Boruto was squatting on the ground, fully focused, holding a blank Kunai in his hand. Using the method Naruto taught him, he concentrated his Chakra at his fingertips and carved the Konoha forehead protector symbol stroke by stroke onto the handle.
After finishing the carving, he held the Kunai up to his eyes to check it back and forth. After confirming there was no issue with the pattern, he threw it into the distance. The Kunai firmly pinned itself into the trunk of a tree dozens of meters away.
Boruto closed his eyes and according to the essentials of space perception Naruto taught him yesterday, sank his consciousness down bit by bit.
Swish!
His body vanished into thin air from its original spot and the next instant, he appeared beside the tree trunk where the Kunai was pinned, one hand firmly gripping the Kunai handle.
"Not bad. Congratulations, Boruto, you have successfully learned the first stage of the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Just at this moment, Naruto walked out from behind a tree nearby.
Upon hearing Naruto's praise, Boruto rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
"It's all because you taught me well, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the hang of it so quickly."
"Last night when I was gnawing on the scroll by myself, just that jutsu formula took me several hours to look at and I still didn't understand it."
Naruto said, "The threshold for the Flying Thunder God Technique depends on talent. You were able to grasp the knack of space perception after I demonstrated it a few times, which shows you are very suitable for learning this Ninjutsu."
"However, the path after entering the basics of Flying Thunder God Technique can only be walked by yourself. The precision of space perception, the activation speed of the teleportation, the adaptability in combat—all these need you to hone them day after day."
"Got it, Dad. After I go back, I will train diligently and won't let the Flying Thunder God Technique gather dust." Boruto said with a serious face.
He had never treated a Ninjutsu as seriously as he did now. Before, learning the Rasengan and Shadow Clone was just because he saw his dad use them and thought they were cool, but the Flying Thunder God Technique was different. This was something Grandpa passed down to his dad, and his dad personally taught to him.
What he was holding in his hand wasn't just a Kunai. It was a legacy from Minato to Naruto, and then to him.
Naruto nodded and looked up at the position of the sun. It had already passed overhead, the morning mist had long since dispersed.
"The first stage of Flying Thunder God Technique has been learned, next is time to learn Fuinjutsu."
"But before practice, let's eat first. Only when you're full do you have the strength to continue practicing."
The two returned to the place where they grilled fish last night.
On the campfire, a wild rabbit that Naruto had caught in the morning had already replaced the fish. It was roasted until the outer skin was golden brown.
Sasuke was still sitting cross-legged under a tree not far away, eyes closed, recovering his Chakra.
Naruto tore off a whole hind leg from the roasted rabbit and handing it to Boruto.
"Thanks, Dad."
Naruto watched Boruto wolfing down the food and asked, "Boruto, why is the pattern of your Flying Thunder God mark the Konoha symbol?"
Boruto answered without even thinking, "Because I am a Konoha Ninja. No matter where I go in the future, this symbol is my belonging."
"A Konoha Ninja, huh?" Naruto muttered to himself, his gaze lingering on Boruto's face for a moment.
This sentence made him think of Boruto's future encounters. After returning to his own timeline, it wouldn't be long before he would be abandoned by the entire world, standing on the opposite side of everyone.
By then, would Boruto still be able to say "I am a Konoha Ninja" as calmly as he does now?
A teenager forced to bear the malice of the entire world—how similar it was to his childhood experiences.
The difference is that Naruto had walked out of it, while Boruto's path has only just begun.
"Hmm?"
Just at this moment, Naruto captured a trace of unusual spatial fluctuation.
He looked up at the sky and saw a pitch-black rift. Immediately afterward, a figure wearing a white robe with pale skin emerged from the rift, hovering a hundred meters in the air.
On his back was a fishing creel formed from red Chakra, and in his right hand, he held a glowing fishing rod.
Swish!
Sasuke, who was recovering his Chakra, sensed something. In the next second, his figure appeared in front of Naruto and Boruto, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword at his waist.
Boruto threw away the rabbit meat in his hand and jumped up, his eyes locked onto the white figure in the air.
