Chapter 288:
Konoha Village, now under attack by the Six Paths of Pain.
"Tell me where the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is, or you die."
Tendō Pain stood before Iruka and spoke coldly.
"You'll get nothing out of me!"
Iruka, who had long since resolved to face death, glared at Tendō Pain and replied.
"Is that so."
As Tendō Pain spoke, he thrust a black rod toward Iruka with his right hand.
"Creating a commotion to distract us, while secretly conducting a search."
Kakashi suddenly appeared beside Iruka, gripping the black rod in Tendō Pain's hand tightly with his right hand.
"Jōnin Kakashi!"
Iruka cried out in surprised relief at his narrow escape.
"Iruka, get out of here. Leave this to me."
Kakashi glanced at Iruka over his shoulder as he spoke.
"Alright. I'm counting on you, Jōnin Kakashi."
Iruka quickly turned and retreated. As a qualified ninja, he understood that not only would he be of no help here—he'd only get in Kakashi's way.
"The Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. What an encounter. If it's you, then surely you know where the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is."
"What a foolish question..."
Before Kakashi could finish his sentence, a mysterious force suddenly blasted him away and buried him under a pile of rubble. At the same time, enormous summoned beasts appeared throughout Konoha, running rampant.
"Everything around that guy flew outward from a central point. What kind of technique is this... And it doesn't feel like a simple shockwave..." Kakashi muttered as he climbed out of the debris, eyes fixed warily on Tendō Pain. "Anyway, let's probe him first... Lightning Release: Twin Lightning Tigers!"
He morphed his Chidori into two thunderous tigers, sending them pouncing at Tendō Pain from both sides.
Though Chidori had been transformed from a close-range technique into a ranged attack, it came at the cost of reduced power.
Just as the two lightning tigers reached Tendō Pain, they were repelled by an invisible force.
"It can even reflect ninjutsu... What a troublesome opponent..."
At the same time, Naraka Path Pain suddenly descended from the sky, landing behind Kakashi.
The Naraka Path could summon the King of Hell to judge whether captured individuals were lying. His appearance meant Tendō Pain was already growing impatient with the fight.
Elsewhere in Konoha—
"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?"
Future Boruto fixed his gaze on the Konoha ninja in front of him.
"Give it up... I won't tell you anything..."
Before the Konoha ninja could even finish his sentence, Future Boruto knocked him out cold.
"I thought you'd kill him."
Hanabi stood behind him and spoke. In her memory, every time Future Boruto carried out a mission, he always approached it with deadly seriousness—and he never hesitated to kill.
"No matter what, in the future I was still a Konoha ninja... Even if by then, Konoha barely existed. Besides, I was the Eighth Hokage of Konoha—though by then, there were less than ten of us left..."
"Huh? You were the Eighth Hokage?"
Hanabi looked at him in shock.
"I never told you?"
"Not at all."
Hanabi shook her head.
"Well, now you know."
"Hey! Is that how you talk to your aunt!?"
"Someone's coming."
Just as Future Boruto finished speaking, several Konoha ninja suddenly appeared around him and Hanabi in a flicker of movement.
"Here!" the Hyūga leader barked, then turned to the girl beside him. "Lady Hinata, once battle begins, you must protect yourself at all costs."
"You don't need to worry about me."
"No, we must. That's the clan head's order!"
After Hanabi was abducted by a mysterious figure and presumed dead or missing, the position of Hyūga clan head had been passed down to Hinata.
"Wait, that voice..." Hanabi turned around. "I knew it—it's Sis!"
"Hanabi!" The joy of reunion lasted only a moment before Hinata's face turned stern. "Why, Hanabi? Why did you join the Akatsuki? Why are you helping them destroy Konoha?"
"Well, I..."
Just as Hanabi began to speak, Future Boruto grabbed her.
"You're the one who kidnapped my sister that night."
Hinata stared at Future Boruto, her voice steely.
"..."
Future Boruto didn't respond.
"Sister... Come home. Father misses you too."
Hinata turned her gaze toward Hanabi, still held by Future Boruto.
"But..."
Hanabi hesitated, glancing back at him.
"Hanabi, stand behind me."
"Wait, she's your—"
"It's fine."
Future Boruto said calmly.
"I won't let anyone who dares harm this village get away with it!"
Just as Hinata took up a Gentle Fist stance, Future Boruto vanished and appeared in front of her in an instant.
"Sorry..."
He struck Hinata on the neck with a precise chop. She staggered, lost strength, and fainted. As her eyes closed, she looked at Future Boruto's silhouette—and for a moment, she thought she was looking at Naruto.
"Naruto..."
Future Boruto gently caught the unconscious Hinata in his arms.
"Lady Hinata! Damn it! Everyone, attack! We must save Lady Hinata!"
The Hyūga leader, the eldest among them, gave the order.
"Hanabi, let's go."
After laying Hinata gently on the ground, Future Boruto turned and said.
"Mm."
On the roof of the Hokage's office.
"So you came too."
Tendō Pain turned to face Future Boruto, who stood at his side, opposite Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.
"She's the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, after all—and the one person we can be absolutely certain knows where the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is."
Future Boruto replied.
"That's... Hanabi from the Hyūga clan!"
Tsunade was shocked to see Hanabi standing beside them.
After all, the Rasengan that nearly destroyed Konoha that night had been used just to take her away.
"Lady Hokage."
Hanabi greeted Tsunade.
"Lady Hokage, tell me where the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is. For the sake of our past acquaintance, I'll spare Konoha."
Tendō Pain stared her down.
"Hmph. You seem to be mistaken about something. There's no way you'll ever get what you're after!"
"If you think you can protect Naruto—"
"You're wrong! Naruto is incredibly strong!"
"…In that case, we'll just destroy Konoha completely."
Tendō Pain slowly floated into the air. Bathed in the sunlight, he looked like a true god, ready to pass judgment on a ninja world full of war, hatred, and suffering.
"Feel pain, know pain, accept pain."
"Those who do not understand true pain can never understand true peace."
"This world shall know pain… Shinra Tensei!"