Chirp, chirp, chirp!
The sound of insects chirping drifted into the hospital room, but it did nothing to alleviate the anxiety in Boruto's heart. He tilted his head back, staring at the black mark on his palm. Even if Otsutsuki Momoshiki had lost the foundation for reincarnation, he couldn't help but wonder, would he truly not be taken advantage of when vulnerable?
Click~
A soft sound came from the adjacent hospital bed.
"Looks like you've recovered well." A familiar voice reached his ears, instantly lifting his spirits. He quickly turned over.
"Little Dad, where did you go? Why are you only back now?" Boruto asked.
"Took a trip to the Land of Snow."
"What were you doing there? It's nothing but snow and mountains."
"Went to get something," Naruto said, lacing his fingers together as he explained. The technology obtained from Kara's base and what he got from Amado had a lot of overlap, but the former was more comprehensive.
"I heard you, like Kawaki, can now control the power of Karma?" Before coming to visit, he had already learned about the subsequent developments from Nara Shikamaru.
"I haven't had a real battle yet." Boruto held his hand under the light, then clasped his right hand with his left. "But I have a feeling that what Kawaki could do back then, I can do too."
"Want to have a real battle?" Naruto suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Boruto was taken aback. "But my injuries haven't fully healed yet."
"Give me your hand."
Their fists met. A large amount of Yang Release energy surged into the wound on Boruto's chest.
"If there are no accidents, there should be a battle tonight." Recalling Nara Shikamaru's hint during their earlier conversation, Naruto patted Boruto's shoulder.
Sensing that the man had left, Eida's heart eased slightly.
"Your luck is pretty good."
"Huh?" Code pushed away the small hand blocking his vision and looked at him, puzzled. For some reason, this Daemon fellow really liked to ride on his shoulders.
"That guy is here."
"Who?"
"That newborn Otsutsuki."
Code's eyes narrowed. Otsutsuki Isshiki had died at that guy's hands; he was also Code's primary target for revenge.
"Before you remove the limiter, temporarily give up on that ridiculous revenge of yours," Eida said, seemingly understanding what he was thinking.
"Code, that guy is very strong. I can't beat him," Daemon piped up, looking down with lingering fear.
"...I know." Code nodded.
"There's one more thing you might be interested in." Eida recounted what she had "seen" earlier. "Boruto has revived."
Code was somewhat surprised. He had personally seen Kawaki pierce through most of Boruto's chest. To not die from such an injury...
"Did Otsutsuki Momoshiki save him?" That was the only possibility he could think of.
"It should be." Eida tapped her fingernail lightly on the tabletop. "Karma has completely decompressed into Boruto's body. In other words, he is already an Otsutsuki. There are some things even I can't see through. I can't be certain if he can communicate with Otsutsuki on a spiritual level."
"Truly fortunate," Code remarked. "But generally speaking, his revival is beneficial to our plan."
"Plan?" Eida's voice was laced with anger. "Then shouldn't you explain why you used my younger brother to shield you from harm without my consent?"
"My deepest apologies," Code said, filled with self-reproach. "Given the situation at the time, I had no other choice."
"Listen well!" Eida looked directly into his eyes. "Your mission now is to bring Kawaki to my side. In return, I will help you remove the limiter and achieve your objective. That so-called plan is yours, not ours."
"I thought we could be comrades..." Code sighed, scratching his head.
"Comrades?" Eida chewed on the word. "Its meaning is people who travel the same path together. It has one prerequisite: equality in status and strength. As you are now, or even with your limiter removed, you are useless to me. If I wished, I could execute you at any time."
"Understood." Code sighed. "Please believe me, I am already prepared."
Saying this, he covered his ear with his right hand.
Konoha Village.
Nara Shikamaru entered a password, and the tightly shut laboratory door slowly opened. Looking at Amado, who was hunched over his desk writing, he inquired, "What's going on with Boruto's body?"
"I've analyzed his blood. Although it sounds somewhat incredible, the analysis results are consistent with what Boruto said." Amado had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, the wisps of smoke unable to conceal his deeply furrowed brow. "Momoshiki indeed cannot revive again."
"That's the best news I've heard these past two days... So, next!" Nara Shikamaru grabbed Amado by the collar. "You know what I'm going to ask, don't you?"
Sizzle~
A wisp of blue smoke cut between the two of them.
"Truly troublesome..." Amado unhurriedly removed the cigarette butt from his mouth and explained, "You're asking why I would re-imprint Karma on Kawaki, right? It was his choice. He craved power, craved the power to protect the Seventh Hokage."
"So that's your reason for unilaterally branding him with Karma?" Nara Shikamaru asked in a low, dangerous voice.
"For Karma to appear, Kawaki's will is a necessary factor. You understand what I mean by that, don't you?" Due to the events of that night involving a certain individual, he didn't want the deal between them to be exposed, so Amado chose to admit that he had privately imprinted Karma on Kawaki. "If he hadn't wanted it himself, even if I had branded him with Karma, it wouldn't have functioned as it should. Besides, weren't you all able to overcome this crisis precisely because of Kawaki?"
"Stop pretending, Amado! Rather than saying it was for Kawaki, it's more like you're incredibly fixated on his Karma! What exactly are you planning?" Nara Shikamaru grew even angrier.
Just then, a black figure shot out from behind him.
"Finally here." The anger on Nara Shikamaru's face instantly vanished. Leaving such an obvious claw mark on my back, does he take me for an idiot?
Amado, on the other hand, looked somewhat panicked. He had already recognized the newcomer.
Code sent Nara Shikamaru flying with a swipe of his claw, taking his place and grabbing Amado by the neck.
"Long time no see." Code grinned. He had finally waited for this moment. "Remove the limiter on me. You should know my methods."
"Give it up. A large number of Konoha ninja will be here soon." A flicker of pain crossed Amado's face.
"Shut up! Look into my eyes." Code ignored everything else. "And speak the deactivation command."
How does he know?! Amado's mind reeled. He was supposed to be the only one who knew how to remove the limiter.
"Shikamaru, what happened?" Ino's anxious voice sounded in Shikamaru's mind. Through Konoha's sensory barrier, she had detected the intruder immediately.
"Code is here! Right in front of me!" Shikamaru coughed up blood, responding with difficulty.
"I'll send reinforcements right away," Ino quickly decided.
"No need. Just notify the Seventh Hokage and Sasuke." Shikamaru refused. The enemy before them wasn't someone who could be dealt with by sheer numbers. "The reason he appeared is because only Amado and I are here. I don't want to scare him off. Just leave it to me to handle."
"...I understand."
Pfft!
A grayish-white figure suddenly appeared in the room. A flash of a blade, and a wound that nearly bisected Code appeared on his back.