Naruto swept his gaze back and forth over the fishing rod in Urashiki's hand, the creel on his back, and his Byakugan, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.
Urashiki's gaze swept over Boruto and Sasuke, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"You really did arrive first, you always get in my way." He said with a hint of undisguised annoyance.
Then, his gaze landed on Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The target of his trip wore a smile that gave him an indescribable sense of discomfort.
"I've finally found you, Naruto."
The Ōtsutsuki Bloodline, the Rinnegan, the ability to travel through time and space.
Every single one was a piece of the puzzle Naruto needed for his next step into the Six Paths level.
In the Sealing Space.
Kurama stared fixedly at the white figure in the sky through Naruto's vision.
"So this is the Ōtsutsuki Clan? It really does have an aura very similar to the old man's."
"Naruto, let's begin. I'm already getting a bit excited."
"Kurama, I know you're eager, but don't be impatient. This battle isn't just about rushing in and swatting him to death."
Naruto turned his gaze back to Urashiki. Urashiki met Naruto's gaze, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason. This look was all too familiar to him. It was the same look that appeared in his eyes whenever he targeted prey and prepared to claim their Chakra for himself.
Now this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was actually looking at him with the same gaze—was he treating him as prey?
"Naruto, what is that expression?" Urashiki narrowed his eyes, a hint of displeasure entering his voice.
With a flick of his right arm, the fishing hook tore through the air straight toward Naruto's chest. As long as it hooked him, Nine-Tails's Chakra would be his.
"Watch out!"
Sasuke had long been prepared for Urashiki to make a move. At the exact moment the hook was fired, he drew the Kusanagi sword from his waist, striking the side of the hook and deflecting its trajectory.
Immediately following that, he pushed off with his feet, charging straight toward Urashiki in the sky. The Kusanagi sword, wreathed in Lightning Chakra, slashed straight toward Urashiki's face.
Urashiki nimbly sidestepped, easily dodging Sasuke's strike, and swept his fishing rod to force back Sasuke's pursuit, a smirk of ease hanging on his lips.
After landing, Sasuke immediately turned around and swung his sword again, but Urashiki floated backward, dodging it once more.
Sasuke's Kenjutsu wasn't bad, but his Chakra consumption was too high, and his speed was clearly failing to keep up with Urashiki's rhythm.
"Boruto, you go hide first. Leave this to me." Naruto said.
Then he looked up at the back-and-forth slashing and dodging, his expression shifting from a smile to speechlessness.
What is this mess?
Sasuke is way too weak right now. Fighting to a stalemate of slashing and dodging with Urashiki was clearly not the state that the Sasuke he remembered—the one capable of going head-to-head with an Ōtsutsuki—should be in.
"Dad..." Boruto gritted his teeth, a flash of reluctance in his eyes.
He really wanted to stay and fight together, but the image of Naruto using Light Release to crush the Raikage flashed in his mind and his reason told him that he would only get in the way.
"You have to be careful."
Leaving that behind, he ran toward a dense forest in the distance.
Seeing Boruto retreat, Naruto no longer held back. Golden Chakra erupted from his body, enveloping him.
Kurama Mode!
The golden Chakra cloak and mantle fluttered and the six black magatama on the collar shone brilliantly.
Then, he layered Light Release on top of Kurama Mode. A thin white film of light appeared on the surface of the golden cloak.
"Kurama, let's go."
"Let's go, I can't wait anymore." Kurama grinned.
"Urashiki's Rinnegan has two abilities: the red six-tomoe Rinnegan can travel through space, and the blue Rinnegan can rewind time and use origami for teleportation."
"Given the basic abilities of the Rinnegan, there is only one way to deal with him: be so fast that he doesn't have time to switch eye modes, so fast that his Byakugan and Rinnegan perception cannot keep up with the physical movement speed."
Naruto stared at Urashiki, who was still circling with Sasuke in the sky, and analyzed quickly.
"Knowing the enemy's intelligence so clearly makes it easy to fight." Kurama snorted, its voice carrying an excitement for a big fight.
"Let's go."
Naruto disappeared from the ground.