Friends (1)

Meanwhile, Boruto's Shadow Clone—the Boruto who had remained at the ninja target range—received the full outcome of the battle when the clone dispersed.

The moment he learned that Shino had regained consciousness, Boruto immediately activated the Jōgan. His terrifying vision swiftly searched the surroundings for that familiar figure.

If he had guessed correctly, she, the mastermind behind everything, would definitely be hiding nearby, waiting for Nue to return with the results.

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

The Chakra drifting through the air, known as Ghost, also flew toward Sumire Kakei and ultimately entered her body.

Everything happened silently. The girl believed she had hidden herself well, unaware that every move she made was under someone else's watchful eye.

Then Boruto's pupils narrowed slightly. Sumire had used Wood Release. Though it was an incomplete form of Wood Release, it was enough to prove her own strength. (It was mentioned in the original work.)

Seeing that Sumire was about to slip away, Boruto understood that it was time for him to step in and wrap things up!

Using several Body Flicker Techniques, he arrived ahead of Sumire's path. While waiting, Boruto silently refined Sage Chakra, preparing himself to face a powerful enemy.

She was coming. Sumire moved quickly, probably because she was rushing back to the classroom. She advanced toward the school with a Body Flicker Technique every few steps.

After Sumire used her next Body Flicker Technique, Boruto appeared. Using the same technique, he instantly descended before her. Unable to stop her momentum, Sumire actually lunged straight at him.

I thought she would react instantly. Did I overestimate her?

Puff—

Sumire truly had not expected someone to discover her trail, much less block her path. In her rush, she failed to react in time and crashed straight into the other person's arms.

Only after her mind briefly went blank did Sumire realize that her secret had been discovered. How could she have any spare time to be embarrassed?

So the girl in Boruto's arms moved. With swift movements, she pulled a kunai from the ninja pouch on her back and struck, intending to stab him.

"Hey, hey, don't be so scary. I just wanted to remind you that there's a speed limit here," Boruto said in a teasing tone.

Sumire froze the moment his words fell. She recognized whose voice it was, and because she had acted so quickly out of caution, it was already too late to pull back the kunai she had thrust forward.

While worrying for Boruto, she gradually hardened her heart as well. All her efforts, all the training she had undergone since childhood, had been for revenge!!!

Boruto merely curled his lips into a smile. His palm pressed against the sharp kunai with a crisp crack. In Sage Mode, Boruto's body had been greatly enhanced. Ordinary ninja tools could no longer harm him.

Sumire suddenly froze. She had originally planned to wound Boruto and flee, but she had never expected even such a swift attack to be blocked by him.

Boruto, meanwhile, wrapped an arm around Sumire's slender waist. Her pale purple hair had long since slipped out from beneath the black robe in her panic. With great interest, Boruto prepared to remove Sumire's mask, as though merely curious.

Having her trail discovered was not a major problem, because it would not affect what came next. But if her identity was exposed, forget revenge—she would likely have no place left in the Hidden Leaf Village, or even the Shinobi World!

Even if the one trying to remove her mask was Boruto, the boy she had always liked.

Sumire violently broke free and escaped Boruto's arms. She then pulled out another kunai and faced him. She could no longer care about the awkwardness or embarrassment of their contact. Escaping this place was the most important thing.

She did not make a sound. That would undoubtedly increase the risk of exposure. She only wanted to get away as quickly as possible, even praying in her heart, Please, Boruto, don't stop me.

The air grew tense. The two stood atop separate trees, silently confronting each other. Neither spoke.

After a long while, Boruto moved. This action instantly tightened Sumire's nerves to the limit, but what followed was her astonishment and utterly bewildered delight.

Because Boruto suddenly said, "I need to get to class, so I won't fool around with you anymore."

After saying that, Boruto truly left the area, showing no intention of attacking again.

This outcome was undoubtedly the best for everyone. As long as the mask concealing her identity was not removed, they could still be the closest classmates and friends in their everyday lives.

Afterward, Boruto found Mitsuki and their teacher, who were slowly returning to school. Both looked somewhat bedraggled, especially Shino, whose mood remained very low.

Perhaps he felt guilty over his reckless actions, or perhaps because he had been saved by his own students. In any case, even without Ghost possessing him, his complexion was still unhealthy and somewhat pale, carrying more helplessness than anything else behind his wan smile.

"Sensei, Mitsuki, I've been waiting for you two forever. Hurry back so we can continue class. We've already had two periods of self-study," Boruto said with a smile as he approached.

"Boruto... you..." Shino said bitterly, not knowing what to say.

"Well, this morning's combat simulation lesson taught me a lot. Thinking about how to turn things around in an extreme situation really gave me a hard time!"

Boruto scratched the back of his head and spoke with an easy yet faintly troubled smile.

Boruto and Mitsuki quickly exchanged glances, and the latter immediately understood. "That's right, Sensei. Your ability to adapt on the spot, as well as your taijutsu and ninjutsu, undoubtedly make you an outstanding ninja."

"You two..." Seeing this, Shino could not help but smile in relief.

"You both performed wonderfully too, especially Boruto. Your control of the battlefield, your professional analysis of the enemy's strengths and our weaknesses, and your use of the terrain to turn defeat into victory—I'm very pleased by your growth."

Great! Sensei is definitely going to praise me in front of Hinata now. I'm soaring from here!

Outside the school, Sumire, who had narrowly escaped disaster, removed her black robe and sealed it inside a ninja tool scroll, preventing anyone else from discovering it.

After sprinting all the way, she finally saw the familiar school. Yet the flush on her face had not faded in the slightest despite being far away from Boruto. Had she simply run too fast?

After calming her breathing, she slightly adjusted her hairstyle and tried to make her appearance look as normal as possible.

Her messy hair could be fixed by hand, but the rosy glow on her face was beyond her control. She could only go to the restroom for a quick wash, hoping the cold water would take away the heat from her cheeks.

Only after finishing all that did Sumire slowly return to class. Yet what she had not expected was that among the many figures sitting cross-legged on the field, there was a conspicuous figure who absolutely should not have been there.

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

It was as if she had seen something terrifying. After all, when they had parted, Boruto had left in the opposite direction from her. How had he returned to class before her?

Unable to make sense of the situation, she naturally returned to the class and sat among the girls she usually chatted with. Yet her gaze kept drifting toward that direction, intentionally or otherwise.

Chocho Akimichi: "Class rep, why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?"

Sumire shuddered awkwardly, her expression panicked. "N-No, I don't. It's probably because the weather is too hot."

Chocho looked up at the sky. Thick clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, blocking the clear sky and concealing the bright red sun above them.

In other words, it was an overcast day. Not only was it not hot, but cool breezes occasionally drifted through the air.

So is the class rep really okay? Or is she too exhausted from managing the class?

As she thought, her hand kept reaching into the bag of chips to grab more, crunching away noisily.

Well, chips and a cool breeze—this was the perfect time to enjoy herself.