Sumire.
The Hyūga Tarō whose personality had been overtaken by Urashiki's Kāma—we'll call him "Ura-Tarō."
A narrow alley that everyone had to pass through after leaving Konoha's izakaya district.
"Ah!"
A red fishing line pierced straight through a drunken chūnin's chest.
Ura-Tarō tugged on the rod.
Whoosh—
The man's chakra was reeled out in an instant.
The chūnin collapsed, motionless.
Ura-Tarō pinched the end of the line and stared at the chakra on the hook.
It was no bigger than a peanut.
Its glow was faint.
He shook his head in disappointment.
"Trash."
No matter how small, meat was still meat.
With no better options, he plucked the "peanut-sized" chakra off the hook and dropped it into the basket at his waist.
This was already the seventh victim in this alley tonight.
Only one-tenth of the Kāma had been unsealed.
Which meant Ura-Tarō possessed barely one-tenth of Urashiki's original power.
He no longer feared most shinobi.
But against elite jōnin, he still had to be careful.
That was why he didn't dare hunt openly in the streets.
Drawing attention meant danger.
He dragged the unconscious chūnin into a garbage-filled side alley and resumed waiting.
"Hic…"
A staggering drunkard approached, holding a bottle.
Ura-Tarō frowned.
The man wore a white lab coat.
Square face.
Wire-rim glasses.
He didn't look like a ninja.
Ura-Tarō wasn't interested in civilians and was about to let him pass.
But the man suddenly stopped and pointed his bottle at him.
"Y-You… you're with that horned guy from earlier today, aren't you?!"
"What?!"
Ura-Tarō's Byakugan bulged with shock.
The man's face twisted.
Violent resentment surged in his eyes.
"You're all in on it! All of you!"
"You're an organized evil group sent to sabotage me!"
"You're jealous of my genius in scientific ninja tools!"
"That's why you keep targeting me, right?!"
"Ahhh! I'll fight you!"
He hurled the bottle.
"So he's just a drunk lunatic," Ura-Tarō muttered, dodging.
Crash!
The bottle shattered against the wall.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, he stared intently.
Through his Byakugan, he saw something new.
A layer of dark purple aura enveloped the man.
"What is this? Is he possessed?"
"I'll strangle you! All of you monsters!"
Slash!
The red rod pierced through his chest.
A dark-purple chakra flame, as large as a beaker, was pulled out.
"Huh…?"
As it left his body, the man suddenly felt light.
The suffocating pressure that had haunted him for half a month vanished.
W-What… have I been doing lately?
I… I even encouraged Young Master Boruto to do that…
Thud.
He collapsed unconscious.
Ura-Tarō stared at the hook in disbelief.
"More than a ninja… from a civilian?"
"This looks like negative chakra."
"So it was influencing him."
His expression shifted.
He stored the prize and leapt onto a rooftop, scanning Konoha with his Byakugan.
"Incredible… more than half the village is covered in this aura."
"This is some kind of large-scale technique."
"It affects anyone with negative emotions."
"The caster must be in the village."
Following the flow of dark chakra, he traced it back—
To a purple-haired girl walking alone in a northwest alley, wearing a mask.
"Heh. A fellow practitioner."
"Heaven is helping me."
"No more scouting."
"I'll take her chakra… and her technique."
In the original timeline of Boruto, Sumire's "Ox-Head King Incident" unfolded earlier.
Due to Akira's interference, it was slightly delayed.
Now, it finally began.
For readers unfamiliar with Boruto, here is a brief explanation.
Sumire Kakei.
Her father, Tanuki Kakei, was a survivor of Root and a loyal follower of Danzō.
Despite his contributions in the Fourth War, he was branded a criminal.
The family lived in hiding.
Filled with hatred, he trained Sumire harshly.
Before dying, he implanted into her back a technique created using Hashirama's cells.
He ordered her to infiltrate Konoha and destroy it someday.
After graduating, Sumire joined Team 15 under Hanabi Hyūga and became known as "Class Rep."
Half a month ago, she began acting on her father's will.
She summoned the Ox-Head King, Nue.
Nue fed on negative chakra.
It amplified darkness in people's hearts, driving them mad.
Katasuke Tōno was one of its victims.
Nearly a hundred villagers had been affected.
Yet no one noticed.
In the original timeline, Naruto suppressed Nue with Kurama Mode.
Today's chaos—the battle between Akira and Momoshiki, and the Five Kage's absence—magnified everyone's anxiety.
Negative emotions surged.
Sumire gathered far more chakra than before.
Walking alone through the alley, Sumire gazed at the village she had lived in for years.
Memories of her classmates stabbed her heart.
But her father's final wish was a heavier chain.
"I don't belong here…"
"The turmoil today has spread fear."
"Fear breeds negative chakra."
"After tonight, many will go mad."
"They will become Nue's food."
"I'll summon it and attack the village."
"With the Kage absent, no one can stop it."
"Father… this is what you wanted, right?"
Crack!
A hook burst through her back and chest.
Whoosh!
A massive dark chakra sphere—larger than a bear's head—was yanked out.
Ura-Tarō grabbed it.
"Subarashii~~~!!!"
"How… could this…"
Sumire collapsed, stunned.
Ura-Tarō stored the chakra.
Then he stared at the strange ox-head sigil on her back.
"So this is how you store chakra."
"Compared to fishing… this net is better."
"I'll take it."
"And you'll die."
"Painfully."
Grinning, he extended his Kāma-marked hand.
Hearing "die," Sumire felt strangely calm.
Between her father's wish…
And her friends…
Maybe death was an answer.
"…So be it."
She closed her eyes.
Whoosh!
A blue whirlwind erupted from nowhere!
"What?!"
Ura-Tarō leapt back.
The wind vanished as suddenly as it appeared.
Sumire was gone.
He scanned wildly.
"Where is she?! No caster! Nothing!"
"Who did this?!"
"…Huh?"
"I'm alive…?"
Sumire slowly opened her lavender eyes.
Before her stood—
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