Chapter 118:
This time, the mission involved coordinated efforts from both inside and outside—one overt, one covert. Shuyu and Boruto infiltrated the prison to protect Kuro from within, while Sarada remained outside to provide support.
"I'm Sarada, and I submitted a request for an interview." Dressed differently, Sarada now looked even more fresh and charming.
"Little girl, you're the journalism student, huh? Hmph, of all the things to cover, you just had to choose a prison interview." In the hallway of Hōzuki Castle, Chief Guard Mui walked ahead, clearly irritated.
Sarada, trailing closely behind him, could only respond with a sheepish laugh.
"That over there is the Tenshukaku tower where Lord Mujō and I reside, along with the watchtower and the central courtyard. As you can see, the prison is surrounded by ocean on all sides—escaping is simply impossible."
Though Mui disliked meaningless interviews, he had no choice but to accept this one—it was a direct order from the warden of Hōzuki Castle.
He already foresaw that under the influence of these sensationalist media types, the ignorant public would end up sympathizing with the prisoners, completely forgetting the crimes they had committed.
"I heard the Heavenly Prison Technique loses effect when exposed to water—is that true?"
As she scribbled notes in her small notebook, Sarada casually posed the question.
"Of course it does. It's a Fire Style technique, after all. But a small amount of water doesn't matter, and this prison doesn't have any facilities capable of soaking someone in water. No baths, and even the toilets aren't the flushing kind."
"I see..." Sarada finished her notes and then pointed in another direction. "What about over there?"
"That's the medical ward. All the guys pretending to be sick love going there," Mui replied with disdain in his voice. "A bunch of useless weaklings."
"Let's keep moving, little girl." Eager to wrap up the tour, Mui urged her along.
Prison Cafeteria
As soon as Sarada entered, she spotted Shuyu and Boruto, who was sticking close to him.
"Hey, hurry up! If you space out again, I'm leaving you behind." Mui swiped a wooden badge to unlock a cafeteria door and barked at Sarada.
"I'm coming!"
"Stick close to me. Without this badge, you can't go anywhere in this place. If you get lost, it'll be a big headache for me."
"I heard the warden position in Hōzuki Castle has always been held by the same family?"
"Yeah, that's right. It's an old, boring tradition."
"Do you hold any resentment toward the current warden?"
Mui glanced at Sarada behind him—this was what he'd been waiting for. He cleared his throat and replied, "Not exactly resentment. It's just that Lord Mujō is sometimes too soft on the inmates. He actually believes they can change and be released. It's laughable. That kind of attitude is unfair to the victims of these criminals."
Though it sounded like he was criticizing Mujō, he was actually praising the warden's compassion. Most of the public preferred a kind-hearted leader. As for the victims—well, they were few in number and easy to ignore.
Elsewhere, after lunch came a brief afternoon exercise period. All the inmates were herded into an open area. Guard towers stood at each of the four corners, each manned by prison guards.
"That's Kuro. I'm going to talk to him. Boruto, cover me."
Shuyu whispered to Boruto beside him.
"Kuro..."
"Who are you?!"
Shuyu's sudden greeting startled Kuro.
This guy… Is he really the second-in-command of the bandit group? Shuyu frowned, suspicious. "I was sent by Konoha to protect you."
"Why should I believe you?"
"The envelope you sent to Konoha was blue."
"Th-That's great..." Kuro was visibly emotional. Living in constant fear had worn him down—he could barely raise his head in the mornings. But as he calmed down, he cast a skeptical look at Shuyu. "But… Konoha only sent a kid?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Now, about the bandit group's intel—"
"I'll tell you everything I know once I'm safely in Konoha."
"...I hope you're telling the truth. I'll work on getting you transferred to my cell."
Shuyu suddenly paused, disturbed by the commotion erupting behind him.
"Hey, Shuyu!"
"What happened, Boruto?" Shuyu asked as Boruto ran toward him in a panic.
"Looks like someone's breaking into the prison."
"A prison break?" Shuyu frowned. If it were just a regular jailbreak, he wouldn't be worried. But he feared the bandit group might be using it as a cover to assassinate Kuro.
"Kuro, stick close to us from now on."
"Yes." Kuro responded after glancing at Boruto.
"Hey, what is that?!"
One of the background inmates pointed at a figure on the watchtower.
"That's..."
Boruto squinted at the monster on the tower.
"That's an Evil Ginseng Beast, a creature modified by the cosmic dark forces of OMG!"
"Mitsuki!"
Boruto turned to the one explaining it.
"Don't tell me… S.H.I.E.L.D. has teamed up with OMG?"
Shuyu looked at Mitsuki—this was news to him.
Mitsuki nodded.
Shuyu's face darkened—not because S.H.I.E.L.D. had partnered with OMG, but because it meant he'd lost S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trust.
"Mitsuki, what are you trying to do?"
"As you can see, Boruto, I'm just carrying out the mission S.H.I.E.L.D. assigned me—testing the Evil Ginseng Beast's combat abilities."
As Mitsuki spoke, the beast had already begun its slaughter. The inmates, with their chakra sealed, were helpless—like leeks ruthlessly harvested by capitalists. It was tragic.
"Shuyu! Boruto!" Amid the chaos, Sarada, unaware of the full situation, rushed over. She first breathed a sigh of relief seeing them unharmed, but then her eyes landed on Mitsuki standing in front of them. "Mitsuki!"
"Long time no see, Sarada."
Mitsuki greeted her calmly.
"This is the perfect opportunity—Mitsuki, I'm bringing you back to the village!"
"Is that so?"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Mitsuki launched the first attack. He leapt high into the air, and four dark red, conical kagune sprouted from his back, thrusting toward Boruto.
"Dodge, now!"
Thanks to Shuyu's warning, Boruto managed to scramble out of the way. The spot where he had just been standing was pierced and cracked by Mitsuki's kagune.
"So fast!" Boruto looked at him. "That kind of attack… Mitsuki, are you seriously trying to kill me?!"
In truth, even if Boruto hadn't dodged, Mitsuki's kagune would've only grazed his skin.
"Boruto, do you make friends with your food?"
"You… bastard!" Boruto growled, forming hand seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)