Chapter 131: Dark Naruto Arc
"Sasuke, you're back so soon—are you alright?"
The first person Sasuke encountered after stepping out of the space-time portal was Naruto. He put down the subdued Boruto he was carrying, gave a slight nod, and replied, "I'm fine, just burned through a lot of ocular power."
Using the Rinnegan's space-time portal repeatedly in a short period had taken a toll on him.
Once Naruto confirmed Sasuke was indeed unharmed, he turned his attention to Boruto. "Boruto!"
"…What?" Boruto's expression darkened. Being toyed with so easily by Mitsuki in the underground base of the Umbrella Organization had once again made him doubt his own abilities.
"Hey, you—"
Naruto was just about to lecture Boruto when Sasuke stopped him. Seeing Sasuke shake his head, Naruto could only sigh. After personally handing Boruto over to Hinata back home, Naruto returned with Sasuke to the Hokage's office.
"This time, I encountered a new S.H.I.E.L.D. member in the Umbrella Organization's underground base. He called himself Red Wolf, and he's got a ton of battle experience. But what surprised me most was that during the fight, he actually used the Toad Oil Bomb—a very specific and rare ninjutsu."
Sasuke explained.
"You mean the Toad Oil Bullet!?"
Among all the people who had died, the one Naruto missed the most was Jiraiya. Sure, he missed his parents too, but they had died right after he was born. Jiraiya, on the other hand, had been a real part of Naruto's life for many years.
To the younger Naruto, Jiraiya wasn't just a teacher—he was like a father.
"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, S.H.I.E.L.D. does seem to have a method of reviving the dead that's different from the Impure World Reincarnation." Shikamaru chimed in.
"And there's also Mitsuki." Sasuke looked toward Naruto. "During his fight with Mitsuki, Boruto was thoroughly toyed with. That's likely dealt a blow to his confidence. The strength S.H.I.E.L.D. has shown so far is just the tip of the iceberg. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if we'll even be able to destroy them within our lifetimes. Naruto, the future of the ninja world ultimately belongs to the next generation."
"Are you saying…" Naruto asked.
"Flowers raised in greenhouses can't withstand storms. Maybe it's time we put more faith in the younger ones."
"I'll have to think about it…"
Hydra Organization.
Never in their wildest dreams did Hydra think they'd one day be operating so openly.
The Jar Merchant reclined in the boss's chair, enjoying the feeling of making money while doing nothing.
"Hey, Jar Merchant—do you know any ways to quickly gain power?"
"Hmm? Ways to gain power quickly?" As the boss of the Hydra Organization, the Jar Merchant finally had his own shop now—no more hustling on the street corner, selling packs in the rain. "Well… for example, becoming a Jinchūriki?"
"Jinchūriki? That sounds familiar…"
"What did you even learn in ninja school? A Jinchūriki is someone who has a Tailed Beast sealed inside them. Once you become one, you gain an enormous amount of chakra."
"So that means… my dad is a Jinchūriki too?"
"Yeah—Naruto. He's not just any Jinchūriki; he's the strongest of them all, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki," the Jar Merchant nodded. "Come to think of it, didn't you become Sasuke's apprentice?"
"Uncle Sasuke's always off on missions. He never has time to train me." Boruto sprawled lazily on the couch. "Aside from Tailed Beasts, is there anything else that can boost someone's strength?"
"Well, there's also Bloodline Limits," said the Jar Merchant. "According to Hydra's stats, ninja with Bloodline Limits tend to become powerful more easily."
"Oh yeah… don't I have the Byakugan?" Boruto asked. "Bloodline Limits are hereditary, right? Like how Sarada inherited Sasuke's Sharingan. By that logic, I should've inherited Mom's Byakugan."
"Exactly," the Jar Merchant said. "But…"
Boruto scratched his head and sighed. "I don't know if I have the talent to awaken the Byakugan. Himawari did, though. Hey, Jar Merchant, do you have any items that can directly make me stronger?"
The Jar Merchant stared at Boruto in silence. After a long while, the anticipation on Boruto's face slowly turned into disappointment. "So… nothing?"
"It's not that. I just think you can't afford it."
"…You greedy jerk! You're already making a fortune off card sales, and you still want more?!"
"You might not be able to afford power directly—but I can sell you a chance to obtain power."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, after you buy it, there's a chance you'll gain power. Of course, there's also a chance you'll get nothing. But even if you don't get stronger, it won't be a total loss—because I've decided to send you to the era of young Naruto."
"You mean the Holy Grail War version of my dad's younger self? You're talking about going back in time, right?"
"No, Boruto. Have you ever heard of the parallel ninja world theory?"
Boruto shook his head. "Nope."
Good. If you had, I'd be wondering if you were a time traveler yourself.
The Jar Merchant gave a light snort and continued, "It's a theory our Hydra scientists discovered. To put it simply, there are countless versions of the ninja world out there. In those worlds, Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Sakura—they all exist, but their fates are different. In one of those worlds, maybe Naruto married Sakura instead of Hinata. You get what I'm saying?"
Boruto frowned and tried to process it, then shook his head again. "Nope."
"…Forget it." The Jar Merchant rubbed his head-shaped jar in exasperation. "Anyway, I'm planning to send you to a different ninja world. It'll be dangerous—but also full of chances to gain power."
"Dangerous?"
"Don't worry, I'll go with you."
No matter what, the Jar Merchant couldn't risk sending Boruto alone to that era.
And although it was called the "young Naruto" era, it was actually Shippuden—you know, the "Shippuden" where Shippu literally dies.
"Huh? But what about your company?"
"I've got vending machines. People can just insert money and get card packs—no need for me to manage anything. Plus, with my ties to your dad, no one would dare mess with the store."
"Got it. Then when are we leaving, Jar Merchant?"
"Well… we can't do it in the village. If your dad or Sasuke finds out…"
Even without him finishing the sentence, Boruto understood—his dad and Uncle Sasuke would definitely stop them.
"Then I'll find an excuse to leave the village first," Boruto said.
...