In the early morning, the sun rose through a thin haze, and Boruto's Shadow Clone woke up in bed.
Noticing that the original had not returned all night, he guessed that he might have run into trouble on his way to the moon. His miserable self would have to suffer for a while, because if a fight broke out, one careless mistake and he would be exposed!
So, during this time, Boruto planned to avoid fights whenever possible and hide whenever he could, holding out until the original returned.
Yet the moment he left home that morning, he ran into Metal Lee, who had apparently gone mad and was relentlessly attacking his classmates.
Sumire Kakei, that sneaky bastard... I really want to chop her up right now!
His Jōgan had automatically activated the instant he saw Metal Lee. Its pale blue eye caught every detail of the "ghost" clinging to Metal Lee.
As Rock Lee's child, Metal Lee was naturally exceptional at taijutsu. Now that he had temporarily overcome his nervousness, the crazed Metal Lee's combat strength shot through the roof.
Several classmates had already had a hard time dealing with him, and Iwabee was so furious that he raised his iron staff and prepared to teach him a lesson!
"Iwabee, calm down! Think of a way to trap him first!" Denki suggested quietly from the side.
Meanwhile, Shikadai wore a bitter expression and panted heavily. He had wanted to apologize to Metal Lee, only to be chased down and beaten for half the day.
With the amount of Chakra he had, the Shadow Binding Technique he used simply could not restrain the rampaging Metal Lee.
"I know," Iwabee said impatiently, though he still did not use any offensive ninjutsu.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall Enclosure!
Four thick earthen pillars immediately rose around Metal Lee. Just as he showed a flicker of confusion, the four pillars rapidly extended into a cube, trapping him inside.
"Did it work?" Denki asked timidly.
Leaf Whirlwind!
With a bang, Metal Lee burst handsomely through the wall, then spun several times and quickly kicked toward Shikadai.
At that moment, Boruto rushed forward. A Rasengan the size of a ping-pong ball flew from his palm and slammed toward Metal Lee's chest.
Likewise, the Rasengan vanished midair, but Metal Lee, skilled at locating opponents by sound, still noticed it approaching. He landed swiftly, stomped hard, and launched himself sideways.
The Rasengan exploded not far away, but Metal Lee did not linger. He charged over again.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall! Iwabee raised a massive wall in front of them.
Then the group quickly retreated, opening up some distance.
The Earth Flow Wall was soon smashed apart by Metal Lee, but Boruto, with his Jōgan, could see through it. Aiming at the point where Metal Lee broke through, he threw a compressed Rasengan at him.
Boom—
The immense rotational force blasted Metal Lee backward. The Rasengan had flown right up to him the instant he broke through the wall, leaving him no time to react.
Shikadai seized the chance and used the Shadow Binding Technique to immobilize Metal Lee, while Iwabee stepped forward to deliver the final blow.
...Afterward, the ghost on Metal Lee dispersed, and Shikadai personally went over to help him up.
"Boruto's ninjutsu is called the Rasengan, right? It really is a powerful technique," Iwabee praised.
"My Rasengan is still far inferior to the Seventh's," Boruto said with a soft sigh.
The reason Metal Lee had not suffered any serious injuries was because Boruto was currently a clone, and the Rasengan's power was weakened many times over.
Shikadai immediately called him out. "Oh? You didn't badmouth your dad this time? That's rare!"
"Quit talking nonsense! We're going to be late for class!" Boruto shouted, trying to change the subject.
The recovered group could not help laughing as they hurried toward the academy.
Hokage Building.
Naruto returned to his office, where Shikamaru had been helping him process documents all through the night.
"Yo, you're back so soon. How did it go? Did you figure out anything about the Child of Destiny?" Shikamaru asked.
"More or less. The information I brought back from this trip is a little hard to accept," Naruto said gloomily.
"Let's hear it."
"An enemy—and one as powerful as Kaguya—is going to arrive in the Shinobi World in the near future," Naruto said quietly.
"Huh?!" Shikamaru could hardly believe it.
But when he saw Naruto's depressed expression, he had already accepted the possibility. "Was it the Great Toad Sage's prophecy?"
"Yeah." Naruto nodded.
"This is bad. We barely managed to seal Kaguya during the last shinobi war, and now there's an even greater threat?"
"Yeah." Naruto scratched his head and suggested, "I've decided to convene the Five Kage Summit immediately and make this public."
"Don't rush. There is no conclusive evidence yet. While I trust the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, the other ninja villages might not.
"Besides, the exact time of the enemy's arrival is unknown. That alone puts us in a very passive position."
As Shikamaru analyzed the situation methodically, he asked, "What about the Child of Destiny? Do we know who he is, or have any way to find him?"
Naruto shook his head helplessly. "The Great Toad Sage only said that he would appear when the Shinobi World was in danger."
"I see." Shikamaru could not help pondering a response.
However, there was simply too little information to draw anything useful from. After considering every possibility, Shikamaru asked, "Sasuke Uchiha possesses eyes on the same level as the Sage of Six Paths. He should have discovered something different, right?"
At this point, he could only place his hopes on Sasuke's Rinnegan.
"Sasuke is still investigating Kaguya's ruins. So far, he hasn't found any useful information."
"Well, we'll take it one step at a time. For now, aside from strengthening the village's defenses and researching sealing techniques, we may need... the power of the tailed beasts when the time comes."
"Yeah. Kurama, what do you think?" Naruto asked the Nine-Tails within his body.
"Hmph. It's only been a few years since you fought, and when did you become such a coward? Don't forget, you're still the link between the nine tailed beasts. When necessary, we'll all lend you our power."
"Haha, thanks." Naruto laughed it off.
"The Chunin Exams will be held soon. We can move it up and, while the Five Kage are gathered, inform the other ninja villages about this."
"Yeah. For now, we'll do that."
Back in the classroom—or rather, the training ground.
Today's lesson was about teaching the students how to use the Summoning Technique, a ninjutsu that allowed one to summon a contracted partner to one's side from anywhere, so long as a contract had been signed.
Teacher Konohamaru had also been invited over to personally demonstrate the Summoning Technique for the students.
With a poof, the white smoke dispersed, and a massive toad appeared beneath Konohamaru's feet. The young figure standing on the toad's back cut an impressive figure as he smiled confidently.
"This is the Summoning Technique!"
As soon as he finished speaking, applause and praise erupted from below. "Teacher Konohamaru is so cool!"
Damn it, I'm just a Shadow Clone. With this little Chakra, I'd probably summon a tadpole.
As he cursed miserably to himself, he suddenly remembered that there would be a so-called boys-versus-girls ninjutsu battle that afternoon.
Oh, no!!!
Please spare me. I might as well surrender right away!
Before you continue