Out with the Old, In with the New (1)

Chapter 33: Out with the Old, In with the New (1)

"It seemed things weren't as simple as they appeared. There was something deeper mixed into all this," Gaara said calmly, his hair smooth and well-kept.

After hearing that, Boruto reached out and pulled out a specially made kunai, then formed hand seals. "Flying Thunder God: Mutual Instant."

The kunai left his hand and vanished before it could hit the ground. Then the soaking-wet Raikage appeared before them, still frozen in a swimming posture. Caught off guard, he fell to the ground.

"A rather bold move," someone commented as they watched the Raikage's slightly bedraggled state.

"The Raikage knows how to swim, right?" Boruto asked. His tone seemed somewhat concerned, but everyone felt that he was kicking someone while they were down.

"Let's head outside," the Raikage said flatly, showing no reaction to his words. "There isn't enough room here to stretch our legs."

"Works for me." Boruto smiled, his hands swiftly forming seals.

Flying Thunder God: Space-Time Barrier!

A large-scale technique spread out, secretly transferring everyone present to the back mountain of the Hidden Leaf Village. It was normally used for practicing ninjutsu and ninja tools, so it was suitable enough as a sparring ground.

"Shouldn't you explain things by now? First, you deliberately provoked us, and then you transported everyone here. Does the Hokage need absolute strength to make his point?" Tsuikae asked with a frown.

"That isn't it," Naruto denied before adding, "Boruto said he wanted to spar with all of you Kage. There are some ninjutsu he wants your guidance on. If you don't mind, please indulge my son."

Naruto wore a gentle smile, warm as a spring breeze. After speaking, he used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the field.

The other Kage exchanged glances and shook their heads in confusion, their expressions seeming to say: I almost believed that.

Gaara walked over to Naruto and asked, "Is this really appropriate? With the Raikage's strength, even if Boruto knows the Flying Thunder God Technique, he may not be able to completely evade the Raikage's attacks."

Only then did the Kage suddenly remember that Boruto was only twelve years old, yet he could already use the Flying Thunder God Technique so skillfully?!

Perhaps Naruto truly wanted to give Boruto a chance to prove himself. That was what they thought.

After arriving at the site, the Raikage's expression did not change much. His gaze remained lazy as he casually used lightning to strip the water from his body.

Boruto's gaze sharpened slightly. He had already seen the Raikage's control over lightning earlier, and this display made it even clearer that he possessed an exceptionally gifted talent for Lightning Release!

As Chakra surged around him, brilliant golden lightning emerged from Boruto's body and swiftly coiled around him like protective armor.

The Raikage slowly assumed his stance. Fine threads of lightning seeped from his body, not as obvious as Boruto's display, but just how powerful the thunder contained within was could only be seen when he threw a punch!

The next moment, Boruto sprang forward and charged at the Raikage. Their first clash met amid flickering arcs of lightning. Even with the momentum of his charge, Boruto gained no advantage. Golden lightning and violet thunder resisted each other, and for the moment, neither could do anything to the other.

The Raikage pursed his lips in a smile, as though acknowledging Boruto's performance. Then he swiftly amplified the might of his thunder tenfold. Vast amounts of lightning swallowed the golden electricity, and the situation immediately became one-sided.

"Kid, you still have a chance to give up. I don't want people saying I bullied a junior," the Raikage said as he studied Boruto's expression with interest.

He saw no resentful anger on Boruto's face. His expression remained calm, and his serious azure eyes were slowly analyzing the battle.

"Not bad eyes," the Raikage murmured.

Boruto gave a soft snort. After roughly gauging the Raikage's strength, he placed his other hand over the one clashing fists with the Raikage. Golden lightning crackled from his palm, gathering all the lightning power Boruto had released.

A golden blade formed in Boruto's hand. He immediately released the hand that had been trading blows with the Raikage, then swung the lightning sword with his other hand. The enormous amount of lightning released by the Raikage was swiftly cut apart and dispersed.

Countless electric arcs crackled through the air. At the center of the interwoven lightning, the two figures exchanged several clashes before swiftly separating again. They were so fast that an attack had already been completed in the instant an electric arc flashed.

The Kage watching the battle were all stunned. Boruto's displayed strength was in no way inferior to that of a jonin.

Yet this was merely a warm-up for the two of them. The Raikage had not even loosened up yet, while Boruto was rapidly deepening his understanding of Lightning Release.

The clashes that followed grew even fiercer. If measured by the power of lightning, they had gone from ten thousand volts at the start to bolts nearing ten million volts. Blazing thunder carried terrifying heat, and the surrounding airwaves seemed to burn with flames.

"Boruto really hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet?" Tsuikae was shocked.

The crackling thunder continued to roar. After several exchanges, Boruto had not only failed to be pushed back—he was actually growing stronger with every battle!

