The Valley of the End.
Under a gloomy drizzle, the dust was dampened, and several corpses wearing Leaf Village forehead protectors floated on the river rocks.
"Everyone!"
Staring at the lifeless eyes of his comrades, Sarutobi Konohamaru, captain of the pursuit squad, wore a look of disbelief. His lips trembled, turning purple, as he stammered:
"Boruto! How could you become like this…"
Blood spattered everywhere. At this moment, Konohamaru knelt on the ground, exhausted, gazing at the distant figure.
"Boruto, you have to trust Lord Hokage! Black Zetsu has always been manipulating you!"
Dragging his broken, weary body, Konohamaru rasped hoarsely, while across from him, the disheveled Boruto glared back with a dark, furious, and struggling expression.
At this moment, Black Zetsu slowly emerged at the side, sneering in a hoarse voice:
"Manipulate? Do I even need to manipulate? So-called manipulation is merely the eruption of darkness in people's hearts. I just provided a bit of power at the right time."
At this, Black Zetsu looked at Boruto, teasingly:
"Boruto, if I hadn't given you power, do you know what your future would be?"
Boruto's expression darkened, and memories flashed through his mind.
He had been stripped of his Chuunin Exam qualification, and even his father, Uzumaki Naruto, had crippled his lower body.
He knew, given his father Naruto's upright character, he would probably have to atone to the Nara clan for the rest of his life, just to maintain his father's reputation as the selfless Seventh Hokage.
Black Zetsu, seeing Boruto's reaction, smirked playfully.
"Boruto, looks like you realize your future. Your selfless father, the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, is the so-called child of the destiny of the ninja world.
But I gave you the power to defy fate. Though you're still weak now, don't you want revenge? Remember, your father is the strongest in the ninja world, the ruler of the Leaf, yet he gave it all up for a hollow reputation…"
Black Zetsu, grinning even more seductively, watched Boruto sink deeper into darkness, growing more excited by the prospect of revenge against Naruto.
Just thinking about that idiot Naruto, who sealed away his Mother, made him want to make Naruto and all those who helped seal her pay a heavy price.
"Do you know what those in power used to do?"
Black Zetsu looked at Boruto, then pointed mockingly at Konohamaru in the distance:
"In the Leaf, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, rose to power as Third Hokage, and the Sarutobi clan began to flourish, absorbing vast ninja resources.
In just a few decades, what was once a minor clan became one of the Leaf's great families. Especially after the Uchiha clan was exterminated, even the Hyuga couldn't hold their heads up against the Sarutobi.
On the surface, the Third Hokage was selfless, but do you think the Sarutobi clan could have thrived under selflessness?"
This statement made Boruto's mind buzz. He was still young, but he understood his own family's situation.
"No! Impossible! With selflessness, they couldn't have thrived."
Boruto's face contorted with struggle. Thinking about surviving on instant noodles every day at home, he brimmed with anger.
Why, when both served the Leaf, could the so-called selfless Third Hokage's family enjoy everything, but he, the son of the Seventh Hokage, had only an empty title and instant noodles at home every day, not even a special ninja teacher? (Lol, what the heck is this!)
"Heh, this Sarutobi Konohamaru right before you, from childhood, was assigned to be taught by top Jonin, thanks to the Third Hokage. Did you ever receive that treatment?
He grew up rich, never worrying about ninjutsu or money. Did you? He even sneaked into women's bathhouses as a kid, and no one dared say a word. Did you?"
Each sentence dimmed Boruto's eyes, and Black Zetsu seized the moment to mock:
"You had none of that. Because of a slip during the Chuunin Exam, you now have to pay for the Seventh Hokage's hypocrisy—but the Third never did that.
When Konoha's hero, White Fang, died, the Third never made anyone pay. When the Fourth died, neither. Even Sarutobi Asuma left to join the daimyo's court, and nobody cared."
"And you!" Black Zetsu's raspy smile widened as he slowly merged with Boruto, forming a half-black, half-white face.
"You've suffered injustice, and now you've killed so many Leaf ninjas. Is there any turning back for you?
In the ninja world, it's always the strong who rule. As long as you become strong enough, untouchable in the Leaf, you'll be king. Then, like Sasuke, you can swagger back!"
"So what if you kill a few dozen Leaf ninjas? Uchiha Sasuke even killed a candidate for Hokage and nobody dared say anything. When you return, you can do whatever you want."
Under Black Zetsu's temptation, Boruto's mind flashed with images, making his expression ever more twisted.
"Think about it. Back in the Leaf, you can punish anyone you dislike. You can even form a new research team—if the Seventh Hokage could get his arm fixed, why can't you fix your lower half?"
"Enough!"
With a furious roar, Boruto gripped his kunai and charged toward Konohamaru in the drizzle, his eyes shining red.
"Boruto, it's me, Brother Konohamaru! You can't believe Black Zetsu's lies…"
Watching Boruto, Konohamaru weakly pleaded, but Boruto, enraged, stomped Konohamaru to the ground.
He ground his foot into Konohamaru's cheek, shouting:
"What do you know? You had everything from birth. We're both Hokage's descendants, so why do I have nothing? You lived in luxury, I only had instant noodles!
You had a personal Jonin teacher, I had nothing! Even after the Third's death, you still enjoyed what I envied most, but I had nothing. It's not fair! Not fair!"
Consumed by jealous rage, Boruto plunged his kunai downward, drawing a scream from Konohamaru.
