sarada turned his head away and said no more. Naruto pursed his lips and said nothing. Yamada looked at this scene and said nothing, just silently turned his eyes away - this was probably the most polite thing he did today.
Boruto drew his attention back from inside, stood up straight, and patted the dust off his body.
"It's time to go," he said, "Yamada, you come with us."
"I don't have a choice?"
"It never existed."
Yamada looked at him for a while and did not argue.
The road back was much easier than when we came. The moon finally broke through the clouds, and the cold moonlight shone on the ground, stretching the shadows of the four people very long. Boruto walked in the middle, flanked by Sarada and Naruto. Yamada walked half a step behind Naruto, with a rope tied around his waist, but not tied tightly.
Boruto knows that this is the leeway left by Sarada - that is not mercy, but gives Yamada a chance to "try to escape" so that she has a reason to beat the person more thoroughly.
Yamada did not escape.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Naruto suddenly said, "Yamada, how many years have you been studying this matter?"
"Thirty-one years."
Naruto said nothing. But Boruto secretly glanced at his father's expression. There was a complex emotion hidden there. It was not admiration or anger, but an indescribable heaviness that arose after seeing a person bet his whole life on one thing.
Boruto understands this feeling because his dad is that kind of person.
"Evolution," Boruto said confusedly, "What do you mean by evolution you keep talking about? Be specific, and don't tell me nonsense like "the barrier between man and God."
Yamada walked in silence for a few steps before slowly speaking, "It is a fundamental reorganization of the structure of Chakra. The specific performance is currently unpredictable, but in theory, individuals with bloodline will awaken new ability paths within the radiation range of the return of God's consciousness. It does not become stronger, but becomes... different."
"Then why did you spend thirty-one years pursuing this matter?"
Yamada paused for a second. In that second, it seemed as if something heavy sank and floated up again.
"I have a student who died from the erosion of Otsutsuki power. He was nineteen years old." His voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing someone, "That kind of death..." He did not go on.
No one urged him. The night wind howled, covering up the unfinished words.
After walking for a while, Naruto suddenly asked, "What's the child's name?"
"Call the light."
"Good name."
Yamada didn't say thank you, he just remained silent and his steps didn't change.