Friends (1)

On the other side, the Shadow Clone of Boruto, who had remained at the ninja training grounds, received the results of the battle as the clone dissipated.

Upon learning that Shino had regained consciousness, Boruto immediately activated the Jōgan, using its terrifying vision to quickly search for a familiar figure in the surroundings.

If he wasn't mistaken, the mastermind behind it all would be hiding somewhere on the scene, waiting for Nue to bring back the results.

Sure enough, on a lush tree in the dense forest, stood a beautiful girl whose delicate figure was concealed by a black robe.

The Chakra, referred to as the Ghost, that drifted in the air flew towards Sumire Kakei, eventually merging into her body.

Everything happened quietly; the girl thought she was hiding well, unaware that her every move was being watched by another person.

Immediately afterward, Boruto's pupils contracted, because Sumire Kakei used Wood Release, albeit with incomplete characteristics, but it was enough to prove her strength. (Mentioned in the original work)

Seeing that Sumire Kakei was about to slip away, Boruto understood that it was his turn to enter the stage and reap the rewards!

With a few Body Flicker Techniques, he arrived ahead of Sumire Kakei on her inevitable path. While waiting, Boruto silently refined Sage Chakra, preparing to face a formidable enemy.

Here she comes; Sumire Kakei was moving quickly, probably because she needed to get to the classroom, so she was using the Body Flicker Technique every few steps towards the school.

Just after Sumire Kakei's next Body Flicker Technique, Boruto appeared. Using the same technique, Boruto instantly descended in front of Sumire Kakei. Because Sumire Kakei couldn't stop her momentum, she directly lunged forward.

Boruto thought to himself: I thought she would react instantly, did I overestimate her?

Pfft—

Sumire Kakei really didn't expect anyone to discover her whereabouts and block her path. Anxious to get to class, she didn't react in time and plunged straight into his arms.

After a brief mental freeze, Sumire Kakei realized that her secret had been discovered. Could she afford to be shy?

So, the girl in Boruto's arms moved, quickly pulling a Kunai from the ninja pouch on her back, and with lightning speed, she was about to stab him.

"Whoa, don't be so scary, I just wanted to remind you about the speed limit here," Boruto's slightly teasing voice echoed.

The moment the words fell, Sumire Kakei froze, because she recognized the owner of the voice, and because her defensive measures were so quick, she couldn't retract the Kunai in time.

While feeling worried for Boruto, she gradually hardened her heart, because all her efforts, all the training she had received since childhood, were for revenge!!!

Boruto smirked, his palm against the sharp Kunai, and a crisp cracking sound echoed. Boruto's physical body, in Sage Mode, had been greatly enhanced; simple ninja tools could no longer harm him.

Sumire Kakei suddenly froze; she had originally planned to injure Boruto and then flee the scene, but she never expected that her swift counterattack would be blocked by Boruto.

Boruto then wrapped his arm around Sumire Kakei's slender waist. Her light purple hair had already been exposed from under the black robe in the chaos. Boruto was intrigued and prepared to remove Sumire Kakei's mask, as if out of curiosity.

Although her whereabouts had been discovered, it wasn't a big problem, because it wouldn't affect her subsequent actions, but if her identity was revealed, not to mention revenge, there would probably be no place for her in Konoha or even the Shinobi World!

Even if the person who wanted to remove her mask was Boruto, who had always had a good impression of her.

Sumire Kakei's delicate body trembled violently. After escaping Boruto's arms, she continued to pull out a new Kunai to confront him. At this point, she couldn't care less about the embarrassment and shyness; escaping from here was the top priority.

She didn't speak, as that would undoubtedly increase the risk of exposure. She just wanted to escape as much as possible, even praying in her heart: Please, Boruto, don't stop me.

The air became tense, the two standing on separate trees, silently confronting each other, neither speaking.

After a long time, Boruto moved, an action that undoubtedly made Sumire Kakei's nerves extremely tense, but what followed was her astonishment and incredibly bewildered surprise.

Because Boruto suddenly said, "I have to go to class, so I won't play with you anymore."

After saying that, Boruto really left the place, with no intention of attacking again.

This ending was undoubtedly the best for everyone. As long as the mask that concealed her identity was not removed, they would still be the best classmates and friends in normal times.

Afterward, Boruto found Mitsuki and their teacher, who were slowly returning to school. They looked a little disheveled, especially Shino, whose mood was consistently low.

Perhaps he felt guilty about his reckless behavior, or perhaps he was saved by his student. In any case, even without the Ghost possessing him, his complexion was not very healthy, a little pale, and more of a helpless and pale smile.

"Teacher, Mitsuki, I've been waiting for you for ages. Let's go back and continue the class; we've already had two periods of self-study," Boruto said with a smile as he approached.

"Boruto... you." Shino was a little bitter, not knowing what to say.

"Well, today's morning meeting's combat simulation class taught me a lot. Thinking about how to reverse the situation in an extreme environment also made me think for a long time!"

Boruto scratched the back of his head, smiling easily with a slightly worried expression.

Boruto and Mitsuki quickly exchanged glances, and the latter quickly understood, "Yes, teacher, your on-the-spot adaptability, as well as your taijutsu and ninjutsu, there is no doubt that you are a very excellent ninja."

"You guys..." Seeing this, Shino couldn't help but smile with relief.

"Your performance was also very outstanding, especially Boruto, your ability to control the battlefield, as well as your professional analysis of the enemy's strengths and our weaknesses, and using the advantages of the terrain to achieve a reversal, I am very pleased with your growth."

Boruto thought to himself: Great, now the teacher will inevitably praise me in front of Hinata, I'm going straight to the top!

Outside the school, Sumire Kakei, who had successfully escaped, retracted her black robe and sealed it in a ninja tool scroll, to avoid being discovered by others.

After a long run, she finally saw the familiar school, but the redness on her face did not fade away even though she was far away from Boruto. Could it be that she ran too fast?

She took a moment to adjust her breathing and slightly adjusted her hairstyle to make her appearance as normal as possible.

However, while she could manually correct her messy hair, she was powerless to do anything about the blush on her face, so she had to go to the restroom to wash her face with cool water, trying to take away the temperature of her cheeks.

After doing all this, Sumire Kakei slowly returned to the class, but to her surprise, among the many figures sitting cross-legged on the playground, there was a figure that shouldn't have been there.

"Bo... Boruto?" she murmured softly.

As if she had seen something terrifying, after all, Boruto had left in the opposite direction from her, but how could he have returned to the class before her?

Confused, she naturally returned to the class and sat among the sisters she usually chatted with, but her eyes always drifted towards that direction intentionally or unintentionally.

Chōchō Akimichi: "Hey Sumire, why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?"

Sumire Kakei trembled awkwardly, her expression flustered: "N-no, I don't. It's probably just because the weather's too hot."

Chōchō looked up at the sky. A clear expanse of clouds blocked the clear sky, also concealing the red sun above them.

In other words, it was a cloudy day. Not only was it not hot, but a cool breeze blew through the air from time to time.

Chōchō's thoughts: So, is Sumire really okay? Or is she just too tired from managing the class?

While pondering, she kept reaching into her bag of potato chips, pulling them out and crunching on them.

Well, chips and a cool breeze make for a great time.