Naruto: Boruto Returns to Shippuden

Chapter 2 Ghost Brothers

Boruto walked at the back of the group, his gaze frequently falling on Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki at the front. He observed their every move, a complex emotion welling up inside him.

Boruto unconsciously pursed his lips, inwardly teasing, "Tch~ It's one thing for Dad to be shorter than Sasuke-sensei, but I never expected him to be even shorter than Aunt Sakura. That's really lame... If it were me, I'd want to find a crack in the ground to crawl into."

On the way to their destination, Kakashi took the opportunity to share some knowledge about ninja villages with everyone. He explained in detail the historical background, cultural characteristics, and status and role of each village in the ninja world.

Kakashi also emphasized the cooperative and competitive relationship among ninjas, as well as the rules and ethical standards that ninjas must follow when carrying out missions.

After Kakashi finished explaining the relevant knowledge about the ninja village to everyone, he turned around, patted Sakura's head, and said, "Don't worry, Sakura, C-rank missions are usually simple missions. There won't be any duels between ninjas, and you won't be put in any danger."

Sakura Haruno smiled after hearing Kakashi's explanation and replied easily, "Oh, that's good. That way we don't have to worry about encountering foreign ninjas."

“Of course,” Kakashi replied.

He muttered to himself, "What nonsense! Everyone says the ninja world used to be so cruel and dangerous, but in the end it's just like modern times, where people are sent away and cats and dogs are found. Adults just love exaggerated literature."

Boruto's mindset gradually changed. The C-rank mission that his father and the others were experiencing now seemed not much different from the missions he had completed before.

After hearing Kakashi and Sakura's conversation behind him, Tazuna didn't say anything. He just silently lowered the brim of his hat to hide his expression, and a faint trace of cold sweat could be seen on his cheeks.

Dazner knew that the road ahead was fraught with danger, and only he himself knew the extent of those dangers.

Boruto noticed Mr. Tazuna's unusual behavior. He put his hands behind his head and asked casually, "Mr. Tazuna, are you a little nervous? You're sweating."

"Don't worry, even if something happens, Kakashi...senpai can handle it easily." Boruto realized he almost let something slip, so he quickly corrected himself and changed his address.

Boruto has great faith in Kakashi's abilities, after all, he is the Sixth Hokage and enjoys a very high reputation in the ninja world.

Although Kakashi doesn't appear to be Hokage yet, Boruto believes that with Kakashi's abilities and experience, he is fully capable of handling any unexpected situation.

Boruto has just arrived here, and it's unclear which Hokage era he's in yet.

Boruto gently tugged at Naruto Uzumaki beside him and asked in a low voice, "Naruto... Naruto, which generation of Hokage is the current Hokage of Konoha?" There was a hint of embarrassment in his voice, after all, it was still a little unnatural for him to call his father by his name.

The hope is to learn about the current Hokage and the situation of this era by asking Naruto.

Naruto Uzumaki said to Boruto with a hint of mockery, "Hey~ you don't even know this? The current Hokage is the Third Hokage!" His expression carried a touch of ridicule for Boruto's ignorance.

Boruto was somewhat surprised upon hearing Naruto's answer. Was he only the Third Hokage now? That was quite a long time ago.

......

Boruto and his group continued their journey, steadily advancing towards the Land of Waves along their planned route. Despite some minor incidents earlier, the atmosphere within the group had returned to calm.

On their way to the Land of Waves, the group passed a puddle that caught Kakashi Hatake's attention, though he only glanced at it briefly.

In that rain-soaked puddle, a head suddenly burst out of the water, splashing water droplets everywhere, as if a ghost in the water had suddenly appeared.

At the same time, in the nearby woods, a lithe figure flashed out like an arrow, creating an eerie echo with the figure in the puddle.

The two seemed to have planned this all along, rushing towards Kakashi's location with tacit understanding. Their movements were swift and precise, clearly indicating that they were about to launch a surprise and fatal attack.

These two are the Ghost Brothers, the traitorous ninjas of Kirigakure. For money, they would kill any target without regard for morality or ethics.

"The first one!"

In that brief moment, Kakashi was tightly bound by that cold, merciless iron chain, and with a shrill metallic scraping sound, his body was mercilessly crushed.

His flesh and blood were shattered into tiny fragments by the immense force, scattered like withered petals on the blood-stained land.

Boruto was slightly taken aback by the sudden scene he witnessed.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried out in panic, his voice filled with disbelief and fear.

Immediately afterwards, the pair of "ghost brothers" appeared behind Boruto with astonishing speed. Their movements were swift and silent, as stealthy as ghosts.

Their eyes revealed coldness and ruthlessness, and the corners of their mouths were slightly upturned as they uttered three words in a very deep voice, as if they came from the depths of hell, making the surrounding air seem to freeze.

"The second one!"

Just as the Demon Brothers were about to launch a fatal attack on Boruto, and the situation was extremely critical, Boruto had already recovered from his brief moment of shock.

Boruto immediately crouched down to avoid the Demon Brothers' chain attack, took out a kunai from his ninja tool bag, turned around, and decisively slashed a wound on the opponent's chest before kicking him away.

The demon brothers were surprised by Boruto's counterattack. Using the force of Boruto's kick, the demon head immediately adjusted his position and rushed towards Naruto, intending to take him down first.

Seeing this, Sasuke did not hesitate at all. He leaped up, quickly drew a shuriken from his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, the shuriken sliced ​​through the air and accurately struck the Oni Brothers' weapon, making a crisp metallic clang.

This attack not only stopped the Demon Brothers' attack but also bought Naruto valuable reaction time.

After Sasuke neutralized their attack, the demon brothers frowned. How come these kids react so quickly lately?

