Enemies (2)

Ring ring ring—

The class bell rang out like a melody, yet the students remained seated on the lawn, quietly waiting for their teacher to appear.

"Strange, it's already the third period. Where did the teacher go?" one student couldn't help asking.

"Yeah, Mitsuki didn't come to school this morning either," Denki said softly.

Mitsuki? Boruto was slightly stunned. He hadn't synced with his clone in a long time. Had the plot already progressed to Mitsuki coming to school?

Sumire Kakei stepped forward and tried to calm everyone down. "Everyone, please be quiet. The teacher might have been delayed by something. He'll be here soon."

Hearing that, everyone resumed their quiet discussions in small groups. But Boruto had nothing to talk about with them. Their information wasn't synced, and he might accidentally expose himself.

Where the hell had that Shadow Clone run off to? Had it skipped class with Mitsuki?

"Hey, Class Rep, do you know where Mitsuki went?"

Since Denki and the others didn't know why Mitsuki was late, Boruto could only ask the class representative.

Sumire Kakei: ???

Didn't you just fight the teacher together with Mitsuki? And now you're asking me where Mitsuki went?

But as class representative, and in order not to let the cat out of the bag—no, to avoid exposing herself—Sumire could only softly say, "He might have something to do today. You can go check his house after class."

It was a flawless answer. She guessed Boruto still didn't know her true identity, so she had to keep up her persona for as long as she could.

"Oh, okay." Boruto nodded and fell silent.

After smiling gently, Sumire returned to mingling with the girls as though nothing had happened.

But moments later, her expression suddenly turned tense. Her eyes widened as if she had discovered something terrifying, and she stood up from the lawn in a panic.

"What's wrong with the class rep?" one of the girls immediately noticed that something was off with Sumire and asked.

"Maybe she caught a cold. She just said the weather was really hot," replied a girl chewing on potato chips.

"Hot?"

The girl looked up. The sky was overcast, and if anything, the weather felt chilly. How could it possibly be called hot?

The class representative swiftly arrived at an empty clearing, her face filled with anxious panic as she repeatedly called for her summoned beast.

"Nue, what's wrong? Come out, quick!!"

Sumire stood there in a daze, as though she had lost her most precious treasure. Her vacant eyes made her look like a statue.

"Boruto... it was him!"

Sumire suddenly realized it. She had come into contact with Boruto before, and he was the only one who had seen through her identity and even stepped in to stop her.

As a student of the Hidden Leaf Village, she had heard of a peculiar sealing technique capable of severing the connection between a user and their summoned beast. Could it have happened back then...?

Sumire recalled the details of that moment. Aside from Boruto's warm embrace and broad palm, which had given her a full sense of security, it seemed he had done something else to her then.

Eek~ Sumire's cheeks flushed again. The emotions she had painstakingly calmed surged once more, like countless little deer stampeding through her heart—innocent, yet endlessly suggestive...

When Sumire returned to the class, she had regained her composure. Her expression was even somewhat cool and aloof, as though she had made up her mind.

Meanwhile, Shino and the others finally returned to the school. On the way, Shino and Mitsuki had tidied up their clothes so they would not look quite so disheveled.

The Shadow Clone encountered the original body on its way back, and the whole class's expressions instantly changed. They stared at the other Boruto mixed among them and fell into deep thought.

The whole class: Damn, you actually had a Shadow Clone attend class for you?

"Hahaha."

The two Borutos laughed awkwardly. Under Shino's astonished gaze and the dissatisfied stares of the entire class, Boruto dispelled the Shadow Clone, and all the memories from the past few days immediately flooded into his mind.

Shino: So the one who fought me all along was a Shadow Clone?

Sumire suddenly understood: No wonder this Boruto had been so well-behaved. He didn't know what had happened.

"Hey, Boruto, you actually used a Shadow Clone to attend class? Why didn't you tell us such a great idea earlier?" Iwabee was excited too, as though he had discovered something interesting.

"Ahem." Boruto coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkwardness. He argued, "I was sent by Shino to supervise you guys. He even taught me an amazing ninjutsu just now."

"Right, Shino?"

The pressure is on Shino.

Shino immediately caught on and helped Boruto smooth things over. "That's right. Part of the reason I missed class was because Boruto kept pestering me to teach him ninjutsu."

The class asked, "Then what ninjutsu did Boruto learn? Show us so we can learn from it too."

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't lose it next time.

The pressure is back on Boruto.

Mitsuki quietly returned to the group as though nothing had happened and calmly sat back down in his seat.

