Chapter 264: A Bizarre Duel — Storytelling vs. Nonsense Playstyle (End)
"When Uchiha Madara is present on the opponent's field, activate this card to Special Summon Hashirama Senju from the Extra Deck!"
"There's no way you can actually summon him... Whatever, I'm used to it by now. Even if you do summon Hashirama Senju, so what? His attack power is exactly the same as my Uchiha Madara! And your Nine Tails is still in Defense Position—there's no way you can beat me this turn!"
Hashirama Senju – ATK: 4000 / DEF: 4000
"Hashirama Senju, attack Uchiha Madara! At the same time, activate Hashirama's effect: Sage Body! When Hashirama is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, his resurrection is delayed by three turns!"
"And I also activate Grave Robber from my hand! I choose one ninja in your graveyard to add to mine! The one I choose... is the Uchiha Madara who was just destroyed!"
"Huh?" Modern Boruto looked surprised. "You're actually using a real effect instead of making things up? Still, even if you add Uchiha Madara to your graveyard, so what? Are you trying to stop me from reviving him?"
"Uchiha Madara is Indra's reincarnation, while Hashirama Senju is Ashura's reincarnation. Indra and Ashura are the reincarnations of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo—the Sage of Six Paths…"
Modern Boruto suddenly had a bad feeling. He quickly asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"By banishing Uchiha Madara from the graveyard and Hashirama Senju from the field, I Special Summon Sage of Six Paths – Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo! And because you have no ninja on your field, my Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo can attack directly!"
...
"Who would've thought this game is actually pretty fun," Future Boruto said, looking at his defeated modern self.
"You were clearly just making stuff up..." Modern Boruto muttered, then added, "But why the sudden interest in this game?"
"Actually..."
"What?! There's going to be an incredibly important duel one week from now?" Modern Boruto looked shocked after hearing his future self's explanation. "Wait, if someone's going to take on a major challenge, shouldn't it be the strongest duelist in the village—me?"
"For a number of reasons, I absolutely have to win this time."
"I see..." Modern Boruto scratched his head, looking at his future self. "Still, if we're going to play seriously, that kind of nonsense playstyle won't cut it. Oh well, we are the same person. I'll help you out."
"And me too, Boruto." Standing nearby, Tentō pulled out his signature black card and said, "We're friends. I may not be able to help much, but if you need card packs, just come to me."
Seeing the two of them standing before him, Future Boruto once again felt the warmth of friendship—a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. After all, in his future, his so-called "friends" only ever thought about devouring him.
...
One week later.
"Are you ready?"
Modern Boruto looked up at his future self and asked.
"Yeah."
Future Boruto nodded, glancing down at the deck in his hands. After Tentō provided the funds to buy countless card packs, Modern Boruto spent sleepless nights constructing the ultimate deck.
"Then let's go!"
Modern Boruto was just as eager to see the power of a deck built from everyone's combined efforts.
Outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Well, aren't you early."
The Captain of the Red Dragonfly Squadron looked at the approaching Future Boruto.
"Whoa! That dragonfly's huge!" Tentō shouted, pointing at the Captain Red Dragonfly. "I've never seen a dragonfly that big before!"
"How rude, kid! I'm Captain Dragonfly, the official referee of the Peace Star Battle!"
"Peace Star?" Modern Boruto looked confused. "What's that?"
"Looks like you don't know yet." The Captain Red Dragonfly looked at Modern Boruto. "To put it simply, it's something that can grant wishes. There are thirteen of them total..."
"In that case, it's kind of like the Holy Grail. Actually, it might be even more powerful—after all, there's only one Holy Grail..." Modern Boruto said with a shocked expression.
"Of course not. If we're talking purely about wish-granting ability, the Peace Star is far inferior to the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail directly grants your wish, while the Peace Star merely provides a path to make your wish come true. Whether or not it happens depends on your own efforts."
"In fact, the true purpose of the Peace Star is to lead people to a source of infinite energy!"
As a sudden voice rang out, the Captain Red Dragonfly turned and waved toward its source. "Hey, Captain Dragonfly, you're here!"
"Mm." The Blue Dragonfly Captain gave a nod.
"Another giant dragonfly?!" Tentō pointed at the Blue Dragonfly Captain in shock.
"I'm also a referee for the Peace Star Battle..." The Blue Dragonfly Captain explained, glancing at the Captain Red Dragonfly beside him. "To make it easier to tell us apart, you can just call me the Blue Dragonfly Captain from now on."
"Then I'll be the Captain Red Dragonfly," the red one chimed in, raising a hand.
"By the way..." Modern Boruto leaned over and whispered to his future self, "Don't you think those two kind of look like Dad and Uncle Sasuke?"
"Yeah," Future Boruto nodded.
"Quite the lively gathering, everyone."
Gray Wolf—or rather, Orochimaru—walked up with a wolf-themed Duel Disk on his arm. Behind him stood Red Wolf, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Gray Wolf!" Modern Boruto exclaimed, pointing at Orochimaru with a stunned expression. He never expected the person dueling his future self would be a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In an instant, Modern Boruto activated Sage Mode. The reason he chose Sage Mode instead of Nine Tails Chakra Mode was simple—Sage Mode had a major advantage: superior sensory perception.
"There's no one else nearby..." he muttered, carefully watching Gray Wolf.
"Boruto!" Tentō called out as he raised his right hand toward the sun in the sky.
The sun didn't just power their transformation into Armored Warriors—it also allowed the Lightstone to be summoned to their side.
"You two, calm down." Future Boruto placed a hand on each of their shoulders to stop them. "Before we came here, Hydra already told me—during the Peace Star Battle, we absolutely cannot break the Dragonfly Captains' rules."