Chapter 182:
"I think you'd better retreat for now," Gray Wolf said, standing behind and watching the battered Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Urashiki clicked his tongue and climbed out of the sandpile.
It wasn't just Boruto—Shuyu, Sarada, and even Gaara were standing nearby with watchful eyes, silently recovering their chakra.
"I'll let you brats from Konoha off for today!"
A spatial tunnel opened up behind Urashiki.
"Wait, Mitsuki!"
Boruto called out to Mitsuki, who was following Gray Wolf into the space-time tunnel.
Due to the intense battle, Boruto hadn't had a chance to speak with Mitsuki until now.
"Want me to give you a moment to catch up with Boruto, Mitsuki?"
Gray Wolf looked back at Mitsuki with a strange smile.
Mitsuki shook his head. "No need."
"Mitsuki!"
With Sarada joining the fight and the heavy blow dealt to Urashiki, Boruto felt this was the perfect opportunity to bring Mitsuki back to the Leaf Village.
Just as he was about to act, Shuyu stopped him.
The immense toll hadn't just affected Urashiki. Except for Boruto—who had the Nine Tails—both Shuyu and Sarada were nearly drained of chakra. Worse still, Gray Wolf had yet to make a move and was still at full strength.
The space-time tunnel led to a forest in the Land of Water.
Once through, Urashiki collapsed next to a tree stump, not caring about appearances in the slightest.
"You're looking pretty pathetic, Urashiki,"
Gray Wolf said, stepping out behind him. Mitsuki followed close behind.
"Damn it!" Urashiki glared at Gray Wolf with fury in his eyes. "I was this close to catching the Nine Tails! Why didn't you help me!?"
Gray Wolf chuckled. "Help you? I sent out my latest creation, Titan No. 1, didn't I? Though it seems Titan No. 1 still needs a lot of improvement... Well then, Urashiki, I'll be heading back."
With those words, Gray Wolf formed a hand seal and vanished.
"That was... Reverse Summoning, wasn't it..."
At the Umbrella Organization's underground base, Gray Wolf stepped out from a ritual machine.
"You're not going back with him?" Urashiki looked at Mitsuki with a cold stare.
"No. I've got my own matters to deal with."
Urashiki had come to capture the Nine Tails—but capturing the Nine Tails from Naruto was extremely difficult. That made Boruto, who now held the Nine Tails, the ideal prey.
Suddenly, Urashiki's form, previously slumped on the ground, vanished and reappeared on a tree trunk.
Where he had been sitting, four sharp tails pierced into the ground.
"That was close..." Urashiki narrowed his eyes at Mitsuki. "Looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't a monolith after all. You're a Konoha spy, aren't you?"
"I'm just curious about what Ōtsutsuki flesh tastes like. I wonder if it's different from regular human meat."
"You're one hell of a cannibalistic freak."
As the words left his mouth, Urashiki suddenly lashed out with his fishing hook. Mitsuki's tails moved in to block it, and he leapt into the air, twisting midair. With a tearing whoosh, his tail slammed into Urashiki.
The strike sent Urashiki flying, crashing through several tree trunks.
"Mitsuki!"
Urashiki shouted, scrambling to his feet as Mitsuki charged toward him.
Mitsuki darted in circles around Urashiki, launching swift attacks and retreating just as quickly, harassing him with superior speed.
"Mitsuki!!"
Frustrated, Urashiki roared and swung his fishing rod toward him.
"Heavenly Must Flow: Crimson Meteor!"
Dozens of red fishhooks shot toward Mitsuki in a ranged assault.
Mitsuki leapt into the air to dodge, his tail aiming for Urashiki once more. Urashiki jumped back to evade, simultaneously launching another volley of Crimson Meteor hooks.
This time, Mitsuki was in the air with no footing to redirect, and his tails were still extended from the earlier attack, leaving him no time to defend. He took the full brunt of the attack and crashed to the ground.
"How does it feel, Mitsuki? Dare to defy the Ōtsutsuki clan, and you'll pay the price!"
"You keep shouting my name—so damn noisy..."
Lying on the ground, Mitsuki spoke calmly as his wounds began to heal.
"You bastard! Crimson Meteor!"
Urashiki lashed out again, but the moment his attack landed, Mitsuki vanished in a blur. He reappeared in front of Urashiki, slamming his knee into his gut.
"Ugh!"
Urashiki coughed up blood and tried to counterattack, but Mitsuki flipped back using his tails and easily avoided it.
"Urashiki, I'm done playing with you."
Mitsuki cracked his knuckles, a crimson eye staring at Urashiki.
Having just healed his wounds, hunger surged within him once more.
He appeared before Urashiki again, ducking under a counterstrike, then swept his leg out, tripping him. Four tails pinned Urashiki's arms and legs to the ground.
Sitting behind the immobilized Urashiki, Mitsuki spoke slowly:
"In this world, power is everything. The law of the jungle reigns supreme. And by that law, it's time for the victor—me—to enjoy the spoils..."
"You... you monster..." Urashiki growled through clenched teeth.
Mitsuki bit into Urashiki's shoulder, chewing as he muttered, "Disgusting taste... But the power boost is definitely real. In that case, don't mind if I help myself."
"Aaaahhhh!!!"
As Mitsuki's feeding quickened, Urashiki howled in pain.
From a distant tree branch, the rebuilt cyborg Delta landed and watched the scene.
"What a terrifying monster... So, should we step in, Kashin Koji?"
"No," Kashin Koji shook his head. "Now's not the time to fall out with S.H.I.E.L.D."
As a clone created from Jiraiya's genes, Kashin Koji not only inherited his jutsu but also his dream of peace for the shinobi world.
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[TN: Hello everyone. I apologize for the hiatus. I had some health issues and scheduling difficulties, which is why I was inactive.
I was on hiatus from February 10 to May 28, 2026 — a total of 107 days.
To make up for the delay, I will be releasing +150 chapters later for everyone, and daily updates on WN will resume afterward. Thank you.]