"Yeah, thanks to Shino. It took several class periods for me to learn such an amazing ninjutsu."

Boruto gave Shino a look that seemed to say, Do you believe I'll perform the Sexy Jutsu right here?

Shino's expression drastically changed. Although he had no idea what the brat was thinking, that look definitely meant Boruto had thought of something that would embarrass him.

The class had been thoroughly whetted with anticipation, while only Shino sensed that something was terribly wrong.

Boruto did not waste any words. He calmly and swiftly formed hand seals. "Sage Art: Fire Release: Fireworks!"

The next moment, countless tiny fireballs swirled around Boruto like mischievous children. Under his control, they shot rapidly into the sky, trailing long streaks of red light behind them.

Amid booming explosions, countless little fireballs burst in the sky, dyeing it with flames like a vast field of crimson clouds, blooming like fireworks—exquisitely beautiful.

After showing off, Boruto did not forget to add, "Shino's technique looks even better than mine!"

With that, everyone was immersed in the spectacular fiery-cloud fireworks, and they could not help looking forward to Shino's performance.

Shino said, "Ahem, it's class time now. Everyone, focus on the lesson."

After school, dusk had already fallen. Warm-colored lights gradually flickered to life along the dim streets, blending with the setting sun.

On the way home, Boruto walked alone, humming songs from the real world while keeping an eye on the endless stream of pedestrians.

He had long sensed that someone wanted to kill him, so Boruto walked slowly and deliberately kept away from the crowds.

Finally, the two arrived at a secluded place, shaded by patches of grass and large trees. The graceful figure in a black cloak behind Boruto also chose that moment to make her appearance.

Seeing this, Boruto stopped and turned back with a smile, meeting the murderous figure's gaze with open provocation.

"Not satisfied?" Boruto sneered.

"You used a Contract Seal on me? Anyone who knows my secret must die."

An unfamiliar voice came from the other side. Its gender could not be discerned. Clearly, Sumire had done some preparation.

Boruto smiled, the corner of his lips curling upward. His roguish, aggressive gaze swept over her, determined to see through her disguise.

Sumire said nothing more. Her hands flashed through seals. "Water Release: Foam Burst!"

The dry air gradually grew damp, fine water particles floating through the air before churning into foam and shooting toward him at high speed.

They flew out like dense bullets, disrupting the airflow while carrying tremendous kinetic force.

Boruto raised an eyebrow. "That won't kill me."

—Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction (B-rank)

Boruto lightly breathed out a wall of fire, evaporating every incoming projectile in the flames.

Sumire's expression grew solemn for no apparent reason. Was Boruto really that powerful?

He did not press his advantage, clearly treating this like a cat playing with a mouse. To Sumire, that gave her an opening instead.

She began moving across the lawn, searching for the right moment. But she did not know that Boruto's Jōgan gave him a 360-degree field of vision. He could not even be bothered to turn around and circle with Sumire.

Seeing that, Sumire moved around to Boruto's side, shaped her hand like a gun, and gathered a large mass of water droplets at her fingertips before firing them.

—Water Release: Water Spirit Wave!

If the previous Foam Burst was like a Gatling gun with numerous trajectories, then this Water Spirit Wave was more like a sniper rifle. If Sumire had enough Chakra, it could even unleash the power of a Barrett.

Boruto merely raised his hand. A Rasengan slowly spun in his palm, and under the Jōgan's lock, the Water Spirit Wave was blocked by the Rasengan. Then Boruto raised his hand and threw the Rasengan.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall." Sumire reacted swiftly.

But the instant the Water Formation Wall rose, Boruto circled behind Sumire. She was still focused on blocking the Rasengan's attack when Boruto suddenly pulled open her black cloak.

A head of purple hair appeared as her disguise fell apart. Beneath the oversized black cloak was her slender, delicate body. Only then did Sumire react, turning around with disbelief written all over her face.

With that shocked expression and bedraggled appearance, the Water Formation Wall vanished, allowing the Rasengan's remaining force to strike Sumire and push her farther back.

Like a true gentleman, Boruto placed a hand against Sumire's back, steadying her so she would not fall.

The air was filled with awkwardness. The girl's heartbeat accelerated in extreme panic, and even her limbs felt clumsy.

"Well, Class Rep, wouldn't it be fine if we just attended class peacefully? Why get involved in the wars of the older generation?"

Her mask had not yet been removed, but that conspicuous hair color was enough to prove something. Boruto had confidently revealed her identity anyway, clearly having expected this all along.

"You..."