The Hidden Leaf had changed.
Tall steel towers pierced the clouds like needles through a dying patient. Surveillance drones buzzed in lazy circles above the buildings. The air felt too clean. Too quiet.
Too fake.
Boruto Uzumaki stood on a cliff just outside the village's outer barrier, the wind tugging at his long black cloak, Karma mark glowing faintly on his right hand. His eyes—one blue, one pale and pulsing with Jōgan light—narrowed.
He hadn't seen this place in five years.Not since the day they branded him a traitor.Not since they sealed his father beneath the Hokage Monument and called it justice.
"The Will of Fire," he muttered bitterly. "More like the leash of fear."
His earpiece crackled.
"Boruto. You sure about this?" Sarada's voice came through, lower than usual. Tense.
"Yeah," he said, voice flat. "This village needs a wake-up call."
Below, the gates of Konoha opened for a civilian caravan. Inside the crowd: Boruto's ticket in.A henge disguise shimmered across his body. Brown hair, dull eyes, common clothes. Nothing to see here.Just another loyal sheep.
But beneath the illusion…...was a storm waiting to end everything.
Somewhere Deeper — Konoha HQ
Kawaki stood in the Hokage's office, hands clasped behind his back. He wore the Hokage cloak, but it didn't hang with Naruto's softness—it clung like armor. His Karma mark was fully active, black lines crawling across his face.
A shinobi knelt before him. "Sir, we've detected a spike in chakra at Sector 12. Unregistered."
Kawaki's eyes flashed. "Boruto."
The room dropped ten degrees. "Issue Protocol Black. Full lockdown. Anyone assisting him... is a traitor to Konoha."
Back at the Border
Boruto moved like a ghost through the streets. Every corner of the village whispered a memory—of ramen with his father, of sparring with Konohamaru, of laughter, of dreams.Of lies.
A child bumped into him. "Sorry, mister!"
Boruto looked down.Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Innocent.
Like me... before all this.
He kept walking.
Sarada's Hideout – That Night
"Three towers. One underground seal point. Kawaki's chakra suppression tech keeps everyone compliant," Sarada said, spreading out a map. "We take them out, the villagers wake up."
Mitsuki leaned on the wall, his yellow eyes glowing. "And if Kawaki shows up?"
Boruto cracked his knuckles.
"Then I remind him… that I'm not the shadow of the Hokage.I'm the flame that burns fake peace to the ground."
Final Lines of Chapter:
The camera (if this were anime) would pull back, showing Konoha under nightfall—a perfect city built on a broken dream.And from the shadows, a figure rises. Cloak billowing. Karma shining.
"The prodigal son has returned.Let judgment begin."