Inn in Kirigakure.
After accomplishing that unbelievable feat, Boruto returned to the inn with Sumire Kakei, while the Mizukage and Kagura followed behind in silence.
Their injuries had already been treated with the Palm Healing Technique infused with Yin–Yang Release. It was residual power left behind after the activation of Tenseigan Chakra Mode, and its effect on healing was terrifyingly efficient.
Because of that, both the Mizukage and Kagura had basically recovered, their chakra restored to nearly eighty or ninety percent.
"Boruto, why are you in such a hurry?" Kagura suddenly asked from behind.
"There's no helping it. Your previous Mizukage is trying to set me up. I can only run—or run even faster…" Boruto replied helplessly.
"Lady Terumi Mei?" Kagura blurted out.
After brushing against death itself, everyone's mindset had become strangely open. Having already experienced something that extreme, there wasn't much left that could truly shake their emotions.
Chōjūrō frowned slightly, clearly puzzled. "Why would she betray you? You're a hero of Kirigakure. As the Mizukage, I will protect you."
"No, I'm suddenly starting to feel like being famous isn't a good thing at all." Boruto's tone was full of resignation, as if glory itself were a burden.
"You're still young," Chōjūrō said seriously. "This achievement will elevate your reputation and status to a terrifying level. The people's faith in you will reach an unprecedented height."
In the reflection of the water, Boruto seemed to see a grand future scene—countless people cheering, applauding, shouting his name.
Kurama snorted irritably. "You were the one who insisted on announcing it to the entire ninja world. Now that it's done, why are you acting so conflicted?"
"Because it's going to be a massive pain!" Boruto groaned.
He couldn't help thinking of celebrities in his previous life—people who couldn't even step outside without being watched. Now, he had basically become the symbol of the new generation of shinobi.
He would also become the legendary "other people's child" parents loved to compare their kids to.
Soon, the inn came into view. With Boruto's eyesight, he could immediately see the atmosphere around it. His classmates were gathered outside, holding up a banner that read: Welcome Back, Hero.
"I'm leaving. How about you guys coordinate your stories and say I died?" Boruto suggested seriously.
At the same time, he also noticed the massive screen broadcasting footage across the Land of Water—his own figure, standing heroically, protecting everything.
"I knew Mei Terumi was screen recording. She'd been planning this for a long time," Boruto muttered.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Sumire's hand and leaped straight into the air, jumping directly through an open window of the inn under the stunned gazes of countless people.
One of the windows had already been opened. Mitsuki stood there waiting, a calm smile on his face.
Several of Boruto's friends were already inside the room, along with a few classmates. They were clearly the smarter ones—those who understood that Boruto would rather share this moment with friends than bask in public praise.
This was what it meant to see your idol up close.
The moment Boruto appeared, the cheers outside completely exploded, waves of sound rising and falling like the tide.
The two figures from Kirigakure instantly became background decorations, but they didn't mind. Instead, they signaled for everyone to keep their voices down—after all, their hero was exhausted.
The crowd obediently lowered its volume, packing tightly around the inn until even a fly would struggle to get through.
Boruto sat cross-legged on the large bed, finally relaxing. Mitsuki stood beside the window, while Iwabe and the others gathered nearby. They had all seen the video recorded earlier, and to be honest, they had rubbed their eyes so hard they were afraid they'd gone blind.
The figure on the screen—calm, overwhelming, radiant—was simply… ridiculously handsome.
"Boruto, I didn't expect you to be this handsome. You're just like the Hokage!" someone blurted out.
"You and your father really do have similar powers," Denki said in awe. "It really proves you're father and son."
"I'm impressed, Boruto," Chōchō Akimichi added. She was also present, though it was mostly because she'd come to see Sumire.
"Alright, alright, everyone go home," Boruto said as he collapsed onto the bed. "Let me rest for one day."
"Everyone should leave now," Mitsuki said calmly. "Boruto is our classmate. We'll have plenty of chances to meet him again."
"I feel like Boruto's going to be in trouble now," Denki said worriedly.
"Definitely," Iwabe laughed. "With that personality of his, this is more harm than good."
With that, the group gradually filed out.
The room quickly emptied, leaving only Mitsuki by the window and Shikadai lingering behind.
As Shikadai reached the door, he glanced back at Boruto. Despite everything, he smiled and offered his congratulations.
"Congratulations. You're about to step into a new beginning—just like back on the Thunder Train."
Memories filled the room, tinged with a faint sense of melancholy and the passage of time. Shikadai's figure disappeared as he closed the door behind him.
With a crisp click, the door shut.
A single door, separating two worlds—one narrow, one boundless.
"Is the mission complete?" Mitsuki asked casually, as if the answer no longer really mattered.
"Probably?" Boruto replied, then suddenly remembered the other Boruto still inside the Water Curtain Cave. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he sent a message.
"The plan has changed. We'll leave after tying up Sun Wukong. The next mission is temporarily on hold."
Meanwhile, deep inside the Water Curtain Cave.
The man in white robes sat cross-legged atop Sun Wukong's massive head, already imagining his own grand entrance to the world.
It wasn't just about prestige for the Moon Organization. He also wanted to steal Boruto's spotlight—there was some personal resentment mixed in as well.
Beneath Sun Wukong's towering figure, Sarada stood lightly on the water's surface. A shallow pool reflected her image clearly.
She had changed clothes. Now she wore a loose light-blue dress, dyed in deeper shades of blue, subtly highlighting her youth and vitality. A rabbit-shaped mask covered her face, giving her an air of sly elegance.
Uchiha Sarada, outer-line combatant of the Moon Organization.
A flash of light suddenly lit up the cave. The roar of the waterfall echoed as the man in white stared at the message in his hand, his pupils shrinking.
"Wasn't I supposed to make a grand entrance, announce it to the ninja world, and intimidate all living beings in the name of the moon?"
"I already did that," Boruto replied.
The man in white froze. "I finally got excited, and you made me lose so completely, Zhuo!"
Sarada tilted her head, confused, as the man crumpled the note into a ball. "What happened?"
He silently removed his mask, revealing a clean, handsome face twisted with irritation. He stripped off the white robe, revealing simple, casual clothes beneath. Without the robe, his thin frame was obvious, though faint abdominal muscles could still be seen.
He packed all his equipment into a scroll and said angrily, "We're taking the funds and going on a spending spree. I'm done wasting my time here."
Sarada: …
"…Is this about the Shell Organization?"
"It has nothing to do with me!"
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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