Chapter 318: Dragon
Land of Water, Capital City
Wrapped in shadow energy, Mitsuki groaned in pain.
"Evilmoku, you'd better hurry up. Those guys have already arrived at the capital of the Land of Water," said Gray Wolf Clone No. 2 to Evilmoku beside him.
"Don't worry. With Boruto Uzumaki and Kagura Karatachi here, this city will become their burial ground," Evilmoku replied confidently, staring at Mitsuki before him.
Seemingly reacting to the Boruto who inherited Naruto's will, Mitsuki struggled to open his eyes and fixated on Evilmoku and the second Gray Wolf Clone.
"I have to protect... Boruto... I can't move my limbs..."
"But your head still works, doesn't it?"
Time came to a halt. The perpetually dormant Mitsuki saw Mom Snake appear.
"For a ghoul, as long as you keep eating, it'll all be fine soon enough."
"Boruto..."
"How pitiful, Boruto... Mitsuki, you understand, don't you? Against the Ability Beasts, Boruto has absolutely no chance of winning. Isn't your wish to protect him?"
"Boruto..."
Mom Snake stepped in front of Mitsuki, reaching out to gently stroke his cheek.
"Answer me, Mitsuki. If it's for Boruto's sake, would you do anything, no matter what it is?"
"Boruto..." Mitsuki's head trembled slightly as he whispered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Mm... no matter what it is... I'm willing..."
"Even if it means falling into darkness?"
"...I've already been swallowed by darkness..."
"Good. That's a good boy. Then, for Boruto's sake—bite, eat, and don't stop."
Mom Snake vanished. Mitsuki opened his scarlet eye and let out a feral roar. Behind him, clotted blood writhed and surged, finally forming four sharp kagune tails.
He burst free from the shadow energy's bindings and pounced on Gray Wolf Clone No. 2, sinking his teeth into its cheek.
"So much fur..."
"And yet you're enjoying it this much?" Evilmoku sneered, kicking Mitsuki aside. He followed with a stomp to Mitsuki's chest, forcing him back to the ground just as Mitsuki tried to rise again. He glanced at the motionless Gray Wolf Clone No. 2 and frowned. "Dead already? Whatever, it's just a clone."
Evilmoku bent down, staring into Mitsuki's face. Mitsuki gripped the foot pinning him down with both hands.
"This is it—Die now!"
Mitsuki's kagune tails shot out, stabbing into Evilmoku's chest. Though the attack landed, Evilmoku looked completely unfazed.
He reached out with his left hand and forced Mitsuki's mouth open. With his right hand, he shoved a mass of shadow energy into it.
"What... did you make me eat?!"
Mitsuki screamed as his stomach convulsed with searing pain. He gagged and retched uncontrollably. Eventually, the shadow energy began to morph, and the figures of Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, Kinshiki, and Momoshiki were expelled one by one from his mouth. Mitsuki's aura weakened dramatically.
The shadow energy flowed across the forms of Urashiki, Kinshiki, and Momoshiki, mutating them into Ability Beasts: Evil Flame, Evil Gold, and Evil Earth.
"Long time no see, all of you," Evilmoku said calmly.
"Who are you?!"
Urashiki—now Evil Flame—demanded.
"I'm Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Though now, I go by the name of Ability Beast Evilmoku."
Evilmoku smiled.
"You're... Ōtsutsuki Isshiki?!"
Momoshiki looked genuinely surprised.
"That's an old-timer," Urashiki added, eyeing Evilmoku.
"More importantly, check your bodies. It took quite a lot of effort to revive you—and I even gave you Ability Beast bodies," Evilmoku said.
"They are powerful bodies indeed," Kinshiki remarked.
"You're no longer of the Ōtsutsuki clan. You belong to the Ability Beast tribe now."
"Boruto... Boruto... Boruto..."
Mitsuki, who kept muttering Boruto's name, suddenly had dozens of kagune tails burst from his back. They plunged into the ground, wrapping around him entirely. The entire Land of Water began to tremble with an earthquake.
"Isshiki—what is going on?!"
Urashiki, now Evil Flame, turned to Evilmoku.
"I don't know either. Also, from now on, call me by my Ability Beast name. That goes for all of you. Since you've become Ability Beasts, you must abandon everything from the Ōtsutsuki clan, including your names."
The underground kagune tails rampaged across the Land of Water, attacking every living thing in their path—zombies included.
"Hey, Boruto, do you know what that thing is?"
Kagura turned to ask the modern Boruto.
"No idea..."
Boruto shook his head, but staring at the thing slaughtering the zombies, he felt a strange sense of closeness.
Outside the capital of the Land of Water
Future Boruto looked up at the massive kagune tails writhing within the city.
"That thing... I feel like I've seen it before..."
"That's the dragon that appeared in the future," Kurama inside Future Boruto reminded him.
"Yeah... I remember now."
Future Boruto nodded and rushed toward the capital.
Inside the Land of Water, kagune tails tore through buildings, reducing them to rubble.
"Boruto! Kagura!"
Shizōma dropped from the sky in front of Modern Boruto and Kagura, dark energy surging across his body.
"Shizōma?!"
Kagura stared at him in shock.
"Kagura, this time, I won't lose to you again!"
Shadow energy continued to swell within Shizōma, expanding his body further and further.
...
"Where... am I...?"
Mitsuki lay on a beach, blinking at the clear blue sky. Waves roared in his ears, and seagulls cried overhead.
"That's right! Boruto! I have to find Boruto!"
Mitsuki scrambled to his feet and looked around.
"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Monster?"
Mom Snake appeared suddenly before him.
"Orochimaru?!"
Mitsuki stared at her. "I need to get to Boruto! I have to save him!"
"Boruto? Then tell me—do you even know his current situation?"
Mom Snake extended her right hand and took Mitsuki's, their fingers interlocked.
"This is—!"
Before Mitsuki's eyes, a vision appeared: Modern Boruto locked in combat with a fully transformed, monstrous Shizōma. Mitsuki instinctively clenched his fist.
"I have to help Boruto! Orochimaru, tell me—how do I leave this place?!"
"If you want to help him, Mitsuki... you don't even have to leave this place to do it."
Mom Snake smiled, looking at him softly.