Jōgan

Night fell.

Neon lights flickered and intertwined with the hazy moonlight. In the dim darkness, a delicate figure stood silently.

She wore a specially made mask over her face and a loose cloak that concealed her adolescent figure.

While others still slept through the night, while those her age were still dreaming of the future, she bore an unimaginable mission.

Nue's master, and the creator of the coming سلسلة of troubles.

"Don't be impatient, Nue. Soon, there will be enough Chakra for you to enjoy."

Sumire Kakei gazed at the bright moon. A mass of black Chakra drifted from her hand, condensing into the shape of a snake and, as promised, seeking out Denki, who was being scolded at home.

Once the snake's head found its target, it lunged forward excitedly and bit Denki's shoulder, releasing a surge of resentment.

By gathering the Chakra from Denki's negative emotions, the Ox-Head Heavenly King's mark carved onto Sumire Kakei's back became more complete, bringing her one step closer to opening the gate to another dimension.

Having achieved her goal, Sumire Kakei's outline grew dimmer and quietly melted into the moonlight, as though nothing had happened.

But... she was not the only figure hidden in the darkness.

At that moment, Boruto stood atop a tall rooftop platform. Under the moonlight, one of his bright eyes quietly changed, clearly witnessing everything Sumire Kakei had done.

According to the original plot, Boruto had only awakened the Jōgan by chance after seeing Denki possessed by the "Ghost."

Now, he had merely moved that moment forward. His goal was to adapt to this eye sooner and obtain the Jōgan's powerful ocular abilities as quickly as possible.

However, things did not go as planned. Perhaps because he was too weak, after Sumire Kakei left, the Jōgan quietly faded back into his eye, returning it to its original azure blue.

And when the Jōgan activated, it gave his body no other enhancements. It seemed like an ordinary eye, aside from the Byakugan's penetrating vision and a three-hundred-sixty-degree field of view.

Boruto sighed helplessly. "Seriously, not even a single cheat?"

Having crushed his last fantasy, Boruto finally settled down and began planning and considering various ways to grow stronger.

Early the next morning, Boruto got up early, yawned, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and leisurely rose to straighten his bedding.

Today was the Ninja Academy's opening day, but Boruto had no interest in it. After staying up all night thinking, he had formed a rough plan and decided to have a Shadow Clone attend school in his place.

After breakfast, the real Boruto strolled comfortably through the streets, not daring to stay home for fear of arousing suspicion.

Wait, did I forget something?

Boruto suddenly realized that he had personally seen Sumire Kakei release dark Chakra last night. That meant this morning... hadn't Denki already begun his revenge plan?

"What a pain." Boruto clicked his tongue and ran toward the train station from his memories.

When he arrived, he saw a long train. It looked somewhat old, and even its metal exterior bore traces of rust.

Seeing that Denki's plan was already underway, Boruto wondered how much courage the "Ghost's" Chakra had given him as he leaped onto the train, preparing to stop it all.

Inside the train, Denki kept arguing with the three thugs from yesterday. With a gloomy expression, he calmly stated his resolve.

"This is only a defective Thunder Train, so aside from starting up, all its other functions have been disabled. On the opposite track, I have arranged another Thunder Train that is speeding toward us."

"In the end, the two Thunder Trains will collide."

As Denki spoke, he gestured with his hands, giving the three thugs plenty of room to imagine what would happen next.

"Y-you lunatic!" one of the thugs could not help cursing.

But Denki could no longer hear them. His indifferent expression made the thugs understand even more clearly that the kid was serious!

"Help!!!" the three wailed.

"Well, it's about time to end this." The real Boruto lightly jumped into the car.

"Boruto...?" Denki was clearly stunned, but he said nothing more.

The Jōgan activated unconsciously, allowing Boruto to see the "Ghost Chakra" wrapped around Denki. Recalling the plot, he questioned, "Is this how you planned to prove yourself?"

"None of that matters. I just want to prove to my father that I have the strength to take revenge, instead of being a coward!" Denki stubbornly met Boruto's gaze.

Boruto was speechless. What kind of nonsense was this? Getting bullied and deciding to drag everyone down with him.

"So you planned all of this, using mutual destruction to force your enemies into fear and panic? Is being strong, in your eyes, making others feel afraid?"

Denki did not respond. He silently turned his head away.

He really was just a child throwing a tantrum. Boruto sighed softly, then earnestly persuaded him, "If you want others to acknowledge you, you must first have faith in yourself.

"A person's strength does not lie in making others fear them. It lies in protecting those weaker than oneself through action."

Denki froze slightly, seemingly moved. A faint spark appeared in his dim eyes.

"But..." Denki had barely begun to speak when he realized the train could not stop.

Then, with a ding, the Shadow Clone on the roof threw out a kunai and successfully pulled down the brake beside the tracks.

"Come on. Work hard to become a qualified ninja, then earn everyone's recognition!" Boruto extended his hand in invitation.

"Yeah!" Denki nodded heavily, finally coming to his senses.

"Then let's go. If we don't hurry, we'll be late on the first day of school!" Boruto smiled lightly, silently glaring at the three dumbfounded thugs before walking out of the car with a grin.

Using the tablet in his hand, Denki remotely stopped the other Thunder Train on the tracks, then hurried after Boruto.

Under the morning sun, the Jōgan that had faded away no longer held the Ghost's shadow.

Afterward, at the opening ceremony.

The rising sun cast a gentle light. Beneath it stood a dense crowd of energetic young figures.

These were the ninjas of the new era. Filled with passion and anticipation, they watched the young man speaking on the stage with admiring, focused eyes.

The same yellow hair, the two distinctive symmetrical whisker marks on his cheeks, and the white Hokage cloak all proclaimed his identity.

Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, and one of the Shinobi World's strongest.

Below the stage, Boruto was rather speechless. He had not planned to attend class, but for now, there was no way to slip away.

Still, when he saw Naruto brimming with spirit, his gaze was just as eager. After all, this man had once been his youth. Seeing him up close now, aside from the surreal feeling it gave Boruto—

He also could not help wanting to mock Naruto's hairstyle. Why not keep his nice long hair? Why insist on copying Obito's buzz cut?

Their eyes met, and Naruto nodded at Boruto as encouragement. After finishing the opening announcements, the latter turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished.

"It's the Seventh Hokage's Shadow Clone Technique! So cool!" one of the young girls below cried out.

It really was cool. But with Naruto worn down by life, village work, and Hinata's demands, he was probably too drained to make more than a few decent Shadow Clones.

Still, Boruto sighed inwardly. The later plans would definitely need the tailed beasts as an option. And as the tailed beasts' liaison, Naruto would surely take notice if even one of them was missing.

This won't be easy...