From beginning to end, the Raikage remained composed, and traces of admiration occasionally appeared in his gaze.

But then the Raikage was the first to go all out. Astonishing Chakra immediately surged around and across his body, erupting with savage force.

It was like a ferocious beast suddenly baring its fangs, ready to destroy everything in sight.

Lightning Release Chakra Mode!

In this mode, the Raikage's speed and strength would soar to their peak. He offered no explanation or warning, intending instead to see Boruto's limits.

"Hey, hey, you're only teaching a junior a lesson. There's no need to go all out, is there?" Though the Kage were displeased with Boruto's attitude, they still knew what was important.

"Naruto! Are you sure you won't stop this fight?" Even Gaara could not help but worry.

"Trust Boruto. If he senses danger, he can still use the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave the battlefield."

"Are you sure?"

Only then did the Kage truly sense Naruto's determination. They had thought he was merely indulging a child's mischief, but it turned out he genuinely intended to use this to push Boruto forward.

Seeing the somewhat worried looks in everyone's eyes, Naruto first raised his head to check on Boruto. Boruto showed neither panic nor any sign of strain.

Only then did Naruto relax and begin explaining things to them. "Actually, all of this is because of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy."

"A prophecy? Could Boruto be the new Child of Prophecy?" Gaara, who knew Naruto quite well, immediately guessed.

Naruto nodded. His thoughts returned to the night before the Five Kage Summit—that was, last night. Naruto had only recently been discharged from the hospital, yet he was already miserably dealing with a mountain of complicated documents in his office.

Late at night, when the lamplight dimmed and the stars were sparse, Boruto suddenly pushed open the door and walked in. The expression on his face even moved Naruto—it was the solemnity that came after deep consideration.

Realizing that Boruto had something important to discuss with him, Naruto set aside the documents in his hands and asked seriously, "It's so late. What is it?"

"Yeah. Something concerning the future of the Shinobi World," Boruto said.

Boruto did not look like he was talking nonsense. After studying him seriously for a moment, Naruto temporarily believed him. "Go on. Maybe there's something I can help with."

Boruto nodded and immediately dropped a bombshell. "Then tomorrow, let me spar with the Kage who come here. I want to confirm the gap between my strength and theirs."

"?" Naruto looked utterly confused. "What exactly... are you thinking?"

Boruto fell silent for a long while before suddenly asking, "Among the current Kage, how many do you think truly meet the standard in terms of strength?"

"This..." Naruto froze. After a brief recollection, he suddenly understood what Boruto meant and fell silent as well.

It was a sense of powerlessness, yet there was nothing they could do about it.

The air grew awkward, because among the current Kage, apart from the Hokage, Kazekage, and Raikage, the other two were indeed far weaker than their predecessors.

Some villages had even forcibly pushed their younger generation onto the Kage's throne. For example, the Tsuchikage's strength was at most at the level of a jonin.

"That's why I want to use a battle against a Kage to wake them up. With that level of strength, they're simply not enough to fight 'Moon,' much less the Ōtsutsuki clan from beyond the heavens."

Boruto spoke in a low voice.

"What exactly are you planning to do...?"

"It's simple. Make our stance clear."

Seeing Boruto's relaxed expression, Naruto secretly thought that he had probably already worked out a complete plan. All Naruto could do was look forward to it, right?

"At tomorrow's Five Kage Summit, we'll cause a little unpleasantness and anger the Kage. That will give me an opportunity to fight one of them."

Naruto was surprised by Boruto's consideration, but he still asked fairly, "Do you have any other plans?"

After all, given Boruto's age and identity, if this was mishandled and he fell out with the other Kage, it would not be good for either Boruto or the village.

"Of course. So I'll defeat whichever Kage fights me and make them understand that the lofty status they pride themselves on as Kage is nothing more than something that can't even defeat a kid like me.

Surely that humiliation will be enough to make the Kage show their stance, right?" Boruto stared at Naruto, confidence appearing on his face.

"Haha, are you sure, Boruto? A Kage's strength shouldn't be underestimated either." Naruto patted Boruto's shoulder, seeming to approve of his proposal.

Boruto refused to back down. "That's only the standard for ordinary Kage. Other than the Raikage, I don't take the rest seriously."

"Then you want to...?"

"So it would be best if I could fight the Raikage. Only then would it have a deterrent effect." As Boruto spoke, that lazy figure appeared in his mind. He was quite interested in the other man's Lightning Release, because he had recently been developing his own Lightning Release on a deeper level as well.

Nothing tested the results better than actual combat.

"But anyone who can become a Kage is on another level in combat experience and Chakra reserves," Naruto said worriedly.

"Well, you don't need to worry too much. Besides giving you a surprise tomorrow, I've also initially mastered Sage Mode."

Boruto said it calmly.