"Boruto!"
Konohamaru's lower body was a bloody mess, and Boruto, still furious, kept swinging his kunai.
"I'll make you feel my pain! I'll see if you can forgive me. I cut off your lower half, and I'll cripple your legs and arms, so you'll never be a ninja again.
I'm already the Leaf's most wanted traitor. I've got nothing left to lose!"
Under the rain, Konohamaru screamed in agony, his eyes bloodshot, a black flash passing through his pupils.
"Boruto, you beast! No wonder Brother Naruto abandoned you. No wonder you became this freak. So what if I'm crippled? At least I've had women—have you?"
Driven to collapse by pain and Black Zetsu's manipulation, Konohamaru cursed wildly.
"The Leaf belongs to the Sarutobi! We can do whatever we want. You're nothing, Boruto!
The Sarutobi will still rule the Leaf. We're above all; we're the true saviors…"
"I'll destroy you!"
The Valley of the End echoed with screams, and Black Zetsu watched gleefully, his revenge just beginning.
"Boruto, I'll give you power. I have Konoha's forbidden jutsu, Danzo's research, all of it. Nearby is an abandoned Root lab—let's go. I'll fuse you with Wood Release cells, and then you'll have Kage-level power and can take revenge."
Under the rain, tempted by Black Zetsu, Boruto coldly picked up a scratched forehead protector and put it on.
"From now on, I, Boruto Uzumaki, will be the greatest rogue ninja in Konoha's history! Go tell Naruto: I will destroy everything he wants to protect!"
Boruto, falling into darkness, emanated chilling chakra that startled the animals nearby.
He would destroy everything Naruto protected, everything he loved.
...
Konoha.
"Lord Hokage, bad news! The Konohamaru pursuit squad suffered heavy casualties, even Jonin Konohamaru was brutally…"
Konohamaru had been rescued, but he was in a pitiful state, all his limbs' tendons severed—he could never be a ninja again.
Especially the bloody scene below his waist—it was revenge.
Seeing Naruto, his brother figure, Konohamaru's eyes filled with tears.
"Big Brother Naruto… I failed the mission. Boruto has been completely corrupted by Black Zetsu. He killed the squad. I even heard Black Zetsu is taking Boruto to Danzo's abandoned lab.
Black Zetsu wants revenge on Konoha, on you, for sealing them away. He's led Boruto into darkness, grooming him just like Danzo did."
Just as Naruto was leaving the Hokage office for the battlefield, he heard the news. His face filled with anger and tears.
"Boruto! How could he!"
Seeing Konohamaru's broken body, Naruto became completely enraged, his eyes blood-red.
"Boruto Uzumaki is now an S-class dangerous rogue ninja! When I return, I will personally capture that criminal and make him atone to the Nara and Konohamaru!"
Sasuke, at his side, could only sigh—this was a tough situation.
"Naruto, you can see Boruto was corrupted by Black Zetsu. For now, let's deal with the Otsutsuki Momoshiki and Kinshiki. We'll save Boruto after."
It was Kakashi who calmly pinned all of Boruto's crimes on Black Zetsu in front of everyone.
"That's right, Naruto, we should go now. Otherwise, if the enemy notices, they may come to Konoha again."
Gaara also spoke gravely—the Otsutsuki was the key, not Boruto.
After everyone's persuasion, Naruto managed to restrain his anger and nodded heavily:
"Save Konohamaru with everything we've got. We'll be back."
"Yes!"
"Let's go!"
With Naruto's determined gaze, the Seventh Hokage looked back at Konoha, then led the Five Kage to the battlefield.
Their figures vanished into the distance.
...
A dark sky. A towering Divine Tree.
Naruto's clone was tied to the tree, screaming in agony.
"Ah!!!"
As his golden Nine-Tails chakra was being drained, Otsutsuki Momoshiki seemed to sense something and frowned.
In the next instant, under Momoshiki's furious gaze, Naruto's clone vanished with a "poof," leaving only a fox tail behind.
"Lord Momoshiki!"
Otsutsuki Kinshiki, seeing this, also became furious.
They'd been tricked.
Momoshiki, staring at the fox tail, laughed in rage.
"Good! Using such tricks—very good! The mortals of this world have angered me!"
Just then, Momoshiki sensed something and looked up—many figures appeared in the sky.
"Naruto, the enemy has found us."
Sasuke, relying on Six Paths power and his Rinnegan, saw Momoshiki notice them and shout to warn the others.
Naruto transformed into his golden mode and roared:
"Everyone! Attack together! We can't let these two bastards destroy our village!"
The other Kage also bellowed. After all, these two had threatened the Five Kage's rule by attacking first Cloud and now Leaf.
Fifth Raikage Darui, Fifth Kazekage Gaara, Fourth Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi, Sixth Mizukage Chojuro, and Sixth Hokage Kakashi all shouted in unison.
Kakashi, always calm, commanded:
"Sasuke, you and Naruto take on Momoshiki. The big guy, Kinshiki, the five of us will hold him off."
"Okay! Kakashi-sensei, be careful."
In battle, Naruto was decisive, giving a sharp command.
Facing the enemies, Momoshiki grinned demonically.
"Heh, interesting. Saves me the trouble of finding you. Kinshiki, go play with them."
"Yes!"
Kinshiki roared, and huge red axes appeared in his hands as he charged the enemy.