After Sasuke and his two companions left, Sumire stood frozen, feeling as though she were trapped in a nightmare. But the bodies around her and the horrific battle scene were undeniably real.
Recalling how even the devastated Boruto could rise again, she felt she couldn't hold him back!
Sumire quickly gathered her resolve, following Sasuke's orders, and began organizing the scene while crafting an alibi.
Less than half a minute later, the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi, arrived with a large group of elite Konoha ninjas.
It was no surprise they were late. After all, most Konoha ninjas had been busy evacuating civilians, while others were dispatched to the interrogation section.
Who would've thought the real crisis would erupt at the hospital? Plus, they had been delayed by Sasuke's Gudōdama in the interrogation area. By the time they arrived, everything was over.
At the scene, only Sumire remained conscious. The other three involved—Sarada, Mitsuki, and Himawari, along with some medical ninjas—were all unconscious.
"Hinata!"
Kakashi and everyone who saw Hinata's body widened their eyes in shock.
They all knew how vital the Hokage's wife was to the village, especially after the Seventh Hokage's fall.
Now, with the Hokage's wife dead, it was a devastating blow to the entire Konoha Village!
Uzumaki Jigen had fallen, Hinata was now dead, Uzumaki Kawaki had been kidnapped, and Himawari lay unconscious… The Seventh Hokage's family was truly cursed!
"Sumire, what happened here?" Kakashi hurriedly asked Sumire.
"Boruto, i-it was Otsutsuki Boruto!" Sumire, remembering Sasuke's instructions, gritted her teeth as she explained.
"What?"
"He took the chance to attack and kill Lady Hinata and tried to kidnap Himawari. Fortunately, Sarada and I stopped him together, but he and Mitsuki were then knocked out by Otsutsuki Sasuke, who arrived later…"
"Otsutsuki Boruto! That damned Otsutsuki Sasuke! It's really them! Damn it!" Kakashi cursed, clearly harboring deep hatred for these two enemies.
A heavy chakra aura suddenly emerged, causing dozens of Konoha ninjas outside the hospital room to step aside. A figure slowly approached.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Hokage-sama!!"
Code emerged through the crowd, arriving at the scene. As the son of the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Jigen, in the eyes of all Konoha ninjas now, he was the Code who had temporarily inherited the position of the Eighth Hokage.
He was the one who turned the tide, defeating Sasuke and other villains, protecting the village's peace and tranquility. He was a true Hokage, embodying both strength and wisdom, no less than the Seventh Hokage!
Code's presence boosted everyone's confidence.
"Code, your mother…" Kakashi approached, intending to console Code a bit, as he was Jigen's son and, in a way, his own grand-student.
Code merely glanced at Hinata's body on the ground, then looked away, asking calmly, "Who did this?"
As the mastermind, he felt nothing for these lowly Konoha worms present and cared not for Hinata's life or death. If he didn't still need to use them, Code would've wiped them out long ago.
"It was Otsutsuki Boruto!"
"Boruto did it? That's quite interesting!"
Code's eyes gleamed, a flicker of excitement crossing his heart.
His move to manipulate Eida into activating the Divine Technique Omnipotence and altering the world's memories was correct!
In an instant, Boruto and Hinata, mother and son, had killed each other. No matter how strong these ninjas were, they were ultimately bound by the shackles of their village.
Boruto's expression after killing his mother must've been fascinating, right? Shame he couldn't see it.
"Interesting?" Kakashi was stunned, unable to believe that Code, as her son, showed such indifference after learning his mother Hinata was killed.
Could he be so numb that his mind was distorted?
"Where did they go? Since Sasuke came, why are you all still alive?" Code ignored Kakashi, continuing to question Sumire.
Sumire trembled all over. She had already suspected this fake Hokage Code was the mastermind behind everything. But she could only suppress her fear and anger, continuing to feign her explanation: "It's unclear. They opened a dimensional portal and fled. That Otsutsuki Boruto was badly injured; they seemed in a hurry to heal him…"
Sumire answered according to Sasuke's initial instructions.
"Injured?"
"I see…"
"It seems they've fled Konoha Village."
"Pass my orders: Immediately issue the highest-level wanted order, hunt down the four Otsutsuki Sasuke thoroughly! Dead or alive, it doesn't matter!"
"Oh! My useless brother Kawaki still needs to be brought back alive; he's one of my remaining kin…"
Code raised the corner of his lips slightly, issuing orders to the surrounding Konoha ninjas. Since he controlled Konoha, the greatest force, he had to make full use of it.
"Understood!"
The other Konoha ninjas sprang into action.
With their father and mother tragically dead, their only brother, Kawaki, kidnapped by the enemy, and their sister, Himawari, injured and unconscious, Code deserved praise for staying calm and leading everyone!
"Also, halt the civilian evacuation operation."
"Move everyone back into the village…" Code continued his orders.
Kakashi frowned slightly, sensing something off: "Is that wise? What if the enemy attacks again…"
"No need to worry. I have ways to protect the entire village. Just do it!"
"Sixth Hokage, don't forget, I'm the Hokage now!" Code's eyes gleamed with a hint of excitement and cruelty.
He had no intention of protecting Konoha's civilians but aimed to bind everyone within the village. That way, hundreds of thousands of villagers would become hostages and bargaining chips for him.
At that point, was there a safer place in the world than hiding in Konoha Village? Unless Sasuke had gone mad, he wouldn't dare attack him within Konoha.
Meanwhile, Code could calmly mobilize Konoha's and the world's forces to gradually hunt down and kill Sasuke and the others!
This time, the advantage was his!
(Uchiha Sasuke! Let's have some fun next!)
With a proud and ambitious smile, Code turned and left the ruined hospital room.
He left the other Konoha ninjas to continue cleaning up the battlefield.
Watching Code leave, Sumire finally breathed a sigh of relief, stopping her trembling body.
Fortunately, the enemy didn't pay much attention to her minor role and didn't notice her unmanipulated memories. This allowed her to hide for now, finding ways to gather information on Code.
Not far from Sumire, the unconscious Sarada also woke up.
"Boruto!"
Awakening from a horrific nightmare, Sarada instinctively called Boruto's name, immediately drawing others' attention.
Even Kakashi looked at Sarada curiously. After all, her call didn't seem filled with much hatred but rather concern and care.
"Yeah! That evil Otsutsuki Boruto has fled; we defeated him!"
Sumire hurriedly lunged forward, covering Sarada's mouth, their bodies pressing close. Sumire frantically signaled Sarada with her eyes.
"Mmph mph? What are you saying? Boruto didn't die…"
"Sarada, you must be too exhausted and scared by Otsutsuki Sasuke. I'll explain what happened after you fainted slowly, okay?"
Sumire's hair nearly stood on end from fear, but she reacted quickly, half-explaining, half-soothing Sarada.
She only hoped Sarada would catch her signal. If the truth about their unmanipulated memories was exposed now, they might both die there.
That fake Hokage Code, at a glance, was clearly not a good person!
"Dad… Sasuke came too? I see, my head's a bit dizzy. Class Rep, can you take me to rest for a bit?"
Sarada wasn't foolish either; she quickly caught Sumire's signal. Knowing Boruto wasn't dead and her father had come, with those two burdens lifted, she naturally calmed down and began cooperating with Sumire's act.
"Alright!"
"I'll take you both to rest."
"I also want to know exactly what happened—please tell me in detail!"
Kakashi appeared between the two girls, flashing his signature squinting smile.