They immediately adjusted their strategy, shifting their focus to the defenseless Tazuna. They moved swiftly like ghosts, attempting to attack Tazuna before he could strike again.

However, Boruto had already lunged directly at the Demon Brothers, leaping forward and pinning the Demon Head beneath him, successfully stopping them.

Sakura then saw another enemy approaching the target she was protecting, and without hesitation, she stepped forward, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and used her body as a shield to bravely stand in front of Tazuna.

Sasuke didn't sit idly by when Sakura stepped forward. He moved like lightning and reappeared in front of Sakura, spreading his arms and using his body as a barrier to protect Sakura and Tazuna behind him.

Just as the Demon Brothers' attack was about to hit Sasuke, Kakashi suddenly appeared, his hands swiftly reaching out and accurately grabbing the Demon Brothers' necks, rescuing Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna from danger and instantly reversing the situation.

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as she exclaimed in surprise, "Kakashi-sensei! You're still alive!"

Naruto turned to look at the spot where Kakashi had fallen, but found no bloodstains as expected, only a pile of broken wood fragments scattered on the ground.

He then realized that Kakashi-sensei had used the Substitution Jutsu to cleverly dodge the Demon Brothers' fatal attack.

Kakashi's gaze swept lightly over Naruto and Boruto before settling on Naruto. He said, "I'm sorry, Naruto, I hurt you. But I didn't expect you to be so still."

Kakashi turned his gaze to Sasuke and Sakura, nodding in approval of their performance: "Sasuke, your reaction speed and combat skills are as excellent as ever. Sakura, your courage and actions in protecting your comrades are also commendable."

Kakashi was somewhat surprised by Boruto's performance. He hadn't expected Boruto to adapt to the rhythm of battle so quickly, and he couldn't help but pay more attention to Boruto.

The two enemies who launched the surprise attack were clearly Chunin-level, but Boruto displayed surprising combat abilities, managing to suppress one of them.

After the battle, Boruto carefully wiped the blood off the kunai in his hand and put it back into his ninja tool pouch.

Naruto also fell into deep thought. He hadn't made any significant contribution in this battle, even though it was their first time fighting. Sasuke and Sakura, on the other hand, performed so well and even stepped forward to protect him at a crucial moment.

Sasuke noticed Naruto's gaze, turned his head, and said to Naruto in a teasing tone with a slight upturn of his lips, "Yo! You're not hurt, are you? Coward!" His eyes were full of mockery.

Hearing Sasuke's teasing, Naruto couldn't help but shout, "Sasuke!"

Kakashi stopped Naruto from fighting Sasuke and pointed out that the Demon Brothers' fingernails contained a deadly poison that, once inside the body, would spread throughout the entire body and cause serious damage.

He was advised to immediately use a sharp knife to gently cut open the wound to release the toxins from the bloodstream.

After telling Naruto about the situation, Kakashi slowly walked to the side and found Tazuna, preparing to have an "in-depth conversation" with him.

Under pressure from Kakashi, Tazuna was forced to reveal the whole story without reservation, his words pouring out one after another like beans.

When Sakura learned that the mission's level would be at least B, she felt a sense of retreat. She thought that the difficulty and risks of the mission might be too severe for their current abilities.

Sakura's voice betrayed a hint of hesitation as she voiced her concerns to Kakashi: "This mission seems too early for us. Should we consider canceling it?"

"Furthermore, to open Naruto's wound and release the poisonous blood, we need appropriate anesthesia to alleviate Naruto's pain. We need to go back to the village to see a doctor."

Kakashi temporarily looked away from the conversation and turned to look at Naruto, noticing that Naruto was carefully examining his wounds. He wanted to leave the decision of whether or not to return to the village to Naruto.

Feeling Kakashi's gaze directed at him, Naruto gritted his teeth, a fierce look appearing on his face. Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly pulled a kunai from his waist and plunged it into the back of his injured hand.

This scene shocked everyone present; they had never expected Naruto to be so resolute towards himself.

As Naruto felt his wound bleeding profusely, a series of questions welled up in his mind.

Why are they so different?

Why am I always the one who holds everyone back?

"hateful!"

Sakura was startled when Naruto suddenly attacked her. She quickly took a step forward and said urgently, "Naruto! What are you doing?"

“That’s right! Wouldn’t it be safer to get treatment back in the village? Why go through all this trouble?” Boruto also advised.

Naruto ignored Sakura and Boruto's advice and continued to mutter to himself, "I should be stronger than before."

"Continuously complete missions and undergo ninjutsu training alone every day."

"I no longer want to wait for someone to save me. I will not be frustrated, nor will I run away. I do not want to lose to Sasuke. I swear by the pain in my left hand, the mission continues!" With the movement of Naruto's left hand, drops of bright red blood dripped from the wound and fell to the ground, forming a small crimson stain.

Kakashi lazily reminded him, "Naruto, it's good to release the poisonous blood at the right time, but if you continue like this, you might bleed to death."

Naruto's cool demeanor lasted only three seconds. Upon hearing Kakashi's reminder, his previously determined expression instantly crumbled, replaced by panic.

Naruto reverted to his usual goofy self, shouting, "Ah! How could I die over something so trivial?"

Kakashi approached Naruto and gestured for him to show his wound so he could examine it.

However, when Kakashi carefully examined Naruto's wound, he was surprised to find that the edges of the wound had begun to show signs of healing.

The wounds that should have needed treatment are now seemingly healing on their own at an extraordinary speed.

As Kakashi carefully bandaged Naruto's wounds, a thought couldn't help but cross his mind: Is this really the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox at work?

Boruto was deeply shocked by Naruto's words and was quite shocked. He never expected that his father had this side to him when he was a child.