"Boruto Uzumaki. You're here."
The moment Boruto opened his eyes inside the strange mental space, he heard someone call his name. Following the voice, he turned his head and saw Momoshiki sitting calmly nearby.
"Otsutsuki Momoshiki! What do you want?" Boruto immediately tensed, instinctively entering a combat stance.
"Relax. You possess the Jougan, do you not? Think about it carefully. This is your own mind. What exactly are you afraid of?"
"My mind?" Boruto looked around the area in confusion. "Then why does it look like this?"
"Because I renovated it."
Boruto nearly jumped out of his seat.
"You broke into my mind and redecorated it? What are you planning? Are you trying to…"
"Stop guessing wildly," Momoshiki interrupted. "My current state is actually quite similar to the tailed beast sealed inside your father, Naruto Uzumaki. Understand?"
"So if I die, that wouldn't benefit you either. Right?" Boruto asked cautiously.
"Exactly. So why are you still so tense? Come, sit down and have some tea."
Hearing that, Boruto relaxed a little. His shoulders loosened as he walked toward the empty chair across from Momoshiki and sat down.
He picked up the cup of tea already placed on the table and took a careful sip.
"So why did you drag me into this mental world?" Boruto asked. "A few days ago we were fighting to the death, and now you're redecorating my mind like it's your living room. What exactly are you planning?"
"Revival," Momoshiki replied calmly. "To be honest, my current situation is not much different from being dead."
"So what does that have to do with me?" Boruto said, narrowing his eyes. "Don't tell me you're planning to use me to resurrect yourself."
He took another sip of tea.
"This tea is pretty good. What kind of rare tea leaves did you use?"
Momoshiki smiled slightly.
"My bodily fluids."
"What?!"
Boruto instantly gagged and tried to spit the tea out.
Momoshiki laughed.
"I'm joking. I just said that I'm basically dead right now. I don't even have a physical body, so how could I possibly have bodily fluids?"
Boruto finally stopped coughing and looked at him suspiciously.
"By the way… is this really your personality?" Boruto asked. "You feel completely different from when we first met."
"You could say I am Momoshiki… but also not Momoshiki."
"Huh? What does that even mean?" Boruto frowned.
"The one speaking to you right now is essentially… you."
Momoshiki pointed casually at Boruto's right hand.
"You know about the diamond-shaped mark on your hand, correct?"
"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"
"That mark is called Karma. It is a seal that members of the Otsutsuki clan place onto a vessel. When an Otsutsuki dies, the Karma they left behind begins to decompress. It gradually transforms the host into an Otsutsuki and eventually overwrites the host's soul."
"In other words, it allows the Otsutsuki to resurrect."
Boruto's expression turned serious.
"So I'm your resurrection vessel."
"Correct," Momoshiki replied. "However, splitting one's soul is not a wise method. Instead, Karma functions more like a compressed backup file. It records the Otsutsuki at the moment of death, then slowly decompresses that data."
He paused and glanced at Boruto.
"If we use a comparison from the games in your memories, it's similar to overwriting a save file. You are the old save file. Karma is the new one."
Boruto nodded slowly.
"So you're gradually overwriting my save data with yours."
"Exactly. Although… there has been a small issue during the process."
"A problem?" Boruto asked.
"Yes. A slight flaw occurred during the merging process. Because of that, your personality has influenced me. At the same time, I've seen fragments of your memories. That's why I understand the concept of 'save files' from the games you play."
"Oh…" Boruto leaned back in his chair, thinking. "Then can't you just choose not to resurrect?"
Momoshiki stared at him as if he had just heard something ridiculous.
"What kind of question is that? If I didn't intend to resurrect, why would I plant Karma in the first place?"
He sounded irritated, but after a moment his tone softened.
"However… I must admit that the lives of you young humans are surprisingly interesting. So for now, I will not resurrect by using you."
Boruto blinked.
"For now?"
"Yes. If you eventually find another way for me to return, then I won't need to use you as a vessel. But if no such method exists… then I will have no choice."
Hearing this, Boruto noticed something strange.
The Momoshiki sitting in front of him was very different from the arrogant being who had previously called humans inferior creatures.
This Momoshiki seemed… curious.
Almost like he was looking for entertainment.
Boruto grinned immediately.
"Fine. But if you're going to live here, shouldn't you at least pay rent?"
Momoshiki laughed.
"You brat. Always trying to get the upper hand. When Karma activates, it allows you to absorb ninjutsu and sense the location of others who carry Karma. Isn't that already generous enough?"
Boruto stared at him for a moment.
"You know… you're actually starting to feel more like a human."
Momoshiki frowned.
"Are you insulting me?"
Boruto waved his hands quickly.
"No, no. What I mean is you're showing more emotions. You're becoming… more human-like."
"Hmph."
Momoshiki leaned back in his chair.
"Very well. Now I want to see that scroll seal you mentioned earlier. Go find it."
Boruto crossed his arms.
"Hey, that thing isn't something just anyone gets to see! I'm not getting it."
"Fine. If you won't go, then don't."
Momoshiki suddenly stood up.
"Then it's time for you to leave."
"Wait! This is my mind! How can you kick me out of my own mental space?!"
Boruto's voice faded as he was forcefully expelled from the world inside his mind.
Momoshiki watched him disappear and sighed.
"To explain my personality, I had to invent quite a few excuses. I managed to fool him for now."
He rubbed his temple thoughtfully.
"Even so, that kid probably hasn't completely lowered his guard yet."
Momoshiki waved his hand.
A bed appeared in the empty space.
"Well, that's something to deal with later. The most important thing right now is sleep."
He lay down comfortably.
"Damn you, Momoshiki!"
Boruto suddenly shot upright in his bed in the real world.
"That stupid Momoshiki! Next time I enter that mental space, I'm definitely going to teach you a lesson!"
After venting his frustration for a while, Boruto slowly calmed down.
"What exactly is Momoshiki planning?" he muttered to himself.
"If he really wanted to take over my body, there'd be no reason to go through all this trouble. He must have some other plan."
Boruto stared at the ceiling for a moment.
"But I have no idea what it is…"
He sighed.
"Whatever. I'll figure it out later."
Boruto lay back down on the bed, closed his eyes, and soon drifted back to sleep.